Legal Studies Commons^™

Examining Victim-Worthiness And The Court Systems In Massachusetts Domestic Abuse Cases, Natalie Johns-Suriel

Honors Program Theses and Projects

This study investigates the relationship between victims of intimate partner violence and legal actors within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Qualitative interviews were conducted with nine participants, eight were advocates for victims and one was an attorney for victims at an advocacy center. Interviewees recall their experience aiding victims both in and out of the courtroom, noting differences depending on how the victim’s race, gender, or sexuality interact with social structures and legal actors. Narratives provided by advocates reveal a difference in treatment for victims of domestic abuse depending on their social categories, including race, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, etc. My analysis …

The Unequal Application Of The Death Penalty In The United States: Critical Analysis And A Just Solution, Muriel Mena

Honors Program Theses and Projects

Considerable scholarly attention has been devoted to the question of whether the application of the death penalty in the United States is racially biased. The legacy of the injustices and racial biases that Blacks experience in the United States continues to manifest in ways that have lethal consequences. The lethality of this is indicated by the fact that persons of color who are convicted of crimes punishable by the death penalty are more likely to receive the death sentence than whites convicted of the same crime. Regarding why this is the case, one needs to employ an approach designed to …

Challenging Wrongful Convictions And The Death Penalty In Three State-Level Cases, Theresa Debrah

Honors Program Theses and Projects

This paper aims to examine current high-profile state-level cases of those who have been put on death row and shed light on those individuals that may possibly be wrongfully convicted, either factually or procedurally. Previous studies have documented wrongful convictions within death row sentences, which is significant given the permanence of this penalty. This penalty is also disproportionately used against African American defendants. This study addresses three cases that expose similar factors and patterns that further our understanding of how race, victim-offender pairings, and legal irregularities affect death penalty cases. For this study, we used qualitative data to gather the …

Racism In Barnstable County’S Judiciary System, Olivia Brown

Honors Program Theses and Projects

This research outlines how racism is prevalent in the court system in Barnstable County, Massachusetts. When looking at research of racism in Massachusetts’ courts, specifically from the Harvard Law Report titled, “Racial Disparities in Massachusetts Criminal System,” published in 2020, I became intrigued with the topic. This raised the research question of is racism prevalent in Barnstable County’s judicial system. This study consists of interviews with defense attorneys from Barnstable County, detailing their personal experiences and thoughts on racism in the courts. This study demonstrates that there is racism in this court, however it tends to go unnoticed due to …

Greater Brockton’S Perception Towards Police, Jamiya Mcconnell

Honors Program Theses and Projects

This project will explore the community of Brockton's perception of the police. This is a case study of the June 2nd to 3rd protest that took place in Brockton, MA that explores connections to national events during the same time, greater Brockton, MA perceptions of police, and reasons people protest against the police. This protest follows the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. The Greater Brockton community and communities all over the United States call for justice and equality. The United States, and Brockton, has been struggling with racial injustices and this project investigates the perceptions of …

“I Feel Like This Is The Best Thing I'M Good At”- Butter: Exploring Vulnerabilities To Sex Work Through Youtube, Beranda Marseile

Honors Program Theses and Projects

Sex work is a misunderstood occupation riddled with stereotypes and stigmas. Those who participate in the sex work industry, throughout the duration of their career, have been exposed to various magnitudes of violence. This study specifically focuses on female sex workers (FSWs) and delves into why these women would continue engaging in a field as dangerous as sex work. Applying feminist theories and the victim/offender overlap, this study explores the complexities of the sex work industry, along with the violence and stigma that sex workers experience daily, through content analysis of interviews with FSW from a YouTube docuseries. Findings suggest …

Women Incarceration And Attitudes Towards Restraints Used During A Child’S Birth, Wade Chit

Master of Arts in Criminal Justice Leadership

The complexities of women's incarceration are misunderstood and often not spoken of, and as a criminal justice worker myself, it is very interesting to me to learn more about crimes, especially finding out more about crimes among female offenders’ because most of the time, we hear about crimes and the majority of the offenders are males. Therefore, I believe that it is important to find out more about crimes on the women's side and see what it is like and how they differ from the men. Unlike male offenders, female offenders have a different background in committing crimes. For instance, …

The Effects Of True Crime Media Consumption On Jurors’ Criminal Justice Orientations, Kendall Miller

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This study sought to determine the relationship between True Crime Media (TCM) or pretrial publicity (PTP) consumption and jurors' criminal justice orientations. This study also looked at dispositional empathy, right-wing authoritarianism, the need for affect, and the need for cognition as potential moderators. It was hypothesized that the more TCM and PTP consumed, the more participants will lean toward crime control ideologies. It was also hypothesized that the more TCM and PTP consumed, the higher participants would score on right-wing authoritarian viewpoints, on dispositional empathy, and on need for cognition. Participants were presented with a screening question of, "Do you …

Safety And Security On Campus: Student Perceptions And Influence On Enrollment, Kaitlyn Puckett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research examining college choice has traditionally focused on factors relating to demographics of the student and the college/university. Less attention has been directed towards how safety and security of the campus and the surrounding community play a role in college choice. In addition, some studies have examined students’ fear of crime, perception of safety and security, and perception of public safety; however, there is still much to be learned. The current study sought to further the research by (1) assessing how campus safety and security impacts enrollment decisions, (2) assessing how students perceive fear of crime and their personal safety, …

Mock Jurors' Recommended Sentences For Perpetrators Who Have Traumatic Experiences, Katherine West

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Experiencing trauma can result in neurological and biological changes, precipitating long-term damage to the brain and body. A considerable proportion of incarcerated persons have reported that they have experienced some type of trauma (Stensrud, Gilbride, & Bruinekool, 2018). Using scenarios of hypothetical crimes of varying degrees of seriousness, this study explores whether disclosure of the perpetrator’s traumatic childhood experiences has an influence on the severity of the sentence that mock jurors would recommend for that perpetrator. The mock jurors’ trait empathy, Belief in a Just World, and their own traumatic experiences were assessed to determine whether these characteristics could account …

Seasonal Effects On The Arrival And Colonization Of Blow Flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) On Carrion In New Jersey, Amanda A. Hernandez

Student Theses

Blow flies (Order: Diptera, Family: Calliphoridae) are a valuable forensic tool. Female blow flies will lay eggs (colonize) on remains often within minutes of death and entomological methods are based on their behavior and development to extrapolate postmortem intervals (PMI). External factors, such as temperature and weather patterns can influence timing of this behavior. This study seeks to gain a better understanding of the environmental factors that impact this behavior across two seasons. In this study, arrival and colonization behavior was investigated on rat carcasses from sunrise to sunset in a semi-rural region of New Jersey (n=64). Video recording software …

Csi Effect: Exploring Impact Among Mississippi Lawyers, Jennie Odom

Honors Theses

The “CSI Effect” suggests that a growing number of jurors often have unrealistic expectations concerning the amount of forensic evidence which should be reasonably presented to convict an alleged criminal, and this misconception arises from watching heavily dramatized crime shows such as the CSI franchise. While many scholars have examined the CSI Effect, one critical perspective is often missing from the existing literature, that of the lawyers. Therefore, this project worked to explore the perspectives of both defense attorneys and prosecutors. Personal interviews were conducted to gain insight and perspective regarding the CSI Effect, whether these perspectives had impacted the …

A Comparison Of Methods Used For The Elimination Of Organics From Soil Prior To Analysis By Ftir-Atr And Sem-Eds, Argeliz Pomales

Student Theses

This project suggests improvements to the treatment methods utilized for the sample preparation and evaluation of minerals in soil samples encountered in forensic science casework and research. The evaluation of pre-treated and post-treated soil samples were performed using Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy with Attenuated Total Reflection (FTIR-ATR) and Scanning Electron Microscopy-Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). Because soil samples contain a significant amount of organic matter and water which interfere with examination of these minerals while using these instruments, pretreatment methods are necessary to isolate the mineral fraction for examination and analysis.

Soil samples were first sieved with various size stainless steel mesh …

Formal And Informal Labeling Of Adolescents: The Consequences Of Cumulative Disadvantage On Deviance During Emerging Adulthood, Chijioke Onyekonwu

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Despite the recent developments in labeling theory, there are still a lot of gaps in research on this theory. To begin with, studies continue to attach too much attention to the effects of formal labeling to the neglect of informal labeling. Secondly, prior research has not paid full attention to a variety of mediating factors involved in the relationship between informal labeling, formal labeling and delinquency.

This study seeks to address these limitations by investigating the overall effects that formal and informal labeling has on young people while considering the differential impact of mediating variables. The data for the study …

Repeating Patterns: Does Emotional Child Abuse Lead To Intimate Partner Abuse?, Kathryn R. Henry

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Childhood abuse and intimate partner abuse (IPA) are serious issues in the United States This study examines the correlation between emotional childhood abuse and IPA. Anyone regardless of gender, race, or socioeconomic status may be a victim of childhood abuse or IPA. One in seven children are victims of childhood abuse, which results in a lifetime cost of $428 billion. The costs of IPA are even higher and estimated by the CDC (2020) to be near $3.6 trillion as 25% of women and 20% of men have been victims of IPA. Previous research has found a connection between childhood maltreatment …

Criminal Justice Update - August 2022, Patrick Mahoney

Criminal Justice Updates

The Criminal Justice Update is a monthly newsletter created by the Adams County Bar Foundation Fellow providing updates in criminal justice policy coming from Pennsylvania's courts and legislature as well as the US Supreme Court.

Contents:

• Updates from PA Governor's Office (no updates this month)

• Updates from the PA Legislature (no updates this month)

• Updates from the Courts

  • U.S. Supreme Court: Criminal Law & Procedure (no updates this month)

  • PA Supreme Court: Criminal Law & Procedure

  • PA Superior Court: Criminal Law & Procedure

To Report Or Not To Report: Student Reporting Behaviors Of Violent Crimes In Schools, Heather Monaghan

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

School-based violence is a criminal justice topic that often captures the attention of the media and the public. As a result, measures - such as school security strategies, safety personnel, and teacher training - are put into place to help combat school-based violence. These measures are not only costly and time consuming, but also have inconclusive research findings to support them. However, violence in schools can still be prevented. Research has found support for the role that student reporting has in preventing violence. However, many students may choose not to report violent crimes. Using a modified version of Sykes & …

Police Officer Perception Of Body Cameras In East Tennessee, Sadie Murr

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore police officer perception of body cameras. There had been little previous research done on the police officer perception of body cameras in rural areas. Several research questions were pursued, including the impact of body cameras on citizens, the impact of body cameras on police officers, use of force and body cameras, body cameras effects on calls, and the officers’ support of body cameras. The study gathered data through qualitative interviews with 16 police officers in East Tennessee to address these questions. Results obtained provided interesting and useful information regarding the police perception …

Crime Attractors In Sin City? A Pre/Post Test Of Crime Patterns And Police Enforcement Around Recreational Marijuana Facilities, Joshua Donnelly

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The federalist system in the United States has created criminal opportunities within jurisdictions that have approved recreational marijuana facilities (RMFs). These facilities have characteristics that are attractive for motivated offenders including marijuana and marijuana-related tangible goods. Through ArcGIS, this research examined the crime patterns and police enforcement patterns that occurred within a 288-meter street-network buffer around RMFs through a pre/post-test exploratory design in the Las Vegas area. The time periods examined were 2015 to 2016 (pre-legalization), and 2018 to 2019 (post-legalization). Calls for service data were used to demonstrate both crime and enforcement patterns. Furthermore, facilities were classified into “local …

What You See You Perceive: Public Opinions Of Potential Negative Consequences And Support For Officer Body-Worn Cameras, Jordyn Marian Sanders

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Officer-body worn cameras (BWCs) are used in policing to provide visuals from the perspective of the officer during interactions with the community. BWCs are often promoted for the ability to improve the relationship between the community and police by providing accurate and transparent accounts of the interactions. Millions of dollars have been spent to distribute BWCs to police departments across the Unites States, with an estimated 80% of departments implementing the devices through various policies and procedures (White & Malm, 2020). Most studies on BWCs have provided empirical evidence showing the potential benefits of the devices in policing (Lum et …