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The Failed Promise Of Gun Legislation: The Assault Weapons Ban And Sandy Hook, Matigan Williams '24

Honor Scholar Theses

This paper has three chapters. The first details the Assault Weapons Ban and what led to its passage in 1994. It goes through the different provisions and exemptions in the ban. This chapter analyzes the impact that the ban had on crime, gun violence, government spending, and electoral politics. The chapter then details why the ban failed to pass again in 2004 and the resulting impact. The second chapter analyzes the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School and the shooting’s role in the gun control debate. This chapter looks at why the Assault Weapons Ban failed to pass in 2013 …

Keeping It In The Ground: An Analysis Of Colorado Oil And Gas Law And The Legal Tools To Limit Production, Colin Hull

Colorado Environmental Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Socio-Emotional Learning Interventions For Student Achievement, Alexis Campos

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Marina High School students face challenges including misbehavior, truancy, and academic struggles. In collaboration with a social worker, the school's counseling department focuses on supporting high-risk students. High-risk students can lead to dropouts, involvement in crime, and poverty. The focus is on addressing academic underachievement due to behavior issues and low grades. Targeting the roots of this issue is to tackle mental health, improve life skills, and build a positive environment. The capstone aims to develop educational interventions around mental health, skill development, and socio-emotional well-being. High-risk students were identified and placed in targeted interventions or groups to address their …

Seeking Sanctuary: An Analysis Of U Visa Policies In Omaha, Nebraska And Their Impact On Immigrant Communities, Emma Ehmke

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Since 2000, immigrants have been eligible for U visa status if they are a victim of a particular crime and assist law enforcement in criminal investigations. However, challenges arise for numerous reasons with the I-918 Supplement B form, which must be signed by an agency certifier within law enforcement or an attorney’s office. This study examines the policies of six law enforcement agencies and attorney’s offices in the Omaha Metro Area through semi-structured interviews to understand their approach to U visas and the characteristics of successful applications. The study aims to uncover variations in agency procedures and understandings and the …

A Review Of Training For First Responders When Interacting With Individuals With Diagnoses, Mackenzie Drost, Robbie Hanson

Theses

Safety is a priority for first responders when responding to calls, but there have been numerous cases in which unintentional harm was caused when interacting with individuals with diagnoses or disabilities. Thus, it seems as though effective training procedures for these professionals is critical. However, training for first responders varies from state to state and can depend on the county in which the services are provided. Although behavioral skills training (BST) has a well-established history of training non behavior-analytic professionals and although there have been some encouraging recommendations for the effective dissemination of applied behavior analysis (ABA) to those outside …

2024 School Of Law Commencement Information And Photographs, Roger Williams University School Of Law

School of Law Commencement (1996- )

No abstract provided.

True Crime Obsession: Analyzing The Effects Of True Crime Media From The Past To The Present, Brianna Nirtaut

University Honors College

True crime media has affected the way people perceive the true crime genre from the 1500s until the present day. This thesis will first introduce the popularity of true crime media and describe the important role that true crime plays in today’s society. Historical examples of true crime depictions will be outlined in the first section to display how the true crime obsession has been prevalent for centuries and how the examples compare to present day depictions. Once the history of true crime media is understood, the ethical boundaries that should be kept by podcast hosts and documentary directors is …

Innovation In Targeted Violence And Terrorism Prevention: Final Closeout Report, Joel Elson, Erin M. Kearns

Reports, Projects, and Research

Effective terrorism and targeted violence (TTY) prevention and intervention relies upon members of the public to report concerning behavior they observe. Yet, there are multiple points during the process of identifying and sharing information about potential TTY threats where breakdowns can occur, hindering intervention efforts resulting in deadly consequences. This project's overarching aim was to improve the tips reporting process to minimize breakdowns in actions required to intervene and prevent TTY. Specifically, with this lVTP innovation grant, we developed and tested evidence-informed chatbot technologies to improve TTY tips reporting. In the IMP, we listed three project goals with objectives and …

Threat And Risk Assessment Measurement: A State Of The Science Review, Samuel Hunter, Katherine Parsons, Kelsey Ciagala, Sydney L. Reichin, Matt Allen, Erin M. Kearns, Austin C. Doctor, Joel Elson

Reports, Projects, and Research

Threat and risk assessment are the processes of identifying, assessing, and managing threats of targeted violence prompted by warning behaviors. Threat assessment differs from the traditional operations of law enforcement as it may provide predictive information rather than investigating threats after a violent offense has been committed. Threat and risk assessment examines the escalation of behavior over time and corroborates information from multiple sources to reach a level of concern. Initially developed as a way to prevent assassinations, the tools and approaches around threat assessment have emerged as a violence prevention measure in many settings, including workplaces, schools, universities, and …

The Benefits Of Increasing Access To Theatre Education In K-12 Schools, Jaden Partain

Honors Theses

Theatre has been a part of education in the United States since the nineteenth century, when Horace Mann launched the public-school movement, and educators introduced the children of immigrants to American language and culture. The use of theatre in education has gradually evolved along with K-12 curriculums in the United States. However, during this time, theatre has not been used as well or much as it could be, even though participation in theatre can improve students’ educational achievements while simultaneously teaching important life skills. In my research, I look at how theatre can be a vital part of education in …

Guardians Of The Data: Government Use Of Ai And Iot In The Digital Age, Jannat Saeed

Honors Theses

The exponential growth of technology, epitomized by Moore's Law – “the observation that the number of transistors on an integrated circuit will double every two years”– has propelled the swift evolution of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies. This phenomenon has revolutionized various facets of daily life, from smart home devices to autonomous vehicles, reshaping how individuals interact with the world around them. However, as governments worldwide increasingly harness these innovations to monitor and collect personal data, profound privacy concerns have arisen among the general populace. Despite the ubiquity of AI and IoT in modern society, formal …

Advancing Bridge Hydraulic Assessment With Hec-Ras 2d And Bathymetry Modeling In Arcgis Pro Using Hycat Asv Data, Daniel Iancu

Theses and Dissertations

This research centers on verifying an accurate and reliable method in deriving river bathymetry near bridge sites, which leads to critical enhancement of bridge scour analysis. The structural integrity of bridges is paramount, and accurate scour analysis is a cornerstone in civil engineering and public safety. Existing methods, though reliable and very well cemented in practice, may be improved with more precise water velocity estimates, which is essential for thorough bridge scour evaluations. Bridge assessments utilize bathymetry measurements in significant spots and or map out the continuous surface at the bottom of the river. This study seeks to validate if …

Vol 4 May '24 Full Issue, Donna L. Williams

Journal of the Louisiana Public Health Association

No abstract provided.

Organizational Attributes And Supervision Officer Role Orientations: What Factors Influence Supervision Officer Behaviors?, Makayla Butler

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

While past research has suggested the importance of probation and parole officer (PPO) role orientations for impacting officer behavior and client outcomes, limited work has examined factors that influence how supervision officers approach their work. This study sought to contribute to this body of research by examining the influence of officer characteristics, attitudes towards their organization, and attitudes towards their clients on their professional role orientations and supervision behaviors. Using self-reported survey data collected from PPOs in a Midwest state (n = 50), this study examined how various individual and organizational-level factors impacted PPOs role orientations, and how those role …

Best Practices For Offline Evaluation For Top-N Recommendation: Candidate Set Sampling And Statistical Inference, Ngozi Ihemelandu

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Evaluation of recommender systems is key to ensuring that we are making progress by only promoting proposed algorithms that actually outperform the state-of-the-art. Evaluation can be performed offline using logged historic data, or online such as A/B tests. Offline evaluation is the most popular evaluation paradigm used in recent research publications because of its accessibility. It has been an area of study since its earliest days, and is still currently an active area of research. Even though significant work has been done to improve the process and metrics of offline evaluation, it still faces fundamental difficulties. Given the significant role …

Unreasonable Traffic Stops, Sam Kamin

William & Mary Law Review

In 1996, the Supreme Court announced in Whren v. United States that a traffic stop is constitutional if there is probable cause to believe a traffic infraction has occurred. So long as the officers who stop an individual can point—even after the fact—to any violation of the traffic laws, their actual, subjective motivations for initiating a stop are legally irrelevant. Case-by-case determination of reasonableness is unnecessary in the traffic stop context, the Court concluded, because the balancing of interests has already been done. Unlike warrantless entries into homes, the use of deadly force, or unannounced warranted entries, a traffic stop …

Perceptions Of Factors From Mba Students At Small Regional Universities That Enhance, Improve, And Impact Individual Behavior As Measured By Environmental Working Scales, John Alpers

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Organizations are continually trying to impact individual behavior so their employees will be motivated toward organizational objectives. The goal or intent of all organizations is to identify the impact the specific factors, engagement, leadership methods, and reward systems, can have on the motivation of employees toward organizational goals or objectives. The goal of this research is to identify if a relationship exists between the perceptions of Master of Business (MBA) students in regional universities toward the above-mentioned factors that improve, impact, and enhance their behavior toward organizational goals as indicated by each area’s impact on the work environment scale. Research …

Click, Click, Boom: A Multi-Level Analysis Of Repeat Firearm Offending In Chattanooga, Tennessee, Katlyn Whittenburg

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Criminologists have long noted the exacerbated rates of firearm-related offending in the United States in comparison to other developed nations. There has been a renewed focus on gun crime in the wake of a recent dramatic reversal of the long-trending decrease in firearm-related violence. Explorations of the factors that contribute to firearm offending are often restricted to large metro areas like Chicago, New York City, and Philadelphia—which may have limited generalizability to more common small and medium sized cities in the United States. This study attempts to address this concern through examination of the factors that contribute to firearm re-offending …

Developing Resilient Defense Strategies Against Pheromone-Based Attacks In Foraging Robot Swarms, Ryan A. Luna

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis delves into the security of stochastic pheromone-based foraging algorithms within swarm robotic systems, a subset of foraging algorithms distinguished by their reliance on probabilistic decision-making mechanisms inspired by the natural world. Such algorithms face vulnerabilities in stigmergic communication that threaten to disrupt swarm operations. This research investigates these vulnerabilities, presenting two distinct contributions.

The first contribution examines the implementation of quarantine strategies as a defensive measure to isolate and mitigate the impact of fake resource attacks. By simulating these attacks, this study quantitatively assesses their detrimental effects on swarm efficiency and explores the efficacy …

A Dedicated Lane Analysis For Supply Chain Resilience In The U.S.-Mexico Border: Cost-Comparison And Simulation Models, Carlo A. Zorola Gonzalez

Theses and Dissertations

Supply chains have been actively developing and implementing strategies to enhance resilience in response to various disruptive events like the COVID-19 pandemic, hurricanes, geopolitical tensions, and climate change. These strategies aim to address demand and supply imbalances, logistical challenges, and policy restrictions encountered in transborder commerce. One area significantly impacted by such disruptions is cross-border trade between the US and Mexico. Understanding these strategies is crucial for achieving supply chain resilience, defined as the ability of a supply chain to quickly adapt to sudden disruptions without affecting the flow of goods. In both the US-Mexico and US-Canada borders …

Addressing Rural Mental Health Crises: An Alternative To Police, Faith Ann Weatheral-Block

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

There has been an increase in contacts between law enforcement and people with mental illness since the start of deinstitutionalization in the 1960s. When law enforcement officers respond to crisis calls without the proper training, the likelihood of that interaction ending fatally is far greater. The purpose of this study is to determine mental health professionals' readiness to serve as an alternative to law enforcement in addressing mental health crises in rural areas. Using the nonprobability sampling methods of convenience and snowball, this exploratory qualitative study involved semi- structured interviews with 10 adult mental health professionals from various backgrounds in …

Research On The Impact Of Ai Technology Adoption On Organizational Resilience Of Service Enterprises, Jianlin Deng

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

In a time of frequent global economic fluctuations, understanding how service enterprises can sustain stability amid fluctuating environments, and even thrive during crises, has become a significant research focus within the current economic context. Advancements in the digital economy provide service enterprises with new digital technology support, leading to their reduced operational costs and heightened efficiency. Among them, artificial intelligence (AI) technology is highly praised by service enterprises. AI technology is extensively integrated into service enterprises’ daily operations and management decision-making. However, limited research has been conducted on how AI technology can assist these enterprises in navigating external environmental disruptions. …

The Least Known Celebration Of America's Founding Principles—Law Day, The Honorable Katharine H. Parker, Anthony Petrosino

Fordham Law Review

Every year since May 1, 1958, the United States has recognized Law Day. Codified in 1961, it is “a special day of celebration” for Americans to reaffirm “their loyalty to the United States” and rededicate themselves “to the ideals of equality and justice under law in their relations with each other and with other countries.” Its purpose is to “cultivat[e] . . . respect for law that is so vital to the democratic way of life.” It tasks the President with issuing an annual proclamation calling for “public officials to display the flag of the United States on all Government …

Examining Policy Diffusion Mechanisms In The Contemporary Local Government Landscape Of A Politically Polarized United States, Jacob Mccauley

All Dissertations

This dissertation explores the nuanced relationship between political polarization and policy diffusion within local governments in the United States, a topic of considerable relevance given the country’s increasing political divide. By examining the diffusion of COVID-19 policies, historical marker modifications, and the implementation of eGovernment services, this research identifies a novel mechanism of policy diffusion that is significantly influenced by political party lines. The study employs a comprehensive methodological approach, incorporating case studies and quantitative analysis to examine policy implementation across politically diverse local governments. The findings reveal that political affiliation profoundly impacts policy choices, with distinct patterns of policy …

Developing A Suitability Model And Feasibility Report For The Tennessee Mesonet, Tristan Holmes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Mesoscale networks, also known as Mesonets, are advanced environmental monitoring systems that consist of multiple high-quality weather stations that collect meteorological data at frequent intervals (5 minutes or less). Tennessee currently lacks a Mesonet system, and this study identifies suitable and feasible locations for stations in all 95 counties. Layers needed to develop the suitability model included land cover, road centerlines, elevation, flood zones, building footprints, and hydrologic soil types. Geospatial analysis techniques were used to process and combine these layers to identify suitable areas. Once suitable areas were determined, a feasibility assessment that examined land ownership, accessibility, and cell …

A Systematic Review On The Effectiveness Of The Gun Violence Restraining Order, Bonnie Galloway, Yasmeen Gonzalez-Ayala

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Background: Gun Violence Restraining Order (GVRO) is a type of restraining order that prevents individuals, who pose a significant risk to themselves or others from having, owning, and buying firearms, firearms parts, ammunition, or magazines. This gun law was enacted in January 2016, in response to the many mass shootings that had occurred prior to this legislation. Objective: This study systematically reviewed published articles to examine the effectiveness of GVRO. Methods: We used the following databases to identify articles: OneSearch, Google Scholar, and Google. The search terms used included “gun violence restraining orders” and its abbreviation “GVRO,” combined with other …

Reynolds Revisited: The Original Meaning Of Reynolds V. United States And Free Exercise After Fulton, Clark B. Lombardi

Articles

This Article calls for a profound reevaluation of the stories that are being told today about the Supreme Court’s free exercise jurisprudence starting with the Court’s seminal 1879 decision in Reynolds v. United States and proceeding up to the present day. Scholars and judges today agree that the Supreme Court in Reynolds interpreted the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment to protect only religious belief and not religiously motivated action. All casebooks today embrace this interpretation of the case, and the Supreme Court has regularly endorsed it over the past twenty years, most recently in 2022. However, this Article …

Cultivating Honor: How Indigenous Students Harness Resilience And Cultural Wealth To Thrive At A Borderlands University, Lourdes Garcia

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This qualitative study sheds light on students' lived experiences regarding Native American and Indigenous Studies (NAIS) at Borderlands University (BU), a Hispanic-serving institution on the U.S.-Mexico border where First Peoples lived for thousands of years. This study supports Indigenous students whose dismal national college graduation rates must be addressed. It recognizes studentsâ?? cultural wealth and richness (Yosso, 2005) and is grounded by the Peoplehood Matrix (Holm, 2003; Tachine, Cabrera, and Yellow Bird, 2017). This study was consistent with previous studies revealing that prioritizing student support raises equity and improves the overall academic experiences for all students in higher education (Tachine …

The Effects Of Police Culture And Procedural Justice On Citizens' Perceptions Of Police Legitimacy And Trustworthiness, Kityara U'Nae James

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Police departments have often cited “a few bad apples” when discussing incidents of officer misconduct or improper use of force. However, police reform organizations often posit that when the tree is bad, all fruit it bears will be rotten. Police culture serves as the root of the tree in this analogy; the basis of the characteristics and behaviors of police rely on the specifics of police culture that has been imprinted during the police academy and maintained through everyday police work. Police culture determines how police officers interact with citizens and behave on the job. Those interactions can influence how …

Routing Opportunities For Commercial Crossings Between El Paso And Juarez, Marek Musil

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This thesis explores the topic of commercial movements between the El Paso and Ciudad Juarez road networks and the implications of the possible changes in their routing. This area houses several ports of entry, which present one of the busiest commercial and personal border crossings in the whole nation. The primary focus was to evaluate the recently proposed reconstruction scenario of removing trucks from the Bridge of the Americas and study the impacts on the flows throughout the other ports. The chosen tool to support the analysis is a mesoscopic simulation software called DynusT, which is capable of modeling the …