Digital Commons Network^™

Rurality And The Opioid Crisis In U.S. Counties : A Spatiotemporal Investigation, Feinuo Sun

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Previous studies on the opioid crisis in the United States at the subnational level rarely consider temporal and spatial dependency simultaneously. Under the theoretical framework of spatial inequality, this dissertation aims to understand how the uneven development of the opioid crisis across the rural-urban spectrum has been constructed and evolved from 2006 to 2018. Based on a new continuous measure of rurality, a spatiotemporal dataset is assembled based on the Multiple-Cause-of-Deaths File and other federal data sources, such as the U.S. Opioid Dispensing Map and the American Community Survey. The methods include geographical mapping, fixed effects modeling, and spatial panel …

Crime And Safety In United States Schools : Selected Findings Regarding The Relationship Of Interventions On The Rate Of Student Removal From The Educational Setting For Disciplinary Reasons, Heather Chadwell Dennis

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Providing students with equitable and safe learning experiences is a fundamental right; however school districts grapple with balancing student learning and student safety. In the Brown vs the Board of Education (1954) decision, the court identified education as a basic public responsibility and a principal instrument to facilitate understanding cultural values and adjusting to a normalized environment in pursuit of later professional training (Justia Law, 1954). The court went so far as to indicate that the chance of a child succeeding in life is not likely if they are denied an education (Justia Law, 1954). The purpose of this quantitative …

Mic Check : Finding Hip Hop's Place In The Literary Milieu, Victorio Reyes

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The study of Hip Hop poetics has been slowly gaining momentum as an area for scholarly inquiry. Accordingly, Mic Check rests on one critical assumption: Hip Hop is the most significant American form of poetry ever invented. To back up this claim, this project investigates Hip Hop lyricism from five critical angles: tradition, form, tone, medium, and practice. I argue that music’s foundational position in African American literature clarifies Hip Hop’s experiments with language, which operate within and extend an ongoing, centuries-old tradition of linguistic, rhythmic, and poetic experimentation. Comprehension of the longstanding literary/oral territory from which Hip Hop is …

Supporting Teachers During Restorative Justice Implementation : The Role Of Silence, Reflection, And Dialogue, Nicole E. Menting-Wilson

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

ABSTRACTAcross the United States, Restorative Justice (RJ) practices are adopted with the intent to transform zero-tolerant and neoliberal school environments into cultures of care. RJ utilizes dialogue, reflection, and silence as tools to honor human relationships, build community, and respect diversity. Although it is known that school change is intricately connected to teacher change, there has been little attention given on how to best support teachers during RJ implementation. This study engaged seven teachers and one school psychologist in bi-weekly circles over a period of three months around the topic of creating a culture of care. The study inquired how …

Explicit And Implicit Attitudes Towards Prisoners: The Impact Of Level Of Contact, Samantha Peka

USC Aiken Psychology Theses

Objective: Prisoners and ex-prisoners face overt and covert forms of prejudice and discrimination (e.g., barriers to employment, housing, healthcare, voting rights). Fueling this prejudice and discrimination are implicit and explicit negative attitudes towards prisoners. Negative implicit and explicit attitudes play a major role into successful reintegration into society post-release. The purpose of this study was to examine if exposure to prisoners/ex-prisoners and political affiliation influence implicit and explicit attitudes.

Method: Participants (n = 73) completed a prisoner Implicit Association Test (IAT). Then, participants completed the explicit measures, Social Distance Scale, Attribute Questionnaire, Belief in Redeemability, Attitudes Towards Prisoners, and Prosociality …

The Myanmar Shwe: Empowering Law Students, Teachers, And The Community Through Clinical Education And The Rule Of Law, Stephen Rosembaum, Britane Hubbard, Kaylee Sharp-Bauer, David Tushaus

Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies

Myanmar's attorneys, judges, law officers, and law teachers are slowly emerging from the isolated world they inhabited during decades of military authoritarianism. Almost a decade ago, the country triumphantly burst into an era of "disciplined" democracy under the leadership of Aung San Suu Kyi, de facto head of state. Yet, the legal education system continues to be marked by hierarchical and bureaucratic practices, infrastructural and pedagogical neglect, and low confidence in the formal justice sector. The authors-two American law professors and practitioners and two students-discuss the direction of legal education in Southeast Asia and how clinical legal education (CLE) methodologies …

Technical Assistance Provision For Corrections: Improving The Use Of Actuarial Assessment In Case Management And Reentry, Michael Campagna, Debra O'Connell, Nebraska Center For Justice Research, University Of Nebraska At Omaha

Reports

The current project assisted the Nebraska Department of Correctional Service (NDCS) to develop the use of the Static Risk and Offender Needs Guide-Revised (STRONG-R) in case management and reentry services.

Alumni Matter, Summer 2021, Women's, Gender, And Sexuality Studies Program

Alumni Matter (2009-2022)

A bulletin of Illinois State University’s Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies program, Summer 2021.

General Strain Theory And Violent Behavior In A Military Sample., Leslie A. Greenwell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The present study examines violent behavior in a military sample through an examination of General Strain Theory (GST). The overall sample (n = 21,449) is made up of active-duty, national guard, and reserve U.S. Army soldiers surveyed from 2011 to 2013 for the All Army Study (AAS) component of the Study to Assess Risk and Resilience in Servicemembers (STARRS). The present study is a secondary analysis of the STARRS’ data. Overall, the results of the present study produce empirical support for GST. Binomial logistic regression analyses show that all measures of strain (e.g., deployment, health, and life spheres strain), …

The Impact Of Criminal Justice Involvement: Examining Experiences In A Housing First Program., Amanda N. Denton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Individuals who come into contact with the criminal justice system are more likely to experience housing instability and homelessness, which, in turn, increases the likelihood of subsequent criminal justice involvement. Due to a lack of federal funding, as well as disjointed and inconsistent policies regarding eligibility criteria, people with criminal records are unlikely to receive federal rental assistance. While the exclusion of people with criminal histories is presented as necessary to protect communities and residents from crime, improving access to stable housing may reduce recidivism, incarceration rates, and correctional costs and increase public safety. The present study examined the differences …

A Qualitative Study Of 129 Police Lethal Force Incidents In 2016 Examining Participant Behavior Relating To Mental Illness That Contributes To The Use Of Lethal Force., Edward H. Byers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This multi-case, exploratory research study examined videos and related news media articles of lethal police shootings and found commonalities and possible contributing factors. Videos and informational articles posted on news media websites in the public domain were used in a qualitative content analysis to identify common elements in police lethal force incidents. The results of this study revealed contributing behaviors by the participants related to mental illness that contribute to lethal force. The decision to use lethal force by a police officer is framed using four analytical themes.

“And The Next Day, You Are In Charge”: Policy Recommendations Stemming From A Qualitative Investigation Into The Professional Development Of Early Career Peer Support Specialists In Kentucky., Diane Zero

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Over the last twenty years, the peer support segment of the behavioral health workforce has grown rapidly. However, few researchers have studied the effects on individuals from transitioning into the role. Likewise, there is limited research examining the professional development process of early career peer support specialists. To begin to fill these gaps in the literature, I conducted a qualitative research study examining workforce development experiences of peer support specialists in Kentucky. This dissertation reports on its findings and includes a policy paper with recommendations for improving policy and practice. Chapter one offers an introduction to the peer support workforce …

Framing The Guard: A Content Analysis Of How The News Media Frames The National Guard During Times Of Crisis., Taylor L. Tolles

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A quantitative content analysis of 585 newspaper articles gathered from seven news sources that covered the National Guard’s response to COVID-19, BLM Protests, and the Capitol Riot were used to determine the prevalence of frames used to depict the Guard during times of crisis. By using the five frames found in media framing (Entman, 1991), the prevalence of frames found in newspaper media was compared to the prevalence of frames found to be used in times of crisis (Semetko & Valkenburg, 2000). The results showed that even though the Guard’s response in times of crisis is similarly framed as previous …

Perceptions Of Youth Of Juvenile Diversion, Lindsey Wylie, Erin Wasserburger, Anne M. Hobbs, Juvenile Justice Institute, University Of Nebraska At Omaha

Reports

Evidence-Based Practices Brief #6

The juvenile justice system was established under the belief that children who misbehave should be rehabilitated, but not subject to adult punishment. During the 1980s and 1990s, attitudes toward juveniles became more punitive and practices moved toward formally processing youth into the system;1 however, research demonstrates that youth who are formally processed may have worse outcomes than youth who are not formally processed.2 Juvenile diversion is one approach offered to reduce potential unintended consequences of juvenile court.3 The concept of diversion is based on Labeling Theory, which asserts that processing low-level youth through the system may …

Healing The Trauma Of Sex Trafficked Women In The United States: A Scoping Review, Erin Marie Laney

Social Work Theses - Archive

Women who are sex trafficked usually develop complex trauma and experience an array of trauma symptoms. The purpose of this scoping review is to examine the therapies or treatments that reduce trauma symptoms for sex trafficked adult women survivors from the survivors' and therapists' perspectives on the survivors' trauma symptoms. This scoping review aims to add to the literature by encapsulating the therapies and treatment methods that reduce trauma symptoms for sex trafficked women. A systematic search was conducted of 12 databases and Google Scholar for books, journal articles, and grey literature published between January 2000 to December 2020 on …

On Different Computational Aspects For Box-Cox Transformation Cure Rate Model, Pei Wang

Mathematics Dissertations - Archive

Cure rate modeling is an emerging area of research not only in biomedical science but also in other disciplines such as sociology, criminal justice, economics and engineering reliability. In the first part of this thesis, use of the wider class of generalized gamma distributions is proposed as the distribution of the lifetime for a particular transformation cure rate model, known as the Box-Cox transformation cure rate model. The maximum likelihood estimation of the Box-Cox transformation cure model parameters is studied through the calculated bias, mean square error and coverage probabilities of the asymptotic confidence intervals. The flexibilities of both generalized …

Evidentiary Policies Through Other Means: The Disparate Impact Of “Substantive Law” On The Distribution Of Errors Among Racial Groups, Gustavo Ribeiro

Utah Law Review

This Article develops an analytical framework to investigate novel ways in which legal reforms disguised as “substantive” can affect procedural due process safeguards differently among racial groups. Scholars have long recognized the impact evidence rules have on substantive policies, such as modifying primary incentives or affecting the distribution of legal entitlements in society. However, legal scholars have not paid enough attention to the reverse effect: how changes in “substantive law” influence policy objectives traditionally associated with evidence law—“evidentiary policies.”

To fill this gap, this Article discusses three related evidentiary policies. The first is accuracy, which courts and scholars consider a …

Judicial Application Of Strict Liability Local Ordinances, Guyora Binder, Brenner Fissell

Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

Examining Novice Teachers’ Perceptions Of Their Preparedness To Teach Culturally Diverse Students, Robin D. Small

Education Doctoral

The purpose of this qualitative research study was to examine the perceptions of novice teachers' preparedness to teach culturally diverse students using Bell's (1995) critical race theory and Freire's (1970) critical pedagogy theoretical frameworks. These theoretical frameworks are consistent in sharing tenets that recognize racial and social injustices as they pertain to education. This study focused on the personal experiences of novice teachers who volunteered to participate in the study. The participants in this study completed the Graduate School of Education teacher education program located in the northeastern region in a Catholic private college. Through eight semi-structured interviews, the study …

Exploratory Analysis Of Family Engagement: Challenges Of The Incarcerated Mother-Children Relationship Post-Incarceration, Jimmell A. Gorley Dr.

Education Doctoral

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the challenges faced by formerly incarcerated mothers taking over as primary caregivers post-incarceration and their experiences with parenting programs during their imprisonment. The population of female prisoners is the fastest growing population in the United States. Eighty percent of incarcerated women are mothers with children 18 and under. This research project sought to address the social and personal circumstances that ex-offending mothers experience during and post-incarceration and their ability to adapt and rebuild relationships with their families. The study population consisted of formerly incarcerated mothers, between the ages of 38 to …

To Vote Or Not To Vote: An Assessment Of How Felony Convictions And Incarceration Affects Voting Practices, Tammy Ortiz

Master's Theses

Felon disenfranchisement has a long history in the United States, beginning with Jim Crow Laws, continuing with mass incarceration, and increasing with voter suppression policies and laws being created on a daily basis. This paper will include a brief history of voting suppression and how felony convictions and incarceration create further obstacles for individuals choosing to share their voices and elect officials who represent them within the government. Theories involved in this research include labeling, anomie, citizenship, and both social control and social conflict and combined will demonstrate how the criminal justice works to control individuals under supervision, so much …

Tennessee Felon Population Update, August 2021, Tennessee. Department Of Correction.

Felon Population Reports

No abstract provided.

Concomitant Cannabis Misuse And Associations With Depression, Pain And Substance Misuse Among Patients Prescribed Opioids, M. Aryana Bryan, Elizabeth Charron, Omolola A. Adeoye-Olatunde, Jennifer Brown, Udi Ghitza, T. John Winhusen, Gerald Cochran

Department of Pharmacy Practice Faculty Publications

Background: Cannabis use is common among individuals with pain who are prescribed opioids, occurring in approximately 10% of this population. This study aims to explore the relationship between non-medical cannabis use and other health risks among individuals filling opioids at community pharmacies. Methods: This study was an exploratory secondary data analysis of a National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network (CTN)-sponsored study, Validation of a Community Pharmacy-Based Prescription Drug Monitoring Program Risk Screening, examining the relationship between risky cannabis use and depressive symptoms, pain, overdose, and other substance misuse among individuals filling opioid prescriptions in community pharmacies (N = 1440). …

Police Officer Years Of Service: Does It Play A Role In Officer Displays Of Empathy?, Rachel Jeffries

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

In the 2019 National Crime Victimization Survey, only 52.2% of domestic violence (DV) incidents were reported to the police (Morgan & Truman, 2020). With significantly low reporting rates, policing agencies may be asking themselves what they can do to encourage victims of DV to come forward and report their victimizations. Research on DV victims’ perceptions of police response suggests that, when police provide empathy-like responses to victims of DV, there are numerous benefits for the victim and the policing agency (Birdsey & Snowball, 2013; Johnson, 2007; Stephens & Sinden, 2000). Thus, empathy could be a central component to improving reporting …

Collaborative Practices Between Law Enforcement And Secondary School Administrators Through A Trauma-Informed Lens, Ellen Howe

Education Doctoral

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the level of collaboration and preparation between school administrators and police officers relating to trauma-informed practices with secondary school-aged students, including those students with traumatic histories. This study explored the perspectives of police officers and school administrators when working to address disciplinary situations of secondary school students. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) “Four Rs” of trauma—realization, recognition, response, and resisting retraumatization—were used as a framework to inform the study. Data were collected through individual, semi-structured interviews of secondary school principals and the corresponding police officers affiliated with …

Bullet Ricochet Of Polymer Coated Bullets, Stephen Daly

Student Theses

Polymer coated bullets were designed to limit a shooter’s exposure to lead. However, despite the advantages that these bullets give there are still difficulties which arise in a forensic firearms examination. Unlike in a typical metal coated bullet, individualizing striations will typically not be imparted to a polymer coated bullet making it unable to be linked to a specific firearm. Due to this difficulty any information that can be gained at the scene of the crime could be crucial. Some obtainable information includes the angle of ricochet and the angle of incidence of the discharged bullet as well as traces …

Evaluating The 2019 New York State Bail Reform On Quality Of Life Offenses In New York City, Nodira Pirmukhamedova

Student Theses

Using the NYPD Complaint Data, this study compares the frequency of nine quality of life (QOL) misdemeanor complaints (n = 196,577) in New York City (NYC) before (n = 108,382) and after the 2019 NYS Bail Reform Act (n = 88,195), which eliminated cash bail for most misdemeanor crimes. The results show an overall decrease (18.6%) in nine QOL misdemeanor complaints in NYC after bail reform with a large effect (d = 1.317). The main limitation of this study is that it did not control for the impact of COVID-19 in 2020 on the criminal justice system’s shifting priorities. Another …

Parental Plea Bargain Recommendations To Their Child In A Juvenile Court Setting, Aliya J. Birnbaum

Student Theses

This study examined parent acquiescence to attorney recommendations pertaining to plea bargain decisions, as well as whether this differed based on the racial similarity between an attorney and their juvenile client’s parent. Past research has shown that youth are vulnerable to the influence of perceived authority figures in a plea-bargain setting, leading them to rely heavily on the input of their parents and attorneys for how to plead. This study expands the literature to include how attorney race impacts parents’ plea decisions. A sample of parents of youth aged 11- 17 read a vignette, in which attorney race was manipulated, …

How Are Police Lineups Represented In Popular Crime Shows In The U.S.A? An Examination Of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Luis Fernando Chavarria

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is to explore police lineups as portrayed in crime-related TV shows in the U.S.A, such as Law & Order: SUV. The data used is from 25 episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. The methodology used for this study is grounded theory and content analysis. results of the study by themes which are: DNA evidence, police lineups, and lineups used in court. From these themes codes were further highlighted and noted. Based on the episodes for the show and real-life lineup procedure practices, there were inconsistencies about clothing, physical characteristics of suspects, incorrect lineup …

Exploring Opportunities For Prevention Of Child Sexual Abuse In A Diverse American Muslim Community., Rishtya Meena Kakar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recognizing the significant mental, emotional, developmental and health consequences for victims of child sexual abuse (CSA) and sociopolitical consequences for families and communities in every cultural, ethnic, and religious group around the world, this study sought to determine key opportunities for prevention of CSA in a diverse American Muslim community using a public health socioecological lens, rooted in aspects of critical theory. While there is considerable research on situational and individual-level risk factors related to CSA cases, there is less research on the societal and community-level processes related to the primary prevention of CSA, especially among minoritized communities. Responding to …