Innovating Criminal Justice: Predictive Analytics For Effective Recidivism Management, Dina Ali Haidar

Theses

Recidivism—the tendency of previously convicted individuals to reoffend—poses significant challenges to criminal justice systems worldwide. In the United States, a study by the Bureau of Justice Statistics revealed that approximately 68% of released prisoners were rearrested within three years, and 83% within nine years (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2018). These high rates underscore systemic deficiencies in rehabilitation processes and resource allocation. Traditional risk assessment tools often rely on static factors, failing to account for the dynamic and individualized nature of reoffending risks. This limitation highlights the need for innovative, data-driven methodologies to enhance offender management strategies. This study proposes a …

Hashtags, Handcuffs, And Hush Money: Inequitable Application Of The Fourth Amendment In Electronic Surveillance, Karina Devi Etminani

UC Law Journal of Race and Economic Justice

A wealthy executive buries misconduct behind corporate nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) and encrypted devices. Nearby, police wield geofence warrants to sweep the digital footprints of peaceful protesters demanding racial justice. Both scenarios hinge on the same Fourth Amendment but reveal a coin with two faces. For powerful abusers, privacy protections can conceal assault, intimidation, and corruption. For Black activists, rapidly emerging surveillance tools—including biometric scanners, phone “pings,” and social media mining—intensify a long legacy of racially targeted policing. As Jeannie Suk Gersen notes, two recent social movements– #MeToo and Black Lives Matter–reveal that “too much deference to privacy serves male entitlement, …

Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story: A Comparative Analysis Of The Representations Of American Serial Killers In News And True Crime Media, Jenelle Walters

Honors Theses

Serial killers are a subject that have fascinated individuals for centuries in both news and entertainment media. Although research has been done on the representations of serial killers in news media, little research has attempted to connect the representations seen in the news media to those seen in true crime entertainment media. Through the use of four case studies, a comparative analysis was done to compare the framing seen in the original news articles, both local and national, to the framing seen in the later true crime films, documentaries, and series. Although the framing originally seen in the news media …

Project Foresight Annual Report, 2023-2024, Paul J. Speaker

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Project FORESIGHT is a business-guided self-evaluation of forensic science laboratories across the globe. The participating laboratories represent local, regional, state, and national agencies. Economics, accounting, finance, and forensic faculty provide assistance, guidance, and analysis. Laboratories participating in Project FORESIGHT have developed standardized definitions for metrics to evaluate work processes, linking financial information to work tasks and functions. Laboratory managers can then assess resource allocations, efficiencies, and value of services—the mission of Project FORESIGHT is to measure, preserve what works, and change what does not.

The benchmark data for the 2023-2024 performance period includes laboratory submissions for a variety of fiscal …

Analyzing The Impact Of Motivational Interviewing In A School Counseling Setting With Academically At-Risk High School Students, Brian Linhart

Dissertations

This study investigates the impact of motivational interviewing (MI) on the academic performance and motivation of academically at-risk high school students over an eight-week period. The primary research questions examine whether there is a statistically significant impact of using MI in a school counseling setting on academic performance and internal motivations. Data collection methods included academic performance, the Self-Reported Academic Beliefs, Behavior, and Self-Efficacy questionnaire, and the MI Pre and Post Meeting Questionnaire to assess students’ motivation and engagement. The study employs a quantitative approach using Friedman’s rank sum test and a paired t-test with a Wilcoxon Signed-Rank test, to …

The Weaponization Of Medicine In Arkansas Prison Farms, 1960s-1970s, Grace E. Marr

History Undergraduate Honors Theses

The Arkansas State Penitentiary provides a case study for medical care in prisons during a transformational period. Isolation and state non-involvement in Arkansas allowed the creation of an independent culture in which harrowing abuses flourished. Medical providers could be prisoners themselves, operating the hospital and blood bank creating a complicated hierarchy. By examining medical provisions at the Cummins and Tucker Prison Farms during the 1960s to 1970s, this thesis reveals a system where the lines between treatment and torture and medical practitioner and imprisoned were blurred.

Racial Bias In Ai: The Impact Of Discriminative Algorithms On Minority Communities, Morgan A. Jones

FCRH Honors Program Theses

With the rise of generative AI infiltrating many areas of our everyday lives, it's essential to acknowledge how AI can be trained on discriminatory data. When these AI systems are trained with information that is racist, they produce answers that possess a racial bias, which further perpetuates and enforces the systemic inequalities that minorities experience. Prior research discusses that racial bias is a problem in the use of AI and provides case studies on how racial bias has been enacted in large-scale projects. However, this research does not explain or acknowledge the long-term effects of racial bias on minorities. This …

Exploring The Status Of Women In Collegiate Sports Leadership Positions: A Qualitative Phenomenological Study, Danielle Tucker

Education Doctoral

Despite an active legislation that mandates impartiality on the basis of sex under any educational program, many schools still have discriminatory policies (Fabrikant, 2018). Many times, the policies benefit the dominance of men as coaches and athletic administrators, which displays an unequal representation on the leadership side of college sports (Belkoff, 2020). The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to explore the status of women in collegiate sports leadership positions within an athletic program in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level. Through interviews with six to 10 women who were women executive leaders currently …

Bullet Ricochet And Tunnelling Of Wood Substrates, Abdelrahman Khalifa

Student Theses

With the overall rise in shooting incidents throughout the country, most notably in urban areas, the capabilities and limitations of current forensic examinations of firearms-related incidents have become more apparent. An underappreciated aspect of shooting incidents is the phenomenon of bullet ricochet, which has led to ricochet-related injuries, with some cases proving fatal. Although there are processes and generally accepted standards for bullet trajectory analysis, ricochet analysis typically requires outside input from firearm examiners. Additionally, current research regarding ricochet on wood surfaces remains less thoroughly investigated than ricochet analysis on other yielding surfaces. The goal of this research was to …

Bostock And The Limits Of Textualism: A Doctrinal Structuralist Approach, Martin Katz

William & Mary Law Review

In Bostock v. Clayton County, the Supreme Court held that Title VII prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. This result, the majority claimed, was required by the interpretive theory called textualism. But textualist Justices in the dissent vehemently disagreed. This split, and the controversy that has followed it, has had two consequences. First, it added fuel to the ongoing debate about the value of textualism. Second, it opened the door for lower courts to decline to apply Bostock to similar antidiscrimination laws, such as Title IX in education or the Equal Protection Clause.

This Article argues …

Identification Of Cadmium As A Structural And Functional Modulator Of Psd-95 Regulating Nmdars At Postsynaptic Membranes, Claudia Garza

Theses and Dissertations

Postsynaptic density-95 (PSD-95) is an essential scaffolding protein in excitatory neurons. PSD-95’s N-terminal palmitoylation region elicits synaptic plasticity by targeting, anchoring, and trafficking glutamate receptors, such as N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors (NMDAR), to the postsynaptic membrane. The molecular interactions of PSD-95 and its dysregulation in excitatory synapses are currently being explored as primary causes of neurodegenerative diseases and disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Schizophrenia, and Parkinson’s disease. Recent studies demonstrate an overaccumulation of zinc at two cysteines (C3 and C5) and two histidines (H24 and H28) of PSD-95 blocks palmitoylation, causing a loss of NMDAR at the postsynaptic membrane. In addition, exposure …

Exploring Organizational Responses To Secondary Traumatic Stress In Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault Agencies In North Carolina., Kristin Cline

Doctor of Social Work Capstone Projects

Secondary traumatic stress (STS) is an ongoing concern for advocates working with survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. This study examines the prevalence of STS among domestic violence and sexual assault advocates in North Carolina and explores organizational strategies for lessening its effects. Using a mixed-methods design, data was collected from three agencies through a survey, resulting in a sample of 25 advocates. The study measured levels of STS and allowed advocates to voice their needs and perspectives on the support they require from their agencies. Results indicate that STS is a significant concern for advocates and that organizational …

How Alternative Sentencing Methods Can Reduce Recidivism And Incarceration Rates For Drug Offenders In Wisconsin, Mitchell D. Fugate

Master of Public Administration Capstone Papers

The criminal justice system in the U.S. has typically been focused more on punishment in the past, but in recent times has shifted more towards implementing rehabilitative measures as a means to reduce the recidivism rate, and thus decrease the overall incarceration rates for the U.S.. An area that is especially different is drug offenses, as many of those that are arrested are addicted, and punishment does not address that addiction directly. By using alternative sentencing as a means of rehabilitation for drug offenses, the criminal justice system can work to address the issues at the root causes as well …

Revisiting The Lasting Impacts Of Incarceration, John Eric Humphries, Cécile Macaire, Aurélie Ouss, Megan Stevenson, Winnie Van Dijk

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

Using newly-linked administrative and commercial data from Virginia spanning 25 years, we study the consequences of incarceration. While previous research has examined labor market outcomes and recidivism, we focus on two of the primary channels through which low-income households build wealth: asset ownership (homes and cars) and human capital formation. To identify causal effects, we use a matched differencein-differences design. In line with much of the literature on the impact of incarceration in the U.S., we find no evidence of scarring effects on labor market outcomes or changes in recidivism beyond the incapacitation period. However, we find that incarceration leads …

Exploring Foster Parent Readiness And Willingness To Foster Children In San Bernardino County, Brianna P. Rivera

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

In the U.S., there is a shortage of foster parents, which limits the number of children placed in homes that are appropriate to their needs. Many states across the U.S. are experiencing an increase in the number of children in foster care as well as high foster parent turnover rates and low retention rates. This proposed research study will examine the readiness and willingness of foster parents in San Bernardino County, California to care for children who have multiple placement moves, behavioral issues, trauma, and insecure attachments. Based on their experiences, participants will be asked to evaluate and discuss fostering …

Examining Spirituality/Religiousness As A Protective Factor For The School-To-Prison Pipeline, Selena M. Balderas

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Background: The school to prison pipeline (STPP) is a systemic issue that reflects the intersection of educational inequities and punitive practices disproportionately affecting society’s youth in underserved communities. The STPP funnels students out of educational environments and into the criminal justice system through the overuse of punitive practices such as suspension, expulsion, and school-based arrests. This especially affects students of color, LGBTQ youth and those with disabilities and perpetuates cycles of injustice, poverty, marginalization, and incarceration. The social control theory provides a useful framework in understanding the relationship between deviant behavior and social bonds (Stewart & Rapp, 2017). When individuals …

The Educational Imperative Of Inspect: A Trauma-Informed, Neurodivergent-Affirming Classroom Culture Framework, David A. Palmer

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This project introduces the INSPECT Framework, a trauma-informed and neurodivergent-affirming classroom culture model that challenges traditional, compliance-based behavior systems in inclusive educational settings. INSPECT—an acronym for “I first, Nurturing environment, Structure, Planning, Engagement, Consistency, and Time”—provides educators with a sequential, research-informed framework for cultivating emotional safety, engagement, and regulation among students, particularly those with ADHD, Autism spectrum disorders, sensory processing differences, and trauma histories.

The issue being addressed is the widespread use of punitive behavior management strategies that intensify student distress and misinterpret neurologically based behaviors as defiance. Drawing from recent literature in neuroscience, trauma theory, Universal Design for Learning …

Law Enforcement Perspectives Towards Mental Health Crisis Interventions, Anna P. Silva

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Mental health crisis calls create significant challenges for law enforcement officers, who often serve as the first responders to individuals experiencing psychological distress. Research indicates that 50% of fatal encounters with law enforcement involve individuals with a mental health disorder (Fuller et al., 2015; Kindy & Elliott, 2015). Although the increasing prevalence of mental health- related calls, law enforcement officers frequently lack the specialized training and resources necessary to effectively de-escalate these situations (Cohen & Bagwell, 2023). As a result, interactions between police officers and individuals with mental illness tend to lead to criminalization, unnecessary incarceration, and even fatal outcomes. …

A Pipeline To Prison Or A Pathway To Promise? The Inequities Fueling The School To Prison Pipeline, Ranishia Lachelle Bailey

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This systematic review proposal would investigate the school-to-prison pipeline and examine the role of pedagogical interventions in mitigating youth involvement in the justice system. By analyzing existing literature, this proposal would study and explore how school system biases, educational frameworks, and systemic factors contribute to the perpetuation of this pipeline, with a specific focus on how educational policies and disciplinary practices impact at-risk youth. The review aims to identify effective interventions that can disrupt this cycle, including restorative justice practices, trauma-informed education, positive behavioral interventions, and culturally responsive teaching. A comprehensive search strategy should be employed across various academic databases, …

The Multigenerational Impact Of Mass Incarceration On Families In Southern California, Adelle G. Phillips

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Mass incarceration has been a serious social issue in the United States, affecting directly and indirectly millions of individuals and families, particularly those with minority backgrounds. The generational impact of this social issue is significant. This study aimed to explore the perspectives of individuals on the multigenerational impact of mass incarceration on their families. Using convenience and snowball sampling techniques, this mixed-methods study surveyed residents of Southern California who have been affected by incarceration, either personally or through a family member (n = 63). Descriptive statistics demonstrate that the vast majority of the participants (92.1%) reported a moderate to very …

Assessing The Social And Structural Impediments That Preclude Black Males From Entering The Teaching Profession: Exploring The Effectiveness Of Project Impact, Kerry Neal

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The acute underrepresentation of Black male educators in the United States constitutes a persistent crisis in both education and social equity. Despite numerous efforts to diversify the teaching profession, Black men represent only 2% of the national teaching workforce—a figure that falls even lower in regions such as Southern California, where they comprise just 1.8% of teachers despite representing a significant share of the student population (California Department of Education, 2022). Empirical evidence consistently affirms the critical impact of Black male teachers on the academic achievement, identity development, and long-term success of Black students (Gershenson et al., 2018; Dee, 2020). …

Interobserver Agreement Of Human Osteological Analysis On The Szeged, Hungary Skeletal Collection, Alleyia Bailey

All Theses

Biological anthropologists develop human skeletal biological profiles to identify skeletal remains and build demographic knowledge of past and modern peoples. Biological anthropologists estimate age-at-death, sex, stature, ancestry, and the presence of injury or pathology to develop biological profiles. While biological profiles are at the basis of the work anthropologists perform, there is a lack of research concerning the reproducibility and interobserver agreement rates of the methods used to create biological profiles. Due to the risk of variability stemming from the education, training, and experience of observers, along with variation that can arise from population affinity, examining the interobserver agreement rates …

Understanding Student Attitudes Towards Drug Deflection/Diversion, Naomi Shneibaum

All Theses

Deflection and diversion programs continue to expand as a response to the opioid epidemic. These programs rely on officer discretion for referrals to treatment over arrest. While the number of programs grow each year, little is known about how officers make these discretionary choices. Additionally, little is known about who the community prefers to receive treatment referrals and if officers’ discretionary choices align with community expectations. In order to better understand who the community expects to be referred to treatment, I administered a survey to 457 undergraduate students examining their attitudes towards drugs and drug treatment. Students were shown five …

Environmental Concern And Its Relationship To Community Attachment And Satisfaction In Southern West Virginia, Terence Asitibasi

All Theses

Extractive industries, especially coal, in the Appalachia region, have contributed to severe environmental challenges. Over the past years, residents in these areas faced increased health risks and damage to natural landscapes, impacting on how connected they are attached to their communities and overall satisfaction with their quality of life. Previous studies have examined these issues but with a focus on amenity-rich rural west, low amenities, urban-suburban, tourist-dependent and Great Lakes regions; this study looks at southern West Virginia, a coal-dependent region. And as such fills that gap by exploring how environmental concerns - combined with a longstanding reliance on coal …

"All The Songs I Stole": Ballad Collection And The Conditions Of Collective-Making In Johnny Cash's Prison Concert-Albums, Camryn J. Bruce

All Theses

In the mid-to-late twentieth century, singer-songwriter Johnny Cash recorded and released three live prison concert-albums composed of many ballads and songs drawing upon a ballad tradition. I question the degree to which these albums, as performed and commercialized ballad collections, create realities of unity between Cash and his audiences. Reviewing three ballads for their aspects of balladry and performance, this thesis finds that Cash’s albums echo and make echoes of isolating conditions and possible collectivities, demonstrating a fragility of “folk” in the shifting scenes of music and prison.

Effectiveness Of A Southern California School District’S Wellness Center Evidenced-Based Practices On Push Factors In Latinx Students, Leslie Abarea, Yeraldin Ismerio

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This scoping literature review proposal explores the effectiveness of a Southern California School District’s wellness center evidenced-based practices on push factors that impact Latinx students. Push factors such as low grades, low test scores, poor behavior, absenteeism, and suspensions/expulsions expose Latinx youth to mental health issues that influence academic success. By analyzing existing research on wellness center approaches, evidenced-based practices, culturally responsive practices, and academic support, this scoping literature review proposal would aim to assess the impact these practices have on student academic success. This proposed study would have the intent of assisting this school district to create an evaluation …

Evaluation Of The Implementation Of Foster Youth Independent Living Programs In The State Of California, Ingrid Flores

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Foster youth transitioning into adulthood often confront a myriad of challenges stemming from limited social capital and unstable support systems. The transition out of foster care, particularly for Transitional Age Youth (TAY), is fraught with barriers including disconnection from familial ties, inadequate knowledge regarding higher education, financial instability, unemployment, and housing insecurity. In 2021, approximately 4,920 foster children aged out of the system, facing the option to participate in extended care programs designed to facilitate their transition into independent living. Despite these programs, many youths struggle to achieve self-sufficiency. Key legislation, including the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, and …

Black Events As Narrated By Black People: Contextualizing America’S Framing Of Progression In News, Social, And Academic Writing, Tyrina Horton

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This paper is a critical examination of collective and public memories of public events that impact Black lives as constructed in news, social, and academic writing. Using Black mundane life to explore and build localized context and attitudes towards these events, I examine whether the collective memory of an event, as framed by public discourse, accurately portrays how Black communities experienced them. This paper explores what it means for Black people, to experience a disconnect with written accounts of public events that do not properly account for the many layers of Black experience, highlighting where there’s a failure to tell …

Parent-Child Contact In Family-Focused Programs For Incarcerated Individuals, Carol Marie Nettie Mcdonald

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The following research study will evaluate family-focused programs offered to incarcerated individuals and determine if these programs are hindered when there is little to no contact between parents and children during incarceration. Family-focused programs include parent/child bonding, and/or parenting classes and other similar programs. The research method that will be used in this study is a qualitative design and will gather data through interviews of formerly incarcerated individuals as well as former children (now adults) who have been involved in family programming. The study will also gather data from licensed clinical staff who have been involved in related programming while …

Coping Experiences Of Low-Income Individuals With A History Of Opioid Use In Santa Cruz County: A Qualitative Study, Nikki Himelright

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The opioid epidemic has increased exponentially in severity across the United States in the last decade. This research project was conducted to understand the needs of a vulnerable population (opioid users) at the local level. The research sought to answer the following question: How do low-income individuals in Santa Cruz County cope with opioid use? The purpose is to identify the most common coping strategies used by this population, so that social workers and others in helping professions in Santa Cruz County will have a fuller picture of what this vulnerable demographic is facing. The data for this research was …