Digital Commons Network^™

Mandatory Arrest Laws: Breaking The Cycle Of Violence In Colorado And Nebraska, Ryann Lavata Livingstone

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Perceptions Of Legitimacy In Three Forms Of Probation Supervision For People With Serious Mental Illness, Sophia Sarantakos, Emily Claypool

Qualitative Criminology (QC)

"In the context of criminal-legal community supervision, standard and specialized probation officers are often tasked with coordinating services for adults diagnosed with serious mental illness (SMI) on their caseloads. The coordination of services varies across different programs including traditional probation, specialty probation, and mental health court. Given the proliferation of programs focused on mental health in the criminal-legal system, the perspectives of front-line workers or street-level bureaucrats in criminal-legal agencies are a rich source of information about what is happening on the ground and could provide insights into the potential translational barriers of policy to practice. A deeper examination of …

From Acrimony To Forgiveness: How Adolescents Make Sense Of Childhood Maltreatment, Katherine Irwin

Qualitative Criminology (QC)

"This paper examines 16 adolescents’ narratives about the abuse they experienced during childhood. To date, most research examining child abuse (CA) survivorship and recovery has been conducted with adults who look back on their early experiences. Consequently, this study fills gaps in our knowledge by offering a youth-centered view of survivors’ efforts to cope with CA. The data come from a 12-year qualitative study of a group counseling program for high school students in Hawaiʻi. The findings revealed that a minority (n = 2) of the teens had negative views of their lives and futures, while the majority (n = …

A Content Analysis Of The Sutherland Address, 2001-22: A Qualitative Exploration, Phillip Shon

Qualitative Criminology (QC)

"Previous indicators of scholarly influence have been primarily quantitative, measuring a scholar’s influence through citation counts. This body of literature has overlooked the reflections of distinguished scholars, such as the recipients of the Sutherland Award, in the discipline as a form of scholarly influence. The current paper examines the Sutherland Address from 2001 to 2022. The key findings indicate that the majority of Sutherland Addresses reproduced existing sociological canons, while a minority of Sutherland Award winners explicitly rejected Sutherland’s sociological assumptions and their influence on criminology. Such findings suggest that Sutherland exerts a hidden influence on the recipients of the …

A Qualitative Analysis Of Gender Inequality In Southeast Missouri Law Enforcement Agencies, Madeline Marie Whistler, Christopher Bradley, H. Hamner Hill

Qualitative Criminology (QC)

"Does gender inequality impact the careers of female law enforcement officers in the Southeast Missouri region? Using a qualitative single instrumental case study, seven cis-gendered female law enforcement officers who were employed at local law enforcement agencies within the Southeast Missouri region were interviewed to investigate the central research question. Four themes emerged from the data that illustrated their experiences: sexual exploitation and harassment, a lack of work-life balance, the presence of gender stereotypes, and patriarchal hierarchy and male dominance in the workplace. The findings suggest that the experiences of female law enforcement officers are heavily impacted by the behavior …

A Plea For Open Access To Qualitative Criminology: With A Python Script For Anonymizing Data And Illustrative Analysis Of Error Rates, Scott Jaques, Andrew Wheeler

Qualitative Criminology (QC)

"Qualitative researchers are expected, sometimes required, to publish their data open access (OA). This is for the sake of science, impact, and social justice. Yet, understandably, qualitative criminologists are worried about what this means for their workload and their ability to protect subjects’ confidentiality. To be solutions-oriented, we developed an open-source Python script for anonymizing qualitative data. It uses named-entity recognition and fuzzy-rule based merging to identify and replace personally identifiable information (PII) with unique pseudonyms. This tool doesn’t eliminate the need for manual work, but it reduces the cost and associated risk. In this article, we describe and explain …

Digital (In)Justice? Evaluating Procedural Justice In Online Crime Reporting, Nazmy Natia

Dissertations and Theses

Online Crime Reporting portals (OCR) have become a routine entry point for non-emergency police services, fundamentally redefining how the public initiates contact with law enforcement. Although these portals are presented as efficient and accessible, little attention has been paid to whether their design and communication serve the people who use them. Prior research on procedural justice (PJ) has largely examined face-to-face police encounters, while latest studies of OCR systems emphasize victim experience and usability. However, the existing literature offers limited guidance on how PJ principles translate from in-person encounters to digital reporting platforms. This prompted the current study, drawing on …

Aid And Assist Cases In Multnomah County: An Exploration Of Ors 161.370, Savannah Jurasek

Dissertations and Theses

Individuals with severe mental illness (SMI) are highly overrepresented in jails. In Oregon, these individuals can be eligible for what is referred to as the aid and assist process (ORS 161.370) which is designed to facilitate restorative care in efforts to ensure that vulnerable individuals can rationally participate in their criminal proceedings. However, continuous escalation in aid and assist orders (109.3% between 2011-2025) has led to strain on the Oregon State Hospital, the primary care facility for this population. As a consequence, defendants with SMI are spending unnecessary time in custody, despite hospitalization admission guidelines governed by previously decided case …

A Study On The Perception Of Fear Of Crime Among Ul Lafayette Students, Md Rakibul Hasan

Masters Theses

Research has constantly found that campus crime rates are relatively low compared to those in the surrounding areas. Many students still experience a meaningful level of fear of crime that significantly influences their daily routines and impacts their lives. This study examines the perceived fear of crime among students at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette (UL Lafayette) and how it varies across demographic groups. The study used a quantitative, cross-sectional design with a non-probability convenience sampling technique. Data were collected from 512 currently enrolled UL Lafayette students during the spring 2026 semester using a Qualtrics online survey. The survey …

Teaching Peace Where Borders Divide: Interdisciplinary Praxis In A Criminal Justice Program, Lucas Espinoza

Peace and Conflict Studies

This article describes a criminal justice senior-level undergraduate course, CRIJ 4350: Peace, Nonviolence, & Justice, at a Hispanic-serving institution known as the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, in the U.S.-Mexico borderlands. The course centers five key frameworks: critical pedagogy, intersectionality, decolonial theory, restorative and transformative justice, and trauma-informed care, as this course departs from carceral models of justice education. Grounded in theory, literature, and research from criminal justice, criminology, peace and conflict studies, sociology, political science, ethics/philosophy, social justice, human rights, and critical pedagogy, the course centers student reflection from course evaluations, relationships, and experiences of a faculty member. …

Examination Of Factors To Male Offender Recidivism In Western Missouri, Daryl Long

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Law Enforcement Active Shooter Preparedness Grading System: A Campus Police Officer’S Perspective, Sean Patrick Gilligan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Prostitution And Opioid-Related Death Rates In A North Carolina City After The Implementation Of The Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion Program, Tomeka Scarboro-Hedrick

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Examining The Impact Of A Self-Employment Vocational Program In Texas On Black Men And Their Recidivism Rates, Alain Marie Matigi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Psychosocial Risk Factors And Recidivism Among Violent Offenders, Abbey Elizabeth Burgess

Dissertations and Theses

This study examined whether changes in LS/CMI domain scores between prison intake and release were associated with three-year recidivism among violent offenders following their release from custody. While the Risk-Need-Responsivity (RNR) framework emphasizes the importance of targeting dynamic criminogenic needs to reduce reoffending, relatively little research has assessed whether changes in domain-level risk factors translate into improved outcomes over time. Using administrative data from a state correctional system, this study analyzed domain-level changes in LS/CMI scores and their relationship to rearrest, while controlling for demographic characteristics, criminal history, and institutional factors. Results indicated that changes in most LS/CMI domains were …

Shoplifting: Analyzing Spatial And Temporal Patterns, Elizabeth Petrenko

Dissertations and Theses

Shoplifting has contributed to significant losses in Oregon, reaching nearly $956 million in 2022. While overall property crime in Portland, Oregon, dropped between 2023 and 2024, reported shoplifting incidents increased by 50.0%. In Oregon, stealing property worth $100 or less is third-degree theft and a Class C misdemeanor. Second-degree theft involving stealing property between $100 and $1,000 is a Class A misdemeanor. Although often classified as petty or minor theft, shoplifting imposes strain on retailers, consumers, and communities, which raises questions about the spatial and temporal distribution of this crime. This study uses Portland Police Bureau (PPB) offense data to …

Justice By Geography: District-Level Variation In Pretrial Release Outcomes Across Oregon, Ethan Loomis

Dissertations and Theses

AbstractOregon’s pretrial system operates under a common statewide legal framework, yet detention and release outcomes do not appear fully consistent across jurisdictions. Earlier research on pretrial decision-making has largely focused on judicial discretion, individual-level legal factors, and the use of risk assessment tools, while giving less attention to the district-level environments in which those decisions are made. This study examines whether variation in institutional capacity, political context, demographic composition, and socioeconomic conditions corresponds with differences in pretrial outcomes across Oregon’s circuit court districts.

The study draws from focal concerns theory, racial threat perspectives, and organizational approaches to court decision-making. Rather …

Guilty Plea Appeals Across Two States: Who Appeals And Who Wins?, Jacqueline G. Lee, Kelsey S. Henderson, Mason Scott

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications and Presentations

Though the vast majority of criminal convictions stem from guilty pleas, what occurs after the plea is relatively unknown. Data on appeals of guilty pleas was collected from two states to explore the prevalence and outcomes of guilty plea appeals, in addition to characteristics of those cases. One state produced approximately 5.5 times more plea appeal opinions per month than the other. Interestingly, one state's appeals largely centered around excessive sentencing claims (73.6%), while the other saw a range of grounds (e.g., ineffective assistance of counsel). Appealing defendants in one state almost always lost (only a 2% likelihood of success), …

Stalking Victimization Risk Factors Among College-Aged Men And Women: Does Relationship Type Matter?, Nicole Cebak

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Research assessing stalking—or a pattern of repeated, unwanted behaviors directed at a specific individual that causes fear, distress, or concern for their safety—has identified several factors that can increase a person’s vulnerability to this form of victimization (e.g., demographic predictors, lifestyle factors, individual characteristics) (Fissel et al., 2023; Fox et al., 2016; Reyns et al., 2016; Reyns & Scherer, 2016). However, stalking can manifest within a wide range of relational contexts, suggesting that risk factors identified for stalking victimization more broadly may be insufficient across different victim-offender relationship types (e.g., stranger, intimate partner) (Reyns et al., 2016; Strauss et al., …

Organizational Justice And Staff Well-Being In Probation And Parole, Deena R. Devore

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study examines how probation and parole (P&P) officers perceive fairness within their organizations and how these perceptions relate to job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and emotional exhaustion. Organizational justice research has been conducted primarily in business and policing contexts, with limited attention to whether established measurement models accurately capture fairness in community corrections. Because P&P officers operate within hybrid roles characterized by discretion, sustained supervisory relationships, and bureaucratic constraint, fairness perceptions in this setting may not align cleanly with existing dimensional frameworks.

Using survey data collected from P&P officers in a western U.S. state, this study evaluates competing measurement structures …

Protest Policing And Legitimacy: A Comparative Analysis Of Myanmar And The United States, Khaing Sandee Lynn

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Political protests garner immense attention during academic, socio-political, and policy discourse discussions. More specifically, the manner in which government, police, and protestors interact during protest events is heavily observed and debated. Research shows that legitimacy is established when power-holders act in accordance with legal frameworks and various political and institutional norms. With focus on the intersection of legitimacy and protest policing, the current study aims to explore how political, legal, and institutional legitimacy influence police compliance with state and institutional directives, and protestor compliance with police directives in two distinct sociopolitical contexts.

For this purpose, qualitative data was collected through …

Fallen Through The Cracks: The Experiences Of Dually-Involved Youth, Kaylee Dawn Faria

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Dually-involved youth (DIY) are a uniquely disadvantaged population, simultaneously involved with both the juvenile justice and child welfare systems. Information regarding the system experiences of DIY and how they compare to their single-system, juvenile justice-only involved (SSY) counterparts is sparse, particularly through a criminal justice lens. Additionally, no research on the within-individual differences between DIY pre- and post-DIY identification is currently available. The present study seeks to bridge current gaps in the literature by (a) establishing a baseline comparison of DIY and SSY in Clark County, Nevada, (b) assessing depth of system penetration differences via case processing outcomes, and (c) …

Vocational Training, Employment, And Recidivism: Examining Job Satisfaction As A Mediator, Gianni Brianna Lopez

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of job satisfaction in mediating the relationship between employment, vocational training, and recidivism. Recidivism remains a major issue in the United States, with a substantial portion of formerly incarcerated individuals returning to criminal behavior and, in many cases, being reincarcerated. The relationship between work and crime has been well established, however not all jobs are equal, and the protective effects of employment can vary across jobs. Employment has been cited as one of the most important factors in reducing recidivism, yet many individuals face barriers to securing stable and quality …

Event Day, Crime Day? A Study Of Event-Driven Crime And Enforcement In Las Vegas, Anna Nakazawa

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Las Vegas is an international tourist destination that welcomes millions of visitors each year. Allegiant Stadium, located in Las Vegas, is an NFL venue south of the Strip that hosts a wide variety of events. The aim of this study was to explore the impact of events on the environmental backcloth within a 10-minute walking distance from the stadium. Calls for service (CFS) and proactive police enforcement were measured and compared across event days and non-event days from 2022 to 2024. The findings from this study demonstrate that event days experience disproportionately more calls and enforcement than non-event days, with …

Factors Influencing K-12 School Homicide Casualties, Melvin Alexander Vargas Melgar

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Kindergarten through 12th-grade (K-12) school homicides, defined as homicides that occurred on the property of a school serving kindergarten through 12th-grade students, account for about 2% of all youth homicides, but are still a serious problem in the United States. From 2000 to 2024, 372 K-12 school homicide incidents have occurred, in which 783 victims were killed and injured. However, prior research tends to either generally focus on youth homicides, school violence, or high-profile school shootings with multiple victims. This study aims to add to the literature by examining various incident-level factors of K-12 school homicide incidents that may influence …

Bodies Under Command: A Feminist-Foucauldian Narrative Analysis Of Institutional And Cultural Betrayal In Military Sexual Misconduct, Chelsea Wheeler

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The military continues to experience alarming rates of sexual aggression, reaching epidemic levels. While all people can experience sexual aggression, women, compared to men, are more likely to experience this, despite women making up only 17 percent of the military. Throughout history, the military has demonstrated several instances of reactive attempts at combating the concerns of sexual aggression; however, these attempts have not been successful. From a feminist-Foucauldian lens, this dissertation research explores narratives of service members to gain a more in-depth understanding of the systemic dynamics that contribute to institutional and cultural betrayal in sexual victimization experiences. Additionally, this …

The Effectiveness Of After Care Substance Abuse Treatment Programs From The Perspective Of Released Female Offenders, Sarah Kay Blankenship

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

The Cost Of Compassion: Mixed Methods Insights Into Healthcare Chaplains’ Experiences Of Workplace Violence, Dana Fachner

Theses and Dissertations

Healthcare workers’ exposure to workplace violence has been well documented, with research emphasizing both its frequency and severity among clinical staff like physicians and nurses. Still, one group remains markedly overlooked: healthcare chaplains. Despite their frequent presence in high-stress, unpredictable, and emotionally charged situations, chaplains have never before been included in research regarding healthcare workers’ exposure to workplace violence. Healthcare chaplains provide spiritual and emotional care to patients, families, and staff by offering support that is culturally sensitive and appropriate to patients’ religious traditions. Chaplains collaborate with medical teams to deliver holistic care and are involved in a wide range …

Exploring Child Trafficking Survivors' Experiences: Support, Revictimization, And Justice Institutions, Max Lubin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Between Home And Hallway: Does School Discipline And Parental Incarceration Moderate Academic Outcomes Among Justice Involved Youth?, Morgan M. Hamer

All Theses

This study examines the relationship between parental justice contact, school disciplinary action, and academic performance of juvenile justice involved youth. Prior research has found youth with parents with justice system contact and juvenile justice involved youth to be vulnerable populations. Specifically, this study examines how a youthful offender with at least one parent with justice system contact performs academically, and if this relationship is moderated by school disciplinary action. Using quantitative data from the baseline wave of the Pathways to Desistance Study (Mulvey et. al, 2004), an ordered logistic regression analysis was employed to assess whether parental justice contact predicts …