Digital Commons Network^™

Forensic Evidence And Its Effect On The Criminal Legal System, Kelsie L. Winter, April Terry

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

The use of forensic evidence is a relatively new initiative, gaining momentum and popularity in the 1980s and 1990s, for its role in addressing wrongful convictions. Yet, with advancements still being achieved, mistakes have been uncovered. In the criminal legal system, inaccurate evidence and/or information can be a barrier for seeking justice. Collectively, estimates suggest forensic errors occur in anywhere between 46-100% of forensic cases, with varying errors occurring based on the type of evidence (e.g., forensic pathology vs. seized drug analysis). As such, this literature review outlines the unreliable aspects of forensic evidence, the misinterpretation of such findings, and …

The Reliability Of Replications: A Study In Computational Reproductions, Nate Breznau, Eike Mark Rinke, Alexander Wuttke, Muna Adem, Jule Adriaans, Esra Akdeniz, Amalia Alvarez-Benjumea, Henrik K. Andersen, Daniel Auer, Amie Bostic

Sociology Faculty Publications

This study investigates researcher variability in computational reproduction, an activity for which it is least expected. Eighty-five independent teams attempted numerical replication of results from an original study of policy preferences and immigration. Reproduction teams were randomly grouped into a ‘transparent group’ receiving original study and code or ‘opaque group’ receiving only a method and results description and no code. The transparent group mostly verified original results (95.7% same sign and p-value cutoff), while the opaque group had less success (89.3%). Second-decimal place exact numerical reproductions were less common (76.9 and 48.1%). Qualitative investigation of the workflows revealed many …

Introduction, Special Issue On Pandemic Secrecy: The Covid Origin Story And Pandemic Risk Society, Susan Maret

Secrecy and Society

No abstract provided.

Prison Foodways In “Orange Is The New Black”, A. E. Stearns, Morgan Wilson, Mckenzie Richard

Qualitative Criminology (QC)

"The current study adds to the literature on prison foodways and media studies by exploring the role of prison food on the show Orange is the New Black (OITNB). Specifically, this project aimed to better understand the nature of televised incarceration experiences through the way in which incarcerated characters interacted with food in the scenes. Through an analysis of 601 food-related scenes in OITNB, findings suggest: 1) food is a vehicle for additional layers of institutional control of captive bodies, 2) food plays myriad non-food roles such as medicine, a transactional medium, a vehicle for contraband, and even sexual pleasure, …

An Exploratory Study On The Practice Of Procedural Justice And Use Of Force In Police-Citizen Encounters, Charles Cunha

Qualitative Criminology (QC)

"Procedural justice is a philosophy and theory demonstrating that the practice of its four principles improves police-community relations. This means that citizens view law enforcement as a legitimate entity of government. Much controversy has stemmed from alleged unlawful killings of suspects in the past decade. These incidents question whether law enforcement acted legitimately. Since then, scholars have researched training in using the four principles of procedural justice. They have also researched the use of procedural justice in police-citizen encounters. The current research study addresses law enforcement officers’ perspectives on the use of force and the use of the four principles …

Perceptions Toward Wrongful Convictions And Needed Reforms In The Criminal Justice System: Does Working Experience In Law Enforcement Matter?, Natalia Ermasova, Aubrey Adams, Lisa Jackson

Qualitative Criminology (QC)

"This study proposes to investigate how public views on the wrongful conviction issue are connected with the perceived need for criminal justice reform and whether the professional experience in law enforcement influences these perceptions. This study employs a qualitative research design, deriving its conclusions from the comparative analysis of the survey responses concerning the issue of wrongful convictions and the criminal justice system collected from 45 law enforcement professionals and 35 individuals without such experience. The comparative results reveal that for the respondents without working experience in law enforcement, racial/ethnical bias was one of the most substantial issues of wrongful …

"Nobody Gives A Damn If You Don't Know The Rules": Poverty, Strain, And Crime, Chrystina Y. Hoffman, Dana R. Dillard, Erin King, Angela Blackburn

Qualitative Criminology (QC)

"General strain theory posits that individuals commit crimes when they experience negative emotions following various sources of strain. One such source of strain is poverty. In this study, researchers use focus group data and apply a general strain framework to analyze criminal offending during the Missouri Community Action Network's Poverty Simulation© (2022) at a regional comprehensive university in the Southeast region of the United States. A total of 99 undergraduate and graduate students participated in the focus groups at the end of the simulation. Findings support Agnew’s (1992) theory with examples of sources of strain stemming from poverty leading to …

Research Brief: Ghosting In The Realm Of Research: The Realities Of Conducting Social Science Research In The Digital Age, Lena M. Campagna, Angela S. Murolo

Qualitative Criminology (QC)

"Social science research does not occur in a vacuum. Competing for time and attention is the norm in a society that has become more isolated. Because of this, the effects of ghosting are prevalent everywhere. As social scientists, we are not immune to ghosting or its effects. In this research brief, two junior faculty members discuss their efforts to overcome ghosting at every level of the research process and its impact on hiring student workers, knowledge production, and meeting grant funding requirements. Lastly, the authors offer suggestions for overcoming the effects of ghosting and its effect on the challenges of …

Navigating Emotional Landscapes: A Black Woman's Perspectives, Nasya T. Jasper

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Black women exist in a unique positionality and their experiences with depression and anxiety are shaped by distinctive structural factors. However, their experiences are often overlooked in sociological research and more broadly in academic/medical research. This study investigates the ways Black women are framing their experiences with depression and anxiety on Tiktok and Instagram. I conduct a qualitative study through a social media content analysis grounded in Black feminist thought and narrative analysis. This research is not only academic for me, but deeply personal, as I seek to amplify the voices of women whose struggles often go unrecognized. The findings …

On The Frontline: How Public Library Workers Experience Florida’S Increasing Social Inequality, Jordan P. Rogers

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As public libraries tend to reflect the needs and interests of their communities, this qualitative study explores how growing local physical and sociodemographic changes affect public libraries in metropolitan areas and the experiences of staff. Interviews with nine library workers from four densely populated counties in the U.S. state of Florida gave insight into the hypervisibility of inequality within and between public libraries, as well as the effects of this inequality on the libraries and their staff. The local changes that participants reported included population growth, constant development, gentrification, rising rents, and increased homelessness and affluence. Staff had diverse experiences …

Risk Factors For Substance Use Among Serious And Violent Offenders Undergoing Reentry, Elizabeth Bozarth

University Honors Theses

Formerly incarcerated individuals often experience an intensely chaotic and stressful reentry environment, riddled with barriers and challenges that make them more susceptible to substance use and other risky behaviors. This literature review focuses on the most prevalent and pervasive risk factors for substance use among serious and violent offenders undergoing reentry. By examining research published within the last decade on serious and violent offenders in the United States, several major themes were identified: social bonds, housing and employment, mental health, and surveillance and addiction treatment. The results showed that risk factors for substance use are deeply embedded in ex-offenders' social …

Examining The Characteristics And Contexts Of Arrests For Animal Cruelty Among Police Officers, Molly A. Whetstone, Eric M. Cooke, Samantha Kopf Apple, Philip M. Stinson

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Presentation at the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences 2025 Annual Meeting in Denver, CO on March 13, 2025.

Classroom Teachers' Approaches To Values Education: Exploring Explicit And Implicit Strategies For Teaching And Modeling Values, Maria Ukamaka Clare Okeke

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

Abstract This study explores the approaches Nigerian secondary school teachers in Anambra State use to teach values through explicit and implicit methods. Recognizing the need to understand how values are effectively communicated in the classroom, this research delves into the dual strategies employed by educators and their impacts on student moral development. The research used a qualitative interview study approach, which included semi-structured interviews with ten experienced secondary school teachers and a document analysis of teaching resources. This method allows one to investigate the explicit instruction and implicit modeling strategies applied in values education in depth. Findings reveal that teachers …

Exploring Juvenile Probation Officers' Perception Of Strategies To Reduce Juvenile Recidivism In Southeastern Michigan, Nikaya Cecelia Robin Banks

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The high rate of juvenile recidivism in southeastern Michigan poses a threat to the safety of the community as well as a challenge to the juvenile probation officers (JPOs) who supervise them. The literature is abundant with data on juvenile recidivism; however, little is known about JPO’s perceptions on the efficacy of strategies and practices that aid in the rehabilitation of juvenile probationers. Grounded in both social learning and social bond theoretical frameworks, the purpose of this study was to explain how behavior is learned through processes of observation and the significance of positive bonds in minimizing delinquent behavior. The …

Evaluating The Meditation Practices And Barriers To Adopting Mindful Medicine Among Physicians, Tiffany Champagne-Langabeer, Chelsea G Ratcliff, Christine Bakos-Block, Francine Vega, Marylou Cardenas-Turanzas, Aila Malik, Radha Korupolu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Chronic pain affects over 25% of U.S. adults and is a leading cause of disability. Mindfulness meditation (MM) is a nonpharmacologic approach to manage pain and improve well-being. Despite mounting evidence supporting its efficacy, MM remains underutilized in medical practice. Understanding physicians' engagement with MM and the barriers they face can inform strategies for integration into clinical care. This study assessed physicians' attitudes toward MM, including barriers to practice and their likelihood of recommending it to patients.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey of U.S. physicians was conducted from April to July 2024. Participants provided information on demographics, health struggles, and …

No. 35: Venezuelan Migration And Covid-19 Response Measures In Urban Areas Of Ecuador, Cheryl Martens, Taymi Milán

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted Venezuelan migrants in Ecuador, exacerbating their vulnerabilities due to restrictive containment measures, socioeconomic instability, and barriers to healthcare and basic services. This paper examines the intersection of pandemic-related restrictions, migrant precarity, and state responses, highlighting the disproportionate effects on urban Venezuelan migrants. Key challenges included irregular migration pathways, increased food and housing insecurity, exclusion from early vaccination programs, and heightened exposure to gender-based violence. Despite Ecuador’s early adoption of an inclusive vaccination strategy, systemic inequalities persisted, limiting migrants’ social and economic integration. The findings contribute to broader discussions on migration governance, humanitarian responses, and the …

Lgbtq+ Identity Development And Individual Vs Group Psychotherapy Experience: A Consensual Qualitative Analysis, Aileen Marie Rands

Theses and Dissertations

Multicultural topics, such as LGBTQ+ experience, have accrued predominance within the field of psychology. It has become clear that better understanding minority experience is of utmost importance. Pervasive stigma, discrimination, and mistreatment culminate into minority stress; thus LGBTQ+ individuals face greater risk for poor mental health and seek out psychotherapy at higher rates. Despite this reality, limited psychotherapy research exists in this area generally and essentially no research has looking into the experience of LGBTQ+ individuals in group therapy. The current study investigated experiences of LGBTQ+ clients who have participated in both individual and group psychotherapy. Eleven participants were interviewed …

Overcoming Vaccine Hesitancy: Evidence From Italy During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Alessandro Del Ponte, Audrey De Dominicis, Paolo Canofari

Political Science Faculty Articles and Research

Objectives

Study design

Youtube Upload Scheduling Strategy For Improving The Video Quantity And Audiences' Segmentation Accuracy At Pt Talenta Entertainment, Paris Dermawan

Journal of Indonesian Tourism and Policy Studies

Youtube provides features for its users to upload and watch other users' videos. PT. Talenta Entertainment utilizes YouTube to upload creative videos of each talent that has been produced. In addition, in addition to the right media, creative and interesting content also needs to be distributed at the right time so that the upload time is right with the free time of the audience segment. Therefore, the content upload scheduling strategy plays an important role in finding the right time for the audience segment so that it can increase the number of views that have been uploaded. The purpose of …

Community-Driven Policy Solutions To Police Accountability, Rashawn Ray

Brookings Scholar Lecture Series

George Floyd’s death shifted public opinion as 76% of Americans agreed that incidents such as the killing of Floyd are signs of racism within law enforcement. While police reforms such as implicit bias training and body-worn cameras gained public support, they insufficiently address the structural, cultural, and organizational components of policing that can obstruct accountability and contribute to racial disparities in policing. In this lecture, Brooking Senior Fellow Rashawn Ray presents interview, survey, social media, and virtual reality data with police officers, activists, and civilians, and demonstrates state- and city-level databases on police reform legislation. Ray posits that evidence-based policy …

Shiny New Beginnings: Reaching For Celestial Bodies In Romance And Research, Alexandra C. H. Nowakowski

The Qualitative Report

This commentary explores a series of social fiction novels about relationships through the lens of ethnographic research. It amplifies the lessons about love and life from Dr. Patricia Leavy’s Celestial Bodies series focused around two people with complex trauma finding kinship and healing with one another after a chance meeting. In the process, it uplifts the rigor and uniqueness of Leavy’s methods in translating findings from many years of observational research with people in different kinds of relationships to the social fiction format whose name she coined herself. In journeying through a shared life with main protagonists Tess Lee and …

A Full-Fat Remix Of Low-Fat Love Stories, Tabitha Chilton, Gioia Chilton

The Qualitative Report

Low-Fat Love Stories is a book coauthored by Patricia Leavy and Victoria Scotti. The book is a collection of short stories and visual arts based directly on women’s interview transcripts. In this article, the authors respond to Low-Fat Love Stories through text and visual art. The authors show how artistic analysis inspires personal reflection.

Sustainable Well-Being For Young Adults: An Online Course To Build Ecological And Psychological Flourishing In A Changing Climate, Jeremy Stanley Bekker

Theses and Dissertations

Sustainable well-being is "happiness that contributes to individual, community and/or global well-being without exploiting other people, the environment or future generations" (O'Brien, 2010, p. 2). Sustainable well-being education may encourage environmentally sustainable behavior while also teaching people how to live meaningful lives. However, there is currently a lack of research-based disseminable courses for teaching sustainable well-being. We hypothesized that taking the course would result in lower eco-anxiety and higher well-being, as well as increased pro-environmental self-efficacy and pro-environmental values. We used a randomized crossover repeated measures research design to assess pre and post effects. Quantitative results indicated that participating in …

Exploring The Strategies In Creating And Sustaining Commons : Organization, Mobilization, And Tactics In The Hong Kong Context, Ho Yin Mickey Wan

Lingnan Theses (MPhil & PhD)

After experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic, social unrest, and the migration wave in the post-2019 era, Hong Kong has undergone a rapid change in its social context. Facing the multifaceted aspects and complexities in the new context, this thesis hopes to explore the possibility of commons and commoning - a pluralistic concept that encompasses a set of principles for social practices in making a more inclusive society - to be a potential alternative, or at least a kind of hope mechanism to enhance people’s well-being amid the current predicament.

Drawing on the seminal literature of Elinor Ostrom, J. K. Gibson-Graham, and …

Kismet Meets Serendipity: A Personal Reflection On Using Patricia Leavy’S Novel Low-Fat Love To Bring Meaning To College Students, U. Melissa Anyiwo

The Qualitative Report

In this article Melissa Anyiwo writes about meeting Patricia Leavy and reading her debut novel, Low-Fat Love. She reflects on the impact this book has had on her personally, and how as a work of social fiction it resonated deeply with her own life experiences. She details using social fiction novels in undergraduate classroom settings, why she has used Low-Fat Love so many times in her courses, the lessons embedded into the novel, and the kinds of self and social reflection the novel stimulates. She references other well-known examples of popular culture in her analysis of meaning-making in Low-Fat …

Associations Among Shopping Methods, Diet Adherence, And Nutrition Knowledge Of Employed Primary Grocery Shoppers In Households With Children, Baylee Schneider

Master's Theses

Obesity is a prominent risk factor for chronic disease, which is the leading cause of death in the United States. Obesity and chronic disease rates continue to rise, requiring a need for prevention and intervention efforts. The future role of dietetics is to provide treatment and prevention through holistic approaches, by understanding individuals’ habits that contribute to the onset of disease, specifically their food choices, grocery shopping methods, and influences that waver these selections. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the relationship between grocery shopping methods (online or in-store), Mediterranean diet adherence, nutrition knowledge, and food purchase patterns …

A Review Of The Ripple Effect Of Parental Incarceration: Suggestions For System Improvement From Neonatal Development Through Adolescence, Karen Thew, April Terry

International Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities

Parental incarceration has the potential to drastically affect the social, behavioral, and physical lives of children. Such negative impacts include prenatal and chronic health conditions, behavioral and mental health issues, developmental delays, juvenile and criminal legal system involvement, and overall declines in well-being. These damaging outcomes occur for babies delivered during their mothers’ incarceration with negative lingering effects seen throughout the lifespan. Due to the stigmatization of incarceration, these children may experience bullying, engage in isolating behaviors, and struggle within the school, which may lead to the school-to-prison pipeline. While prevention and intervention services directed at these youth could not …

Beyond The Psyche And Into The Social: How Educational Leaders Embrace Sociological Resilience To Disrupt Systems And Advance Equity, Jason Le-Reselosa, Anindya Kundu

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

Oftentimes, educational leaders and stakeholders are encouraged to be “resilient” in an unfair and inequitable education system that is entrenched within our social contexts and spaces. This meaning of resilience is manifested by “pushing” oneself through adversity and the status quo by employing adaptive coping strategies and measures to sustain mental health capacities, even if one could be on the brink of losing control of their sense of self. In this article, we reimagine resilience on how educational leaders from different socioeconomic backgrounds adopt a revolutionary approach to resilience that works in tandem with disrupting systemic issues, rather than remaining …

Digital Inclusion And Systemic Barriers: The Role Of Technology In Shaping The Participation Of Women Of Color In Hybrid Workspaces, Sanket Patole, Rob E. Carpenter, Rochell Mcwhorter

Human Resource Development Faculty Publications and Presentations

The rise of hybrid and remote work models, facilitated by digital technologies, has been widely regarded as a means of enhancing workforce diversity and inclusion. However, this study critically examines how these digital workplaces simultaneously reinforce systemic inequalities, particularly for women of color. Drawing on digital divide theory and intersectionality theory, this research explores the ways in which women of color navigate technological barriers, algorithmic bias, and workplace surveillance while developing adaptive strategies to assert their authority in digital spaces. Through a qualitative, interpretivist approach, the study conducted semi-structured interviews with 13 women of color working in hybrid and remote …

The Swahili Version Of The Cd-Risc 10 Resilience Scale: Psychometric Properties And Factors Associated With Resilience Among Healthcare Workers In Tanzania, Kevinson Mwangi, Sabina Odero, Gideon Mbithi, Rachel Odhiambo, Rosemary Stephen, Tumbwene Mwansisya, Eunice Pallangyo, Eunice Ndirangu, Amina Abubakar

Institute for Human Development, East Africa

Background: Despite the central role of resilience in promoting mental well-being, little is known about the resilience process among healthcare workers in East Africa, partly due to the lack of adequately standardised and psychometrically sound assessment tools for our context. This study provides the first psychometric evaluation of the Swahili version of the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale 10 (CD-RISC 10) among nurses/midwives and community health volunteers (CHVs) in Tanzania, potentially informing the accuracy of measuring resilience in this setting. Additionally, we examine factors associated with self-reported resilience as measured by the CD-RISC 10 scale.

Methods We used cross-sectional data on nurses/midwives …