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Homicide And Drug Trafficking In Impoverished Communities In Brazil, Elenice De Souza Oliveira, Braulio Figueiredo Alves Da Silva, Flavio Luiz Sapori, Gabriela Gomes Cardoso

Department of Justice Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Many studies demonstrate that homicides are heavily concentrated in impoverished neighborhoods, but not all socially disadvantaged neighborhoods are hotbeds of violence. Conducted in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, this study hypothesizes that the association between high rates of homicide and impoverished areas is influenced by the emergence of a specific type of street drug-dealing common to favelas (slums). The study applies econometric techniques to police data on homicides and drug arrests from 2008 to 2011, as well as 2010 Census data, to test its hypothesis. The findings provide insight into the development of crime prevention policies in areas of high social vulnerability.

Criminal Justice Updates - September 2020, Haley B. Shultz

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
• Highlights from Executive Order Number: 2019-06: Reducing Gun Violence
• Updates from the PA Legislature
• Criminal Law & Procedure
• Victims Issues
• Updates from the PA Courts
• PA Superior Court: Criminal Law & Procedure

Development And Validation Of A Multidimensional Scale For Measuring Public Confidence In The Criminal Justice System, Jimin Pyo

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Two studies were conducted with an aim of developing multidimensional measures of public confidence that are conceptually integrated, psychometrically sound, and useful in predicting individuals’ law related behaviors. Study 1 involves two-phased construction of scale in which a preliminary inventory was generated (Phase 1) and then finalized after evaluating psychometric properties based on 304 US adults recruited through Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (MTurk) (Phase 2). As a result, six multidimensional scales were constructed respectively for measuring efficiency-, finality-, fairness-, strictness-, accuracy-, and transparency-oriented confidence. Despite more complexity of factor structures than originally expected, results of psychometric evaluation six scales of confidence …

Health Implications Of Incarceration And Reentry On Returning Citizens: A Qualitative Examination Of Black Men’S Experiences In A Northeastern City, Jason M. Williams, Sean K. Wilson, Carrie Bergeson

Department of Justice Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

While a great deal of research captures the lived experiences of Black men as they navigate through the criminal legal system and onto reentry, very little research is grounded in how those processes are directly connected to their health. Although some research argues that mass incarceration is a determinant of poor health, there is a lack of qualitative analyses from the perspective of Black men. Black men face distinct pathways that lead them into the criminal legal system, and these same pathways await them upon reentry. This study aims to examine the health implications associated with incarceration and reentry of …

Getting Up: An Ethnography Of Hip Hop Graffiti Writers, Their Art, And Perceptions Of Society's Reactions., Theodore Malone

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This ethnographic analysis of the modern hip hop graffiti writing subculture connects the separate but complementary theoretical constructs of serious leisure (Stebbins 1982), dark leisure (Smith and Raymen 2016), recreational specialization theory (Bryan 1977), and edgework (Lyng 1990) and situates the writer “standpoint” (Smith 1987) in terms of interrelations of policy and written discourse. Past research found that writers were motivated by fame and status, to express artistic skills, and to control and destroy space (Brewer and Miller 1990). Others found that writers sought to express contestant notions of style and resist economic and political authority (Ferrell 1996; 2006), and …

New Jersey Overdose Prevention Act: Police Officers’ Experiences At A Drug Overdose Scene, Michael Ziarnowski

All Theses And Dissertations

The number of drug overdose deaths in the United States from opioids has led to national attention about the problem commonly described as the “opioid epidemic.” Federal and state policymakers have shifted from a hardline punitive approach to a rehabilitative approach in an attempt to save lives. Good Samaritan Laws (GSLs) and advances in medicine have been implemented differently in different states. For example, the enactment of the New Jersey Overdose Prevention Act (NJOPA) and the use of naloxone by first responders are ways that state officials try to save lives. However, there is limited research on the first responders’ …

Identifying Typologies Of Failure To Appear, Ciara Mcglynn

Dissertations and Theses

Empirically tracking when defendants fail to appear (FTA) for their court date is important for virtually all court systems. Factors related to FTA can inform court decision-making. Developing a typology of FTAs may provide added accuracy in pretrial detention decisions and using pretrial risk assessments. The current exploratory study expands on current knowledge of factors associated with FTA by identifying profiles of those most likely to fail to appear, and comparing with profiles of those who do show up for their court date. Seven cluster profiles were established for FTAs, and eight cluster profiles were established for non-FTAs. While there …

A Systematic Content Analysis Of The Justice Reinvestment Programs Across Oregon Counties, Lorena Ambriz

Dissertations and Theses

High levels of imprisonment and its associated costs have pressured criminologist and policymakers to create and establish new policies intended to reduce incarceration spending and lower the number of individuals under correctional facilities. Justice Reinvestment Initiatives (JRI) have been developed with the basic idea of redirecting the $54 billion annual incarceration spending toward rebuilding human resources and physical infrastructure of high-risk communities. These initiatives should create local programs that promote successful reentry, reduce recidivism, decrease prison usage, and improve public safety. Oregon passed the Justice Reinvestment Act in 2013, which allowed for all 36 Oregon counties to implement JRI programs …

Analyzing The Response To Covid-19 In Pennsylvania State Correctional Institutions, Elizabeth A. Rousseau

Student Publications

To evaluate the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak on the Pennsylvania prison system, I collected data from the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, the Pennsylvania Department of Health, and the Marshall Project. I supplemented the data with opinion pieces and journal articles discussing the specific issues that this pandemic imposes upon prisons in the United States. In sum, population data collected from the Department of Corrections showed that only a few State Correctional Institutions saw a steady decrease in population over the 25 day study period from from June 18th through July 13th (Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, 2020). Combining testing data …

Prosecutorial And Judicial Decision-Making In Federal Sovereign Citizen Cases, Kyle Kaminicki

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examines how ideology and extralegal factors shape prosecutorial and judicial outcomes among sovereign citizens (“sovereigns”) compared to other terrorists accused of committing non-violent crimes in the United States. This study is informed by focal concerns theory (Steffensmeier et al. 1998), which suggests that perceptions of blameworthiness, risk, and other practical implications shape prosecutorial and judicial decision-making.

Data come from the American Terrorism Study (ATS) where several measures are used including terrorist background and other extralegal factors (age, race, gender) for sovereign citizens and terrorists affiliated with other ideologies. Data on 308 sovereign citizens indicted in 158 federal court …

Immigrants And Crime, Daniel L. Stageman

Publications and Research

The gap between public perception of immigrant criminality and the research consensus on immigrants’ actual rates of criminal participation is persistent and cross-cultural. While the available evidence shows that immigrants worldwide tend to participate in criminal activity at rates slightly lower than the native-born, media and political discourse portraying immigrants as uniquely crime-prone remains a pervasive global phenomenon. This apparent disconnect is rooted in the dynamics of othering, or the tendency to dehumanize and criminalize identifiable out-groups. Given that most migration decisions are motivated by economic factors, othering is commonly used to justify subjecting immigrants to exploitative labor practices, with …

Vocational And Life Skills Evaluation Annual Report: Grant Cycle 3: Year 2 July 1, 2019-June 30, 2020, Uno Nebraska Center For Justice Research, Katelynn Towne, Michael Campagna, Ryan E. Spohn, Tara Grell

Reports

The report presents data evaluation updates for the Vocational and Life Skills Program (VLS) for the second year of Grant Cycle Three. VLS was created by the Nebraska Legislative Bill 907 in 2014 to improve the transition for individuals returning to the community after incarceration, increase public safety, and reduce recidivism. VLS includes a balance of providers that address different types of participant needs that develop and manifest in different ways. This report contains 1) a VLS logic model, 2) descriptions of the eight funded programs and a matrix of services provided, 3) a snapshot of participation across the programs, …

Douglas County Youth Impact! Cost/Benefit Analysis Revised Edition: 2019 Dollars, Nebraska Center For Justice Research, University Of Nebraska At Omaha, Ryan E. Spohn

Reports

The Nebraska Center for Justice Research at the University of Nebraska-Omaha conducted an evaluation of Youth Impact! which was completed in 2014. Youth Impact! is the Douglas County implementation of the Crossover Youth Practice Model, as developed by Georgetown University’s Center for Juvenile Justice Reform. This project consisted primarily of: 1) a process evaluation, 2) an outcome evaluation, 3) a systems-impact analysis, and 4) a cost-benefit analysis. This evaluation suggested that the reduction in information silos across the juvenile justice and child welfare systems led to better decision-making because of interagency collaboration and information sharing, although agency professionals still faced …

Addressing Reentry Experiences In California During Covid-19, Emily R. Cook

Social Sciences

I will first provide a literature review surrounding the topic of reentry and recidivism. Next, I will describe the projects that I completed related to reentry and reintegration in California including: participating in various parts of an educational reentry simulation, analyzing student responses to participation in this simulation, organizing a care package drive to assist those recently released, and creating a resource website compiling updates on the COVID- 19 crisis inside of the California incarceration system. I conclude by reflecting on my senior project experience.

The Correlation Between County Expenditures And Ab109 Recidivism: A Cross-Sectional Analysis, Maya Crim

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

In response to a federal mandate, California passed Public Safety Realignment policies in 2011 to reduce its prison population. Popularly known as Assembly Bill 109 (AB109), these policies sought to reform the prison system on multiple fronts. One of these fronts is preventing recidivism among offenders. Most studies on recidivism look at individual factors or specific micro interventions. However, the aim of this research was to examine the relationship between external factors and recidivism rates across 55 California counties. Using Spearman’s Correlation, this study tested the hypothesis that external factors such as county funding/expenditure, poverty level, and unemployment level monotonically …

Impact Of Denial Of Sexual Offenses On Sentencing And Treatment Strategies, Jenna Luallen

Honors Theses

The prevalence of sexual offenses calls for a reevaluation of how the system treats offenders and addresses indicators of risk. How an individual convicted of a sexual offense accepts or denies the assault can weigh heavily on the sanctions imposed upon them, and how the system processes the offender. Acceptance of guilt is an important goal in offender treatment programs, and denial is reportedly used as an indicator of high risk of recidivism. Deeper examination into how individuals who deny their offense are understood and processed throughout treatment aids in the identification of best practices for working with sex offender …

How Restorative Justice Practices Affect Adolescent Recidivism Rates: An Examination, Jordan A. Grant

University Honors Theses

This thesis explores the current implementation of restorative justice practices in various parts of the United States of America to determine if there is a link between the use of these practices and lowered recidivism rates. The literature reviewed for this paper span multiple juvenile justice systems giving a stronger view of how different states support victims, juvenile offenders, and the communities they impact at large. Through the literature found, the majority found the use of restorative justice programming reduced recidivism rates for the populations included in the samples. In future research, there is a continued gap in whether or …

Keep Kids Out Of Prison: Community-Based Alternatives For Nonviolent Juvenile Offenders, Anessa L. Pennington

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

Abstract

While juvenile crime has dropped over the past 20 years, tens of thousands of juvenile offenders are still incarcerated around the country, many of whom are nonviolent offenders. Researchers have found that detention centers, sometimes indistinguishable from adult prisons, do little to reduce recidivism and rehabilitate the offender. Rather, detention brings about more adverse effects than it does benefits. If incarceration isn’t working, how are the United States and other countries to deal with and deter juvenile crime? Community-based programs are a promising alternative to incarceration; instead of jumpsuits and cramped cells, community-based programs rely on community resources and …

An Empirical Examination Of Courts Of Appeals Judges’ Voting In First Amendment Retaliation Cases Involving Police Officers, Mary Ann Boyd

Criminology & Criminal Justice Theses - Archive

The impact of judicial ideology on voting in First Amendment decisions has been the subject of many empirical investigations in U.S. Courts of Appeals and District Courts. However, little attention has been devoted to studying how ideology impacts voting in First Amendment retaliation claims brought by law enforcement officers against their departments. This study is designed to fill this gap in the literature. Judges must consider and balance the right of public employees to exercise individual self-expression and autonomy while also safeguarding the rights of public institutions that provide necessary services to the public (Tsesis, 2015). Often the lines can …

Absent Father Timing, Criminal Behavior, And Arrest Across The Life Course, Krysta N. Knox

Criminology & Criminal Justice Theses - Archive

Although prior research has examined the link between having an absent biological father and self-reported delinquency, few studies have assessed the influence of the timing of paternal absence (i.e., the child’s age when father leaves). Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health), the present study examines the impact of the timing of biological father absence on delinquency and arrest across the life course. Results of negative binomial regression reveal that biological father absence before birth, early in childhood, (birth to age 5) and late adolescence (age 14 to 18) was significantly related to …

Juvenile Diversion Programs: Comparing Minnesota County Characteristics To Determine Their Role In Pre-Trial Diversion Programs, Kaydin Schmitt

Political Science Theses and Capstones

The main goal of the juvenile justice system is to rehabilitate offenders and prevent youth from entering the adult justice system. One approach is through the use of diversion programs. The state of Minnesota requires all counties to offer at least one type of pre-trial diversion program. However, there is no ubiquitous program; the number and types of programs differ between counties, and the reason for these differences between jurisdictions is under-researched. I analyze the number and types of pre-trial diversion programs in Minnesota counties and compare them to various county characteristics to determine which characteristics play a role in …

Hot Spots Of Crime: Seasonal Patterning Of Campus Crime, Karen Zahid Armenta Rojas

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Provisions of the Clery Act require institutional reporting of crime on college campuses. Using the Clery Act data from Boise State University in Boise, Idaho, this study examines crime type fluctuation through seasonal patterns using a hot spot analysis. The data are mapped to identify geospatial patterns of crime through the seasons. This study investigates if certain crime types peak depending on the season and if the introduction of resident housing locations shift hot spots around campus using 2012-2018 Boise State Crime Logs. Results illustrate varying patterns of crime on campus through the seasons but general stability in the spatial …

Public Perceptions Of Police Militarization: A Nuanced Understanding Of Public Support For Police Practices, Leobardo Lopez-Cristobal

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In recent years, there has been heavily publicized incidents of police use of military weapons and tactics, which has raised concerns regarding the militarization of police. More famously, in 2014, Ferguson police utilized military weapons and tactics to quell the masses after the police shooting of Michael Brown incited protests and riots. Despite an overall decrease in incidents of police use of force and deadly shootings, individual dramatic events of police militarization paint a picture of a militarized police force. This coincides with an overall increase in military equipment transfers (e.g., weapons, vehicles) to police agencies in the United States. …

Making Freedom Free: A Call For Bail Reform In America’S Broken Criminal Justice System, Jordan L. Sharpe

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

Studies have shown that in the past fifteen years, the number of people jailed in the United States has sharply increased, thereby continuing the upward trend of incarceration that erupted in the 1980s. Jail populations are steadily increasing; yet, in the past fifteen years, the number of people convicted of crimes has stayed the same. The reason for this phenomenon: individuals are forced to remain in jail not because they are deemed a threat to public safety, but because they cannot afford the cost of bail. This system has drastically deviated from its original purposes and now destroys lives by …

The Effect Upon State Crime Rates Of The Legalization Of Recreational Marijuana In California, Robert Boxerman

Theses

This work examines criminal effects of the legalization of recreational marijuana in the state of California in 2016. While multiple states have legalized marijuana for recreational purposes, there is little empirical evidence to determine the criminal effect, if any, of introducing marijuana products into the legal market. The research analyzes crime rates pre and post legalization. Crime rates from the years 1990-2018 are taken from the California Attorney General Office “Crime in California” annual report, and consist of FBI Part I offenses: murder and non-negligent homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, motor vehicle theft, larceny-theft, and arson. Misdemeanor drug arrests, …

Public-School Systems Are Criminalizing Our Young People: Giving Voice To The Marganilized, Carrie Stoltzfus

Graduate Theses & Dissertations

A phenomenological qualitative study using Critical Race Theory and counter-storytelling was completed to investigate what K-12 public schools should be doing to keep young people out of the school-to-prison pipeline (STPP). This study took place in a large city in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Interviews were completed with former students of the researcher who were previously incarcerated, educational professionals, and justice system professionals. Additionally, observations of the court systems and document reviews were completed in order to triangulate findings. Themes emerged around factors that lead to incarceration and the preferred practices to support young people to avoid …

Supported Families Grow Healthy Children: Branching Out Services To Support Children, Families, And Communities Impacted By Punitive Practices In The Criminal Justice System, Patrick Clark, Janet Meegan, Troy Potter, Holly Schmitt, Jesse Valentin

Master of Social Work Student Policy Advocacy Briefs

The well-being of Minnesota’s children and families is negatively impacted by punitive practices. Investing in programs that divert parents from the criminal justice system ensures parental accountability while contributing to healthy children, families, and communities.

An Analysis Of Police Pursuits In Ct During 2019, Erica Boccuzzi

CJ Masters Theses

Police pursuits can occur at any time, any location and can have numerous outcomes. There is past research on this topic which has been compared to this current study. The purpose of this research project is to analyze pre-existing data alongside the data collected by the researcher. The goal of this project serves to study every aspect of a police pursuit as provided through a mandatory pursuit form. In specific, the research was collected from different departments within the state of Connecticut during the 2019 calendar year. The pursuit form includes crucial information which can provide insight regarding pursuits in …

‘Not Feeling Like A Caged Animal’: Prisoner Perceptions Of A Remote Video Visitation System, Danielle J. Murdoch, Laura L. King

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications and Presentations

In recent years, correctional agencies have increased their use of video visitation in an effort to offset costs and increase security, among other objectives. In the present study, interviews (N = 12) and surveys (N = 58) were conducted with prisoners at a jail in the Northwestern U.S. that had replaced in-person, glass partition visitation with remote video visitation. The results suggested that while there were positive aspects of video visitation, such as the ability to visit with loved ones from afar, there were criticisms as well, including technological and access issues. The policy implications of the findings and directions …

Evidence, Arrest Circumstances, And Felony Cocaine Case Processing, Jacqueline G. Lee, Alexander Testa

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications and Presentations

Case evidence and situational arrest characteristics are widely speculated to influence courtroom actor decisions, yet such measures are infrequently included in research. Using new data on felony cocaine cases from an urban county in a Southern non-guideline state, this study examines how physical evidence and arrest circumstances affect three stages of case processing: initial charge type, charge reduction, and sentence length. The influence of evidence appeared strongest at the early stage when prosecutors chose the appropriate charge, though certain evidentiary and arrest measures continued to influence later decisions. Charge reductions were driven mostly by legal factors, and while guilt should …