Digital Commons Network^™

Libraries And Human Trafficking: A Study Of New Jersey’S Public And Academic Library Engagement In Anti-Trafficking Efforts, Christabelle Robinson, Daniela Peterka-Benton

Articles, Presentations, and Reports

This study, conducted through the Global Center on Human Trafficking, explores the underexamined role of public and academic libraries in addressing human trafficking across the state of New Jersey. Despite limited formal guidance on their role in anti-trafficking efforts, libraries are increasingly acting as informal hubs for access to resources, education, and social service referrals. Through a statewide survey and qualitative responses from library professionals, this research examines how libraries are currently engaging in training, social work partnerships, programming, and public awareness initiatives. Findings reveal that while only a small percentage of libraries have received formal training, there is widespread …

Decolonizing Community Re-Entry: Effective Case Studies Of Community-Led Programs And Services To Support Formerly Incarcerated Individuals In Canada, Ardavan Eizadirad, Rai Reece

Education Faculty Publications

Decolonizing re-entry programs require rethinking traditional approaches in supporting formerly incarcerated individuals and challenging colonial and deficit frameworks embedded in the criminal legal system, which often has an exclusive focus on punishment. This article names the risk factors and systemic barriers faced by equity-denied individuals during reintegration with a focus on the Canadian context. Two community-led programs in Ontario are highlighted as innovative case studies for effectively supporting reintegration of individuals exiting carceral institutions. Key characteristics of these programs which are offered by the Youth Association for Academics, Athletics, and Character Education (YAAACE) and Walls to Bridges (W2B) are outlined. …

Cv: Shanon Gillette (Criminal Justice, Public Safety Administration)), Shanon Gillette

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

No abstract provided.

การกำหนดบทลงโทษทางปกครองและทางอาญาร่วมกันในกรณีความประมาทเลินเล่อของ ภาระผูกพันหลังการทำเหมืองขององค์กร: กรณีศึกษาเปรียบเทียบกฎระเบียบการทำเหมืองแร่ของประเทศอินโดนีเซีย ไทย และแอฟริกาใต้ (A Combined Imposition Of Administrative And Criminal Sanctions For Negligence Of Corporate Post-Mining Obligations: A Comparative Study Of Indonesian, Thailand, And South African Mining Regulations), Fachrian Rizki

Chulalongkorn University Law Journal

วิธีการทางกฎหมายอันเหมาะสมและบทบัญญัติของกฎหมายที่เพียงพอต่อการลงโทษนิติบุคลคลซึ่งละเลยหน้าที่อันต้องกระทำการหลังการขุดเหมืองแร่นั้นถือเป็นประเด็นในทางกฎหมายที่หลายประเทศทั่วโลกไม่ได้ให้ความสนใจเท่าไรนัก นอกจากการละเว้นหน้าที่ดังกล่าวโดยประมาทจะส่งผลร้ายทั้งทางตรงและทางอ้อมต่อสิ่งแวดล้อมและชุมชน บริเวณรอบพื้นที่แล้ว การกระทำดังกล่าวยังส่งผลเสียต่อตัวนิติบุคคลด้วย ในอินโดนีเซียมีผู้เห็นว่าการบังคับใช้มาตรการบังคับทางปกครองเพียงอย่างเดียวก็สามารถป้องปรามการกระทำดังกล่าวได้อย่างเพียงพอ แต่อย่างไรก็ตาม เมื่อได้ศึกษาเปรียบเทียบกฎหมายของอินโดนีเซียกับประเทศไทยและแอฟริกาใต้แล้ว พบว่ามีการใช้มาตรการทางอาญาควบคู่ไปกับมาตรการบังคับทางปกครอง ดังนั้น กรณีดังกล่าวจึงนำมาสู่ปัญหาของงานวิจัยฉบับนี้ว่า การบังคับใช้มาตรการทางอาญาควบคู่ไปกับมาตรการบังคับทางปกครองต่อความผิดฐานละเลยหน้าที่ที่พึงต้องกระทำหลังการขุดเหมืองแร่โดยประมาทจะมีผลสัมฤทธิ์มากกว่าการใช้มาตรการบังคับทางปกครองเพียงอย่างเดียวหรือไม่ และการใช้โทษทางอาญาในความผิดฐานดังกล่าวนั้นขัดต่อหลักความได้สัดส่วนและหลักการกำหนดความผิดในทางอาญาหรือไม่ บทความวิจัยนี้จึงมุ่งศึกษาปัญหาดังกล่าวโดยเน้นการวิเคราะห์หลักเกณฑ์ทางทฤษฎีที่เกี่ยวข้อง และเปรียบเทียบกฎหมายของประเทศไทยและแอฟริกาใต้

Police Killings In The Mountain West, 2013-2023, Isabelle G. Graham, Olivia K. Cheche, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Criminal Justice

This fact sheet presents data on police killings between 2013 and 2023 for the five Mountain West states of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. The Brookings Institution report, “The state of police reform: measuring progress in each state,” tracks the total number of killings by police and the number of killings by police per one million residents in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. This fact sheet reports data on the total number of people killed by police and the rate of police killings per capita for each Mountain West state.

The Pedagogical Experiences Of Online Correctional Education English Composition Faculty, Candace Chambers

Journal of Prison Education Research

With increasing efforts to expand correctional education college programs, previous research has primarily explored the experiences of instructors teaching in face-to-face settings. However, little is known about the experiences of faculty teaching in online correctional education programs within the United States. This qualitative, transcendental phenomenological study addresses this gap by examining the experiences of five online English composition correctional education instructors. Data collection methods included semi-structured interviews, document analysis, and a focus group. Findings revealed that instructors adapted their teaching practices to accommodate the online format, faced challenges in building relationships with students, and desired more professional development. These insights …

A Note For Helen., Joper Journal Of Prison Education Research

Journal of Prison Education Research

The editorial team of the Journal of Prison Education Research is mourning the loss of our beloved editor, Dr. Helen Farley, who passed away in July. We are publishing a note to remember her legacy and thank her for her commitment to the journal. She will be forever loved.

Examining The Effects Of Firearm Lethality And Aggressors’ Intentions To Kill On Injurious Firearm Violence At American Schools: A Research Note, Brent R. Klein, Cory Schnell, Steven M. Chermak, Joshua D. Freilich

Faculty Publications

This study examined firearm lethality and aggressors’ lethal intent on injurious fatal and nonfatal school shootings using data from The American School Shooting Study, which covers 329 school shootings in the United States from 1990 to 2016. We developed a new multidimensional construct for measuring shooters’ determination to kill and examined firearm characteristics while considering confounding factors. We identified 11 distinct categories of shooters’ intent, with most showing a strong desire to kill. Both intent and weapon lethality significantly impacted school shooting homicides. Overall, we recommend that prevention and theoretical models should address both factors.

#Falseflag: Exploring Themes In Conspiracy Theory Tweets Regarding The Robb Elementary School Active Shooter Event, Madison K. Doyle, Carolyn Willis

Qualitative Criminology (QC)

"Little is known about the content of conspiratorial posts on social media, specifically regarding active shooter events. This study explores the content of conspiracy theory tweets during the six months following the active shooter event at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. 194 tweets were analyzed. The analysis resulted in two main themes: False Flag and Hypothesized Reasoning. These themes represent the similarities and variations in content among the tweets. In line with research suggesting that people are most vulnerable to conspiratorial thinking when trying to explain unusual and unsettling events, results indicate that many posts were attempting to provide …

“Oh, Are You Gay?”: An Exploration Of Lgbtq+ Students’ Lived Experiences With Microaggressions And Finding Safety On A University Campus, Christina Policastro, Courtney Crittenden, Jadon Clark, Rileigh Arrington

Qualitative Criminology (QC)

"Studies demonstrate that LGBTQ+ college students experience explicit and covert discrimination with research documenting various microaggressions reported by university students whose gender and/or sex identities are minoritized. Building off existing models of LGBTQ microaggressions, the current study adds to this literature by utilizing focus groups to explore campus safety perceptions among a sample of U.S. undergraduate students who identify as LGBTQ+. Findings highlight the diverse microaggressions experienced by students at the interpersonal and environmental level. Moreover, the results displayed the mechanisms students employed to avoid or disengage from situations where microaggressions may be encountered, as well as underscored ways in …

Are Cyber-Investigators Resilient In The Face Of Adversity? An Inductive Qualitative Analysis Exploring Investigators’ Perceptions Regarding The Challenges And Successes In Online Crime Police Investigations, Julien Chopin, Camille Faubert, David Décary-Hétu, Benoît Dupont, Jerry Ratcliffe, Aili Malm

Qualitative Criminology (QC)

"Cybercrime investigations continue to pose a significant challenge for most law enforcement agencies. Specifically, these investigations present knowledge, legal, and forensic challenges that hinder police officers’ ability to successfully complete their tasks and develop a sense of well-being on the job. Studies have shown that in the face of such adversity, individuals exhibit a positive coping capacity known as the resilience process. In this research, we set out to improve our understanding of both the difficulties police officers face when investigating online crimes and their ability to cope by analyzing their perceptions of success. To do this, we conducted interviews …

Prosecution In The Eyes Of The Justice-Involved: A Community-Based Participatory Research Approach, Belén Lowrey-Kinberg

Qualitative Criminology (QC)

"Community based participatory research (CBPR) centers the voices of community members in the research process. Long used in the field of healthcare, criminal justice researchers have employed CBPR only in limited contexts, and never in the context of prosecution research. This paper reports on findings from a CBPR study that employed focus groups with justice-involved individuals to identify their perceptions of the pre-trial process, prosecutors’ priorities, and recommended directions for research. The findings from these focus groups were used as the basis for developing interview questions for prosecutors, which were subsequently implemented in two larger research projects examining prosecutor discretion. …

Communication Inhibitors: Dilemmas In Community Partnerships Amidst Mental Health Crises In Texas, Alessa Juarez, Kendra N. Bowen, Johnny Nhan

Qualitative Criminology (QC)

"Community partnerships between police departments, social services, and healthcare providers continue to struggle in various ways, with mental health crisis response remaining a primary yet fragmented service delivery. Using the nodal governance perspective, this paper provides qualitative insight into the existing communication and resource barriers between law enforcement personnel and social service providers in a large urban county in Texas. Four key themes are presented: staff and resource availability, continuity of care, staff personnel and characteristics, and communication efficiency. Policy implications are also discussed, with the study’s findings supporting the prioritization of building stronger communication between existing social service providers, …

California Public Defense Workloads And Staffing, Malia N. Brink, Pamela R. Metzger, Andrew L.B. Davies, Cynthia G. Lee

Deason Center Reports

This report assesses the current workloads and staffing of California public defense providers. The report concludes that California’s public defense attorneys are almost universally burdened by workloads that far exceed nationally recommended standards. Additionally, compared to district attorneys’ offices in the same jurisdictions, public defender offices typically have 20-45% fewer attorneys.

This report also details how public defense providers in California also lack the appropriate support staff – investigators, social workers, paralegals, and administrative assistants – necessary to efficiently and effectively represent their clients. At their current workload and staffing levels, public defense attorneys simply cannot do all that their …

Scripted For Surveillance: Parole Revocation Hearings And The Performance Of Procedure In New York, Kelsey G. Greeff

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This thesis examines parole revocation hearings in New York as complex performances that extend carceral control beyond prison walls. Drawing on a composite vignette from the Bronx parole court, it analyzes the interplay between procedural reform, constitutional due process, and neoliberal governance. Using a dramaturgical framework informed by Michel Foucault’s discourse analysis and Judith Butler’s theory of performativity, the study identifies four interrelated processes: the judge as director, who orchestrates hearings according to institutional priorities; normalization, where repetition embeds structural inequality as routine; type-marking, the classification of parolees into predefined roles through accumulated records and cues; and the extension of …

Police Chief Turnover In Texas: Do Institutional Environments Matter?, Yudu Li

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

The field of organizational studies has extensively examined factors influencing the turnover and succession of public officers, yet limited attention has been given to chiefs of police. Using institutional theory as a framework, this study explores police chief turnover by focusing on the institutional environment and the relationships between police chiefs and key individuals and entities within their communities. Utilizing survey data collected from police chiefs attending mandatory training programs designed for new appointees, the analysis reveals that police chief turnover is substantially associated with the quality of relationships with key stakeholders within the institutional environments, both individually and collectively. …

Managing Crowdfunding Risks In Terrorism Financing: A Mediated Analysis Of Government Intervention And Donation Intentions, Fithriadi Muslim, Eva Achjani Zulfa, Muhamad Syauqillah

Indonesia Law Review

Crowdfunding has emerged as a popular platform for collective funding of social, charitable, and commercial projects. However, its increasing use has raised concerns over potential misuse, including as a source of terrorism financing. This study investigates the relationship between donation intentions using crowdfunding and the risk of crowdfunding being used as a source of terrorism financing. Furthermore, it explores the mediating role of government intervention in this relationship. Using a Structural Equation Modeling-Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS) second-order approach, the research evaluates the interaction between donor intentions, crowdfunding risks, and government regulations. Findings reveal that while donor intentions significantly impact the …

The Effect Of Body-Worn Cameras On Police Credibility In The Courtroom, Robert A. Lindblom

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The use of Body-Worn Cameras (BWCs) by criminal justice practitioners in America has increased dramatically during the past decade. However, many assumptions were made during this process about the effectiveness of BWCs without adequate research or evidence to back up the claims. Deploying new technology under such circumstances often produces unexpected outcomes. One of these unanticipated results may be the increased dependence of judges and juries upon video evidence. Increasingly, adjudicators may hesitate to accept an officer’s testimony at face value. Prosecutors may even be reluctant to pursue cases at all when video is unavailable to bolster the officer’s statement. …

Interdisciplinary Co-Teaching And Community-Engaged Learning: Integrating Community Case Studies To Teach Ethics, Justice, And Grassroots Leadership, Ziwei Qi, Lori E. Kniffin, Sammuel Byer (Rob)

Leadership Faculty Publications

This paper serves as a teaching report examining an interdisciplinary, co-taught course at a rural, regional state university designed to promote ethics, justice, and grassroots leadership through community-engaged learning (CEL). Faculty from criminal justice, philosophy, and leadership studies co-developed and taught the course using Socratic dialogue and reflective journaling to help students analyze community challenges from multiple disciplinary angles. Students also engaged in training on positionality, power dynamics, and cultural humility, incorporating their reflections into final reports to deepen ethical engagement. Regular faculty collaboration aligned teaching strategies across disciplines, while a case study presentation and analysis allowed community partners to …

Reforming The Indian Bar: The Limits Of Technological Solutions, Varsha Aithala, Karthik Suresh

Articles

A majority of Indians do not have effective access to legal services, despite the constitutional promise of access to justice. There are two intertwined reasons for this: the unavailability of a sufficient number of good quality lawyers, and the high costs of accessing legal services. The Indian legal profession is highly unequal, with ‘prestige’ being the currency of upward professional mobility. The professional regulator, the Bar Council of India, simply lacks the capacity to regulate quality. As a consequence, clients lack the information to access lawyers, and to understand the outcomes they desire from them, and the fees they have …

Inaction As Nonformal Reaction: Rethinking Crime Perception In The Era Of Data Breaches, Irnasya Shafira Hadi

Jurnal Kriminologi Indonesia

This study analyses the Indonesian public’s response to government data breaches and advocates for an expanded defintion of nonformal reactions to crime in the digital context. It argues that existing criminological frameworks, particularly Mustofa’s (2021) model—which views nonformal reactions as active and confrontational behaviours such as demonstrations or vigilantism—should also acknowledge inaction, apathy, and emotional disengagement as valid public reactions. This paper employs a conceptual-qualitative approach, combining an interdisciplinary literature review, interpretive policy analysis of the Personal Data Protection Law, and triangulation with digital behaviour data to develop its analysis. This paper reframes apathy as a significant criminological indicator of …

Is Poverty The Root Of All Crime? Rethinking Criminality Amid Institutional Failure In Madagascar, Ramalina Ranaivo Mikea Manitra

Jurnal Kriminologi Indonesia

Madagascar continues to grapple with high levels of poverty and weak institutional capacity, creating conditions conducive to widespread and persistent criminality. This paper aims to examine how structural poverty, institutional failure, and state fragility interact to shape patterns of crime through the lens of criminological theories such as strain theory, social disorganisation, and state-centred criminology. Using a qualitative methodology based on a comprehensive literature review of empirical studies, policy documents, and international reports, the paper explores the socio-economic and institutional dynamics underpinning crime in Madagascar. The findings reveal that poverty-driven crime often arises as a rational response to unmet needs, …

Public Compliance Towards Indonesian National Police (Polri) Authority In The Midst Of A Strained Public-Police Relationship, Ilham Dwi Hatmawan

Jurnal Kriminologi Indonesia

Public trust in the Indonesian National Police (Polri) has experienced significant fluctuations due to allegations of misconduct, corruption, and excessive use of force. This study examines the relationship between public trust and compliance with Polri authority, particularly in the context of strained police-community relations. Drawing on procedural justice and restorative regulation theories, the research argues that trust directly influences voluntary compliance and that procedural justice alone is insufficient to repair legitimacy deficits. Instead, a dual model combining procedural fairness with restorative reconciliation, including acknowledgment of past harms and community dialogue is proposed as a more effective strategy for rebuilding trust. …

Implementation Of Public-Private Partnership Model Towards Ideal Operationalization Of Correctional Institution In Indonesia, Sani Siti Aisyah -

Jurnal Kriminologi Indonesia

The increasing popularity of Public-Private Partnership (PPP) in prison or correctional institution development and management is currently often studied from an economic perspective that prioritizes state budget efficiency and is rarely studied from a social perspective that prioritizes benefits for the community in the context of social control. Realizing that PPP has positive potential in the ideal operationalization of correctional institution amidst limited human resources and budget, this study examines various correctional institution PPP models using the correction theory framework. This study was designed as an exploratory qualitative study using interview, document studies, field observations and FGD. This study successfully …

Nueva Metodología De Análisis Para Determinar El Delito Ambiental De Ecocidio Por Glifosato En Cultivos Permanentes De Coca En Colombia, Rosalina González Forero, Jerry H. Kavouras, Érika González Ruiz

Biology Department Faculty Articles

El crimen organizado transnacional ha sido nefasto para el territorio colombiano, en especial el asociado a la producción de coca en la última década, lo que ha generado impactos económicos y sociales debido al aumento del conflicto e inseguridad en las zonas de influencia del cultivo. Esto se debe a que en el 2023 se tenían 230 000 hectáreas sembradas, lo que representa el 20 % de la superficie del país, con un impacto ambiental no cuantificado en términos penales. Este requiere de acciones de entidades estatales, así como de cooperación internacional, para adaptar estrategias y poder judicializar estos delitos …

Understanding The Role Of Drug Offenses And The Death Penalty In Iran, Cyrus Zarganj

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Since the 1979 revolution, the Islamic Republic of Iran has been governed by Islamic laws devised by Shia Muslim clerics, significantly influencing the nation's legal framework in both criminal and civil contexts. The death penalty in Iran covers a broad spectrum of offenses, many of which would not be considered capital crimes or even crimes globally. This extensive application of the death penalty is an instrument of social control during periods of political tension, indicating a direct relationship between the regime's stability and the enforcement of extreme punitive measures. Despite some reduction in the visibility of executions due to international …

Effects Of Rapid Shearing Depending On Environmental Factors: Acrylic, Modacrylic, And Polypropylene Fibers, Charles K. Jin

Student Theses

Textiles can often be found damaged in forensic casework, and analysis of these defects can yield valuable information. Different methods of fiber fracture leave behind varying alterations in structure on individual fiber ends, leading to their possible identification and connection to a case. Interactions between high-speed impacts and synthetic fabrics composed of thermoplastic fibers are classified as rapid shear or high-speed tensile breaks. In these situations, unique fiber end characteristics can form due to excessive heat generation that is unable to dissipate quickly enough to prevent fiber end morphology from changing.

This study aimed to explore how different external conditions …

Immigration And Customs Enforcement (Ice) Arrests In The Mountain West, 2025, Sydney Mitchell, Olivia K. Cheche, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Criminal Justice

This fact sheet reveals data on the total Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests and daily average of ICE arrests between January 20, 2025 and June 10, 2025 for the five Mountain West states of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. Originally reported by the New York Times (NYT) in “Immigration Arrests Are Up Sharply in Every State. Here Are the Numbers,” this fact sheet also details each Mountain West state’s national ranking for total ICE arrests between January 20, 2025 and June 10, 2025, as well as the percentage increase in daily average ICE arrests between 2024 and …

Female Sexual Offenders: An Underrecognized, Underreported, And Underresearched Population, Chelsea H. Henry

Master of Arts in Human Services

This paper explored female sexual offenders and described how their crimes are underrecognized, underreported, and underresearched. Women commit part of all sexual crimes against children, although prevalence rates are hotly debated. Research demonstrates that female offenders are often their victims' mothers, caregivers, or other relatives. This societal role leads to difficulty in recognizing that this type of abuse exists. Media portrayals often cast female offenders in the role of victims themselves or cast the abuse in a positive light. Females are often the producers of online child sex abuse material, and more research is needed on this understudied topic as …

Autism Awareness Training For Law Enforcement Officers: A Pilot Study, Kaylie Holke, Meghan Cosier, Elissa Green Kaustinen, Cathy Scherer, Andrew Wall

Education Faculty Articles and Research

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to pilot a research-based autism training session for law enforcement officers (LEOs), test the Police Self-Efficacy for Autism (PSEA) scale as a measurement tool for the session and provide a preliminary examination of brief training. Design/methodology/approach

This study utilized a pre-post survey approach in which participants completed the PSEA scale pre- and post-training to measure the relationship between the training and self-efficacy scores. Findings

Results show a positive relationship between brief autism-specific training and officers’ self-efficacy scores across items and subscales. All four subscales and seven of thirteen items demonstrated statistical significance. Originality/value …