Digital Commons Network^™

Book Review: A Citizen’S Guide To Impeachment, By Barbara Radnofsky, Wendy M. Rohleder-Sook

eJournal of Public Affairs

No abstract provided.

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.

Faith In Trump, Moral Foundations, And Social Distancing Defiance During The Coronavirus Pandemic, Amanda K. Graham, Francis T. Cullen, Justin T. Pickett, Cheryl Lero Jonson, Murat Haner, Melissa M. Sloan

Criminal Justice & Criminology: Faculty Publications

Purpose:

Over the past several months, the coronavirus has infected more than six million Americans and killed nearly 200,000. Governors have issued stay-at-home orders, and prosecutors have filed criminal charges against individuals for defying those orders. And yet many Americans have still refused to keep their distance from their fellow citizens, even if they had symptoms of infection. The authors explore the underlying causes for those who intend to defy these norms.

Methods:

Using national-level data from a March 2020 survey of 989 Americans, the authors explore intentions to defy social distancing norms by testing an interactionist theory of foundation-based …

The Identity Formation Process Of Immigrant Children: A Case Study Synthesis, Jose Carbajal

Faculty Publications

Introduction: Children who immigrate often have difficulties in adjusting to their host country. A single case study based on similar narratives is composed to develop the character of a child’s developmental cultural issues as he immigrated to the United States from El Salvador. Attachment theory is reviewed to discuss how detachment and re-attachment affected him. A review of the literature on assimilation and acculturation is also provided. Objectives: The author synthesizes the work experience with the population with migration history to illustrate how attachment and loss impact these individuals, through a composed case study illustrated through the experience of Ramni, …

The Situational Context Of Police Sexual Violence: Data And Policy Implications, Philip M. Stinson, Robert W. Taylor, John Liederbach

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

The horrors of sexual crimes perpetrated by law enforcement officers are laid bare in this study of 669 cases of police sexual violence. Here, authors Philip Matthew Stinson, Robert W. Taylor, and John Liederbach identify three scenarios in which law enforcement officers inflict sexual violence upon their mostly-female victims: 1) “driving while female,” 2) child predation, and 3) involvement in the sex worker industry. Especially sobering is the fact that, as opposed to law enforcement doing its solemn duty to report criminality on the part of fellow police officers, “citizens rather than police initiated the detection of the crimes in …

Many Forms Of Black Death: Coal Extraction, Transnational Activism And The Value Of Life In Colombia, Oscar H. Pedraza Vargas

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

After the murder of the president and vice president of the coal union by paramilitaries in the department of Cesár, Colombia, the union is left adrift. Its fragility is only heightened when the person who decides to take over, is killed six months later. The union has been vocal on their critique of environmental destruction produced by coal and argues that their criticism is part of the reasons why they were targeted. Not far from there, in the department of Guajira, the conglomerate in charge of Cerrejón, the largest open-pit coal mine of South America, wants to divert a creek …

Examining Racial And Ethnic Disparity In Prosecutor’S Bail Requests And Downstream Decision Making, Connor Concannon

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Rigorous academic research into prosecutorial and judicial decision making has been taking place for over three decades, but a great deal remains unknown about the mechanics of prosecution. A majority of the work done by prosecutors occurs outside of public view, and most research focuses on the ‘back end’ of the adjudication process, leaving unanalyzed numerous decision points made upstream of the final plea and sentencing outcomes. Using unique data from the New York County District Attorney’s Office that tracks 43,971 felony complaints, this research examines racial and ethnic disparity at multiple decision points during case processing, with a focus …

Caregivers’ Expectations, Reflected Appraisals, And Arrests Among Adolescents Who Experienced Parental Incarceration, Cynthia J. Najdowski, Melissa Noel

Psychology Faculty Scholarship

This research sought to identify a potential process by which intergenerational crime occurs, focusing on the effect of parental incarceration on adolescents’ subsequent arrests. We drew from Matsueda’s work on reflected appraisals as an explanatory mechanism for this effect. Thus, the present research examined whether caregivers’ and adolescents’ expectations for adolescents’ future incarceration sequentially mediated the effect of parental incarceration on adolescents’ actual arrest outcomes. Propensity score matching was used to examine this effect in a sample of 1,735 15- to 16-year-olds using NLSY97 data. Parental incarceration was positively related to caregivers’ expectations of adolescents’ future arrest. Moreover, caregivers’ expectations …

Beyond Social Disorganization Theory: The Influence Of Multiple Structural Determinants Of Crime On An Urban Community, Rodney C. Boyd

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

This correlational, explanatory, cross-sectional study explains the influence of neighborhoods’ structural determinants on the rate of violent crimes in New York City’s communities. Guided by the theoretical foundation of social disorganization theory, the variables in this study included the economically disadvantaged, racial/ethnic heterogeneity, residential instability/mobility, and the level of educational attainment. The statistical analysis in this study included correlational matrix and simultaneous multiple regression model (ordinary least squares). The study consisted of 59 New York City community districts (encompassing the City’s population of 8,622,698 residents) and included the violent crime rates for 2017. The findings in this study indicated that …

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 …

Implicit Attitudes, Explicit Attitudes, And Priming: A Preliminary Analysis Of Factors Affecting Use Of Force Decisions, Christopher Allen Forepaugh

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study examines the effects of priming, situational factors, and attitudes on deadly force decision making. A small sample of undergraduates completed high-fidelity deadly force simulations. Simulation results were compared across experimental conditions and various attitudinal and demographic factors. Participants were generally accurate when assessing the threat posed by suspects. Participants primed to expect a threat were more accurate in their decisions but were no more likely to shoot an unarmed suspect. Participants were more accurate when responding to unarmed suspects. Participants more likely to exhibit implicit bias were less accurate. Several attitudinal and demographic traits were associated with deadly …

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 …

(Non-Consensual) Sex, Drugs & Rock N’ Roll: Sexual Harassment And Violence At Live Music Events, Miliaikeala Sj. Heen

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Music concerts and festivals draw millions of attendees in the United States and internationally annually. Half of the U.S. population goes to live music events each year, with 33% going to concerts and 18% going to festivals (Nielsen Music 360, 2017). Despite the fact that these events provide security for the safety of both performers and attendees, the context of these events may facilitate various forms of sexual violence. Research has revealed high levels of harassment, groping, and other forms of unwanted sexual behavior at music festivals and concerts. The current study will utilize a national survey to examine unwanted …

Eyewitness Recall And Identification Accuracy: Effects Of Stress In An Extreme Haunt And A Haunted House, William Blake Ridgway

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The impact of stress on eyewitness recall and identification accuracy has been studied extensively but with somewhat inconsistent results. Understanding the effects of stress are important if they are to be generalized to victims or witnesses of real crimes. This study consisted of two experiments that used an extreme haunt and a haunted house to examine attendees’ ability to recall details of and identify actors encountered, as a function of state anxiety and in the context of Deffenbacher’s (1994) catastrophe model of memory performance under anxiety. The results showed that physiological (i.e., heart rate) and psychological (i.e., State Anxiety Inventory) …

The 23: Racial And Other Demographic Differences In The Assignment Of Risk Factors For Individuals Found Not Guilty By Reason Of Insanity In Virginia, Dominique Raquel Blanchette

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity (NGRI) acquittees uniquely walk the line of involvement in both the criminal justice and mental health systems, both of which have literature indicating the presence of underlying racial biases related to practices and outcomes. The current study examined 366 forensic charts from an inpatient psychiatric hospital in Virginia to examine potential differences in the number of risk factors assigned for NGRI acquittees based on a variety of demographic variables. Information about demographic characteristics, psychiatric history, and criminal history was recorded and analyzed. It was hypothesized that younger age, male gender, a psychotic diagnosis, violent …

Intimate Partner Violence Risk Assessment: The Additive Value Of Victim Reported Risk, Jennifer Joanne Johnson

Dissertations and Theses

Intimate partner violence (IPV) affects millions of people in the United States, causing negative generational consequences to the victim and the community. The criminal justice system has increased its preventative strategies to combat this issue through mandatory arrest laws and the use of risk assessment tools for determining the likelihood of offender recidivism. Risk factors included in standardized and actuarial risk assessment tools have been found to be relatively good predictors for violent recidivism.

This study assesses the predictive accuracy of risk factors through bivariate correlations and multiple logistic regression analysis. The risk factors analyzed include demographic information, mental health …

Correctional Quackery: A Study Of Program Availability And Inmate Assaults In Adult Correctional Facilities, Casey Jay Legere

Dissertations and Theses

A wide variety of correctional programs have incited a debate regarding the utility and worth of programs within the correctional system. For some, programs are assigned strict qualifications and this narrow focus limits those that are "worthy"; all else are "correctional quackery." These harsh limitations do not allow for the consideration of secondary outcomes as measurements of value. Using negative binomial regression, this study examines 449 state correctional facilities to consider associations between program availability (categorized as correctional quackery or not) and incidence rates of violent assaults among inmates. The minimal significant results yield inconclusive findings but do offer some …

The Relationship Between State-Level Dynamics, Firearm Policies, And County-Level Homicides, Shawn M. Ratcliff

Department of Sociology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This dissertation examines the causes and effects of four major firearm-related policies in the United States: Concealed Carry Weapons (CCW), Stand Your Ground (SYG), Child Access Prevention (CAP), and Universal Background Checks (UBC). Applying a social movement approach, the first research question addresses how a social movement organization (SMO) has employed resources to shape the adoption of (counter-)movement-related legislation. Using the gun rights movement as a case-in-point, I explore how campaign contributions – conceptualized as a professionalized SMO resource – have been employed by the National Rifle Association (NRA) to shape the adoption of CCW, SYG, CAP, and UBC laws …

The Effect Of Money Supply(M2) On Real Magnitudes In The Economy Of Jordan A Rational Expectations Approach_X000d_, Hussain Talafha, Monther Share

Al-Balqa Journal for Research and Studies البلقاء للبحوث والدراسات

This study applies a neo-classical model to test the impact of anticipated and un anticipated growth in money supply (M2) on some key economic variables in the Jourdan economy for the period (1968:1-1988:4). The model consists of four equations: (i) the money supply growth equation;(ii) the growth in unemployment rate equation; (iii) the real growth in GNP equation; and (iv) the growth in price level equation (inflation rate). The study investigates the relationships and hypotheses using two stage least square method which is applied at the first difference logarithm structural equations. The first stage is applied to the money supply …

Analysis Of Construction Industry In Jordan 1980 - 1990, Mohammed A.S. Hiyassat, Hasan M. Tantawi

Al-Balqa Journal for Research and Studies البلقاء للبحوث والدراسات

The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyze the performance of the construction industry in Jourdan during the past decade. For this purpose, the authors addressed the following issues: 1- The size of the industry which is expressed in terms of volume and contribution to gross domestic products (GDP). In this section, the causes and effects of fluctuations are discussed. 2- Contribution of the industry to the country’s fixed asset formations, and finally 3- The structure of construction contractor_x000D_ _x000D_

Eliminate The Harassment Of Putting Shame On Someone For Something, Mr. Subhi Al-Bassam

Al-Balqa Journal for Research and Studies البلقاء للبحوث والدراسات

Some old linguistics said that the verb Aiyara (Reproach) with the preposition Al-Ba a (of) is not a good language. But some of them said it is not a very good language, this article proves, through the investigation of classic Arabic prose and poetry, and through grammar, that the verb Aiyara (Reproach) with the preposition Alba a (of) is highly correct. And is better than to be without the preposition Alba a (of).

Acoustic Factors In Forming Arabic Structure, Dr. Mohammed Jawad Al Nouri

Al-Balqa Journal for Research and Studies البلقاء للبحوث والدراسات

This paper is a study of the sound factors, which control the mechanism of sound changes, affecting Arabic sounds, when they hold adjacent positions, in certain morphological structural formations. It becomes clear to us, through linguistic patterns and examples in this paper, which are more influential than other adjacent sounds, that those sounds are characterized by certain features which make them dominant in the process of structural formation, most important among them are features of sibilant, velarization, voicedness, plosion, nasalization, being rolled, length of place of articulation, and the vowel characteristics called, in Arabic, (madd and liin). Moreover, it becomes …

The Perceptions Of Al-Yarmouk University Students To Practice Global Announcement Materials Which Are Concerned Human Rights In Jordanian Society., Amin Mohanna, Muhammad Al-Khawaldeh

Al-Balqa Journal for Research and Studies البلقاء للبحوث والدراسات

This study tries to reveal the university students viewpoint in practicing the article of the international declaration of human rights in Jordanian society > this was done through a random sample consisting of 192 students of facilities of arts and education in Yarmouk University > to measure this viewpoint the researchers designed an instrument for this purpose which included all the articles of the international declaration of human rights and monitored the responses of the members of this samples to these articles according to an evaluative scale consisting of four levels (4) being the highest and (1) the lowest . Eight independent …

Rain In The Modern Arabic Poem, Dr. Hussein Yousef Kharyush

Al-Balqa Journal for Research and Studies البلقاء للبحوث والدراسات

This research discusses the domains and the implicature of rain in the modern Arab poetry. Since the rain is connected to the origins of life, and is a symbol of renewal, the use of rain in the Arab poetry, in this way is considered among daring usages because it recaptures the historical symbols. And it’s used to express something about the Arab situations in this age. Finally, the new meaning dedicates new implicature of rain that is connected to the truth and reality when the poet loses this reality and seeks salvation.

Punishment In International Relief Agency Schools At Jordan As Teachers And Students See It., Dr. Muhammad Mustafa Abu Alia

Al-Balqa Journal for Research and Studies البلقاء للبحوث والدراسات

The purpose of this study is to know the viewpoints of teachers and pupils in UNRWA schools in Jordan towards punishment. A specially designed questionnaire was given to (862) pupils and (315) teachers from a random sample taken from five areas in Jordan. The Questionnaire consists of (34) items covering the following five domains: causes, aims, kinds, consequences of punishment as well as alternative and attitudes to punishment. The data obtained from the questionnaire were subjected to x2 (chi square) for the purpose to determining significant differences – in the above domains- between the teachers and pupils. The present study …

Critical Vision Of Novel By Abed Al- Mohsen Bader, Dr.Yousef Abu Al-Odoss

Al-Balqa Journal for Research and Studies البلقاء للبحوث والدراسات

This paper investigates Abdul-Muhsin Bades methodology in study and criticism of the novel. The paper concentrates on the following points: 1-The conditions necessary for the writer’s vision. 2- Abdul-Muhsins view of the Idealism, romanticism and Aestheticism. 3-The character and its role in writing the novel. 4- Importance of time and place in the structure of the novel. 5-language and style of the novel. 6-Some general comments.

Vowels Between Theoretical Standards And Pronunciation Characteristics, Dr. Samir Stitiah

Al-Balqa Journal for Research and Studies البلقاء للبحوث والدراسات

This research aim at classifying the theoretical and practical principles of vowels. Some of these principles are related to the acoustic features. The acoustic features can be observed in sonority and friction. The contextual criteria are observed in the phonological usages and practical linguistic level. However, the practical criteria can be easily observed in the articulatory features such as narrowing and the obstruction of the air- system. Cardinal vowels represent the duality of vowels, they represent the theoretical and practical aspects of vowels. Cardinal vowels are divided into: primary, secondary, and additional vowels. All cardinal vowels are defined according to …

Grammatical Analysis By Eben Hisham Al-Ansari, Dr. Abdel Hamid Mustafa El Sayed

Al-Balqa Journal for Research and Studies البلقاء للبحوث والدراسات

The writer made a presentation of syntactic analysis by IBN HISHAM AL – ANSARI in his book named (MUGHANI AL-LABEEB). He discussed his conception of (THE SENTENCE) agreeing with some of his conclusions and asking for reconsideration of others. He concluded his research by submitting some remarks that got the attention of the contemporaries during their consideration of the scope recent linguistics aspects. Afterwords the writer tried to exhibit the principles that IBN HISHAM followed in the field of syntactic analysis. He explained that IBN HISHAM took advantage of the principles of grammarians scattered through their judgments of linguistic structure. …

Topics In Criminal Justice Reform Ccj 100, Karen Morse

Library Impact Statements

No abstract provided.

Unraveling The Temporal Aspects Of Victimization: The Reciprocal, Additive, And Cumulative Effects Of Direct/Vicarious Victimization On Crime, Yeoju Park

Theses and Dissertations

The current study aims to assess the continuous impact of direct/vicarious victimization on subsequent victimization and delinquency/crime across waves using an incorporated model of Agnew’s general strain theory and the lifestyle/routine activities perspective. This study also aims to assess the additive and cumulative impact of dual victimization (i.e., exposure to direct and vicarious victimization) on offending. A cross-lagged model is conducted to examine the impacts of direct victimization, vicarious victimization, and delinquency/crime at an early point in time on these variables at later points in time using three waves from the Pathways to Desistance Study. Negative binomial regression models and …