Digital Commons Network^™

The Cost Of Caring: Understanding Compassion Fatigue In First Responders, Jonathon O. Santiago

Master of Arts in Human Services

First responders are regularly exposed to trauma, crisis, death, injury, and human suffering, which may contribute to compassion fatigue. This capstone examined compassion fatigue among law enforcement officers, emergency medical services personnel, firefighters, and other emergency-service professionals. The paper reviewed peer-reviewed research on symptomatology, occupational risk factors, protective factors, compassion satisfaction, emotional labor, stigma, help-seeking barriers, and organizational influences. Attention was given to the overlap between compassion fatigue, burnout, secondary traumatic stress, and vicarious trauma, as inconsistent definitions may make the issue harder to identify, measure, and address. The research also explored how repeated trauma exposure, confidentiality concerns, workplace culture, …

The Underlying Connections Between Drug Abuse And Criminal Involvement, Jessica Sedor

Master of Arts in Human Services

In this composition, an analysis about the relationship between substance abuse and criminal engagement within specific types of crimes is explored. While examining this relationship, the importance of forensic rehabilitation within the criminal justice system is approached through advocacy of identifying risk factors and intergenerational patterns amongst the youth to reduce the abusive cycle of crime and addiction. This paper reflects the evident significance that it is imperative that human services professionals are aware of this relationship and how it can influence and impact one’s judgment, personality, decision making, and other criminogenic behaviors and attitudes. It is critical that the …

Breaking The Cycle: From Victimization To Offending Through The Lens Of Human Services, Colette R. Penalosa

Master of Arts in Human Services

The victim-offender overlap challenges the common view that victims and offenders are separately labeled by recognizing that both groups have experienced significant childhood trauma, physical, emotional, and psychological abuse, neglect, and other adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Current research implies these experiences can increase the risk of offending as they all influence cognitive and behavioral development while leaving criminal behavior undetermined. The purpose of this capstone is to analyze the relationship between childhood victimization and offending from a human service perspective; analyzing the pathways a victim takes on the road to offending. Research conducted will focus on exploring the victim-offender overlap, …

The Individual And Combined Effects Of Individualism-Collectivism Orientation And Mental Health Stigma On Perceived Social Support In Firefighters, Emma Schafer Schutte

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Repetitive trauma exposure predisposes firefighters to a variety of mental health issues. Despite efforts to expand mental health resources and peer support, stigma remains a significant barrier to formal (professional) and informal (peer) support-seeking within the fire service. According to social influence theory, firefighters may avoid using available support services because they perceive support-seeking as stigmatized by their peers and feel compelled to conform. Research across cultural groups suggests that individualism-collectivism orientation, which defines how individuals assign value to individual or group needs, has nuanced effects on perceptions of social support. However, the interplay of individualism-collectivism orientation, stigma, and perceived …

Are Individual Mental Health Issues Treated Fairly By The Criminal Justice System?, Taylor Anderson

Master of Arts in Human Services

The intersection of mental health and the criminal justice system is a critical area of inquiry that highlights the complexities of addressing psychological disorders within our legal frameworks. This paper explores the prevalence of mental health issues among incarcerated individuals and examines how systemic deficiencies contribute to a cycle of recidivism and inadequate treatment. By analyzing the existing literature, the research aims to illuminate the pressing need for a reform in the handling of mentally ill offenders, advocating for a shift towards more rehabilitative approaches rather than punitive measures. The implications of those findings extend beyond individual cases to societal …

Converting Buildings Is Hard: Why Seattle’S Municipal Government Should Streamline Commercial-To-Residential Conversions, Tyler M. King

Seattle University Law Review

The conversion of commercial buildings into housing is a promising solution to the growing housing crisis in many urban areas. However, despite its potential benefits, the process of repurposing commercial spaces is often stymied by complex zoning codes, high conversion costs, and bureaucratic hurdles. This Article argues that the local and state governments in Seattle should adopt more streamlined policies and offer greater incentives to developers to facilitate these conversions. By reforming zoning regulations and providing targeted financial support, municipalities can reduce the barriers to conversion and unlock the potential of underutilized commercial properties. This article examines the legal and …

Symbolic Reform And Police Legitimacy In Indonesia, Nur Zena Anggita Raissa

Jurnal Kriminologi Indonesia

The Indonesian National Police (Polri) are facing a sustained crisis of legitimacy amid increasing public distrust, digital activism, and intensified external oversight. While reform has been repeatedly promised since the post-authoritarian transition, institutional change remains fragmented and largely symbolic. This article examines Polri’s reform trajectory through a criminological lens, drawing on theories of social solidarity (Durkheim), procedural justice (Tyler), and the sociology of professions (Abbott) to analyze the interaction between external pressures and internal organizational dysfunctions. Using theory-driven qualitative analysis of corruption cases, recruitment controversies, and public trust surveys, the study argues that Polri’s legitimacy crisis is rooted not only …

August 25, 2026 Ereporter, University Of Alabama At Birmingham

eReporter (campus newsletter)

No abstract provided.

Unmanned Aerial Support Program In Portland Police Bureau: A Case Study, Eiryn Renouard

Dissertations and Theses

With the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) adopting drone technology in 2024 as a tactical tool, officers have begun to experience change in the way they approach their roles as they learn to work in conjunction with this new technology. Known as the Unmanned Aerial Support program (UAS), this drone program is embedded into PPB's patrol unit. The recency of the program offers an opportunity to examine how a new program using new technology builds its culture and impacts the perspectives and behaviors of its participating officers. By interviewing officers and conducting field observations of the officers and drones in action, …

Business Educational Skills For Successful Aviation Fire Officers, Leo Sedlmeyer

All Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Purpose: This paper explored the business educational skills aviation fire officers use to manage airport fire departments.

Design/Methodology/Approach: The methodology was a qualitative phenomenological study design. The participants began with 10 aviation fire officers from airports throughout the USA who were at least 28 years old, in a leadership role, and had at least 10 years of experience as aviation fire officers (Buttenschon, 2016). Saturation was reached at seven during the interview phase. The limitations of this study were gaining participants' trust and obtaining comprehensive information from them.

Findings: Six themes emerged from this study, with the top three identified: …

The Dual Impact Of Professional And Community Interventions On Recidivism, Anjelika M. Dillard

Master of Arts in Human Services

This capstone project evaluates the effectiveness of professional and community interventions in reducing criminal recidivism and facilitating successful community reintegration for justice-involved individuals. Grounded in the Risk-Need-Responsivity (RNR) model, Desistance Theory, and Trauma-Informed Care frameworks, this study synthesizes contemporary behavioral health and criminological literature to examine how institutional programming and post-release community support interact to foster long-term behavioral change. The findings demonstrate that while evidence-based institutional treatments—such as Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and targeted vocational training—provide essential foundations for cognitive restructuring and skill acquisition, institutional programming alone is insufficient to prevent re-offending. Long-term desistance depends on an …

Behind Prison Walls: Unmasking The Victimization Experience Of A Transgender Inmate: A Narrative Study, Kevin E. Hemminger

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Transgender individuals experience disproportionately high rates of victimization within the U.S. criminal justice system, at rates some studies estimate as four times greater than those of cisgender individuals (Marchi et al., 2025). Victimization may occur at the hands of correctional officers, institutional staff, or fellow inmates. This narrative study focuses on the life story of a formerly incarcerated transgender woman, tracing her experiences before incarceration, throughout her time at two different correctional facilities in two different states, and her life following release. While Community Based Research (CBR) was not adopted as a formal methodological framework, its principles — centering lived …

Promoting Developmentally Informed Justice: A Developmental Assessment Referral Framework For Juvenile Transfer Decisions, Carly F. Colman

Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects

The transfer of youth between juvenile courts and adult courts is one of the most consequential decisions made in the American legal system, as it will influence the youth’s legal outcomes, developmental trajectories, and long-term well-being. Advances in adolescent brain science show that there are many factors associated with youthful offending, including developmental immaturity, susceptibility to external influences, and ongoing neurobiological development—all of which are related to age, rather than being fixed criminal traits. Despite this growing body of evidence, legal decision-making in juvenile transfer and sentencing does not consistently incorporate individualized developmental data. This paper examines the important role …

From Print To Film: Political Censorship And Nationalism In Nineteenth And Twentieth-Century Central Europe, Kartik Joshi

The Ozark Historical Review

From Print to Film: Political Censorship and Nationalism in Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century Central Europe examines the relationship between emerging media technologies, state censorship, and nationalist political movements in Central Europe. Focusing primarily on Austria, the German states, and Hungary, this article traces how governments employed increasingly sophisticated systems of press regulation to suppress nationalist and subversive political discourse while political actors developed their own methods for circumventing those restrictions. The article considers censorship of newspapers, satire, lithographs, and other printed materials before examining the transformative effects of cinema in the twentieth century. As film became increasingly difficult to regulate through …

Exploring The Perspectives Of Individuals Who Were Formerly Incarcerated To Determine The Barriers And Facilitators To Successful Reentry Programs In Maryland, Ansu Sawi Momoh

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Due to persistently high rates of incarceration and recidivism, the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services developed policies and programs geared towards reducing recidivism. Existing literature indicated that successful reentry depends on access to coordinated support services, there was a lack of qualitative studies that explored the perspectives of individuals who were formerly incarcerated, specifically in the state of Maryland. The purpose of this generic qualitative research was to understand the reentry process from the perspective of 12 individuals who were formerly incarcerated. Semi structured interviews were used to explore the barriers and facilitators within the re-entry programs …

North Country Career Expo Student Brochure, Cooperative Extension, Coos County, Ray Berthiaume

UNH Cooperative Extension

No abstract provided.

Beyond The Checklist: Just-In-Time Education For Multi-Component Fall Risk Reduction, Kyle Knight

Master's Projects and Capstones

Objective On a Telemetry unit at a level 1 trauma center public safety net hospital in the Bay Area, a review was conducted of 45 reported falls over the past year. The analysis uncovered inconsistencies in fall-risk assessment techniques, underuse of continuous observation among high-risk patients, and an absence of standardized purposeful rounding. These data points suggest existing tools were not being applied consistently, and need reinforcement and updating.

Aim This project aimed to reduce inpatient fall rates to the national benchmark by strengthening staff's consistent use of existing fall-prevention practices and infrastructure, including multifactorial risk assessment, purposeful rounding, and …

The Indiana Statesman, August 20, 2026, Indiana State University

Student Newspaper

Welcome Week; Your guide to campus employment; Kicking off the new semester across campus

The Experience Of Sleep And Academic Performance Among African American College Students: A Case Study, Jamean Alma Alexander

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The transition to college presents significant challenges for African American college students, particularly in developing effective study habits and maintaining healthy sleep behaviors that support academic success. Despite growing evidence linking sleep and academic performance, limited research has explored how African American students attending historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) perceive these experiences. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the perceptions and experiences of African American college students regarding sleep habits, study habits, and academic performance. Guided by three research questions, data were collected through semi structured interviews with 12 African American students attending HBCUs in …

Treatment Alternatives To Incarceration Program (Taip) Counselor’S Perceptions Of The Effectiveness Of Taip Within West Texas, Patricia Arenas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Substance abuse remains a major challenge in the U.S. probation system, as recidivism persists despite specialized treatment programs such as the Treatment Alternatives to Incarceration Program (TAIP) available in Texas. This issue matters to policymakers, judges, community supervision officers, TAIP administrators, treatment providers, and local communities because decisions about funding, supervision, sanctions, coordination, and service delivery affect rehabilitation outcomes, public safety, and reoffending. This transcendental phenomenological study explored TAIP counselors’ perceptions of the program’s effectiveness in treating substance abuse offenders and reducing recidivism in West Texas. Guided by Husserl’s phenomenology, data were collected through semi structured interviews with four TAIP …

Understanding Relapse And The Correlation With Group Counseling Accountability, Attendance, And Attitudes, Willie Sanders

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Substance abuse continues to create significant personal, family, and legal challenges, yet limited research exists on mandated clients receiving counseling within rural municipal court systems. Studying factors associated with relapse allows counselors and counselor educators to develop interventions to prevent relapse and improve treatment outcomes. The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate the relationship between group counseling attributes of attendance, accountability, attitudes and the level of relapse rates among rural municipal court clients in Columbus, Mississippi, as measured by the DEF, Subtle, Face Valid Alcohol, Face Valid Other Drugs, and the OAT Scales of the SASSI-4 Assessment. Theoretical …

The National Law Enforcement Staffing Shortage’S Impact On Central Texas, Mark Vincent Valli

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study examined the relationship between perceived support from public administrators and law enforcement supervisors/executives and staffing levels in Central Texas law enforcement agencies. Guided by Social Exchange Theory (SET) and Public Service Motivation (PSM), the research investigated how administrative and supervisory support influences vacancy and turnover rates, two key indicators of staffing stability. A convergent parallel mixed-methods design was employed to integrate quantitative and qualitative perspectives. Quantitative data were collected from agency records and surveys administered to sworn law enforcement personnel across the Central Texas region (defined for this study as the Capital Area Council of Governments (CAPCOG) associated …

Exploring Active Shooter Patterns In Schools: Baseline Typologies For Strategic Preparedness Using A Qualitative Lens, Francis Miskelly

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative study investigatesd the temporal patterns of active shooter incidents on elementary and middle school campuses across urban, suburban, and rural areas in the southeastern United States, specifically in North Carolina. It examined how the timing of these incidents varies across school settings and how law enforcement and School Resource Officers (SROs) perceive the impact of timing on the nature and response to such events. While existing literature largely focuses on psychological profiles, sociocultural factors, and immediate response strategies, few studies address how timing affects the occurrence, characteristics, and outcomes of incidents across school levels. Current research often generalizes …

The Intersectionality Of Juvenile Justice And Education: A Comparative Study Of Educational Governance Typologies Within The Juvenile Justice System, Domonique Mckenzie-Charles

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Each year, a number of youths find themselves at an intersection between the school-to-prison pipeline (SPP) and the criminal justice system. This research study examined the relationship between educational governance typologies of juvenile justice systems and juvenile recidivism in 10 U.S. states, with a centralized focus on the model of internalized governance. The purpose of this research study was to develop a comparative typology of educational governance through the evaluation of leadership structures, to assess the association between educational governance typologies and rehabilitative outcomes. The following comparative study discovered how educational governance typologies differ across states and whether these differences …

Building Sustainable Ministry Through Leadership Development: Evaluating A Biblically Grounded Leadership Model, Christopher David Brisco

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Many churches face declining participation, leadership fatigue, and inadequate succession planning, often due to a lack of intentional, structured leadership development systems. Although research indicates that mentoring, leadership training, and supervised ministry experiences strengthen leadership capacity and organizational sustainability, many congregations struggle to implement leadership development models that effectively integrate biblical principles with strategic organizational practices. This researcher examined the implementation and effectiveness of a biblically grounded leadership development model within The Church of the Redeemed of the Lord in Baltimore, Maryland, a multigenerational church with diverse ministry departments that provided an appropriate context for evaluating intentional strategic leadership development. …

Evaluating Administrative Strategies For Implementing Emergency Response Policies: A Public Administration Approach To Active Shooter Incidents, Christopher J. Ferro

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of the proposed study is to address the persistent problem of ineffective implementation of emergency response policies for active shooter incidents within public agencies. Despite the development of numerous laws, public policies, and preventive measures aimed at mitigating such incidents, challenges remain in how such policies are administered and executed by public administrators. The proposed study will examine the administrative processes and strategies that shape how relevant policies are implemented and evaluated for effectiveness. The research will incorporate a qualitative design by examining case studies of successful and unsuccessful active shooter incident responses, conducting semi-structured interviews with public …

Digital Forensic Skill Gaps Among Law Enforcement And Implications For Modern Criminal Investigations, Chip Thornsburg

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Digital evidence has become a routine component of modern criminal investigations; however, many law enforcement agencies face challenges in developing the personnel, training, and resources needed to manage increasingly complex digital evidence. The purpose of this explanatory sequential mixed-methods study was to examine digital forensic skill gaps among Texas local law enforcement agencies and their implications for modern criminal investigations. Guided by Human Capital Theory and Routine Activities Theory, Phase I employed a statewide survey of agencies to assess digital forensic resources, training, competency, and digital evidence usage. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Kruskal–Wallis tests, chi-square tests of …

A Qualitative Descriptive Study Of Secular And Christian-Based Correctional Operations: Exploring The Impact On Recidivism, Reintegration, And Spiritual Transformation, Cullen B. Burch

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative descriptive study examines the effectiveness of secular versus Christian-based correctional programs in reducing recidivism among offenders and enhancing reintegration outcomes. The primary purpose is to explore perceived limitations of secular correctional methodologies, given observed challenges such as rising recidivism and limited offender transformation. In contrast, Christian-based programs, grounded in biblical principles and spiritual transformation, are posited to foster meaningful change among offenders. The study focuses on the perspectives of formerly incarcerated individuals who participated in secular and faith-based initiatives while incarcerated in Texas. Data collection is exclusively qualitative, involving semi-structured interviews with these formerly incarcerated individuals and a …

Price Tags Of Goodwill: The Examination Of General Strain Theory And Official Behavior, Kathryn A. Loving

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Applying the theoretical framework of Agnew’s (1992) General Strain Theory, this project aimed to understand the connection between strain-induced responses and improper official behavior, considering an individual’s intersectionality (sexuality). Despite extant empirical data recognizing that justice officials' duties expose them to a barrage of human misery, vicarious trauma, and intense circumstances that negatively impact their psyche, little research exists about how compassion fatigue relates to improper official conduct. When culturally induced expectations become divorced from an official despite a coordinated institutional emphasis, negative police responses can jeopardize public service. Because criminal justice officials are the backbone of public safety, it …

Book Review: After Apprendi And Erlinger, The Jury - Not The Judge - Determines Whether Or Not The Defendant Is A Habitual Traffic Offender, Harvey Gee

ConLawNOW

This book review discusses Justice Abandoned: How the Supreme Court Ignored the Constitution and Enabled Mass Incarceration by Rachel Barkow. The review concludes that the book persuasively argues that from the 1960s through the 1980s, the Supreme Court repeatedly departed from constitutional text, history, and precedent in expanding the government’s power to arrest, prosecute, and detain. And contends that these trends both curtailed individual liberty and worsened racial inequality. The review then builds on Barkow’s important scholarship to extend her conversation to cover criminal litigation in general jurisdiction state courts—where people are compelled to go when they are cited or …