Digital Commons Network^™

"May It Please Her Honor": The United States' First Women Judges, 1870-1930, Elizabeth D. Katz

UF Law Faculty Publications

Between 1870 and 1930, hundreds of women served as judges in the United States. While a small number compared to the men who served, these pathbreaking officials were particularly visible and influential in women's efforts to secure political rights and advance in the legal profession. Women's progress in obtaining judgeships developed in a regional pattern, with women in the Midwest and West able to secure earlier and broader jurisdiction positions than their counterparts in the Northeast and South. Seeking access to the judiciary, women in conservative states made gendered arguments about women's supposed superiority in overseeing cases involving women, children, …

Victim Advocacy For Latina Women: Addressing Barriers Situated In The Scholarly And Public Spheres, Alejandra Aleannie Tavarez

Honors Senior Capstones and Theses

This research will explore how machismo, marianismo, and mental health stigma impact victim advocacy for Latina women. By analyzing existing literature and systemic challenges, this study will advocate for culturally informed solutions that address the legal, social, and psychological barriers Latina survivors face. Through a critical lens, this paper will examine the ways in which existing victim services can be improved and expanded to better serve this underrepresented population.

Feminine Felons: Violent Offenders' Intersectional Experiences In Twentieth-Century Montana, Cassidy Ann Vander Voort

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This paper explores the treatment of violent female offenders in Montana in both the media and prison system from 1900-1960. Women of all races faced gender discrimination from both the carceral system and popular media. Local newspapers sensationalized crimes committed by female offenders, portraying them as women who lived outside of the expectations of womanhood in the twentieth century. Newspapers and courts placed women into two categories: “mad/sad” female offenders, who received forgiveness for their crimes; or unforgivable, “bad” offenders. Crime did not determine these categorizations; instead, gender expectations of the white middle class shaped female criminals’ treatment. If these …

Addressing The Gap: A Need For A Gender-Based Approach In Indonesia’S Deradicalization Program, Raneeta Mutiara

Journal of Terrorism Studies

An effective deradicalisation program is the key to combating violent extremism and reducing potential harm to society from radical ideologies. A gender-based approach to tackling violent extremism among women has received esteemed recognition from the governments of many countries. Various international organizations and scholarly institutes have also approved the advantages of this method. This work aims to find and address the gap in the current deradicalization program in Indonesia for future development in both academic and practical areas of this subject matter. An integrative literature review is used as a method that involves synthesizing previous research and integrating empirical findings …

Women Serving In Special Operation Forces: Practical Recommendations For Mental Health Providers, Kashvi Khanna, Jessica Salaz, Nicholas Boyd, Alexandra Reeves, Kaethe Hoehling

School of Leadership and Education Sciences: Faculty Scholarship

Women have faced limited access to needed and appropriate services in many professional and societal conditions. Military Special Operations Forces (SOF) is one of these domains. However, despite recent changes that have allowed the inclusion of women into these units, they continue to endure cultural and systemic barriers as well as several subsequent mental and physical health issues. Experiences of gender discrimination, sexual harassment, nonacceptance, and the unique demands of SOF roles can create various health concerns for women in SOF, including PTSD, depression, trauma, and reproductive health issues. These significant concerns highlight the need for clinical and practical recommendations …

"You're Going To Make A Hell Of A Corrections Man Someday": Work Experiences Of Female Wardens And Superintendents, Karen A. Altendorf

Qualitative Criminology (QC)

"This project describes the experiences of female wardens and superintendents in state correctional facilities in the United States. There has been little research on women in leadership positions in corrections; most research has focused on females working in non-traditional occupations or as corrections officers. This project describes how women negotiate gender in a masculine organizational culture where they are not always welcome. In-depth interviews were conducted with twenty-nine wardens and superintendents from thirteen states. The subjects discussed various issues women working in corrections face, from appearance to interacting with inmates and coworkers, being under near-constant scrutiny as women, and being …

A Thematic Analysis Of Parenting Experiences Of Women In Prison, Pious Maedzenge, Dawn Beichner-Thomas

Qualitative Criminology (QC)

Although there is growing literature examining system-involved mothers, little is known about their parenting experiences and coping mechanisms. Using Braun and colleagues’ (2006; 2022) reflexive thematic analysis approach, this qualitative study examines the parenting experiences of forty-four mothers incarcerated in a Midwestern correctional center. The data were gathered from interviews with incarcerated mothers and included accounts of the women’s experiences before and during their incarceration. The narratives illustrate how background experiences (i.e., sexual and physical abuse, drug dependency, and childhood experiences) shape women’s experiences of mothering, perceptions of the effects of incarceration on their children, and reentry plans. Results from …

The Impact Of Childhood Sexual Abuse On Interpersonal Relationships: A Cross-Sectional Study In Trinidad, Bernadette Marson

Journal of International Women's Studies

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a pervasive social problem that can have long-term effects on women’s relationships because it makes them vulnerable to revictimization. Girls are more vulnerable than boys to be victims of CSA, and those abused by someone they trust are at higher risk of experiencing increased trauma and interpersonal problems. This quantitative research study investigated the association between CSA and interpersonal relationships. Participants completed anonymous surveys exploring these two variables. Results showed that among other vulnerabilities, women who reported sexual abuse within the family reported overall greater interpersonal problems compared with non-abused participants. Given the prevalence of …

Exploring Social Workers Potential Role In Mitigating Maternal Mortality Through Coordinated Care, Jena Brown-Talib

Honors Theses

Maternal health disparities persist as a significant challenge in Mississippi, particularly for African American women. This thesis explores the intersection of coordinated care models and social work interventions in addressing maternal mortality. Coordinated care involves collaboration among physicians, nurses, practitioners, social workers, community health workers, and other support services, aiming to maximize pregnant patients' overall health outcomes.

Analyzing strategies of social workers within coordinated care models is important for improving maternal health outcomes within this study. A qualitative approach was chosen to delve beyond statistics and illuminate the reality of maternal health disparities and the efforts to resolve them. Data …

Impact Of An Electronic Human Papillomavirus Vaccination Catch-Up Module For Women With Criminal-Legal System Involvement, Shawana Moore

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Cervical cancer can often be prevented with targeted strategies such as Pap smear screenings and the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination, now also recommended for those aged 27-45 who have not received the vaccine previously. However, women involved in the criminal-legal system often miss out on primary and secondary prevention measures and are at increased risk for the development of cervical cancer caused by HPV. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the feasibility and acceptability of an electronic HPV catch-up module for women in the criminal-legal system aged 27-45. The study, guided by the Health Belief Model, …

“People See Us Homeless People As A Burden To Them” – Linda: Understanding Victimization And Offending Among Homeless Women, Alexandra J. Schloesser

Honors Program Theses and Projects

Among the homeless population in the United States and around the world, specific populations within the homeless experience unique challenges. As stated by Alatorre (2019), homeless women who have suffered trauma-related events are subject to revictimization when working to reintegrate back into society. The purpose of this chapter is to decipher the line between a victim and an offender in order to analyze how victimization and offending among women co-occur with homelessness. The study consists of a qualitative analysis of interviews, consisting of two YouTube videos from the channel White Under Belly and three interviews that were conducted via Zoom …

Interventions To Modify Negative Perceptions Of The Need For Behavioral Health Care For African American Patients, Tiffany Jones

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

Background: African Americans underutilized mental health care services, compared to other population groups, in the past decades. While African Americans have the same mental health needs and rates of mental health diagnosis as other races, for some groups, there are additional cultural or environmental factors that create additional barriers to utilizing care (Alang, 2019). Methods: This project will be a cross-sectional study using an online survey of behavioral health practitioners. Results: Respondents were predominantly females (69%) and African Americans (69%). Their work medical specialties included: licensed counseling social workers and clinical social workers, mental health therapists, and psychiatrists. The average …

Northeast Reintegration Center Leisure Program, Jessica Mravec

Occupational Therapy Doctoral Student Capstone Posters

Occupational therapists have the opportunity to develop programming for inmates to increase skills and engagement in meaningful leisure activities, and to help inmates successfully reintegrate into the community. Through the collection of data from my needs assessment, I created a 12-leisure program outline to educate the women on types of leisure and how leisure participation can be impacted by different barriers, with the ability to participate in a variety of leisure activities. Also, I created a Community Resource Guide that will allow the women to have access to resources in their community upon release to become stable and independent.

Courtesy Stigma And Mental Health: Exploring The Lived Experiences Of The Mothers Of Registered Sex Offenders, Kimberly Ann Ingold

Theses and Dissertations

While there is a plethora of research exploring how registered sex offenders are negatively affected by the registry, little research has examined how the consequences of the registry affect their family members. More specifically, the mothers of registrants have received even less study even though mothers typically receive blame for their child’s outcomes - including delinquency and criminality. The current paper examines if, and how, the mothers of registrants experience courtesy stigmatization from their child’s arrest and conviction along with how that affects their personal relationships, finances, and mental health. The study utilizes a mixed-methods research design, as 178 women’s …

Hurt, Hungry, And Handcuffed: How The Prison System Fails Pregnant Women And Their Newborns, Sarah B. Bondar

Marquette Benefits and Social Welfare Law Review

Over 200,000 women are incarcerated in the United States’ federal and state correctional institutions on any given day. In fact, more women are incarcerated now than ever before, and those rates of incarceration continue to grow at an exponential rate. Despite this large increase in the number of incarcerated women, jail policies, health-care protocols, and important interventions continue to focus primarily on incarcerated men and fail to consider the gender-specific needs of the increasing population of incarcerated females.

This comment discusses ways the United States prison system fails the pregnant women in their care. It discusses four main points including: …

The Transitional Journey From Incarceration To A College Degree Through The Lived Experiences Of Women, Marsha Milan-Bethel

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative narrative study shares the lived experiences of formerly incarcerated women, their reintegration into the community, and their journey to and through college. The eight participants span between 25 and 64 years of age, have spent varying lengths of time incarcerated, and are now either in college or recent graduates of both public and private universities. Research indicates that a large majority of incarcerated women come from economically disadvantaged communities, are vocationally unskilled, and have limited access to in-prison postsecondary programs (Mallory, 2011; Western et al., 2015). However, by earning a college credential, women rebuild their sense of self, …

What Are We Waiting For? A Collection Of Poems And Essays About Family, Love, Loss, Time, And Hope, Right/Write To Heal, Skye Adams, D W, N L, D G, Jillian Foley, Madison Burke, Erica King, Becky Wurwarg

Justice Policy

This anthology is a collaboration with the Opportunity Scholars project and the Right/Write to Heal Initiative. The collection tells the stories of women and their families who have been impacted by incarceration in Maine and New York, the pathways that brought them to justice system involvement, and what inspires them to remain hopeful. These stories of family, love, loss, time, and hope were written by residents at the Southern Maine Women’s Reentry Center and the Women’s Center at the Maine Correctional Center, and partners from New York who participated in a weekly creative writing project together. The authors and editors …

The Role Of Women’S Activists And Organizations In Post-Conflict Kosovo, Olivia Carusi

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis examines the role of civic organizations to advance women’s rights in Kosovo after the conflict in the late 1990s. Following the Kosovo-Serbia War, Western state building missions came into Kosovo to support Kosovo’s independence and help guide them on a path toward developed statehood. However, those missions brought with them patriarchal leaders who marginalized women’s voices and neglected to enshrine women’s rights. As a result, local actorsand organizations stepped up to improve the lives of Kosovar women. Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN), and their member organizations, is one of the most successful civic actors in Kosovo, working locally and …

Moral Panic And The First Amendment, Michael L. Smith

Faculty Articles

Debates over free speech in the United States frequently see advocates of strong, broad protections at odds with those who argue that unfettered free speech tends to harm society's most vulnerable. Free speech advocates invoke the marketplace of ideas and argue that the antidote to false or harmful speech is more speech. In response, critics contend that speech itself causes harm and chills counter-speech effectively excluding marginalized groups, including women and LGBTQ people, from discourse altogether. These critics support limitations on robust free speech doctrine targeting speech that harms marginalized communities.

This Article identifies a significant wrinkle in this narrative: …

Speaking, Running, Leading: Black Women In American Politics, Sherelle A. Roberts

Theses and Dissertations--Political Science

This dissertation examines African American women as constituents, candidates, and policy entrepreneurs. It illuminates the ways in which Black women navigate the complexities of politics, while balancing their equally complex intersectional identities. It critiques the notion of African American women as politically marginalized actors and highlights the ways in which they surmount social, cultural, and political disadvantage to gain political success.

The Importance Of Gender Diversity On Police Culture, Haley Vasko

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This paper outlines the problem of historical underrepresentation of women in the police force and its potential impact on police culture, effectiveness, and community relations. This paper aims to investigate the importance of gender diversity within law enforcement.

The research framed the context of organizational behavior and diversity management, exploring how gender diversity affects group dynamics, organizational culture, and policing. The literature review covered historical trends in gender diversity in policing, challenges faced by women in the profession, and the influence of gender diversity on police culture.

The methodology involved an extensive literature review, case studies from different regions, and …

Visualizing The Risks: The Significance Of Graphic Design In Educating Women About The Risks Of Prescription Opioids & Pre-Existing Mental Health Conditions, Natascha Foret Truong

Masters Theses

This thesis explores the critical issue of educating women about the increased risks of prescription opioid use and misuse relating to a co-occurring mental health illness. The research-based graphic design solutions proposed in the thesis aim to create awareness and provide knowledge to women on this matter. It is imperative to address this issue as it has severe consequences for women, their families, and society. This thesis utilizes research and best practices from scholarly articles, case studies, visual analysis, personas, and mind mapping to present graphic design solutions based on evidence. These solutions aim to educate women about the gender-specific …

Denied, Disrespected, Doubted, And Discarded: Women's Criminal Convictions And Experiences Of Discrimination, Brian Wyant, Holly Harner, Brian Lockwood

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

This study surveyed over 400 incarcerated women in a medium-maximum security prison in the United States to assess their experiences of discrimination due to their criminal conviction. Over 60% of the participants indicated they had been discriminated against due to their felon status. Binary logistic models revealed that discrimination based on prison status can occur both inside and outside of prison but varies by race and length of stay. Similarly, qualitative results showed that during and after their incarceration, these women reported being denied jobs, disrespected and viewed as incapable of changing. Some women even anticipated they would experience discrimination …

"I Call It Hunting": Centuries Of Violence Against Native American Women, Antonia Felix

Educational Leadership Department Publications

Native American and Pacific Islander women are missing and murdered at an alarming and relentless rate. The history of violence against this population starts with European contact in the fifteenth century and continues to this day with Native women suffering the highest rate of sexual assault per capita in the nation. This panel presentation held in observance of the International Day of Eliminating Violence Against Women concludes with a recognition of Native American resilience and actions all Americans can take to help reduce these crimes.

Understanding Incarcerated Education: A Review Of The Digital And Gender Inequality Impacts Of Accessibility And Inclusivity Of Higher Education For Incarcerated Students, Bianca R. Parry Phd

Journal of Prison Education Research

Education in the correctional environment is endorsed as an effective rehabilitative tool linked to reducing recidivism and improving reintegration. Unfortunately, while researchers from the Global North are particularly active on the subject of the accessibility of digital education in corrections, the same cannot be said for the Global South. Of further concern is that few of the studies conducted have focused specifically on incarcerated women’s access to education. As discussed in the literature review to follow, research regarding higher education in corrections has the potential for expanding academics, stakeholders, and policy makers understanding of incarcerated students’ pathways towards education attainment. …

Socio-Economic Determinants Of Gender-Based Violence [Gbv]: Sdg Analytics On The Global Gbv Scenario With Special Reference To Technology Facilitated Gender-Based Violence And Adolescent Birth Rates, Chandra P. Daniel

NYMC Student Theses and Dissertations

Gender-based violence (GBV) is a multifaceted problem. The most rapidly increasing modern form of violence is the intertwined epidemic of ‘Technology Facilitated GBV’ [TF GBV] and sexual violence against women and girls. It was critical to investigate the global impact of this epidemic during COVID-19 since a disproportionate impact of violence was observed among women and girls in low and middle-income countries. A retrospective cross-sectional research design was adopted using linear regression analysis (univariate and multivariate) on SDG 5.2, a set of global indicators, to elicit the socioeconomic determinants of GBV. Phase-I results exposed the top-four socio-economic determinants …

Employment And Mental Matters Amongst Formerly Incarcerated Women, Convalecia Johnson, Monica Watford, Stephanie Riedmueller

Summer 2023 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

The purpose of this project was to implement a program for formerly incarcerated women to provide employment preparation and mental health resources to address recidivism. An occupational therapy lens was used to develop and execute this program. One on one Zoom sessions were held for participants to work on resumes and mock interviews for employment preparation. Participants were also provided with a resource guide for future reference. A mixed methods approach was utilized to analyze the data from the pre and post program surveys administered to the participants. Based on the results, the participants found the program to be beneficial …

Black And Battered: The Impact Of The Violence Against Women Act On Women Of Color, Antonia D. Adams

Senior Theses

Domestic violence is the intentional act of someone exerting control to harm another person. Domestic violence can impact individuals of all genders, ethnicities, and backgrounds. However, domestic violence has a disproportionate impact on Black women over their white counterparts. By analyzing raw SLED data, as well as peer-reviewed articles and personal interviews, this paper will explore whether the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) helped Black women, or if it failed to protect them. The hypothesis is that VAWA did not address the unique needs that Black women faced in domestic violence. Due to the myriad of circumstances that Black women …

Sexual Assault Of Women And Adolescent Girls With Mental Disabilities, Janine Benedet, Isabel Grant

All Faculty Publications

This Report considers the research that addresses the sexual assault of women (age 18+) and adolescent girls (12-17) with mental disabilities (disabilities that affect cognition and decision-making, including intellectual disabilities present from birth, dementia, brain injury and certain psychiatric conditions.) These victims are targeted for sexual violence at rates even higher than for women generally. Yet when these women report abuse to authorities, the criminal trial process struggles to provide them with justice, while the consequences of disclosure can be severe and participation in the criminal justice process particularly traumatizing for them.

Do Legal And Institutional Reforms In Punjab, Pakistan Protect Women’S Inherited Land Rights?, Iram Rubab, Beenish Malik, Zujajah Bakht Aziz

Journal of International Women's Studies

Economic marginalization is a key feature of gender inequality globally. In Pakistan, which ranks 153 out of 156 countries on the Global Gender Gap Index Report 2020, economic marginalization has significantly hampered efforts towards inclusivity. In comparison to dismal levels of female literacy and formal occupation (traditional measures of development), inheritance is an interesting category—a right enshrined both in Islam (the official state religion) and the country’s constitution. Given Pakistan’s agrarian and otherwise rent-seeking economic orientation, land inheritance plays a pivotal role in financial wellbeing regardless of gender. However, a pervasive denial of women’s inheritance rights has been the norm. …