Digital Commons Network^™

No Knock? No Case: Prosecutorial Deterrence As A Countermeasure To No-Knock Warrants, Tamika Griffin Moses

Law Faculty Publications

The high-profile deaths of Amir Locke and Breonna Taylor ignited a national debate surrounding the legitimacy of no-knock warrants. Their deaths are part of a cycle of reaction and inaction that permeates this debate. As the impacted communities and segments of the populace respond by demanding that federal and state legislatures abolish or severely restrict the use of no-knock warrants, they are met with inaction. The legislative bodies have failed to pass laws banning the warrants and judges continue to sign them. This inaction continues to undermine the public’s trust in law enforcement and challenges the legitimacy of a democracy …

Privileging Genetic Privacy, Natalie Ram

Emory Law Journal

Right now, research is being done on the genetic material or genetic information of practically every person in the United States, often without their knowledge or consent. These vast stores of research materials offer a tempting target for law enforcement, who have sought to obtain DNA profiles from as many sources as possible. This Article makes the case that this scenario should trouble us—and also that there are existing legal tools that could guard against it.

In so doing, it makes four contributions to the existing literature. First, it identifies the unique features of research genetic data that make …

Bulletin 2025-2026, Seattle University School Of Law

Viewbooks

No abstract provided.

Examining The Role Of Mental Health In Prisoner Reentry, Ireland Laughlin

Honors Program Theses

No abstract provided.

How Do Documentaries Depict The Experiences Of Juveniles In Correctional Facilities?, Emma Decker

Honors Program Theses

The juvenile justice system is an entity that is separate from the criminal justice system, with the intended purpose of accommodating the unique needs of juveniles. This system has the primary goals of rehabilitation and punishment, with an emphasis on rehabilitation. Most of the general population has had little to no contact with the juvenile justice system.. In order to fill this gap, a great portion of the public relies on media representation to build up a foundation of knowledge. This can include gaining information from news sources as well as crime based tv shows and documentaries. Little research has …

Attitudes Toward Juvenile Offenders: How Juvenile Justice Personnel Perceive Juvenile Recidivism, Morgan Barnette

Honors Program Theses

This study examined the relationship between juvenile justice personnel and the predictive factors of juvenile recidivism. With rising juvenile crime rates across the country, investigation into the causes of juvenile recidivism has also risen. However, not much research has been dedicated to the way juvenile justice personnel view juvenile recidivism. This study surveyed a sample of six juvenile justice personnel including judges, a lawyer, a probation officer, and a detention officer. The survey explored the types of crimes juveniles are perceived to be committing, the frequency of interactions with repeat offenders juvenile justice personnel are having in their respective professions, …

Outlaws, Lawmen, And The Emergence Of Justice On The Western Frontier, Kaci Mae Krier

Honors Program Theses

No abstract provided.

One, Two, Unemployment’S Coming For You: How Slasher Films Reflect Societal Fears, Arwen G. Hansen

Honors Program Theses

No abstract provided.

Bridging The Information Gap Between Criminal Law And Psychological Science, John B. Meixner Jr.

Scholarly Works

Some of the most pressing issues in American criminal law—the dominance of plea bargaining, vast executive discretion, and systemic racial disparities—turn on fundamentally empirical questions. Yet, while legal academics largely analyze these issues through doctrinal or theoretical lenses, psychologists and criminologists frequently study the exact same phenomena using empirical methods. Surprisingly, these fields operate almost entirely independently. The legal academy consistently overlooks substantial psychological research that could inform normative arguments, while psychologists often design studies without crucial context from criminal legal scholarship. This chapter outlines the contours of this critical information gap and proposes solutions to bridge it.

Period Poverty And The Politics Of Refusal: Building Menstrual Equity Beyond The State Through Mutual Aid, Alanah Armstead

Public Health Theses

This thesis examines period poverty as a consequence of systemic neglect, disproportionately affecting those made vulnerable by intersecting structures of racial, gendered, and economic injustice. Situating menstruation as a public health crisis shaped by policy failure, social stigma, and institutional disregard, this research critiques dominant legal and policy frameworks that approach menstrual equity through a limited scope that overlooks deeper structural inequalities rooted in race and class. This thesis explores how marginalized populations experience legal and welfare systems as sites of surveillance and moral judgment in the context of menstrual equity. Through seven semi-structured interviews with menstrual justice organizers, this …

The Village Determinants Of Self-Rated Health And Mental Health: A Multilevel Analysis Of Environments In Rural Honduran Villages, Marnen Elizabeth Decker

Public Health Theses

I investigated the associations of village structural, behavioral, and social environments with self-rated health and mental health among adults residing in remote rural villages in the mountainous Copán region of Honduras. I estimated nested multilevel logistic models with 17,318 adults in 174 villages. All models controlled for individual characteristics to distill true village-level effects, and nested structure was employed to facilitate direct comparison across models. Both poor self-rated health and mental health were inversely associated with village size and positively associated with coffee cultivation. Poor self-rated health was also positively associated with friend/adversary tie ratio, and poor self-rated mental health …

Black Lives Matter Paterson’S Harm Reduction Center Program Evaluation, Shreya Jadhav

Public Health Theses

BackgroundThe Substances and Sexual Health (SASH) Lab at the Yale School of Public Health conducts much of its work in Paterson, New Jersey. As part of a community partnership, the lab collaborated with Black Lives Matter (BLM) Paterson to conduct a program evaluation of BLM Paterson’s Harm Reduction Center. BLM Paterson, founded in 2016, offers harm reduction through a wide range of services including survival resources, referrals to treatment, and a touchpoint with the healthcare system, all within a safe, non-judgmental space for individuals to decompress and find support. Evaluation Methods This formative program evaluation assesses the impact of BLM …

Life Satisfaction In Justice-Involved Opioid Users, Cassandra Michel

Public Health Theses

Life satisfaction—an individual’s overall evaluation of their life, including their feelings and attitudes toward it—has been linked to a range of psychological and physical health outcomes. While numerous studies have examined the factors associated with life satisfaction across various populations, such as healthy young and older adults, limited research has focused on individuals with substance use disorders or those involved in the criminal justice system. This study explored the relationship between psychosocial and structural factors and life satisfaction among justice-involved individuals with a history of opioid use disorder. Using cross-sectional survey data from a sample of 372 participants, I conducted …

Mental Health Stigma As A Barrier To Mental Health Care For Black Youth & Young Adults: A Scoping Review, Sanaa Amaya Walker

Public Health Theses

Mental health stigma presents a significant barrier to mental health care access for Black youth and young adults, contributing to disparities in mental health service utilization in Black communities. This scoping review examines the current literature on mental health stigma as a barrier to care within Black communities, with specific focus on experiences of young Black people aged 25 and under. Review of twelve studies revealed multidimensional stigma manifestations: intrapersonal (characterized by self-reliance tendencies, shame, and secrecy), interpersonal (influenced by peer and caregiver attitudes), and structural manifestations of stigma, and stigma interventions. The findings highlight critical gaps in existing research …

The Role Of Social Inequality In The “Feminization” Of Borderline Personality Disorder, Jane Goldie Ekhtman

Dissertations and Theses

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a severe and prevalent mental illness that is three times more likely to be diagnosed in women than men. BPD research has attempted to explain this gender disparity, with clinician gender bias emerging as a possible factor. Yet, no research to date has examined the role of social status in the overdiagnosis of women with BPD. There is merit in examining BPD through a class lens as low SES is a risk factor for BPD, poverty and income inequality disproportionately affect women, and low status is associated with stereotypical traits of femininity. Additionally, mental health …

Examining Drug Policy In Portugal And Greece, Collin Fernandes

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis examines the divergent drug policies implemented in Portugal and Greece, analyzing why Portugal's comprehensive decriminalization model has been more successful than Greece's partial approach. Since 2001, Portugal has pioneered a drug policy that decriminalizes all drugs for personal use while investing in harm reduction services, rehabilitation, and social reintegration. In contrast, Greece maintained criminalization while implementing more limited harm reduction measures, particularly through OKANA (the Organization Against Drugs). The research highlights how economic factors, particularly the 2008 financial crisis and austerity measures, negatively affected both countries' programs but hit Greece's initiatives with greater severity. Portugal's programs have remained …

Rural Realities Unveiled: Non-Certified Teachers’ Experiences And Perceptions Of Scripted Literacy Curriculum In K-5 Classrooms, Amillia Woolfork

Theses and Dissertations

The persistent shortage of certified teachers in rural school districts has led to an increased reliance on non-certified teachers NCTs to deliver literacy instruction. To support these educators, many districts have implemented scripted curricula, which provide structured lessons and instructional materials. However, limited research exists on the experiences of NCTs using scripted curricula and their impact on their teaching practices and self-efficacy. This qualitative exploratory case study examines the perceptions and lived experiences of non-certified literacy teachers in rural elementary schools who utilize scripted curricula. Guided by Bandura’s Self-Efficacy Theory and Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory, this study examined how NCTs …

Lawyers And Public Service: Duty, Faith, And The 'Good Republican' In The West Wing, Andrew Flavelle Martin

Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press

Popular culture reveals much about the perceived role of lawyers in contemporary life. In this article, I draw lessons from the portrayal of lawyers in Aaron Sorkin's classic television series, The West Wing. As a drama centred around a Democratic presidential administration, Republicans often provide the foil. From time to time, however, the show lionizes what might be termed ‘the good Republican’. That ‘good Republican’ is most often a practicing lawyer whose desire to serve is grounded in duty or faith. In this essay, I use a trio of these characters to explore the role of lawyers in public service. …

Interest-Holder Priorities For Health Surveillance Of People Incarcerated In Canada: A Qualitative Study, Jessica Gaber, Njideka Sanya, Alice Cavanagh, Savage Bear, Sara Howdle, Iridian M. Grenada, Michelle Howard, Adelina Iftene, Fiona G. Kouyoumdjian

Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press

Objectives: As a core function of public health, health surveillance for people who are incarcerated could address gaps in knowledge regarding their health status. The views of people who could use these data and who are included in health surveillance data should inform health surveillance. In this study, we aimed to identify the priorities of interest-holders for health surveillance of people incarcerated in Canadian correctional facilities.

Study design: We conducted an overall qualitative descriptive study with an embedded reflexive thematic analysis and a qualitative content analysis.

Methods: We conducted virtual or phone-based focus groups and interviews with people across Canada, …

Fingerprints Of Injustice: The Truth Behind Artificial Intelligence And Algorithmic-Driven Evidence,, Aubrey Butler

Chapman Law Review

Artificial intelligence (AI) has steadily grown in prominence, reaching into nearly every aspect of daily life, and the legal system is not immune from its influence. As various forms of machine evidence have been admitted in court, there has been an accompanying rise in concerns from researchers, judges, and defense attorneys as to the trustworthiness and reliability of this new category of evidence.

Though AI and machine evidence takes various forms, this Note focuses on some of the most prominent programs being used in courtrooms today, namely the probabilistic genotyping software TrueAllele and the recidivism rate prediction software COMPAS. The …

The Debate On Trying Minors Who Commit Adultlike Offenses As Adults: A Middle-Ground Contribution, Philip C. Aka

Notre Dame Journal of Law, Ethics & Public Policy

No abstract provided.

Nontestimonial: State Child Hearsay Exceptions In The Post-Crawford Era, Mckenzie J. Brummond

Notre Dame Journal of Law, Ethics & Public Policy

No abstract provided.

Optimizing Death To Effectuate Deterrence, Lucas Brolin

Notre Dame Journal of Law, Ethics & Public Policy

No abstract provided.

The Role Of Mentorship In The Advancement Of Black Women In Higher Education Administrative Roles, Kimberley Colclough

Publications and Research

This research study focused on the lived experiences of Black women administrators in higher education institutions, the obstacles they face in pursuit of support and career advancement, and how they benefited from a relationship with a mentor. This descriptive phenomenological qualitative study was implemented by conducting in-depth interviews with a small sample of (6) six African American women administrators from various higher education institutions located in the Northeast, West Coast, and Midwest regions of the United States. This phenomenological qualitative study was conducted to understand and describe the lived experiences mentorship for a select group of Black women leaders in …

An Exploratory Investigation Of The Impact Of Psychological Intimate Partner Violence On College Women: A Qualitative Study, Dana Juel Conzemius-Schindler

Theses and Dissertations

Researchers have found psychological intimate partner violence (P-IPV; defined as emotional and verbal abuse utilized to degrade, demean, create fear, control, or isolate; Tolman, 1989; Sullivan et al., 2012) is detrimental to mental health functioning, including increased sexual risk behaviors, depressive and anxious symptomology, and relationship dissatisfaction (Hellemans et al., 2015; Overstreet et al., 2015). Despite this, little is known regarding the academic and psychological lived experiences of survivors of P-IPV. Therefore, the current study sought to qualitatively explore the lived experiences of female-identified students exposed to psychological intimate partner violence while in college. Through a Consensual Qualitative Research (CQR; …

The Long-Term Psychological Effects Of Violent Crime On Victims: A Review Of Evidence And Supportive Interventions, Jayden E. Oleksyn-Lamb

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

This study utilizes anonymous survey data collected from 26 mental health professionals in various regions of Canada to understand which psychological disturbances are the most prevalent among victims of violent crime as well as which psychological interventions are most beneficial for treating violent crime victims. The data revealed that Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), anger, guilt, self-blame, and shame are each highly prevalent. Findings also revealed that certain therapeutic methods including Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR), Supportive Counselling (SC), Progressive Relaxation (PR), Cognitive Reprocessing Therapy (CPT) and Cognitive Restructuring (CR) are associated with …

Victim-Offender Relationships And Their Influence On Crime Brutality And Sentencing Outcomes In Capital Homicide Cases, Samantha Jane Trowbridge

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

This study examines capital murder cases in Missouri from 1976 to 2022 to explore how victim-offender relationships relate to both the brutality of homicides and sentencing outcomes. It addresses three main questions: What are the different types of victim-offender relationships in these cases, and how frequently does each type occur? How do these relationships influence sentencing outcomes, particularly the likelihood of receiving the death penalty versus life without parole? And which types of relationships are associated with the highest and lowest levels of brutality? The study uses official court records and applies a coding process to analyze relationship type, sentencing …

Analysing Post-Mortem Interval By Blood Metabolomics, Nishitha Reddy Nishitha Chitla

All ETDs from UAB

Accurate estimation of the postmortem interval (PMI) is a critical aspect of forensic investigations, aiding in time-of-death determination. This study employs High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectroscopy (HPLCMS) and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) to analyze postmortem metabolic changes and identify potential biomarkers for PMI estimation analyses through metabolomics. Blood serum samples from ante mortem samples (AMS) and postmortem samples (PMS) were categorized into Control (0 hrs), Early PMI (25–58 hrs), and Late PMI (92–163 hrs) groups. Multivariate statistical analyses, including Partial Least Squares-Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA), Variable Importance in Projection (VIP) scoring, and metabolic pathway evaluations, were conducted to assess biochemical alterations …

Risk, Promotive, And Protective Factors In Adolescence For Incarceration In Adulthood: A 20 Year Longitudinal Study, Carlos Espinoza

All ETDs from UAB

The high rate of incarceration in the United States presents a public issue that affects individuals, families, and communities. Empirical research has identified several adolescent risk factors linked to an increased likelihood of incarceration in adulthood, such as individual delinquency, peer delinquency, parental antisocial behaviors, and neighborhood disorder. However, much less is known about factors that might promote or protect against incarceration specifically. Factors associated with a reduced likelihood of delinquent behavior (a precursor to incarceration) include higher empathy, prosocial peers, parental nurturance, and neighborhood connectedness. These factors may similarly reduce the risk of incarceration, just as they reduce the …

Analysis Of Gas Station Drugs Using Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry And Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, Megan Joos

All ETDs from UAB

Gas stations and head shops are a seemingly safe and legal marketplace for drug purchase. However, although marketed as dietary supplements or cognitive enhancers, the products sold there have been known to contain psychoactive substances which may be mislabeled or actually contain regulated substances. This study investigates the composition of such products, specifically those labeled as kratom and non-kratom Mitragyna species using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and those labeled as phenibut using GC-MS and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Samples were acquired from retailers in the Birmingham, AL area. The products underwent both qualitative and quantitative analysis of their ingredients …