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Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

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Police Officers' Perceptions Of Changes In Their Behavior While Being Video Recorded, Steven Patrick Ufford Jan 2019

Police Officers' Perceptions Of Changes In Their Behavior While Being Video Recorded, Steven Patrick Ufford

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Body worn cameras (BWCs) are a newer piece of equipment that has been issued to police officers in efforts to increase transparency and improve relations with the community. Researchers who have just recently begun studying the effects of BWCs have observed changes in behavior of officers who wear the equipment. Some of these changes potentially have an adverse effect on citizens and the officers who wear BWCs. Lipsky's street-level bureaucracy theory was utilized to examine police officer use of discretion when conducting field activities while wearing BWCs. The research question pertained to police officers' perceptions regarding changes in behavior while …


Mental Health Courts: Mental Illness, Diversion Programs And Recidivism, Michelle Blount Jan 2019

Mental Health Courts: Mental Illness, Diversion Programs And Recidivism, Michelle Blount

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many large urban juvenile probation departments have begun to utilize mental health courts to meet the demands of the increasing number of individuals who have mental health issues that end up in the juvenile justice system. Diversion programs are designed to keep youth in the community and out of the juvenile justice system, but it is not clear whether these programs keep individuals from re-offending. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine whether diversion programs used in the mental health courts are helping to decrease recidivism for juveniles identified with mental illness. This study was also aimed at identifying how …


Evaluating Counseling Modality Based On Recidivism For Misdemeanor Offenders, Erin D. Prisbrey Jan 2019

Evaluating Counseling Modality Based On Recidivism For Misdemeanor Offenders, Erin D. Prisbrey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Illegal substance use in the United States is a growing problem, and a western state has a higher than average rate of drug offenders. Many courts, including misdemeanor courts, have limited to no budget for drug treatment programs outside of the drug court treatment programs. As such, many court-ordered drug treatment programs, when drug counseling is ordered in exchange for a reduction in charges, are outsourced to privately owned companies. The drug counseling entails a single 8-hour outsourced drug counseling course, which includes either in-person, online, or correspondence-based counseling. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of …


Institutional Isomorphism And Human Trafficking Investigations, Regina Warren Jan 2019

Institutional Isomorphism And Human Trafficking Investigations, Regina Warren

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Human trafficking exists domestically and internationally, and each year thousands of men, women, and children are trafficked into lives of involuntary servitude. Law enforcement efforts to investigate human trafficking across the United States are similar in nature; yet, prior research had not investigated the possible causes of these similarities. Utilizing institutional theory, this research investigated whether institutional isomorphic pressures have any impact on the formalization of human trafficking investigations. Data were collected from 26 municipal police organizations in a mid-Atlantic state on departmental human trafficking policies and practices via Farrell's understanding law enforcement responses to human trafficking survey instrument. Logistic …


Unintended Consequences Of Dna Analysis Delays In North Carolina, Pamela Cook Woodard Jan 2019

Unintended Consequences Of Dna Analysis Delays In North Carolina, Pamela Cook Woodard

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The processing of DNA recovered from felony crime scenes often causes delays in trials of up to 3 years, calling into question defendants' rights to a speedy trial. Using Lewin's force field analysis as the theoretical framework, the purpose of this quantitative, comparative study was to compare the processing and reporting of results related to DNA testing in 4 states. Survey data were collected from state bar members (n=137), members of a professional law organization (n=149), and members of a state DNA laboratory (n=20). The purpose of this quantitative, comparative study was to determine whether these variables (interagency communications, staff …


Courtroom Psychology During Criminal Trials And Its Therapeutic Role On Victims And Offenders, Tierra Wilson Jan 2019

Courtroom Psychology During Criminal Trials And Its Therapeutic Role On Victims And Offenders, Tierra Wilson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the legal and mental health fields little is known about the therapeutic impact of courtroom psychology during criminal trials. The purpose of this research study was to investigate the inter-relating factors of law and psychology throughout criminal trials as experienced by lawyers and psychologists. Research questions explored the influence of courtroom psychology on criminal trial proceedings and challenges as experienced by both criminal trial attorneys in presenting mental health evidence, and by psychologists when testifying during criminal trials. Further exploration focused on the significance of courtroom psychology, and how lawyers and psychologists perceived courtroom psychology impacting justice for victims …


Psychosocial Consequences Of Parental Wrongful Conviction On Children, St.Jean Jeudy Jan 2019

Psychosocial Consequences Of Parental Wrongful Conviction On Children, St.Jean Jeudy

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This qualitative multiple-case study sought to provide an in-depth understanding of how children living in broken families-due to the wrongful conviction of parent(s)-developed psychosocial issues. The theoretical frameworks applied to this study were the social learning theory, the social control theory, the role-modeling theory, and the general theory of crime. A purposeful sample of 13 adults who were children at the time of their parents’ wrongful incarceration were drawn for phone and in-person interviews. The data were transcribed and analyzed to code, sort, and organize; to analyze connections in the information, and to compare and contrast cases. The multiple-case study …


Lived Experiences Of Hmong Refugees In America, Rocky Lo Jan 2019

Lived Experiences Of Hmong Refugees In America, Rocky Lo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Hmong refugees immigrated to the United States and have since experienced cultural differences that challenged their traditional way of living. The research problem for this study was Hmong refugees'€™ lived experiences in America because their experience was unknown and unexplored. Addressing this research problem was significant because it provided insight into their experiences and its impact on acculturation as well as distinct cultural experiences not acknowledged or noticeable with monolithic studies. The purpose of this study was to explore Hmong refugees'€™ lived experiences in America using Grove and Torbion's theory of sojourners as the theoretical …


African American Males' Perception Of The Prince Georges' County (Md) Police And Improving The Relationship, Katija J. Ra'oof Jan 2019

African American Males' Perception Of The Prince Georges' County (Md) Police And Improving The Relationship, Katija J. Ra'oof

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The shootings and killings across the country of unarmed African American males by police officers, has become a topic of discussion. Previous research indicates that African American males, in comparison to other groups, are more likely to have adverse encounters with law enforcement officials. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the experiences and perceptions of African American males in Prince Georges' County regarding encounters with the Prince Georges' County Police Department and how the relationship can improve. Max Weber's social action theory was used to examine perception and purposive sampling aided in gathering this information from a …


Waiting Times And Dwi, Court-Mandated Treatment Completion, Cailyn Florence Green Jan 2019

Waiting Times And Dwi, Court-Mandated Treatment Completion, Cailyn Florence Green

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Drivers under the influence of alcohol cause nearly one third of all fatal motor vehicle accidents. Ambulatory outpatient alcohol abuse treatment has been clinically shown to increase abstinence, which could decrease the chance of subsequent DWI offences. A barrier to successful completion is extended waiting periods prior to treatment engagement. The theory of patient waiting supports the longer a patient waits to begin treatment the lower the likelihood of successful completion. By exploring the impact of waiting times on DWI court mandated clients, referral courts and treatment facilities can work together to create a successful completion strategy for offenders. The …


Experience Versus Education: Empathy In Substance Use Disorder Counselors, Frances Malcolm Horn-Charnesky Jan 2019

Experience Versus Education: Empathy In Substance Use Disorder Counselors, Frances Malcolm Horn-Charnesky

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Empathy is one of the most important skills a mental health counselor can have. For instance, empathy plays a key role in retention and engagement in therapy for substance use disorder (SUD), which leads to improved client outcomes. Historically, SUD treatment has been provided by those in recovery with little formal education about counseling. Currently, academic requirements for SUD counselors vary, and most master'€™s level education programs rarely address SUDs. To determine whether SUD experience alone is related to empathy, a 2x2 factorial ANOVA was used in this study to examine the relationship between two independent variables (education status and …


The Impact Of Felony Criminal History On The Perceptions Of Hiring Managers, Larrica Mosley Jan 2019

The Impact Of Felony Criminal History On The Perceptions Of Hiring Managers, Larrica Mosley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Individuals with a criminal background face several barriers to securing employment, one of which is the reluctance of hiring managers to extend employment offers to them. African American ex-offenders are disproportionately affected by these barriers. The purpose of this study was to examine the attitudes of hiring managers in a metropolitan area in the Southern United States and to identify the factors that influence the hiring decisions of ex-offenders. A descriptive study design was used to explore whether type of criminal offense, length of crime, or race of offender affect a hiring manager'€™s decision to hire an ex-felon. The disparate …


Inferential Intuitive And Analytic Thought Processes In Criminal Investigative Decision, Melissa Ann Roy Jan 2019

Inferential Intuitive And Analytic Thought Processes In Criminal Investigative Decision, Melissa Ann Roy

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

According to previous researchers police detectives' decisional thought processes correlate with investigative accuracy and these decisional thought processes consist of inferential intuitive and analytic thought processes. Researchers have established investigative decisional dual process use but have not established United States police detectives' conceptualization of decisional inferential intuitive and analytic thought processes in criminal investigations in which they partook. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore 11 United States police detectives' conceptualizations of decisional thought processes based on criminal investigations in which they partook. Dual process theory framed this study. Using narrative inquiry research, individual face-to-face interviews were analyzed …


A Correlational Examination Among Law Enforcement Officers' Operational Stress And Media Consumption, Patrick Schmucker Jan 2019

A Correlational Examination Among Law Enforcement Officers' Operational Stress And Media Consumption, Patrick Schmucker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Twenty-first century technology advancements have made the consumption of law enforcement related information on different types of media platforms more accessible. There is a relationship among media consumption on various platforms (traditional, social, and entertainment) and the altering of societal and personal perceptions and behaviors. However, there is little to no research on whether media consumption alters a law enforcement officer's operational stress (OS). The purpose of this quantitative study was to fill this knowledge gap by exploring a sample of active duty law enforcement officers in South Carolina. Social learning and rational choice theories comprised the theoretical framework for …


Strategies For Nursing Staff Working In A Correctional Facility., Ima James Jan 2019

Strategies For Nursing Staff Working In A Correctional Facility., Ima James

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

As primary care providers in correctional facilities, correctional nurses are expected to balance inmates' healthcare needs with the security demands of the facility. This project explored whether an evidence-based education program could provide strategies for promoting health, a healthy work environment, and a sense of well-being to improve the knowledge, coping skills, and well-being of nurses working in a correctional occupational setting. Twenty nurses participated in an educational intervention project that was guided by the transactional theory of stress. Using a pretest/posttest design, data were collected over a 2-week period and calculated using means and percentages. The descriptive statistics using …


Citizen Perceptions Of Law Enforcement Shootings Involving Imitation Firearms, Kristine Angela Gregory Jan 2019

Citizen Perceptions Of Law Enforcement Shootings Involving Imitation Firearms, Kristine Angela Gregory

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this qualitative ethnographic study was to explore citizen perceptions of the phenomenon of law enforcement shootings involving an imitation firearm. A secondary purpose was to document knowledge of current imitation firearm policies and thoughts on the effectiveness of said policies. Kingdon's multiple streams approach was used as the theoretical framework. This theory addressed the sources of power that influence policy decisions, the stakeholders involved in agenda setting, and factors that shape policy debates. Data were collected using a combination of secondary data analysis, field observations and semi structured, face-to-face interviews with 23 citizens. Sampling strategies included a …


Middle School Teachers' And Administrators' Experiences When Students Transition, Thomas L. Jones Jan 2019

Middle School Teachers' And Administrators' Experiences When Students Transition, Thomas L. Jones

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Student discipline and subsequent placements are a common problem in education. This qualitative phenomenological study addressed a gap in the literature by discovering the experiences of middle school teachers and administrators regarding student discipline, classroom removal, and assignment of students to alternative education. This research describes the development of an interview protocol based on critical incident theory and demonstrates its usage in drawing out thick, rich descriptions which help increase the trustworthiness of qualitative research. Initial interview data are presented to highlight the utilization of critical incident theory to elicit specific information about how participants experienced various critical interactions that …


A Quantitative Analysis Of Re-Offense Among Delinquent Foster Care Youth In Georgia, Brian Keith Jones Jan 2019

A Quantitative Analysis Of Re-Offense Among Delinquent Foster Care Youth In Georgia, Brian Keith Jones

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nationwide more than 2 million youth are placed in custody annually, approximately 80,000 children return home, and more than 70% have a diagnosable mental disorder. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the outcomes of 311 youth released from secure residential facilities in Georgia between January 2012 thru May 2017. In the dataset, 136 youth returned to regular homes, 128 returned to group homes (GC), and 47 returned to traditional foster homes (TFC). The goal of the study was to examine the differences in probation outcomes based on the type of placement. For the purpose of the study, …


Marijuana Legalization And Traffic Fatalities Involving Cannabinoids, Mark Lewn Hake Jan 2019

Marijuana Legalization And Traffic Fatalities Involving Cannabinoids, Mark Lewn Hake

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Washington State and Colorado were the first states to legalize recreational marijuana. According to the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, the number of drivers who tested positive for marijuana in traffic fatalities increased 48% from 2013 to 2014, and marijuana legalization may have influenced this increase. Since marijuana legalization is new to the United States, the effects of this change in policy are untested in the literature. The purpose of this quantitative study using a regression point displacement design was to examine the relationship between traffic fatalities involving cannabinoids in Washington State before and after marijuana legalization. Rational choice theory and …


Reintegration Process Of Previously Incarcerated African American Women Older Than 50 Years, Eva Carol Brent Jan 2019

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 Jan 2019

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 Jan 2019

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 Jan 2019

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 Jan 2019

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 Jan 2019

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 Jan 2019

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 Jan 2019

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 Jan 2019

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 Jan 2019

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 Jan 2019

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 …