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Implications Of The Second Chance Act For African American Females And Reentry: A Content Analysis Rooted In Critical Race Theory And Intersectionality, Tumia Romero

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This dissertation examines the content of the Second Chance Act (SCA) to understand its potential impact on the reentry of African American females into society, highlighting the intersectionality of race and gender within the criminal justice system. Despite the SCA’s intentions to facilitate the reintegration of incarcerated individuals, its language and implementation have mainly remained gender-neutral, not addressing the unique challenges faced by African American females. This study employs a qualitative content analysis approach to examine the Second Chance Act, assessing its effectiveness in addressing the social determinants and barriers to reentry that are specific to African American females. According …

Racial And Ethnic Threat And The Accessibility Of The Legal Recreational Cannabis Market In California, Kathryn L. Burnham

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Racial and Ethnic Threat and the Accessibility of the Legal Recreational Cannabis Market in California

By Kathryn L. Burnham

Drug prohibition has a racialized history in the United States (US). Cannabis became synonymous with the perceived enhanced criminality of Black and Hispanic populations by the White public. Despite similar prevalence of cannabis use among people who are Black, White, and Hispanic, the vilification and stigmatization of Black and Hispanic cannabis users began in the early 1900s and continued for over a century. As individual states continue to legalize cannabis use and public opinion favors the federal legalization of cannabis, it …

Perceived Credibility Of Allegations Of Sexual Assault Across Victim Race And Mental Health History, Liyah C. Morgan

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Previous research examined the effect of victim gender and rape myth acceptance (RMA) on perceptions of victim credibility; however, little attention has been given to the impact of victim race and mental health history, and even fewer studies have explored the intersection of these two identities. The primary purpose of the current study was to identify factors affecting understanding of perceived credibility of victims of sexual assault, specifically in terms of victim race and mental health history. The study also examined the role of RMA on perceptions of credibility and explored participant attitudes related to color-blind racial attitudes and mental …

Assessing The Predictive Validity Of The Network Inventory Of Risk, Victories, And Needs Assessment (Nirvana) For Youth Receiving Prevention Services., Michael T. Baglivio, Kevin T. Wolff, Katherine Jackowski

Publications and Research

The current study assesses the predictive validity of a newly-developed holistic risk/needs assessment for youth receiving prevention services. Employing a multiyear statewide sample of over 17,000 prevention youth, multivariate and Area Under Curve techniques are used to examine predictive validity in predicting future formal juvenile justice system involvement (new law violations) across sex, race/ethnicity, and multiple youth age ranges. Furthermore, predictive validity across the severity of the subsequent offense type (misdemeanor, non-violent felony, violent felony) was examined. Findings demonstrate large effect sizes for static risk only, dynamic risk only, and total risk plus protective scores on future offending. Sex and …

Understanding Violence In Juvenile Correctional Facilities: A National Study Of Victim-Offender Overlap In The United States, Tzu-Ying Lo, Yu-Hsuan Liu, Amy Adamczyk

Publications and Research

The phenomenon of victim-offender overlap within juvenile correctional facilities is an underexplored area in criminological research. This study examines the prevalence and correlates of victim-offender overlap using data from two collections of the National Survey of Youth in Custody conducted in 2008–2009 and 2012. Our findings reveal that the victim-offender overlap group constitutes a significant proportion of incarcerated youth. Multinomial logistic regression analysis indicates that institutional factors, such as correctional officer legitimacy, in-facility gang membership, fear of inmate assault, experience of filing complaints against staff, and time served, significantly differentiate victim-offenders from the three other groups: victims-only, offenders-only, and those …

Victim-Offender Overlap Among Incarcerated Youth In The United States: A Bivariate Probit Analysis Using National Data, Tzu-Ying Lo, Yu-Hsuan Liu, Amy Adamczyk

Publications and Research

For many crimes, people who are the perpetrators may also be the victims. While several studies have investigated the victim-offender overlap, very few have examined the relationship for incarcerated youth where institutional conditions can exacerbate the overlap. Drawing on ideas from routine activities theory, this study explores the victim-offender overlap among incarcerated American youth using data from the 2008–2009 National Survey of Youth in Custody (NSYC-1, N = 8,625) and the 2012 National Survey of Youth in Custody (NSYC-2, N = 8,125). Findings from a bivariate probit regression indicate that younger age, higher facility populations, negative perceptions of officer legitimacy, …

An Interpretative Phenomenological Study Of Sexual Assault Investigations In Sexual Assault Response Teams (Sarts), Caitlyn Marie Clark

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation was designed to provide further insight into sexual assault investigations and response from the lived experiences of Sexual Assault Response Team and Task Force criminal justice professionals. There has been limited research on Sexual Assault Response Teams (SARTs), Multidisciplinary Teams (MDTs), and Sexual Assault Task Force (SATF) units, specifically encompassing the lived experiences of their members. This interpretative phenomenological study sought to explore these collaborative multidisciplinary teams from the lived experiences of the criminal justice professionals who represent them and to analyze the factors of sexual assault investigations and response that these members find significant.

In this …

Teacher Perception On The Implementation Of A Culturally Responsive Ela Curriculum, Erica Tate Dial

Theses and Dissertations

While the principles of culturally responsive and culturally relevant teaching hold transformative potential, they can only be fully realized if educators are genuinely equipped and empowered to implement them. This qualitative study examined teacher perceptions of an English Language Arts curriculum through the lens of culturally relevant and culturally responsive teaching. A diverse group of teachers, varying in experience, age, gender, and race, were interviewed to gather a range of perspectives on the implementation of this curriculum. The study focused on addressing the following research questions: 1. What are teachers’ perceptions of culturally responsive and culturally relevant instruction and academic …

Appearances Can Be Deceiving: How Naturalistic Changes To Target Appearance Impact On Lineup-Based Decision-Making, Dominic T. Jordan, Adrian J. Scott, Donald M. Thomson

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The present study examined the influence of appearance, procedure and position on identification decisions, post-decisional confidence ratings and estimates of discrimination and confidence-specific accuracy. Regarding appearance, the study examined the combined influence of three naturalistic changes that occur day-to-day (i.e. a reduction in cranial hair length, the removal of stubble, and a change of clothing), two of which have not been considered before in a lineup-decision context. Participants (N = 350) completed four experimental lineups which involved: viewing a target person, completing a brief distractor task, and making an identification decision and a post-decisional confidence rating from a photographic lineup. …

Maternal Incarceration, Adolescent Delinquency, And Siblings, Tracey L. Woodard

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

Researchers have estimated that approximately 2.7 million children in the United States have a parent in jail or prison. Since 1991, the number of children with a father in prison grew by 77%, while the number of children with a mother in prison more than doubled (131%). In examining the consequences of maternal incarceration on children, many researchers have found an association between negative child outcomes and maternal incarceration. However, not all research has produced the same conclusions, thus yielding heterogeneous findings. It is essential to understand the factors that may explain the variation in outcomes of children experiencing maternal …

Attitudes Toward Juvenile Offenders: How Juvenile Justice Personnel Perceive Juvenile Recidivism, Morgan Barnette

Honors Program Theses

This study examined the relationship between juvenile justice personnel and the predictive factors of juvenile recidivism. With rising juvenile crime rates across the country, investigation into the causes of juvenile recidivism has also risen. However, not much research has been dedicated to the way juvenile justice personnel view juvenile recidivism. This study surveyed a sample of six juvenile justice personnel including judges, a lawyer, a probation officer, and a detention officer. The survey explored the types of crimes juveniles are perceived to be committing, the frequency of interactions with repeat offenders juvenile justice personnel are having in their respective professions, …

Street Outreach And Reentry: The Role Of Community Violence Intervention In The Reintegration Of Returning Citizens, Hilary Jackl

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Amidst ongoing efforts to reduce the nation’s prison population, as well as calls to defund the police and invest in civilianized public safety strategies following the murder of George Floyd, community-based violence intervention (CVI) strategies have been increasingly recognized as a critical means by which to ameliorate the United States’ enduring gun violence problem without exacerbating the harms of overpolicing and mass incarceration. However, most contemporary CVI research has assessed program impacts on neighborhood rates of gun violence and has produced conflicting findings, leading scholars to call for the need to examine a wider range of program-related functions and outcomes. …

How Do Young Adults With Drug Use Disorder (Dud) Utilize Treatment? Exploring And Examining Lived Experiences Towards Treatment Completion In Indonesia, Dewi Kartikawatiningsih

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

In Indonesia which has the highest rate of drug addiction in Southeast Asia, there is currently little knowledge about how young adults perceive the barriers faced when completing treatment or how treatment providers' perspectives influence their treatment completion. Understanding and identifying barriers to treatment completion is essential to making drug treatment more effective. The purpose of this study is to explore the perspectives and live experiences of young adults with DUD and their addiction counselors to develop a deeper understanding of treatment needs. This study interviewed 33 clients and 15 counselors from the rehabilitation center of the Badan Nasional Narkotika …

Officers’ Perceptions Of Body-Worn Cameras: An Exploratory Study Of Small Police Departments In Upstate New York, Stefan A. Dela Riva

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

The aim of this exploratory study is to examine how police officers perceive the impact of body-worn cameras (BWCs) on their use of discretion when communicating with members of the public. In this context, “discretion” refers to an officer’s authority to make independent judgments while enforcing the law; deciding whether to issue a warning, make an arrest, or resolve an incident informally when legality permits. To understand officers’ opinions, a cross-sectional, quantitative online survey was distributed to various police departments and sheriff’s offices in upstate New York. Participants completed a series of Likert-style survey items addressing their general views on …

Welfare States And Imprisonment Rates: Revisiting The Study Of Public Assistance And Punishment In The United States, Stefan Ivanov

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

In the past fifty years, the United States has seen significant changes in both the criminal legal system and the welfare state. The incarceration rate surged by 475% from 1972 to 2007, driven by state-level decisions about criminal legal policy and disproportionately affecting Black Americans. Simultaneously, welfare programs became less generous, especially for those deemed “undeserving.” A long line of social science scholarship emphasizes that these two major social institutions—the welfare state and the carceral state—must be considered as complementary and alternative methods of managing marginalized groups. Quantitative research often confirms these claims, finding a durable inverse relationship between welfare …

Pathways To Disclosure And Treatment Among Individuals With An Attraction To Minors, Theodore Jackson

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Child sexual abuse prevention is a significant social concern in the United States and internationally. While there have been some successful efforts to reduce recidivism risk among individuals who have committed sexual offenses, we fall short when preventing first time offenses. Therefore, looking at ways to provide treatment to those who are more at-risk for a first offense seems like a potential solution to this problem. One such relevant risk-factor is attraction to minors. This study is a qualitative examination using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis of how people who are attracted to minors make the decision to disclose their attraction, seek …

Macroeconomics, State Action, Civic Trust, And Homicide: The Causes And Consequences Of Interpersonal Violence In Latin America, Guillermo Escano

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) represent 8 percent of the global population but about one-third of global homicides, yet interpersonal violence in the region receives limited attention in the English-language literature. This dissertation contains three distinct studies of the causes and consequences of crime and violence in LAC. The first study examines the predictive effects of inflation on robbery, burglary, and homicide rates in Argentina, which possesses one of the highest robbery rates worldwide and has endured high inflation – and, at times, hyperinflation – for years. I obtained annual crime data for 1973-2022 from the National Criminal Information …

Perceptions And Treatment Decisions For A Drug Offender Based On Social Class, Cocaine Type, Personal Characteristics, And Compassionate Love: A Vignette Study, Yasmin A. Odeh

Theses and Dissertations

Problem: The shift from a focus on rehabilitation to the more punitive, “tough on crime” approach to illegal behavior in the U.S. has been enacted in no small way by policies connected to the use and abuse of drugs. The disparities between crack and powder cocaine—two chemically similar substances—have headlined this shift (Vagins and McCurdy 2006). However, research is scarce on laypeople’s approval of deterrence approaches for drug offenses, including as a function of types (e.g., powder vs. cocaine possession). This study examined people’s perceptions of prosecutorial decisions for drug offenders—whether they are punished, rehabilitated, or both—and whether people perceived …

Normalizing Delinquency And Risky Behaviors In Adolescents: An Application Of Neutralization Theory To Parents, Audrey Cheatham

Theses and Dissertations

Sykes and Matza’s Neutralization theory (1957) was originally developed to explain juvenile involvement in delinquency, with extensions of this theory being used to understand crime in other offending groups. Although neutralization theory has been widely applied to offenders, far less research has examined how neutralizations may be used by non-offending groups. This study applies Sykes and Matza’s framework to parents to explore whether neutralizations are being employed to justify risk taking or delinquent behavior among their adolescent children. This study also examines how parents differentiate risky behavior from delinquent behavior, as well as their attitude towards seven major risk factors …

Offenders’ Perspectives On Acquisitive Crime Targets And Stolen Goods Disposal Methods, Joseph Clare, Liam Quinn, Natalie Gately, Suzanne Rock

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This paper examines offenders’ perspectives about acquisitive crime targets and stolen goods markets in Australia that have not been comprehensively reviewed since 2005. Over the last 18 years there have been significant changes in the rates of property crime, reductions in cash usage, and rapid movements to online markets as a disposal outlet, that motivate this updated analysis. In late 2022, n = 107 detainees in a Western Australian police watchhouse were interviewed about their property offending frequency, offence preferences, target selection, disposal methods, and estimated financial return for targeted goods. Results demonstrated (a) meaningful shifts towards shoplifting and away …

Impact Of Perceived Discrimination And Social Exclusion On Wellbeing Of Black African Immigrants In Australia, Obed Adonteng-Kissi, Matthew Mabefam, Elizabeth Archibong, Nnaemeka Meribe, Frank Darkwa Baffour

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Across the globe, a significant number of immigrants frequently encounter discrimination and social exclusion in their host nations, prompting discussions regarding policies and societal attitudes toward these groups. This study is guided by the structural social work framework which provides a very important structure to understand the experiences of Black African immigrants in Australia. Drawing on the case of Black African immigrants in Australia, this study investigates the effects of discrimination and social exclusion on their wellbeing. This research builds upon existing literature concerning the discrimination and social exclusion of immigrants, incorporating the perspectives of 27 social workers and immigrants …

Research Summaries: Access To Education, Erica Jensen

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

No abstract provided.

Full Issue: Access To Education, Angie Holzer

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Adverse Childhood Experiences On Juvenile Delinquency, Abigail Holmquist

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Abstract

Youth that have been exposed to Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are at a much higher risk of delinquent acts and involvement in the juvenile legal system. This study includes discussion on two studies of ACEs, conducted by Felitti et al. (2019) and Cronholm et al. (2015), reviews the impact of ACEs on juvenile delinquency in certain demographics, and includes case examples of how I have seen ACEs impact previous clients I had on my caseload. Discussion includes examples of how Social Control Theory and General Strain Theory apply to the relationship of ACEs and juvenile delinquency. Future research recommendations …

Teaching Sociology Through Reality Tv: Understanding Society Through The Small Screen, Monica Bixby Radu

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Access the online Pressbooks version of this introduction here.

This article explores reality TV’s value in teaching sociological concepts and theories for a better understanding contemporary society. Reality TV serves as a rich canvas for illustrating key tenets of major sociological theories such as structural functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interactionism. By analyzing reality TV through a sociological lens, insights into societal dynamics emerge, revealing how individuals navigate social norms. Additionally, reality TV serves as a cultural mirror, reflecting and shaping societal values. Globally, it influences cultural attitudes and social dynamics, transcending geographical boundaries through adaptations and social media engagement. …

Assessing Risks Of Atypical Sexually Violent Offenders, Lesli Mattheus

Master of Arts in Human Services

Forensic behavioral health research over the past few decades has revealed the complexities of assessing sexually violent offenders (SVOs). Risk assessments play a critical role in determining penalties and treatment, evaluating recidivism risk, and guiding interventions. However, most research has focused on adult male offenders, leaving a significant gap in understanding less common offender types, such as women, juveniles, and pedophiles or child sexual abusers. Gender biases and underreporting limit the understanding of women offenders, while juveniles face challenges like substance use disorders and mental health issues. Structured clinical judgment is a key method for assessing SVO risk, but forensic …

Criminal Justice System Initiation-Criminal Justice System Reusable, Maryam Dars

CBER Conference

The criminal justice system has been established for 54years since the 1980s. The research states that the constitution edicts that all current laws must dispose with the precepts of Islam as stated in the Holy Quran and Sunnah. Studies show that the process of law enforcement organization initiates the criminal justice system. It fences in a collection of laws and doctrines depiction to safeguard the lives and possessions of citizens, thereby upholding amusing order. Article-37(d) of the constitution further mandates that the state guarantees low-end and induces justice to advance social justice and banish communicable vices. The contrivance for delivering …

Understanding The Transitional Needs Of Servicemembers To Veterans: A Focus On Mental, Social, And Behavioral Health, Marieann C. Raguso

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation was designed to fill the gaps on the transitional American veterans’ lived experience using their own voice. The reconstruction of an American Veteran’s identity after transitioning back into civilian life is a process with many challenges. Transitional practices often fail to help veterans to acculturate back into the civilian world. This includes the formulation of identities and associations. There is a lack of consistency in military transitional practices leading to identity loss and the formulation of mental and behavioral disorders. The aim of this study is to examine the lived experiences of veterans who have transitioned back …

Forecasting Crime Rates Utilizing Machine Learning And Economic Indicators, Owen Miller

Honors Projects

Abstract: The following project utilized the correlation between economic indicators and crime rates to build tree-based machine learning algorithms that predict monthly crime rates in Ohio. The goal of the study was to answer how economic variables could be used in forecasting county level crime rates. A sample of 9 counties were utilized in building regression trees, random forests and evolutionary random forest models. The study concluded that lagged crime rates provided the best predictive ability in forecasting models, while economic variables provided more accuracy to property crime. The study could be furthered by creating models at the department level …

An Exploration Of Russian "Plea Bargaining": Americanization And Administratization Theses, Nathaniel Brewer

Honors Theses

This Project attempts to answer the question: Why did Russia adopt a legal practice that is seemingly inconsistent with its inquisitorial legal history? The Project examines this question through two theses posited by Máximo Langer and applying them to the Russian Federation’s Code of Criminal Procedure (“CCP”) Chapter 40. Chapter 40 of the CCP creates the Special Trial Procedure (“STP”), a summary proceeding allowing the defendant to agree to the charges they face in exchange for a reduced sentence. In inquisitorial legal systems, this sort of proceeding is not meant to occur because they are meant to be predicated on …