Digital Commons Network^™

Tennessee Felon Population Update, May 2022, Tennessee. Department Of Correction.

Felon Population Reports

No abstract provided.

Adolescent Maltreatment, Substance Use, And Self-Efficacy : A Test Of General Strain Theory Among A Sample Of Clinical Youth, Sonya Worthington

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The relationship between adolescent maltreatment and delinquency has been of growing interest to social control, social learning, strain, and family-oriented theorist since the 1980’s. While ‘social control’, ‘social learning’, and ‘traditional strain’ theories dominated early delinquency research literature surrounding the association, the past few decades have experienced a shift from these sociological theories to those more social-psychological in nature, lending much support, credibility, and acceptance of Agnew’s General Strain Theory (GST). GST offers a theoretical framework for understanding micro-level and macro level factors that influence the likelihood of delinquency. In short, GST contends some individuals engage in criminal and deviant …

Mississippi Crime And Corrections: The Effects Of House Bill 585 On Crime And Incarceration Rates, Madisyn Flammia

Honors Theses

The state of Mississippi’s historically high incarceration rate peaked in the year 2013, when it was the second highest nationwide. To combat this problem, House Bill 585 was passed into law in 2014. The law consisted of multiple reforms, which were part of an effort to toughen sentencing for violent offenders and reduce severity of punishment for non-violent criminals, with the aim of reducing incarceration and refocusing prison space for violent crimes. I employed difference in differences and synthetic control methododologies to examine the effects of House Bill 585 on crime and imprisonment rates. My results revealed that House Bill …

Has There Been Another “Ferguson Effect”?, Megan Majewski

Political Science Theses and Capstones

On May 25^th, 2020, America stood still as they watched the video of Officer Derek Chauvin press his knee onto the neck of George Floyd leading to his death. Protests, riots, and calls to defund the police all ensued in the following months. I focus on how Floyd’s death changed attitudes towards law enforcement and may have contributed to an increase in crime, similar to the idea of a Ferguson effect, perhaps there was a Floyd effect in 2021. I focused this research on 69 cities, using crime data from the Major Cities Chiefs Association. I then measured …

Criminalizing Starvation In An Age Of Mass Deprivation In War: Intent, Method, Form, And Consequence, Tom Dannenbaum

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

Mass starvation in war is resurgent. Across a range of conflicts, belligerents have attacked farmers and humanitarian workers; destroyed, looted, or rendered unusable food and food sources; and cut off besieged populations from the external supply of essential goods. Millions have been left in famine or on the brink thereof. Increasingly, this has elicited calls for accountability. However, traditional criminal categories are not promising in this respect. The situation and nature of objects indispensable to survival is such that they typically provide sustenance to both civilians and combatants; the conduct that deprives people of those objects often involves acting on …

Food Deserts, Crime, And Neighborhood Context: An Examination Of The Impact Of Food Insecurity On Violent Crime In Little Rock, Sarah Dean

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This thesis seeks to explore the indirect and direct relationships between food insecurity, concentrated disadvantage, and distribution of violent offenders through the lens of social disorganization. Data gathered by the Little Rock Police Department, American Community Survey, and city business license records are used to test neighborhood-level relationships across Little Rock, Arkansas’ 155 Census block groups. Pearson’s Correlation is used at the bivariate level and negative binomial regression tests multivariate relationships. The results suggest a null relationship between food insecurity and distribution of violent offenders across Little Rock block groups. However, several findings are consistent with prior research and theory– …

Analysis Of The Factors Influencing Multiple Uses Of Crime Guns: An Exploratory Study, Samantha Scott

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

A broad body of literature has been built around the topic of gun violence in the United States. The characteristics of communities, victims, and offenders have each been used to explain variation in the likelihood and frequency of gun crime. Less attention has been given to the factors associated with multiple uses of crime guns. The current study applies binary logistic regression to crime logs maintained by the police department of a mid-size city in the Southeastern U.S. to examine how neighborhood and initial incident characteristics influence the likelihood that a crime gun will be used in multiple incidents. Gang …

Crime Pays: How Black Americans Became Central To The Carceral State, Will Brooks

Honors Theses

Over the course of American history, Black Americans have been intentionally criminalized at moments of ostensible social progress. This legacy of intentional criminalization of minority communities has both created the perception that African Americans are innately criminal and given rise to a prison-industrial complex that now depends on Black bodies. Now, predictive policing technology reinforces perceptions of Black criminality necessary for the justification of the carceral state and the survival and expansion of the prison-industrial complex.

Recovering Feminist Lessons From The Past For A Less Carceral Future, Aziza Ahmed

Faculty Scholarship

In a moment when mass incarceration, police reform, and abolition are dominating national headlines, Aya Gruber’s book, The Feminist War on Crime: The Unexpected Role of Women’s Liberation in Mass Incarceration, takes on one of the most complicated questions of the politics of policing and incarceration: gender violence. Her book provides a history of the uncomfortable relationship between the carceral state and feminist organizing to end violence against women. And, it offers a path forward that begins to address mistakes of the past by reigniting those modes of feminism focused on poverty, welfare, and race that were sidelined with …

The Influence Of Misinformation From The American Perspective, Tyler W. Nelson

Honors College Theses

Over the last decade, conspiracy theorists and larger groups have become much more prominent across the United States, despite conspiracies being present for decades. Previously, they have been dismissed by most, however over the last decade due to an explosive political climate and growing numbers, these groups have begun to act on their beliefs. Events such as the January 6th Insurrection on the United States Capitol building is an unfortunate example as to how far these groups are willing to go. This study’s purpose is to use a nationwide survey to help determine who exactly are these types of individuals …

Solving Crimes With 23andme: Dna Databases And The Future Of Law Enforcement, Meghan Mcloughlin

Journal of Civil Rights and Economic Development

(Excerpt)

“It could never happen to me though, right?”

Sitting on our comfortable couches in our secure homes and watching news stories about people who have lost loved ones to the most terrible, violent crimes, we think to ourselves: “That’s awful for them, but it won’t happen to me.” But what if it did?

Becoming a victim of a violent crime or loving someone who becomes a victim of a crime in the United States is not uncommon. In 2016, 2.9 million people in the United States were victims of at least one “violent crime”—crimes defined by their inherent violence, …

Improving The Mental Health Tale In The Criminal Justice System, Meredith Bernal

Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024

No abstract provided.

A Scrutiny Of Mental Illness In Criminality And The Assessment Of Viable Alternatives, Kelley Barry

The Mid-Southern Journal of Criminal Justice

Because of the compelling role it plays as an enigma, mental illness has been featured in innumerable theaters of human history and our present-day society. There is perhaps no greater place for this dynamic than our criminal justice system. This analysis provides a thorough examination of how our modern approach to the management of mental illness evolved in accordance to the ways in which it began. The controversy over incarceration rates of the mentally ill are astronomical, in that nearly half of inmates in the United States are suffering with a mental illness of sorts (National Alliance for the Mentally …

Preventing And Responding To Juvenile Crime: Importance Of Intervention And Rehabilitation, Michaela Noviello

Criminology Student Work

With about 2.1 million juveniles arrested per year, it is important for researchers and juvenile justice employees to consider, protect and maximize the full potential of juveniles from their early adolescence up until release from detention centers or foster care. This paper highlights early traits and behaviors consistent in juveniles who commit crime as well as factors that may contribute to crime. While focusing on early indicators that may lead to juvenile crime, the paper also discusses rehabilitation and intervention after juvenile crime has been committed. After discussing the research on preventing and responding to juvenile crime, the paper outlines …

The White Man's Crime: White-Collar Crime, Gender, Race, And Age, Ashton N. Albert

Senior Theses

This paper investigates the population of white-collar crime offenders with special emphasis on race, gender, and age. Through extensive literature review, the ambiguities and evolving definitions of white-collar crime and its offenses are explored in depth. Further review of the body of research available on the topic was conducted to investigate the ‘typical’ white collar crime offender in relation to individual characteristics and explore possible explanations. Data analysis was conducted on various datasets available through the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Crime Data Explorer regarding the race, gender, and age of white-collar crime offenders in FY 2020. The analysis concluded that …

Tennessee Felon Population Update, April 2022, Tennessee. Department Of Correction.

Felon Population Reports

No abstract provided.

Inside The Black Box Of Prosecutor Discretion, Shima Baradaran Baughman, Megan S. Wright, Christopher T. Robertson

Faculty Scholarship

In their charging and bargaining decisions, prosecutors have unparalleled and nearly-unchecked discretion that leads to incarceration or freedom for millions of Americans each year. More than courts, legislators, or any other justice system player, in the aggregate prosecutors’ choices are the key drivers of outcomes, whether the rates of mass incarceration or the degree of racial disparities in justice. To date, there is precious little empirical research on how prosecutors exercise their breathtaking discretion. We do not know whether they consistently charge like cases alike or whether crime is in the eye of the beholder. We do not know what …

Inside The Black Box Of Prosecutor Discretion, Megan S. Wright, Shima Baradaran Baughman, Christopher Robertson

Faculty Scholarship

In their charging and bargaining decisions, prosecutors have unparalleled and nearly-unchecked discretion that leads to incarceration or freedom for millions of Americans each year. More than courts, legislators, or any other justice system player, in the aggregate prosecutors’ choices are the key drivers of outcomes, whether the rates of mass incarceration or the degree of racial disparities in justice. To date, there is precious little empirical research on how prosecutors exercise their breathtaking discretion. We do not know whether they consistently charge like cases alike or whether crime is in the eye of the beholder. We do not know what …

Law Enforcement-Related Deaths In Tennessee 2021, Tennessee. Bureau Of Investigation.

Law Enforcement-Related Deaths

No abstract provided.

A Macro Social Examination Of The Relationship Between Disabilities And Crime Using Neighborhood And County Level Data, Natasha A. Baloch

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Over the last few decades, there has been a consistent increase in mental illnesses in the US population. This has also lead to increased interactions of those with mental illnesses and/or disabilities with law enforcement and the criminal justice system. Despite these instances, there is limited research on the relationship between disabilities, mental health issues and crime in the large body of criminological research. Further, the current extant research is a) outside the field of Criminology, b) primarily focuses on those with only intellectual or developmental disabilities and/or c) does not examine this relationship at the macro level, despite evidence …

Struggling To Make Good: The Dilemmas Of Fatherhood For Formerly Incarcerated African-American Men, Francis Prior, Steven Farough

Qualitative Criminology (QC)

While some have argued that absent low socioeconomic status black fathers are to blame for urban crime and poverty, others have highlighted how mass incarceration disproportionately separates low socioeconomic status black fathers from their children. Less frequently heard and acknowledged in the public conversations about low socioeconomic status black fatherhood and mass incarceration are the voices of those same fathers who have been impacted by the system. How do formerly incarcerated black fathers view their role as fathers? Based on 30 interviews of formerly incarcerated black men recruited from a prisoner reentry organization in a large northeastern city in the …

“Goodbye, My Friencels”: An Analysis Of Incel Suicide Posts, Sarah E. Daly, Albina Laskovsov

Qualitative Criminology (QC)

While an increasing number of researchers, non-profit organizations, and law enforcement agencies have expressed growing concern about the relationship between involuntary celibates (i.e., incels) and violence, no research to date has examined the potential for suicide and self-harm among men who call themselves incels. This study examines suicide posts shared to incel sub-Reddits that were collected by u/IncelGraveyard (N=80). The posts reveal that the notes discuss six subordinate themes, including the method of their planned attempt, the ways they used the internet, the online incel community, failed alternatives and coping, the effects of their suicide on others, and the afterlife. …

Socialization Across The Three Stages Of The Correctional Services Of Canada's Correctional Officer Training Program: An Ethnographic Study, Rosemary Ricciardelli

Qualitative Criminology (QC)

The current ethnographic study reflects my participation in elements of the three stages of the correctional officer training program (CTP) offered by the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC). Unpacking my experience, I use Van Maanen and Schein (1977) theory of organizational socialization to analyze the formal and informal socialization processes inherent to the structure of the training academy. Thematic reflection on informal socialization processes reveal that the pressures tied to module content and testing reinforce values welcomed by CSC, such as organizational commitment, before the recruit’s arrival at the academy. Moreover, at the academy, where the emphasis remains on organizational …

Shame And Justice: Partners Of Individuals On Sex Offender Registries Encourage Policy Reform, Kristan N. Russell, Katie M. Snider, William P. Evans, Shawn C. Marsh

Qualitative Criminology (QC)

Sex offense registration and notification (SORN) policies can contribute to stigma and negative consequences for partners of registered individuals. The present study utilized a self-report questionnaire to ask these partners what they would say to policymakers if given the opportunity. A thematic analysis of the responses revealed three themes which highlight the distinct issues related to registries, describe direct consequences experienced by the partners, and propose changes to existing policy. This study provides valuable insight into the experiences of a hard-to-reach population and can help generate critical discussion around the sweeping impacts SORN policies have on individuals they were not …

Social Supports For Community Corrections Clients: Risk Factors Or Protective Factors?, Lacey Schaefer, Gemma C. Williams, Tenille Ford

Qualitative Criminology (QC)

The significance of social supports throughout an individual’s life-course has been widely documented. However, there is ambiguity about whether social supports are likely to encourage or discourage reoffending. The current study qualitatively examines the kinds of support offered to a sample of probationers and parolees by their social support networks through a thematic analysis of transcripts gained from semi-structured interviews with 15 clients and 16 of their “PoPPs” (parents/partners/peers of probationers and parolees). Results indicate that there are several forms of support provided by correctional clients’ loved ones. These forms of support were well-received by the clients who considered them …

Tennessee Felon Population Update, March 2022, Tennessee. Department Of Correction.

Felon Population Reports

No abstract provided.

Crime And Punishment: An Empirical Study Of The Effects Of Racial Bias On Capital Sentencing Decisions, Matthew A. Gasperetti

University of Miami Law Review

Racism has left an indelible stain on American history and remains a powerful social force that continues to shape crime and punishment in the contemporary United States. In this article, I discuss the socio-legal construction of race, explore how racism infected American culture, and trace the racist history of capital punishment from the Colonial Era to the present. After framing the death penalty in cultural and historical context, I report original empirical results from one of the largest studies (n = 3,284) of mock juror capital sentencing decisions published to date. My results show that mock jurors who self reported …

Tennessee Felon Population Update, February 2022, Tennessee. Department Of Correction.

Felon Population Reports

No abstract provided.

A Statistical Analysis Of Crime In The United States Of America Research, Jennifer I. Cappa

Sociology Undergraduate Work

This research paper was written by Jennifer Cappa on behalf of Dean Calvin Easterling of the sociology department. It serves to evaluate the statistical and mental factors of criminals in the United States of America as the crime rate has increased over time. The methodology used to track and analyze the patterns of the murders is the sociological factors that contribute to this.

Juries, Democracy, And Petty Crime, John D. King

Scholarly Articles

The right to trial by jury in criminal cases is basic to the design of American criminal justice and to the structure of American government. Guaranteed by Article III of the Constitution, the Sixth Amendment, and every one of the original state constitutions, the criminal jury was seen as critically important not only to the protection of individual rights but also to the architecture of American democracy. The vast majority of criminal prosecutions today, however, are resolved without even the prospect of community review by a jury. Despite the textual clarity of the guarantee, the Supreme Court has long recognized …