Digital Commons Network^™

Drinking With Friends: A Cellular Automata Approach To Modeling Peer Influence On Binge Drinking Behavior, Piper Jackson, Andrew Reid, Niki Huitson, Kathryn Wuschke, Vahid Dabbaghian

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this project, we adopt Cellular Automata (CA) modeling as a means to focus solely on the elements of concern: individual state (binging) and local interactions (peer pressure). CA models are well suited for exploring the dynamics that occur within a population, and are useful for visualizing the clustering behaviour of communities. With this more abstract approach, it is possible to simulate large populations with reasonable computational requirements.

Advancing The Human Right To Housing In Post-Katrina New Orleans: Discursive Opportunity Structures In Housing And Community Development, Leigh Graham

Publications and Research

In post-Katrina New Orleans, housing and community development (HCD) advocates clashed over the future of public housing. This case study examines the evolution of and limits to a human right to housing frame introduced by one nongovernmental organization (NGO). Ferree’s concept of the discursive opportunity structure and Bourdieu’s social field ground this NGO’s failure to advance a radical economic human rights frame, given its choice of a political inside strategy that opened up for HCD NGOs after Hurricane Katrina. Strategic and ideological differences within the field limited the efficacy of this rights-based frame, which was seen as politically radical and …

Razing Lafitte: Defending Public Housing From A Hostile State, Leigh Graham

Publications and Research

The contentious politics of the demolition of Lafitte public housing in post- Katrina New Orleans and its replacement with mixed-income properties is a telling case of the strategic conflicts housing advocates face in public housing revitalization. It reveals how the qualified outcomes of HOPE VI interact with local institutional and historical circumstances to confound the equity and social justice goals of housing and community development advocates. It shows the limits to public housing revitalization as an urban recovery strategy when hostile government leadership characterizes a region, and the state is recast as an adversary rather than revitalization partner. This case …

Educating For Peace And Justice In America's Nuclear Age, Ian Harris, Charles F. Howlett

Catalyst: A Social Justice Forum

The emergence of peace education as embodied in the context of peace studies, which emerged during the post-World War II ideological struggle between capitalism and Communism, the nuclear arms race pitting the United States against the former Soviet Union, the Vietnam War, and the civil rights movement in America, met with considerable criticism. There were many within and outside the academic community who argued that peace studies had very little to offer in terms of “real scholarship” and were primarily politically motivated. Some went so far as to insist that this new area of study lacked focus and discipline given …

Assessing The Efficacy Of A Modified Therapeutic Community On The Reduction Of Institutional Write-Ups In A Medium Security Prison, Lee Maglinger

Dissertations

This study explored the impact a modified Therapeutic Community (TC) had on reducing institutional disorder as documented by institutional write-ups. Substance abuse treatment programs are typically evaluated in terms of their ability to prevent relapse and reduce recidivism. The current study examined the efficacy of a modified TC in relation to these parameters but also explored its overall impact on prison safety and security for both the inmates and staff of a medium security prison located in Kentucky. Specifically, the number of institutional write-ups exhibited by clients participating in a modified Therapeutic Community was compared with the number of write-ups …

Examining Criminal Justice Professionals’ Attitudes And Responsiveness Towards Intimidated Witnesses On The Local Level: An Exploratory Analysis, Moon Michon

Theses and Dissertations

Abstract EXAMINING CRIMINAL JUSTICE PROFESSIONALS’ ATTITUDES AND RESPONSIVENESS TOWARDS INTIMIDATED WITNESSES ON THE LOCAL LEVEL: AN EXPLORATORY ANALYSIS By Michon J. Moon, Ph.D. A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2011 Major Director: Laura J. Moriarty, Ph. D, Professor and Vice Provost of Academic and Faculty Affairs L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs The study explored criminal justice professionals’ attitudes and responsiveness toward witness intimidation on the local level based on their occupation and region of employment. Intimidated witnesses are vulnerable …

Alternative To Incarceration Methods: A Case Study Of The Hall County Drug Court, Kristen Long White

Dissertations, Theses and Capstone Projects (Full IR Collection)

Over the last several years, it has become more and more economically difficult for counties and states to run their programs. One of the areas that has seen drastic budgetary cuts is the Criminal Justice System. Prisons, detention centers and other rehabilitative programs have been closed down across the country to solve some of the impending budget problems. This is one of the reasons that accountability courts have become a more accepted and utilized part of the criminal justice system. Many jurisdictions are taking advantage of what these programs have to offer in an effort to battle the rising cost …

Using The Open Systems Perspective To Understand Critical Incidents, Denise D. P. Thompson

Publications and Research

At the end of its Fall 2010 conference, the Academy for Critical Incident Analysis (ACIA) called for the development of frameworks that would aid in the study and analysis of critical incidents. This paper responds to that call. The paper answers the question, “is it possible to construct a framework that is generic enough to encapsulate the essential components observed in all critical incidents?” The paper utilizes the open systems perspective to develop a conceptual framework to help us delineate and understand critical incidents and how they evolve. The paper presents examples to substantiate arguments made about the framework. The …

Resolution, Reinvestment, And Realignment: Three Strategies For Changing Juvenile Justice, Jeffrey A. Butts, Douglas N. Evans

Publications and Research

In recent decades, legislators and administrators have created innovative policies to reduce the demand for expensive state confinement and to supervise as many young offenders as possible in their own communities. This report reviews the history and development of these strategies and portrays their methods as following one of three models: resolution, reinvestment, and realignment.

Child Support As Labor Regulation, Yiyoon Chung

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The development of child support policy over the past three decades provides an emblematic case study of the ways in which a new policy that reflects the rise of moral arguments about individual and family responsibility, once established, produces significant consequences for both the economic sphere and political dialogues. I use social control theory to examine a rarely appreciated consequence of child support policies: labor regulation. Particularly, I demonstrate the ways in which the discourse embedded in child support has exalted the importance of work even under the lowest terms, and has deflected public attention away from labor market issues.

Reinventing Maine's Corrections System: A Survey Of Budget Smart Alternatives To Unsustainable Spending, Griffin Jones

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

After the recent Great Recession of 2008, state budgets are facing increased scrutiny in every area of spending. States are increasingly turning to corrections spending, as one such area, to look for efficiencies and innovations that will help relieve fiscal stress, while also maintaining the strict judicial and safety standards expected by the public. However, state corrections systems are coming out of an imprisonment “binge” during what was often referred to as the “Tough on Crime” nineties, and without intervention in the form of smarter, more effective strategies, further uncontrolled growth in the corrections system will prove untenable to the …

Child Abuse Investigations: How Cps And Law Enforcement Engage In Collaboration, Viola W. Lindsey

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Child welfare social workers (CPS) and law enforcement professionals are the sole professional groups in California assigned the task of investigating child physical and sexual abuse allegations. Both professional groups report that child-well-being is the ultimate outcome desired when addressing the needs of vulnerable and “at risk” children. Despite this shared vision CPS and law enforcement professionals also described competing outcomes that are often contradictory; particularly in how each group characterizes different professional responsibilities in achieving child well-being. For example, CPS describes the dual responsibilities of preventing children from further harm while at the same time identifying factors that led …

Assessment Of The Socio-Economic Impacts Of Sb 1080 On Immigrant Groups, Mary C. King, John G. Corbett, John Chiappetta, Anabel López Salinas

Economics Faculty Publications and Presentations

In July 2008, the State of Oregon implemented SB 1080, legislation that required all applicants for an Oregon Driver License or ID card to present proof of legal presence in the United States. In 2007, some 140,000 unauthorized immigrants were estimated to be living in Oregon, more than two-thirds of whom were estimated to be members of the labor force. Approximately 97% of Oregon’s unauthorized immigrants are thought to be Latino, nearly all of Mexican origin. This report includes a discussion of the social science findings on the situation of undocumented workers in the U.S and what is known about …

Legal Experiences Of Women Survivors Of Domestic Violence: A Need For Policies That Address The Justice Gap, Kimberly Ann Puhala

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

The problems associated with the civil legal system for women who have experienced domestic violence have been persistent over time and still exist today. The current sociopolitical context in this state frames access to civil legal services either through a means-tested (and underfunded) program (Civil Legal Assistance) or as a privately purchased market service. This leaves a limited amount of low- or no-cost alternatives, which creates a gap in services for those women whose income is too high to qualify for Civil Legal Assistance programs, yet too low to afford to hire a private attorney. This study examines this two-tiered …

Obama's Failed Attempt To Close Gitmo: Why Executive Orders Can't Bring About Systemic Change, Erin B. Corcoran

Law Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Culture And Procedural Justice In Transitioning Societies, Landon E. Hancock, Tamra Pearson D’Estrée

Peace and Conflict Studies

In any transitional justice mechanism there are tradeoffs between the search for retributive justice and the practical limitations on what can be accomplished. To date, this tension has been discussed in reference to internationally established norms of justice, which the authors argue are limited in the extent to which they can explain why certain mechanisms—such as the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission or Rwanda’s gacaca courts—have been considered successful. We argue that mechanisms that have a high overlap between local culture and elements of procedural justice are perceived as more fair and just, even to those who may not …

Constructive Noncooperation: Living In Truth, Mark A. Mattaini, Kristen Atkinson

Peace and Conflict Studies

Mohandas Gandhi often indicated that nonviolence was “a science,” and he appears to have meant this literally. Consistent with this vision, in this paper, we outline and apply principles of behavioral systems science, an emerging data-based approach to understanding the dynamics of complex cultural systems, to the practice of constructive noncooperation (Gandhi’s “constructive programme”). Although Gandhi emphasized that constructive action was the most important and potent of nonviolent strategic options, constructive alternatives have been the least developed in the literature of nonviolent struggle. The reconceptualization of constructive noncooperation in behavioral systems terms offered here suggests that rigorous analysis of Havel’s …

High School Students’ Knowledge Of Careers And Non-College Post-Secondary Options, Mariel Stein

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

This Capstone Project discusses high school students’ knowledge of careers and non-college post-secondary options. The problem this project addresses is the fact that many high school students lack adequate knowledge of careers and non-college post-secondary options, and therefore they often make poor decisions regarding their post-secondary plans.

The methodology used was research, observations, and personal communication. I conducted inductive research because I felt that my information of high school vocational education was too narrow and I wanted to broaden my knowledge to see what the trend is across the country, what the causes of the aforementioned problem are, and what …

Community Expectations Of College Attendance And Completion, Michael Wade Derden

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Communities relay expectations of behavior that influence residents' decision making processes. The study's purpose was to define and identify Social, cultural, and human capital variables relevant to understanding community expectations of postsecondary attainment. The study sought an operational model of community expectancy that would allow policymakers and higher education leaders to recognize the community-level factors affecting student outcomes and then to make appropriate policy adjustments to encourage better outcomes.

Ready For Life — An Evaluation: Factors Relating To Truancy And Promising Practices, Clayton Nichols, Shenita Harper, Maria Thomas, Mikaela Louve, Christina Vela

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Truancy has been linked to serious delinquent activity in youth and to significant negative behavior and characteristics in adults. Truancy is one of the most common factors leading to dropout and students not meeting graduation standards. Nevada has arguably the highest high school dropout rate in the nation. This evaluation was prepared for Ready for Life: A movement created by Nevada Public Education Foundation (NPEF), to connect youth to school and work by age 25, but can be of use to several audiences. Practitioners who work with struggling students, court representatives and parents, teachers and administrators, and anyone who has …

Volume 18, Number 1 (Spring 2011), Peace And Conflict Studies

Peace and Conflict Studies

No abstract provided.

Measuring Intervention Success In Countering Terrorism, Summer Marie Jackson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the shift of Attorney General Guidelines in the wake of September 11th, 2001, and the consequences for both federal law enforcement and federal prosecutors. Previous research has found that prosecutors are more apt to use an exceptional vagueness approach and try terrorists like traditional offenders. Likewise, terrorist are more likely to act like traditional offenders and plead guilty in the post-9/11 era. This study further supports the existing knowledge by providing evidence of increased plea bargain rates post-9/11 of terrorists. In addition, this study is important because it examines the consequences of the early intervention approach and …

Emotion Work On The Home-Front: The Special Case Of Military Wives, Kimberly Michelle Murray

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research includes interviews with twelve military wives to examine emotion-work techniques used to negotiate the everyday life of wives during their husbands' deployment. In this study, I seek to better understand the ways in which military wives negotiate their feelings within a context of military masculinity and how they manage role strain, feelings of loneliness, isolation, and marginalization. In addition, I examine the cultural constructs available to wives, such as traditional gender roles and subordination. Interviews confirm the complexity of the life of the military wife, revealing challenges of contradictory emotions in relationship to the military, her husband, her …

The Nebraska Minority And Justice Task Force Final Report

University of Nebraska Public Policy Center: Publications

In the report that follows, the Nebraska Minority and Justice Task Force finds that minorities are overrepresented as defendants in the criminal and juvenile justice system; minorities are underrepresented in Nebraska’s legal profession and as court employees and jurors; and a substantial portion of the responding public, Nebraska lawyers, and court personnel perceive that bias exists in the Nebraska justice system.

The Task Force concludes that the data available prevent a complete analysis of the under and overrepresentation of minorities and that the findings do not prove or disprove systemic discrimination in the Nebraska justice system based on race and …

Driving Forces: Police Fatalities, Carol Servino

Graduate Research Symposium (2010 - 2017)

Law enforcement is an inherently risky occupation. The number of traffic-related fatalities for law enforcement officers in the U.S. during the past 13 years has been increasing; however, the number of fatalities for the general population in motor vehicle traffic incidents declined during the same time period.

The federal government reports that federal motor vehicle safety standards aswell as behavioral and vehicle safety programs implemented by state and local law-enforcement agencies contributed to the downward trend for the general public.

What accounts for the pattern and problem with police driving-related deaths?

Clark County Mental Health Court: An Outcomes-Based Evaluation Model Of Residential And Treatment Programs Beyond Recidivism, Mark J. Nichols

Graduate Research Symposium (2010 - 2017)

The number of America’s mental health courts has grown significantly over the course of the past 15 years. Mental health courts can be seen as a form of therapeutic jurisprudence where the court implements therapeutic interventions, case management and treatment (Palermo, 2010). A mental health court was established in Clark County during 2003. Its mission is to promote engagement in treatment, improve quality of life, decrease recidivism, and increase community safety and awareness (Glass, 2008).

The focus of the evaluation of the Clark County Mental Health Court, limited to performance measures related to the decreased recidivism by its clients and …

Improving The Delivery Of Mental Health Services In Multnomah County, City Club Of Portland (Portland, Or.)

City Club of Portland

No abstract provided.

Process Evaluation Of The Chicago Juvenile Intervention And Support Center, Jeffrey A. Butts

Publications and Research

Researchers investigated the operations of a pre-court diversion program that provides services and supports to station adjusted youth offenders after contacting the Chicago Police Department but before they have been formally arrested and referred to the Cook County Juvenile Probation Department. The purpose of the study was to determine the suitability of the program for evaluation and to work with staff to enact any procedural modifications that may be needed to facilitate future evaluation activities.

Assessing The Need For A Community Court In Milwaukee’S 5th Police District, Andrea K. Gouin

Professional Projects

The criminal justice system has become the default mechanism for addressing problems deriving from communities that are impoverished and lacking strong informal social controls. The legitimacy of the system has been called into question by its failure to resolve many issues that are more social in nature than criminal. Community courts are a promising approach for restoring lost legitimacy to the criminal justice system. This project assesses the need for a community court in Milwaukee’s 5th Police District to address quality-of-life concerns that may not be adequately addressed in the traditional criminal justice system. Archival data about District 5 community …

Oregonians Report Broad Support For Policies That Could Reduce Prison Population, Jody Sundt

Criminal Justice Policy Research Institute Research Briefs

Correctional spending is one of the largest and fastest growing parts of the Oregon budget, making it a target for increased scrutiny. According to a 2011 Legislative Fiscal Office report, the Department of Correction’s (DOC) budget represented close to 9% of the combined General and Lottery Funds in the 2009- 2011 biennium. Since 1993-1995, correctional spending increased almost threefold from close to $400 million to $1.4 billion. Moreover, the DOC’s share of the state budget almost doubled since the mid-1980s. In the context of declining revenue forecasts and increased demand for public services, state agencies are under pressure to reduce …