Digital Commons Network^™

The Effect Of Legal Status On Responses To Brief Motivational Interviewing With Substance Users, Thomas Moore

Theses and Dissertations

The effectiveness of drug abuse treatment for clients coerced into care remains controversial. Some studies find clients with legal pressure do better than those without legal pressure, while others report the exact opposite. Opposing views are often fueled by the wide-ranging models that guide delivery of addiction treatment. The present study examined how participants with and without legal pressure to attend treatment responded to a motivational (MET) vs. traditional (TAU) form of addiction treatment. Additionally, the predictive value of the Readiness to Change (RTC) score, from the URICA, was assessed across days of substance use and treatment retention. Legal status …

How Effective Is The 2010-2011 D.A.R.E. Program In The Mississippi Delta?, Ladetra Michelle Forrest

Theses and Dissertations

Alcohol and drug use are common among middle school students, but drug use intervention programs in schools can decrease the number of youth participating in such behaviors. More than half of Mississippi’s youth self-reported that they had tried alcohol and cigarettes, and over a third of them had tried marijuana. The Delta Council implemented its 2010-2011 D.A.R.E. program in 33 Delta middle schools and administered pre- and post-test surveys to participating students. Survey items were broken into five domains and responses were assigned a numerical value. Data were divided into subgroups, and t-tests were used to determine if the mean …

Blurring The Lines Of Traditional Gender Roles: Beliefs Of African American Women, Jasmine Abrams

Theses and Dissertations

Gender role beliefs of African American women in the United States should be investigated in a manner that considers their unique experiences and the distinct background of her cultural sharing group. In this study, gender role beliefs of African American women were examined by addressing the research question: What are the gender role beliefs of African American women for African American men and women? Eight focus groups comprising 44 African American women were conducted. Women were diverse in terms of age, religion, and socio-economic status. An ethnographic phenomenological approach was used to explore views related to gender roles among African …

Law Enforcement Intelligence Recruiting Confidential Informants Within “Religion-Abusing Terrorist Networks”, Hursit Ucak

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the motivation factors that make some individuals (terrorists) confidential informants. The study is based on the assumptions of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and Herzberg’s motivation-hygiene theories. Accordingly, main assumption of the present study is that some individuals with unsatisfied needs in religion-abusing terrorist (RAT) networks choose to become confidential informants to satisfy their predominant needs. The main hypothesis for the purpose of this study is “The individuals’ decision-making processes to cooperate with law enforcement intelligence (LEI) as a confidential informant is affected by some motivation factors during recruitment process.” The present study tests 27 hypotheses in order …

Design And Construction Of An Entity Resolution System That Supports Entity Identity Information Management And Asserted Resolution, Eric D. Nelson

Theses and Dissertations

This work describes the design and construction of an open source, entity resolution system that enables users to assign and maintain persistent identifiers for master data items. Two key features of this system that are not available in current ER systems and that make persistent identification possible are (1) The capture and management of entity identity information (2) Support for user-directed asserted resolution to complement automated direct matching and transitive closure Another important feature of the design is that the system can be easily configured at run-time into any one of four types of entity resolution architectures including * Traditional …

Socio Demographic And Motivational Differences Between Active Participants And Supporters In Pkk Terrorist Organization, Gokhan Koca

Theses and Dissertations

Especially for last three decades many of the scholars have tried to provide general terrorist profile, which is commonly usable for all terrorists. They were seeking to identify the process of becoming terrorist (Sageman, 2004; Russel&Miller, 1977; Strentz, 1988; Hassan, 2001). The main problem on those studies is that, without looking at degree of involvement of terrorist they just focus on “who becomes a terrorist and why” and they prefer to ignore different type of characteristics about terrorist. Yilmaz (2009) tried to underline and answer this subject by studying on arrest results about DHKP/C and Hizbullah terrorist organizations in Turkey. …

The Social Work Perspective On English Language Learners Entering Special Education, Kerry Fay Vandergrift

Theses and Dissertations

Grounded theory was used to examine the social work perspective on English language learners (ELLs) entering special education. Fourteen interviews were conducted with 11 current school social workers from seven counties and cities in Virginia. The resulting theory is that the core variable, supporting ELLs, is the best attempt to resolve the main concern, the disconnect between the needs of ELLs and the resources available to them. This grounded theory suggests social workers and other school personnel can support ELLs and avoid an inappropriate referral to special education through: (1) culturally and linguistically appropriate assessment outside of the special education …

Reducing Recidivism In Returning Offenders With Alcohol And Drug Related Offenses: Contracts For The Delivery Of Authentic Peer Based Recovery Support Services, Sarah Scarbrough

Theses and Dissertations

In collaboration with Sheriff C. T. Woody, the Deputies and other jail personnel, Kingdom Life Ministries (KLM) operates in the City of Richmond Jail. Aimed at serving individuals who suffer from alcoholism and other drug addictions, KLM’s programs offer peer-to-peer recovery support services; meaning people who are successful in their recovery deliver the recovery message. On any given day, rehabilitation and recovery services are provided to 120 men in what used to be the worst tier of the Richmond City Jail. A large portion of these men battle substance abuse disorders and have exhibited habitual criminal behavior over an extended …

Executive Functioning And Childhood Abuse Predictors On Laboratory Induced Aggression, Jessica R. Mugge

Theses and Dissertations

Previous research has indicated that neuropsychological dysfunction and the experience of violence during childhood are linked to the acquisition and expression of aggressive behavior. How these variables interact to influence aggression has not been effectively established in the literature, however. This study provided a prospective examination of the relationships between EF, the experience of childhood abuse, and aggression. Based on responses on a pre-screening questionnaire that assessed EF (BRIEF-A), 101 participants at a Midwestern university were selected for inclusion in this study. Fifty participants were classified as at risk for EF deficits (24 males, 26 females) while 51 participants were …

Assessing Deployment Risk And Resiliency Factors And The Adjustment Outcomes Of Police Officers Serving In Operation Iraqi Freedom And Operation Enduring Freedom, Paula Barrows

Theses and Dissertations

ASSESSING DEPLOYMENT RISK AND RESILIENCY FACTORS AND THE ADJUSTMENT OUTCOMES OF POLICE OFFICERS SERVING IN OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM AND OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM By Paula Barrows Davenport, MS A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2012 Director: Dr. Janet R. Hutchinson Professor and Chair of the Department of Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies The goal of this exploratory study was to evaluate risk and resiliency factors from the Deployment Risk and Resiliency Inventory (DRRI) in predicting post-deployment adjustment outcomes among police officers who served in …

Ending Homeiessness In The U.S.: Lessons Learned From The Veterans Affairs Five-Year Campaign, Amanda Higginbotham

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Egyptian Criminals In Suits- Analytical Study On The Criminology Of White Collar Crimes: Special Focus On Egyptian Cases, Sue Ellen Hassouna

Theses and Dissertations

Criminology is the science of crime and until the year 1939 crimes were limited to street or conventional crimes committed by criminals of lower socio-economic segments in the society. After 1939 the American criminologist, Edwin Sutherland, has challenged this stereotype of crimes and criminals through his introduction of white-collar crimes that are perpetrated by elite offenders. However, the term has been introduced and utilized for more than seventy years across criminologists and law enforcement agencies it is still a foreign concept to the Egyptian legal system; hence the Criminal Law Code is predominately focused on mainstream criminalities. This absence of …

Spiritual Economies: Redemptive Violence, The Body And Social Care, Perry W. Benson

Theses and Dissertations

“Spiritual Economies” asserts that the emancipatory drive in international social care to integrate spirituality and religion in culturally sensitive practice, is much needed given the demographic and social changes engendered by globalization. Ethical codes guiding the practice of international social care, furthermore, have mandated that spiritual and religious beliefs are an important part of cultural diversity. An extensive examination and analysis of the discourse on the integration of religion and spirituality in the predominantly secular social services, however, yielded a number of concerns among international social care scholars and practitioners regarding the inclusion of religion due to the potential for …

Juvenile Male Sex Offenders: The Impact Of Family Involvement In Treatment, Irene Arande Guya-Allen

Theses and Dissertations

Factors that relate to the recidivism of adolescents who commit sexual crimes have received minimal attention in the literature. This study examined the impact of family involvement in treatment variables for adolescent male sex offenders as well as the relationships between family involvement and other treatment variables. The independent variables included a) family environment b) family status c) socioeconomic status d) living status e) levels of offense f) criminal records and g) family involvement in treatment. The dependent measure was recidivism. Data was collected from archival records provided by Hennepin County Home School in Minnetonka, Minnesota. The results indicated that …

Native American Secondary Female Students' Perspectives On School Success, Frances Ann Rodenburg

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was twofold: (a) to gain an understanding of how students perceive their own academic successes, learning experiences, and factors that contribute to their success; and (b) to document oral stories students shared about their experiences through transcribed interviews. The information gathered was intended to support educators in understanding factors contributing to school success for Native American students. Students interviewed were eight female, Native American students in Grades 8 through 10, living in poverty, and scoring at proficient or advanced levels on their 2009-2010 state assessment in both reading and math.

Students attended various schools …

An Evidence Based Evaluation Of The Effectiveness Of Continuous In-Service Police Pursuit Training In Minnesota, David Seyfried

Theses and Dissertations

Minnesota passed a law in 1999 requiring continuous in-service training in police pursuits for all licensed peace officers in the state. The purpose of this study is to conduct an evidence based program evaluation of the effectiveness of this law. This study examines the literature and presents the findings of previous research on police pursuits, including a discussion of the implementation of police pursuit policies and the usual approach taken by most police agencies to address police pursuits. The history of events that led Minnesota to take a unique approach to the problem by adopting this specific law is described. …

Juror Personality And Legal Blame, Eugenia Vazquez

Theses and Dissertations

The following study looked at the relationship between self-monitoring and jurors' view of liability in a civil accident case. Some studies looking at belief systems and selected personality traits and have found conflicting results on whether or not you can determine which way the juror will vote on a case. Even fewer studies have looked at the Big Five Personality traits and self-monitoring. Research shows that individuals who are more extraverted are more likely to vote for the defense. This study had participants (N=147) take the Big Five Personality Inventory and the Self-Monitoring Scale, then read an accident scenario and …

The Development Of A Standard Of Care For Competency To Stand Trial Evaluations, Alexis Bowles

Theses and Dissertations

Competency evaluations are the most widely completed forensic evaluation and concerns have been raised regarding inconsistency in the quality of forensic evaluations (Bow & Quinnell, 2001; Horvath, Logan, & Walker, 2002; Otto & Heilbrun, 2002). Currently, there is no enforceable standard of care in forensic psychological assessment (Heilbrun, DeMatteo, Marczyk, & Goldstein 2008). The research objective was to examine practice procedures and explore the development of a standard of care for competency evaluations. The study aimed to answer 2 research questions: (a) What are the current recommended practice procedures for psychologists conducting competency evaluations? (b) What would a standard of …

The Development Of Self-Care Workshop To Prevent Vicarious Traumatization In Training Therapists Working With Sexually Exploited Children, Krystle K. Madrid

Theses and Dissertations

Trainees who treat sexually exploited children are helpless witnesses to long term psychological, social and physical effects of physical and sexual abuse trauma narratives. Trainees and those with limited training and self-care practices are at a greater risk for vicarious traumatization. Unfortunately little attention has been given to the experience of vicarious traumatization in trainees who treat sexually exploited children. In addition, there has been limited research on self-care training resources as a primary prevention tool against vicarious traumatization. The purpose of this study was to develop a self-care PowerPoint workshop to help prevent vicarious traumatization in trainees working with …

Factors Associated With Abstinence Among Older Opiate Users, Julie Ann Snyder

Theses and Dissertations

Factors associated with the achievement of abstinence were examined among 343 opiate addicted older adults (average age 56.5 years old) who were participants in longitudinal studies conducted by Anglin and colleagues. Participants' responses to survey questions on factors such as physical health status, mental health status, gender, social support, and Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) involvement were investigated to examine their association with achievement of short-term abstinence (defined as no illicit substance use within the past 30 days) and long-term abstinence (defined as no illicit substance use within the past year). Logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine the nature and strength …

Factors That Influence Program Completion: Predicting Kentucky Drug Court Completion Outcomes, Elizabeth R. Hagensen

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines data collected from Kentucky Drug Court to determine factors associated with program completion outcomes. Extant research on drug court completion outcomes is generally limited to individual drug courts and includes small numbers of observations. This research uses more than three thousand participant records spanning over three years from all Kentucky Drug Courts. Multiple logistic regression is used to determine which factors predict program completion. Participant characteristics, problem behaviors, and drug court variables are examined. Increase in age, earning at least a high school diploma, indicating methamphetamine or other stimulant as a drug of choice, and being married …

Multicultural Efficacy Among White Resident Hall Directors: Predicting White Privilege Attitudes, Sarah Jo Szerlong

Theses and Dissertations

This study contributed to the expanding field of research examining the various aspects of White privilege attitudes. This study extended White privilege research by incorporating the predictive relationships of multicultural efficacy, multicultural empathy, multicultural experience, and multicultural training in assessing White privilege attitudes among a sample of White resident hall directors (N =206). Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used in the current study to examine the mediating effect of multicultural efficacy on White privilege attitudes measured by the White Privilege Attitude Scale, Psychosocial Costs of Racism to Whites, and Color Blind Racial Attitudes Scale. Goodness of fit was not found …

'Reel' Gangs Or 'Real' Gangs: A Qualitative Media Analysis Of Street Gangs Portrayed In Hollywood Films, 1960-2009, Christopher J. Przemieniecki

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore the portrayals of street gangs as presented by a select sample of Hollywood films from 1960 to 2009. Using the theoretical framework of social constructionism and cinematic realism, a content analysis of 25 `street gang' films was conducted to (a) determine the comparability of depictions of street gangs in Hollywood films with those characteristics of defining a street gang in the law enforcement and academic literature, (b) identify emergent themes and patterns, including changes over time, and (c) address the representations of realism in the portrayal of street gangs as depicted …

Novice Principals’ Perceptions Of Effective Leadership Practices And Their Principal Preparation Programs, Melissa Y. Wilson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine novice principals’ perceptions of effective leadership practices and the elements of their principal preparation program that prepared them for the role of school leader. A mixed-methods study was utilized by the researcher to gather quantitative data through the use of an online survey and to gather qualitative data through subsequent focus-group interviews to address the proposal’s three research questions: (a) What are the differences (if any) between the perceptions of novice elementary, middle, and high school principals regarding the five instructional leadership practices identified by Kouzes and Posner (2003; i.e., challenging the …

Teacher Retention: What Motivates Highly Qualified Urban Teachers To Stay?, Orlando B. Milligan

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation was designed to provide insight into what motivates highly qualified teachers to remain in urban schools. Research has shown that the single most important factor in a child’s education is the teacher. Consequently, the issues related to teacher recruitment and retention rank as serious problems facing urban schools and the achievement of their children.

The purpose of this study was to examine what motivates highly qualified teachers to remain in urban schools and to identify factors that may contribute to the retention and recruitment of an urban teaching corps. This study also sought to determine if there …

A Motion Capture Based Analysis Of The Effects Of Body Armor On Shooting Posture, Christopher Blackledge

Theses and Dissertations

Body armor designs that limit the range-of-motion required for vital law enforcement tasks, such as shooting may be dangerous. Therefore, a posture based biomechanical analysis was performed to determine if upper body joint angles can be used to assess the effects of armor designs on assumed shooting. Participants (n=8) completed a battery of simulated duty tasks for three armor configurations (no armor, concealable, and tactical armor) while motion capture was used to compute included joint angles of the upper extremity and neck. In general, joint angles were impacted by armor configuration, and law enforcement experience (measured in years) significantly impacted …

Distance Education In Natural Resources: A National Study Of Inhibitors And Motivators For Participation In Distance Education Programs, Jodi Roberts

Theses and Dissertations

Distance education is an innovative delivery method that is gaining a great deal of attention on university campuses across the United States, as well as worldwide. While this attention may seem to be newfound, the earliest record of the practice of distance education traces back to Biblical times and was later referred to as correspondence. Land-grant institutions in the United States were among the first to offer correspondence courses to students who may otherwise not have been able to attend traditional university classes. While online education programs and courses across the United States have grown, from 1.6 million students enrolled …

Treatment Of Opiate Abuse: Increasing Patient Self-Efficacy And Engagement In Treatment Through Education Of Providers, Kimberly Wight

Theses and Dissertations

Opiate abuse is one of the fastest growing public health concerns in the United States and has far reaching ramifications that effect individual patients and their families, communities, and the healthcare system (U.S. Department of Justice National Drug Intelligence Center, 2010). It has been shown that there is significant gap in knowledge among healthcare providers surrounding the topic of opiate abuse and dependence as well as the available pharmacologic treatments that are available to help relieve withdrawal as well as help maintain heal truer lifestyles. In addition to this lack in knowledge there appears to be a gap in recognizing …

Examining Criminal Justice Professionals’ Attitudes And Responsiveness Towards Intimidated Witnesses On The Local Level: An Exploratory Analysis, Moon Michon

Theses and Dissertations

Abstract EXAMINING CRIMINAL JUSTICE PROFESSIONALS’ ATTITUDES AND RESPONSIVENESS TOWARDS INTIMIDATED WITNESSES ON THE LOCAL LEVEL: AN EXPLORATORY ANALYSIS By Michon J. Moon, Ph.D. A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2011 Major Director: Laura J. Moriarty, Ph. D, Professor and Vice Provost of Academic and Faculty Affairs L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs The study explored criminal justice professionals’ attitudes and responsiveness toward witness intimidation on the local level based on their occupation and region of employment. Intimidated witnesses are vulnerable …

Childhood Maltreatment, Coping, And Coping Self-Efficacy Among Offenders, David Guion

Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the relationship between childhood interpersonal trauma and coping self-efficacy, coping styles, and emotion regulation difficulties among male and female offenders in detention and diversion centers (N = 183). The coping-relapse model of recidivism posits that offenders’ coping ability plays a pivotal role in successful reentry (Zamble & Quinsey, 1997). Past research reveals that childhood maltreatment is associated with avoidant coping and emotion regulation difficulties, which could negatively impact reentry (e.g., Cloitre et al., 2009; Min, Farkas, Minnes, & Singer, 2007). The relationship between childhood maltreatment and coping self-efficacy has not been addressed. This study found that childhood …