Digital Commons Network^™

The Socio-Legal Construction Of Adolescent Criminality: Examining Race, Community, And Contextual Factors Through The Lens Of Focal Concerns, Patrick Glen Lowery

Theses and Dissertations

The first American juvenile court opened in 1899, with the understanding that children and adults are fundamentally different, and as such, should be treated differently by the law. Less than 50 years later, every state within the United States had developed a separate juvenile justice system, along with the adoption of many significant statutes that made the juvenile court markedly different from the adult criminal court. Over time, however, dissatisfaction with numerous inadequacies in the juvenile court led to the “due process revolution” of the 1960’s and 1970’s. The legal and philosophical changes made during this time were not long …

The Impact Of Deinstitutionalization On Murders Of Law Enforcement Officers, Xueyi Xing

Theses and Dissertations

Occupational risk of violent victimization is a serious concern for law enforcement officers. However, there have been virtually no studies that examined the relationship between the incidence of police officer homicide victimization and the deinstitutionalization movement during which large number of persons with mental illness were released back into communities, often without adequate support systems. Research has shown that persons with certain types of mental illness have a greater propensity for violent behavior if they fail to take prescribed medications and/or abuse illicit substances. Since police are most often the first responders to persons with mental illness in crisis, increases …

Finding Sanctuary In Sisterhood: A Middle School Literacy Group Critically Analyzes Race, Gender, And Size, Dywanna E. Smith

Theses and Dissertations

This critical qualitative study documented intersectionalities of race, gender, body image, and literacies as interpreted by five eighth grade Black female students during an eight-week after school literacy group. Ethnopoetic methodologies were used to represent findings and provide insights about how critical literacy engagements can be used to create discursive spaces where young Black girls describe and define these intersectionalities, how they are socialized into current beliefs, make meaning of beauty ideals portrayed in media, and interpret gender, obesity, and race. Through content analysis of field notes, audio recorded sessions, research partner interviews, researcher journals, and genre artifacts, this study …

Forensic Characterization Of Dyes From Synthetic Textile Fibers Exposed To Outdoor And Laundering Effects By Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography And Spectral Analysis, Molly Rebecca Burnip

Theses and Dissertations

Textile fibers found in an investigation are trace evidence that can connect a suspect to a victim or crime scene. Examination involves comparison of the color and morphology of a questioned fiber to a known fiber with optical spectroscopy. Fibers are considered class evidence, so evaluating more characteristics increases their significance as evidence if a match cannot be excluded. Acrylic, nylon, and polyester are textile polymers that require different extraction solvents based on the polymer chemistry. Methods have been developed for UPLC analysis of basic dyes on acrylic, acid on nylon, and disperse dyes on polyester. After microextraction from single …

Healing From Historical Trauma For Persons Of African Ancestry In The United States: An African Centered Psychology Approach To Wellness, Elizabeth Burke-Maynard

Theses and Dissertations

This critical analysis of the literature explores the potential of African-centered psychology to address the sequelae of historical trauma in the 21st century persons of African ancestry in the United States. African American face significant health and wellness challenges including socioeconomic disparities, interpersonal violence, substance abuse, psycho-spiritual distress, and physical health issues. The literature questions the validity of mainstream psychological science to effectively conceptualize and treat persons of African ancestry, and calls for the identification of specific, culturally relevant interventions to increase physical and psychological wellness. The concept of historical trauma helps to explain the psycho-spiritual distress experienced by many …

Help-Seeking And Intimate Partner Violence Re-Victimization Of Sexual Minority And Heterosexual College Students, Andrew T. Schramm

Theses and Dissertations

Recent estimates indicate that 18.5% of heterosexual college students and 30.3% of sexual minority college students are victims of physical intimate partner violence (IPV; Edwards, Sylaska, Barry, et al., 2015). Research among adult women in oppositesex relationships has shown that once an individual is victimized by IPV she is subsequently at high risk for future IPV victimization. Re-victimization is associated with more severe physical and mental health consequences of IPV. No prior study has assessed the rate of re-victimization among sexual minority adults. Help-seeking behavior, which refers to accessing a range of sources of support (e.g., family and friends, law …

A Phenomenological Analysis Of Social Justice/Injustice On The Lives Of African-American High School Males, Michael R. Harris

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to analyze what high school African-American males perceive as significant influences that directly impact their academic achievement while attending a predominantly White suburban high school. This qualitative research study will utilize semi-structured case interviews to collect and analyze data gathered from among a criteria-based subgroup of African-American high school males. An examination of archival data such as student course selections, a review of high school Carnegie units earned and attempted, the availability of support resources and interventions, as well discipline and attendance reports will each provide evidence of the probable obstacles impacting the achievement …

Catching Up And Staying Out Of Trouble: Serious Juvenile Offenders’ Facility School Experiences And Their Transition To The Community, Lena Jäggi

Theses and Dissertations

Despite recent drops in rates, juvenile incarceration remains a serious issue in the United States (Hockenberry, 2013; Mendel, 2011). One shared part of the incarceration experience across different systems and facility types is the obligation for juvenile offenders to receive correctional education. Ample research demonstrates that increased academic achievement, attending community school, and being employed are connected to better community outcomes and desistance, yet little is known about how school experiences in the facility influences these outcomes. Applying life-course theory of the development of crime (Sampson & Laub, 1997, 2005), the present study investigates whether correctional education serves as a …

Black Feminist Discourse Analysis Of Portrayals Of Gender Violence Against Black Women: A Social Work Dissertation, Avina Ross

Theses and Dissertations

This study explored media discourse of gender violence against Black women in Black contemporary films. Four Tyler Perry films were examined using a novel, qualitative and analytical framework: Black Feminist Discourse Analysis. Discourses that were studied include, but were not limited to: portrayals of gender violence and victims, character dispositions and interactions, stereotypes, relationship dynamics as well as portrayals of race, gender, sexuality and religion. The use of new and existing controlling images based on systems of race, gender, sexuality and religion were revealed in a transitional and systemic model. Common themes across the films are provided. This research closes …

The Role Of Procedural Justice Within Police-Citizen Contacts In Explaining Citizen Behaviors And Other Outcomes, Shana M. Mell

Theses and Dissertations

American policing is shaped by an array of challenges. Police are expected to address crime and engage the community, yet police are held to higher expectations of accountability, effectiveness, and efficiency than ever before. Police legitimacy is the ability of the police to exercise their authority in the course of maintaining order, resolving conflicts, and solving problems (PERF, 2014). The procedural justice and police legitimacy literature suggest that by exhibiting procedurally just behaviors within police-citizen encounters, officers are considered legitimate by the public (PERF, 2014; Tyler, 2004, Tyler & Jackson, 2012).

This study examines procedural justice through systematic observations of …

Gender Differences In Factors Contributing To Frequency Of Victimization Among Youth In Residential Placement, Chelsey Hukriede

Theses and Dissertations

Violence and victimization are common aspects of life for incarcerated individuals, even youth, with a large majority of offenders reporting experiences of some form of victimization during their stay in custody. Routine activities theory argues that most criminal acts require a convergence of motivated offenders, suitable targets, and the absence of capable guardianship. The purpose of this study is to explore quantitatively, facility and individual level factors that may affect experiences of robbery, physical and sexual assault victimization among youth in residential custody, and how these factors might vary by gender. To answer my research question, secondary data from The …

Personality Disorder Trait Mediation Of Childhood Abuse Effects On Internalized And Externalized Symptoms Of Distress, Amy Catherine Veith

Theses and Dissertations

The current study explored the relationships between childhood maltreatment indicators and mental health symptomatology in adulthood. Based on previous research, it was hypothesized that the indirect effects of child abuse on symptom expression as mediated by personality traits would be substantial and possibly larger than the direct effects alone. Additional abuse by trait interactions were examined. Results supported these hypotheses, specifically, the PID-5 trait factors were successful in accounting for a disproportionate amount of the variance in the criterion measures. These traits were substantially stronger than childhood physical abuse and domestic violence exposure. Childhood sexual abuse also outperformed childhood physical …

Anomie In The Oil Patch? An Examination Of Durkheim’S Anomie Theory Through A Case Study Of The Bakken Region, Fred Matthew Jones

Theses and Dissertations

Emile Durkheim serves as one of the seminal contributors to the field of sociology; his contributions to criminology are numerous as well. Many authors consider Durkheim’s concept of anomie to be his most important contribution to the field of criminology (Lunden, 1972). Durkheim’s anomie theory has been subject to extensive empirical examination, these efforts have resulted in disparate findings. Graeff and Mehlkop (2007) insist this lack of coherence is due to improper operationalization of Durkheim’s anomie by some researchers. In particular, it is the utilization of cross sectional data in these previous studies which contributes to these disparate results. The …

A Phenomenological Study: Foster Care Youth Aging Out Of The System, Guy Thompson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this applied dissertation was to explore the lived experiences of teens aging out of foster care, in an effort to better understand their needs. While the child welfare system is geared towards family preservation, reunification, and adoption, most young adults transitioning from the foster care system are not reunited with family members or are only reunited as a last resort. Unfortunately, every year, thousands are leaving the support of the foster care system, unprepared. Youth departing the child welfare system are not gradually transitioned into becoming self-sufficient. They do not have an effective support system available if …

Exploration Of The Transition And Retention Experiences Of Military In-Residence Secondary Boarding School Alumni At 4-Year Universities, Robert E. Hayhurst

Theses and Dissertations

Researchers have suggested that the number of adults holding advanced academic degrees across the population in the United States is falling behind those within the developed nations. Student retention is critical to U.S. colleges and universities’ retention. Retention of in-residence military high school graduates after they enter college is the research problem upon which this study was focused. Understanding the distinct perspective of in-residence military high school graduates can contribute to the improvement of persistence and retention programs for traditional college students; however, a search of the literature revealed an incomplete and unbalanced body of empirical research about this unique …

Evaluation Of Marzano’S Instructional-Strategies Program At A Southeastern Elementary School, Renee B. Evans

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this applied dissertation was to evaluate an instructional-strategies program implemented at a southeastern elementary school. The program was implemented with the intent to increase teacher effectiveness, thereby impacting student achievement. The evaluation sought to determine if the strategies were implemented as designed and the impact and effectiveness of the program. The research also sought to determine what strategies should be sustained and any unanticipated effects.

The Stufflebeam program-evaluation model was used to guide the research. Only the process and product evaluation types were used. The school’s principal and district’s instructional coach were interviewed, and 40 of 48 …

The Effectiveness Of A Computer-Based Program On The Reading Performance Of Fourth-Grade Students, Latonya L. Cooper

Theses and Dissertations

The intent of this applied dissertation was to determine whether a reading intervention of a computer-based program would increase the reading comprehension and vocabulary skills of students in fourth grade in a Title I elementary school. Although the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) covers various federal education programs, the law’s requirements for testing, accountability, and school improvement receive the most attention. NCLB requires states to test students in reading and mathematics annually in Grades 3-8 and once in Grades 10-12. Schools must test students in science once in Grades 3-5, 6-8, and 10-12. Individual schools, school districts, and states …

A Correlational Analysis Of Secondary Data For Factors Influencing Graduation From Adult Drug Court, David N. Masri

Theses and Dissertations

The proliferation of drug courts throughout the world over the last two decades presents an opportunity and a challenge. The drug court approach involves a combination of treatment and judicial supervision which is a diversion from incarceration and/or ‘traditional’ criminal justice supervision. Despite widespread study of drug courts, there is much that researchers still do not know and there is still controversy as to how and why drug courts work. This research study is an examination of secondary data from an urban, mid-Atlantic drug court to attempt to correlate factors that contribute to success (as defined by graduation) in drug …

Fasd, Verbal Comprehension And Maladaptive Behavior, Anthony Brian Athmann

Theses and Dissertations

A Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Diagnosis is comprised of various levels of physical

dysmorphia and behavioral and cognitive dysfunctions. Early identification and diagnosis is difficult, requires specially trained practitioners and often results in the delay of receiving necessary services. This is particularly true for those individuals living in

underserved rural areas. However, screening children with commonly used assessment

tools may help to more quickly identify children who have been prenatally exposed to

alcohol. The purpose of the present study was to contribute to the development of a

neurobehavioral profile of alcohol-exposed children through examining if relationship

exists between verbal comprehension deficits …

Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (Stem) In Higher Education From The Perspective Of Female Students: An Institutional Ethnography, Laura Parson

Theses and Dissertations

A persistent disadvantage for females is systemically embedded in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education in postsecondary institutions. As a result, undergraduate women majoring in STEM fields face a uniquely difficult path; yet, for the most part, recommendations made and supported in the literature have focused on recruitment of women to STEM fields or on ways to make women more successful and comfortable in their STEM major. These recommendations have so far proved to be insufficient to remedy a gender gap and serve to replicate the existing male hierarchy. In order to truly make the STEM classroom one in …

Going Public: How The Government Assumed The Authority To Prosecute In The Southern United States, Jason Twede

Theses and Dissertations

This research explores factors that may have influenced the transition from private prosecution to public prosecution in Georgia during the late-eighteenth century—a transition that eventually happened in every jurisdiction in the United States. There are numerous people, both inside and outside academia, who are calling for a change to the current system of prosecution in the United States. One possible change that is being advocated is a return to a system of private prosecution. Understanding the reasons the system changed from a system of private prosecution in the first instance is important when determining whether such a return is appropriate. …

Public Opinion About Police Use Of Body-Worn Cameras, Deanne Paulsen

Theses and Dissertations

There has been a significant increase in media attention about encounters between police officers and the public which have ended badly, sometimes in injury or death. These events have increased public concern about police conduct. Because of these events and the adverse publicity they have generated, many police departments have begun using body-worn cameras. The police use of body-worn cameras raises many important issues such as their effects on privacy and police-community relations. Because police departments have just recently begun using body cameras, there has been limited research on them. Consequently, the current study examined whether the public favors the …

General Strain Theory And Bullying Victimization: Do Parental Support And Control Alleviate The Negative Effects Of Bullying, Jonathon Thompson

Theses and Dissertations

With growing reports of bullying victimization ranging from 8 percent to 46 percent in many countries, bullying victimization has been declared an international problem often affecting youth in or near one’s school with poor parental supervision. While there has been a growing body of research concerning bullying victimization, few studies have examined the collateral consequences of bullying victimization and the mediating role of family processes through the theoretical lens of general strain theory. This thesis attempts to shed light on such a complex social phenomena and contribute to the bullying and stress literature. This study posits that bullying victimization is …

There Goes The Neighborhood: The Effects Of Residency Restrictions On Sex Offenders And The Community, Linde Christine Rush Burkey

Theses and Dissertations

Sex offender laws and regulations were enacted with the goal of preventing and reducing sex crimes, however, some scholars have argued sex offender laws may actually contribute to an increase in recidivism as a result of a number of unintended consequences. While there have been numerous studies examining the unintended consequences associated with residency restrictions, no research to date has examined the location of sex offender clusters and how these clusters affect the community and sex crimes within their geographical vicinities. While some researchers have established that the clustering of registered sex offenders occurs in certain geographical areas, further analysis …

An Analysis Of The Effects Of The Social Disorganization Theory On Juveniles In Georgia, Anna M. Watson

Theses and Dissertations

Social disorganization is represented by an inability of community members to attain mutual goals or to resolve commonly experienced problems (Bursik, 1988). Clifford Shaw and Henry McKay were the first sociologists to denote this occurrence in Chicago. Shaw and McKay are examined as reputable sociologists and a summary of their work on this topic is discussed. This thesis sought to determine the social disorganization in Georgia by examining and analyzing the rates of juvenile delinquency. This thesis contains a literature review, a methodology and an analysis section. The literature review covered the history of the theory, tracing it back to …

Participation In Emergency Notification Systems And Other Factors Influencing Residential Students' Protective Behaviors At A Four-Year Public University In The South, Stephanie Hailey Mcbrayer

Theses and Dissertations

In addition to creating a campus environment that could save lives, concepts including recruitment, retention, accountability, assessment, and federal funding are all connected to a university's emergency preparedness plan. Current literature has primarily focused on secondary educational settings or recommendations for action in response to major violent events like Virginia Tech and methods to try to identify a threat. The purpose of the current study was to investigate factors influencing whether students chose to "opt-in" and receive emergency notifications from the university. The study also utilized a modified version of Lenski's (1992) Campus Safety Survey that was constructed using the …

Sentencing Disparities In Arkansas: A Multiple Year Study, Jennifer M. Miller

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines contextual- and individual-level predictors of adult sentencing outcomes for felony offenders in the state of Arkansas from 2005 to 2009. Contextual- and individual-level variables are used to determine the effects of conflict and social disorganization theory on sentencing outcomes and/or disparities as the individuals vary by race/ethnicity across counties. In the United States, where whites are the majority, theoretically laws and policies should demonstrate oppressive results on the minorities. Criminological literature illustrates sentencing disparities based on race and/or ethnicity, depending on location. One consistent theoretical perspective that emerges from the literature for explaining this phenomenon is conflict …

The Life Course Of Female Homicide Offenders: A Mixed Methods Analysis, Alesa Ray Liles

Theses and Dissertations

Although research on female offending has grown in the past few decades, the criminal justice system has remained inadequate in addressing and responding to the needs of women. Researchers have just begun to study the lives of women independently of men to uncover the similarities, and more importantly, differences. The limited research that is available on the life histories of female offenders, particularly female homicide offenders, shows there are events and experiences that play a significant role in the lives of these women. To increase knowledge on the individual factors that lead to female offending, this dissertation sought to incorporate …

A Multilevel Approach To Recidivism: The Role Of Risk For Criminal Opportunities At The Neighborhood Level, Grant Drawve

Theses and Dissertations

In the past, research has focused on individual-level characteristics in examining recidivism, which could, in part, be because recidivism relies on the offenders to commit crime. In short, people recidivate, so research focuses on individuals, the ‘who’. With such a spotlight on individual characteristics, other, potential influential factors of recidivism are limited in research. One potential aspect of recidivism research that may add to the understanding is that the offenders are going back to neighborhoods. The expansion of research on recidivism to examine the neighborhood factors builds from identify the ‘who’ and working towards understanding the ‘where’. The purpose of …

Women Workin’ It In Gis: A Mixed Methods Study Of Underrepresentation And The Gendered Experience Among Female Gis Practitioners, Livia M. Betancourt Mazur

Theses and Dissertations

Through novel empirical research, this thesis explores the experience of women working in the professional field of geographic information systems (GIS), adding to GIS literature, as well as to academic geography and wider science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) discourses, addressing gaps in these bodies of knowledge.