Digital Commons Network^™

What Does The Public Want Police To Do During Pandemics? A National Experiment, Justin Nix, Stefan Ivanov, Justin T. Pickett

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

We administered a survey experiment to a national sample of 1,068 US adults in April 2020 to determine the factors that shape support for various policing tactics in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Respondents were sharply divided in their views about pandemic policing tactics, and were least supportive of policies that might limit public access to officers or reduce crime deterrence. Information about the health risks to officers, but not to inmates, significantly increased support for “precautionary” policing, but not for “social distance” policing. The information effect was modest, but may be larger if the information came from official …

Neighborhoods And Intimate Partner Violence: A Decade In Review, Emily M. Wright, Gillian M. Pinchevsky, Min Xie

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

We consider the broad developments that have occurred over the past decade regarding our knowledge of how neighborhood context impacts intimate partner violence (IPV). Research has broadened the concept of “context” beyond structural features such as economic disadvantage, and extended into relationships among residents, collective “action” behaviors among residents, cultural and gender norms. Additionally, scholars have considered how the built environment might foster (or regulate) IPV. We now know more about the direct, indirect, and moderating ways that communities impact IPV. We encourage additional focus on the policy implications of the research findings.

Examining Incidents Of Sexual Misconduct Reported To Title Ix Coordinators: Results From New York’S Institutions Of Higher Education, Tara Richards, Taylor Claxton, Lane Kirkland Gillespie

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

A paucity of studies has examined incidents of sexual misconduct reported to Title IX coordinators at institutions of higher education (IHEs) or examined differences across types of IHEs. We used 2018 data from incidents of sexual misconduct (N = 3,829) reported to Title IX coordinators at IHEs in New York (N = 209) to examine the context, processes, and outcomes of reported incidents. Findings show that most incidents reported to Title IX coordinators did not prompt the IHE’s conduct process; “other” disciplinary sanctions were the favored response for responsible students, while suspensions and/or expulsions were rarely used. Further data collection …

Preventing Sexual Grooming By Teachers: One State's Legislative Approach, Gretchen Oltman J.D., Ph.D, Jeanne Surface Ed.D

Educational Leadership Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

Research on reported sexual grooming between teachers and students began somewhere around the 1980s but, with the arrest of former Pennsylvania State football coach Jerry Sandusky for numerous counts of child sexual abuse, the concept of sexual grooming became more public and recognized in the most recent decade. Following the Sandusky cases, sexual grooming has been implicated in other high-profile organizations involving such large groups as the Catholic Church, the Boy Scouts, and numerous public and private school. (Winters, Jeglic, & Kaylor, 2020) Sexual abuse tactics have been found to be used by 30-45% of child sexual abusers (Canter, Hughes …

Decolonizing Vawa 2021: A Step In The Right Direction For Protecting Native American Women, Tara N. Richards, Sheena L. Gilbert, Emily M. Wright

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) (1994) was a hallmark legislation aimed at combating violence against women. While violence against women is a national issue that affects women of all race/ethnicities, it affects Native American women the most, as Native women experience the highest rates of violence. Violence against Native women is rooted in colonization because it decreases the power of tribal government, diminishes tribal sovereignty, and devalues Native Americans, which in turn leaves Native women more vulnerable to victimization. As such, amendments to VAWA must take particular action on violence against Native women, including actions that support decolonization. The …

Annual Report 2021, Nebraska Center For Justice Research

Reports

The Nebraska Center for Justice Research (NCJR) was established in 2014 with a mission to develop and sustain criminal justice research capacity internal to the State of Nebraska. Our goal is to assist the Legislature, justice agencies, practitioners, foundations, and stakeholders with research and evaluation to reduce recidivism, promote the use of evidence-based practices, and improve public safety. This annual report summarizes the activities and financial status of NCJR in its second year.

Fact Book, Academic Year 2020, Uno Office Of Institutional Effectiveness

Fact Book

The Fact Book presents important campus information in data tables and charts. Included are details regarding students, faculty, staff, and alumni. Generally, data are broken out by college, rank, level, gender, age and ethnicity for both spring and fall semesters, past to present. There are a few academic year tables that include information on tuition & fees, student credit hours by program, and degrees conferred. We wish to thank the many individuals and departments at the University for their contributions to the Fact Book.

Community-Informed Relationship Violence Intervention In A Highstress, Low-Income Urban Context, Tara N. Richards, Christopher M. Murphy, Lisa J. Nitsch, Angelique Green-Manning, Ann Marie Brokmeier, Adam D. Lamotte, Charvonne N. Holliday

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

To evaluate the effectiveness of the House of Ruth Maryland’s Gateway Project, a community-informed and oppression-sensitive relationship violence intervention program (RVIP; commonly labeled “batterer intervention”), designed for a predominantly low-income, racial minority population residing in a high-stress urban context. Method: Propensity score matching with data on 744 male program participants (89% Black; 59% unemployed; 76% on probation) was used to compare recidivism rates for those who did, and did not, complete the intervention program. The propensity score matching created comparison groups (n = 216 per group) with very similar distributions on 28 balancing factors. Results: During the year after program …

Comparing 911 And Emergency Hotline Calls For Domestic Violence In Seven Cities: What Happened When People Started Staying Home Due To Covid-19?, Tara N. Richards, Justin Nix, Scott Mourtgos, Ian Adams

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

We examine changes in help-seeking for domestic violence (DV) in seven U.S. cities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using Bayesian structural time-series modeling with daily data to construct a synthetic counterfactual, we test whether calls to police and/or emergency hotlines varied in 2020 as people stayed home due to COVID-19. Across this sample, we estimate there were approximately 1,030 more calls to police and 1,671 more calls to emergency hotlines than would have occurred absent the pandemic.Inter-agency data analysis holds great promise for better understanding localized trends in DV in real time. Research-practitioner partnerships can help DV coordinated community response teams …

University Of Nebraska At Omaha 2021-2022 Course Catalog, University Of Nebraska At Omaha

Undergraduate Catalogs

Located in one of America’s best cities to live, work and learn, the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) is Nebraska’s premier metropolitan university. With more than 15,000 students enrolled in 200-plus programs of study, UNO is recognized nationally for its online education, graduate education, military friendliness, and community engagement efforts. Founded in 1908, UNO has served learners of all backgrounds for more than 100 years and is dedicated to another century of excellence both in the classroom and in the community

The Impact Of Covid-19 On Community-Based Juvenile Service Aid Programs, Erin Wasserburger, Anne M. Hobbs, Julie D. Garman

Reports

The Community-based Juvenile Services Aid Division (CBA) is a program funded by the Nebraska legislature and housed within the Nebraska Commission on Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice (NCC). The guiding statute requires that funds be used for programs and services that divert youth from the juvenile justice system. The overarching aim is to effectively intervene with youth while they are in the community, and thereby reduce youth going to court or being placed in juvenile detention. To assess the efficacy of the interventions, the legislature allocated 10% of the fund for the development of a common data set and an …

Internal Funding Newsletter, Academic Year 2020-2021, Office Of Research And Creative Activity

Internal Funding Newsletters

The University of Nebraska at Omaha is committed to fostering the academic and scholarly pursuits of faculty, staff, and students. While the 2020- 2021 Academic Year brought many changes and challenges, UNO has continued to invest in a multitude of funding programs to promote research and creative activity. This year’s programs provided over $530,000 for student and faculty projects that reflect the broad range of scholarly interests of the UNO community, including gender differences in remote meeting behaviors and networking, an inquiry into the scope of missing and murdered Indigenous women on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and its border …

Does Change In Binge Drinking Reduce Risk Of Repeat Sexual Assault Victimization? Evidence From Three Cohorts Of Freshman Undergraduate Women, Leah C. Butler, Bonnie S. Fisher, Bradford W. Reyns

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Many college students who experience sexual assault experience subsequent (i.e., repeat) sexual assault incidents. There is also an established relationship between sexual assault and binge drinking. The “once bitten, twice shy” (OBTS) hypothesis suggests that those who experience alcohol- or drugrelated (AOD) sexual assault would reduce how frequently they binge drink in an effort to avoid repeat victimization. We test this hypothesis by analyzing two years of survey data collected from a panel of three cohorts of freshmen women. Supportive of OBTS, our analyses reveal that students who experienced an AOD-related sexual assault at time 1 only reduced the number …

Beyond The New Jim Crow: Public Support For Removing And Regulating Collateral Consequences, Alexander L. Burton, Velmer S. Burton Jr., Francis T. Cullen, Justin T. Pickett, Leah C. Butler, Angela J. Thielo

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

In The New Jim Crow, Michelle Alexander drew national attention to the extensive imposition of collateral consequences on those convicted of a crime and to their racially disparate effects. Based on a 2017 national-level YouGov survey, supplemented by a second 2019 YouGov survey, the current study finds that the public is split on allowing ex-offenders to sit on juries, but supportive of removing barriers to voting and employment. The respondents also favored providing defendants with a list of restrictions linked to conviction as well as having lawmakers review and eliminate collateral consequences found to have no purpose and to …

Vocational And Life Skills Monthly Data Update: December 2020, Uno Nebraska Center For Justice Research, Katelynn Towne

Reports

Grantees use an online data management system to submit data on participants served under their Vocational and Life Skills programming. This data is due monthly and reflects all services provided during the previous month to participants. Evaluators at the Nebraska Center for Justice Research work with grantees directly to manage data entry errors on an ongoing basis during update calls and site visits.

The current data derives from an active database, from which data is being entered and updated daily. Data values, including previously submitted information, may fluctuate depending on the duration of lag between service delivery and data entry. …

Vocational And Life Skills Quarterly Report: Grant Cycle 4 Quarter 2 October-December 2020, Uno Nebraska Center For Justice Research, Katelynn Towne, Michael Campagna

Reports

This report presents quarterly data and evaluation updates for the Vocational and Life Skills Program (VLS) through Quarter Two of Grant Cycle Four. VLS was created by Nebraska Legislative Bill 907 in 2014 with the purpose of reducing recidivism and increasing meaningful employment for individuals convicted of a crime in Nebraska. The report contains 1) descriptions of the eight funded organizations across the state, 2) a snapshot of participation, 3) demographics of the participants, and 4) participation breakdowns and descriptions of the skills participants are gaining through VLS programming.

The VLS initiative is evaluated by the Nebraska Center for Justice …

University Of Nebraska At Omaha Commencement: December 2020, University Of Nebraska At Omaha

Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

Who Dreams Of Badges? Gendered Self-Concept And Policing Career Aspirations, Samantha S. Clinkinbeard, Starr J. Solomon, Rachael M. Rief

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

NIJ’s Policing Research Plan (2017-2022) highlights the need to understand factors that attract diverse candidates. We explored whether college students had ever considered policing and found men were significantly more likely than women to contemplate policing careers. Further, we found higher levels of masculinity were associated with greater odds of policing aspirations; the relationship between gender and aspirations was fully mediated by masculine self-concept. Although men typically reported higher masculinity scores, within-gender analyses indicated that masculinity was important for both men and women. Our findings suggest the continued association of masculinity with policing may undercut efforts to recruit a representative …

Disparities In Oral Health: Socioeconomic Status And Policies To Increase Access To Primary Dental Care, Mckenzie Nutter

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Primary dental care is a patient-centered service consisting of routine dental checkups. The oral cavity is the first point of entrance to the body for many harmful pathogens. Therefore, primary dental care is essential to not only prevent and treat conditions in the mouth, but to also reduce the number of systemic diseases in the rest of the body. However, people with higher incomes or wealth have increased access to primary dental care. People with low socioeconomic status have decreased access to primary dental care, at least in part due to difficulties in paying for separate dental insurance. Disparities in …

How Perpetrator Identity (Sometimes) Influences Media Framing Attacks As “Terrorism” Or “Mental Illness”, Allison E. Betus, Erin M. Kearns, Anthony F. Lemieux

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Do media frame attacks with Muslim perpetrators as “terrorism” and attacks with White perpetrators as the result of “mental illness”? Despite public speculation and limited academic work with relatively small subsets of cases, there have been no systematic analyses of potential biases in how media frame terrorism. We addressed this gap by examining the text of print news coverage of all terrorist attacks in the United States between 2006 and 2015. Controlling for fatalities, affiliation with a group, and existing mental illness, the odds that an article references terrorism are approximately five times greater for a Muslim versus a non-Muslim …

Change Matters: Binge Drinking And Drugging Victimization Over Time In Three College Freshman Cohorts, Leah C. Butler, Bonnie S. Fisher, Rachael Schilling, Nicole V. Lasky, Suzanne C. Swan

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

The “once bitten, twice shy” (OBTS) hypothesis argues that crime victims who change their involvement in risky lifestyle behaviors reduce their likelihood of experiencing repeat victimization. Tests of this hypothesis have yielded weak to mixed results, which may be due to methodological issues. We address these methodological issues by testing the OBTS hypothesis for repeat drugging victimization with survey data from a panel of three freshman cohorts at three large, public universities. Supportive of the OBTS hypothesis, the multivariate results show that, on average, those not drugged at Time 1 or Time 2 and those drugged at Time 1 and …

Vocational And Life Skills Monthly Data Update: November 2020, Uno Nebraska Center For Justice Research, Katelynn Towne

Reports

Grantees use an online data management system to submit data on participants served under their Vocational and Life Skills programming. This data is due monthly and reflects all services provided during the previous month to participants. Evaluators at the Nebraska Center for Justice Research work with grantees directly to manage data entry errors on an ongoing basis during update calls and site visits.

The current data derives from an active database, from which data is being entered and updated daily. Data values, including previously submitted information, may fluctuate depending on the duration of lag between service delivery and data entry. …

A Randomized Controlled Trial Of The Impact Of Body-Worn Camera Activation On The Outcomes Of Individual Incidents, Jessica Huff, Charles M. Katz, E. C. Hedberg

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Objectives

Evaluate the impact of body-worn cameras (BWCs) on officer-initiated activity, arrests, use of force, and complaints.

Methods

We use instrumental variable analysis to examine the impact of BWC assignment and BWC activation on the outcomes of individual incidents through a randomized controlled trial of 436 officers in the Phoenix Police Department.

Results

Incidents involving BWC activations were associated with a lower likelihood of officer-initiated contacts and complaints, but a greater likelihood of arrests and use of force. BWC assignment alone was unrelated to arrests or complaints; however, incidents involving officers who were assigned and activated their BWC were significantly …

Biased Coverage Of Bias Crime: Examining Differences In Media Coverage Of Hate Crimes And Terrorism, Adam Ghazi-Tehrani, Erin M. Kearns

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

News media differentially cover violence based on social identity. How does media bias apply to terrorist attacks—typically “upward crimes” where perpetrators hold less power than targets—that are also hate crimes—typically “downward crimes”? We compare coverage of incidents that are both terrorist attacks and hate crimes to coverage of incidents that are just terrorism in the U.S. from 2006 to 2015. Attacks that are also hate crimes receive less media attention. Articles are more likely to reference hate crimes when the perpetrator is unknown and more likely to reference terrorism when the perpetrator is non-white in some models.

External Funding Bulletin, July - December 2020, Uno Office Of Research And Creative Activity

Sponsored Programs Bulletins

This bulletin features recent award recipients.

Vocational And Life Skills Monthly Data Update: October 2020, Uno Nebraska Center For Justice Research, Katelynn Towne

Reports

Grantees use an online data management system to submit data on participants served under their Vocational and Life Skills programming. This data is due monthly and reflects all services provided during the previous month to participants. Evaluators at the Nebraska Center for Justice Research work with grantees directly to manage data entry errors on an ongoing basis during update calls and site visits.

The current data derives from an active database, from which data is being entered and updated daily. Data values, including previously submitted information, may fluctuate depending on the duration of lag between service delivery and data entry. …

The Nciter Newsletter: October 2020, National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology, And Education Center

Newsletters

NCITE (National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology, and Education) is the Department of Homeland Security's center of excellence for terrorism prevention and counterterrorism research. They are a federally funded academic consortium based in Omaha, Nebraska. Their newsletters covers the current news, activities, and updates of the center and the latest in counterterrorism research. NCITEr newsletter covers specifically center updates.

Fall 2020 Census Enrollment Indicators Report, Tables 1-3, Uno Office Of Institutional Effectiveness

Enrollment Reports

Enrollment comparison for both the UNO Administrative-Site and the UNO Delivery-Site: Fall Semesters 2020 and 2019.

The Effects Of Police Contact And Neighborhood Context On Delinquency And Violence, Joselyne L. Chenane, Emily M. Wright, Yan Wang

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

We examined both main effects and cross-level effects of prior criminal justice contact on delinquency and violence. Using multilevel longitudinal data from the Project on Human Development on Chicago Neighborhoods (PHDCN, 1994–2001), this paper addresses a lack of clarity on the effect of police contact on delinquency and violence. We found that police contacts (three types) were associated with increases in delinquency and violence. These effects remained robust after controlling for individual‐level covariates such as low self‐control. Importantly, the effect of jail contact on the number of delinquent acts a youth engages in was stronger in neighborhoods with high levels …

Body-Worn Cameras And Transparency: Experimental Evidence Of Inconsistency In Police Executive Decision-Making, Brandon Tregle, Justin Nix, Justin T. Pickett

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Body-worn cameras (BWC) have diffused rapidly throughout policing as a means of promoting transparency and accountability. Yet, whether to release BWC footage to the public remains largely up to the discretion of police executives, and we know little about how they interpret and respond to BWC footage – particularly footage involving critical incidents. We asked a nationally representative sample of police executives (N=476) how supportive they were of legislation that would mandate releasing BWC footage upon request as public information, and presented them with an experimental vignette about BWC capturing one of their officers fatally shooting an [armed/unarmed] [Black/White] suspect. …