Digital Commons Network^™

Factors Influencing Millennials’ Perception Of And Attitudes Toward Therapy, Kaylee Jackson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The millennial generation (those born after 1985) appears to be seeking mental health services (MHS) less frequently than older generations. Additionally, this generation is reportedly more narcissistic and entitled than older generations and have maladaptive helicopter parents. One explanation for millennials’ underutilization of MHS would be to attribute this to their narcissism, entitlement, and helicopter parents. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether differences exist between millennials and non-millennials regarding their levels of narcissism, entitlement, experiences of helicopter parenting, and attitudes towards therapy. Additionally, the study predicted that increased levels of narcissism, entitlement, and helicopter parenting would be …

Equal Education For All: Myth Of Reality? Creating Teachers Who Care, Maya Ramirez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

All children deserve a quality education, regardless of their life at home, the availability of school resources, or even one’s criminal record. Though most current and aspiring educators would find this statement agreeable, the fact of the matter is that very few educators pursue a career in teaching inside a juvenile detention facility. Whether it is due to lack of comfort in this setting or the pre-fixed opinions about what someone who is convicted of a crime “deserves,” the reality is that educating privileged students is safer and more desirable. The result is that children who have been convicted of …

Restoring American Education: An End To Zero Tolerance Policies Through Restorative Justice, Mariah Berry

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Each new generation of children in the U.S. are becoming more racially diverse, yet the criminalization of people of color continues to be a significant problem. This research paper studies the psychological effects and the impact on education achievement that the current standard of zero tolerance punishment in our education system has on students of color, and highlights restorative justice as a better way forward.

The Relationship Between Mentally Unhealthy Days And Access To Healthcare And Healthcare Services Utilization Among The Long-Term Uninsured In South Carolina, Tamara Semaj Dobson-Brown

All Theses

Background: The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) made a tremendous impact on the nation’s nonelderly (ages 18-64) uninsured population. Despite the ACA provisions, they fell short of universal health insurance coverage; especially in states that chose not to expand Medicaid, like South Carolina. Those left uninsured are likely to experience great difficulty with the health care delivery system, especially in areas that have a high concentration of uninsured residents. Purpose: To assess the effect of psychological vulnerability, as measured by mentally unhealthy days, on access to healthcare and healthcare utilization among the long term uninsured in South Carolina. …

The Effect Of Long Work Hours On Workers' Health In Korea, Sang In Jung

All Theses

This study examines the association between long work hours and health status of Korean workers. Korea has atypically long weekly working hours, which raises concerns about workers’ health. To explore the impact of long work hours, I analyzed data from the 4th Korean Working Conditions Survey (KWCS) conducted by Korean Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA) in 2014. This survey collected data on various characteristics of a nationally representative sample of 50,000 economically active workers. KWCS aimed to estimate several parameters of the working population in Korea, including demographic characteristics, exposure to hazards, and health problems among workers aged 15 …

Differential Enforcement Of Title Vii Of The Civil Rights Act Of 1964 With Respect To Sex Discrimination, Tracy Leigh Garnar

All Theses

This study uses sociological frameworks to examine the effects that judges’ personal characteristics, such as race, sex, political affiliation, and political ideology, as well as personal characteristics of the plaintiff, such as race and sex, have on cases filed in federal appellate courts dealing with sex discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Previous research examining these factors have produced conflicting results. This study, using data extracted from Title VII cases dealing with sex from federal appellate courts from 1995 to 2002, attempts to tease out these different effects. Results indicate that the political ideology of …

From Mass Incarceration To Mass Education: Fostering Collaboration Between State Prisons And State Universities, Miriam Edwin

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Despite the demonstrated effectiveness of workforce development programming overall, and college programs in particular, in reducing recidivism and increasing post-release employment, the current landscape of such programming in the New York State prison system is fragmented, disconnected from employment opportunities, and serving too few people.

Given the role of the state in creating and maintaining the structure of mass incarceration, and the history of discrimination and segregation in the country and on college campuses, the public university system has a responsibility to provide educational opportunities to disenfranchised populations. The withholding of education – via the crumbling and deteriorating public school …

Whom Should We Punish, And How? Rational Incentives And Criminal Justice Reform, Keith N. Hylton

Faculty Scholarship

This Article sets out a comprehensive account of rational punishment theory and examines its implications for criminal law reform. Specifically, what offenses should be subjected to criminal punishment, and how should we punish? Should we use prison sentences or fines, and when should we use them? Should some conduct be left to a form of market punishment through private lawsuits? Should fines be used to fund the criminal justice system? The answers I offer address some of the most important public policy issues of the moment, such as mass incarceration and the use of fines to finance law enforcement. The …

These Relationships Save Lives:The Association Between The Nature Of Relationships And Experience Of Support In The Workplace For The Amber Alert Training And Technical Assistance Program, Kimberly Rutigliano

Education Policy and Leadership Theses and Dissertations

My research looks at organizational behavior as a resource to beleveraged for human learning. Two theoretical constructs guided this research, Team Member Exchange theory (TMX) and Social Network Analysis theory (SNA). The data for this research were derived from a case study of a subpopulation of the AMBER Alert organizationin Mexico.While no results were statistically significant, there was a weak association between the perceived support on the team (TMX) and the perceived strength of dyadic relationships (SNA) based on measures of outbound degree centrality (r>0.3). Graphical SNA analysis provided a more useful observation for a small group (N=14) than …

A Validation Study Of Blueview™ Gunpowder Particle Testing Kit, Hanna Lester

Honors Theses

The examination of gunshot residue is often an integral part of evidence processing. The aim of this preliminary study is to validate the use of the BlueView Gunshot Particle Test Kit in the field. This was done by comparing the results of the presumptive tests using the BlueView Gunshot Particle Test Kit to confirmatory test results using a scanning electron microscope. This study used both collection techniques to collect samples for presumptive tests and confirmatory tests. Gunshot residue samples were collected from the hands after a series of guns were fired, and positive results were obtained from the presumptive and …

Analyzing Palm Print Shapes With Pressure And Distortion, Whitney Grannan

Honors Theses

While much research exists on latent fingerprints, there is a lack of research on palm prints. This study aims to discover how the variable of pressure affects the distortion of latent palm prints recovered from a crime scene. This study used various development techniques to extract prints from aluminum Coca-Cola cans, white copy paper, and household steak knives. The collected prints were scanned into the AFIX Tracker system and an auto-extract number, based on the number of minutiae points, was generated automatically from the system. These auto-extract numbers were then compared to a baseline, which consisted of an average of …

Exploring Various Techniques To Process And Identify Latent Friction Ridge Details From Fingers On Semi-Porous Surfaces, Emily Campo

Honors Theses

Numerous terrorist groups in the Middle East have been recently making detonators for IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices) using items as basic as flip flops. Because of the semi-porous nature of flip flops, military forensic response teams have been unable to find an effective method through which they can identify, process, and lift latent fingerprints from the surface of a flip flop. The present study aims to use three fingerprint principles to formulate a reliable method that can be used for such purposes. This study specifically investigated the potential use of powders and cyanoacrylate fuming as processing techniques. The case study …

Distance And Sympathy In Public Argumentation On Hb 1523: Four Pastoral Letters Creating Value Frameworks, Jonathan Eugene Bridenbaker

Honors Theses

HB 1523, otherwise known as the Religious Liberty Accommodations Act, is Mississippi’s contribution to a larger national conversation surrounding the duty and obligation that states have to protecting individual liberty and freedom. Even further, though, lies a conversation about how rights and constitutional freedoms can be used to negatively harm and marginalize people on the basis of “freedom of speech” and, more specifically, “freedom of religion.” By examining four pastoral letters published by different Mississippi churches and religious bodies, I aim to show how both sides of this public debate are advancing themselves as the victims of some sort of …

The Effects Of Skin Tone On The Perception Of Discrimination In Young African American Women, Danielle T. Stamps

Honors Theses

This research focuses on the perceived discriminatory experiences (i.e. colorism and racism) that young African American women report as a function of their actual and perceived skin tone. Colorism is a form of internalized racism when individuals with darker skin tones are discriminated against by others. Each participant (N = 76) was given the Pantone Skin Tone guide and asked to find the best color (varying on undertone and lightness) that matched closely to their skin tone without feedback from any reflective surfaces and with a handheld mirror. Following that, the researcher identified the participant’s skin tone. In addition, participants …

Exploring The Relationship Between Personality Characteristics And Eyewitness Memory: A Test Of The Weapons-Focused Effect, Emily Jean Stahly

Honors Theses

Eyewitness accuracy is of vital importance in crime scene investigations; however, accumulating evidence suggests that eyewitnesses often show memory inaccuracies. One type of eyewitness inaccuracy is the weapons-focused effect which occurs when the presence of a weapon as part of a crime scene compromises an individual’s ability to recall other details about the event or scene (Erickson, Lampinen & Leding, 2014). Given the weapons-focused effect negatively affects eyewitness accuracy, the purpose of my thesis is to examine the extent to which the weapons-focused effect is moderated by certain personality traits. Of particular interest were the neuroticism and conscientiousness factors in …

Informing Consent: Medical Malpractice And The Criminalization Of Pregnancy, Laura Beth Cohen

Michigan Law Review

Since the early 1990s, jurisdictions around the country have been using civil child abuse laws to penalize women for using illicit drugs during their pregnancies. Using civil child abuse laws in this way infringes on pregnant women’s civil rights and deters them from seeking prenatal care. Child Protective Services agencies are key players in this system. Women often become entangled with the Child Protective Services system through their health care providers. Providers will drug test pregnant women without first alerting them to the potential negative consequences stemming from a positive drug test. Doing so is a breach of these providers’ …

Framed By Forensics: Fulfilling Daubert's Gatekeeping Function By Segregating Science From The Adversarial Model, Kayla Marie Mannucci

Cardozo Law Review

The note argues that flawed forensic expert testimony significantly contributes to wrongful convictions, undermining the criminal justice system's objective to acquit the innocent. It highlights how partisan bias, lack of scientific validation, and inadequate judicial gatekeeping under Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc. have led to the admission of unreliable forensic evidence. The note proposes a reform: requiring neutral, court-appointed experts in high-stakes forensic cases to ensure objective testimony and prevent partisan bias.

Breaking The Cycle: An Ethnographic Study On Hispanic Mothers In Family Drug Court, Rhonda Tyler

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this critical ethnographic study was to understand the phenomena of generational substance abuse of Hispanic mothers. By participating in family drug court (FDC), a therapeutic judicial program, rather than incarceration, mothers have a greater opportunity to address their substance abuse issues (Brown, 2010). Motivated to restore their domestic structures, FDC often allows them to address their substance abuse issues and regain custody of their children, who are usually in family or state’s care (Choi, 2012). In this study, generational substance abuse will be generally defined as those women who are FDC participants and have lost custody of …

Experiences Of Teaching Controversial And Emotive Issues In Terrorism Studies Courses In The Politically-Charged Classroom: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study, Blake Devolld

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to understand the phenomenon experienced by faculty members in higher education who teach courses in terrorism studies with curriculum containing controversial and emotive issues in a politically-charged classroom. The study included 12 college faculty members who taught courses in terrorism studies from several institutions of higher learning throughout the United States. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews, participant questionnaires and the collection of course materials. The data collected through these methods were analyzed using the process suggested by Moustakas (1994) to write a composite description of the phenomenon using textural and structural …

The History Of Misdemeanor Bail, Shima Baradaran Baughman

Faculty Scholarship

Bail is one of the most consequential decisions in criminal justice. The ability to secure bail often makes the difference between guilt and innocence, retaining employment and family obligations, and keeping a place to live. These implications affect those charged with felonies and this has been the focus for many years, but it affects even more so those charged with misdemeanors. A misdemeanor is theoretically a less serious crime with less serious consequences, but the effects on a defendant’s life are just as serious in the short term. There is a growing body of important empirical work that demonstrates the …

How Big Is Too Big? : The Potentially Coercive Effects Of Plea Discount On Innocent Defendants, Ryan Schneider

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

In the United States, approximately 95% of all criminal cases end in guilty pleas. Many scholars are concerned with plea bargaining’s potential to be coercive, and cite data on wrongful convictions as proof that an innocence problem exists. Estimates of false guilty pleas may range between 18 and 27 percent, though a true base rate is difficult to establish. Using vignettes, I examined the effects of guilt, trial penalty and plea discount size on plea decisions of adult participants recruited online through TurkPrime. Guilt was the strongest predictor of plea acceptance, but guilty plea rates increased for all participants with …

A Case Study Of The Umpqua Community College Shooting, Timothy P. Wilson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to examine the deadliest shooting that has happened on a community college campus. The following research questions guided this dissertation study: (1) What was the law enforcement response to the deadliest community college campus shooting in history? (2) Did previous mass shootings inform the law enforcement response to the deadliest community college campus shooting? (3) What implications for practice can be derived by studying the deadliest of these shootings? This case study utilized multiple sources of information, from official police reports, official institutional reports, archives of publications, and participant interviews from some of the …

Factors Affecting The Longevity Of Individual Terrorists, Madeline Brice

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine factors that affect the longevity of individual terrorists. Previous studies on terrorist group longevity have focused on the decisions terrorist groups have made rather than focusing on factors that help individuals evade capture. Literature also suggests that terrorists that manage to stay active may be able to use this as a valuable recruiting tool. This project examines six different relationships with longevity, including Attorney General (AG) Guidelines, demographics, ideology, level of participation, number of activities, and sophistication of attack. To examine these relationships, data will be used from the American Terrorism Study …

Examining Food Insecurity Among High School Students: A Risks And Resources Model, Jill Niemeier

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the relationships between food insecurity, risks, and resources among adolescents attending a large high school in Northwest Arkansas. In a sample of 1,493 students, in which the majority are Hispanic/Latino and receive free and reduced lunch, food insecurity relationships were first assessed controlling for a number of sociodemographic variables, such as ethnicity, gender, and social class. In addition, a number of risk and resource variables were identified at four ecological levels: individual, family, school/peer, and community. These risks and resources were analyzed using a three-step ordinal regression model in order to examine how sociodemographic controls, risks, and …

Black Islamic Evangelization In The American South, Chester Warren Cornell

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Broadly speaking, my research focus is on African American religion, with particular interest in the various manifestations of black Islam in the United States. I am particularly interested in the question “Has religion served as an opiate or stimulant for black political protest?” And my research attempts to answer it by chronicling the experiences of black Muslims in southern prisons. My dissertation builds on Michelle Alexander’s groundbreaking book The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness (2010). Alexander argues that African Americans were not over-represented in America’s prisons in the 1970s, but with President Reagan’s War on …

Process Evaluation Of Terrorism Amnesty And Reintegration Program, And Perceptions Of The Program Within Kenya Police, Resila Onyango

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

There are a few articles on front line officials as implementers of Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) measures, a gap the dissertation has partly filled by exploring the Terrorism Amnesty and Reintegration Program (ARP) in Kenya using both qualitative and quantitative data. ARP developments have occurred in a political context wherein foreign government have been eager to advance CVE and the Kenyan Government has more-or-less gone along with that. The implication here is whether such policies will be effective and sustainable in Kenya. Importantly, if we view Kenya in a regional and even global context, it is now something of a …

Swimming In A Sea Of No's: Controlling And Managing The New York Public Pools, Mette L. Jensen

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Swimming in a Sea of No's: Managing and Controlling the New York Public Pools traces the genealogy of the regulations, surveillance, and rules employed at New York public pools. The thesis discusses the intent and implications of the spatial strategies created to order and control the environment surrounding the swimming pools, and discusses how municipal public pools as specific, local landscapes manifest broader social and cultural processes. The main focus is on the transformation of the pools during the 1980s and 1990s, two decades after the fiscal crisis in 1975, when the pools had become defunded, dysfunctional spaces. By tracing …

The Structurally Adjusted School: School Restructuring And Youth Political Incorporation In Suburban America, Erin Michaels

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

My dissertation argues that key 21st century education reforms intended to improve education for Latinx and Black students are actually new mechanisms of educational inequality. I examine this trend in the suburbs where Latinx and Black populations are growing due to new immigration and gentrification. I show how state-mandated education reforms use conditional financing and coercive restructuring policies to undermine the school’s local control by tying major reforms to vital school aid and threatening it with closure. I relate this model to the Structural Adjustment Programs (SAPs) the IMF and World Bank use globally in order to coerce countries to …

Inside The Osborne Association’S Prepare Program, Victor St. John, Kathleen A. Tomberg

Publications and Research

The Research and Evaluation Center at John Jay College of Criminal Justice partnered with the Osborne Association as the local evaluator of the Prepare program. This project brief provides an overview of Osborne’s reentry program launched in 2016 called Prepare for fathers and father figures returning from prison. This brief provides background and context about the program and facilitation of the workshops.

Electric Light: Automating The Carceral State During The Quantification Of Everything, R. Joshua Scannell

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation traces the rise of digitally-driven policing technologies in order to make sense of how prevailing logics of governance are transformed by ubiquitous computing technology. Beginning in the early 1990s, police departments and theorists began to rely on increasingly detailed sets of metrics to evaluate performance. The adoption of digital technology to streamline quantitative evaluation coincided with a steep decline in measured crime that served as a proof-of-concept for the effectivity of digital police surveillance and analytics systems. During the turbulent first two decades of the 21^st century, such digital technologies were increasingly associated with reform projects designed …