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Opportunity And Rationality As An Explanation For Suspicious Vehicle Fires: Demonstrating The Relevance Of Time, Place, And Economic Factors, Hannah Kelly, Joseph Clare, Kathryn Wuschke, Len Garis

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications and Presentations

Opportunity theories of crime emphasize the non-random spatial and temporal patterning of criminal events. Such theoretical development has proven useful when extended beyond traditional applications to crime event data. This study continues to explore the wider utility of such criminological theories by examining the spatio-temporal patterns of vehicle fires through an opportunity lens. Specifically, we explore the patterns associated with different types of vehicle fires, and consider longitudinal socio-economic trends that may influence the perceived costs and benefits associated with crimes committed with the intention of escaping debt, such as vehicle arson. Data for this study were obtained from Surrey …

Legitimacy, Procedural Justice, And Neighborhood Dynamics: Thoughts On Police Reform, Robert Lyle Nicewarner

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Currently, there is much debate about how to alleviate tensions between communities and police. These tensions do not illustrate the full scope of the problem, but show us symptoms of a larger, more structural issue. Many scholars point to procedural justice tactics as a way to increase the legitimacy of the police; thus, creating a safer environment where citizens do not fear the police but respect, obey, and defer to them. However, not every neighborhood is the same and not every neighborhood needs the same kind of policing style. Drawing on theories of collective efficacy and social cognition I propose …

Exploring The Factors Responsible For Occupational Stress Among Police Officers In Nigeria, Ahmed Lateef

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Over 90 percent of police officers in Nigeria are confronted with psychological illness and injuries as a result of occupational stress, which is compounded by a lack of attention to police officer welfare by government, insufficient annual leave, and poor salaries that contribute to poor performance. Using Karasek's demands on decision and control model as the foundation, the purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the impact of occupational stress on police officers in a metropolitan police agency in Nigeria. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 15 senior police officers who had at least 20 years experience in …

Social Disorganization Theory: The Role Of Diversity In New Jersey’S Hate Crimes Based On Race And Ethnicity, Dana Maria Ciobanu

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

The purpose of this correlational panel study was to test Shaw and McKay’s theory of social disorganization by examining the relationship between demographic diversity and hate crime rates. The study focused on the relationship between the level of diversity, residential mobility, unemployment, family disruption, proximity to urban areas, and population density in all 21 New Jersey counties and hate crime rates. The existing data of Federal Bureau of Investigations’ hate crime rates and the U.S. Census Bureau’s demographic diversity were operationalized as the percentage of Whites over all other races, and social disorganization from the 21 counties of New Jersey …

The Danger Of ‘No’: Rejection Violence, Toxic Masculinity And Violence Against Women, Lily Katherine Thacker

Online Theses and Dissertations

This study illuminates the relationship between toxic masculinity and rejection violence, here defined as instances where men react violently toward women who reject their expressions of romantic or sexual interest. It begins with an analysis of the definition and construction of toxic masculinity and, through the analysis of different cases as reported in the media, expands into a discussion on how toxic masculinity contributes directly to cases of rejection violence. The study analyzes over 40 cases of rejection violence to present a clear picture of the relationship between these occurrences and toxic masculinity.

Students On The Margins: Intersectionality And College Campus Sexual Assault, Margaret Irene Campe

Theses and Dissertations--Sociology

This three-paper dissertation quantitatively identifies and examines three different substantive areas using data from the American College Health Association’s Fall of 2016 National College Health Assessment (ACHA-NCHA). Specific areas of inquiry include, marginalized populations and college campus sexual assault, intersectional analyses of risk factors for college campus sexual assault, and drinking protective behavioral strategies as prevention tools for college campus sexual assault. Paper one, titled, “College Campus Sexual Assault and Students with Disabilities,” explores a particular marginalized group of students that have been largely left out of college campus sexual assault studies: female college students with disabilities. The logistic regression …

Polysubstance Opioid Use In A Justice-Involved Population: An Analysis Of Patterns And Reentry Outcomes, Amanda Marie Bunting

Theses and Dissertations--Sociology

The public health crisis surrounding opioid use is pronounced among justice-involved populations, who face high rates of overdose mortality as well as HIV, and hepatitis C due to injection drug use. The majority of opioid-related overdoses are due to polysubstance use (PSU), and a better understanding of the prevalence and patterns of PSU are necessary in order to inform interventions. This dissertation project has three aims: (1) understand the patterns of opioid PSU among a justice-involved population, (2) identify PSU patterns most at-risk for post-release relapse, and (3) examine engagement in post-release health service utilization. Post-release aims are guided by …

Racial Segregation In Indianapolis, 1990–2010: A Spatial Perspective, Vijay Lulla, Owen Dwyer

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

The index of dissimilarity is the most widely used method for measuring racial segregation. When applied to Indianapolis, this index has returned results showing the city to be among the most segregated in the country. The resulting measure, however, suffers from two shortcomings. First, the index of dissimilarity is sensitive to the census-defined geographic unit chosen for the analysis; thus, this index returns different (though proportionate) results depending on whether the population data are aggregated to larger or smaller enumeration units. Second, the index of dissimilarity cannot account for the influence of spatial proximity; adjacent census blocks interact regardless of …

Effects Of Cisnormative Beauty Standards On Transgender Women’S Perceptions And Expressions Of Beauty, Delmira Monteiro, Mixalis Poulakis

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

The authors conducted a qualitative study exploring the effects of cisnormative beauty standards on transgender women’s perceptions and expressions of beauty. Twelve self-identified Caucasian transgender women completed a semistructured interview that provided descriptive data related to the women’s perceptions of societal beauty standards. Analysis of the data revealed the following primary themes: Participants viewed the beauty of transgender and cisgender women as diverse or as encompassing a broad range of variability; societal beauty standards were influential on participants’ expressions of beauty; and participants’ viewed out-group transphobia as a factor contributing to discriminatory and prejudicial perceptions of transwomen’s beauty.

Natural Disaster, Crime, And Narratives Of Disorder: The 1861 Mendoza Earthquake And Argentina’S Ruptured Social And Political Faults, Quinn P. Dauer

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

Social scientists studying natural disasters have generally found an absence of panic, a decrease in crime, and survivors working together to find basic necessities in the days and weeks after a catastrophe. By contrast, political and military authorities implement measures such as martial law to prevent chaos and lawlessness threatening private property. The media amplifies narratives of disorder, creating the perception of uncontrolled masses wantonly committing crimes in a disaster’s aftermath. Historians study natural disasters to view political, social, economic, and cultural structures stripped of their everyday veneer. The 1861 earthquake that destroyed the provincial capital of Mendoza in western …

“We Are A Very Happy Family”: 19th-Century Familial Power Dynamics, Stella A. Ress

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

This article examines the roles of family members in the mid-19th century in America, using the Willard family as a case study. Ultimately, this thick description of the Willard family demonstrates that power within the family structure was neither intrinsic nor static; moreover, one person did not control the family and its decisions at all times. Instead, each family member, depending upon circumstances, situations, and his or her own nature, negotiated and laid claim to power through various sources of authority. Josiah Willard’s authority stemmed from his role as father and husband; society crowned him king of the household, and …

Antidiscrimination Ordinances In Northwest Indiana: An Event-History Analysis Of Municipal Policies Since 1992, James Paul Old, Kimberly Palmer Fields

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

In recent years, municipalities throughout Indiana have passed antidiscrimination ordinances that protect the rights of individuals who belong to racial, ethnic, or sexual minorities. Political scientists have proposed competing theories of policy-adoption processes that suggest a number of internal factors (such as socioeconomic characteristics, governmental capacity, or issue salience) or external factors (such as mandates/incentives from higher-level governments or influence from neighboring communities) as predictors of policy adoption; however, most existing studies focus on state-level processes, and those that focus on municipalities consider only large cities in different states. To more clearly distinguish between state-level effects and local effects, this …

Citizen Initiative To Improve Local Government Ethics: Northwest Indiana Experience, Calvin Bellamy

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

After more than 50 years of widespread public corruption in Northwest Indiana, a small group of citizens and public officials met over a period of several months and developed a largely voluntary response. The result was the Shared Ethics Advisory Commission, which trains public employees on ethical decision making, provides specialized training for department heads and board and commission members, and hosts an annual ethics summit for the general public. Periodic employee ethics surveys indicate a positive effect of the training. In addition, the commission has developed a Candidate Ethics Action Pledge administered in each local election cycle, and a …

Measures Of Challenging And Excitatory Parenting Behavior As Predictors Of Later Child Self-Regulation, Zachary Havlin

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

Challenging and excitatory parenting behaviors play an important role in children’s development, particularly in regard to the development of selfregulation; however, no well-established measures of parent-child interactions exist that record such behaviors. In the current study, I compare two recently developed coding systems that intend to address this issue: the Risky Interaction Support and Challenging (RISC) and Marbach coding systems. A subset of videos from the New Parents Project (NPP) data set at 12 and 18 months was coded using both scales, then a factor analysis was conducted for each scale. Regressions were conducted to look at the predictive power …

Genealogical Trends In Solving Cold Cases: An Investigation Into The Merits And Concerns With New Cold-Case Lead Development, Katie Smolucha, Tyler Counsil

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

In the criminal justice system, not all offenders are brought to justice; unfortunately, cold cases exist and provide long-term challenges to investigators. From historic breakthroughs in forensic DNA analysis to today’s new trends, advancements in technology continue to give investigators hope of resolving unsolved mysteries with no clear-cut suspect. This article examines the progression of DNA analysis over the past three decades and explores the recent trends in the use of genealogy websites to solve cold cases. DNA technology’s innovative uses, from its early years to modern, are explored herein. By exploring traditional DNA analysis to advances that explore the …

“But I Only Wanted Them To Conform”: A Detailed Look Into The Initial Cohort Of Girls At The Indiana Reformatory Institution For Women And Girls Between 1873 And 1884, Molly Whitted, Michelle Williams

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

For the past four years, as part of a group of currently and formerly incarcerated scholars, we have researched the “inmates” and staff at the Indiana Women’s Prison during the institution’s first decade. Then known as the Indiana Reformatory Institution for Women and Girls, the facility was located near downtown Indianapolis on Randolph and Michigan Street. We focused on a key constituent of the Indiana Reformatory for Women and Girls: the girls themselves, heretofore voiceless and uninvestigated.

Our primary sources include the annual reports of the reformatory and the original registries for the girls during the survey period of 1873–1884. …

East Chicago Politics: A Cornucopia Of Corruption, Tina Ebenger, Tracey Mccabe

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

Despite the comical title, there is a lot of corruption in East Chicago (IN) politics. One mayoral election had to have a “do-over” because of fraudulent absentee ballots, and a former mayor is doing time in jail for using public monies to remodel his home. This cornucopia of corruption extended to the indictment of six public officials (the so-called Sidewalk Six) in East Chicago for misusing public funds for political gain, specifically vote-buying, in the 1999 mayoral reelection of Robert Pastrick. These officials, ranging from a parks superintendent to a city engineer to several city council members, bought votes by …

Going To Extremes: The National Parent Teacher Association And Political Extremism In The 1960s, Sarah E. Heath

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

In the 1960s, the National Parent Teacher Association (PTA) reported efforts at “infiltration” by conservative extremist groups, including the John Birch Society (JBS). Extremists sought to take over PTA meetings to obtain a mainstream platform for minority opinions. The PTA parried extremists’ efforts with a deluge of activities and publications dedicated to democratic fair play and research-based approaches to education. In spite of a coherent plan for dealing with such techniques in the 1960s, the methods used by the Birch Society and other conservative extremist groups appear to have resumed in contemporary educational discussions. Once again, opinions that appeal to …

Senior Editor In Chief's Note, Kenneth D. Colburn

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

แนวทางการป้องกันอาชญากรรมที่เกี่ยวกับสกุลเงินเข้ารหัสในประเทศไทย: กรณีศึกษาบิทคอยน์, กิจชัยยะ สุรารักษ์

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

การศึกษาวิจัยครั้งนี้มีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อศึกษาลักษณะ รูปแบบ สภาพปัญหาและสาเหตุของอาชญากรรมที่ใช้บิทคอยน์ในฐานะสกุลเงินเข้ารหัสเป็นเครื่องมือ ตลอดจนศึกษาแนวนโยบาย กฎหมายและมาตรการต่างๆที่เกี่ยวข้องกับสกุลเงินเข้ารหัสทั้งในประเทศไทยและต่างประเทศ เพื่อเสนอแนวทางการป้องกันอาชญากรรมที่เกี่ยวกับสกุลเงินเข้ารหัสในประเทศไทยได้อย่างเหมาะสม การศึกษาวิจัยครั้งนี้เป็นการวิจัยเชิงคุณภาพด้วยการศึกษาจากเอกสารและการวิจัยภาคสนามโดยการเก็บข้อมูลจากผู้ให้ข้อมูลสำคัญ ผลการศึกษาพบว่าปัจจุบันมีการนำบิทคอยน์ไปใช้เป็นเครื่องมือในการก่ออาชญากรรมโดยตรงด้วยการนำไปใช้เป็นสื่อกลางในการกระทำความผิดในรูปแบบต่างๆ ได้แก่ การซื้อขายแลกเปลี่ยนสินค้าและบริการที่ผิดกฎหมาย การฟอกเงินและการสนับสนุนเงินทุนให้กลุ่มผู้ก่อการร้าย และการนำไปใช้เป็นเครื่องมือในทางอ้อมด้วยการนำเอาชื่อของบิทคอยน์ไปหลอกลวงฉ้อโกงในลักษณะคล้ายกันกับแชร์ลูกโซ่ โดยมีสภาพปัญหาและสาเหตุจากลักษณะพิเศษต่างๆของบิทคอยน์ที่เอื้อต่อการนำไปใช้ในการก่ออาชญากรรม โดยเฉพาะคุณสมบัติที่ไม่มีการเปิดเผยตัวตนผู้ใช้งาน สภาพปัญหาและสาเหตุจากกฎหมาย ได้แก่ สถานภาพทางกฎหมายที่ไม่ชัดเจนของบิทคอยน์ กฎหมายที่เกี่ยวข้องยังไม่สามารถใช้ป้องกันการนำบิทคอยน์ไปใช้ในการกระทำผิดได้ ปัญหาในด้านการตีความกฎหมายที่ขัดแย้งกันเกี่ยวกับการเก็บพยานหลักฐานทางอิเล็กทรอนิกส์ และการขาดกฎหมายที่บัญญัติหลักเกณฑ์และวิธีการในการยึดและอายัดบิทคอยน์ รวมทั้งสภาพปัญหาและสาเหตุจากการบังคับใช้กฎหมายที่เจ้าหน้าที่ที่เกี่ยวข้องยังขาดองค์ความรู้ วิธีการ และเครื่องมือหรือกลไกต่างๆ ทั้งยังขาดการบูรณาการร่วมกันทั้งจากหน่วยงานของรัฐ ภาคเอกชนและความร่วมมือระหว่างประเทศ และจากการศึกษาแนวนโยบาย กฎหมายและมาตรการต่างๆที่เกี่ยวข้องพบว่าแต่ละประเทศมีทิศทางการกำหนดนโยบายที่แตกต่างกันทั้งรูปแบบของการยอมรับ กึ่งยอมรับกึ่งควบคุม และปฏิเสธบิทคอยน์และสกุลเงินเข้ารหัสต่างๆขึ้นอยู่กับแนวคิดทางการเมือง สภาพเศรษฐกิจและวัฒนธรรมของประเทศนั้นๆ ทั้งนี้ ประเทศไทยควรมีการกำหนดมาตรการในการยืนยันตัวตนผู้ใช้งาน กำหนดหลักปฏิบัติในการเก็บรวบรวมพยานหลักฐานทางอิเล็กทรอนิกส์ที่ชัดเจน บัญญัติหลักกฎหมายเกี่ยวกับการยึดและอายัดสกุลเงินเข้ารหัส ส่งเสริมให้มีการศึกษาวิจัยและพัฒนาองค์ความรู้ เครื่องมือ และกลไกต่างๆ การสร้างความร่วมมือระหว่างหน่วยงานภาครัฐและภาคเอกชนและหน่วยงานระหว่างประเทศ รวมทั้งการผลักดันให้มีการพัฒนาสกุลเงินดิจิทัลแห่งชาติ และการสร้างความรับรู้ให้แก่ประชาชนในประเด็นที่เกี่ยวข้องกับอาชญากรรมที่เกี่ยวกับสกุลเงินเข้ารหัส

Victimization And Health Experiences For Tgnc Individuals In Women's Prisons, Kristina Davis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This text examines the health-related experiences of transgender and gender nonconforming persons assigned female at birth within the criminal justice system. It moves through a transgender-centric approach to explore the ways gender nonconformity relates to experiences of violence and healthcare disparities for those interacting with law enforcement and incarcerated in women's prisons. The study utilized statistical analyses of nationally representative data in the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey carried out by the National Center for Transgender Equality. Multivariate analyses suggested significant connections between race and education and experiences of harassment and assault within the criminal justice context. There were largely mixed …

Overkill: A First Run Definition, Traccy Martins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Homicide is a major social issue that has been studied by many researchers worldwide. The vast literature available, however, has avoided distinguishing homicide characterized by excessive wounds as a particular category or type of murder. This is what is often referred to as overkill. It has been observed in a variety of incidents, but it has not been systematically defined or examined in the literature in regard to why it occurs. This study aims to define "overkill" based on the number and extent of injuries for LGBT homicides between the years 1969 to 2018 (provided by Dallas Drake, co-founder of …

Minimum Dropout Age And Juvenile Crime In The United States, Md. Abdur Rahman Forhad

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

My dissertation examines how an increased minimum dropout age (MDA) affects juvenile crime not only in the community, but also in school. I first empirically estimate the magnitude of the impact of a higher MDA on high school enrollment. I then develop an economic model of crime that explains the relationship between an MDA and contemporaneous juvenile crime and empirically examine how a higher MDA affects juvenile crime both in the community and in school. I find that raising the MDA from 16 to 18 significantly increases school enrollment by 2.57%. Next, I find that raising the MDA to an …

Restorative Justice And Responsive Regulation In Higher Education: The Complex Web Of Campus Sexual Assault Policy In The United States And A Restorative Alternative, David R. Karp Phd

School of Leadership and Education Sciences: Faculty Scholarship

Sexual assault policy on college campuses in the United States is a complex system guided by federal policy, state policy, and local mandates. When students violate sexual misconduct policies, campuses primarily rely on suspensions and expulsions, paralleling the criminal justice system’s reliance on incarceration as a solution based on stigmatization and separation. Since the 1990s, restorative justice has made inroads as an alternative response to student misconduct, but application to sexual misconduct is rare. The Campus PRISM Project (Promoting Restorative Initiatives on Sexual Misconduct) is a network of academics and practitioners exploring a restorative approach within a responsive regulatory framework. …

Assessing Perceptions Of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Among A Cohort Of Noncontracted Rotc Cadets, Stephen P. Gontz

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Stigmatization has shown to negatively impact service members with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Published research has shown stigma to significantly affect service members through increased suicide, homicide, unemployment, homelessness, and criminal justice system interaction rates. Additionally, stigma also affects overall readiness and cohesion of the military organization. However, little research has focused on the perceptions of Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) cadets about service members with a combat-related stress disorder in which they will eventually be charged with leading. The purpose of this quantitative study was to measure a cohort of ROTC cadets and determine their perceptions about service members …

Social Cohesion Among Individuals Participating In Re-Entry Groups, Todd Reiser

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

When prisoners are released from incarceration they enter a social landscape that holds unique challenges. One of the ways humans living within social systems understand their place and role is through the mechanism of religion. This study investigates how group religious practice establishes a shared worldview among those recently released from prison; a worldview that promotes the creation of positive social cohesion which contribute to life improvements, social mobility, and social status changes. "Social networks may include friendship circles in local congregations, scripture study groups and relationships with religious leaders who serve as role models for individuals" (Kerley et al …

Gun Control: The Gun Violence Epidemic In The U.S., Anna Koduru

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

While holding almost half of all civilian-owned guns around the globe and yet only 4.4 percent of the world’s population, the United States of America is heavily centered around gun rights due to the 2nd amendment in the U.S. Constitution. But gun violence is on the rise as deaths due to gun violence are at its highest rate in nearly 40 years. Americans are divided amongst themselves when it comes to how we must approach this issue. In order to reduce gun violence in the U.S., both Republican and Democrat leaders must come together and make bipartisan moves to implement …

Separate But Equal? A Look At Michigan Public School Districts, Travis Michalak

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

In 1954, the Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education that schools that are separate are inherently unequal and that the desegregation of schools should take effect with “all deliberate speed.” Decades later, there are still schools whose student bodies are comprised of over 90% minority students. The following study aimed to understand the relationship between minority segregated schools and their graduation rates, as well as the relationship between student poverty rates and the racial composition of schools and the resulting effect these variables have on school funding. Using data collected from the Michigan School database, this study …

Risk Management For Persons With Serious Mental Illness: A Process Analysis Of Washington State Department Of Corrections' Tools, Martin J. Tobin

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Although many evidence-based techniques are outlined in the literature, systems often assess, plan, and mitigate risk for Persons with Serious Mental Illness (PSMI) in significantly divergent ways. For more than 20 years now, the Washington State Department of Corrections has relied on the Offender Reentry Community Safety Program (ORCSP) to appraise dangerousness and presence of mental disorder, utilizing a staged process that considers a wide-ranging set of criminogenic and non-criminogenic variables. A growing body of research suggests that the ORCSP is effectively decreasing recidivism through collaborative reentry planning and mitigation between mental health and criminal justice professionals; however, whether ORCSP …

Motivation To Call Police: The Exploration Of Racial And Risk Averse Motivation, Alivia Lauren Zubrod

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

When calls are made to the police, the magnitude of their impact is often overlooked. When calls are made to the police and there is no crime, police resources, time, and energy could be wasted (Sampson, 2002); however, when no call is made to the police and there is a crime, human lives could be put in danger (e.g., Felson, Messner, Hoskin, & Deane, 2002). Based on highly publicized news reports, it appears that being a racial minority is enough motivation to call the police in some situations (e.g., napping or humanitarian work; Griggs, 2018; Williams, 2018b). Aversive racism theory …