Digital Commons Network^™

Fear Of Crime And It’S Effect Upon Opinions Of The Police Related To Police Professionalism And Police Efficiency: A Secondary Data Analysis, Brittany Bourne

Criminal Justice

Understanding what effects opinions of the police is vital to police officers and departments as it has been found that police are more likely to reach their goals if they have support, cooperation and trust from the citizens within the areas they work. That said, this secondary data analysis investigates whether or not fear of crime has an effect on an individual’s opinion of the police related to aspects of police professionalism and police efficiency. Initial results have shown that the higher an individual’s fear of crime is, the more likely they are to view police professionalism and efficiency more …

The Effect Of Social Media Use On Foreign Fighter Recruitment For Isis, Emily Schlierer

Criminal Justice

In recent years the Islamic State has been gaining strength and followers from around the world. Individuals from other countries will leave their homes and families after contact through social media to travel to Syria and fight alongside the organization. These individuals, known as foreign fighters, are not being evaluated in terms of environmental factors and reasons behind their motivation to join ISIS. While limited in resources and scope, this study is an attempt to raise awareness about the issue of foreign fighter recruitment over social media and point out possible environmental risk factors that may compel someone to join. …

Failure Of The Rockefeller Drug Laws, Alex Felker

Criminal Justice

No abstract provided.

Young Adolescents’ Gender-, Ethnicity-, And Popularity-Based Social Schemas Of Aggressive Behavior, Katherine H. Clemans, Julia A. Graber

Psychology: Faculty Publications

Social schemas can influence the perception and recollection of others’ behavior and may create biases in the reporting of social events. This study investigated young adolescents’ (N = 317) gender-, ethnicity-, and popularity-based social schemas of overtly and relationally aggressive behavior. Results indicated that participants associated overt aggression with being male and African American and relational aggression with being female. In addition, participants associated all types of aggression with high perceived popularity. The strength of endorsement of several subscales differed significantly as a function of raters’ gender and ethnicity. Findings highlight the importance of understanding how aggression-related social schemas may …

The Effect Of Classroom Walkthroughs On Middle School Teacher Motivation, Karen Dickenson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this pretest-posttest control group experimental study was to see the effect of classroom walkthroughs on middle school teacher motivation. The independent variable was; classroom walkthroughs and the four dependent variables were teachers’ self-concept of the ability to affect student achievement, teachers’ attitude toward the principal, teachers’ beliefs of the principal’s value and expectations for achievement, and teachers’ belief about future utility of efforts. The instrument used in this study was the Teacher Motivation Diagnostic Questionnaire. Sixty-eight language arts and reading participants from the grades 5-8 at 6 middle schools in Southwest Virginia were used. Six diverse public …

Justice In The Deep South: Learning From History, Charting Our Future: An Introduction, Sarah Gerwig-Moore

Mercer Law Review

Opinions differ on the principal role of academic institutions. Should Universities be primarily concerned with scholarship and research? With classroom instruction? With producing well-rounded citizens? Mercer University has long been committed to each of these three priorities. Decades before I joined the faculty at Mercer Law School, schools within the University were already working to make public service a priority, in addition to teaching and scholarship.

Following suit, this year's Mercer Law Review Symposium boldly moved to address controversial social justice issues.' The Symposium, "Justice in the Deep South: Learning From History, Charting Our Future," featured a powerful and varied …

Keynote Address, Stephen B. Bright

Mercer Law Review

No abstract provided.

Session Three: Learning From Innovators

Mercer Law Review

No abstract provided.

Binary Imprisonment: Transgender Inmates Ensnared Within The System And Confined To Assigned Gender, Danielle Matricardi

Mercer Law Review

It is June 26, 2015. The sun is shining, and the grass is wet with morning dew. Those unaware sip their coffee on the way to work, perplexed why so many rainbow flags clutter their morning commute. Celebrations are breaking out across the Nation. The United States Supreme Court has legalized same-sex marriage. Finally, the day has come when people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBTQ) are given the same rights as their heterosexual brothers and sisters. If only there was any truth to such idealism. To the contrary, there are still debilitating injustices against members of …

Officers Without Borders: Georgia Court Of Appeals Expands Campus Police Jurisdiction And Authority In State V. Zilke, Whitney Bly Edwards

Mercer Law Review

The deaths of Black men at the hands of law enforcement officers-or vigilantes, as in the case of George Zimmerman-have received consistent and sustained media attention in the United States in recent years. The primary incidents on which the media focused occurred in several geographic regions, indicating that the problem was not concentrated in only one or two "problem" areas. For the first time since the Rodney King beating in 1991, American society-at-large was-at least to some degree-able to see how often Black men are the targets and victims of police brutality, sometimes through firsthand video recordings of the incidents. …

Formative Research For Case Management Protocol Addressing Neighborhood Trauma Due To Violence, Azada Wan

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

My capstone project is focused on conducting formative research for developing a case management protocol to reduce recidivism in youths aged 13 to 16. This formative research will serve as a basis for Street Addiction Institute Inc.’s request for proposal (RFP) to Onondaga County Department of Justice. As Street Addiction Institute Inc. is currently in the process of applying for funding at the federal and county levels, the formative research I conducted by integrating knowledge obtained from literature, expertise of community leaders and professionals, and understanding of youth’s specific characteristics, needs, and risks, will inform the development of a case …

Race And Crime: Analyzing Race In The United States Criminal Justice System, Andrew Hintz

Honors Projects

No abstract provided.

Wrongful Conviction: Leading Factors And Compensation Policies, Christina Herrod

Honors Projects

No abstract provided.

Is It 10-4 To Be A Complaining Cop? Antecedents And Consequences Of Complaining At Work Among Police Officers, Megan E. Morgan

All Theses

Previous research has explored complaining in the context of consumer behavior and complaints made against organizations, yet there are gaps in the literature concerning complaining in the workplace among police officers. The present study explored the audiences of complaints expressed by police officers, the topics of dissatisfaction experienced by officers, whether expressed or not, and the organizational antecedents and consequences that may accompany complaining at work. Police officers in a suburban southeastern police department were surveyed to investigate these areas. Results indicated that officers primarily complain around their peers at work, and the correlates of complaining differ by the type …

Forensic Science Developments And Judicial Decision-Making In The Era Of Innocence: The Influence Of Legal Process Theory And Its Implications, Sarah Lucy Cooper

Richmond Public Interest Law Review

This article confirms the existence of these legal process-centric themes and considers some potential implications of these approaches. Part I briefly sets out key tenets of the legal process vision and provides some back- ground to the American Innocence Movement. Using examples from relevant case law, Part II examines the courts’ approaches thematically, demonstrating how the courts exhibit loyalty to the legal process vision. It also considers the implications of this loyalty, including that it can result in both the extraction of science from its social context and an awkward approach towards discerning between credible and incredible forensic science evidence …

America Is Slowly Awakening To The Structural Unfairness In Our Criminal Justice System, Mary Kelly Tate

Richmond Public Interest Law Review

Book review of Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson.

Bard Free Press, Vol. 17, No. 6 (May 2016), Bard College

Bard Free Press - All Issues (2000-2018)

No abstract provided.

Coming To Grips With The Ethical Challenges For Capital Post-Conviction Representation Posed By Martinez V. Ryan, John H. Blume, W. Bradley Wendel

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

In its groundbreaking decision in Martinez v. Ryan, 556 U.S. 1 (2012), the Supreme Court of the United States held that inadequate assistance of post-conviction counsel could be sufficient “cause” to excuse a procedural default thus allowing a federal court in habeas corpus proceedings to reach the merits of an otherwise barred claim that an inmate was deprived of his Sixth Amendment right to the effective assistance of counsel at trial. The upshot of Martinez is that, if state post-conviction counsel unreasonably (and prejudicially) fails to raise a viable claim of ineffective assistance of trial counsel, then there is “cause” …

Perceptions Of Intimate Partner Violence Among Heterosexual, Gay, And Lesbian Couples, Shelby M. Staab

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

The current study examined the perceptions of intimate partner violence. Data were gathered from Fort Hays State University undergraduate participants enrolled on campus and virtually. Participants were assigned to a four-level independent variable (scenario type). Participants were grouped according to their career goal, a two-level independent variable (helping profession and non-helping profession). This study suggests there are differences in perceptions among participants with differing career goals as they pertain to myth acceptance of IPV and homosexuality, and the type of punishment needed for aggressors of IPV. Helping professionals endorsed lower myth acceptance of IPV. There was no significant effect of …

2016 Spring Graduate Commencement, Lindenwood University

Commencement Programs

Lindenwood University Commencement program.

Fundamental Image Theory: An Integrated Model Of Trauma, Cassandra K. Sieg

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Historically, trauma theory and intervention has focused on “actual or threatened death or serious injury” (DSM-IV; APA, 1994). More recently, the field has broadened its consideration to a range of trauma and stressor related disorders, including perpetration induced traumautic stress (PITS; MacNair, 2015). Violence perpetration has negative implications on a personal, interpersonal, and group level, but a review of the literature reveals a significant gap in our understanding of perpetration-induced traumatic stress, including 2 fundamental questions: how does perpetrating violence cause trauma, and how can we treat this trauma? None of the existing psychological models adequately answer the first question, …

Police Use Of Force With The Mentally Ill, Chelsea Moore

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Police officers experience many difficult situations in their line of duty, but two situations stand out as particularly unsettling for police officers: when they interact with people who are (a) under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and when (b) people appear to be suffering from serious mental illness (Kaminski, DiGiovanni, & Downs, 2004). This study explores the impact of these conditions on whether or not police officers resort to using force within a Northwestern metropolitan police department. A set of archival data consisting of force incidents was divided into four subgroups depending on subject (suspect) substance use and mental …

Challenges Of Providing Security In Lagos State: The Case Of Corporate Private Security Organizations, Oluwakemi Omotoso

African Journal of Criminology and Justice Studies

The existence and rapid growth of Corporate Private Security Organizations (CPSOs) have created new opportunities and challenges. To regulate the CPSOs effectively, this study investigated the challenges of CPSOs in crime prevention in Lagos State. Data were obtained using a combination of a questionnaire, In-depth Interview (IDI) and Key informant Interview (KII) methods. Copies of the questionnaire were administered to 1,200 respondents in gated neighborhoods in four local government areas (LGAs) of Lagos State, namely Island, Shomolu, Ikeja and Amuwo/Odofin LGAs. Thirty IDIs were conducted with members of staff and management of corporate companies, corporate guards, and proprietors of CPSOs. …

The Spectre Of Terrorism And Nigeria’S Industrial Development: A Multi-Stakeholder Imperative, David Imhonopi, Ugochukwu Moses Urim

African Journal of Criminology and Justice Studies

Since 2009, Nigeria has gradually slipped into a terrorist enclave where terror acts have become the regular signature of the country’s social memoirs. Aside the complex permutations of socio-economic and political upheavals already facing the polity, the sudden emergence of a supercilious army of terror extremists has not only exposed the polity’s unpreparedness for such an intimidating challenge, but has also brought a spectral bite to industrial development. Efforts to achieve development in industry in the country, a strong criterion for economic development and the improvement of the country’s Human Development Indices may continue to suffer setbacks in the face …

Occult Practices Against Crime In Mali, Kansaye Bourema

African Journal of Criminology and Justice Studies

In this paper, we examine the intrusion of sustainable local occultism in the fight against crime based on surveys conducted in Bamako and elsewhere in the country. Belief in occult local practices is still enduring among both offenders and police forces. Our field research permitted to identify some of its often incompatible manifestations with the principles of the Criminal Procedures Code of Mali, on which people place their trust. Almost the majority of the Malian people resort to them to settle some conflict situations in a context of crisis of confidence between populations and the official squads of crime repression. …

Criminality: Illegal Logging Of Woods In Nigeria’S South-West Forest Belt, Adediran Daniel Ikuomola, Rashidi Akanji Okunola, Adeshina Francis Akindutire

African Journal of Criminology and Justice Studies

The problems facing the rich forest belts in Nigeria have become so intense in relation to the unemployment dilemma ravaging most youths in several urban and rural settlements as well as the wide-ranging negative impacts on environmental crime in South-West Nigeria. This study examines the dynamics of forest exploitation, youth adaptability and survival strategies in the nation’s forest belt. Data collected for the study was basically qualitative, among a hundred and twenty-five (125) respondents in Ondo-Edo forest belts. It was discovered that a strong network of syndicates often (local and foreign) capitalized on the prevailing surge of unemployment in the …

Prevalence And Predictors Of Psychopathological Symptoms Among Inmates In Dilla Correction Centre, Snnpr, Ethiopia, Tarekegn Tadesse Gemeda

African Journal of Criminology and Justice Studies

The study examined the prevalence rate of psychopathological symptoms among prison populations, and their link to gender, age, educational status, term of sentence, crime type and district administration. Totally, 420 participants were selected through multi-stage probability sampling techniques followed by student’s t-test and logistic regressions were employed for data analysis. It was found that 48% (95%CI = -0.08, 0.05) of inmates had been experiencing psychopathological symptoms, which were not significantly different (α=0.05, p = 0.65).Furthermore, a set of predictors could reliably distinguish between inmates with and without psychopathological symptoms (χ2 = 145.913, p = 0.000, df = 5). Thus, except …

African Americans And Racial Profiling By U.S Law Enforcement: An Analysis Of Police Traffic Stops And Searches Of Motorists In Nebraska. 2002-2007, Ngozi Caleb Kamalu

African Journal of Criminology and Justice Studies

The purposes of this paper are to discuss the history of racial profiling; analyze the courts’ positions on the topic; define racial profiling; review related literature on the theme; analyze Nebraska’s law enforcement data between 2002 and 2007; draw appropriate conclusion and in the end make policy recommendations. It tests the hypothesis that race is a predictor or determinant of who (which motorist) and passengers the police in Nebraska would stop, search, arrest, detain or prosecute. Empirical data available is expected to show that there exists strong evidence that there is disparity in police stops, searches, arrests and detentions, and …

Socio-Cultural Conditions Of Victims And Their Crime Reporting Practices In Lagos, Nigeria, Johnson Oluwole Ayodele, Adeyinka Abideen Aderinto

African Journal of Criminology and Justice Studies

Socio-cultural conditions of victims are critical components for effective policing of traditional neighborhoods. Nevertheless, little research attention has been paid to how these conditions drive victims’ reporting decision-making. This study examines the influence of socio-cultural conditions on reporting among victims in Lagos, Nigeria, using quantitative and qualitative methods. Multistage sampling consisting of purposive and simple random techniques was used to select study locations and respondents respectively. Quantitative data were analyzed at three levels. Qualitative data were content analyzed. Logistic regression results indicated that respondents, who reported that extended family connections frustrate crime reporting, are eight times more likely to discourage …

A Study On Nigerian And U.S. College Students’ Views On Justice Issues, O. Oko Elechi, Eric G. Lambert, Morris Jenkins

African Journal of Criminology and Justice Studies

People’s views on justice issues are often a function of their socialization, the cultural norms, values and beliefs of their society. Views on justice often vary between nations. The current study explored and compared the views of Nigerian and U.S. college students regarding justice views. Nigeria is a developing nation which has a long history of informal restorative justice practices, but also uses formal government justice agencies to deal with crime. The U.S. is a developed nation which often relies on a formal state administered punitive crime control approach. Based on multivariate analyses, there were significant differences in views between …