Digital Commons Network^™

Analysis Of The Nebraska Intake Risk Assessment Instrument, Sarah Moore, Anne M. Hobbs

Reports

Under current Nebraska law, a youth in Nebraska should be placed in a secure detention facility for only two reasons: (1) “immediate and urgent necessity for the protection of such juvenile or the person or property of another or (2) if it appears that such juvenile is likely to flee the jurisdiction of the court” (Rev. Stat. § 43-251.01(5)).

In the State of Nebraska, the Office of Juvenile Probation Administration screens youth using the Nebraska Juvenile Intake Screening Risk Assessment prior to making a determination whether to detain the youth. The assessment is referred to in this report as the …

Adult Justice In Nebraska 2015, Nebraska Center For Justice Research, University Of Nebraska At Omaha, Jared Ellison, Ryan E. Spohn

Reports

The Nebraska Center for Justice Research was established in 2014 with a mission to develop and sustain research capacity internal to the State of Nebraska. Our hope is to assist the Legislature in research, evaluation, and policymaking to reduce recidivism, promote the use of evidence-based practices, and improve public safety. The primary purpose of this report is to provide an overview of recent trends in Nebraska’s adult criminal justice system. Most of the data in this report is presented statewide as well as separated into Nebraska’s twelve judicial districts. Nebraska’s two most metropolitan counties are represented by District 4 (Douglas …

Nebraska Coalition Of Juvenile Justice Strength-Based Assessment, Ryan E. Spohn

Reports

The Nebraska Coalition for Juvenile Justice (NCJJ) was established in 1982, as required by the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act and acts as an advisory group to the Nebraska Crime Commission. In 2013, NCJJ submitted a technical assistance request for strategic planning to the State Relations and Assistance Division of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) seeking assistance in the development of an action oriented, strategic plan to guide its future activities. The OJJDP technical assistance meeting occurred on May 30th and 31st, 2013.

One of the recommendations resulting from this technical assistance meeting was that …

Nebraska Center For Justice Reseach: 2015 Annual Report, Ryan E. Spohn, Jared M. Ellison

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 inaugural annual report summarizes the activities and financial status of NCJR in its first year

Colorado’S Legalization Of Medicinal Marijuana: The Effects On Nebraska’S Law Enforcement And Local Jail System, Jared M. Ellison, Ryan E. Spohn

Reports

With the passage of Amendment 20 in 2000 and Amendment 64 in 2012, Colorado legalized the medicinal and recreational use of marijuana. Subsequently, Nebraskan law enforcement agencies in border counties have reported increases in arrests and jail admissions for marijuana-related offenses. In response, the Nebraska Legislature passed Legislative Resolution 520 to study potential increased costs incurred by criminal justice agencies in border counties.

In order to better understand how Colorado drug policy may have affected counties along the border, we compared trends in marijuana-related criminal justice activity among county agencies following the enactment of both Amendments. Border county arrests, jail …

Adult Justice In Nebraska, Ryan E. Spohn

Reports

The Nebraska Center for Justice Research was established in 2014 with a mission to develop and sustain research capacity internal to the State of Nebraska. Our hope is to assist the Legislature in research, evaluation, and policymaking to reduce recidivism, promote the use of evidence-based practices, and improve public safety. The primary purpose of this report is to provide an overview of recent trends in Nebraska’s adult criminal justice system.

Most of the data in this report is presented statewide as well as separated into Nebraska’s twelve judicial districts. Nebraska’s two most metropolitan counties are represented by District 4 (Douglas …

Annual Report 2015, Nebraska Center For Justice Research, University Of Nebraska At Omaha, Ryan E. Spohn

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 inaugural annual report summarizes the activities and financial status of NCJR in its first year. From a research standpoint, we are very excited about the reports our Center has produced in its inaugural year. For example, we created a Trends in …

The Completely Kids Liberty Project 2014-2015 Evaluation Results, Nebraska Center For Justice Research, University Of Nebraska At Omaha, Completely Kids, Category One Consulting

Reports

The Completely KIDS (CK) program at Liberty Elementary was evaluated to determine its relationship with youth program outcomes. The data were analyzed and the report was compiled by Category One Consulting. On average students attended Completely KIDS 142 days, which is substantially higher than the previous two years. Students and parents rated the program very highly, both in terms of satisfaction and student outcomes. Students who attended more days of CK attended more days of school compared to students who attended less days of CK. Pre-K through second grade students who attended more days of CK tended to have better …

Justice Assistance Grant Strategic Plan 2016 To 2018, Anne M. Hobbs, Ryan E. Spohn

Reports

n 2015, the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) began working in conjunction with Nebraska Commission on Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice (Nebraska Crime Commission or NCC) to create a 3-year strategic plan for the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) funding. The JAG Program, (42 U.S.C. § 3751(a)) is the primary provider of federal criminal justice funding to state and local jurisdictions, providing critical funding necessary to support a range of program areas. JAG funding is awarded annually and the applicant must show how funds will be used to improve or enhance the criminal justice system.

Nebraska Coalition Of Juvenile Justice Strength-Based Assessment, Ryan E. Spohn

Reports

The Nebraska Coalition for Juvenile Justice (NCJJ) was established in 1982, as required by the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act and acts as an advisory group to the Nebraska Crime Commission. In 2013, NCJJ submitted a technical assistance request for strategic planning to the State Relations and Assistance Division of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) seeking assistance in the development of an action oriented, strategic plan to guide its future activities. The OJJDP technical assistance meeting occurred on May 30th and 31st, 2013. One of the recommendations resulting from this technical assistance meeting was that …

Colorado’S Legalization Of Medicinal Marijuana: The Effects On Nebraska’S Law Enforcement And Local Jail System, Jared Ellison, Ryan E. Spohn

Reports

Purpose: Examine trends in law enforcement and corrections related to the possession and sale of marijuana in Nebraska subsequent to the legalization of medicinal marijuana in Colorado. Comparison groups of counties: We are assuming that the impact of marijuana in Colorado will be most substantial for Nebraska counties bordering Colorado. We assume that the next strongest impact will be for Nebraska counties along the I-80 corridor. The least impact of Colorado’s marijuana laws should be found in our “control counties” which neither border Colorado nor contain I-80.

Marijuana Enforcement In Nebraska (2009-2014), Nebraska Center For Justice Research, University Of Nebraska At Omaha

Reports

Purpose Examine trends in law enforcement and corrections related to the possession and sale of marijuana in Nebraska in the first full year of recreational legalization in Colorado. County Group and Statewide Comparison According to the testimony of county and state officials in September 2014, counties along the border, in the panhandle, and along the I-80 corridor should be the hardest hit by increases in marijuana arrests, jail admissions and associated costs. These differences should be especially pronounced when these county groups are compared to the remainder of the counties in Nebraska. In addition, we compare these trends to overall …

Nu Website: Uno Departmental Budget Listing Volume 4, University Of Nebraska At Omaha

Business/Finance/Operations

Fiscal Year 2015-2016, Departmental Budget Listing, University of Nebraska Omaha, Volume 4

Uno Website: Uno Employee Directory, University Of Nebraska At Omaha

Business/Finance/Operations

UNO Employee Derectory 2015-2016

Fact Book 2015, 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.

Exposure To Violence, Substance Use, And Neighborhood Context, Abigail A. Fagan, Emily M. Wright, Gillian M. Pichevsky

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Adolescent exposure to violence and substance use are both public health problems, but how neighborhood context contributes to these outcomes is unclear. This study uses prospective data from 1416 adolescents to examine the direct and interacting influences of victimization and neighborhood factors on adolescent substance use. Based on hierarchical Bernoulli regression models that controlled for prior substance use and multiple individual-level factors, exposure to violence significantly increased the likelihood of marijuana use but not alcohol use or binge drinking. There was little evidence that community norms regarding adolescent substance use influenced rates of substance use or moderated the impact of …

Enlisting In The Military: The Influential Role Of Genetic Factors, Kevin M. Beaver, J. C. Barnes, Joesph A. Schwartz, Brian B. Boutwell

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Given that enlistment in the U.S. military is completely voluntary, there has been a great deal of interest in identifying the various factors that might explain why some people join the military, whereas others do not. The current study expanded on this line of literature by estimating the extent to which genetic and environmental factors explained variance in the liability for lifetime participation in the military. Analysis of twin pairs drawn from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) revealed that 82% of the variance was the result of genetic factors, 18% of the variance was …

Citations And Convictions: One Community’S Coordinated Response To Intimate Partner Violence & Efforts Toward Offender Accountability, Kerry Beldin, Allison Lauritsen, Henry J. D'Souza, Bob Moyer

Social Work Faculty Publications

In 1996, a coordinated community response (CCR) was formally established in a mid-sized Midwestern city to improve the criminal justice response to intimate partner violence (IPV). Data for this study included all IPV-related incidents to which the local police department responded since the establishment of the CCR for a fourteen year period. Effective CCRs provide for IPV offender accountability through citation and prosecution of IPV-related crimes. Concerns about demographic variables affecting citation and prosecution rates have been identified in the literature. Compared to national statistics, gender differences were consistent but higher citation and conviction rates were identified in this community. …

“I Didn’T Want My Life To Be Like That”: Gangs, College, Or The Military For Latino Male High School Students, Adrian H. Huerta

Journal of Latino/Latin American Studies (JOLLAS)

Nationally, only half of Latino males graduate from high school (Contreras, 2011). Scholars are beginning to critically examine the various internal and external influences which contribute to low academic achievement for Latino males. This qualitative study uses a human ecological theory to examine how Latino male high school students with high academic achievement understand and develop goals to attend postsecondary education versus engaging in gangs or the military. The findings highlight the students’ different levels of college preparation, interactions with military recruitment, and their gang connections.

The Study Of Torture: Why It Persists, Why Perceptions Of It Are Malleable, And Why It Is Difficult To Eradicate, Erin M. Kearns

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Why does torture persist despite its prohibition? Scholars, policymakers, and the public have heavily debated this topic in the past decade. Yet, many puzzles remain about the practice of torture. Scholarship on torture spans academic disciplines, which adds diversity in perspectives brought to these questions but also can lead to redundancy and stunted progress in research on the issue as a whole. This article assesses the state of the multidisciplinary literature on torture in counterterrorism with specific focus on why democracies torture despite prohibiting it, how public perception of torture is malleable, and why so few countries are able to …

Penny For Your Thoughts? The Protective Effect Of Youths’ Attitudes Against Drug Use In High-Risk Communities, Emily M. Wright, Abigail A. Fagan, Gillian M. Pichevsky

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Individual-level attitudes about drugs are strong predictors of substance use among adolescents, and aggregate-level community norms regarding deviancy and drug use may influence youth attitudes as well as their drug use. This study examined the direct effects of neighborhood norms about deviance, disadvantage, immigrant concentration, and residential stability on youths’ attitudes about drug harmfulness as well as their variety of past month substance use. The moderating effect of community norms on the relationship between youth attitudes and drug use was also examined. Results suggest that community norms favorable to deviance and drug use reduced youth’s attitudes that drugs were harmful. …

Nebraska Department Of Correctional Services Reentry Initiative Vocational & Life Skills Program Grant Announcement - Application For Funding, Uno Nebraska Center For Justice Research

Reports

The NDCS Reentry Initiative involves a systemic approach for individuals to return to their communities. Reentry is not a “program”, it is an intentional mind-set; it is a method of facilitating the incarcerated and/or supervised individual’s return to his/her community as a productive and law abiding citizen.

Successful reentry:

 Provides increased public safety by reducing the number of victims

o This is achieved by reducing the likelihood of continued criminal behavior, essentially lowering the recidivism rate

 Provides a plan for assessing and addressing risks and needs

o This plan involves a reentry-focused case management system from first contact …

December 2014 Commencement, Student Names And Hometowns, Organized By Hometown, University Of Nebraska At Omaha

Commencement Lists

No abstract provided.

Reading And Math Outcome Equity Of Students, By Language, Ethnicity, And Gender Conditions, Required To Participate In An Attendance Court Program Based On Excessive School Absences, Kenneth E. Defrank

Student Work

The purpose of this study is to determine the reading and math outcome equity of students, by, language, ethnicity, and gender conditions required to participate in the Grand Island Public Schools Attendance program based on third-grade through eighth grade excessive school absences in the 2010–2011 school year. The data presented in the study indicates that overall the Grand Island Public School Attendance program improved attendance of students who were involved in the attendance program. In the third-grade 77% of students involved in the attendance program improved their attendance. In the fourth-grade 83% of students involved in the attendance program improved …

Examining The Effects Of Nebraska's Good Time Laws - Research Brief, Benjamin M. Steiner, Calli M. Cain

Reports

The purpose of this research brief is to summarize the findings of a study of Nebraska’s good time laws conducted by Dr. Benjamin Steiner and Calli Cain for the Nebraska Center for Justice Research at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. An electronic copy of the full report can be accessed through the link at the end of this brief. This brief lists each of the three specific research questions, the primary findings for each question, and the major conclusion from each set of findings. Please refer to the full report for the executive summary, full findings, and methodological details of the …

Examining The Effects Of Nebraska's Good Time Laws - Final Report, Benjamin M. Steiner, Calli M. Cain

Reports

Sentencing credit laws provide opportunities for inmates to gain a reduction in their prison sentence, and such laws have at least four intended goals: 1) reducing prison populations; 2) promoting prosocial behavior during imprisonment by offering inmates incentive for good behavior and/or deterring them from engaging in antisocial behavior; 3) reducing recidivism by providing offenders incentive for good behavior and participation in rehabilitative programming; and, 4) lowering correctional costs (Lawrence & Lyons, 2011; Weisburd & Chayet, 1989).

The state of Nebraska currently has a sentencing credit law that automatically awards good time credits to inmates. The study described in this …

Trends In Young Adult Male Incarceration Admissions In Nebraska, Jonathan R. Brauer

Reports

Contents: Notes/Acknowledgements; Executive Summary; General Admission Trends; Admissions by Race/Ethnicity; Admissions by Offense Type; Average Sentence Lengths; and Estimated Incarceration Costs.

Examining The Effects Of Nebraska's Good Time Laws: Final Report, Benjamin M. Steiner, Calli Cain

Reports

Sentencing credit laws provide opportunities for inmates to gain a reduction in their prison sentence, and such laws have at least four intended goals: 1) reducing prison populations; 2) promoting prosocial behavior during imprisonment by offering inmates incentive for good behavior and/or deterring them from engaging in antisocial behavior; 3) reducing recidivism by providing offenders incentive for good behavior and participation in rehabilitative programming; and, 4) lowering correctional costs (Lawrence & Lyons, 2011; Weisburd & Chayet, 1989). The state of Nebraska currently has a sentencing credit law that automatically awards good time credits to inmates. The study described in this …

Examining The Effects Of Nebraska's Good Time Laws: Research Brief, Benjamin Steiner, Calli Cain

Reports

The purpose of this research brief is to summarize the findings of a study of Nebraska’s good time laws conducted by Dr. Benjamin Steiner and Calli Cain for the Nebraska Center for Justice Research at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. An electronic copy of the full report can be accessed through the link at the end of this brief. This brief lists each of the three specific research questions, the primary findings for each question, and the major conclusion from each set of findings. Please refer to the full report for the executive summary, full findings, and methodological details of the …

Trends In Young Adult Male Incarceration Admissions In Nebraska, 2000-2013: Final Report, Jonathan R. Brauer, Nebraska Center For Justice Research, University Of Nebraska At Omaha

Reports

No abstract provided.