Digital Commons Network^™

Brothers & Sisters: A New Impetus For Social Construction And Its Impact On Traditional Cultivation Analysis, Scott Elmore

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Scholars recognize television's ability to influence culture. According to Gerbner, television creates socially constructed realities through the cultivation of its viewers. Television is designed to satisfy the diverse needs of large audiences. The mainstream messages conveyed via television have power to alter perceptions and change culture. Gerbner's theory was constructed from the analysis of crime dramas with single plot lines. Using the ABC television program Brothers & Sisters, this thesis explores the theoretical implications dramas with multiple plot lines have on traditional notions of cultivation theory. Through a content analysis and focus groups, evidence was acquired to suggest that cultivation …

Time On Florida's Death Row: A Theory Of "Benign Neglect", Angela Willis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis attempts to identify and explain what influences the length of time an inmate spends on Florida's death row. A systematic random sample of 33 Florida death row inmates was drawn from the Florida Department of Corrections death row roster and the Florida Commission on Capital Cases inmate roster. Documented for each death row inmate was how long he spent on Florida's death row navigating the various stages and steps in Florida's post-conviction capital punishment process. The data show that petitions to the state trial courts and appeals to the Florida Supreme Court take the longest time in Florida's …

Examining The Effect Of Organizational Policy Changeon Taser Utilizations, Michael Miller

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of organizational policy changes within the Use-of-Force Continuum on taser usage and officer's perceptions of taser effectiveness. Tasers have been used by police since the 1970s and their use is increasing as the technology has improved. Data reveals that tasers are beneficial for controlling non-compliant suspects while preventing serious injuries and rarely has their use resulted in death. Much of the public controversy surrounding tasers centers on when and how often officers deploy them. Use of force data from 890 police citizen encounters during a two-year period was analyzed to …

Analysis Of Selected Correlates Of Spouse Abuse And The Policy Implications For The Criminal Justice System., Marlys Kay Tester

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research on spouse abuse has received greater attention during the last 3 decades around the world. This research was conducted to investigate the selected correlates of alcohol use, drug use, and marital status and the effects they have on use of weapons and violent behavior. The secondary data used was from a study done in Chicago from 1995-1998, called the Chicago Community Crime Prevention and Intimate Violence Study. There were 210 domestic violence victims studied in one Chicago area. Each victim was asked a series of the same questions. It was found that 39.4% of the domestic violence cases involved …

Examining Significant Differences Of Gunshot Residue Patterns Using Same Make And Model Of Firearms In Forensic Distance Determination Tests., Heather Lewey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In many cases of crimes involving a firearm, police investigators need to know how far the firearm was held from the victim when it was discharged. Knowing this distance, vital questions regarding the re-construction of the crime scene can be known. Often, the original firearm used in commission of a suspected crime is not available for testing or is damaged. Crime laboratories require the original firearm in order to conduct distance determination tests. However, no empirical research has ever been conducted to determine if same make and model firearms produce different results in distance determination testing. It was the purpose …

Cinema, Race, And Justice: A Qualitative Analysis Of Selected Themes., Katherine Clay Thompson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine 7 different crime and justice films and provide a content analysis incorporating restorative justice and peacemaking perspectives. The 7 films examined in this study included 12 Angry Men, A Family Thing, American History X, American Me, Crash, Shawshank Redemption, and Traffic. The researcher examined the films and used content analysis to examine the behaviors and actions of the characters. The films were examined using 5 different analytical themes: "embracing change", "second chances", "hope", "connectedness", and "becoming more human". The current study found the 7 films …

Adolescents And Marijuana Use: The Affects Of Peer And Parent Relationships And Substance Abuse Education., Samuel Joseph Cosimano

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to analyze gender, race, substance abuse programs such as Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.), parents, and peers and their ability to influence or predict adolescents and their decisions to use marijuana. All of the variables used for this study came from secondhand data collected by Esbensen and Osgood (1999), Gang Resistance Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T.). The analysis revealed that males are more likely to have ever used marijuana, that mixed race adolescents have a higher rate than other races to have ever used marijuana, that when adolescents complete the substance abuse program, D.A.R.E. have …

Media: Effects On Attitudes Toward Police And Fear Of Criminal Victimization., Bradley Edwards

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research investigated the effects of the media on attitudes toward police and fear of crime, while controlling for selected audience trait variables. A self-report questionnaire was administered to 351 students at East Tennessee State University. The survey consisted of demographic and audience trait variables. The survey also contained items that measured the respondants' media consumption. Respondents were asked, for example, which format they typically get news from (e.g., newspaper, television), how often they watch television, and how real they perceive crime related television to be. Multivariate analysis showed that demographic and audience trait variables explained more variance than did …

Juveniles Adjudicated In Adult Court: The Effects Of Age, Gender, Race, Previous Convictions, And Severity Of Crime On Sentencing Decisions., Ashley Michelle Holbrook

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to analyze the influences such as age at current offense, gender, race, previous convictions, and the seriousness of crimes that contributed to the decisions received by juveniles in adult court. This study examined a secondary data set from the United States Department of Justice entitled Juvenile Defendants in Criminal Courts (JDCC): Survey of 40 Counties in the United States, 1998. The cases from these 40 jurisdictions represented all filings during one month in 75 of the most populous counties. The current study found significant differences among race, prior criminal history, current offense severity, and …

Racial Profiling And Policing In North Carolina: Reality Or Rhetoric?, Randal J. Sluss

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examined police practices of the North Carolina Highway Patrol concerning the occurrence of racial profiling. The sample data consisted of motorists stopped in North Carolina by the Highway Patrol between January 1, 2000 and July 31, 2000 (N = 332, 861). The findings suggested that race was a likely factor in pretextual stops. The results also indicate that racial profiling was occurring more in the western region than the eastern region of North Carolina. Theoretical reasons are offered in support of these findings.

A Media Analysis Of Racism And Ethnocentrism Issues Framed In Us And European Mass Media Within The Setting Of The 2006 Fifa World Cup Competition., Monica Nastase

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The present exploratory study, framed in agenda-setting theory, analyzes the way European and US newspapers frame racism and ethnocentrism issues, on the background of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. By combining quantitative and qualitative methods, 2 research hypotheses and 9 research questions were explored. The results showed the distribution of articles that used a positive frame and the ones that used a negative frame was relatively equal across geographical regions.

The US media have shown as the most ethnocentric nationality the Spanish, while the European media, the Scottish. There is an agreement across different geographical regions that the French and …

The Impact Of Service Delivery Models On Non-Disabled Peers Intent To Include Their Peers With Disabilities, Michael Campbell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In much the same way as the racial integration movement, advocates for students with disabilities (SWD) have cultivated an active and vocal lobby seeking to establish and then implement legal mandates to integrate classrooms in the hope that social acceptance would follow. Through federal mandates such as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), conceptually initiated in 1975 and revised in 2004 as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) along with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, these students have a voice to cry out for access to the experiences of work, conversation and play with …

Testing Deterrence Theory With Offenders: Assessing The Effects Of Personal And Vicarious Experience With Punishment And Punishm, Alicia Sitren

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Stafford and Warr (1993) reconceptualized general and specific deterrence into a single theory in which individuals' propensities to engage in criminal behavior are based on some combination of personal experiences with being punished and avoiding punishment and vicarious (or indirect) experiences with being punished and avoiding punishment. The researchers make a substantial contribution to the deterrence literature by accounting for the effect of punishment avoidance when assessing deterrence theory. Despite the theoretical appeal of this restatement, few studies have tested its empirical merit. The current study tests the applicability of Stafford and Warr's model but also addresses several key limitations …

The Effect Of National Board Certification On Burnout Levels In Educators, Tanya Judd

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Teacher attrition and retention has become a major issue facing education policymakers and practioners as our nation's school age population continues to grow, but the teaching workforce does not. This study seeks to examine the impact of certification by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) on burnout levels in educators. The potential benefits to teachers who pursue NBPTS certification include a sense of professional pride, new leadership roles and responsibilities for teachers, recognition of outstanding teaching practice, and higher salaries (Shapiro, 1995). Some of these potential rewards seem to address a number of the factors that are related …

An Investigation Into The Predictors Of Adoption And Utilization Of Information-Sharing Networks By Local Law Enforcement In Three States, Joe Conrad Saviak

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT A major change in longstanding police organizational behavior is increasingly evident in the recent emergence of computerized information-sharing networks in public safety. From both theoretical and empirical perspectives, a better understanding of the determinants that can explain and predict the rise and growth of this new and significant development in American policing is needed. A highly limited body of empirical studies has endeavored to validate effective predictors of adoption and utilization of electronic information-sharing networks by local law enforcement agencies. Utilizing an integrated theoretical framework largely built upon Rogers' diffusion of innovations theory, sixteen hypotheses were tested through logistic …

Russian Cultural Factors Related To Perceived Criminal Procedure Fairness: The Juxtaposition Of Policy And Practice, Olga B. Semukhina

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between the Russian culture and citizens' perceived fairness of the new Criminal Procedural Code of Russia of 2001 (CPC of 2001). The CPC of 2001 is a key policy in the Russian criminal law reform with the purpose of implementing adversarial procedure elements in Russia. The existing literature has documented the lack of public support along with observed violations of the CPC's major provisions which as made this an important area for study. It is theorized that the apparent contradiction between the underlying values of the Russian culture, and CPC's …

School Success Among African American Male Adolescents: An Existential Examination Of Protective Factors, Carol Thomas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For many adolescents who live in a high-risk neighborhood, harsh and sometimes dangerous circumstances often interfere with the ability to enjoy school success. While quantitative methods have been employed to reveal protective factors among African American male adolescents, few qualitative studies exist that analyze the lived experiences of this population of youth and their ability to flourish despite environmental disadvantages. This study is a phenomenologically-oriented narrative case study of five African American male adolescents who attend high school in a small, rural community and who are on track to graduate. The primary philosophies that framed this study were Ryan and …

An Exploration Into Factors Contributing To Patient-Initiated Termination From Addiction Treatment Programs By Opioid-Dependent Persons, Neil Gregory

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Patient-initiated termination, a significant and long-standing problem in the field of addiction treatment, is linked to the effectiveness of addiction treatment. The literature revealed several important points. First, treatment outcomes are positively correlated with the length of time spent in treatment. Second, many patients terminate addiction treatment before completing the program. Third, many patients attending addiction treatment facilities develop a treatment career in which they attend several treatment programs and receive a variety of services. Fourth, such factors as the patients' physical health, mental health, legal status, employment status and the patients' relationships with others are consistently related to the …

Prison Education Program Participation And Recidivism, Zarona Ismailova

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study utilizes logistic regression techniques to investigate the effect of prison education program participation on recidivism rates. I tested the hypothesis that inmates who actively participate in educational programs have a lower likelihood of being reconvicted. The purpose of this study is to help identify correctional programs that have a positive impact on recidivism, to then suggest policies that are directed at rehabilitating inmates and, ultimately, to reduce recidivism rates.

I used pre-existing data from reputable sources so I did not have to survey inmates. The initial tests found that there were several variables that had a relationship with …

A Comparison Of Anxiety Levels Among Women In Mixed Gender Substance Abuse Treatment Facilities And Women-Only Substance Abuse Treatment Facilities, Veronica I. Jones

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether women who participate in a mixed gender residential substance abuse treatment facility experience more general anxiety during treatment than do women in a women-only setting and whether there a difference in the general anxiety levels of women in a women-only substance abuse treatment facility whether children are present or not. The voluntary participants of the study included 64 women who were selected from 4 residential treatment settings, 2 mixed gendered and 2 women-only, 1 with women and children. The women were asked to complete the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) that …

Psychopathic Traits And Social-Cognitive Processes In Aggressive Youth, Colleen Morris

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Psychopathy is associated with severe and violent aggressive behaviors, poor treatment outcomes and high rates of recidivism. In youth, conduct problems and callous/unemotional characteristics are associated with characteristics of adulthood psychopathy. Downward extending adult criteria to youth is problematic. However, there is substantial evidence that adults with psychopathy traits began that developmental trajectory in childhood. This study adds to the developing literature clarifying the construct of psychopathy in youth, including the nature of callous/unemotional traits and the relationship to social-cognitive processes. Results indicate the callous/unemotional trait significantly predicted empathic concern, perspective taking, cognitive dysregulation, and outcome values in obtaining a …

Structural Indicators Of Index Crime Rates In Metropolitan Counties For 1990 And 2000, Jacob Becker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the relationship between structural features common to research within social disorganization and strain theory frameworks of metropolitan counties in 1990 and 2000 and their crime rates. It hypothesizes that economic inequality, a measure of relative deprivation, will be a more consistent structural indicator of crime than poverty, a measure of absolute deprivation. Twelve independent structural variables based on 1990 and 2000 Census data are placed in ordinary least-squares regression models to predict crime rates for 10 different Uniform Crime Report types. Results support this hypothesis, as well as identify a number of other structural indicators that are …

Fear Of Crime And Perceived Risk Of Victimization Among College Students, Jennifer Truman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Fear of crime is argued to be a social problem that may lead to restriction of activities, increased security costs, and avoidance behaviors. Findings from research indicate that there are many demographic influences on the fear of crime. Specifically, gender has been found to be one of the most consistent predictors of crime, that is, females significantly fear crime more than males. Additionally, research suggests that a person's fear of crime or perceived risk to crime may increase their engagement in precautionary behaviors, such as carrying a weapon for protection. The current study examined these relationships using data collected from …

Contributions Of Meaning By Service Professionals To The Phenomenon Of The Experience Of Coping For Women In The Spectrum Of Domestic Violence Abuse: A Leadership Perspective, Lisa Haeseler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Domestic violence abuse for women continues to be an urgent concern in American society. This perpetual problem has resulted in revitalization in improving delivery of care for women of abuse. Especially for service professionals who directly aid and council the women in the spectrum of abuse including whether they stay in, or leave, the leadership initiatives, perspectives, and unique leadership style approaches of service providers for enhancing services become vital. This qualitative, phenomenological case study of eight, non-abused service professionals working in four different agencies investigated the phenomenon of the experience of coping in the spectrum of domestic violence abuse …

Death Penalty Knowledge, Opinion, And Revenge: A Test Of The Marshall Hypotheses In A Time Of Flux, Gavin Lee

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis tests the three hypotheses derived from the written opinion of Justice Thurgood Marshall in Furman v Georgia in 1972. Subjects completed questionnaires at the beginning and the end of the fall 2006 semester. Experimental group subjects were enrolled in a death penalty class, while control group subjects were enrolled in another criminal justice class. The death penalty class was the experimental stimulus. Findings provided strong support for the first and third hypotheses, i.e., subjects were generally lacking in death penalty knowledge before the experimental stimulus, and death penalty proponents who scored "high" on a retribution index did not …

Airport Security: Examining The Current State Of Acceptance Of Biometrics And The Propensity Of Adopting Biometric Technology Fo, Kristine Sumner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 propelled the issue of aviation security to the forefront of the U.S. domestic agenda. Although hundreds of individual airports exist in the U.S., the travel activities at each of these airports combine to holistically comprise an aviation system that represents a significant portion of the U.S. social and economic infrastructure. Disruption at one airport resulting from a criminal act, such as terrorism, could exert detrimental effects upon the aviation system and U.S national security (9/11 Commission, 2004). Each U.S. airport is individually responsible for various aspects of security including the control of physical …

Criminal Mobility Of Robbery Offenders, Joe Drealan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The current paper addresses the mobility and willingness to travel of robbery offenders. A five-sector robbery typology was constructed, consisting of: personal robbery, commercial robbery, carjacking robbery, home-invasion robbery, and robbery by sudden snatching. Defining mobility as the straight-line distance between the offender's home residence and the location of the robbery offense, the extent of criminal mobility for each type of robbery offense was analyzed. Using geographical information system (GIS) technologies and, more specifically, geocoding software programs, the latitudinal and longitudinal coordinates of the offender's home and offense's location was determined. It was found that a subset of robbery offenders …

The Driving Force Behind Gun Crimes: A Time Series Analysis Of The Impact Of Gun Type And Gun Density, Matthew Graham Ii

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Very few studies have explored the relationship between the availability of certain types of firearms and gun density on both gun aggravated assaults and gun homicides. Nonetheless, research by Koper (2001) discovered that the availability of more lethal types of firearms, not gun density, was directly related to an increase in gun homicide rates for Dallas. However, this study did not take into account certain social and economic variables that may strengthen or weaken the determined relationship. The current study uses data previously analyzed by Koper (2001) and includes social and economic variables that have been linked to lethal violence …

The Social Development Model And Delinquent Behavior : A Case Study., Jessica Noel Mullikin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study was conducted to examine the impact that extreme economic deprivation has on adolescent social development. Data for this study was collected from the 2000 U.S. Census Bureau. This study uses the Developmental Prevention model as a theoretical basis, a theory which posits that extreme economic deprivation, as measured by income, poverty, crime rates, racial composition of neighborhoods, and prevalence of mothers and grandparents as sole caregivers, is a risk factor for all delinquent behaviors. The specific delinquent behaviors examined in this study were teen pregnancy, school dropout, poor school attendance, and criminality. A study was conducted to compare …

Factors Of Effectiveness In Kentucky Nonprofit Social Welfare Organizations., Peggy Proudfoot-Mcguire

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is an exploratory, mixed methods study using grounded perspective to examine how stakeholders (including consumers, administrators, and practitioners) in social welfare organizations perceive effectiveness in the nonprofit social welfare sector. Focus groups were held in eight regions constituting the Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) in Kentucky. A total of 25 people participated in the study. A theoretical framework of nonprofit social welfare organizational effectiveness emerged from the data indicating that the five most significant factors identified by stakeholders as constituting effectiveness in the nonprofit social welfare sector in Kentucky were (a) client services, (b) organizational structure © workplace …