Digital Commons Network^™

Migrant Children And Legislation: Integrating Knowledge About Trauma Into Policy, Yolennys E. Albornoz

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This study seeks to integrate some knowledge about trauma into migration policies in the U.S. regarding children. Migration is not a novel concept; it is a dynamic phenomenon that experiences continuous changes and constantly increases in numbers. Globally, the United States has been the primary destination for foreign migrants for a long time, and most of them are Latinos who cross the U.S. and Mexico border. Here, I explore how children face trauma in their home country, which forces them to migrate. Also, while they migrate and after they have migrated, exposing the three stages of trauma for migrant children. …

Inequality And Violence: The Case Of Brazil, Kimberly Forsyth

Dissertations and Theses

As a dominant economic powerhouse in Latin America, Brazil paradoxically exhibits profound socioeconomic divides and egregious rates of violence. This study seeks to illuminate the extent of the intricate relationship between Brazil's inherent inequalities and its propensity for violence by employing a combination of qualitative and quantitative methodologies. The study focuses on the years from 2002 to 2021, a period characterized by pivotal social, economic, and political transformations. Utilizing the United Nations definition of homicide as a primary measure of violence, I collected data from Brazilian health repositories for all 27 federative unit's annual reported number of homicides. The research …

The T Visa Process And The Identification Of Victims Of Human Trafficking, Mandalena Prelashi

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA) is a contemporary effort to combat human trafficking. In 2000, the Congress enacted the T Nonimmigrant Status (or T visa) in the effort to protect victims of trafficking and to enhance law enforcement’s ability to investigate and prevent these crimes in the U.S. This thesis explores from a legal and social point of view the obstacles, hurdles, and challenges that victims of human trafficking face, when applying for a T visa. I find that (1) victims assess their exploitation as wrong and immoral but not amounting to human trafficking, thus they are …

Elements Of Social Disorganization And Environmental Criminology: A Spatial Analysis Of Homicides In Villa Nueva, Guatemala, David J. Topel

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This study seeks to integrate the main spatial theories of crime, social disorganization, and routine activities theories while investigating the spatial dimension of homicides in Villa Nueva, Guatemala. Empirical relationships at a small unit of analysis, the natural cadaster blocks as defined by the municipality offer a more appropriate unit of analysis for the context of the city. While there is a robust body of work in developed nations synthetizing social disorganization and routine activities theories, the exploration of criminological theory integration and the use of the smallest unit of analysis still needs the addition of empirical research in Latin …

Narcommunication: The Messaging, Marketing, And Murder Of Organized Crime, Philip L. Johnson

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Criminal actors are widely assumed to maintain a low profile, exerting power through corruption, coercion, and clandestine networks. Scholarship that addresses public action on the part of criminal actors focuses almost exclusively on acts of violence. However, an ample empirical record demonstrates that criminal actors also communicate publicly to broad audiences. To better understand this practice, this project focuses on the phenomenon of narco-messaging in Mexico. The project asks: what do criminal actors say when they speak publicly, and why do they say it?

The core data for this project comes from an original collection of 6,178 narco-messages that appeared …

Alternative Food Production In Cauca, Colombia: The Value Of Agroecological Food Systems For Local Small Producers And Consumers, Andrea Negret

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This thesis intends to offer an integral view of the reality of food production and distribution in the Cauca Department in Colombia, observing the different practices that have caused deep social and environmental struggles including systemic violence, displacement and environmental degradation. The first two chapters will offer a global and national context of food production to better understand the many challenges that rural populations endure in rural Cauca. Chapters four and five will explore some resistance strategies and movements that rural communities in Cauca and other Colombian regions have developed to fight against corporate agro-industrial dominance so they can protect …

From Rulay To Rules: Perceptions Of Prison Life And Reforms In The Dominican Republic’S Traditional And New Prisons, Jennifer Peirce

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This project explores the implementation of reforms to the prison system in the Dominican Republic, with an emphasis on how incarcerated people perceive their conditions and daily life in confinement. In 2003, the Dominican Republic established a New Prison Management Model, focused on international human rights standards and rehabilitation. This model now manages over half of the prison facilities and a third of the incarcerated population, while the previous, “traditional” model continues to operate in tandem. The “new” and reformed facilities (Centers for Correction and Rehabilitation) feature new buildings, programs, and correctional officer staff with multi-disciplinary training. In contrast, the …

Contemporary Human Displacement: A Comparative Analysis Of Syria, Yemen, Honduras, And Venezuela, Rav Carlotti

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

What is causing the surge in human displacement around the world? Large-scale displacement in Syria, Yemen, Honduras, and Venezuela has generated unprecedented humanitarian crises in Latin America and the Middle East as millions of displaced people end up as refugees or immigrants. Humanitarian organizations like the UNHCR and host countries have had their resources overextended by these ongoing crises, and there is no end in sight. This thesis shows that contemporary human displacement is rooted in the increasing inability of governments to manage their societies amid great political demands and socio-economics strains. These causes are difficult to tackle because they …

It's Messy, Polina Tereshina

Theses and Dissertations

My work is a way of thinking through things. Each painting, or object is usually a boiled down vision of something I’m learning, observing or remembering, as I make it. Everything becomes a compression of several ideas with a unique mood and temperature.

The Evolution Of Mara Salvatrucha 13 And Barrio 18: Violence, Extortion, And Drug Trafficking In The Northern Triangle Of Central America, Pamela Ruiz

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The Mara Salvatrucha 13 (mara) and Barrio 18 (pandilla) gangs have become a major concern for the governments of the Northern Triangle of Central America (Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras) and the United States. In recent years, government officials have attributed violence and the exodus of Central Americans to the developing capacities of gangs. The Mara Salvatrucha 13(MS-13) and Barrio 18 have been identified to strategically implement violence and extortion rackets which have led to transformations in their organizational structures and increased participation in drug trafficking. Furthermore, officials insinuate that gangs have developed capacities to confront security forces that enter …

A New And Unsettling Force: Information Technology, Popular Education And The Movement To End Poverty, Christopher Caruso

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Through contemporary ethnography, this dissertation explores the self-organization of those at the bottom of the wealth and income scale within the working class in the United States between 1983 and 2018. In the context of neoliberalism and technological revolution, innovations in information technology have accelerated the polarization between wealth and poverty, fundamentally impacted social relations, but also enabled creative strategies for movement building and revolutionary organizing.

Exploring the organizing models as well as political and moral rhetoric of those who have been left out, locked up, and made poor over the past thirty-five years in the United States, it demonstrates …

The Phenomenon Of Match-Fixing In Soccer: A Plague Without A Cure?, Nikolaos Petropoulos

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Introduction: Today, match-fixing is considered as one of the most significant threats to the integrity of soccer. Everyone seems to talk about it. However, the phenomenon itself has received relatively limited academic interest despite the media coverage that match-fixing scandals have enjoyed, mainly over the last 10-15 years. This study will seek to explore the match-fixing landscape and provide a detailed account of how extensive the phenomenon is and who are the main stakeholders.To achieve this goal, we will rely heavily on a series of INTERPOL bi-weekly reports on match-fixing cases that cover the period from 1^st of …

Drug Trafficking And The Presidential Family In Venezuela: The Narco Nephews, Daniela Castro

Capstones

An explosive combination of political turmoil, a deep economic crisis and critical security situation has Venezuela on the verge of collapse. Despite the alarming situation in the country, not everyone is doing so bad, especially those close to the ruling power. Ferraris, access to private aircrafts and bodyguards are only some of the privileges that only few can get access to in this impoverished South American nation.

Efrain Antonio Campo Flores, 30, and Franqui Francisco Flores de Freitas, 31 -- the nephews of the Venezuelan Presidential couple -- were found guilty of conspiring to import hundreds of kilograms of cocaine …

Art As Dissent In The Midst Of Mexico's Drug War, Ana Lorena Marron Nozari

Dissertations and Theses

No abstract provided.

The Influence Of The European Union Membership Requirements On The Development Of Two Western Balkan Countries, Albania And Macedonia, Bedrie Matoshi

Dissertations and Theses

No abstract provided.

Confronting Transnational Threats; Strong State Strategies Of Cooperation With Weak States And Effectiveness, Christopher Hammond

Dissertations and Theses

No abstract provided.

Social Media And Democratic Revolution; The Impact Of New Forms Of Communication Democracy, Christina Ruby

Dissertations and Theses

No abstract provided.

Bridging Modernities In Brazil: Progress And Violence In The Work Of Rosangela Renno, Francine Kath

Dissertations and Theses

No abstract provided.

The Growing Phenomenon Of Sex Trafficking; Legal, Socioeconomic And Cultural Remedies, Anny E. Rosario

Dissertations and Theses

No abstract provided.

Brazil As A Regional And International Leader, Justin Ferber

Dissertations and Theses

Brazil's critical role in South American integration and political crisis management in Latin America, as well as its increasing power in international trade, finance, and security underscorethat Brazil influence over regional and international affairs.This thesis argues that Brazil has leveraged its economic strength and soft power—which it derives from its successful domestic social policies and distinguished diplomatic history of promoting international cooperation and peaceful conflict—to project regional and international leadership.

Social Disorganization And The Public Level Of Crime Control: A Spatial Analysis Of Ecological Predictors Of Homicide Rates In Bogota, Colombia, Gipsy Escobar

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Research in the social disorganization tradition has found community disadvantage to be one of the strongest and most consistent macro-level predictors of homicides in urban areas in the United States (Pratt & Cullen 2005). This dissertation empirically tests the applicability of ecological theories of crime to the spatial distribution of homicides in Bogota, Colombia, while proposing alternative measures of social disorganization that are analogous to those used in the American literature but that are more reflective of both social realities and data availability in Colombia. The study used data from several sources including official homicide figures from the National Institute …

The Modern Day Gold Rush ; Private Military Corporations, Deirdre Kornhiser

Dissertations and Theses

Since wars have existed, there have been soldiers for hire. As the state evolved, originating during the peace of Westphalia, and matured, the definition and the business of mercenarism have gone through many mutations. Today, and particularly since the 1970s, mercenaries have banded together, incorporating themselves as private military firms, some of which are units of multinational corporations. Private Military Corporations (PMCs) offer expertise ranging from construction to logistics but a number of contractors have been accused of human rights violations, particularly in the current theatres of war in Iraq and Afghanistan. The theme of this thesis is that PMCs …

The West Africa-Latin America Drug Trafficking Epidemic; An Institutional Analysis, Madi Ceesay

Dissertations and Theses

"West Africa, like any other region in the world, has had to swallow its fair share of modern-day political, economic and social dilemmas. One phenomenon that has had huge negative implications on the political, economic and social spheres of almost every country on the face of the earth is the production, trafficking, marketing and consumption of illicit drugs. The countries in West Africa have not been spared of the negative consequences of illicit drugs. While some countries have an illicit drug production problem, others have a consumption problem. The countries in West Africa have an illicit drug trafficking problem. The …