Digital Commons Network^™

Sign Language Interpreting In Legal Settings: A Survey Of The Field, Lynsey H. Lawrence, Lori Whynot

Journal of Interpretation

This study is the first to investigate the prevalence and variety of legal contexts where ASL-English interpreters work in the United States. Effective interpreting service ensures that deaf individuals’ civic and constitutional rights are protected when they engage in the U.S. legal system. It sought to understand the current landscape of legal interpreting practice by ASL-English interpreters to better inform professional training and allocation of resources. There is a severe, national shortage of legally qualified sign language interpreters and a need for regular educational pathways and professional development to train generalist interpreters in specialized legal settings. An online survey was …

Degrees And Certificates Awarded To Native American Students In Nevada, 2010-2022, Devin Streuter, Kevin Yang, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Higher Education

This fact sheet presents data on certificates and degrees awarded to Native Americans from the Nevada System of Higher Education’s (NSHE) teaching institutions —College of Southern Nevada (CSN), Great Basin College (GBC), Nevada State University (NSU), Truckee Meadows Community College (TMCC), University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), University of Nevada, Reno (UNR), and Western Nevada College (WNC)— from 2010 to 2022. Additionally, the fact sheet reports data on degree type, gender, and the most common majors pursued by Native American certificate and degree earners in Nevada. The data are derived from the Nevada P-20 Workforce Research (NPWR) Data System.

"That Has Been My Entire Life Of Being Invalidated," Lgbtq+ And Poor: Experiences Of Cis-Heteronormativity And Neoliberal Poverty Governance In Cities In Upstate New York, Dustin J. Satterfield

Dissertations - ALL

Social welfare provision in the United States is neoliberal, punitive, and more about controlling people than alleviating poverty. Poor people are highly regulated by the state through welfare provision, with social welfare supports reserved for “the deserving poor” (Soss et al. 2011; Katz 2013; Hughes 2019; Purser and Hennigan 2019). Poverty is viewed as a personal moral failing and those seeking benefits must demonstrate their deservedness to be approved. Simultaneously, LGBTQ+ individuals in the US are at higher risk of experiencing poverty than the general US population (DeFilippis 2016; Badgett 2018; James 2016). Queer and trans people are more likely …

Feed-Ing Identity Item Development, Observational, And Experimental Analysis To Study The Relationship Between Algorithm-Based Short Video Platforms And Identity, Sarah Elizabeth Hogenboom-Jones

Dissertations - ALL

Short video social media platforms (SVPs) such as TikTok and YouTube Shorts are distinguished from other forms of social media by two key features: video delivery and explicit algorithm-driven selection. In this project, I argue that these platform features make SVPs particularly potent at reinforcing individuals’ identities and enable more effective persuasion relative to other media. These media are sufficiently unique that to study their effects I develop novel survey items designed specifically around the key features of SVPs. These items assess both usage of SVPs and their impact on identity. I find that users of SVPs are particularly likely …

Intersectional Pathways To Prison And Sentence Disparities: Exploring The Role Of Race, Gender Identity, And Sexuality In Women’S Sentencing Outcomes, Jae Collett

Dissertations and Theses

This study explores the relationship between race, gender identity, sexuality, and prison sentence length using data from the Survey of Prison Inmates, 2016. While state and federal guidelines are ostensibly in place to prevent disparate sentencing outcomes, research still finds disparities in prison sentence lengths across identities of defendants. Women generally receive more lenient sentences than men, and may be shown chivalry when processed through the criminal legal system. However, qualifications for chivalrous treatment have historically only been accessible to certain women (i.e. cisgender, heterosexual, white women). The social and institutional exclusion queer women and/or women of color experience may …

Race, Ethnic, And Gender Disparities In Human Trafficking Risk, Identification, And Investigation, Emily D. Walker

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Youth and human trafficking remain significant and complex issues. Existing literature suggests that trafficking risk, victimization, and identification are shaped by structural and social context, creating differential impacts across demographic groups, such as racial, ethnic, and gendered groups. Yet, current research has yet to fully capture the complexity of victimization across groups. This dissertation consists of three interconnected studies examining youth trafficking investigations. Using a mixed-methods approach and administrative data from Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF), this dissertation address three objectives (1) examining potential variation in documentation of trafficking risk, victimization, and narrative framing of youth trafficking investigations …

Law Or Flaw: A Double – Blind Study Comparing Student Comprehension Of Real And Ai Generated Legal Case Briefs, Grant Shostak, Nick Wintz, Melissa A. Petkovsek

International Journal of Emerging and Disruptive Innovation in Education : VISIONARIUM

In recent years, the U.S. legal system has seen an increase of legal filings using fictitious court cases or legal propositions generated by artificial intelligence (AI) (Stokel-Walker, 2026). Rules of professional responsibility require that lawyers review filings in which AI was used to ensure their accuracy (Missouri Bar, Office of Legal Ethics Counsel, 2024, Opinion No. 2024‑11) Despite this mandate, filings with fictitious cases and incorrect statements of law are being filed. Besides posing a threat to the parties to an action, such filings may set an unwarranted precedent for future cases. They also tie up court resources searching for …

Ucedd Innovations Lead To Idd Networks’ Driving Change: Envision, Empower, Employ, Suzzanne Freeze, Jean Winsor, Brittany M. Powers, Amy Huppi

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

State systems responsible for administering employment services and supports to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) must acclimate to changing demands, address new regulations, and continue to meet needs in an era of high workforce turnover and uncertain funding. While improvements have been made across the U.S., there are still far too many individuals seeking meaningful employment and contributory roles in the community who are not supported to achieve those goals. A key success factor is providing publicly funded state systems with the information needed to strategically pivot toward priorities and ensure smooth transitions of organizational change. Our country’s …

In Search Of Protective Factors Against Gun-Carrying For Black Male Youth: A Dissertation- Sectional And Longitudinal Analysis Of Secondary Data, Kevin Edward Antwi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the relationship between risk and protective factors and gun carrying among Black male youth using both individual-level and population-averaged effects. Grounded in the risk and protective factors framework and the ecological systems model, the study explores how protective factors at the individual, peer, school, and community levels influence gun carrying at a single point in time and over time. This research aligns with the Grand Challenges of Social Work by preventing gun violence and informing prevention efforts. Using the baseline and 11 waves of data from the Pathways to Desistance Study, the analysis identifies factors that reduce …

Intersectionality In Juvenile Diversion Post-2018 Juvenile Justice And Delinquency Prevention Act Reauthorization, Bobby Powell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

The Medicalization Of Rapists In Psychiatry From 2000-2024, Lily Plowden

ETDs from 2020-2029

The process of human problems coming to be defined as medical conditions and thus under the purview of medical professionals is called medicalization. This study examines how psychiatrists medicalize perpetrators of sexual violence, looking particularly at debates around whether to include a new disorder, Paraphilic Coercive Disorder, in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition. Using a content analysis of n=102 articles, it finds that discussions of the pathology of sexual violence perpetration were prevalent among psychiatric journals from 2000-2024. Psychiatrists medicalize rapists through three pathways: advocating for a new medical disorder; attributing the cause of sexual …

Justice-Involved Individual Experiences Accessing Community Reentry Services Postincarceration In Northern California, Pamela Michelle Kesee-Wyre

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Interviewing Civilians For A Local Perspective Of Violent Extremism In West Africa, Benjamin Ellis

Masters Theses

This study examines how civilians in West Africa experience violent extremism, with the goal of informing more effective policy solutions. Using a qualitative research design, the study draws on a focus group conducted with ten participants from various countries in West Africa. Data was transcribed and analyzed using thematic analysis to identify recurring patterns in participants’ responses. Six major themes emerged: prolonged fear and restricted daily movement; economic and infrastructural disruption; psychological distress and uncertainty about the future; recruitment into extremist groups driven by complex factors; limited outsider understanding of local realities; and support for multidimensional responses rather than purely …

Young Adults Describe Their Lived Experiences Of Adverse Childhood Experiences Through The Lens Of A Secure Attachment, Martin Weinberger

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Law Enforcement Training Academies' Effect On Agency Community Policing, Christopher Rhoades

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to determine if a relationship exists between Community Policing (CP) training in Law Enforcement Training Academies (LETAs) and CP implementation in Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) in the United States. This exploratory quantitative study used a correlation design to analyze secondary data from 2018 Census of Law Enforcement Training Academies and the 2020 Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics survey obtained through the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research. The analysis included data from 615 LETAs and 2,704 LEAs. CP training was operationalized using total required hours of community partnership building and problem‑solving approaches. …

The Lived Experience Of Inconsistent Legal Recognition: A Phenomenological Study Of Job Burnout And Moral Injury In Florida Correctional Officers, Jeffrey A. Snipes

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative transcendental phenomenological study investigates the lived experiences of Florida correctional officers (FCOs) regarding inconsistent legal recognition and the divergence between functional mandates and legislative definitions. Utilizing Dr. Jonathan Shay’s moral injury framework, this research explores how statutory marginalization functions as a precursor to burnout. A transcendental phenomenological research design was employed; 21 officers were screened using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI-HSS) followed by semi-structured interviews with a nine-participant subsample.

Data analysis followed Creswell’s spiral procedures to identify themes describing the essence of these experiences. Findings suggest that inconsistent recognition as first responders catalyzes moral injury, exacerbating burnout and …

State Government, The Forgotten Cyber Actor, Joshua D. Strubel

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Cyber incidents are among the most pervasive threats facing the United States, with the FBI recording over 859,000 reported attacks and an estimated $16.6 billion in losses in 2024 alone. Despite widespread recognition that effective cyber defense requires a whole-nation approach, the existing research literature overwhelmingly focuses on federal policy, leaving state governments as largely overlooked actors. This study addresses that gap by examining the research question: How does state cybersecurity policy affect malicious cyber actors' frequency of operations? Drawing on multilinear regression analysis augmented by Random Forest machine learning models, this study evaluates the relationship between state-level cyber deterrence …

Exploring The Effectiveness Of Juvenile Justice Rehabilitation Programs In The State Of Virginia, Edishae L. Harris-Tyler

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Juvenile delinquency and criminal offending have become significant problems in society today. Many offenders in the criminal justice system were exposed to violence and criminal activity at a young age. Early harmful exposure has influenced many at-risk youths in the community to commit crimes at a young age and develop into adult offenders. Juveniles in the community considered at-risk may be disadvantaged due to negative peer pressure, poverty, lack of parental involvement, illiteracy, and lack of opportunities for positive change and development. At-risk youth severely need structure, prosocial support, positive mentorship, and direction to prevent criminal activity and reduce recidivism. …

Fentanyl At The Border: A Critical Analysis Of U.S. Customs And Border Protection Strategies Against Synthetic Opioid Smuggling, Patricia Salinas

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation will investigate the efficacy of tactics employed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in detecting and intercepting fentanyl at legal ports of entry along the U.S border during the fiscal years 2022 to 2025. Given that fentanyl continues to be a pivotal element in the ongoing opioid crisis within the United States, it is imperative to understand the mechanisms by which this synthetic opioid is smuggled into the country and to evaluate the efficacy of federal initiatives. These efforts are crucial for protecting public health and enhancing national security. This quantitative study examines fentanyl seizure data from …

Link, Retain, Suppress: A Grounded Theory Study Of Medical Case Management In The Philadelphia Hiv Service Agencies, Shakeera Wynne

Social Work Doctoral Dissertations

Medical case management (MCM) plays a critical role in supporting engagement in HIV care; however, differences in implementation across agencies may influence service delivery and outcomes. Existing research has focused primarily on outcomes such as retention in care and viral suppression, while less is known about how the MCM intervention is implemented in practice. The purpose of this grounded theory study was to explore how medical case management is implemented within HIV care settings and to examine the structural, organizational, and relational factors that shape service delivery. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with medical case managers working within Ryan White-funded agencies …

“Cool People Doing Good Work”: A Rights-Based, Relational Model For Research, Teaching, And Outreach Rooted In Urban Settings, Saúl López, Gabriel Velez, Melissa Gibson, Robert Smith

Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal

Urban Catholic institutions of higher education are being challenged to do more when it comes to working with communities that surround them at the same time as they face multiple external pressure and must clearly define the value of their mission. In this article, we present a model for community-engaged practices that emerge from the ground up to move these institutions more in line with Catholic Social Teaching. “Cool People Doing Good Work” is an adaptable model centered around relationship building and authentic engagement with local experts, stakeholders, and community members that then builds to institutional change. This model places …

Perceptions Of Legitimacy In Three Forms Of Probation Supervision For People With Serious Mental Illness, Sophia Sarantakos, Emily Claypool

Qualitative Criminology (QC)

"In the context of criminal-legal community supervision, standard and specialized probation officers are often tasked with coordinating services for adults diagnosed with serious mental illness (SMI) on their caseloads. The coordination of services varies across different programs including traditional probation, specialty probation, and mental health court. Given the proliferation of programs focused on mental health in the criminal-legal system, the perspectives of front-line workers or street-level bureaucrats in criminal-legal agencies are a rich source of information about what is happening on the ground and could provide insights into the potential translational barriers of policy to practice. A deeper examination of …

From Acrimony To Forgiveness: How Adolescents Make Sense Of Childhood Maltreatment, Katherine Irwin

Qualitative Criminology (QC)

"This paper examines 16 adolescents’ narratives about the abuse they experienced during childhood. To date, most research examining child abuse (CA) survivorship and recovery has been conducted with adults who look back on their early experiences. Consequently, this study fills gaps in our knowledge by offering a youth-centered view of survivors’ efforts to cope with CA. The data come from a 12-year qualitative study of a group counseling program for high school students in Hawaiʻi. The findings revealed that a minority (n = 2) of the teens had negative views of their lives and futures, while the majority (n = …

A Content Analysis Of The Sutherland Address, 2001-22: A Qualitative Exploration, Phillip Shon

Qualitative Criminology (QC)

"Previous indicators of scholarly influence have been primarily quantitative, measuring a scholar’s influence through citation counts. This body of literature has overlooked the reflections of distinguished scholars, such as the recipients of the Sutherland Award, in the discipline as a form of scholarly influence. The current paper examines the Sutherland Address from 2001 to 2022. The key findings indicate that the majority of Sutherland Addresses reproduced existing sociological canons, while a minority of Sutherland Award winners explicitly rejected Sutherland’s sociological assumptions and their influence on criminology. Such findings suggest that Sutherland exerts a hidden influence on the recipients of the …

A Qualitative Analysis Of Gender Inequality In Southeast Missouri Law Enforcement Agencies, Madeline Marie Whistler, Christopher Bradley, H. Hamner Hill

Qualitative Criminology (QC)

"Does gender inequality impact the careers of female law enforcement officers in the Southeast Missouri region? Using a qualitative single instrumental case study, seven cis-gendered female law enforcement officers who were employed at local law enforcement agencies within the Southeast Missouri region were interviewed to investigate the central research question. Four themes emerged from the data that illustrated their experiences: sexual exploitation and harassment, a lack of work-life balance, the presence of gender stereotypes, and patriarchal hierarchy and male dominance in the workplace. The findings suggest that the experiences of female law enforcement officers are heavily impacted by the behavior …

A Plea For Open Access To Qualitative Criminology: With A Python Script For Anonymizing Data And Illustrative Analysis Of Error Rates, Scott Jaques, Andrew Wheeler

Qualitative Criminology (QC)

"Qualitative researchers are expected, sometimes required, to publish their data open access (OA). This is for the sake of science, impact, and social justice. Yet, understandably, qualitative criminologists are worried about what this means for their workload and their ability to protect subjects’ confidentiality. To be solutions-oriented, we developed an open-source Python script for anonymizing qualitative data. It uses named-entity recognition and fuzzy-rule based merging to identify and replace personally identifiable information (PII) with unique pseudonyms. This tool doesn’t eliminate the need for manual work, but it reduces the cost and associated risk. In this article, we describe and explain …

Exploring Workplace Wellness Programs From A Correctional Officer’S Perspective, Lolita Jeaneen Johnson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

The Experiences Of College Students Facing Housing And Financial Insecurity, Nora Shaheen

University Honors Theses

Housing and financial insecurity among college students continues to be a growing crisis, yet their lived experiences are often overlooked. This thesis utilizes qualitative research to investigate the emotional, social, and academic experiences of students navigating housing and financial instability. The data was collected through semi-structured interviews with six current/former college students who have experience with housing and financial insecurities. During the analysis, recurring patterns were grouped into themes, including the triggers of instability (familial abandonment, rent increases, relationship dissolution, etc), social stigma and internalized shame, emotional and mental health costs, social isolation, survival strategies, food insecurity, work-school balance, disrupted …

Understanding The Impact Of Minority Stress On Mental Health Among Racially And Ethnically Diverse Adults: Insights From A Daily Diary Study, Ruba S. Rum

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Minority stressors are theorized to contribute to mental health disparities for racial and ethnic minority individuals. While prior research links distal (i.e., external) and proximal (i.e., internal) minority stressors to adverse psychological outcomes for racial and ethnic minority groups, most studies have relied on cross-sectional designs that limit understanding of the immediate and short-term effects of minority stressors and potential protective factors in daily life. To address this gap, the present study examined the within-person daily associations between distal (interpersonal and vicarious discrimination, microaggressions) and proximal (internalized stigma, anticipation of rejection, identity management) minority stressors and psychological outcomes. Racial and …

The Unspoken And The Unseen: An Analysis Of Victim Gender And Linguistic Framing Of Sexual Assault In Judicial Discourse, Sarnika Ali

Quantitative Social Science Undergraduate Senior Theses

Sexual assault is a profound legal and social crisis. However, it is also fundamentally a linguistic one. The words used, or conspicuously not used, to describe victims, perpetrators, and their actions are not neutral arbiters of fact. They are powerful mechanisms that shape perceptions of harm, attributions of blame, and assignments of credibility. The central battleground for survivors is credibility, and while a “credibility discount” is often applied to female victims, the male victim is rendered nearly invisible. This research is therefore guided by one central, overarching question: how does a sexual assault victim’s gender influence the judicial language used, …