Digital Commons Network^™

Collateral Consequences And The Bars Outside Of Incarceration: An Assessment Of Massachusetts State Policies Surrounding Reentry, Nisa Rivera

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

How do Massachusetts policies impose collateral consequences for people with felony convictions and/or periods of incarceration? Previous research shows that having some form of a criminal record can make it harder to obtain housing, employment, and other sectors of life. Research was conducted to examine how Massachusetts policies restrict access to necessary resources that would otherwise allow returning citizens to become self-sufficient. Assessments were made regarding civic engagement, housing, higher education, employment, occupational licensing, and government assistance. The presence of a collateral consequence was based on whether a felony conviction was taken into consideration or served as a disqualifier, whether …

Holding States Accountable: An Analytical Review Of Reintegrative Laws, Policies And Programs For Felons And Ex-Offenders, Samira Kerkach

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

It is past due that states and the federal government take accountability for the gaps in reintegration of felons into society and begin seeking justice for these communities. In an overview of the political marginalization of criminal felony offenders, Leonor (2022) asserts that because of the significant impact of felon disenfranchisement laws on Black Americans, it is evident that this issue is complicated and proportions on racialized lines, meaning that modern felon disenfranchisement laws disproportionately affect communities of color, and therefore dilutes the political power of these underrepresented communities. There are more barriers to the successful reintegration of felons besides …

The Constitutionality Of Barring Undocumented Immigrants From Second Amendment Protections, Abby Vorhees

American University Law Review

Under current federal law, undocumented immigrants remain unable to access one of the most fundamental rights contained within our Constitution: the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. Several undocumented immigrants have challenged the constitutionality of the federal prohibition (18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(5)(A)), resulting in a three-way circuit split on whether undocumented immigrants are protected by the Second Amendment. The Supreme Court, however, has remained silent on the issue, leaving undocumented immigrants unprotected.

The Supreme Court’s 2022 Second Amendment decision, N.Y. State Pistol & Rifle Ass’n v. Bruen, upended the traditional method of constitutional review, means-end scrutiny, in favor …

A Descriptive Study Of The Perception Of Emerging Adults Aged 18-25 Years Toward Police Efficacy And Image In The United States, Jude Louis

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of emerging adults toward police efficacy and image. The study was descriptive, used quantitative methodology, and utilized a non-experimental design. Close-ended questions were used in an online format to survey emerging adults aged 18-25 years in the United States. The data was collected using the SurveyMonkey Audience, which was relatively cost-effective, able to gather information from the target audience within a short period of time, and efficient with any sample size. The study occurred over two months in 2024. Emerging adults in the United States aged 18-25 years irrespective of …

Spouse Violence In Case Of Police Officers In Puerto Rico: Violence In Police Families, Jorge Ismael Suarez

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation was designed to explore the relationship between factors related to police work and whether these factors help predict domestic violence in a sample of officers of the Puerto Rico Police. The following factors were explored in this study: external burnout, alcohol abuse, department withdrawal, and authoritarian spillover. This study was based on a previous study by Johnson et al. (2005), which revealed that violence exposure and domestic violence among police officers are linked according to four mediation chains. The mediation chain was a model implemented by the authors to determine the influence of burnout, authoritarian spillover, alcohol …

Examining Digital Hostility Against Black Women: A Thematic Analysis Of The Black Manosphere On Twitter, Nekea Sanders

Theses and Dissertations

The Manosphere is a collective of powerfully influential men who create and control harmful narratives about women online. Individuals within the Manosphere are disseminating their beliefs and garnering support through various online platforms, including social media. This research study sheds light on the Black Manosphere, a group within the Manosphere that has gone under the radar, despite the detrimental and toxic content they publish online about Black women. This qualitative research study examined the hostile rhetoric published by the Black Manosphere on Twitter (now X) about Black women. The research questions guiding this qualitative examination were: (1) What types and …

A Qualitative Study: Sex Offenders’ Perceptions Of The State’S Sex Offender Registry, Ann Marie Elliott

Theses and Dissertations

Sex offender registries (SOR) were created because of gruesome crimes committed against minors and the vulnerable, and they serve as a punishment. Empirically, SORs have become more functional over the years, so providing accurate information should be fundamental. It is the topic of discussion in many conversations, specifically during holidays and events involving minors, and it is used for background searches and ongoing investigations. Consequently, society expects the information displayed to be precise. Inaccurate information can potentially be harmful, especially to sex offenders. Nevertheless, when SOR is mentioned, rightfully so, society, including law enforcement, immediately exhibits sympathetic emotions for the …

Pressure Points: A Quantitative Study Of Young Adults Perception Of Police Officers, Yasmean Talas

Theses and Dissertations

This study aimed to quantify factors contributing to young adults' perceptions of law enforcement based on their experiences and exchanges with police. Data were collected via an online survey from young adults to assess variables such as peer influence, familial influence, social media impact, police interactions, and perceptions of law enforcement (POPS).

On average, participants exhibited neutral perceptions of law enforcement. The analyses revealed significant relationships between family influence, social media impact, police interactions, and POPS scores. Specifically, family and police interactions showed significantly positive associations with POPS scores, indicating that strong family bonds and positive police interactions tend to …

Exploring The Differences In Military Attitudes Toward Rape Myths And Their Relationship To Demographic Factors, Essence Anderson

Theses and Dissertations

Military sexual assault crimes, including rape, attempted sexual assault, unwanted sexual contact, and sexual harassment, have continued to increase over the last few decades. The issue has become problematic enough for the Department of Defense to allocate a significant amount of money for sexual assault resources. Specifically, the Department of Defense gives millions of dollars each year for the prevention and training of sexual assault, yet the issue continues to persist. There is a lack of understanding of the posture of service members' attitudes toward sexual assault and if certain demographics differ in their attitudes toward rape myths. While sexual …

Benthic Landers In Oceanography – The Design And Justification Of A Multi-Use Novel Benthic Lander System, David M. Nadeau

Open Access Master's Theses

Benthic lander systems can empower researchers with access to long-term high-resolution data streams in challenging to access marine environments. In recent years, landers have emerged as key components for oceanographic research, particularly in the deep ocean due to their ability to work autonomously over long periods. However, these systems are expensive and complex, requiring specialized equipment and knowledge to design, develop, deploy, and recover that reduces broad accessibility to ocean data. Lightweight, cost effective, and multi-use benthic lander systems have the potential to provide economical platforms that reduce logistical barriers to support the next generation of oceanographic research. This project …

Cross-Temporal Hierarchical Forecast Reconciliation Of Natural Gas Demand, Colin O. Quinn, George F. Corliss, Richard J. Povinelli

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Local natural gas distribution companies (LDCs) require accurate demand forecasts across various time periods, geographic regions, and customer class hierarchies. Achieving coherent forecasts across these hierarchies is challenging but crucial for optimal decision making, resource allocation, and operational efficiency. This work introduces a method that structures the gas distribution system into cross-temporal hierarchies to produce accurate and coherent forecasts. We apply our method to a case study involving three operational regions, forecasting at different geographical levels and analyzing both hourly and daily frequencies. Trained on five years of data and tested on one year, our model achieves a 10% reduction …

Privacy-Preserving Pedestrian Movement Analysis In Complex Public Spaces, Kunchala Anil

Doctoral

Every journey starts and ends with a walking phase. As a fundamental mode of transportation, it plays a crucial role in the functioning of urban societies. Cities should strive to create public spaces that promote walking by designing pedestrian-friendly infrastructure that is accessible, safe, and convenient for all. An essential step in designing pedestrian-friendly infrastructure is understanding pedestrian usage patterns and behaviour in existing public spaces and infrastructure.

Empowering Urban Traffic Management: Elevated 3d Lidar For Data Collection And Advanced Object Detection Analysis, Nawfal Guefrachi, Hakim Ghazzai, Ahmad Alsharoa

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The 3D object detection capabilities in urban environments have been enormously improved by recent developments in Light Detection and Range (LiDAR) technology. This paper presents a novel framework that transforms the detection and analysis of 3D objects in traffic scenarios by utilizing the power of elevated LiDAR sensors. We are presenting our methodology's remarkable capacity to collect complex 3D point cloud data, which allows us to accurately and in detail capture the dynamics of urban traffic. Due to the limitation in obtaining real-world traffic datasets, we utilize the simulator to generate 3D point cloud for specific scenarios. To support our …

Deep Learning For Uav Detection And Classification Via Radio Frequency Signal Analysis, Prajoy Podder, Maciej Zawodniok, Sanjay Madria

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are advertised as great tool that benefits society and humanity. However, UAVs also pose significant security threats ranging from privacy invasions, to interfering with commercial aircraft landing and takeoff, to accidently crashing into vehicles or people, to military or terrorist attacks. Consequently, there is a pressing need to detect and identify UAVs to mitigate such potential risks. While image-based methods are crucial for UAV detection, radio frequency (RF) emissions offer additional valuable insights. Analyzing RF signals, such as those used in UAV-ground station communications, can provide information about UAV types based on distinct frequency usage or …

Enhancing Water Safety: Exploring Recent Technological Approaches For Drowning Detection, Salman Jalalifar, Andrew Belford, Eila Erfani, Amir Razmjou, Rouzbeh Abbassi, Masoud Mohseni-Dargah, Mohsen Asadnia

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Drowning poses a significant threat, resulting in unexpected injuries and fatalities. To promote water sports activities, it is crucial to develop surveillance systems that enhance safety around pools and waterways. This paper presents an overview of recent advancements in drowning detection, with a specific focus on image processing and sensor-based methods. Furthermore, the potential of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning algorithms (MLAs), and robotics technology in this field is explored. The review examines the technological challenges, benefits, and drawbacks associated with these approaches. The findings reveal that image processing and sensor-based technologies are the most effective approaches for drowning detection …

Filling The Gap: The Case For Driver's Licenses As A Lifeline To Opportunity For Undocumented Immigrants Where The Federal Government Fails To Act On Comprehensive Immigration Reform, David Peraza

FIU Law Review

The federal government has repeatedly failed at passing comprehensive immigration reform, which would provide basic benefits to the undocumented population in the U.S, including driver’s licenses. Various states have made attempts to provide undocumented immigrants with driver’s licenses. This work address the benefits and drawbacks of these policies and ultimately posits that holdout states should enact policies to provide driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants in the face of the federal government’s inaction.

Inadequate Demonstration: Epa’S Latest Effort To Force A Clean Energy Transition On The Power Sector Rests On Technologies That Have Not Been Adequately Demonstrated, Mario Loyola

FIU Law Review

The Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) proposed regulations of power plant carbon emissions under Section 111 of the Clean Air Act, which were proposed in May of 2023, raise a number of concerns. The proposed regulations target a transition in the U.S. power sector towards clean energy, relying heavily on Carbon Capture & Storage (CCS) and green hydrogen technologies to achieve nearly net zero carbon emissions from existing fossil fuel power plants. These technologies, however, do not seem to satisfy the Section 111 requirement that the Best System of Emissions Reduction (BSER) be adequately demonstrated at the scale and for the …

Revisioning Algorithms As A Black Feminist Project, Ngozi Okidegbe

Faculty Scholarship

We live in an age of predictive algorithms.¹ Jurisdictions across the country are utilizing algorithms to make or influence life-altering decisions in a host of governmental decision-making processes—criminal justice, education, and social assistance to name a few.² One justification given for this algorithmic turn concerns redressing historical and current inequalities within governmental decision-making.³ The hope is that the predictions produced by these predictive systems can correct this problem by providing decision-makers with the information needed to make fairer, more accurate, and consistent decisions.⁴ For instance, jurisdictions claim that their turn to risk assessment algorithms in bail, …

Human Rights In Hospitals: An End To Routine Shackling, Neil Singh Bedi, Nisha Mathur, Judy D. Wang, Avital Rech, Nancy Gaden, George J. Annas, Sondra S. Crosby

Faculty Scholarship

Medical students (NSB, NM, JDW) spearheaded revision of the policy and clinical practice for shackling incarcerated patients at Boston Medical Center (BMC), the largest safety net hospital in New England. In American hospitals, routine shackling of incarcerated patients with metal restraints is widespread—except for perinatal patients—regardless of consciousness, mobility, illness severity, or age. The modified policy includes individualized assessments and allows incarcerated patients to be unshackled if they meet defined criteria. The students also formed the Stop Shackling Patients Coalition (SSP Coalition) of clinicians, public health practitioners, human rights advocates, and community members determined to humanize the inpatient treatment of …

A Reasonable And Well-Reasoned Teaching Tool In Unreasonable Times, Jasmine Gonzales Rose

Faculty Scholarship

Devon Carbado’s most recent book, Unreasonable: Black Lives, Police Power, and the Fourth Amendment, is a must-read for anyone studying or concerned with criminal procedure or policing. Unlike some of Professor Carbado’s other work, the brilliance of this book is not necessarily new conceptualizations or theorizations—for which he is well known—but rather centers on accessible pedagogy. If you have studied race and policing, you are not likely to find a new case, study, or reference to scholarship in the book. But, you are going to understand anti-Black racism, policing, the Fourth Amendment, and their intersections better than you did …

Hidden In Plain Sight: Redefining The Field Of National Security, Aziza Ahmed

Faculty Scholarship

Throughout his campaign for presidency, Trump called for a ban on Muslims entering the United States. As President, he kept his word. Only days after he took office, the new administration released the first version of the Executive Order: Protecting the Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into the United States. The first Executive Order, however, did not say the word Muslim. Instead, it listed only Muslim-majority countries as necessary for restrictions on entry. The Executive Order also trafficked in stereotypes about Muslims, such as the need to ban people who engage in acts of "bigotry or hatred," including honor killings. …

Prosecutorial Data Transparency And Data Justice, Caitlin Glass, Kat Albrecht, Perry Moriearty

Faculty Scholarship

The U.S. criminal legal system is notoriously racialized. Though Black and Latinx people make up less than 30% of U.S. residents, they constitute more than 50% of the nearly two million people currently in U.S. prisons and jails. For decades, research has indicated that one group of decision-makers has had an outsized influence on these numbers: prosecutors. From whom to charge to what sentences to recommend, no actor plays a greater role in determining who goes to prison in this country. Highly subjective and lacking in formal guidance and accountability, prosecutorial decisions are especially vulnerable to racial bias. They are …

Incomplete Streets, Michael Lewyn

Scholarly Works

Over 1700 complete streets policies have been adopted by state and local government; these policies typically provide that streets shall be designed to benefit all users, not just motorists. This article analyzes some complete streets policies, and concludes that even above-average policies are often too vague and underfunded to significantly change the status quo. The article suggests a variety of reforms that might make complete streets policies more effective.

“A Hot Day In Iqaluit”? Environmental Rights In Canada’S Constitutional Cul-De-Sac, Stepan Wood

All Faculty Publications

Proposals to include an explicit right to a healthy environment in Canada’s constitution have been advanced since the early 1970s, but Canada is stuck in a decades-long impasse that precludes substantial constitutional amendment. This article uses the metaphor of the cul-de-sac to explore the prospects for legal recognition of environmental rights in this situation. It canvasses past efforts to entrench general and Indigenous environmental rights in Canada’s constitution, introduces culs-de-sac metaphorical and real, and highlights the irony of one commentator’s 2005 quip that it will be “a hot day in Iqaluit” when Canada’s constitution undergoes significant amendment. It then surveys …

Public Perspectives On Investigative Genetic Genealogy: Findings From A National Focus Group Study, Jacklyn Dahlquist, Jill O Robinson, Amira Daoud, Whitney Bash-Brooks, Amy L Mcguire, Christi J Guerrini, Stephanie M Fullerton

Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy Staff Publications

Background: Investigative genetic genealogy (IGG) is a technique that involves uploading genotypes developed from perpetrator DNA left at a crime scene, or DNA from unidentified remains, to public genetic genealogy databases to identify genetic relatives and, through the creation of a family tree, the individual who was the source of the DNA. As policymakers demonstrate interest in regulating IGG, it is important to understand public perspectives on IGG to determine whether proposed policies are aligned with public attitudes.

Methods: We conducted eight focus groups with members of the public (N = 72), sampled from four geographically diverse US regions, …

Masking Identity At Public Protests, Deborah R. Gerhardt

Faculty Publications

This Article will explore these issues to assist those seeking to enact constitutionally valid mask policies. To situate today’s mask regulation challenges in the context of American history, Part I reviews events that led to enactment of anti-mask laws many years ago. Part II explains when the First Amendment protects the right to wear a mask in public and when such permission may be lawfully abridged. The section explains the importance of analyzing whether wearing a mask in public is sufficiently expressive to merit First Amendment protection. When it is, the next challenge is to identify the constitutional standard for …

Standing And Criminal Law, F. Andrew Hessick, Sarah Benecky

Faculty Publications

According to the Supreme Court, the “irreducible constitutional minimum of Article III standing” is a concrete, particularized injury in fact that is traceable to the defendant and redressable by a favorable judgment. But this set of requirements does not apply in criminal cases. The federal government has authority to bring prosecutions for any violation of federal criminal law, regardless of whether the crime caused concrete harm to the United States or anyone else, and even though the punishment for the crime does not redress an injury in any conventional sense. This Article argues that the difference in standing requirements between …

Incorporating Uas Traffic Management Into Wildland Firefighting Operations: Initial Findings Of Subject Matter Expert Interviews, Deborah L. Bakowski, Lynne Martin, Gil Dustin, Chris Mariano

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UASs) are being utilized throughout the disaster and emergency response domain, including in wildland firefighting operations. While UASs can offer safety benefits in comparison to crewed aircraft, such as removing the human pilot from the vehicle so that they are not exposed to the same risks and the ability to operate in low-visibility conditions, they are not without tradeoffs. For example, it can be challenging for UAS pilots (UASPs) to build situation awareness of the airspace in which their UAS is operating. In order to address some of the challenges associated with using UASs and provide greater …

Emergency And Disaster Preparedness For Individuals Who Use Augmentative And Alternative Communication: A Pilot Study On Supported Planning Using A Toolkit, Andrea Barton-Hulsey, Miriam C. Boesch, Yoosun Chung, Tina Caswell, Amy Miller Sonntag, Wendy Quach

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Purpose: When emergencies or disasters arise, individuals who use augmenta-tive and alternative communication (AAC) are particularly vulnerable. It is critical that individuals who use AAC are supported to make decisions that impact their own lives and are able to communicate during such a crisis. Preparedness efforts that include a plan around communication needs and supports are necessary for ensuring that individuals who use AAC are able to understand options that ensure personal safety and express their needs during a time of crisis. Method: Qualitative methods were used to identify and describe the experi-ences of two young adults who use AAC …

The Effect Of A Night Shift Nap On Post-Night Shift Performance, Sleepiness, Mood, And First Recovery Sleep: A Randomized Crossover Trial, P. Daniel Patterson, Cassie J. Hilditch, Matthew D. Weaver, David G.L. Roach, Tiffany S. Okerman, Sarah E. Martin, Charity G. Patterson, Leonard S. Weiss

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Objectives This study aimed to test the effect of a 30-minute nap versus a 2-hour nap opportunity taken during a simulated night shift on performance, fatigue, sleepiness, mood, and sleep at the end of shift and during post-night shift recovery. Methods We conducted a randomized crossover trial of three nap conditions (30-minute, 2-hour, and no-nap) during 12-hour simulated night shifts. We tested for differences in performance, fatigue, sleepiness, mood, and sleep during in-lab and at-home recovery. Performance was measured with the Brief Psychomotor Vigilance Test (PVT-B). Subjective ratings were assessed with single-item surveys. Results Twenty-eight individuals consented to participate [mean …