Digital Commons Network^™

Stop Ice: A Call For Accountability, Em Hodge, Kathryn Petzel, Elizabeth Spiegelhoff, Zoe Wetzel

Master of Social Work Student Policy Advocacy Briefs

Since the beginning of the second Trump Administration in 2025, Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) has increased their activity in conducting operations to deport immigrants and citizens. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recorded nearly 220,000 arrests from October 15th, 2025, through January 20th, 2026. The types of people being detained have almost exclusively been people with no criminal conviction (96.9%) compared to those with a criminal conviction (3.1%). With the increased deportations and killings of citizens such as Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti by the hands of ICE officers in Minnesota, action, protections, and accountability is needed more than …

Time Out For Transfer: Youth Transfer As Punishment, Kristina Kersey

Nevada Law Journal

The confidentiality of the juvenile court, while laudable in protection of the children charged, often means that people, in general, have little understanding of the inner workings of the court. One of the opaquest practices in juvenile court is how, when, and under which circumstances youth are prosecuted as adults. The cases that do reach the headlines are the most salacious, which leads to a confirmation bias on both the need and the appropriateness of the practice of transfer.

Many scholars have discussed the undeniable impact of adolescent development research on juvenile legal jurisprudence and a general reimaging of diminished …

Religious Higher Education Institutions In Ukraine: The Evolution Of The Problem And The Collision Of The "Secular–Religious" Dichotomy, Serhii Kostiuchkov, Vadym Slyusar, Lesya Chervona, Mykola Slyusar

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The article is devoted to institutional, legislative, philosophical and communicative analysis of the activities of religious higher education institutions in modern Ukraine, taking into account political, social, legal, religious and communicative contexts. The authors examine the demand for religious education in modern Ukraine, which demonstrates high internal dynamics and promising prospects for the development of the domestic religious educational space. It is emphasised that the functioning of religious higher education institutions in Ukraine is regulated by the principle of constitutional separation of education from religion, while at the same time basic legal norms create specific conditions for the functioning of …

Socioeconomic Profiles And Barriers Among Committed Female Juveniles In The Florida Department Of Juvenile Justice, Aishwarya Vuppala, Kristopher Kaliebe, Sherry Jackson, Jorge Hernandez

USF-LVHN SELECT

No abstract provided.

Building Youth Resilience Through Adventure-Based Learning, Lisa M. Schainker, Abby Julian, Caitlyn Rogers

Outcomes and Impact Quarterly

To build resilience skills among Salt Lake County youth, Utah State University (USU) Extension - Salt Lake County partnered with the Utah National Guard to host a daylong camp at Camp Williams called Resilience Education Adventures for Life (REAL) Day. REAL Day included both experiential classroom learning and outdoor activities, such as positive risk-taking activities like rappelling and obstacle courses. Survey results from 84 youth participants (n = 84) showed increases in self-reported skills and attitudes related to resilience, including confidence, a growth mindset, and stress management.

A Ghost Of Slavery: Osha’S De Facto Exclusion Of Incarcerated Workers, Jacqueline Glenn

The Business, Entrepreneurship & Tax Law Review

From chattel slavery to convict leasing to sharecropping to present-day prison work, exploitative labor has always had a place in the American economy. Incarcerated workers are compelled to perform long hours of dangerous work for mere pennies, often without adequate breaks and under the threat of solitary confinement, physical abuse, or other punitive measures if they refuse. Federal labor protections that shield free people from such conditions are largely unapplied to incarcerated workers, leaving them with little legal recourse. Tracing the development of involuntary labor through American history, this article contends that the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 …

Sidewalk Living, Michael C. Pollack

Articles

In City of Grants Pass v. Johnson, the Supreme Court held that the Eighth Amendment does not prohibit a city from enforcing a criminal ban on encampments on public property such as parks and sidewalks. But even if municipalities are now permitted to use tactics such as policing, encampment clearing, arrests, and imprisonment, these are not the right ways to address the problems of public homelessness.

Instead, homelessness must be understood as one of many conflicts over limited public space. At its best, vibrant sidewalk life enhances communities and local economies. But at its worst, every use of these finite …

After Grants Pass: The Case For Recentering The Criminal Legal System And Its Constitutional Constraints, Scout Katovich

William & Mary Law Review

In City of Grants Pass v. Johnson, the Supreme Court held that the Eighth Amendment does not prohibit cities from punishing unhoused people for sleeping outside when they have nowhere else to go. While the holding was legally narrow, the Court’s rhetoric framed criminalization as sound policy rather than punishment, obscuring the criminal legal system implications at the heart of the case. Cities responded not to the narrow holding but to the rhetorical message: In the year following the decision, they enacted hundreds of new laws criminalizing homelessness and dramatically intensified enforcement.

This Article argues for the recentering of …

Sidewalk Living, Michael C. Pollack

William & Mary Law Review

In City of Grants Pass v. Johnson, the Supreme Court held that the Eighth Amendment does not prohibit a city from enforcing a criminal ban on encampments on public property such as parks and sidewalks. But even if municipalities are now permitted to use tactics such as policing, encampment clearing, arrests, and imprisonment, these are not the right ways to address the problems of public homelessness.

Instead, homelessness must be understood as one of many conflicts over limited public space. At its best, vibrant sidewalk life enhances communities and local economies. But at its worst, every use of these …

The New Necessity, Ezra Rosser

William & Mary Law Review

According to the U.S. Supreme Court, cities are free to criminalize homelessness. The 2024 case City of Grants Pass v. Johnson is the most important homelessness case in decades and was a significant blow to advocates for the unhoused. The conservative majority rejected the idea that city ordinances criminalizing sleeping in public amounted to cruel and unusual punishment insofar as they penalized status. There is no sidestepping the loss. But within the faint glow of the embers of the oral argument and of the decision itself, there is the possibility that a new understanding of necessity, supported by the same …

Determinants Of U.S. Manufacturing Firms’ New Location Decisions: What Factors Shape State-Level Entry?, Ye Wana Hlaing, John Schoeneman

Journal of Global Business Insights

The location of new manufacturing facilities is a critical determinant of firm performance and long-term competitiveness in an increasingly dynamic global economy. This decision-making process is complex, shaped by economic, social, geographic, and regulatory conditions. Understanding these factors is essential for policymakers, investors, and firms seeking to design strategies that foster regional development, job creation, and sustainable economic growth. This study examines the key determinants of manufacturing firms’ new-location choices in the United States. Although factors such as land availability, workforce productivity, and regulatory stability are well recognized, the magnitude and mechanisms through which they affect location decisions remain insufficiently …

Faith And Justice: Church Leadership's Impact On Prison Reform, Yaw Asamoah Akowuah Mr., Frank Y. Adusei, Eric Kaufman, Loy V. Crowder

Journal of Human Services: Training, Research, and Practice

This study examines the Church of Pentecost’s (CoP) pioneering prison reform initiative in Ghana as a faith-based response to systemic overcrowding and inadequate rehabilitation infrastructure. Through a qualitative case study design, the research analyzes in-depth interviews with church leaders and media staff, alongside institutional documents, to explore how religious leadership intersects with correctional policy. Findings reveal that CoP’s “Vision 2023” strategy positioned prison decongestion as a moral and national imperative, leading to the construction of five “Inmates Skills Acquisition and Reformation Centres.” These facilities integrate vocational training, spiritual care, and modern infrastructure, aligning with Rehabilitation Theory’s emphasis on humane, reintegration-focused …

Safety Searches, Shifting Standards, And The Need To Balance Competing Interests, Colton Fehr

UBC Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Prisoner Grievance System: Administrative Justice Or Grey Hole?, Kate Mitchell

UBC Law Review

No abstract provided.

Exploring The Personal Management Interview Program As A Burnout Prevention Strategy In Policing: A Qualitative Case Study, Lance C. Arnold

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Police officers in the United States experience severe burnout at rates exceeding other service professions, with approximately 75% experiencing burnout symptoms. Current interventions predominantly focus on individual coping mechanisms rather than addressing organizational and leadership factors contributing to burnout. This qualitative single-case study explored the perceptions and experiences of police leaders and officers concerning the utility of a personal management interview program to foster positive leadership behaviors as a resource-oriented preventive strategy against burnout in a midsize municipal police department in Texas. The study employed semistructured virtual interviews with eight participants: four police leaders and four police officers who had …

Moving Beyond Words To Action: A Practitioner’S Playbook For Achieving Collaboration Success, Tessa Lesage, Jonathan L. Romine, Jane Wei Skillern

The Foundation Review

This article argues that foundations must shift from acting as grantmakers alone to becoming active stewards of cross-sector collaborative networks.

Drawing from more than two decades of field experience and research each, the authors outline a framework for moving from collaborative rhetoric to action, identifying four essential and interconnected actions: fueling trust, elevating purpose, nurturing networks, and strengthening stewardship.

Through case examples, the article illustrates how authentic, trust-based relationships, shared goals, and relational network leadership can drive scalable, sustainable impact.

The article offers both a compelling critique of traditional philanthropic approaches and a strategic road map for how foundations can …

Disposition At Equipoise: A Qualitative Study Of Emergency Physicians' Decision-Making About Hospitalizing People With Dementia, Anita N Chary, Annika R Bhananker, Rebecca Franks, Jason Bowman, Adrian D Haimovich, Victoria Martell, Elizabeth M Schoenfeld, Cameron J Gettel, Shan W Liu, Kei Ouchi, Maura Kennedy, Aanand Naik, Manish N Shah

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: People with dementia are often hospitalized from the emergency department (ED) for conditions that could potentially be treated in the outpatient setting. In scenarios of clinical equipoise-where either admission or discharge may be appropriate-little is known about how emergency physicians make disposition decisions.

Methods: We conducted a qualitative study with attending emergency physicians at a single academic medical center. Interviews included open-ended questions about disposition decision-making in general as well as structured case scenarios using a think-aloud protocol. We used an inductive approach to code interview data and elucidate themes about the factors emergency physicians consider in disposition decisions …

Development Of A Framework For Identifying Asphalt Pavement Cracking Distresses Using Machine Learning, Dingxin Cheng

Mineta Transportation Institute

Asphalt pavement cracking is one of the most critical distresses affecting pavement performance and service life. When pavement deteriorates, it can lead to safety hazards, higher vehicle maintenance costs, and expensive repairs for cities and states—making early detection essential for everyone who relies on the roadway system. To address this challenge, the research team developed a prototype cracking identification system that integrates a customized machine learning model with computer vision algorithms. High-resolution images collected from drones or ground-based cameras are processed within the system to automatically detect and classify major cracking types. The core of the framework utilizes the You …

Unveiling The Experiences And Unmet Needs: A Qualitative Exploration Of Undocumented Immigrants Residing In Kansas, Carol Meza, Pedro Hernandez, Alicia Hawley-Bernardez, Christopher Bakke, Staci P. Wolfe

School of Social Work Faculty Publications

Undocumented immigrants in the United States (US) face numerous barriers to accessing services such as healthcare, employment, and social services due to their status. While media and immigration policy focus on the U.S. border states, significant populations of undocumented immigrants exist throughout the U.S. Using qualitative analysis of 20 personal accounts, this study examines their experiences in a Midwestern state through utilizing a strengths-perspective, which emphasizes individual and community assets. Recurrent experiential themes included problems with persistent racism, discrimination, housing, employment, health care, and mental health challenges, while undocumented immigrants demonstrate remarkable resilience. These findings suggest that they can benefit …

Opting Out Of Court? Reputation And Informal Norms In Private Equity, Kobi Kastiel Professor Of Law, Yaron Nili Professor Of Law

Vanderbilt Law Review

Private equity, an industry characterized by high-stake investments and complex contractual arrangements, operates almost entirely outside of courts. Despite the substantial financial stakes involved--billions of dollars locked in for years--and the potential for fiduciary conflicts, litigation between limited partners ("LPs") and general partners ("GPs") who manage the investment is exceptionally rare. In stark contrast to public markets, where shareholder litigation plays a prominent role in deterring misconduct and shaping corporate norms, the private equity world is largely defined by its absence. The puzzle, then, is this: In an industry where fiduciary breaches or misaligned incentives are not uncommon, why do …

When Detention Becomes A Death Sentence: The Urgent Need For Greater Due Process Protections For Ice Detainees, Kyle J. Smith

Vanderbilt Law Review

This Note argues that U.S. immigration detention, though legally classified as civil, operates as a punitive carceral system that routinely subjects immigrants to abuse, neglect, and preventable death. Drawing on the tragic case of Ernesto Javier Rocha Cuadra and other documented instances of physical violence, medical neglect, solitary confinement, and sexual abuse, it demonstrates how U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement ('ICE') relies on detention as a default mechanism rather than as a last resort. The result is a system that mirrors the criminal legal system in scale and severity but denies detainees its constitutional safeguards.
The analysis situates the rise …

Ai & Policing: Knowledge Synthesis Report On The Governance & Use Of Artificial Intelligence By Police In Canada, Benjamin Perrin, Geoffrey Liew, Isabelle Sweeney

All Faculty Publications

Police services across Canada are using, or exploring, a broad range of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, including facial recognition, location-based predictive policing, automated licence plate readers, AI-assisted police reports, object recognition and video analytics, social media monitoring, gunshot detection, probabilistic genotyping, and data mining.

While promising productivity and public safety benefits, these tools also raise various concerns and risks. Canada currently lacks AI-specific legislation and regulations governing these new technologies, or even a statement of principles on the governance and use of AI by police.

Evaluating The Feasibility Of Recycled Asphalt Pavement And Warm Mix Asphalt In California Highway Construction, Ryan A. Milanesa

Construction Management

California’s highway infrastructure faces increasing material costs, limited aggregate availability, and aggressive greenhouse gas reduction mandates. Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) offers a practical solution to reduce virgin binder demand and improve sustainability. However, Caltrans maintains conservative RAP limits due to concerns regarding stiffness related cracking and long term durability. This research evaluates the feasibility of increasing RAP content to approximately 40% when combined with Warm Mix Asphalt (WMA) technologies under California performance standards. A performance based framework was developed by reviewing federal guidance, peer-reviewed fatigue studies, life cycle cost analysis, and environmental assessment literature. Findings indicate that high RAP mixtures …

Communicating Across Languages: Experiences Of Spanish-Speaking People With Dementia And Care Partners In The Emergency Department, Anita N Chary, Victor Lara, Sumin Yoon, Annika R Bhananker, Edgar Ordoñez, Michelle I Suh, Manish N Shah

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

No abstract provided.

Cumulative Disadvantage: Ethnic Inequalities In Criminal Court Proceedings In England And Wales, Kitty Lymperopoulou

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences

Scholarship on ethnic disparities in the criminal justice system has predominantly focused on disparities at a single decision-making point, mainly at sentencing, while earlier decision points remain underexamined or are studied in isolation to sentencing decisions. Using linked Ministry of Justice Data First datasets from criminal courts in England and Wales, this study assesses ethnic disparities at multiple decision points—from pre-sentencing to sentencing. Findings from multilevel logistic regression models demonstrate ethnic disparities across decision points, evidencing more pronounced disparities at pre-sentencing stages. Black and mixed ethnicity defendants consistently experience more disadvantaged outcomes, being more likely to be detained prior to …

Telling Secrets: Ending Torture, William W. Berry Iii

Georgia Criminal Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Mississippi Violence Injury Prevention Program (Ms-Vip): Building A Community-Driven Model For Healing And Safety, Rukia Lumumba

Journal of Public Health in the Deep South

No abstract provided.

The Bison, February, 27, 2026

The Bison Newspapers

No abstract provided.

Hold Your Horses: The Eleventh Circuit Recognizes A Direct Cause Of Action Under The Takings Clause In Fulton V. Fulton County Board Of Commissioners, Brock Gumbel

Mercer Law Review

“[No person shall be] deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.” In just twelve words, the drafters of the Bill of Rights guaranteed property owners a significant protection. The Fifth Amendment Takings Clause is not an express ban on government takings. Rather, it guarantees that when the government takes property from private citizens, it must provide just compensation. Although this guarantee is generally well established, its enforcement in federal court introduces unique and significant challenges.

Plaintiffs must have a cause of action to invoke …

The Northeast Snow Survey (Ness) Feasibility Study Interest Holder Engagement Report, Sarah Nelson, G. Murray, B. Lineman, Franklin B. Sullivan, Elizabeth Burakowski, J. Beneš, J. Clayton, Alexandra R. Contosta, A. Grunes, H. Hofman, S. Koehler, C. Mccarthy, S. Mckim, C. Nadeau, K. Phillips, C. Schmitt, M. Stewart, D. Tappa, M. Webb, L. Zukiewicz

Faculty Publications

The Northeast Snow Survey (NESS) Feasibility Study was launched to address a critical gap in snowpack and weather monitoring across the northeastern United States. Unlike the western U.S., which benefits from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Snow Telemetry (SNOTEL) network, the Northeast lacks a coordinated, automated, real-time snow monitoring system—particularly at higher elevations where snowpack dynamics most strongly influence flooding, water supply, ecosystems, outdoor recreation, and working lands.

Funded through the FY2023 federal omnibus bill, the NESS Feasibility Study includes two phases: Phase 1–the content of this report–focused on interest holder engagement and …