Digital Commons Network^™

Examining The Impact Of Drug Court Participation For Moderate And High Risk Offenders, Kara Kobus

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of drug court participation among moderate and high risk offenders. While studies have found that intensive programs, such as drug courts, are more effective when focusing their services on high risk offenders, few studies have examined the relationship between offender risk and drug court effectiveness. Using the Level of Service Inventory-Revised (LSI-R) as a measure of offender risk, the study employed a quasi-experimental design to compare outcomes of drug court participants (n=228) and a matched sample of probationers (n=252). The analyses showed that drug court participants had lower rates of …

Structural Attributes Associated With The Prevalence Of Hate Groups: A State-Level Analysis, Paula Jean Kutneski

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

With the number of hate groups increasing 54 percent since 2000, it is important to understand what is triggering these groups to form in geographical areas. The current study examined whether structural characteristics predicted the number of hate groups within a state. Using hate group listings from the Southern Poverty Law Center's Intelligence Report and U. S. Census data from 2000, this study explored a state's racial and ethnic heterogeneity, economic disadvantage, and regional location to explain hate group existence within that state. Employing correlations, Chi-Square analyses, multiple and logistic regressions, and a conjunctive analysis, this study found that a …

Decentralizing Police Detectives: Increasing Efficiency Of Property Crime Investigations, Jon M. Zeh

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Beginning in November, 2007, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department implemented organizational changes to the Financial/Property Crimes Bureau by decentralizing all property crime detectives. Although no previous research was found on the decentralization of police detectives specifically, there is existing research on similar concepts that suggest at least two benefits of decentralizing police detectives: improved communication with patrol officers and increased efficiency of investigations. With these benefits in mind, the current study examines the following hypotheses: hypothesis 1: decentralizing property crime detectives will lead to improved quality of communication between property crime detectives and patrol officers; hypothesis 2: decentralizing property …

An Assessment Of Proposed Sex Offender Mobility And Residency Restrictions In Nevada, Samantha Dawn Beecher

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This research explores the impact of sex offender exclusion zones and residency restrictions proposed by Nevada Senate Bill 471. This law would prohibit sex offenders from being within 500 feet of places where children congregate and living within 1,000 feet of these places. Analyses conducted using Geographic Information Systems demonstrate the degree to which offender mobility, housing, employment, and access to social services may be restricted should the law be adopted and enforced. Data are also used to assess the potential impact of the law on victimization patterns. Policy implications, data limitations, and suggestions for future research are discussed.

An Evaluation Of Group Differences In Mentoring Programs' Perceived Outcomes, Jennifer Sue Anderson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Mentoring programs, like Big Brothers/Big Sisters (BBBS), focus on targeting at-risk youth in a preventative effort to increase pro-social behaviors as well as improving one's confidence, competence, and caring. These factors are important as they are indicative of the types of attachment bonds that insulate juveniles from delinquent behavior. Using data from a BBBS located in the Southeast part of the United States, the current study examined whether different groups of juveniles in mentoring programs are considered to be equally successful in promoting feelings of confidence, competence, and caring. Employing a series of one-way ANOVAs, no significant relationships were found …

Targeting Youth—Hit Or Miss? Juvenile Certification In Clark County, Nevada Examined, Brittnie Turquoise Watkins

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Juvenile certification is the method by which a juvenile may be removed from juvenile court jurisdiction and placed in the adult criminal court jurisdiction. In many cases, juvenile courts exercise judicial certifications, in which a judge determines if the case will be heard in juvenile or adult court. Many factors influence a judge's determination of certification outcomes. Legal factors include dangerousness, amenability, and maturity of the youth. Extra-legal factors include race and sex. Although judges are believed to be impartial, prior research has found that these bias factors may influence outcomes. This study assesses what factors are influential in one …

University Reporter - Volume 13, Number 09 - May 2009

1996-2009, University Reporter

This issue of the University Reporter includes articles on Padraig O’Malley’s “Forum for Cities in Transition” conference, Governor Patrick's meeting with New England Ethnic Newswire members, UMass Boston's recurring segment on New England Cable News, a conference on older workers and social policy issues, and other news from UMass Boston.

A Cross-Cultural, Comparative Analysis Of The Domestic Violence Policies Of Nicaragua And Russia, Jo-Ann Della Giustina

Journal of International Women's Studies

This is a cross-cultural comparative analysis of the domestic violence policies of Nicaragua and Russia. While these two countries have striking differences, they both had socialist revolutions that established workers and farmers governments. The Soviet Union was the main economic and political support for Nicaragua following the 1979 Frente Sandinista Para Liberación Nacional (FSLN - Sandinista Front for National Liberation) revolution.

This article examines the domestic violence policies of post-Soviet Russia and Nicaragua. While both countries have serious domestic violence problems, only Nicaragua is taking an aggressive stance to eradicate the problem. The Russian government barely even acknowledges that there …

The Impact Of Departmentalization On Sixth Grade Achievement On The Missouri Assessment Program, Shawn James Page

Dissertations

In 1950 the Missouri Board of education designed accreditation standards for Missouri schools. In 1990 the Missouri School Improvement Program (MSIP) experienced a major revision that required that all districts be accredited. A school could achieve accreditation by taking part in a five year review cycle designed by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESSE). No Child Left Behind (NCLB) was signed into law in 2002. The results were sweeping changes to the educational system(DESE 2006). One of those changes was an Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) standard. One of the most notable innovations of traditional junior high schools, first …

Making Sense Of Surprise Outcomes: Implications For Managing The Unexpected, Ronald W. Eastburn

Student Scholarship

We propose qualitative research to understand how financial institution management makes sense of decision outcomes that do not meet expectations, under what circumstances these experiences are likely to occur, and to what extent they lead to mindful management of the unexpected. This research will facilitate greater understanding of the factors that make some organizations far more capable and function far more reliably than others in coping with the unexpected, the unknowable and the Black Swan (Taleb, 2007), with resultant positive influence on firm performance. The conceptual framework for this research focuses on individuals engaging in managing for high performance in …

Board Member Behavioral And Cognitive Biases: The Impact On Board Level Strategic Decision-Making Processes, Bernard C. Bailey

Student Scholarship

Prior studies of board effectiveness have primarily focused on the relationships between board structure and composition relative to the performance of the firm. To better understand the role of board members in strategic decision-making it may be helpful to gain deeper insights into the processes and behaviors that are actually utilized during strategic decision-making both within and outside the board room. Of particular interest to scholars are the specific processes that boards use to generate quality strategic decisions. We propose research to examine the conditions under which diverse board members' individual biases, backgrounds and behaviors impact the collective strategic decision-making …

Board Member Behavioral And Cognitive Biases: The Impact On Board Level Strategic Decision-Making Processes, Bernard C. Bailey

Student Scholarship

Prior studies of board effectiveness have primarily focused on the relationships between board structure and composition relative to the performance of the firm. To better understand the role of board members in strategic decision-making it may be helpful to gain deeper insights into the processes and behaviors that are actually utilized during strategic decision-making both within and outside the board room. Of particular interest to scholars are the specific processes that boards use to generate quality strategic decisions. We propose research to examine the conditions under which diverse board members' individual biases, backgrounds and behaviors impact the collective strategic decision-making …

A Framework For Understanding Participation Among African American Adolescents In The Rochester Step-Off Program: A Foundation For Evidence-Based Strategies To Improve Participation, Roderick L. Jones

Education Doctoral

Out-of-school time programs (OST programs) are effective at improving social-emotional development and academic performance. Much of the literature on out-of school time programs supports the relationship between levels of impact and participation (Durlak & Weissberg, 2007; Lauer, Akiba, Wilkerson, Apthorp, Snow, & Martin-Glenn, 2006). Research suggests that low-income African Americans benefit from out-of school time programs. However, they are less likely to participate than their White and more affluent counterparts (Simpkins, 2003). This study sought to develop a framework for understanding participation among African American adolescents in the Rochester Step-Off Program (RSO) using the Communities That Care Youth Survey. The …

Consistency Of Cognitions In Remarriage: A Test Of The Consistency Tenet Of The Multidimensional Cognitive-Developmental Model, Janae Elise Campbell

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Remarriages have been increasing over the last several decades, yet little has been done in establishing theories and interventions specific to remarried couples and stepfamilies. Fine and Kurdek proposed a model specific to individuals in a remarriage situation. In an effort to validate their model, this study tested a key tenet, the tenet of consistency in cognitions, across spouses. Data were analyzed from the "Relationship Quality and Stability in Utah Newlywed Remarriages" study. With a sample of 449 couples, a series of correlations and backward regressions were completed. The results indicate that individual perceptions are more predictive of remarital quality …

A “Man’S Woman”? Contradictory Messages In The Songs Of Female Rappers, 1992-2000, Matthew Oware

Sociology and Anthropology Faculty Publications

Employing content analysis of 44 songs taken from the Billboard charts between 1992 and 2000, the authors find that all female rap artists in the sample included the cornerstones of rap in their songs: braggadocio, consumption of alcohol and drugs, and “dissin” of female and male rap competitors. More important, the majority of the artists had themes of female agency and empowerment present in their music. However, the artists also had songs that were antithetical to Patricia Hill Collins’ Black feminism. Indeed, a majority of the songs examined had women who self-objectified, self-exploited, and used derogatory lyrics when referring to …

The Violent Bear It Away: Emmett Till And The Modernization Of Law Enforcement In Mississippi, Anders Walker

San Diego Law Review

Sometime during the summer of 1955, Emmett Till left the bustling metropolis of Chicago for the quiet pastoral of the Mississippi Delta. Till’s mother had arranged for her son to spend time with his uncle, Moses Wright, who lived in a small town named Money, not far from the sleepy oak-lined streets of Greenwood. Only fourteen, Till knew little of Mississippi’s past or of its strict code of racial conduct, a code that was enforced both legally, through an elaborate system of statutory prohibitions on interracial contact, and extralegally, through vigilante action. Till’s unfamiliarity with local norms made him bold …

Peer Grief Support At The University Of Rhode Island, Ariana Darcy

Senior Honors Projects

According to statistics, 22-30% of all college students are within their first twelve months of grieving the death of a family member or friend (Balk, 2008). There are even more students dealing with the illness of a family member or friend. This demonstrates the immense need on college campuses for support for students experiencing loss. One of the most beneficial types of support are peer support groups.

Peer support groups provide an essential environment for grief that cannot be obtained from individual counseling. People experiencing grief are apt to feel alone. Members of peer support groups tend to be relieved …

Persuasion In Contemporary Presidential Campaigns, Dylan Moore

Senior Honors Projects

Persuasion has been the foundation and objective of political campaigns since the first contested presidential election in 1796. While this foundation has not changed, the methods of persuading have undergone many changes over the years. Persuasion tactics of past presidential campaigns have used mediums such as print and television but it was not until the last two presidential elections that voters had the internet to supplement their decision-making process.

It is with the rise of the internet that we can see the greatest shift in contemporary campaigns tactics. Candidates’ websites serve as a “one stop shop” for voters to attain …

Rationale And Proposal For The Establishment Of A Consumer-Behavior Curriculum And Research Institute At Syracuse University, Carolyn Meitzner

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

This thesis project was inspired by a course formerly offered by the Department of Psychology at Syracuse University, which has not been offered since at least 2006 – PSY 377: Consumer Behavior. Circumstances – including that the professor who taught the course left the university and that the Department of Psychology is uncertain about the volume of student interest in the course – led to PSY 377 being taken off the time schedule indefinitely, though it remains in the course catalog. The timing of the course’s cancellation is especially unfortunate, given that revolutionary changes in consumer behavior have occurred over …

Puerto Rican And Proud: The Varying Understandings Of Puerto Rican Identity Among Island-Born And Mainland Puerto Rican Students At Syracuse University, Marguerite Moore

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

My Capstone project examined the complexities within Puerto Rican ethnic identity. While this project did not set out to resolve one specific problem, its aim was to further explain the variations that often occurs under one ethnic label. Many people assume that ethnic groups are homogeneous, and I was interested in further exploring the idea and disproving this assumption.

Specifically, I was interested in exploring the various understandings that island-born and mainland Puerto Rican students have about their self-identity. Also, I was interested to see the ways in which these students manage their identities in the presence of others. My …

A Case Study On Graduates From An Online Certificate Program And Their Experiences Related To Engagement Practices, Lorraine Angelino

All Dissertations

The number of students taking online courses increased 146% from fall 2002 through fall 2007. In addition, the number of distance education programs increased 299% from 2000–01 through 2006–07. As the number of students taking online courses continues to increase, institutions of higher education will need to focus on increasing student retention and increasing student success. Low retention rates plague online programs that lack engagement practices. One method to achieving student success is engaging online learners early and often using engagement practices focused on increasing interactions with faculty, other students, course content, and members of the community.
Angelino and Natvig's …

Program: Jacksonville Historic Preservation Commission Preservation Awards

Textual material from the Rodney Lawrence Hurst, Sr. Papers

Jacksonville Historical Preservation Commission awards held on May 1, 2009

Que Ondee Sola - May 2009, Xavier Luis Burgos

Que Ondee Sola

Student publication founded in 1972, articles include: Plantando Semillas: The Latina/o Agenda on Campus, DALE: The Faces of a New Latina/o Program, Two ex-Puerto Rican Political Prisoner Visit NEIU, The Latina/o Wave in Student Government, Plan Colombia: The US' Secret War, Interview with Nuyorican Poet Willie Perdomo, A Reflection of 'Latina/o' and 'Hispanic', I'd Be Puerto Rican Even..., Memories of My Puerto Rican Grandfather, Poetry

Arrow's Theorem And The Exclusive Shareholder Franchise, Grant Hayden, Matthew Bodie

Vanderbilt Law Review

The doctrine of shareholder primacy has received substantial attention from its legions of proponents, its indefatigable opponents, and even its disinterested observers. The notion that a corporation should be run in the interests of its shareholders is the theoretical foundation upon which modern corporate law stands. Almost all empirical study in corporate law is premised on a notion of shareholder primacy, and these results would lose much of their meaning if the theory were somehow disproved. Perhaps most importantly, shareholders do in fact have primacy of place within the corporation, as they alone generally have the right to elect the …

Much Ado About "Nothings" : Ray Johnson And Fluxus, Tracy Ditolla

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Ray Johnson was a performance and collage artist who had a career that spanned six decades, yet there is relatively little known or written about him. After interviewing his friends and acquaintances I will bring to light new information and insights on Johnson’s work. In this thesis I discuss the performance art of Johnson and compare it to pieces by Fluxus and Happenings artists. I also address the influences that Zen Buddhism had on his life and work as well as his rejection of the established art world. I argue that Johnson was possibly the only artist to date who …

"One Of The Dirty Secrets Of American Corrections": Retaliation, Surplus Power, And Whistleblowing Inmates, James E. Robertson

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

Retaliation is deeply engrained in the correctional office subculture; it may well be in the normative response when an inmate files a grievance, a statutory precondition for filing a civil rights action. This Article, the first to address comprehensively the sociological and constitutional aspects of retaliation, argues for protecting grievants through safeguards much like those accorded whistleblowers. Part I of the Article provides a socio-legal primer on correctional officer retaliation by addressing the frequency of retaliation, its causes, and its constitutional taxonomy. Part II describes the elements of a prima facie case of unconstitutional retaliation under § 1983. Part III …

The University Of Michigan Dioxin Exposure Study: Predictors Of Human Serum Dioxin Concentrations In Midland And Saginaw, Michigan, David H. Garabrant, Alfred Franzblau, James Lepkowski, Brenda W. Gillespie, Peter Adriaens, Avery Demond, Elizabeth Hedgeman, Kristine Knutson, Lynn Zwica, Kristen Olson, Timothy Towey, Qixuan Chen, Biling Hong, Chiung-Wen Chang, Shih-Yuan Lee, Barbara Ward, Kathy Ladronka, William Luksemburg, Martha Maier

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Background: We conducted a population-based human exposure study in response to concerns among the population of Midland and Saginaw counties, Michigan, that discharges by the Dow Chemical Company of dioxin-like compounds into the nearby river and air had led to an increase in residents’ body burdens of polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), here collectively referred to as “dioxins.”

Objectives: We sought to identify factors that explained variation in serum dioxin concentrations among the residents of Midland and Saginaw counties. Exposures to dioxins in soil, river sediments, household dust, historic emissions, and contaminated fish and …

Strategic Idealizations Of Science To Oppose Environmental Regulation" A Case Study Of Five Tmdl Controversies, David S. Caudill, Donald E. Curley

Faculty Publications

Proponents of environmental regulation have catalogued various strategies used by takeholders to delay or weaken regulatory efforts, including (1) manufacturing or magnifying uncertainty; (2) demanding “sound science” (and thereby imposing unreasonable standards of evidence); and (3) data quality initiatives that permit deconstruction of credible studies by highlighting inevitable assumptions, funding sources, and areas for further research. Such strategies can be termed “idealizations” of science insofar as they rely on an unrealistic image of good science as somehow capable of avoiding tentative conclusions, institutional interests, consensual assumptions, and the need for further research.

The question remains, however, when does an argument …

Communicating Spirituality, Dying And A “Good Death” At The End-Of-Life: The Role Of Hospice Interdisciplinary Team Members, Jillian A. Tullis Owen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Hospices use interdisciplinary teams to aid patients and families as they cope with the imminence of death while helping them achieve a death free of physical and spiritual pain, also known as a good death. This study investigated the communication between hospice team members and their patients regarding spirituality, dying, death and a good death. Through 300 hours of participant observation and interviews with hospice staff at one large not-for-profit hospice in the Southeastern United States this project shows that team members understand patient's spirituality through a religious frame potentially compromising spiritual care. Talk between patients and their care …

Portland State Magazine, Portland State University. Office Of University Communications

Portland State Magazine

PSU’s alumni magazine, published 2-3 times a year. In this issue: A Professor’s pollution research places him in an elite academy; a new grant allows students and faculty to champion sustainable solutions; through willpower and scholarships, Caressa Sims is the first in her family to earn a university degree; for 20 years, alumnus Steve Amen has shown Oregonians Oregon; and more.