Digital Commons Network^™

The Impact Of Public Service Motivation On Reentry Managers' Decision-Making Practices, Marie Pryor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this exploratory study is to examine the effects of public service motivation (PSM) in predicting decision-making of criminal justice personnel (reentry managers) in the management of former prisoners. The overarching research question seeks to answer if, and in what way, PSM score influences reentry managers' approach to their work with the formerly incarcerated, who are in transition from prison back into the community. The main assumption of this study is that those reentry managers with a higher PSM score will be more inclined to take an assistance oriented approach with former prisoners and be more likely to …

Eco-Environmental Risk Management, Jonathan B. Wiener

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Legislature’S Planning Committee 2015 Report, Tanya Cook, Paul Schumacher, Galen Hadley, Bob Krist, Heath Mello, Kathy Campbell, Mike Gloor, Merv Riepe, Ken Schilz

Past Publications

A message from Senator Tanya Cook, Chair of the Legislature’s Planning Committee 2015-2016

The Legislature’s Planning Committee serves a vital role in the Nebraska Unicameral. In an era of term limits, the Planning Committee provides future-focused, data-driven research for senators to use in crafting smart, effective policies.

The 2015 Database Update continues to highlight nine key benchmarks – Economy, Agriculture, Natural Resources, State and Local Government, Education, Health and Human Services, Public Safety, Transportation, and Telecommunications – that give a well-rounded picture of the state’s strengths, struggles, and opportunities.

The Planning Committee owes a debt of gratitude to Dr. John …

Crash Frequency Analysis Of Left-Side Merging And Diverging Areas On Urban Freeway Segments: A Case Study Of I-75 Through Downtown Dayton, Ohio, Deogratias Eustace, Aline Aylo, Worku Y. Mergia

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Engineering Mechanics Faculty Publications

This paper analyzes the effect of left- and right-side merging and diverging areas and other variables such as light condition, roadway pavement condition, drivers’ age and presence of construction work zones on the occurrence frequency of crashes. A 6.5-mile (10.5-km) section of I-75 that passes through downtown Dayton, Ohio was considered. The area of interest has a high traffic volume and consists of different geometric design challenges including closely spaced merging and diverging ramps. A four-year record of crash data (2005–2008) and a statistical modeling technique that assumes a negative binomial distribution on generalized linear models (GLMs) were used to …

The Role Of Administrative Procedures In Preventing The Backlog Of Sexual Assault Evidence Kits, Heather Darby

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Across the nation, states are facing a large backlog of sexual assault evidence kits. Sexual assault evidence often sits in a police department or hospital for years without being tested. Public safety is diminished as criminal DNA is not tested and entered into CODIS. Victims have no sense of justice, and may lose confidence in the system. Without attention to the issue, the backlog will only continue to grow. As states have developed innovative and effective methods for addressing the backlog, their successes and failures have served as a base for others who are considering changes to avoid future backlogs. …

Tactical Medicine: An Examination Of Medical Training In Law Enforcement, Brian J. Woods Jr.

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

In recent years, there has been a trend towards making law enforcement officers more well-rounded first responders by increasing their required medical competencies. The required medical competencies of six law enforcement agencies of varying sizes in Northeast Ohio were examined by interviews conducted with a representative from each agency. Interview question topics included information on current training requirements and the types of medical equipment issued to officers. The study found that all six of the agencies surveyed offered medical training to officers as part of required continuing education, and all six agencies currently issued, or planned to issue in the …

Fire Service Leadership And The Impact Of Civil And Criminal Litigation On Officer Recruitment And Retention, Cameron Edward Borchert

Online Theses and Dissertations

Litigation in any industry is a driving force in the need for change management. There are very few industries that have not felt the direct effects of liability and litigation. For generations the fire service has enjoyed a sort of protected status as a result of the general good will the public has offered. There are many reasons for this, not the least of which being that firefighters routinely will risk their lives in the service of others. However, in recent years, fire departments across the United States have experienced increasing incidents of civil and criminal litigation. The core issue …

An Assessment Of The Relationship Of Online Technical Resources Developed By The National Weather Service (Nws) And United State Geological Survey (Usgs) And The Analysis Of Their Usage By Kentucky Emergency Managers During Preparedness, Response, Recovery, And Mitigation, Keith Joy

Online Theses and Dissertations

Emergency management tasks are essentially uncertain. They require information sharing and quick decision making that incorporates coordination across a vast array of individuals and organizations. During an emergency, communication is key during all four phases of the emergency management process; preparedness, response, recovery, mitigation. In order to communicate effectively and systematically with the incident management team, emergency managers must establish situational awareness during a disaster. Obtaining optimal situational awareness requires emergency managers to use an assortment of technologies in order to relay the most accurate information in real time. The focus of this research is on those technologies and the …

Evaluating State Policy Interventions For Opioid Abuse And Diversion: The Impact On Consumers, Healthcare Providers, And The U.S. Market For Prescription Opioids, Amie Goodin

Theses and Dissertations--Public Policy and Administration

Prescription opioid pain reliever utilization has been increasing since the 1990s, due in part to changes in recommendations for the treatment of chronic pain, but also to abuse and diversion. One innovative policy solution to the abuse and diversion of prescription opioids is state prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs), which provide prescribers and other selected parties with patient controlled substance dispensation history; thereby, correcting an information asymmetry problem between prescribers and patients.

The widespread implementation of state PDMPs, which vary in program design and requirements, has resulted in a variety of intended and unintended consequences. Previous PDMP evaluations have suggested …

Identifying And Evaluating Revenue Strategies For Parks And Recreation Departments Across The Western United States, Beth Pinkston

Master's Projects

No abstract provided.

From American Service To Disservice: An Exploration Of The Impact Of Military Experience Among An Incarcerated Population, Erika Brooke

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation research examines the impact of military service among an incarcerated population. It addresses the gaps identified within the prior literature by taking a closer look at the association between service experience and criminal justice outcomes. Specifically, the present study explores whether branch type, combat exposure, age of entrance, service length, and discharge status impact the number of lifetime arrests, current offense type, and institutional misconduct. This research uses data from the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics* 2004 Survey of Inmates in State and Federal Correctional Facilities. Multivariate analyses indicate that different elements of military participation influence criminal and …

Crime And Security In Brazil: Brazil's Pacification Efforts In The Favelas Of Rio De Janeiro, Susan C. Shea

Honors Theses

The purpose of this research is to study Brazil's current pacification efforts in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro. Brazil has long been linked to violent crime, corruption, and increasing social inequality. It features more homicides than any other country on earth: one in ten people killed around the world each year is a Brazilian (Carvalho, 2015). However, in 2008, Rio's state government began applying a new law enforcement program to rid favelas of gangs and crime before hosting the 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympics. Information on the current/future tactics and strategies that Rio will incorporate into …

Up In Smoke: The Unintended Consequences Of Marijuana Legalization In The United States On Public Health And Safety, Claire Colquitt

Honors Theses

The purpose of this research is to explore the potential public health and safety consequences of the legalization of marijuana in the United States. A review of existing literature on the health effects of marijuana use and marijuana's impact on public safety was conducted. Researchers are still unclear as to exactly how marijuana use affects brain structure and function, but some studies indicate that long-term chronic use leads to changes in both neurological function and physical brain structure. Researchers have been unable to identify how marijuana use affects respiratory function and physical health. Finally, marijuana's relationship with psychological health is …

Public-Police Relations: Officers' Interpretations Of Citizen Contacts, Donal Alfred Hardin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Perceptual differences in how citizens and police view police-initiated contacts can result in individual and communal tension, mistrust, and social strife, which complicate the relationships needed in order to thrive and promote safe environments. To examine how police officers interpret these contacts, this case study sought to explore the nature of citizen-police relations from the perspective of police officers in a city in the northwest part of the United States. Social contract and procedural justice theories were used to examine the circumstances that officers cited for taking enforcement actions, including operational definitions of police fairness and legitimacy from the Queensland …

Sex Offender Management Policies And Their Unintended Cosequences: A National Survey Of The Perceptions Of Professionals, Corey Call

Theses and Dissertations

The mid-1990s brought sex offenders to the forefront of policy issues due to several highly publicized cases of abduction, sexual assault, and murder involving children. Following these cases, a number of sex offender management policies were passed to quell public concern over the safety of children due to sex offenders. Most notably, these new sex offender management policies mandated the creation of publicly available registries of sex offenders and enacted residence restrictions that forbid sex offenders from residing within certain distances from areas where children commonly congregate.

Although current sex offender management policies have been revealed to be largely ineffective …

Actra - A Case Study For Threat Information Sharing, Jon C. Haass, Gail-Joon Ahn, Frank Grimmelmann

Publications

This paper provides a case study for information sharing within a public/private not-for-profit partnership organization called ACTRA – Arizona Cyber Threat Response Alliance, Inc.. This initiative is comprised of public and private entities with government agencies as invited guests aligned around the goal of improved response to cyber security events. Technical, political, legal and organizational issues arise when multiple parties attempt to exchange information in a formal setting. Benefits and specific solutions developed are discussed. The study concludes with several areas for future improvement and investigation as well as recommendations for newly forming sharing groups.

A Bridge To Truth: The Life Of Glenda Wildschut Of South Africa, Maggie Thach Morshed

Kroc IPJ Research and Resources

In the following pages, you will find narrative stories about a Woman PeaceMaker, along with additional information to provide a deep understanding of a contemporary conflict and one person’s journey within it. These complementary components include a brief biography of the peacemaker, a historical summary of the conflict, a timeline integrating political developments in the country with personal history of the peacemaker, a question-and-answer transcript of select interviews, and a table of best practices in peacebuilding as demonstrated and reflected on by the peacemaker during her time at the Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice.

Glenda Wildschut is a South …

Causes Of Low Voter Turnout Of The Hispanic Population In Southwest Texas, Shawn Steven Morrow

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Hispanic population in central Texas tends to have low levels of civic engagement as compared to other groups in the same area, which leads to disproportionate political marginalization. Prior research has focused on characteristics of voters and nonvoters, but has failed to explore the lack of political mobilization among Hispanic voters. The purpose of this study was twofold; first to better understand the nature of Hispanic voters' political marginalization, and second, explore why participation levels are so low among this group. This general qualitative study applied critical race theory to explore the barriers perceived by Hispanic voters related to …

Grit And Self-Control As Predictors Of First-Year Student Success, Stacyann B. Stewart Phd

All Student Scholarship

The objective of this exploratory quantitative study was to investigate the relationships between grit, self-control, and the first academic semester of college students, and determine if the relationships differed by gender. Two research questions were examined; (1) What are the relationships between the individual factors of grit, self-control, and first-semester college GPA? And do they differ by gender? and(2) What combinations of factors (grit, self-control, high school GPA, and SAT scores) best predicts first-semester college GPA? And do they differ by gender? The study investigated 88 first-time, first-year college students and their academic success during their first college semester using …

Differences Between For-Profit And Nonprofit Hospitals: Perceived Quality And Access, Michael Ray Eiland

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite a large body of literature addressing the issue, questions remain about whether nonprofit hospitals provide more community benefit than do for-profit hospitals. This lack of information impacts governments, hospitals, and the healthcare industry, as stakeholders attempt to generate requirements to which hospitals should adhere to maintain nonprofit status, and thus tax exemption. This study addressed this lack of information by examining U.S. hospitals through the lens of stewardship theory to determine whether nonprofits are better stewards of the public good than for-profits, and thus likely to provide higher quality and access. The study applied logistic regression to Centers for …

Interagency Coordination Of Security Operations In A Large U.S. Seaport, Edmund Levy

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Protecting U.S. transportation hubs against a wide variety of security threats, while avoiding undue interference with the normal operations of the hubs, is one of the greatest challenges facing security agencies. The problem addressed in this study was the limited information on the contributing factors to seaport security. The purpose of this case study was to explore issues that can inhibit efficiency of security agency operation and collaboration and to identify actions that have enhanced collaboration. Based on theories of organizational development, leadership, and security tradecraft, this study examined the activities related to maintenance of security at a large California …

The Mediating Role Of Payout In The Relationship Between Private Foundations And Grantee Organizations' Financial Health, Angie Kim

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although private foundations are assumed to be beneficial, their impact on grantee organizations is not well understood. This quantitative research explored how private, nonoperating foundations influence grantees' financial capacity to pursue their missions. Principal-agent theory was applied to rationalize foundations' social good purpose, along with subsidy theory of public charities' need for capital accumulation, thus comprising a unique framework for identifying pathways of relationships amongst influencer variables of foundations' operating characteristics; the outcome of grantees' months of unrestricted, liquid net assets (MULNA); and the mediator of foundations' payout rate. Multiple regression and indirect effects analyses of data on 612 cases …

Critical Factors In Police Use-Of-Force Decisions, Orville Nickel

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study investigated law enforcement officers' perceptions of the legal, normative, and practical considerations that are implicit in their decisions when faced with using physical force. Law enforcement officers observe and protect fundamental human rights. A significant problem, however, is that physical force is sometimes misused, impacting public confidence in police services. The study was framed by Durkheim's conflict theory and Beirie's concepts of police corporate culture and social control. It used a grounded theory method and predeveloped case scenarios presented to 2 male focus groups of 7 and 6 participants respectively, and 2 female focus groups of 5 and …

Public Corruption In Liberian Government, Stephen H. Gobewole

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is a widespread public perception of corruption in Liberia's election process, yet there is little documentation on the characteristics of voters and their perceptions of electoral corruption. The purpose of this correlational study was to explore the relationship between gender, ethnicity, physical location, and perceptions about political activity during the 2005 national election. Roderick Chisolm's conceptualization of the internalist view of justification served as the theoretical construct. Data were acquired from the Afrobarometer survey (n = 1,200), which used a representative cross-sectional sample design, and were subjected to cross-tabulation analysis, a chi-square test, and a correlation analysis. The results …

Public Safety Impact Of Electronic Monitoring Of Texas High-Risk Offenders, Paul Utu Aliu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The use of electronic monitoring (EM) as a tool to supervise high-risk offenders has increased in the field of criminal justice in the state of Texas. Although EM is now widely used to supervise high-risk offenders to prevent them from committing further crimes, it is unclear whether EM has achieved the purpose of reducing reoffenses during parole supervision. Hirschi's social bond theory, which was later developed into social control theory, was used as the framework for this general qualitative study to explore retired parole officers' perceptions concerning whether EM is successful in preventing high-risk offenders from committing additional crimes. Interview …

Attitudes Of Returning Citizens In Government-Managed Post-Release Programming, Zachary D'Jon Weaver

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nearly 700,000 prisoners return to communities annually, and approximately two-thirds are rearrested within 3 years of release. The cyclic pattern of recidivism presents risks to both returning offenders and the communities that accept them. Reentry research tends to include the voice and experiences of juveniles, community members, and service providers, and narrowly focuses on the socioeconomic conditions of adult ex-offender populations pre- and post-release. Few researchers have explored the attitudes of those returning citizens or the perceived impact on treatment success, as related to employment-based, post-release reintegration programs. This study investigated the attitudes of 32 participants of Project Empowerment, the …

The United Nations Training Of The Liberia National Police: Effectiveness, Results, And Future Implications, Yarsuo Laezee Weh-Dorliae

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

After the United Nations' mission in Liberia (UNMIL) ends on September 30, 2015, effective policing will be a security concern for Liberians. Liberians have expressed fear that conflict could return if ongoing police training programs do not sustain public safety. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to understand how UNMIL's training affected public confidence in the Liberia National Police (LNP). The theoretical bases for this study included public choice theory and liberal democratic theory. Quantitative data were used to address impact of UNMIL's police training on the maintenance of law and order. These data were collected through a …

Adaptive Planning For Flooding And Coastal Change In Virginia: Next Steps For The Commonwealth (Agenda), Virginia Coastal Policy Center, William & Mary Law School, Center For Coastal Resources Management, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science, Virginia Sea Grant

2014, Adaptive Planning for Flooding and Coastal Change in Virginia: Next Steps for the Commonwealth

No abstract provided.

The Evolving Context Of Mine Action, David Atwood

Global CWD Repository

The purpose of this study is two-fold:

1) To examine the changing nature of arms control and disarmament, focusing on what appear to be a few of the most promising frameworks for tackling the relationship between weapons management and the wider goals of development, security and peacebuilding

2) To reflect that thinking back onto mine action itself.

The study, by providing an overview of the wider context within which mine action is operating, sketches out dimensions that seem of particular relevance to thinking about the future of mine action in an increasingly complex and challenging global context.

Drones For Good: Technological Innovations, Social Movements, And The State, Austin Choi-Fitzpatrick

School of Peace Studies: Faculty Scholarship

The increased use of and attention to drones, or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), have led to a widespread debate about their application. Much of this debate has centered on their use by governments, often for the purpose of surveillance and warfare. This focus on the state's use obscures the opportunity for civil society actors, including social movements, to make use of these technologies. This article briefly reviews the technological innovation before proceeding to a typology of civil society uses, ranging from art to digital disruption. This typology emphasizes the dual-use nature of this technology and, in the process, highlights the …