Digital Commons Network^™

Who Taught You To Hate Yourself: Disentangling My Black Identity From White Christian Doctrine, Patrice Lorna Lebron

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

How does white Christian doctrine fragment Black existence? When African slaves bound in chains landed on the shores of the Americas, they brought their religious and cultural traditions into that oppressive environment. They were dehumanized and compelled to embrace white Christian doctrine enforced on them by white theologians and white enslavers. Slaves were branded as inhuman and inferior beings. Biblical scriptures became a vessel for their prayers, dreams and sacred ceremonies. They transformed their deities into biblical prophets. Their African identity, religious and cultural beliefs were demolished and shrouded with biblical mis-interpretations to promote white supremacy.

This capstone project WHO …

Blurring The "Bright Line": Examining Age-Related Differences In Jail Incarceration Outcomes Using A Resources-Challenges Model Of Emerging Adulthood, Olive F. Lu

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Jail incarceration represents an early and prevalent point of contact with the criminal legal system. While there is some evidence of age-related differences in jail incarceration outcomes such as rearrest and reconvictions, existing research typically only make comparisons between adults and adolescents. This bifurcation ignores the unique experiences of a third group: emerging adults aged 18 to 25. Evidence from developmental research combined with shifting social and cultural dynamics suggest that 18-25-year-olds, though adults by law, straddle the line between adolescence and adulthood while facing challenges that set them apart.

The current study incorporates a resources-challenges framework of emerging adulthood …

Lgbtqia+ Individuals’ Encounters With Police: Contextual Factors, Help-Seeking, And Service Needs, Max Osborn

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This qualitative study examines LGBTQIA+ people’s experiences of navigating risk and safety, interacting with law enforcement, and utilizing support services. LGBTQIA+ people experience stigma, social marginalization, and resource access disparities, particularly individuals who visibly transgress gendered norms about appearance and behavior, or whose identities as LGBTQIA+ intersect with other marginalized social categories based in characteristics such as race and socioeconomic status. LGBTQIA+ people also report negative experiences with law enforcement and obstacles to accessing care. These experiences are consistent with the notion that police and other institutional actors maintain social control through the surveillance and targeting of populations seen as …

A Study Of The Punishment Of Crimes By Us Federal Legislators From 1798 To 2016, Kenneth J. Grossberger

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Public distrust of government has increased because of the criminal behavior of federal legislators over time, due, at least in part, to the political effects on Congress (which causes confrontation and accusation), and therefore it is critical to study how Congress deals with the corruption of its members. This study examines the punishment of U.S. federal legislators for criminal corruption in the context of time. This was accomplished by collecting and analyzing original data by means of the multiple methods of binomial logistic regressions and content analysis. The results showed that several variables were predictive of the criminal justice and …

A History Of The Center For The Study Of Women And Society, 1975–2015, Clarisa Gonzalez

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

In the early 1970s, New York City was experiencing an extreme fiscal crisis, with a reported debt of at least $600 million. In CUNY, students were protesting admissions policies that favored the white middle class and hikes in tuition. At the same time, the women’s movement was in the midst of the “second wave,” focusing on women in the workplace and in education. It’s in the midst of these tumultuous times that the first motions to create what was then called the Center for the Study of Women and Sex Roles began in 1975 by Graduate Center faculty Joan Kelly, …

Scientific Development Of An Integrated Workflow For Latent Print, Questioned Document, And Dna Processing Of Paper Evidence, Ashley Morgan

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Touch paper evidence could be the source of probative human DNA but recovery is challenging and forensic laboratories instead prioritize processing by the Latent Print and Questioned Document disciplines. Recent advances in DNA collection methods and the increased sensitivity of STR typing kits have improved success rates for DNA testing of paper evidence; but prior to implementing DNA collection, laboratories have to decide in which order to examine paper for the different types of forensic evidence. This thesis developed and tested a multi-discipline workflow for processing paper evidence by DNA, Latent Prints and Questioned Documents experts. Preliminary sampling studies indicated …

Fatal And Non-Fatal Police Shootings In The United States, 2015: An Examination Of Open-Source Data, Yuchen Hou

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Purpose and Significance: Police shootings do not always result in death. This fact raises a question of what distinguishes fatal and non-fatal police shootings (FNFPS). However, no existing database is available to address how often and under what circumstances civilians have died from or survived police shootings in the United States. To fill the gaps, this dissertation research uses open sources to create a crowdsourced national database on FNFPS in the United States in 2015. The creation of this database provides researchers insights into the suitability and sustainability of open-source research applied for studying police shootings and offers practitioners …

Attitudes Towards Wearing Masks Among Young Adults, Diana Saiki, Alyssa Dana Adomaitis, Jay Kandiah

Publications and Research

The purpose of this study was to investigate attitudes about mask characteristics among young adults. Research questions included the following: (1) How do attitudes about: Do practical characteristics of masks influence mask-wearing? and (2) Does mask style and extrinsic characteristics influence mask-wearing? A mixed-methods approach was used. In December 2020, a survey was distributed online to fashion classes in the Midwest(rural) and Northeast (urban). The questionnaire contained a demographics section, open-ended questions about participants’ attitudes about masks, questions on mask-wearing behaviour, and a list of garment characteristics. The open-ended questions were analyzed for themes. The Likert scale questions were analyzed …

Linking Critical Consciousness And Health: The Utility Of The Critical Reflection About Social Determinants Of Health Scale (Cr_Sdh), Liliane Cambraia Windsor, Alexis Jemal, Jacob Goffnett, Douglas Cary Smith, Jesus Sarol Jr.

Publications and Research

Introduction: Critical consciousness (CC) theory has been proposed as a framework to inform health interventions targeting a wide variety of health conditions. Unfortunately, methodological limitations have made it difficult to test CC as a mediator of health outcomes. Specifically, standardized and widely accepted measures of health- related CC are needed. The goal of this study was to develop and test a measure of critical reflection on social determinants of health (SDH). This measure focused on critical reflection, an essential dimension of CC.

Methods: Community-based participatory research principles and a mixed methods design were used with three samples: (1) experts in …

Interest Groups, Local Politics, And Police Unions, Daniel Disalvo

Publications and Research

Police unions raise issues of great importance for political scientists. Yet, the field has neglected them. This essay argues that political scientists should see police unions as important interest groups, empowered by state collective bargaining laws, that are important players in local politics and shapers of the criminal justice system in America. The organizational properties that make police unions important interest groups are described. The important political questions that arise once we consider police union as interest groups are examined. The existing research on police unions—especially their impact on government costs and police behavior—is detailed. Ultimately, the study of collective …

The Effect Of The Seattle Police-Free Chop Zone On Crime: A Microsynthetic Control Evaluation, Eric L. Piza, Nathan T. Connealy

Publications and Research

Research Summary:

Nightly confrontations occurred between protestors and officers outside of the Seattle Police Department’s (SPD’s) East precinct in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder. On June 8, 2020, the SPD abandoned the East precinct in an attempt to calm the situation. Following closure of the precinct, the Capitol Hill Occupation Protest (CHOP) took hold in the surrounding 6-block area. The CHOP occupation lasted until July 1, 2020. Over this time period, CHOP operated as an autonomous zone, with police officers not patrolling and generally not responding to calls for police service within the area. We used the microsynthetic control …

Stratified Entry Into Illegality: How Immigration Policy Shapes Being Undocumented, Sofya Aptekar, Amy Hsin

Publications and Research

Research shows that legal status is a critical axis of stratification in the United States but is less clear about the variably permeable boundaries around illegality and the systematic ways in which migrants are channeled into and out of the liminal states of illegality. Drawing on analysis of 105 interviews with a diverse group of undocumented or formerly undocumented immigrant young adults in New York City collected in 2018-19, we introduce the concept of stratified entry into illegality to illustrate how migrants’ nationality, race, and socioeconomic status shape their mode of entry which, in turn, shapes opportunities to adjust legal …

Bmcc Borough Of Manhattan Community College 2022-2023 Bulletin, Borough Of Manhattan Community College

Archives

This is the official college catalog for 2022-2023. It contains course descriptions as well as information on degree programs, college resources and services, admissions, tuition and fees, financial aid, a profile of the college, and rules and regulations.

Hostos Community College Academic Bulletin 2020-2022, Hostos Community College

College Bulletins

This is the official college catalog for 2020-2022. It contains course descriptions as well as information on degree programs, college resources and services, financial aid, admissions, and the academic calendar.

Sex Is As Sex Does: Governing Transgender Identity (Preface And Introduction), Paisley Currah

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Why Reforms Are Not Enough: Justice And Accountability Reimagined, Felix Sitthivong

City University of New York Law Review

To address police brutality, we must ground our responses in abolition rather than reform. Abolition demands that we address the root causes of police brutality and transform society into a place where we can thrive together. On the other hand, reform makes surface-level changes while maintaining the core elements of our inherently flawed policing and carceral systems. The author grounds his arguments for abolition based on his personal experiences and life accounts, and on the ongoing abolitionist efforts in the wake of George Floyd. In so doing, the author challenges us to think creatively and broadly about what kind of …

Graduate Bulletin 2022-2023, Cuny John Jay College

College Bulletins

Covers academic year 2022-2023

Undergraduate Bulletin 2022-2023, Cuny John Jay College

College Bulletins

Covers academic year 2022-2023

"Leaning Into The Wyrd: Confessions Of A Recovering Basic Writer", Cheryl Hogue Smith

Publications and Research

This essay examines the breakthrough one academic had in negotiating her fear of failure with writing and discusses how that breakthrough affected the way she teaches her community college composition courses.

Challenging Reform: A Formerly Incarcerated Student Roundtable Discussion, Colby Williams, Phil Miller, Jordan Sudol

City University of New York Law Review

No abstract provided.

Cruel And Usual: Contaminated Water In New York State Prisons, Shannon Haupt, Phil Miller

City University of New York Law Review

People who are currently or formerly incarcerated in New York State prisons know that the water inside is often not safe to drink. However, when they advocate for access to clean water, they are regularly met with retaliation and denial.

This article brings together firsthand accounts, case law, and ongoing investigations regarding water quality in New York State prisons. Contaminated water is not an anomaly in prisons–it is one of many severe conditions that people in prison are forced to live under which threaten their physical, mental, and emotional health. The daily abuses and harms suffered by incarcerated people are …

Volume 25.1, Footnote Forum: Editors' Note, Natasha Bynum, Colby Williams

City University of New York Law Review

No abstract provided.

Virtuous Prosecutors?, Steven Zeidman

City University of New York Law Review

A movement is building for President Biden to rewrite the book on judicial appointments and look to civil rights lawyers and public defenders instead of the usual crop of federal prosecutors.While the movement is grounded in the need to diversify the breadth of experience on the bench, it could also be interpreted as, or lead to, an effort to reexamine the exalted role of the prosecutor. Prosecutors were historically seen as noble and righteous protectors of virtue and morality. Their prominence led to increased resources, power, and influence and over time they began to fill the ranks of the judiciary, …

Decarceration Means Funding The Incarcerated, David Campbell

City University of New York Law Review

While there are varied assertions as to what “defunding the police” and “reinvesting in communities” mean, I propose that one step towards this goal would be to redistribute the funds from Corrections Offices and bureaucratic management to incarcerated workers to ensure they are paid a suitable wage. If an increase in inmate pay appears outrageous to some, it is only because it entails beginning to treat inmates as full-fledged human beings and, in doing so, upsets the power dynamic between the incarcerated and their keepers.

The Correctional Institute Of Nothing, Frank Pruitt

City University of New York Law Review

Rehabilitation programs are crucial to address the conditions that lead people to commit crimes. Currently, effective rehabilitation programs are not offered in prisons; instead, the carceral system relies upon the erroneous assumption that incarceration itself fixes individual and social problems. In fact, prison conditions further entrench problematic behaviors. True rehabilitation allows incarcerated individuals to confront the offenses they committed, adopt new ways of thinking, and heal underlying trauma. The author, who has been incarcerated since 1989, identifies the lack of rehabilitation opportunities in prisons and offers a better, more humane way forward.

Restorative Justice In Cases Of Sexual Harm, Alexa Sardina, Alissa R. Ackerman

City University of New York Law Review

Restorative justice for cases of sexual harm offers a trauma-informed and evidence-based approach to healing and prevention that current criminal legal options do not. The literature is clear that current sex crimes policies and practices have been ineffective at reducing rates of sexual violence. Similarly, current criminal legal practices fail to hold people accountable for the sexual harms they’ve caused and do little to support survivors who come forward. Unlike the criminal legal system, restorative justice provides survivors with a safe platform within which to talk about their experience(s) of sexual harm on their terms and voice their individual needs …

Casting Out From The Inside: Abolishing Felony Disenfranchisement In New York, Elizabeth Neuland

City University of New York Law Review

Felony disenfranchisement laws are an archaic practice, meant to silence a population that is often forgotten and overlooked by society. On the principles of rehabilitation and accountability, New York State ought to completely abolish felony disenfranchisement. It does not deter crime. In fact, recidivism rates show a decline when incarcerated individuals have rehabilitative opportunities through New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision ("DOCCS")-facilitated programming and family services. As the arguments laid out in this Comment demonstrate, it is imperative that the New York State Legislature takes prompt action to abolish felony disenfranchisement altogether.

Elderly, Detained, And Justice-Involved: The Most Incarcerated Generation, Rachael Bedard, Joshua Vaughn, Angela Silletti Murolo

City University of New York Law Review

The “graying” of the United States prison system is a well-documented phenomenon that describes the aging of the population currently held in U.S. state and federal prisons. This is generally attributed to the large number of individuals who are aging in place in prisons around the country due to long sentences and restrictive parole practices. Less well-known or well-characterized is the fact that the U.S.’s justice-involved population outside of prisons is also “graying”—that the demographics of people who are being arrested, jail detained, transferred to prisons on new criminal convictions, and monitored under community surveillance programs are also changing to …

The Impeachment Trials Of Donald John Trump: How Senate Jurors Strengthened The Case Against Federal Felon-Juror Exclusion, James M. Binnall

City University of New York Law Review

In 2020 and then again in 2021, former President Donald John Trump faced an impeachment trial. Prior to each, a parade of Senators—charged with acting as jurors in the matter—publicly stated their verdict preference, some even discounting the need for evidence. In our federal court system, citizens with a felony criminal history are permanently barred from serving as a juror. In justifying this categorical exclusion, courts and lawmakers primarily allege that those who have been convicted of a felony lack the requisite character to serve, as they have shown a propensity to flout the law. In short, proponents of exclusion …

The Color Of Local Government: Observations Of A Brown Buffalo On Racial Impact Statements In The Movement For Water Justice, Tom I. Romero Ii

City University of New York Law Review

Industrialized animal agriculture—concentrated animal feeding operations (“CAFOs”) and slaughterhouses—is inherently oppressive of both nonhumans and humans. This Article seeks to expose the human side of that exploitation, specifically examining how industrial animal agriculture was built upon and continues to propagate racism. The harms to humans of color perpetuated by this system are myriad and serious, ranging from physical to psychological and from troubling to life-threatening. This Article first examines how the animal agribusiness industry has harmed farmers and ranchers of color since the early 20th century through government-sponsored racist policies and practices. Second, the Article studies harms to workers, from …