Digital Commons Network^™

The Catastrophe Artists: Understanding America’S Unaccountable Foreign Policy Elite, Samuel Fraser

CMC Senior Theses

The 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq was a foreign policy action that violated international law, was based on false premises, and came to represent a clear and costly political disaster for the United States and Iraq. Why then, did none of the top policymakers responsible for the decision to invade face meaningful consequences – be they professional consequences, or legal ones? Why too have so many of the media figures who helped sell this war to the American public remained in their prestigious positions, with massive platforms to influence the American people?

This paper argues that the above groups, referred …

Mississippi Semester: New Social Justice Approach To Teaching Empirical Reasoning In Context, Premilla Nadasen, Fatima Koli, Alisa B. Rod, David Weiman

Numeracy

Under the direction of Professor Premilla Nadasen at Barnard College, the course “Mississippi Semester,” brings together a small group of undergraduate students in a collaborative action-driven project with Mississippi Low-Income Child-Care Initiative, an advocacy organization of women on welfare and child-care providers, based in Biloxi, MS. Students worked closely with members of Mississippi Low-Income Child-Care Initiative to develop an Economic Security Index for women in Mississippi which the organization will use to educate their constituency and to further their advocacy work.. We have partnered with the Barnard Empirical Reasoning Center to utilize census data and GIS to digitally map the …

The Effects And Experiences Of Stigma In The Minneapolis Strip Club Industry, Machensey Shelgren

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Utilizing participatory action research with dancers in the Minneapolis strip club industry, the present study examined current dancers’ experiences with stigma, its effects on their quality of life, and stigma management techniques. The present multi-methods study involved an initial survey and follow-up interviews with approximately 60 current dancers within Minneapolis strip clubs. Participants reported experiencing stigma in personal relationships and in the workplace, discrimination by landlords and future employers. Through thematic analysis, seven key themes were identified: dancer identity, assumptions made, loss of social support, profession weaponized against them, housing discrimination, lack of employment mobility, and identity concealment as stigma …

Framing Discrepancies: A Comparison Of Sex Offender Notification Meetings Between Minnesota Sex Offender Program And Minnesota Department Of Corrections., Justina Bakker

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The purpose of this research was to assess if there are similarities and / or in how sex offender notification meetings are conducted by two different agencies who are not legally bound to assist in these meetings, but provide assistance, upon the release of sex offenders from custody. The agencies are the Minnesota Department of Corrections who release sex offender after their completion of custody sentences and the Minnesota Sex Offender Program who release sex offenders upon completion of treatment. Interviews were conducted with professional staff from the both agencies. Analyses of the findings of these interviews, along with an …

Deafness And Trauma: A Preliminary Investigation Of Trauma Within Deaf Domestic Violence Survivors, Kabrianna A. Tamura

Master of Arts in Criminal Justice Theses

Deaf individuals in the United States face an increased risk of criminal victimization than their hearing counterparts. In particular, Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing are at a significantly higher risk of becoming victims of domestic violence. Unfortunately, the few scholarly studies that exist reveal that survivors within the Deaf population experience significant barriers when attempting to seek mental health treatment. Likewise, there is a significant lack of literature on extant psychometric tools available to measure trauma and PTSD within the Deaf community. This study analyzes the psychometric properties of the PTSD Checklist-5 (PCL-5) and the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) in a …

Assessing Public Priorities For Police Oversight In King County, Toshiko G. Hasegawa

Master of Arts in Criminal Justice Theses

Over the last century, police oversight offices emerged to address police misconduct and promote public confidence, including four oversight offices within King County. Although oversight offices are intended to represent the interests of the public, they rarely or irregularly solicit public opinion. An online survey was developed to answer the general research question, “What are the public’s priorities for police oversight in King County?” and it appears to be the first attitudinal survey of its kind in the United States. A total of 1,700 survey responses were recorded, of which 1,110 were completed with 60% or higher item response by …

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 …

Human Trafficking Crime Awareness Among Remote Communities In Central Vietnam, Ngoc Tb Nguyen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Human trafficking crime is rising globally at an alarming rate, and Vietnam is one of the nations with the highest prevalence of trafficking female victims for forced sex services and forced marriages. This study explored human trafficking awareness in remote communities of central Vietnam and the factors for young girls dropping out of school for work at an early age. The study also investigated the link between gender inequality and the child labor problem in these communities. There is no extant empirical research pertaining to human trafficking awareness in the remote communities of central Vietnam. This research fills this gap …

Early Childhood Education Trainers' Knowledge And Use Of Andragogical Principles, Kimberly Thornton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Early childhood education (ECE) teachers often lack the experience and skills to provide children with supports necessary to foster academic and social skill development. Professional development can improve ECE teachers' skills, but ECE trainers often lack understanding of adult learning principles, known as andragogy. Knowles' conceptual framework of andragogy was used to explore the knowledge and use of andragogical principles of 8 ECE trainers selected via criterion-based purposive sampling. The research questions focused on ECE trainers' knowledge and use of andragogical principles. Three cases, each consisting of 2 or 3 live professional development trainings for early childhood educators, were used …

Intake Case Managers' Perspectives On Rural Veteran Homelessness, Amanda Eun Jee Webreck

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Homeless research has focused on the service-directed approach, but few qualitative studies have focused on the critical and sensitive nature of the intake process. Staff in rural and remote communities struggle to refer services and mainstream resources to homeless veterans. The purpose of this case study was to explore case managers' perspectives on intake procedures in rural Pennsylvania communities. Lewin's force field analysis was used as a theoretical basis to examine the rationale for behaviors and forces that impact an individual's state. Six case managers and 1 supervisor were selected for face-to-face interviews based on their experience, job duties, and …

Service Delivery Agents' Perceptions Of The Impact Of Panhandling Policy In Virginia, Nancy Brown

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Panhandling (also called begging and mendicancy) has been a problem for lawmakers. Although current crime control measures (based on the broken windows theory) have identified a perceived link between disorders (i.e., panhandling) and crime, previous attempts to ban panhandling were deemed unconstitutional. The purpose of this work was to investigate the impact of the latest attempt to curb panhandling in Hampton Roads, Virginia, known as the Public Education Campaign. This phenomenological inquiry examined the perceptions and work-related experiences of service delivery agents to explore the impact of the panhandling policy on panhandling and policy enforcement. Purposive sampling was used to …

Save Your Breath: A Constitutional Analysis Of The Criminal Penalties For Refusing Breathalyzer Tests In The Wake Of Birchfield V. North Dakota, Kylie Fisher

Washington Law Review Online

Statutes that criminally penalize suspected drunk drivers who refuse to submit to testing of their blood alcohol concentration emerged in a number of states as a way to better enforce implied consent statutes that require drivers submit to such testing. In Birchfield v. North Dakota, the Supreme Court held that statutes that criminally punish individuals for refusing a blood test were unconstitutional but upheld criminal refusal statutes regarding breath tests. Much of the reasoning in the majority’s opinion stemmed from a shallow perception of the invasion that breath tests pose to individual privacy interests. Justice Sotomayor’s dissenting opinion noted …

Employer Perceptions When Applying Criminal History Information To The Hiring Process, Karen S. Levy Mccanna

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In recent years, the state of Illinois has joined the "ban the box" movement which typically prohibits employers from inquiring about a prospective employee's criminal history until it has been determined whether the candidate meets the core qualifications for the position. Little, however, is known whether this legislative change has impacted how private employers use criminal history information and to what extent knowledge of criminal history impacts final hiring decisions. Using Kingdon's policy streams concept as a guide, the purpose of this general qualitative study was to understand whether implementation of "ban the box" principles impacts final hiring decisions. Data …

Financial Accountability In U.S. Nonprofit Organizations, Evangeline Asafor Ngwashi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Financial accountability is a pressing issue in United States NPOs because there is a demand, by donors and the public they serve, to implement clear accountability practices. The purpose of this study was to explore and document the financial oversight and accountability policies and procedures that successful NPOs employ to maintain clear financial accountability practices. The theoretical framework underlining this qualitative phenomenological study was a combination of social construction theory and institutional rational choice theory. The research question was focused on understanding essential financial oversight and accountability policies and procedures that should be designed for NPOs to create and maintain …

Measuring Students’ Knowledge And Interest In Data Analytics At Pace University, Andres Zegarra Rejas

Honors College Theses

No abstract provided.

What Are The Best Practices New York Education Programs Use Within Prison Facilities?, Isabella Lupo

Honors College Theses

No abstract provided.

“I Need This Job ”: A Comparative Study Between A Student Leader’S Sense Of Socioeconomic Status And Their Sense Of Job Security Within Student Affairs, Servando Martinez

Honors College Theses

No abstract provided.

The Effect Media Has On Juror Bias, Tia Fasano

Honors College Theses

The purpose of the study was to illustrate the problems associated with juror bias and how the media contributes to it. The way the media portrays individuals, the language they use, and the pictures seen as affecting potential jurors when they determine verdicts of the people they hear about on the news. The study further investigates whether or not these jurors are influenced enough by the media to cause a bias detrimental to the defendant. The design of the study used multiple peer-reviewed sources, documentaries, and semi-structured interviews. Through these, information was gathered and analyzed. I found through the interviews …