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Reintegration Process Of Previously Incarcerated African American Women Older Than 50 Years, Eva Carol Brent

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Successful reintegration of ex-offenders is difficult for most, evidenced by high recidivism rates. Ex-offenders face a broad range of obstacles once released from prison, including personal, social, and employment barriers. This study was an examination of the issues that contributed to a successful or unsuccessful reintegration as reported by ex-offenders. Participants included 10 ex-offenders who participated in interviews regarding the conditions that they believed were necessary for successful community reintegration. The conceptual framework for this study came from the ecological perspective, also known as the person-in-environment theory. Data collection involved one-on-one interviews with the participants. Data analysis was conducted through …

Recidivism And Prison Overcrowding Due To Denial Of Legal Representation In Botswana, Sidney Pilane

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Botswana has been experiencing high rates of recidivism and prison overcrowding, but the causes of these problems have not been explored. Thus, this qualitative study was conducted to investigate whether the denial of legal representation to criminal defendants tried in the customary courts is one of the causes of high rates of recidivism, prison overcrowding, or both. The main research question addressed a possible relationship between these factors and the denial of legal representation, and the study was guided by the punctuated equilibrium theory and the policy feedback theory. Data were collected through semi structured interviews with 10 released first …

Survey Of U.S. Undergraduate Self-Reported Opioid Diversion And Heroin Use, Motives, Sources, And Collective Efficacy As Mediating Factors, Mark Francis Plaushin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Epic morbidity and mortality, and intractability make prescription opioid diversion a wicked problem. Meanwhile, college undergraduates are vulnerable to opioid misuse and its consequences. The purpose of this quantitative study was to assess U.S. undergraduate students' opioid misuse and the relationship between mediating factors. The study's theoretical framework rested on Wakeland's et al. opioid system model and Shaw and McKay's social disorganization theory. This study bridged the gap, measuring collective efficacy and testing its relationship to undergraduate decisions to regulate misuse. Thus, research questions focused on gauging the problem's scope and assessing relationships between factors that drive or potentially regulate …

The Relationship Between Recidivism And Inpatient Treatment For Co-Occurring Disorders Among African American Male Ex-Offenders, Henshaw D. Mbosowo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Recidivism continues to be a major problem in the United States criminal justice system and yet, there is minimal research that addresses recidivism among African American male ex-offenders with co-occurring disorders who are on probation and or parole under community supervision and trying to gain access or reentry into the community. This quantitative study was to examine the relationship between co-occurring disorders and incidence of recidivism among African American male ex-offenders who have been hospitalized and treated for mental illness at some point in their lives. Also, considering that the inpatient treatment or hospitalization of offenders and ex-offenders with serious …

Citizens' Perceptions Of Body-Worn Camera Usage By Law Enforcement, Rosalind Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A need for more transparency and accountability of police misconduct was obvious from citizen' complaints and media coverage of inhumane actions of law enforcement offers unequipped with body-worn cameras (BWCs). With the fatalities of citizens by law enforcement on the rise, it was incumbent upon the officials in two communities to deliver measures to improve citizens' perceptions of police officers' use of BWCs and how much trust the citizens have in the use of these instruments, as a whole. The purpose of this study was to explore citizens' confidence levels, sense of safety, and perception of civility when police officers …

Intimate Partner Violence (Ipv) And Help-Seeking: The Experiences Of African American Male Survivors, Marjorie Yvonne Campbell-Hawkins

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a serious worldwide problem and a deliberate violation of human rights. Men from all ethnicities are physically, psychologically, and mentally affected by IPV. In the Unites States, approximately 835,000 men are abused by an intimate partner. Although there are higher incidences of IPV in the African American community and lower rates of help-seeking especially among males, there is a scarcity of studies addressing the help-seeking behavior of African American male IPV survivors. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of African American male survivors of IPV and their help-seeking behaviors. …

Relationship Between Job Embeddedness And Turnover Intentions Among Municipal Law Enforcement Officers, William Alonzo Forrester

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Law enforcement organizations have been facing a challenge with maintaining an adequate level of personnel due to an increased rate of employee turnover, which has been shown to have a negative impact on an agency's ability to reduce both property and violent crimes. The purpose of this cross-€sectional, quantitative study was to examine job embeddedness as a predictor of turnover intentions among municipal law enforcement officers by using the human capital theory as the theoretical foundation. To collect the data, a survey link was distributed to all personnel of a large, municipal law enforcement agency in the southeastern United States; …

Maryland Sex Offender Registry And Sex Offender Recidivism: Time Series Correlational Study., Ashley L. Fundack

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Federal and State law in a northeastern US state requires all adjudicated sex offenders to register on the state's sex offender registry (SOR) for the purpose of protecting the citizens of the state from predatory sex offenders and reducing sexual recidivism. This study tests the assumption, based on deterrence theory, that registration on the SOR is necessary as a deterrent to future sexual offending by sex offenders. Data from the Maryland Sex Offender Registry in two counties in a northeastern US state pertaining to a total of 1,985 registered sex offenders were analyzed to see geographic differences of offender, and …

Impact Of Mandatory Sentencing Policies On Alabama's Prison Populations, Stephanie Elaine Stewart

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

State prison systems, particularly in the Southern US, have been overpopulated for decades with unlikely support for building new prisons which has led to overcrowding. Policy makers, however, have adopted mandatory minimum policies that include harsher sanctions for habitual offenders which exacerbated the problem of overcrowding, yet little is understood about how sentencing reform is associated with overpopulation. Using Clear and Schrantz conceptualization of prison population change, the purpose of this quantitative descriptive study was to understand how one prison system in a southern state was impacted over a 10-year period by the implementation of mandatory minimum sentencing requirements. Data …

Training Satisfaction Of Behavioral Health Providers Treating Older Adult Substance Use, Claudia Lpc Crosse-Wynn

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Substance use disorders among the baby boomer generation are steadily increasing, but knowledge and training satisfaction regarding older adult substance use disorders among behavioral health providers (BHPs) has not been explored. Using the Kirkpatrick evaluation model, this quantitative study involved an examination of the knowledge and training satisfaction of four behavioral provider groups: addiction counselors, licensed professional counselors, marriage and family therapists/social workers, and psychologists. Each participant (N = 154) completed a demographic questionnaire, satisfaction questionnaire, and the Alcohol and Older Adult Questionnaire to measure knowledge level on older adult substance use disorders. The results showed that licensed professional counselors …

Community Health Worker's Perceptions Of Integration Into The Behavioral Health Care System, Juliette Swanston Jenkins

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Mental illness in the United States is a major public health problem. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, in 2017, 18.9% of adults in the United States had a mental illness. The purpose of this study was to gain insight into the perceptions held by community health workers (CHWs) regarding their integration into the behavioral health care system in Maryland. Using a social constructivism paradigm and phenomenological approach, a purposive sample of 11 CHWs who supported patients with behavioral health conditions in 17 counties in the state were interviewed. Howlett, McConnell, and Perl'€™s five stream confluence …

Human Trafficking Crime Awareness Among Remote Communities In Central Vietnam, Ngoc Tb Nguyen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Human trafficking crime is rising globally at an alarming rate, and Vietnam is one of the nations with the highest prevalence of trafficking female victims for forced sex services and forced marriages. This study explored human trafficking awareness in remote communities of central Vietnam and the factors for young girls dropping out of school for work at an early age. The study also investigated the link between gender inequality and the child labor problem in these communities. There is no extant empirical research pertaining to human trafficking awareness in the remote communities of central Vietnam. This research fills this gap …

Early Childhood Education Trainers' Knowledge And Use Of Andragogical Principles, Kimberly Thornton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Early childhood education (ECE) teachers often lack the experience and skills to provide children with supports necessary to foster academic and social skill development. Professional development can improve ECE teachers' skills, but ECE trainers often lack understanding of adult learning principles, known as andragogy. Knowles' conceptual framework of andragogy was used to explore the knowledge and use of andragogical principles of 8 ECE trainers selected via criterion-based purposive sampling. The research questions focused on ECE trainers' knowledge and use of andragogical principles. Three cases, each consisting of 2 or 3 live professional development trainings for early childhood educators, were used …

Intake Case Managers' Perspectives On Rural Veteran Homelessness, Amanda Eun Jee Webreck

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Homeless research has focused on the service-directed approach, but few qualitative studies have focused on the critical and sensitive nature of the intake process. Staff in rural and remote communities struggle to refer services and mainstream resources to homeless veterans. The purpose of this case study was to explore case managers' perspectives on intake procedures in rural Pennsylvania communities. Lewin's force field analysis was used as a theoretical basis to examine the rationale for behaviors and forces that impact an individual's state. Six case managers and 1 supervisor were selected for face-to-face interviews based on their experience, job duties, and …

Service Delivery Agents' Perceptions Of The Impact Of Panhandling Policy In Virginia, Nancy Brown

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Panhandling (also called begging and mendicancy) has been a problem for lawmakers. Although current crime control measures (based on the broken windows theory) have identified a perceived link between disorders (i.e., panhandling) and crime, previous attempts to ban panhandling were deemed unconstitutional. The purpose of this work was to investigate the impact of the latest attempt to curb panhandling in Hampton Roads, Virginia, known as the Public Education Campaign. This phenomenological inquiry examined the perceptions and work-related experiences of service delivery agents to explore the impact of the panhandling policy on panhandling and policy enforcement. Purposive sampling was used to …

Employer Perceptions When Applying Criminal History Information To The Hiring Process, Karen S. Levy Mccanna

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In recent years, the state of Illinois has joined the "ban the box" movement which typically prohibits employers from inquiring about a prospective employee's criminal history until it has been determined whether the candidate meets the core qualifications for the position. Little, however, is known whether this legislative change has impacted how private employers use criminal history information and to what extent knowledge of criminal history impacts final hiring decisions. Using Kingdon's policy streams concept as a guide, the purpose of this general qualitative study was to understand whether implementation of "ban the box" principles impacts final hiring decisions. Data …

Financial Accountability In U.S. Nonprofit Organizations, Evangeline Asafor Ngwashi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Financial accountability is a pressing issue in United States NPOs because there is a demand, by donors and the public they serve, to implement clear accountability practices. The purpose of this study was to explore and document the financial oversight and accountability policies and procedures that successful NPOs employ to maintain clear financial accountability practices. The theoretical framework underlining this qualitative phenomenological study was a combination of social construction theory and institutional rational choice theory. The research question was focused on understanding essential financial oversight and accountability policies and procedures that should be designed for NPOs to create and maintain …

Exploring Critical Success Factors For Data Integration And Decision-Making In Law Enforcement, Marquay Edmondson, Walter R. Mccollum, Mary-Margaret Chantre, Gregory Campbell

International Journal of Applied Management and Technology

Agencies from various disciplines supporting law enforcement functions and processes have integrated, shared, and communicated data through ad hoc methods to address crime, terrorism, and many other threats in the United States. Data integration in law enforcement plays a critical role in the technical, business, and intelligence processes created by users to combine data from various sources and domains to transform them into valuable information. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the current conditions of data integration frameworks through user and system interactions among law enforcement organizational processes. Further exploration of critical success factors used to …

Race As A Predictor Of Recidivism Risk: An Epidemiological Analysis, Femi Folorunsho

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Prisoner recidivism is a problem of great social importance, as recidivism represents a failure of the rehabilitative goal of incarceration. The problem addressed in this study was the lack of accurate estimates of race as a predictor of recidivism risk in the United States, after taking demographics and criminal variables into account. Applying the life-course theory of recidivism, the purpose of this archival, epidemiological study was to calculate whether recidivism risk varied based on race, across different seriousness levels of commitment offense and number of prior arrests, among a sample of male federal prisoners released from custody. A Cox proportional …

Factors Influencing Success In Day Treatment Programs For Children Ages 5 To 10, Leah Morken

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Improving the success rates of children in mental health treatment is an important step to bettering lives. Day treatment programs are intermediate level treatment modalities that help children who are struggling with their mental health. Success rates differ for children in day treatment programs and several studies have been done evaluating various factors. This research addressed whether a child who had been exposed to trauma showed as much success in a program as a child that had not been exposed to trauma. Other variables were to determine if children have different levels of success based on their diagnosis. The study …

Lived Experiences Of African American Involved With An Incarcerated Intimate Partner, Sharon V. Alston

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) accumulates annual data from state department of corrections. The information that the BJS accumulates annually is relevant to this study because it shows the possibility of the many African American women as well as other women in need of assistance while their loved one is incarcerated. The purpose of this study was to explore lived experiences of African American women involved with an incarcerated spouse, partner, or mate. The focal point of interest was how lived experiences affect African American women's physical and psychological well-being. The theoretical framework for this study comprised both the …

Mentors And Their Impact On The Transition Of Foster Care Youth To Independent Living, Josephine Marie Kunkle

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract

The Foster Care Mentoring Act of 2011 directed the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to U.S. states to create programs within public and private community entities to support mentoring foster children. Some states have allocated funding to support agencies that mentor foster care youth who have been emancipated (aged out) from the child foster care system who are without family support and are attempting to become self-sufficient. To date, there is a lack of research on mentors who help foster care graduates preparing to exit the foster care system. The purpose of this qualitative study …

African American Men's Deaths In The U.S. And Perceptions Of Procedural Justice, Annette Woods Fields

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African American men between the ages of 18-35 years are increasingly likely to die during arrests by police under the purview of procedural practices. Using procedural justice and critical race theory as the foundation, the purpose of this correlational study was to evaluate the statistical relationship between procedural justice, consent to police authority, and certain demographic characteristics including socioeconomic status and age in a large Metropolitan area in the southern United States. Survey data utilizing the Procedural Justice Inventory and Willingness to Submit to Police Authority Survey were collected from African American adult males (n = 69) and analyzed using …

Law Enforcement Seat Belt Use: Impact Of Policy And Phenomena On Use, Zach Loken

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Studies show that seat belt use by law enforcement officers is estimated to be at 50%, well below the national average. The purpose of this study was to explore what may be leading to reduced seat belt use by law enforcement patrol officers while also determining if different types of policies effect the level of seat belt usage by this population. The theoretical framework used in this study was Shafritz, Ott and Jang's theory of organizational culture and change. This quantitative study was conducted using a casual, quasi-experimental design; the research questions focused on understanding what phenomena may be occurring …

An African American Male Perspective On Medication, Schizophrenia, And Crime, Artishia R. Dasher

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Mental health disparities in African American males contribute disproportionate rates of incarceration treatment access. There is a significant need to revise current mental health practices to address treatment barriers. The purpose of this study was to understand whether medication management could reduce criminality in violent African American males diagnosed with schizophrenia. A phenomenological examination of psychiatric perceptions and psychological treatment coupled with race was performed, utilizing the critical race and rational choice theory. Two research questions were developed to understand effective medication management and what barriers are present that cause noncompliance resulting in criminal activity. A hermeneutic phenomenological approach was …

Foster Care System Effectiveness In Assisting Young Adults' Transition To College, Vivienne Mitchell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research suggests that the relatively low rates of former foster youth enrolling in and graduating from a postsecondary institution may be related to lack of foster care system support. This study examined whether perceived support from the foster care system was related to the postsecondary enrollment and academic performance of former foster youth, and whether males and females differed in perceived support from the foster care system. Forty-five former foster youth aged 18-24 years who had transitioned from a southeastern state completed a measure of social support and reported whether they had attended a postsecondary institution and, if so, their …

Social Workers'/Case Manager's Knowledge Deficits Of Adults With Precomorbid Attention Disorders, Denise Ford Brown

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is a lack of knowledge about how to provide services for adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorders (ADHD) among healthcare professionals, particularly for adults with precomorbid ADHD. The purpose of this qualitative, multiple case study was to explore the knowledge deficits of social workers and case managers regarding adults with precomorbid ADHD and their perception of obstacles in providing medication and counseling referrals. Participants' perceptions of obstacles was assessed through the framework of social problem-€solving theory. The sample included 10 participants: 6 case managers and 4 social workers. There were three codes that represented participants' perceptions of knowledge deficits …

The Ferguson Effect On Police Officers' Culture And Perceptions In Local Police Departments, Rarkimm K. Fields

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Ferguson effect is a recent hypothesis that suggests police officers have been influenced by negative media coverage of police conduct. The problem this study addressed is how policing continues to deal with perception, civil liability, and accountability issues related to police misconduct when interacting with Latino and African-American communities. The research was conducted to examine influence the Ferguson effect may have had on the culture and perceptions of police officers in local police departments. With a phenomenological qualitative approach, the research data were collected from interviews with 7 police officers across 3 police departments. The theoretical background of Merton's …

Nonviolent Resistance To Security Policy In Nationalist Northern Ireland, 1970-1981, Thomas E. Caulfield

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Political division has plagued Northern Ireland since its partition from the rest of Ireland in the 1920s. Current literature recounts the role of nationalist actors in the violent struggle that erupted in 1969 initiating a 3-decade period of civil strife described as the Troubles. However, very little scholarly coverage exists providing details of nonviolent resistance on the part of some community members. The purpose of this interpretive phenomenological study was to examine the meanings and perceptions evoked from Irish nationalists from Belfast and Derry who chose to challenge security policies through nonviolent actions from 1970 through 1981. Using a chain …

Long-Term Implementation Of Temporary Immigration Policy On The Security And Integration Of Liberians In The U.S., Glendaly Sanchez-Alicea

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Immigration policies such as temporary protected status and deferred enforced departure can serve as suitable humanitarian solutions to help displaced individuals. Notwithstanding, when implemented in the course of many years, the uncertainty and stress of living in limbo can pose significant challenges to beneficiaries and create a multifarious scenario for government leaders. This qualitative study examined the experience of Liberians, a group designated with temporary immigration protection in the United States since 1991, who have consequently formed lives in the United States while in temporary status. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the effects of temporary immigration …