Digital Commons Network^™

The Cycle Of Failing Reform: How Mentally Ill Detainees Continue To Suffer Unconstitutional Wait Times In Colorado, Grace Gonzalez, Michael Campbell

DU Undergraduate Research Journal Archive

This research examines the state of Colorado’s failing criminal justice system, particularly as it pertains to mentally ill detainees. For several years, mentally ill detainees in Colorado have been forced to wait for extensive amounts of time to receive court-ordered evaluations to determine mental competency before trial. The state’s continued failure to administer these evaluations in a timely manner has led to a series of complaints and lawsuits against the state. Unfortunately, these lawsuits have ultimately done little to create lasting reform. The state has managed to temporarily mitigate the problem as complaints of unconstitutional wait times arise, but it …

Public-School Systems Are Criminalizing Our Young People: Giving Voice To The Marganilized, Carrie Stoltzfus

Graduate Theses & Dissertations

A phenomenological qualitative study using Critical Race Theory and counter-storytelling was completed to investigate what K-12 public schools should be doing to keep young people out of the school-to-prison pipeline (STPP). This study took place in a large city in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Interviews were completed with former students of the researcher who were previously incarcerated, educational professionals, and justice system professionals. Additionally, observations of the court systems and document reviews were completed in order to triangulate findings. Themes emerged around factors that lead to incarceration and the preferred practices to support young people to avoid …

“A Victim Is A Victim:” Lgbt Blindness Among Victim Assistance Workers, Michael C. Lasala, James P. Fedor

Qualitative Criminology (QC)

"LGBT crime victims underutilize victim assistance services because they fear secondary victimization by homophobic and insensitive workers and organizations. However, assessment of the perceptions and competence of those working with these populations is largely absent from the literature. To address this gap, we qualitatively investigated 83 victim assistance workers and administrators regarding their practices with LGBT victims. Overall, respondents believed that a victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity was irrelevant, which was well-meaning but potentially perpetuated a type of LGBT cultural blindness to the needs of these populations, not dissimilar to color blindness among some white service providers toward African …

Putting A Red Light On Human Trafficking, Viktoria Andonova

All Publications

No abstract provided.

New York State’S Population Is Aging: Will Communities Be Ready?, Claire Pendergrast

Population Health Research Brief Series

The population is aging nation-wide, and New York State is no exception. 3.2 million New Yorkers (nearly one in six), are aged 65 and older, and the older adult population is growing faster than any other group in the state. This issue brief explains what it means to “age in place” and how New York State is responding to the large increase in older adults state wide.

The Role Of Female Headed Households Caring For Children And No Spouse In Gentrification In Los Angeles, Jovita Murillo

CGU Theses & Dissertations

Gentrification is the “in-migration of a relatively well-off, middle- and upper-middle-class population” into historically marginalized communities (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); Matsuoka et al. 2017). Literature has repeatedly shown that gentrification is placing cost and rent-burdened residents at risk of displacement due to the hike in housing prices and rents. Most cost and rent burdened households are female-headed households caring for children without a spouse (FHHCCNS) (Colburn and Allen, 2018). Given there is a lack of literature describing the role of gender in gentrification, this descriptive study aims to describe the gentrification profile in Los Angeles using multiple …

Special Education By Zip Code: Creating Equitable Child Find Policies, Crystal Grant

Faculty Scholarship

It is estimated that more than 1.3 million youth in the United States have a disability. One in four American adults have a disability that impacts major life activities. With disability rates this high, our nation must prioritize efforts to ensure that all children with disabilities and in need of special education are identified and receive the support they need in school. Congress, through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), mandated that all public schools locate, identify and evaluate all students suspected of having a disability. The special education community refers to this affirmative duty as “child find.” Unfortunately, …

Covid-19'S Impact On Students With Disabilities In Under-Resourced School Districts, Crystal Grant

Faculty Scholarship

This Essay explores the plight of students with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly those enrolled in under-resourced school districts. To address these ongoing disparities, remediate student regression, and prevent further educational loss, we must act quickly to get resources to the students who need it most and to guide districts towards using these resources effectively. This Essay questions whether federal and state governments are truly committed to creatively examining the current special education framework and adopting solutions that will prioritize expanding access to resources for students with disabilities. These solutions include an immediate advancement of funds to aid states …

Gender Bias As The Norm In The Legal Profession: It's Still A [White] Man's Game, Kimberly Jade Norwood

Scholarship@WashULaw

Women consistently represent over fifty percent of entering law school classes, and one-third of all lawyers in the United States. As more women go to law school and practice as attorneys, two major impediments prevent women from climbing hierarchical ladders in the legal profession. This article examines gender and racially gendered bias in the legal profession, including law schools. It argues that until the existing structure is dismantled, women will continue to face gender and racially gendered bias in the legal profession.

Help Seeking After Campus Sexual Assault: From Policy To Victims, Kathleen Ratajczak

Theses and Dissertations--Sociology

Help seeking after an experience of campus sexual assault is an important link for many survivors towards processing and healing. College campuses have a plethora of resources available, from free counseling, health clinics, advocates, and reporting options all right on their doorstep. Yet many students do not seek help from these offices. This study sought to find out why by looking beyond the victim, and examining the relationship between Title IX policy, professionals who provide resources, and victims. Through both policy analysis and in-depth interviews with both professionals and victims, this study found that Title IX policy codify the social …

Therapists Who Specialize In Addiction: A Grounded Situational Analysis Of A Stigmatized Profession, Heather J. Humphrey-Leclaire

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This study used the methodology of a grounded situational analysis to explore the lives of therapists who specialize in addiction. Historians have researched the history of addiction treatment itself and some have identified parallel processes of discrimination, stigma, and stigma by association for therapist and client, but the complex intersectionality between social processes and organizational issues have been largely invisible. In this study, therapists who specialize in addiction (including social workers, clinical mental health counselors, and alcohol and drug counselors) were asked about their sense of how others see them in their role. These conversations made visible the many, enmeshed …

Barriers And Access To Services For Female Victims Of Violence In The Dominican Republic, Catalina Hooper Armenteros

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Violence against women has presented a challenge for those tasked with addressing crime and victimization. It is a complex phenomenon that exists between the private and public spheres of society affecting nearly all aspects of a victim’s life, as well as those close to them. The Dominican Republic began to address domestic and gender violence in the past few decades, and victim services have emerged in efforts to assist Dominican women and girls escaping abuse. This study reviews the existing literature regarding violence against women and girls, and service provision in global, regional, and national contexts, and analyzes qualitative data …

State-Level Determinants Of Hate Crime Reporting: Examining The Impact Of Structural And Social Movement Influences, Heather L. Scheuerman, Christie L. Parris, Alison H. Faupel, Regina E. Werum

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

In this article, we investigate factors affecting hate crime policies by examining anti-LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) hate crime reports as a type of policy implementation. Analyzing state-level data drawn primarily from the US Census between 1995 and 2008, we examine how structural and social movement mobilization factors explain hate crime reporting. We find that anti-LGBT hate crimes are more likely to be reported in more urbanized states and in states with both split political elites and a greater number of LGBT social movement organizations. We discuss the implications of our findings for separating the drivers of policy passage from …

Improving Law Enforcement’S Victim-Centric Responses To Sexual Assault: Global Best Practice Catalog, Ayesha Ashraf, Sebastián Galleguillos Agurto, Frederick Geyer, Kamela Gjoka, Jasmine Hwang, Stanley Montinat, Jessica Moor, Pierre Reyes, Tara Ventimiglia, Hongda Xu

Publications and Research

This catalog was compiled as part of a U.S. State Department Diplomacy Lab Project entitled “Improving Law Enforcement’s Victim-Centric Responses to Sexual Assault,” in fall semester of 2019, for American Citizens Services, US Embassy Bangkok. It is intended to cover best practices in law enforcement response to sexual assault across the globe, including laws, policies and programs.Ten multilingual graduate students in the capstone seminar of the Master of Arts Degree Program in International Crime and Justice at John Jay College of Criminal Justice (CUNY) established criteria for inclusion and standardized elements for each entry in this catalog. The ultimate aim …

Service Learning Plan: Safe Nest, Luisa Pacheco

Second-Year Seminar Posters (COE 202)

No abstract provided.

Worker Centers: Labor Policy As A Carrot, Not A Stick, Kati L. Griffith, Leslie Gates

Sociology Faculty Scholarship

Worker centers empower communities of workers that are challenging for labor unions to organize. This includes immigrant workers and other vulnerable workers in high turnover jobs. These centers often organize workers that fall within the definition of “employee” under the Depression-era laws designed to protect some forms of collective worker activity from employer retaliation. Although employees associated with these centers can benefit from labor law’s carrot, worker centers are not “labor organizations” subject to labor law’s vast reporting requirements and restrictions on associational behavior (labor law’s stick). We use an original study of worker centers’ filings to the Internal Revenue …

Planning And Presenting A Yearly Informational Conference For Grandfamilies, Susan M. Collins 3512464

GrandFamilies: The Contemporary Journal of Research, Practice and Policy

Abstract

This practice brief describes the planning and implementation of a local yearly conference for grandparents raising grandchildren. The conference was first held in 2002, and today is offered by a task force consisting of Area Agency on Aging staff, grandparents, Human Service program staff, representatives of various provider agencies and organizations, and academics from a local university. This practice brief describes funding, venue, logistics of the conference day, topics of most interest over the years, and the challenge of reaching grandfamilies. Also described is how evaluation by grandparents has helped the conference evolve to remain relevant and meaningful for …

Broadly Speaking - November, 2019, Nova Southeastern University

Broadly Speaking

No abstract provided.

The Female Worker: An Analysis Of Women Residing Along The Moroccan-European And U.S.- American Borderlands, Marlen G. Renderos

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

My independent research project is a comparative study focusing on women experiences among the Mexican-U.S. borderlands and Moroccan-European borderlines. For the Mexican-U.S.American context, I will focus on females maquiladora workers and stay-at-home wives. For the Moroccan-European context, I will focus on the mujeres mulas – women mules. My paper will discuss the ways in which society and governments run under a male-dominated lens contributing to the placement of women in vulnerable positions.

County Wicklow Social Enterprise Strategy, Gerard Doyle, Tanya Lalor

Reports

No abstract provided.

Uni S A C Updates: Sociology, Anthropology, Criminology Newsletter, Summer 2019, University Of Northern Iowa. Department Of Sociology, Anthropology, And Criminology.

Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminology Newsletter

Inside This Issue:
-- Fall 2018 Alumni in Residence - Katelyn M. Bries
-- 2019 UNI Outstanding Student Leader
-- UNI Purple and Gold Awards
-- UNI Honors Students
-- 2018-19 Student Admissions Ambassadors
-- 2018-19 Ethnic Student Promoters
-- Social and Behavioral Representatives (SABRs)
-- INSPIRE Student Research & Engagement Conference: Poster Presentations
-- Iowa Sociological Association Annual Meeting: Poster Presentation
-- Midwest Sociological Society Annual Meeting
-- CSBS Donald and Gudrun Fruehling Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship
-- SAC Internships
-- Sociology
-- Criminology
-- Anthropology
-- Faculty Retirements
-- Sociology Endowed Scholarship Fundraising Progress

Factors Affecting Marital Disruption Amongst Nigerian Immigrants In North America (Nina): A Pilot Study, Jochebed B. Ade-Oshifogun, Augusta Y. Olaore, Joan O. Aina

Faculty Publications

Background: It has been observed that some Nigerian Families that immigrated to North America (NINA) seem to have very stressful marital relationships that lead to separation or divorce. The goal of this study was to determine the level of marital satisfaction among NINA

Method: A simple, standardized survey tool was utilized to measure the index of marital satisfaction (IMS). The score varied from 0-100 with a lower score (<30 >points) indicating marital satisfaction. A demographic questionnaire was also administered to the subjects. Descriptive data analysis and level of marital satisfaction were computed in SPSS (version 25).

Results: Forty-five of the …

The Death Penalty: The Law Lords Alter Course In The Commonwealth Caribbean, Harold A. Young J.D./Llb, Phd

Journal of International and Global Studies

This article is a critical examination of the decisions of the Judicial Council of the Privy Council (JCPC) in death penalty appeals from the Commonwealth Caribbean from 1966 to 2008. It contributes to our understanding of how court rulings may be influenced by specific aspects of the judicial environment, which is shaped by the majority party in parliament, whose prime minister selects judges and which may make substantive changes in the law. In a quantitative examination of death penalty appeals, I find an increased likelihood that the court will set aside the death penalty when the judicial environment changes.

Reforming Recidivism: Making Prison Practical Through Help, Katelyn Copperud

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

While Texas has long been recognized as “Tough Texas” when it comes to crime, recent efforts have been made to combat that reputation. Efforts such as offering “good time” credit and more liberal parole standards are used to reduce the Texas prison populations. Although effective in reducing prison populations, do these incentives truly reduce a larger issue of prison overpopulation: recidivism?

In both state and federal prison systems, inmate education is proven to reduce recidivism. Texas’s own, Windham School District, provides a broad spectrum of education to Texas Department of Criminal Justice inmates; from General Education Development (GED) classes to …

Illness And The American Workplace: Issues And Implications For Employers And Employees, Victoria R. Dolan

Student Theses and Dissertations

This project aims to identify American employee experiences and existing workplace policies and cultures surrounding illness, disability, and sick leave. This approach was taken in order to closely examine what looks to be working well for companies and workers, and what could benefit from a more human centric approach in regards to workplace policy and employee support programs. The study of employee experiences in particular represents a gap in the current scholarly literature regarding illness and illness policy in the American workplace, and more accurately represents the experiences for both employees and employers. Furthermore, it assists with distinguishing the types …

Broadly Speaking - May, 2019, Nova Southeastern University

Broadly Speaking

No abstract provided.

Analysis Of Social Services Available To Seniors In Monterey County, Marijeanne Santina

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

As America’s geriatric population increases due to the Baby Boomer generation getting older, it is crucial for sociologists to investigate the current social services available to the aging population. Increasing longevity of older adults means focusing promoting health, wellbeing and independence through different services and promoting a positive perspective of seniors by general society. The focus of this research is to examine the current geriatric resources available to seniors in Monterey County. My research question is: “To what extent are the current social services available to seniors fulfilling the needs of the community?” I would like to assess the current …

Empowerment Workshop: Helping End The Cycle Of Domestic Violence, Brianna Caitlin Anderson

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The YWCA of Monterey County services victims of domestic violence and human trafficking. Currently too many victims of Domestic Violence cannot leave the cycle of abuse. While there are many reasons for this problem, this project focused on the fact that domestic violence victims cannot escape being controlled because they lack the power to become independent. The capstone project consisted of the development and implementation of a series of empowerment workshops to help clients break the cycle of domestic violence. Surveys collected at the end of each workshop were used to asses if participants had a change in self-esteem. The …

From Victim To Volunteer: A Life Course Perspective And The Transition To Adulthood For Individuals Who Have Sold Sex, Julianne M. Siegfriedt

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Under the United States definition of sex trafficking, one is considered a sex trafficking victim if she or he sells sex under 18 years old. Once someone turns 18, in order to claim trafficking status force, fraud, or coercion must be proven or that person falls under the illegal status of sex worker (VTVPA 2000). If one can go from being a victim of a crime to a perpetrator of a crime by having a birthday, what does the transition to adulthood and turning 18 look like for those who sell or exchange sex or are at risk of selling …

Empowering Women Through Land: An Analysis Of The Barriers In Accessing Land Rights Within Kisumu County, Kenya, Madison Shaffer

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This project aims to gain a greater understanding of the current state of women’s land rights in Kisumu County, Kenya. It will discuss current barriers women face in accessing land and how land can impact a woman’s empowerment and in turn, her control over her health. Property rights can provide women with a secure place to live, a place of economic activity and reduce dependence on men. Property ownership can also serve to empower women and “give them greater bargaining power at the household, individual, and community level...increasing agency” (Dworkin,2009). Unfortunately, men have almost always been favored in land rights …