Digital Commons Network^™

Lgbtq People's Experiences With Crime, Victimization, And The Criminal Legal System, Vanessa R. Panfil

Sociology & Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

The ebb and flow of social control efforts aimed at LGBTQ people necessitate a thorough investigation into their experiences. This review of the literature is organized around four key themes that characterize LGBTQ people's experiences with crime, criminalization, victimization, and the criminal legal system—including police, courts, and carceral facilities. LGBTQ people experience excessive rates of arrest and incarceration and have higher rates of victimization, which illustrate disproportionality. Their experiences differ from those of their cisgender and heterosexual counterparts and are conditioned by age, race, class, gender, and sexual orientation, illustrating intersectionality. The two primary, interrelated mechanisms driving LGBTQ criminalization and …

[Review Of The Book The Prescription-To-Prison Pipeline: The Medicalization And Criminalization Of Pain, By M. Smirnova], Hayley Jackey

Sociology & Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

[Introduction] Smirnova’s The Prescription-to-Prison Pipeline offers a critical examination of the impacts of prescription drugs as well as the over-policing and policies created to push individuals into the carceral system rather than providing other options for assistance. Smirnova further captures the social inequalities of race and class of those encased in this pipeline. Within this understanding of the detriment that the system, medical providers, and society place on those who use substances, Smirnova’s use of interviews allows for a clear understanding of how these systems work in conjunction to uphold the pipeline.

The Brady Materiality Standard, Brandon L. Garrett, Adam M. Gershowitz

Faculty Scholarship

The Brady doctrine requires prosecutors to disclose all favorable and material evidence to the defense. To effectuate that rule, the U.S. Supreme Court has defined materiality as a “reasonable probability” that the evidence would have affected the outcome at trial. But apart from that definition, the Court has resisted offering any further guidance to lower courts. While far too little is known about how Brady materiality claims are actually adjudicated, there is strong evidence that courts often reject Brady claims involving withheld evidence on the grounds that the evidence was not significant enough to be material.

To examine how Brady …

Confession Contamination And Dna Exonerations, 1989-2025, Brandon L. Garrett

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Fear Across The Map: A Cross-Municipal Analysis Of Fear Of Crime In Canada, Muhammad Ali

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This study examines the predictors of fear of crime (FOC) across three Canadian municipalities: Hamilton, Ontario; Brantford, Ontario; and North Battleford, Saskatchewan. Data from 1,956 survey responses were analyzed to understand how certain factors shape FOC across different municipal contexts in Canada. This study uses descriptive statistics, reliability analyses, correlation matrices, and Ordinary Least Squares regression models to examine whether FOC, and the predictors of FOC, operate consistently across municipalities. The findings indicate that the predictors of FOC are relatively reliable across municipal contexts. However, the influence of the predictors of FOC can vary across municipalities. Importantly, the level of …

Dropouts And Refusers: Clinicians’ Insights And Initiatives Into Reducing Treatment Attrition Amongst Young People Who Sexually Offend, James L. Finney, Natalie Gately, Suzanne Rock, Jocelyn Jones

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Sexual offending by young people causes significant harm to victims, families and communities. Treatment engagement and completion are therefore important for reducing future harm; however, young people who drop out of, or refuse to engage in, treatment present a unique challenge for clinicians and justice systems. Drawing on Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) ecological systems theory, this study explored clinicians’ perspectives on the barriers to treatment engagement and completion for young people who have sexually offended in the Australian context. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with clinicians who provided or facilitated treatment for young people who had sexually offended (N = 22). Two major …

Commission Pathways For Sexual Offences Against Children: A Novel Methodological Approach Exposing Distinct Pathways As A Function Of Offending History, Kelly Jackson, Raphaële Arlettaz, Alfred Allan, Joseph Clare, Frank Morgan, Hilde Tubex

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Purpose: Using neural network analysis, we examined how specific dispositional and situational factors influence pathways for the commission of sexual offending against children. Use of non-linear multifactorial models is still developing in psychological and criminological research, making this a unique contribution to these fields.

Method: We used prior offence status as the outcome variable in a multi-stage analytical strategy that included chi-squared analysis, sequential binary regression and neural network modelling. Subjects came from a database containing pre-collected psychological and criminological information on Western Australian men who had sexually offended. An initial sample of offenders convicted of sexual offences against children …

Horrible, Fantastic, Traumatic: Victim-Survivors’ Experiences Of Police Interviews In Sexual Offence Cases And Suggestions Moving Forward, Gemma Hamilton, Giselle Woodley

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This study explored adult victim-survivors’ experiences of reporting sexual violence to police in Australia, focusing on their suggestions for supporting future victim-survivors. By drawing on feminist standpoint theory, qualitative interviews with 26 victim-survivors indicated a range of experiences, yet strikingly similar concerns and suggestions for improvement. Using reflexive thematic analysis, key themes included the importance of interview room settings; the interviewer's interpersonal care; the presence of support people; and further investigative support when victims felt like investigators. The study offers both short-term and longer-term suggestions for supporting victim-survivors in sexual offence investigations, with a focus on minimising secondary victimisation.

The First Systematic Review Of Treatment Characteristics And Recidivism Outcomes For Indigenous People Who Have Sexually Offended, James L. Finney, Natalie Gately, Suzanne Rock, Braden Hill

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

It is of great importance that research investigates the impact of sexual offender treatment programmes given the damage caused by sexual offences to victims and society more broadly. However, psycho-criminological literature has focused on reporting post-treatment recidivism outcomes for people who have sexually offended homogeneously and has not investigated the unique experiences of Indigenous people. Therefore, we systematically collated and critically appraised studies reporting recidivism outcomes for Indigenous people who have received treatment for sexual offences. Fourteen studies were identified utilising a sample of 5,635 individuals (30.7% Indigenous or First Nations). Recidivism was lower for Indigenous and First Nations people …

“I Call For The Resurgence And Reclamation Of Our Indigenous Ways”: Institutional Landscapes, Resistance, And The Experiences Of Mmir Advocates, Sara Tehrani

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Indigenous Peoples across Turtle Island experience disproportionately high rates of violence and homicide compared to other racial groups. Rooted in coloniality and sustained by Western institutions, this epidemic is recognized as the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives (MMIR) crisis. In response, Indigenous women have mobilized the MMIR Movement to raise awareness and advocate for institutional change. Although scholarship on MMIR has expanded, limited research has explored the experiences of MMIR advocates. This study interrogates the institutional landscapes that shape MMIR advocacy and explores the resistance strategies advocates employ to address the crisis. Using reflexive thematic analysis, this study examines semi-structured …

Concentration Or Coincidence? Rethinking Random Effects In Spatial And Spatiotemporal Concentration Of Burglary Through A Target-Based Approach, Yichao Gao

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Studies of crime and place have long asked how much random processes contribute to the spatial and spatiotemporal concentration of crime. Traditionally, simulations assume that crime incidents occur randomly across microgeographic units—such as block groups, street segments, and parcels—by selecting geographic units at random with replacement. This dissertation takes a different approach, modeling crime incidents as random selections among potential targets, also with replacement. In this framework focusing primarily on burglary, simulated patterns reflect the spatial distribution of potential targets (i.e., properties). This dissertation relies on burglary data from San Antonio, Texas (2017–2019), and measures available burglary targets as individual …

Victimized And Criminalized: The Intertwined Narratives Of Trauma And Offending, Caitlin Maria Udas

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

How do pathways between childhood victimization, drug use, and offending behavior vary for recordholders of different races and genders? Prior literature and theory indicates that there are distinct processes that can link childhood victimization to drug use and other offending behavior. These processes are rooted at least partially in experiences of racism/discrimination, placement relative to sociocultural power structures, and norms established over one’s childhood through peer and familial influences. However, less is known about how these differ by race, gender, and the intersection thereof. This dissertation examines the intersectional differences in narrative pathways that link childhood victimization, drug use, and …

'But George Floyd Wasn't A Saint': A Critical Discourse Analysis Pre And Post George Floyd, Raya Berkley-Jacobs

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

May 25, 2020, George Floyd died at the hands of former police officer Derek Chauvin after he placed his knee on George Floyd’s neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds. His death sparked outrage, protests, and calls for accountability, justice, and reform. This study addresses the impact of George Floyd’s death as a focusing event that created a policy window under which federal legislation was introduced as a response to his death. Drawing on Punctuated Equilibrium Theory and Social Construction Theory, the study utilizes a critical discourse analysis to test how the death of George Floyd impacted the amount and …

An Analysis Of The Experiences Of Lawyers Handling Criminal Law Cases Within The Philippine Court System Through A Weberian Lens, Minami O. Iwayama, Mark Anthony M. Quintos

Social Sciences and Development Review

In accordance with the Weberian tradition of classical public administration, the core responsibility of the Philippine Public Administration is the efficient delivery of public services to its constituents. In the case of the Judicial branch of the government, this responsibility manifests in the form of a quick disposition of cases filed before its courts. This is particularly important in criminal cases where people may be deprived of liberty while awaiting conviction from the Court – leading to the sentiment that “justice delayed is justice denied.” This study aimed to explore the challenges observed in the Philippine court system by focusing …

การรอการกำหนดโทษหรือรอการลงโทษจำคุกในฐานความผิดทางอาญาร้ายแรง (Suspension Of Sentence And Suspension Of Punishment For Serious Criminal Offenses), Natha Wichien

Chulalongkorn University Law Journal

การรอการกำหนดโทษหรือรอการลงโทษ ตามประมวลกฎหมายอาญา มาตรา 56 เป็นมาตรการที่มีความสำคัญในกระบวนการยุติธรรมทางอาญา ซึ่งเป็นมาตรการที่บัญญัติขึ้นโดยมีวัตถุประสงค์ให้ศาลใช้ดุลพินิจรอการกำหนดโทษหรือรอการลงโทษสำหรับคดีที่มีอัตราโทษจำคุกระยะสั้นหรือโทษปรับ ตามทฤษฎีการลงโทษเพื่อแก้ไขพฤติกรรมของผู้กระทำความผิด กล่าวคือ ในคดีความผิดอาญาที่มีโทษจำคุกหรือปรับ และศาลจะลงโทษจำคุกไม่เกิน 5 ปี ทั้งนี้ เพื่อมิให้ผู้กระทำความผิดเล็กน้อยนั้นเข้าไปปะปนกับผู้กระทำความผิดเป็นอาจิณและเลียนแบบพฤติกรรมนั้นจนกลับมากระทำความผิดซ้ำอีก และเพื่อให้โอกาสผู้กระทำความผิดได้รู้สำนึกถึงสิ่งที่ได้กระทำลงไป รวมถึงสามารถกลับมาดำเนินชีวิตในสังคมได้อย่างเป็นปกติ แต่ในทางกลับกันเมื่อพิจารณาจากการบังคับใช้ประมวลกฎหมายอาญา มาตรา 56 ศาลสามารถใช้ดุลพินิจได้กับทุกฐานความผิด แม้ลักษณะของฐานความผิดนั้นจะกระทบกระเทือนต่อความปลอดภัยของสังคมมากเพียงใด แต่หากโทษจำคุกที่ศาลลงมีกำหนดไม่เกิน 5 ปี ศาลก็สามารถสั่งรอการกำหนดโทษหรือรอการลงโทษได้กับทุกกรณี ซึ่งอาจจะขัดหรือแย้งกับทฤษฎีการลงโทษทางอาญาประการอื่น กล่าวคือ ทฤษฎีการลงโทษเพื่อแก้แค้น การลงโทษเพื่อข่มขู่ยับยั้ง การลงโทษเพื่อตัดผู้กระทำผิดออกจากสังคมรวมถึงการลงโทษเพื่อป้องกันอาชญากรรม อันส่งผลกระทบต่อความรู้สึกและการได้รับความยุติธรรมของผู้เสียหาย หรือเหยื่อในคดีอาญารวมทั้งประชาชนในสังคม เนื่องจากในบางกรณีเป็นฐานความผิดที่มีความร้ายแรง และเป็นอันตรายต่อสังคม แต่ผู้กระทำความผิดกลับไม่ถูกลงโทษ ยิ่งไปกว่านั้นอาจทำให้ผู้เสียหายไม่ได้รับความยุติธรรม และบุคคลทั่วไปย่อมเข้าใจว่าการกระทำร้ายแรงเช่นนั้นสามารถกระทำได้โดยไม่ต้องรับผลใด ๆ จากการกระทำดังกล่าว ฉะนั้นจึงควรปรับปรุงแก้ไข และจัดทำคำแนะนำเกี่ยวกับวิธีการรอการลงโทษหรือรอการกำหนดโทษให้มีความชัดเจนยิ่งขึ้น โดยการกำหนดแนวทาง หรือข้อพิจารณาที่ผู้ใช้กฎหมายควรให้การคำนึง และให้ความสำคัญยิ่งขึ้นเกี่ยวกับฐานความผิดร้ายแรงที่ไม่ควรรอการกำหนดโทษหรือรอการลงโทษ เพื่อให้การลงโทษเป็นไปตามสัดส่วนของการกระทำความผิด และตรงตามทฤษฎีวัตถุประสงค์ของการลงโทษ

Absolute Extraction: Utilizing Rural Critical Criminology To Examine Appalachia’S Toxic Dependence On Extractive Industries, Andrew Kennedy

The Mid-Southern Journal of Criminal Justice

Brought forth by common rhetoric, Appalachia is often viewed as the closest space to that of an empyrean domain. Separated from the sleepless city, its allure rests in its created identity of a quiet, green escape from the city, which offers serenity on all fronts. Although Appalachia can fulfill this profile, such an ascension ignores the burning yellow grass below. The purpose of this paper is to examine the history of the destruction of Appalachia through the lens of extractive industries and the region’s designation as a sacrifice zone. Through the application of rural critical criminology, this paper holds that …

Welcome From The Editors: Criminal Justice Systems Helping Communities: Provision Of Resources And Experience For Positive Change, Cassandra B. Whyte Dr., Stephen Young

The Mid-Southern Journal of Criminal Justice

No abstract provided.

Reducing Rates Of Child Abuse And Neglect: An Analysis Of Three Potential Solutions, Lauren C. Heil

The Mid-Southern Journal of Criminal Justice

Child abuse and neglect are prevalent problems, affecting an estimated one million children worldwide each year. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate and analyze three potential solutions to reduce the rates of child abuse and neglect. The three programs that were suggested were: improving overall access to healthcare, therapy and counseling, and other support services for children and families who need them, implementing more Nurse-Family Partnerships across the United States for first time mothers with visits from a registered nurse, and increasing parent’s access to economic resources and improving families overall financial security. These programs were researched extensively, …

The Controlled Substances Act: A Menagerie Of Arbitrary Regulation And Failure Of Purpose, Dylan Andrus

The Mid-Southern Journal of Criminal Justice

The Controlled Substances Act (CSA) is the primary regulatory and criminal legislation surrounding drugs in the United States. Passed in the 1970s, the CSA established the drug classification scheduling system we use today. Despite being over 50 years old today, the CSA has not achieved its goal of eliminating or even significantly reducing drug use and offenses. This paper conducts an analysis of the CSA's legislative intent versus its actual results through reviews of measures such as incarceration rates, inconsistent regulation, and disproportionate racial effects to argue that the Controlled Substances Act has failed in its mission while causing significant …

Bridging The Gap Between Substance Use Treatment Barriers In Rural Areas, Dakota Baker

The Mid-Southern Journal of Criminal Justice

The purpose of this paper is to examine the continued concern about substance abuse/misuse and limited access to treatment in rural areas. Rural areas lack the adequate treatment needed to combat substance use disorder (SUD), mainly due to the lack of sufficient providers trained to identify, treat, and support those dealing with SUD. Additional barriers such as the high cost of treatment, stigma surrounding substance use disorders, geographical barriers, and the criminalization of substance abuse are other barriers that will be discussed in this paper (Griffin & Botvin, 2010; Hargons et al., 2023; Khazaee-Pool et al., 2024; National Center for …

From K-Pop To Hip-Hop: A Comparative Study Of Systemic Sexual Abuse In The Global Music Industry, Robin Jiang Song Moore

Masters Theses

This thesis examines the persistence of high-profile sexual violence in the global music industry through a comparative analysis of Seung-hyun “Seungri” Lee’s Burning Sun scandal in South Korea and Sean “Diddy” Combs’ legal proceedings in the United States. Guided by Power and Control Theory (PCT) and Routine Activity Theory (RAT), the study explores three central questions: (1) what motivates powerful men to commit acts of sexual violence, (2) how institutions and structures enable such abuse, and (3) how cultural contexts shape accountability. Data were collected from legal filings, media reports, audio-visual material, and scholarly literature, then thematically coded to identify …

Does Legal Cynicism Mediate The Relationship Between Parental Incarceration And Child Delinquency?, Elizabeth Rose Bishop, Theresa Moore

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Research has explored the extent of the prison boom from its origin in the 1970s to the present where the issue of high prison populations remains today. However, the inmates are suffering a multifaceted array of consequences to their actions. Directly they are serving a legal sentence but indirectly families that are left behind also suffer unforeseen aftermaths. Literature diving into the prison boom and wide array of implications of incarceration has only recently begun and, as it has increased over time, has begun to turn the lens to this vulnerable population that has been left behind. Families that are …

Dying To Belong? The Impact Of Thwarted Belongingness Among Those Who Attempt Suicide In Jail, Dayana R. Escobedo, Mckenzie Wood

The Guardianship Journal

Suicide and attempted suicide remain a major concern in correctional facilities. Jail personnel have developed unique ways of responding to incarcerated individuals who display signs of suicidal ideation, but may be less equipped to identify who may be suicidal upon arrival at the facility. Among potential markers for suicidal behaviors are incarcerated individuals struggling with feelings of thwarted belongingness, or a feeling of disconnection and lack of closeness. Applying a quantitative methodology, this study utilized data obtained from a mid-sized jail in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. The data, retrieved from correctional officer reports and intake …

Engaging Seminars: The Impact Of Storytelling In Public Safety Education, Mimi Gough, Glenn L. Walton

The Guardianship Journal

This paper examines the important role of storytelling in higher education as a technique for engaging students in course content and applies its relationship to the experiential learning theory (ELT) in which learners are actively seeking knowledge through authentic application. Storytelling can be a particularly effective method when used during live online seminars in public safety education, since this particular program of study often relies on verbally communicating realistic and credible information. Sharing various examples of actual encounters can help students better prepare for these types of situations when they face them in their future careers. Incorporating evidence to support …

A Comparative Analysis Of Domestic Violence Legislation In India And The United States: Understanding Protection Of Women Against Violence Act 2005 And Violence Against Women Act 1994, Deon Rodrigues

2025 Fall Honors Capstones Projects - Archive

Domestic violence continues to affect millions of individuals worldwide, yet legal systems respond to it in very different ways. This research compares how India’s Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act (2005) and the United States’ Violence Against Women Act (1994; 2021) protect victims and hold offenders accountable. Using a comparative legal analysis, the study examines both laws’ language, enforcement mechanisms, and effectiveness through court cases, government reports, and statistical data. By identifying the strengths of the United States model such as mandatory arrest provisions and victim support systems, the study aims to propose practical reforms for India’s legal framework. …

A Forensic Lens On Aces & Trauma, Greta K. Cruz

Master of Arts in Human Services

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) have emerged as a critical area of research in childhood development and the prevention of criminal behavior. The framework of this topic continually provides updated information on the impact of criminal behavior on children. Understanding the long-term effects of trauma on mental health, the influence of criminal behavior, and patterns of recidivism across the lifespan when children are exposed to a single form of adversity or multiple forms of adversity. This research aims to synthesize recent empirical data/findings of how specific ACEs, such as physical abuse, sexual abuse, exposure to familial violence, and household substance misuse, …

Strategies For Seeding Police Abolition In A Minefield, Kaden Paulson-Smith

Feminist Pedagogy

A major challenge for abolitionist teaching is uprooting the assumption that carceral systems are natural and inevitable. This essay describes strategies for teaching about the colonial capitalist origins and white cisheteropatriarchal development of the police, and the critical theorization and abolition of policing, in a hyper-politicized minefield. These strategies emerged from teaching, “The Global Politics of Policing,” after the Summer of 2020 in the Midwest, where abolitionist critiques were frequently met with burning resentment. Three overarching strategies to facilitate learning about police abolition include: 1) consistent engagement with learning materials; 2) critical analysis as a learning objective and theoretical framework; …

A Case Study Of The Implementation Of Nevada’S Program To Reduce Recidivism Of The State’S Female Prison Population, Lisa C. Levine

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Success in public administration is often defined by long-term goals that demonstrate how effective a program or policy is. These long-term goals can take years to measure leading to investment doubts, shifting stakeholder goals, and the sunsetting of programs. There is a need to better understand how short-term and intermediate outcomes of a program can be used to measure success and the role goal orientation of stakeholders play in the implementation. Prison education programming exemplifies this problem as reducing recidivism, a leading goal for these types of programs, take a lifetime to prove. This study examines a female prison education …

Method Development And Optimization For The Detection Of Synthetic Cannabinoids In Hair Using Lc-Msms, Linda K. Obeng

Student Theses

Synthetic cannabinoids represent one of the most prevalent and high-risk classes of New Psychoactive Substances (NPS), continuously evolving in structure and potency. Their widespread presence in seized materials and toxicology casework underscores the growing need for reliable analytical methods capable of detecting these compounds in biological matrices. Hair offers several advantages for drug testing, including a long detection window, minimal invasiveness, and resistance to adulteration; however, detecting synthetic cannabinoids in hair remains challenging due to their low incorporation levels and structural diversity. This study focuses on the method development and optimization of an LC-MS/MS technique for the detection of selected …

Cv: Huma Zia (Criminal Justice, Paralegal Studies), Huma Zia

Justice, Law, and Public Safety Studies Department Faculty Curricula Vitae

No abstract provided.