Digital Commons Network^™

Maine Crime & Justice Data Book 2014, George Shaler Mph

Justice Policy

The 2014 Maine Crime and Justice Data Book presents a portrait of crime and justice indicators in the state, using the most recent public safety, corrections, and court data available for Maine. The reports looks at ten year trends in Maine, compares Maine figures with data from other northern New England states and the United States, and presents some county level findings as well.

Dating Violence On The College Campus: Exploring Student Perception And Awareness, Patrice Gibson

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

Dating violence is a crime that plagues college students all over the world. Many students are unaware of what specifically constitutes dating violence and what resources are available to those who are affected by this crime. Colleges and universities tend to have vague or nonexistent rules and regulations regarding dating violence; there is also a lack of education provided to first-year students about dating violence and resources available to them. The present study explored student perception of dating violence and focused on students from small, liberal arts colleges in the central and southwest part of Virginia. Furthermore, this study built …

A Quantitative Examination Of Known Exonernations And The Factors That Have Contributed To The Wrongful Convictions Of Innocents, Meagan Andrea Semmelroth

Theses and Dissertations

Wrongful convictions have been gaining attention both in the public and academic arenas. The knowledge that has been gained about wrongful convictions has been gained mostly by looking at cases of exonerations based on factual innocence. The use of DNA in the adjudication process, mainly in helping to defend and free innocent people brought the detriments of wrongful convictions into the lives of the public through the use of media. Since this time, innocence projects have opened, more cases of exonerations have been found, and more cases of wrongful conviction have been overturned. However, the frequency with which wrongful convictions …

Resources Matter: The Role Of Social Capital And Collective Efficacy In Mediating Gun Violence, Jennifer Lynne Dean

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

This study explains how community activists make use of available social capital and collective efficacy while attempting to mediate gun violence. It specifically focuses on twelve in-depth interviews of activists' perspectives, processes and rationales to alleviate community gun violence, based on informal social control models. Findings suggest activists must establish trust and respect with youth they work with before mediation begins, which is established through similar life experiences or backgrounds. Once a strong bond is established with youth, activists identified five core processes to reduce violence: 1) improve the mindset, 2) provide life skills, 3) assist youth as their …

Los Angeles County's Criminal Street Gangs: Does Violence Roll Downhill?, Jasmin B. Randle

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

According to the 2011 National Gang Threat Assessment created by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, there are more than 33,000 gangs in the United States, cited as being responsible for nearly 48% of the violent crime in the country. Using information drawn from gang-related court cases, this study examines the nature of inter- and intra-gang violence occurring between January 1, 2002-December 31, 2011. An innovative application of network analysis will be used to hone in on rivalries, the existence of possible hierarchy, and the relational and structural characteristics of Blood and Crip gangs in Los Angeles County. Results show that …

Promoting The Study Of Wrongful Convictions In Criminal Justice Curricula, Jessica S. Henry

Department of Justice Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Criminal justice education promotes interdisciplinary learning, critical thinking skills, and ethical decision making. A course on wrongful convictions falls squarely within that paradigm, as it draws upon criminology, criminal justice, law, psychology, and forensic science to examine basic assumptions about the criminal justice system and the actors within it. In a wrongful convictions course, students learn to think critically about the criminal justice system, and what happens when it fails to function as it should. Students identify practice and policy reforms that improve the accuracy and reliability of the system. This article first considers the broad objectives of criminal justice …

Cyber Bullying Evolved: Bullying In The Military Workcenter, Dayna M. Friend

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

The purpose of this project was to inform readers about the progression of cyber bullying into the military work center. This research has been compiled to aid the thesis topic for the capstone project in the Regis University Criminology program. The proposal relates the involvement of adults (any person over the age of 18) in the epidemic that is cyber bullying. A comprehensive literature review analysis was created on the current research available on cyber bullying in adolescents and the issues that exist within it. It was found that the majority of the research is still in the understanding of …

I Hope I Don't See You Tomorrow: A Phenomenological Ethnography Of The Passages Academy School Program, Lee Adam Gabay

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This study examines Passages Academy, a school program that offers educational services for court-involved youth in New York City. Looking specifically at the Department of Education teachers who work in facilities run by the Department of Juvenile Justice, this research focuses on the beliefs and behaviors that inform the teaching experience within these facilities. The critical question of how these educators negotiate the learning spaces within this school community is also examined.

The question that informs much of this study is: how are the philosophies of the various stake-holding agencies enacted daily in real classroom settings? This leads to a …

The Process Of Separation For Victims Of Intimate Partner Violence: Evaluating Risk Of Indirect And Physical Abuse Relating To Interpersonal Events, Brittany E. Hayes

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Previous research has found that risk of physical abuse increases during the process of separation (Brownridge, 2006). Given the opportunity structure changes once the separation process begins, abusers may be more likely to engage in indirect abuse when their partner begins the process. Indirect abuse is the use of third parties, such as children or family/friends, to manipulate the abused woman. In the current study, opportunity is measured with both events abused women report and relationship characteristics that increase or decrease the likelihood the victim and offender converge in time and space.

The study relies on data from the Chicago …

Public Knowledge And Sentiments About Elite Deviance, Cedric Michel

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A growing body of research has revealed that the financial cost and physical harmfulness of elite deviance overshadow the impact of street crime on society (Knowlton et al., 2011; Landrigan et al., 2002; Leigh, 2011; Lynch & Michalowski, 2006; Herbert & Landrigan, 2000; Rebovich & Jiandani, 2000; Reiman & Leighton, 2010). However, despite such discrepancies, crimes of the poor continue to outshine white-collar offenses in the news media (Barak, 1994; Barlow & Barlow, 2010; Ericson et al., 1991; Lynch & Michalowski, 2006; Lynch, Nalla & Miller, 1989; Lynch, Stretesky & Hammond, 2000), the criminal justice system (Calavita, Tillman, & Pontell, …

Assessing Sheriff’S Office Emergency And Disaster Website Communications, Philip M. Stinson, John Liederbach, L. Fleming Fallon, Hans Schmalzried

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Sheriff’s offices are an integral component of the public health emergency preparedness and response system in the United States. During a public health emergency or disaster, sheriff’s offices need to communicate with people affected by the event. Sheriff’s office websites are logical sources for information about disaster preparedness and response efforts. No prior research evaluates emergency preparedness and response resources available through sheriff’s office websites. The current research is a national study of sheriff’s office websites to assess the availability of information relating to emergency preparedness and response. A content analysis of 2,590 sheriff’s office website homepages was conducted to …

‘The Hole’ Exposed: Voices On Solitary Confinement In The American Prison System, Sarah Schnitman

Anthropology Department Honors Papers

Solitary confinement, as practiced within the United States penal system, is a form of imprisonment that is rarely studied within the field of anthropology due to the nature of isolated prisoners as highly inaccessible subjects. Details about the physical appearance of such isolation units and the range of effects reported over the years by inmates and activist organizations have been largely veiled to the general public. However, scholars, political bodies, and the press began to pick up conditions of solitary confinement as an issue of inhumane treatment and torture. Although forms of isolated imprisonment have been used in the United …

Tensions Of Violence, Social Harm, And Profit: An Examination Of The National Football League, Jonathan Anthony Felden

Online Theses and Dissertations

The subject of sport and leisure is prominently unchartered territory within criminology. The National Football League provides a unique opportunity for scholarly exploration as the sport is predicated on violence and preserves existing systems of inequality. Stemming from the defining late modern characteristics of risk management and actuarial justice, the topics of injury and harm within the sport have been brought to light by lawsuits against the league claiming that the corporation knew of the dangers of mild traumatic brain injuries (MTBI) and actively attempted to subvert this knowledge. This paper employs an amalgamation of theories and research to comprehensively …

Police Sexual Misconduct: A National Scale Study Of Arrested Officers, Philip M. Stinson, John Liederbach, Steven L. Brewer, Brooke E. Mathna

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Police sexual misconduct is often considered a hidden crime that routinely goes unreported. The current study provides an empirical data on cases of sex-related police crime at law enforcement agencies across the United States. The study identifies and describes incidents where sworn law enforcement officers were arrested for one or more sex-related crimes through a quantitative content analysis of published newspaper articles and court records. The primary news information source was the Google News search engine using 48 automated Google Alerts. Data are analyzed on 548 arrest cases in the years 2005-2007 of 398 officers employed by 328 nonfederal law …

Not Just Welfare Over Justice: Ethics In Forensic Consultation, Philip J. Candilis, Tess M. S. Neal

University of Nebraska Public Policy Center: Publications

The ethics of forensic professionalism is often couched in terms of competing individual and societal values. Indeed, the welfare of individuals is often secondary to the requirements of society, especially given the public nature of courts of law, forensic hospitals, jails, and prisons. We explore the weaknesses of this dichotomous approach to forensic ethics, offering an analysis of Psychology’s historical narrative especially relevant to the national security and correctional settings. We contend that a richer, more robust ethical analysis is available if practitioners consider the multiple perspectives in the forensic encounter, and acknowledge the multiple influences of personal, professional, and …

The Juvenile Adjudicative Competence Interview (Jaci): Current Usage In Juvenile Competence To Stand Trial Evaluations, Jenna Tomei, Nancy R. Panza

Contemporary Issues in Juvenile Justice

No abstract provided.

Discipline And The Pipeline To The 'Pen': A Proposal For Change, Sharlette A. Kellum-Gilbert

Contemporary Issues in Juvenile Justice

No abstract provided.

Mississippi Juveniles Adjudicated As Adults And Held In Adult Jails: The Perspective Of The County Sheriff, Susan M. Hilal, Deborah A. Eckberg, Thomas Osowski

Contemporary Issues in Juvenile Justice

No abstract provided.

Experimental Community-Based Interventions For Delinquent Youth: An Evaluation Of Recidivism And Cost-Effectiveness, Kristin W. Early, Stephanie B. Ryon, Gregory A. Hand, Julia L. Blankenship

Contemporary Issues in Juvenile Justice

No abstract provided.

Implications For The Topological And Vector Management Of Schizoid Dynamics, Tommy L. Woods

Contemporary Issues in Juvenile Justice

No abstract provided.

Correlational Analysis Of Oregon Juvenile Justice Data, Portland State University. Hatfield School Of Government. Center For Public Service, Masami Nishishiba, Stephanie Hawke, Phil Keisling

Center for Public Service Publications and Reports

In July 2014, the Center for Public Service (CPS) at Portland State University undertook a project commissioned by the Clackamas County District Attorney’s Office to conduct a preliminary analysis of data related to Oregon’s juvenile justice system. The statistical analysis focused on identifying possible correlations between indicators of juvenile justice interventions and public safety outcomes within Oregon counties. Results indicated a handful of significant correlations. Generally, across counties and variables, higher levels of intervention correlated significantly with higher levels of public safety outcomes and higher levels of non-intervention correlated significantly with lower levels of public safety outcomes. Within both the …

Racial Discrimination And The Death Penalty: An Analysis Of The United States' Judicial System, Jessica Recarey, Nerses Kopalyan

McNair Poster Presentations

Racial discrimination plays a role in the administration of the death penalty. This research analyzes the history, and past scholarly research, of the death penalty. The purpose of this research is to understand the correlation between racial discrimination and those sentenced to death. This study includes a literature review regarding the different aspects of the death penalty and race. Following the literature review, an analysis is performed of both previous literature and current death penalty statistics that augments the discussion of the death penalty.

Kidnapping Incorporated: The Unregulated Youth-Transportation Industry And The Potential For Abuse, Ira Robbins

Scholarly Articles in Law Reviews & Journals

Strangers come into a child's room in the middle of the night, drag her kicking and screaming into a van, apply handcuffs, and drive her to a behavior modification facility at a distant location. What sounds like a clear-cut case of kidnapping is complicated by the fact that the child's parents not only authorized this intervention, but also paid for it. This scarcely publicized practice-known as the youth-transportation industry-operates on the fringes of existing law. The law generally presumes that parents have almost unlimited authority over their children, but the youth-transportation industry has never been closely examined regarding exactly what …

The New Drug War Or The New Race War: Incarceration's Impact On Minority Children, Families, And Communities, Karen P. Lawrence

Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations

This non-experimental study examines the issues of over-representation of minorities in the criminal justice system due to drug-related incidences, race relations, and the impact such representation has on families, children, and communities. The exploration of the current criminal justice efforts against drugs is presented through a meta-analysis qualitative lens in an effort to disseminate the information on those arrested, sentenced, and subsequently incarcerated for various drug offenses. In an attempt to understand the encyclical racial disparities that promulgate the criminal justice system, the study relies on information from several key theorists to cement the discussions in the research. Qualitative data …

Commercial Sexual Exploitation Of Teens, Tamieka Meadows, Alexis Kennedy

McNair Poster Presentations

This research explores whether commercially sexually exploited children (CSEC) abuse drugs or face greater histories of abuse than their delinquent peers. This research will evaluate whether girls who are CSEC victims experience more abuse of drugs or experience more physical, emotional, or sexual abuse. The study also explores whether CSEC victims witnessed more abuse than non-CSEC victims. A survey of needs and issues facing delinquent girls was given to 130 girls between the ages of 13 to 18. Questions asked about their drug use, abuse history, and whether they witnessed abuse. This research found that many girls who are CSEC …

The New Scarlet Letter? Negotiating The U.S. Labor Market With A Criminal Record, Steven Raphael

Upjohn Press

This book explores the difficulties facing ex-offenders as they try to enter and remain in the U.S. labor market.

When Speech Isn't Free: Legal Barriers And Consequences Of Reporting Sexual Violence, Kevin M. Fleming

Departmental Honors Projects

Incidents of sexual violence continue to be a serious problem for society. Likewise, acts of sexual violence impose severe consequences for survivors. The consequences initially begin at the onset of the survivor’s journey to psychological recovery following the traumatic sexual assault. The consequences take on a unique set of characteristics when the survivor attempts to use the justice system to confront the perpetrator who committed the offense. These characteristics can transform an adversarial process into an isolated battle for the survivor. In the worst cases, the justice system empowers individuals who wish to silence survivors with free speech restrictions instead …

The Life Course Perspective Of Delinquency: An Empirical Analysis Of Female Juvenile Offending From The National Youth Survey, Doshie Piper

Contemporary Issues in Juvenile Justice

No abstract provided.

Social Status, Opportunity And Repeat Victimization: The Unequal Distribution Of Safety, Zavin Nazaretian

Wayne State University Dissertations

This research examines the relationship between victimization, social status and opportunity. More specifically, the effects of social status and opportunity on repeat victimization are examined. How does social status and opportunity simultaneously effect repeat victimization? This report consists of a secondary data analysis of the 2004 and 2009 Canadian Victimization Survey with a combined sample size of 43,200 people who were interviewed by telephone. Opportunity either partially or completely mediated the effects of social status on repeat victimization; however for certain subsamples neither opportunity nor social status explained repeat victimization. Additionally, the groups whose victimization was not explained by opportunity …

Green And Grey: Water Justice, Privatization, And Resistance, William Mcclanahan

Online Theses and Dissertations

Since its initial proposal in the 1990s, `green criminology' has focused on environmental crimes and harms affecting non-human and human life, ecosystems, and the planet as a whole. Describing global trends toward privatization of water supply systems and the criminalization of several water conservation activities and tactics, this paper employs theoretical perspectives offered by green, cultural, and critical criminologies, focusing on overt resistance to water privatization and oppressive regulations governing rainwater storage and residential water recycling. Taking a critical theoretical perspective, this paper examines water access and autonomy, individuals and groups openly resisting the criminalization of household water reuse and …