Digital Commons Network^™

Media Effects On Attitudes Towards The Criminal Justice System, Emily Werner

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study investigated the effect of media on attitudes toward the criminal justice system. A survey was administered to 167 undergraduate students at East Tennesse State University in criminal justice and fine and performing arts classes. Respondents were asked how much television they watch, what their primary news source was, and how accurate crime-related television programs are. Multivariate analysis showed that age and major affected attitudes more than media consumption.

An Analysis Of Human Trafficking Victims In Federal Court Cases, Brandon N. Chapman

Sociology and Criminology Undergraduate Honors Theses

Human Trafficking largely affects over 160 different countries worldwide. Not only is it an occurrence in America, but estimates suggest that there are 14,500-17,500 victims trafficked into the United States annually. The U.S. has taken a direct approach in combating this social injustice by enacting the TVPA (2000). The purpose of this study is to empirically analyze federal court cases and address certain claims that have been made by critics of the TVPA (2000). The database constructed throughout this research draws from 354 federal human trafficking court cases and uses variables to create data from case descriptions. This thesis analyzes …

Opportunity, Temporal Patterns, And Successful Outcomes Of Far-Right Terrorism Incidents In The United States, Brent Ryan Klein

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the impact that far-right terrorism opportunity structures and temporal patterns of precursor activity have on incident outcomes. Data from the American Terrorism Study (ATS) are extracted for several attributes of far-right opportunity, in addition to measures for temporal patterns of planning and preparatory behaviors. Bivariate and multivariate findings generally support expectations that target attractiveness and vulnerability, far-right group structures, and patterns of precursor activity are significantly associated with incident outcomes. The paper concludes with suggestions for future research and several implications for homeland security policy.

Policing And The Likelihood Of Terrorism: A Community Structural Approach To An Uncertain Relationship, Andy Bellamy Brooks

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Prior research on terrorism has argued that local law enforcement play an important role in counterterrorism though the mechanisms by which the police should prevent terrorism are empirically unsettled and atheoretical in nature. Even less understood is how policing might differentially impact terrorism across specific ideological movements (e.g., far-right, environmental, Islamic extremism). Drawing from prominent sociological and criminological theories (i.e., Environmental perspectives, Social Disorganization, Conflict/Marxist) the current study addresses several key gaps in prior literature by utilizing data from the American Terrorism Study (ATS) paired with data from the FBI Uniform Crime Report and U.S. Census Bureau. Results suggest that …

Between Two Fires: The Origins Of Settler Colonialism In The United States And French Algeria, Ashley Sanders

Library Staff Publications and Research

This dissertation is a comparative study of the establishment of settler colonies in the American Midwest (1778-1795) and French colonial Algeria (1830-1848). It examines how interactions between the Indigenous populations, colonists, colonial administrators, the military, and the métropole shaped their development and advances the theory of settler colonialism. This study centers on the first fifteen to twenty years of conquest/occupation in the American Midwest, focusing specifically on southern Illinois and Indiana, and the province of Constantine, Algeria. Despite differences in geography, relative size of the military presence and Indigenous demographics, the process of establishing settler colonies in both locations followed …

What Is Jesus' Will?, Donald Roth

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

"The contract made in the Old Testament between God and His people has been fulfilled by Christ, and the blessing secured by that fulfillment ('I will be your God') has been granted to us."

Posting about the New Covenant in Christ from In All Things - an online hub committed to the claim that the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ has implications for the entire world.

http://inallthings.org/what-is-jesus-will/

Police/Citizen Encounters: An Examination Of Less Lethal Weapons, Their Effectiveness, And Officer Decision Making, Michael Moyer

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Law enforcement officers expect to be issued the most effective less lethal weapons to stop the escalation of force. At the same time, citizens expect law enforcement officers to utilize their training and skills to resolve situations with the least amount of force possible. This research project attempts to answer the following research questions: (1) What weapon, short of lethal force, is most effective in stopping the escalation of force? (2) What factors do officers take into account in choosing a particular weapon and why? The study results may assist local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies and policymakers in …

The Effects Of Real-Time Visual Performance Feedback On Teacher Feedback., Chris A. Sweigart

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Researchers have identified a number of instructional strategies as evidence-based for improving the academic and behavioral outcomes of students. However, teachers often do not employ these practices or rarely implement them at recommended rates, perpetuating a research-to-practice gap. Further, research has demonstrated that traditional professional development is often insufficient to change teacher practice; therefore, researchers have explored a number of interventions to supplement teacher training. Performance feedback is one such method that has a growing base of empirical evidence. This study explored the effects of visual performance feedback (VPF) delivered in real-time using screen sharing technology on a discrete teacher …

Capital? Child Rape : Does Public Opinion Support The Use Of The Death Penalty On Child Rapists?, Charlene Kaye Chudacoff 1987-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For many years scholars have quested to determine public support for the death penalty while achieving varying degrees of accuracy. Some studies have asked respondents to rate their level of agreement with the imposition of the death penalty for the crime of murder while others simply ask respondents if they agree with the use of the death penalty at all. The purpose of this thesis is to challenge oversimplification of death penalty polls while testing citizens’ willingness to impose the death penalty for the crime of child rape. Two surveys were administered, one survey with statements of five different crimes …

Learning Style Dimensions And Professional Characteristics Of Academic Librarians, Amanda Rinehart, Jennifer Sharkey, Chad M. Kahl

Faculty and Staff Publications – Milner Library

Do librarians with different characteristics, such as type of work responsibilities or age, have different learning styles? The authors analyzed results from over 1,500 responses to a version of the Index of Learning Styles (ILS) questionnaire based on the Felder-Silverman Learning Styles model. This model consists of eight dimensions paired on four scales: Active / Reflective; Sensing / Intuitive; Visual / Verbal; and Sequential / Global. In addition to their scores on the ILS questionnaire, respondents were also asked about demographic and professional characteristics. Statistically significant differences in learning style scores were found to exist between librarians with different types …

Do Irish Courts And The European Court Of Human Rights Have Achieved The Correct Balance Between Protection Of The Rights Of Individual Prisoners And Pragmatic Concerns Regarding The Proper Functioning Of The Prison System., Adrian Berski

Reports

Nowadays it is very hard to find the relevant balance between decisions of the Irish Courts and European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), regarding the rights of individual prisoners and the proper functioning of the prison system. On one side, the main function of the courts is resolution dispute, apply the relative law and most importantly: protecting the law and human rights. On the other hand, court decisions have to be based on the relevant prison and justice systems that applies to each particular country.

It is worth taking into consideration that decisions made by the European Court of Human …

Contrasting Perceptions Of Motivation To Change: Clinicians And Substance Abuse Clients, Arthur Tabrizi

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Substance abuse persists as one of the most costly, prevalent, and damaging health problems in the United States. As of 2012, an estimated 22 million individuals, approximately 8.9 percent of the total population, were diagnosed with substance abuse or dependence disorder. Considering the significant number of clients served, successful national completion rates among individuals utilizing outpatient care remain markedly low. In the state of Nevada, where the present study is conducted, successful intensive outpatient treatment (IOP) completion rate remains at an alarmingly low 20.1 percent. Early dropout is a particular concern in that duration of participation in treatment has been …

Intimate Partner Violence In South Texas (Rio Grande Valley): An Exploratory Research Of Latinas Of Mexican Descent, Georgina Villegas

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This is a qualitative exploratory research study of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) among a sample of Latinas from the Rio Grande Valley. Purposive and snowball sampling was used to identify 12 Latina victims of intimate partner violence. Respondents’ ages ranged from 24 to 40 and were born in cities throughout the Rio Grande Valley. Respondents participated in a structured interview process. Respondents’ descriptions of abuse included physical, verbal, sexual, and emotional abuse. Interview results produced 12 distinct narrative memos summarizing respondents’ intimate partner violence experiences. Interview results were analyzed and revealed several themes and subthemes frequently identified in other intimate …

A Model For Understanding Structure Versus Agency In The Participation Of Minors In The Commercial Sex Market, Courtney Thrash

Department of Sociology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

In 2000, the Trafficking Victims Protection Act defined any sex worker under the age of eighteen as a victim of sex trafficking and exploitation, while requiring evidence of coercion for those eighteen and over for the same charge. This definition makes explicit a common conception concerning CSEC, namely, that their status as participants in the sex economy rests upon a lack of personal and legal agency. Research on female sex workers often focuses on their victimization, such as childhood sexual abuse and neglect. Conversely, research on male sex workers often ignores their possible victimization and instead emphasizes their drug use, …

A Legal And Policy Argument For Bail Denial And Preventative Treatment For Batterers In The United States, Dawn Beichner, Robbin Ogle, Anne Garner, Daniel Anderson

Women's and Gender Studies Program: Faculty Publications

Historically, battering has been a culturally and legally acceptable form of social control within the United States. This article provides an examination of how this legacy of social acceptance has influenced the development of laws and social policies related to battering. We provide a critique of our current approach to battering and our historical reliance on private or social helping agencies intended to hide and protect victims. We call for a transformation of our current policies that provides for the removal of the batterer—not the victim and her children—from the family home through a process of bail denial and preventative …

The Bioarchaeology Of Social Order: Cooperation And Conflict Among The Mimbres (Ad 550-1300), Kathryn Mary Baustian

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Interpersonal conflict, social control, and culturally sanctioned violence are all potential modes of effecting change amongst most human groups. This research investigates the complex relationship between interpersonal violence, human skeletal biology, and social identity among prehistoric agricultural communities in the American Southwest. Using bioarchaeology as a research framework, the data presented in this study reveal patterns that can be used to better understand how violence is utilized or avoided in any time period. Bioarchaeology is well suited to investigate violence because it integrates the most direct evidence of conflict (traumatic skeletal injury) with detailed archaeological reconstructions of past human experiences. …

Analyzing Television News: Pro-Social & Anti-Social Effects Of Criminal Depictions & Information Processing On Race Perceptions, Eunette Gentry

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This quantitative research is a content analysis of network affiliate crime reporting statistics in Las Vegas. As part of this study, six months of news content in Las Vegas was recorded in order to gather pertinent sociological information about crime reporting techniques and its potential effects on public perceptions of crime and race. Pertinent issues such as media-image affect on viewers, biases within reporting information, and gatekeeping within the media are analyzed. This study adds substantive knowledge through empirical research to existing literature that asserts media depictions do shape and/or affect perceptions and attitudes about crime and race. Data sources …

The Effects Of Adverse Childhood Experiences On Subsequent Injury In Young Adulthood: Findings From The National Longitudinal Study Of Adolescent And Adult Health, Michelle M. Sotero

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The objective of this study is to examine the association between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in the context of family and community and the likelihood of subsequent unintentional and intentional, nonfatal injury in young adulthood (ages 24-32 years). Using a cross sectional study design, data from Waves I and IV of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent and Adult Health, a nationally representative sample (n = 14,800) was used to examine the relationship between 16 types of ACEs and a cumulative ACE score and the odds of seven injury outcomes in young adulthood. Over a third (37.6%) of young adults …

Human Intelligence In Federal Terrorism Cases, Noah James Schneider

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Though it has often been quipped that the September 11th attacks changed "everything", domestic policy alterations were among the most significant changes after 9/11. Specifically, the 2002 Ashcroft Attorney General Guidelines and the 2008 Mukasey Attorney General Guidelines were two of the most impactful policy changes following 9/11. These Attorney General Guidelines changed the way the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigated terrorism in the United States in addition to making counterterrorism the FBI's top priority. One of the ways the FBI prevents terrorism is through the use of undercover agents and confidential informants. How the 2002 and 2008 Attorney …

Treasonous Patriot: A Comparative Content Analysis Of The Media's Portrayals Of Daniel Ellsberg And Edward Snowden, Kaylin Mcloud

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

On June 9, 2013, the world was introduced to Edward Joseph Snowden, a 29-year-old NSA contractor and the man responsible for the biggest leak of classified government documents in American history. Almost immediately, comparisons were drawn between Snowden and another famous whistleblower--Daniel Ellsberg, the man behind the 1971 release of the Pentagon Papers. The overwhelming rhetoric surrounding the comparison was that Ellsberg was a true American patriot and that Snowden was nothing like him, that he was a traitor. Despite Ellsberg's own claims that he and Snowden are exactly alike, the media still finds Snowden lacking when comparing him with …

Explaining Bias Homicide Occurrences In The United States, Kayla Gruenewald

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationships between Social-structural characteristics and bias homicide across counties in the United States between the years 1990 and 2014. While there have been several notable studies on this topic, most have been conducted in single cities or at the state level, thus overlooking variations across community types for the broader United States. Moreover, scholars have failed to distinguish violent from non-violent bias crimes in their research. Drawing from several ecological theories of crime, this study seeks to contribute to the literature by asking (1) what are the structural predictors of the …

Framing Responsibility For Bullying: An Ethnographic Content Analysis, Kayla Knight

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the current study is to explore ways in which American print news media frame responsibility for adolescent and teen bullying. More specifically, how media portray responsibility for the underlying causes and consequences of bullying, as well as for responding to bullying, are examined. Drawing from media studies and the construction of Social problems literature, the study is guided by two broad research questions, 1) How do American news media frame responsibility for bullying? and 2) What news sources, or "claims-makers," are selected as authorities on bullying in news media articles? Articles published between 2009 and 2013 are …

Let Him Be An Honor To The Country: Veteran Violence And Public Opinion After The Civil War, Laura Smith

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the causes, perception, and treatment of violence and crime committed by veterans after America's Civil War. After an examination of the research problems plaguing the study of violence and crime among veterans, this study uses newspaper articles, tracts and sermons, the published journals and letters of Union and Confederate soldiers, and other contemporary sources to evaluate the presence and perception of violence and the hardships associated with the homecoming of veterans. Alcohol and drug addiction that began during the war followed veterans home. Discipline in the army was inconsistent, and violence abounded in camp as well as …

Failure To Launch? Understanding Variations In Emerging Adult Flight Patterns, Christina Ashley Williams

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

What does the transition to adulthood look like for emerging adults? This study proposes that popular cultural ideas like "failure to launch" imply an oversimplified dichotomy that does not account for the multiple "flight patterns" into adulthood. Focusing on the narratives of six interview cases selected from the larger sample of interviewees from Wave 4 of the National Study of Youth and Religion and drawing on the quantitative data from the broader survey sample, this mixed-methods approach examines in-depth, narrative experiences and the ways structural barriers vary between upper-middle, lower-middle, and working class emerging adults. We find that emerging adulthood …

A Portrait Of Chinese Americans: From The Perspective Of Assimilation, Wei Bai

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

With more than 40 million immigrants, the United States is the major destination for most international migrants. It has always been so because America is a nation of immigrants. The United States has been shaped by four waves of immigration, and unlike previous waves, in the past 50 years immigrants have come from Latin America and Asia more than other regions of the world. Chinese immigration is the focus of this thesis. Chinese people have been present in this society from before the Revolutionary War, and their story is a complex one--one marked by rapid growth, discrimination, exclusion, acceptance, more …

Concentrated Disadvantage And Coercive Mobility: A Longitudinal Analysis Of The Impact Of Coercive Mobility, Megan Nicole Handley

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the impact of incarceration, or coercive mobility, on concentrated disadvantage, testing an essential component of the theoretical model proposed by Todd Clear and Dina Rose (1998) and elaborated by Clear (2007). These authors argue that while concentrated economic disadvantage may lead to high crime rates, chronically high rates of incarceration may operate as a type of "coercive mobility," exacerbating concentrated disadvantage and increasing crime rates, especially in high-minority urban communities. The study also examines the importance of religious congregations, as a measure of community Social capital, which may moderate the relationship between coercive mobility and concentrated disadvantage. …

Racial Mirroring, Dawinder S. Sidhu

Faculty Scholarship

“Racial mirroring” refers to efforts by one group to match the primary racial composition of another group. In contrast to racial balancing, which takes place when two groups are adjusted simultaneously to achieve a desired degree of racial equilibrium between them, racial mirroring occurs when the racial makeup of one group is adjusted so as to reflect the predominant racial identity of the second group. Employers and even federal courts engage in racial mirroring. For example, in order to generate trust among customers, employers have hired or promoted individuals of the same race as the employers’ primary customer base. Further, …

Immigration And Sentencing: Does Geograhical Region Of Citizenship Influence Sentence Longevity?, Oladipupo V. Adegun

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

A large volume of sentencing research has examined the effects of offender characteristics on sentencing outcomes. Most of this research has focused on offender race/ethnicity. Despite the growth of immigration debates in the United States, there is limited knowledge on the role played by citizenship status. The current study builds upon that body of sentencing literature by going beyond the examination of the legal status of offenders to explore whether sentencing outcomes vary according to geographical location of citizenship. Specifically, federal sentencing data is used to assess whether the length of sentence for non-US citizens convicted of drug trafficking is …

Alcohol Outlets, Social Disorganization, And Robberies: Accounting For Neighborhood Characteristics And Alcohol Outlet Types, Aleksandra J. Snowden, Tina L. Freiburger

Social and Cultural Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

We estimated spatially lagged regression and spatial regime models to determine if the variation in total, on-premise, and off-premise alcohol outlet density is related to robbery density, while controlling for direct and moderating effects of social disorganization. Results suggest that the relationship between alcohol outlet density and robbery density is sensitive to the measurement of social disorganization levels. Total alcohol outlet density and off-premise alcohol outlet density were significantly associated with robbery density when social disorganization variables were included separately in the models. However, when social disorganization levels were captured as a four item index, only the association between off-premise …

Attitudes Toward Refugees Entering The United States Of America, Sarah M. Bullard

Honors Theses

According the estimates by the United Nations, there are nearly fifty-million refugees in the world. Because attitudes toward refugees could influence government refugee policies, it is important to study the attitudes people have toward refugees entering the United States. To learn more about attitudes toward refugees in the United States, a survey was conducted of over two college students, asking how they defined refugees and who should be allowed into the United States as refugees. Survey respondents from all demographic groups were surprisingly accepting of all types of refugees. However, some refugee variables, such as gender and situation, and respondent …