Digital Commons Network^™

Evaluating A Test For Shedding Propensity Using Tape Lifts From Different Skin Locations, Xiao M. Chen

Student Theses

The shedding propensity of a person can assist data interpretation in casework when assessing the possibility of passive transfer for DNA analysis. Past studies on shedding propensity evaluated palmar skin (washed and unwashed) deposits. This study compared different skin locations with respect to shedding propensity, and explored the potential of tape-lifts as a skin surface collection method. Eight different skin types and samples were collected with adhesive tape disks from 28 participants over three non-consecutive days; the washed and unwashed fingers from both hands, toe, and arm, neck below ear, and nape. Samples were extracted, quantified, amplified, genotyped, and evaluated …

Reproducibility Of Individual Dna Deposits Detected Through Cellular Fluorescence, Natalee Small-Davidson

Student Theses

Contact traces are an important part of DNA casework, but the probative value of any identified associations depends on the possibility of passive transfer. There is known individual variation in DNA left behind during contact, this DNA shedding propensity has an effect on whose DNA is detected. This study evaluated this variability using a cell staining approach. Volunteers were asked to deposit a fingerprint on a clean glass slide, then wash their hands and deposit a second fingerprint after a 30-minute wait without touching anything. Three sets of samples were collected over three consecutive weeks. Fingerprints were stained with a …

Disorderly Conduct: An Investigation Into Police And Prosecutor Practices, Michael Cicchini

Lincoln Memorial University Law Review Archive

Disorderly conduct is usually a misdemeanor statute that criminalizes a broad range of behavior. Law professors have recently called for the abolition of such statutes, arguing that the police are surveilling African American neighborhoods “for signs of disorder” and using the statute “as a means of social control against people of color.”This Article investigates this claim of racist policing by examining a sample of disorderly conduct cases. The sample confirms that African Americans are indeed charged at a disproportionately high rate relative to their percentage of the population. However, the disproportionate charging is not due to racist police surveillance. Rather, …

An Experimental Test Of The Impact Of Varying Questionnaire Response Format On Prevalence Rates For Sexual Violence Victimization And Perpetration, Raeann E. Anderson, Kelly Cuccolo

Psychology Faculty Publications

Objective: This study examined the impact of a dichotomous versus scaled response format on prevalence rates of sexual violence perpetration and victimization, thus conceptually replicating Hamby et al., 2006 and extending those findings to the context of sexual violence.

Methods: Two samples were recruited from Amazon Mechanical Turk and were randomly assigned to either a dichotomous or scaled response format of the same questionnaire. Sample 1 was used to examine perpetration and received a perpetration specific version of the Post-Refusal Sexual Persistence Scale (PRSPS). Sample 2 was used to examine victimization and received a victimization specific version of the PRSPS. …

The Dark Tetrad Of Personality And The Tendency To Engage In Revenge Porn, Niamh Thomason-Darch

The Plymouth Student Scientist

Revenge porn is an increasing and pervasive phenomenon. Despite this, the knowledge and understanding of this behaviour is limited, especially the psychological characteristics of perpetrators of revenge porn. The Dark Tetrad of personality: Machiavellianism, psychopathy, narcissism, and sadism, has been associated with a range of antisocial behaviours. Recent research indicates a relationship between the Dark Tetrad and revenge porn proclivity. The present study extended these findings by investigating the relationship between revenge porn proclivity and the Dark Tetrad using more trait-specific measures. A community sample of 306 participants, aged 18-77, were recruited online. Participants completed a series of personality measures …

Public Perceptions Of Indecent Image Offenders, Joshua Samuel Taylor-Smith

The Plymouth Student Scientist

Indecent images of children (IIOC) offences are on the rise year by year, in part due to the easy accessibility to this content with the augmentation of the internet. This has led to increased attention from the public and those involved with law enforcement. However, research into the public perceptions of these offences is very limited. While they do not directly dictate law enforcement, the views of the public have become dominant in penal policymaking and therefore, understanding their current perceptions and beliefs is paramount. One of the only items of research into this area was conducted by Lam et …

Contemporary Black Women's Voting Rights Activism: Some Historical Perspective, Alison Parker, Valeria Sinclair-Chapman, Naomi R. Williams

The Seneca Falls Dialogues Journal

As the United States arrived at the brink of the 2020 election, three interdisciplinary scholars engaged in a panel discussion about why and how Black women of all classes have been at the forefront of movements for civil rights and economic justice. Based on their expertise on race, gender, and class, and scholarly backgrounds in history, labor studies, and political science, this paper presents perspectives on the critical role of Black women in simultaneously fighting for the right to vote, while protesting the disenfranchisement of all African Americans from the Reconstruction Era to the present. The paper discusses why and …

Submission Of Amicus Curiae Observations In The Case Of The Prosecutor V. Dominic Ongwen, Erin Baines, Kamari M. Clarke, Mark A. Drumbl

Scholarly Articles

The important questions laid out by the Appeals Chamber in this case highlight the need for the proper delineation and interplay between mental illness and criminal responsibility under international law. Specifically, this case represents a watershed moment for the Appeals Chamber to set a framework for adjudicating mental illness in the context of collectivized child abuse and trauma. This is especially true for former child soldiers who occupy both a victim and alleged perpetrator status.

Paving The Way For Mind-Reading: Reinterpreting "Coercion" In Article 17 Of The Third Geneva Convention, John Zarrilli

Duke Journal of Constitutional Law & Public Policy Sidebar

Mind-reading is no longer a concept confined to the world of science-fiction: "Brain reading technologies are rapidly being developed in a number of neuroscience fields." One obvious application is to the field of criminal justice: Mind-reading technology can potentially aid investigators in assessing critical legal questions such as guilt, legal insanity, and the risk of recidivism. Two current techniques have received the most scholarly attention for their potential in aiding interrogators in determining guilt: brain-based lie detection and brain-based memory detection. The growing ability to peer inside someone's mind raises significant legal issues. A number of American scholars, especially in …

Introduction: Racism Without Racists, Robert A. Schapiro

San Diego Law Review

This Symposium on Systemic Racism offers a timely review and analysis of an urgent and persistent problem plaguing the United States. Many of the narratives we offer about the history and trajectory of law and society emphasize progress with respect to racism and the struggle for equality. We note the milestones of racial progress: the Thirteenth Amendment’s abolition of slavery in 1865; the 1868 adoption of the Fourteenth Amendment with its command of “equal protection”; the Supreme Court’s 1954 decision in Brown v. Board of Education declaring state-sponsored racial segregation unconstitutional; the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, …

Systemic Racism: Patterns Of Black Disadvantage And White Advantage Linked To Slavery, Roy L. Brooks

San Diego Law Review

In this Article, I engage systemic racism in two ways. First, I discuss some of its current manifestations, Part II. In particular, I will offer powerful examples of systemic racism, Section A, and explain the link between slavery and extant systemic racism, Section B. Next, I analyze the forces in this country that sustain systemic racism well into the post-civil rights period, Part III. I will spend a fair amount of time examining socio-psychological paradigms and institutional practices or policies that perpetuate or contribute to manifestations of systemic racism. The former consists of various forms of racial bias, Section A, …

This Is The House That Law Built: A Systems Story Of Racism, Palma Joy Strand

San Diego Law Review

In this essay, I explore the system-ness of racism. A systems understanding of racism enables us to more fully comprehend the magnitude and depth of racism, its reach and rootedness. This systems understanding provides the foundation for some initial and overarching observations about law and systemic racism.

Think Nationally, Act Locally: Cities And The Struggle For Social Justice, Harold Mcdougall

San Diego Law Review

Liberals and progressives typically look to the national government to make policy aimed at achieving social justice. Historically, that is not without reason. As Professor Kathleen Morris of Golden Gate University School of Law put it in a recent email exchange, "social elites reached for the federal level in large part because the states and localities proved themselves to be genuinely terrifying to marginalized folks between 1860 and 1980.”

Few things remain constant in the struggle for social justice, however. The liberal and progressive national focus backfired as conservative and right-wing forces built power in state legislatures, enabling them to …

The Death Row Phenomenon: A Prohibition Against Torture, Cruel, Inhuman And Degrading Treatment Or Punishment, Nkem Adeleye

San Diego Law Review

Several debates on the legitimacy, constitutionality, and acceptability of the death penalty have arisen throughout the years. The death row phenomenon refers to the psychological effects on prisoners of being on death row for a prolonged period while awaiting an imminent execution under harsh conditions of confinement. Having been declared a violation of a customary norm of international law by several international tribunals and national courts, this Article explores the possibility of the death row phenomenon, as a legal concept, becoming widely accepted and ultimately preventing the execution of another category of offenders. The existence of a lack of judicial …

Race And Racism In Austen Spaces: National Trust In Jane Austen’S Empires Of Sugar, Tré Ventour-Griffiths

ABO: Interactive Journal for Women in the Arts, 1640–1830

No abstract provided.

2012 December University Of Memphis Commencement Program

Commencements

Program for the Fall convocation of the 101st commencement of the University of Memphis at Memphis, Tennessee, held at the FedEx Forum on December 16, 2012.

An Examination Of Poverty: Dimensions, Causes, And Solutions, David Nii O. Tackie

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

This article, based on the 2021 Southern Rural Sociological Association (SRSA) Presidential Address, assesses the dimensions, causes of, and solutions to poverty. It finds that the definition of poverty varies based on the criteria used, and even by which agency or institution is defining it. It also finds that poverty indices vary by state and by county. For instance, in selected SRSA states, Virginia has the lowest poverty rate and Mississippi has the highest poverty rate. There are several causes of poverty, some of which are lower levels of education, lower levels of health, unemployment, lack of livable wages, and …

Personality Dimensions Of Male And Female Law Enforcement Recruits Related To Academy Success, Chantel Duda

Honors Theses

Research has found that male and female law enforcement recruits complete academy training at different rates, with female recruits typically completing at lower rates than male recruits. While the literature on the topic demonstrates a variety of training characteristics that explain some of the difference, it is possible that typical personality differences between men and women play a role in some of the unexplained disparities in academy passing rates. This study attempted to discern differences between personality characteristics among male and female academy recruits using survey data from two major metropolitan law enforcement academies. It was hypothesized that male cadets …

Legacies Of Slavery And Their Enduring Harms, Scherto R. Gill

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

This article provides a much needed inquiry into the legacy of slavery from an interdisciplinary perspective, including the historical, socioeconomic, political, and the epistemic. It makes an important distinction between the legacy of slavery and its persisting damages. By investigating this legacy’s effects on peoples, communities, and societies, it highlights the imperative of situating the pains and sufferings of historical traumas within contemporary structural oppression and institutional discrimination that have perpetuated these harms. The article consists of four sections: it first outlines the legacy of slavery, comprised in instrumentalizing black bodies for economic gains, employing political aggression to colonize both …

Police Use Of Social Media Technologies, Akpomudiare Darlynton Adegor

Theses and Dissertations

This study used a qualitative research design to analyze how the Little Rock Police Department (LRPD) utilizes social media technologies to promote its community policing philosophy. I conducted a content analysis on 586 tweets by LRPD and 992 public responses posted between May 2020 and May 2021. From my analysis, I found that LRPD social media platforms support both community policing and problem-solving. LRPD uses social media for interactions, connections, and partnerships with community members. The second notable finding was that the public is responsive and receptive to LRPD’s use of social media to connect with them. However, LRPD’s level …

Sexual Violence In Prisons: Inmate Subculture And Demographics Of Fear, Mackenzie Leroux

Arts & Sciences Undergraduate Showcase

Prison sexual violence has been a prominent issue since the establishment of correctional facilities. However, the issue was dismissed due to the stigmatization of the inmate population. As a result, there were no documented policies, statutes, or laws that prohibited prison rape or imposed sanctions upon offenders. The attention towards inmates rights, specifically regarding sexual assault, began to be addressed in the media in the 1990s. Through past offender stories, legal cases, and an overall sense of awareness, the Prison Rape Elimination Act was established in 2003. This act outlawed any sexual relationships between either inmates, or inmates and correctional …

Understanding Dyslexia As A Neurological Learning Disability: A Plan For An Instructive Website For Parents And Early Elementary Teachers, Rasma M. Gertners

Masters Projects

The learning disability known as “dyslexia” is often misunderstood by parents and educators. Dyslexia is a life-long, neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by a deficit in phonological awareness and processing. Its likely causes are genetic as well as environmental. Other conditions known to co-occur with dyslexia are Speech and Language Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorder, memory problems, and others. In order for children with dyslexia to reach their highest reading potential, the disorder must be remediated before age seven or eight using intensive, explicit reading interventions. Teachers and other education professionals, using prescribed screening instruments, can identify phonological awareness …

The Guardian, Week Of December 20, 2021, Wright State Student Body

The Guardian Student Newspaper

News articles from The Guardian for the week of December 20, 2021. The Guardian is the official student-run newspaper for Wright State University. It has been published regularly since March of 1965.

"Defunding" The Criminality Of Mental Illness By Funding Specialized Police Training: How Additional Training And Resources For Dealing With Mental Health Will Be Beneficial For All Sides, Margaret Ahern

Journal of Law and Health

The momentous public outcry for police reform is the result of police encounters ending fatally, which is notably sixteen times more likely for individuals suffering from mental illness in the United States. These horrific incidents highlight the systemic failings of traditional police departments training and its failure to provide officers with the necessary skills to de-escalate crisis situations involving the vastly overrepresented mentally ill population involved in the United States justice system. This article demonstrates that effective police training involving crisis intervention and de-escalation techniques equip police officers with knowledge and skills that enable them to contrive more positive outcomes …

“It Made Me Question If I Was In The Right Hands”: Exploring Cancer Prognostic Conversations Between Providers And Latinx Patients, Yesenia Anabel Carrillo

Master's Theses

People of color are often confronted by barriers within the health-care system that white people are not likely to encounter. Latinx patients are among those who experience racial health disparities, typically due to the lack of health literacy support and limited resource access. Drawing on previous work that focuses on exploring patient, provider, and caregiver preferences for cancer prognostic conversations; this study explores perceptions of cancer prognostic conversations between providers and Latinx patients to better understand the degree of cultural competence among providers and opportunities for enhancing interpersonal communication with Latinx patients. Interviews with seven patients and five providers were …

Finding Neverland? Artificial Intelligence And The Jurisprudence Of Legal Certainty, Omar Zaky

Theses and Dissertations

The development of artificial intelligence (AI) models that are capable of predicting the decisions of prominent courts – most notably the European Court of Human Rights and United States Supreme Court – provides us with an opportunity to revisit important jurisprudential debates regarding the quest for legal certainty. Through providing clear distinctions within formalistic jurisprudence, and its, subsequent, realist critique; this thesis seeks to analyze legal decision-making and its relationship with artificial intelligence. I argue that, AI’s deterministic nature and its support for the law being an “entirely self-contained process” does lend some credence to certain jurisprudential arguments. However, this …

State V. Walsh Respondent's Brief Dckt. 48888

Not Reported

No abstract provided.

Florida History Research In Progress, Florida Historical Society

Florida Historical Quarterly

This list shows the amount and variety of Florida history research and writing currently underway, as reported to the Florida Historical Quarterly. Doctoral dissertations and master’s theses completed in 1986 are included. Research in Florida history, sociology, anthropology, political science, archeology, geography, and urban studies is listed.

Black Immigrants: Bahamians In Early Twentieth-Century Miami, Raymond A. Mohl

Florida Historical Quarterly

Miami is generally thought of as a new immigrant city— a city that only recently became the haven of Caribbean and Latin American exiles and refugees. Until the first big wave of Cubans began to arrive in 1959, Miami seemed the quintessential tourist town and retirement haven. From the 1920s through the 1950s, sun and surf, gambling and horse racing, and endless promotional extravaganzas helped to shape Miami’s public image. The fact is, however, that Miami has always had a magnetic attraction for peoples of the Caribbean. Indeed, the magnitude and diversity of current immigration to Miami tends to mask …

Brokers, Binders, And Builders: Greater Miami's Boom Of The Mid-1920s, Paul S. George

Florida Historical Quarterly

Six decades have passed since greater Miami and all the rest of Florida were immersed in an orgy of land speculation and a vast array of construction projects referred to as the boom. Miami and its environs were the storm center of the boom, which began to reach fever pitch in 1924. This speculative period crested in the latter part of 1925, when the price of land rose to unheard of heights, and construction commenced on a myriad of ambitious building projects. The boom ended in 1926.