Digital Commons Network^™

Hostage Democracy: Its Relationship To Arbitrary Detention, And The Struggle To Define It And Establish International Law Remedies, Stephanie Buersmeyer

Minnesota Journal of International Law, Vols. 28:2 onward (2019-present)

No abstract provided.

Call For Return: Does The Fourth Amendment Resolve Retentions?, Owen Stickney

Case Western Reserve Law Review

No abstract provided.

Threatened To Testify : Juror Perceptions Of Coercive Eyewitness Interviews, Alexa A. Mecikalski

Dissertations

The effects of coercive investigative questioning techniques have been extensively studied in the context of suspect interrogations; however, few studies have evaluated outcomes related to coercive questioning of eyewitnesses. Therefore, the present study investigated mock juror perceptions of the use of interrogation tactics during eyewitness questioning. Participants read a trial summary and provided trial judgments (e.g., verdict, eyewitness credibility, perceived coerciveness of the interview) pertaining to a case in which an eyewitness is questioned using either (1) maximization tactics (e.g. high pressure questioning, threats), (2) minimization tactics (e.g., minimizing severity or consequences), or (3) no tactics (e.g., statement provided voluntarily). …

Hostile But Lawful? Examining The Elements Of “True Threats” In Rhetoric Toward Election Officials, Kayleigh Gwiazdowski

2026 Research Poster Competition

Threats of violence have become increasingly visible, yet they remain understudied compared to acts of violence themselves. This project examines death threats directed at U.S. election administrators following the 2020 Presidential Election. Drawing on qualitative interviews with 26 current and former U.S. election administrators, I analyzed 580 hostile messages received in the aftermath of the election to understand how threats function as a tool of intimidation and coercion. Messages were examined for markers indicating (1) whether the sender expressed the intent to threaten, (2) whether the language specified a concrete act of violence or identifiable target, and (3) whether a …

Profile: More Is Morris, Communications And Marketing

Profile (1996-)

In this Issue: New Name and New Director for the AgCountry Challenge ; Salute to Scholarships ; Gift to Not Only Enhance Cougar Sports Center But Entire Community ; Lucy Imholte's Lasting Legacy Honored Through Sculpture ; From Dining Hall to Third Floor Behmler: Rodriguez '87 is Eighth Chancellor ; Partnership Pilots New Energy Storage Technology on Campus ; Faculty and Staff Awards ; Van Wey Named Fulbright Finalist ; UMN Morris Receives Carnegie Community Engagement Classification ; Public Lecture, Telescope Viewing Part of SCOPES Conference ; UMN Morris Adds $165.3 Million to Minnesota's Economy Each Year ; PBS Documentary …

General Education Teachers' Perceptions Of Emotional Impairment, Ivy Smith

Brehm Scholars Research

Roughly 67% of students with disabilities spend 80% or more of their day in a general education setting (National Center for Education Statistics, 2024). This can be challenging for general education teachers as they do not receive the same level of training on disabilities as special educators, leading to struggles with students with behavioral difficulties and Emotional Impairment. This study surveyed Michigan general educators’ to assess their understanding of Emotional Impairment eligibility as written in the Michigan Administrative Rules for Special Education (MARSE). Results from a survey completed by 16 participants were derived through descriptive statistics and inductive content analysis. …

Illuminating Those Who Lurk In The Shadows: An Examination Of The Use Of Psychological Profiling In Identifying Violent Criminals In The Modern Age, Skylar R. Holmes

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This study examines the role of psychological profiling in apprehending violent criminals. Psychological profiling involves analyzing behavioral patterns at crime scenes, exploring the relationships between victims, and identifying characteristics and tendencies of offenders. It is currently used by many law enforcement agencies across the country to narrow down a pool of potential suspects and direct researchers, making the most of the limited manpower available. There is, however, a significant limitation in the literature and available evidence that suggests its tenets may be based on intuition and anecdotal evidence purported by investigators, subject to internal bias and thus should not be …

Who Makes The Jury? Demographics And Decision-Making In The Jury Process., Ana B. Pons

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Within the American judicial system, juries have played a central role in promoting representation and fairness in the courtroom. However, limited information exists on whether prosecutorial decisions during jury selection, jury composition, or jury behavior differ based on the sex, race/ethnicity, type of case, political ideology, or geographic location of potential jurors. Following PRISMA guidelines, this scoping review synthesizes 48 peer-reviewed articles published between the 1940s and 2026 to examine whether prosecutorial decision-making and jury outcomes vary based on the sex, race/ethnicity, type of case, political ideology, or geographic location of potential jurors. Findings indicated that men are disproportionately selected …

Eroding Protections: The Decline Of Miranda Rights And Its Impact On Due Process In Contemporary America, Autumn G. Pelfrey

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This thesis examines whether the protections established in Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436 (1966), remain robust within contemporary criminal justice practice or have been weakened through doctrinal and practical developments. Miranda warnings were originally designed to mitigate the risk that coercive custodial interrogation would produce compelled or unreliable self-incrimination. Since 1966, however, both judicial interpretation and evolving law-enforcement practices have created a growing gap between Miranda’s formal legal promise and its practical operation in real-world interrogations.

The study evaluates the erosion of Miranda’s protective force through three primary mechanisms. First, doctrinal developments have narrowed Miranda’s scope by redefining …

The Implicit Perceptions Of Asian American Adoptees And Their Clinical Implications, Cai Li L. Franckewich

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Asian American adoptees occupy a unique “in-between” space, shaped by societal perceptions of race, culture, and family context. This study examined how family composition and racial pairings influence perceptions of an Asian American adoptee. Undergraduate students completed an online survey in which they were randomly shown one of five images depicting the adoptee with different family compositions, without being told she was adopted. Participants then read a story describing the adoptee experiencing common college stressors, and rated statements on a 7-point Likert scale regarding the adoptee’s well-being, factors influencing her behavior, and behavioral descriptors. Results indicated that participants perceived stronger …

The Psychological Effect Of Maternal Separation From A Child During Incarceration: A Survey And Critique Of Risk Needs Assessments, Samantha Yearwood

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This study examines whether frequently used correctional assessment instruments adequately capture the psychological impacts of maternal-child separation among incarcerated women. This research was conducted in response to growing criticisms that traditional risk and needs assessments fail to account for gender-specific experiences, specifically those related to caregiving roles and pregnancy. Using a qualitative analysis content analysis to assess four widely used instruments, the Women’s Risk and Needs Assessment (WRNA), Correctional Offender Management Profiling for Alternative Sanctions (COMPAS), Brief Symptom Inventory-18 (BSI-18), and Level of Service Inventory–Revised (LSI-R), the thesis  examines the inclusion of pregnancy-related variables, caregiving responsibilities, and separation-related psychological factors. …

Pretrial Publicity In A Modern World: Exploration Of Defense Attorney Experiences And Perspectives, Giray Uzen

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This research examined how pretrial publicity, like statements made by law enforcement and prosecutors, affects criminal defense strategy. Using a qualitative, phenomenological design, interviews were held with practicing defense attorneys to understand how they deal with media coverage, protect their clients’ rights, and adjust their strategy when a case starts getting attention. The project identifies common themes, including attorney concerns about biased jurors, distorted narratives, and pressure created by public commentary. Findings work towards reforming policy discussions to respect free speech while protecting the constitutional right to an impartial jury in our modern media environment.

Examining Bias In The Death Qualification Process: Mental Health Attitudes And Support For The Death Penalty, Aliana N. Lemmey

Honors Undergraduate Theses

For an individual to serve on a capital jury, they must first undergo voir dire, a preliminary examination of potential jurors to assess impartiality regarding death penalty use. This process is called death qualification and is carried out so that attorneys can identify and exclude individuals who are unwilling to impose capital punishment (Haney, 1984). Over the last four decades, this selection process has been criticized by researchers and legal scholars for its biasing effects in capital cases (Butler, 2007; Butler & Moran, 2007a; Fitzgerald & Ellsworth, 1984; Haney, 1984; Thompson et al., 1984). Since the 1980s, psychologists have investigated …

Reach Of Community-Selected Strategies To Reduce Opioid-Related Overdose Deaths In The Healing Communities Study, Megan E. Hall, La Shawn Glasgow, Ja Nae Holloway, Rouba A. Chahine, Jill Davis, Miriam T.H. Harris, Hannah K. Knudsen, Jessica L. Neufeld, Emmanuel Oga, David W. Lounsbury, Nasim Sabounchi, Alissa Davis, Marissa Smith, Rachel P. Chase, Sylvia A. Ellison, Judy Harness, Hilary L. Surratt, Sharon L. Walsh, Peace Julie Nakayima, Redonna Chandler

Psychiatry Faculty Publications

Introduction: Despite recent declines, the U.S. opioid overdose crisis persists. The HEALing Communities Study (HCS) aimed to reduce opioid overdose deaths through community-level adoption of evidence-based practices (EBPs), including overdose education and naloxone distribution (OEND) and medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD). This paper describes the reach of OEND and MOUD strategies implemented by the 33 HCS wait-list control communities. Methods: We conducted descriptive statistical analysis of reach data collected from July 2022 through December 2023 to (1) summarize overall EBP implementation and reach and (2) compare the demographic representation of individuals reached to community demographic population estimates. Results: Communities …

A Guideline To Address Barriers To Mental Health Treatment Experienced By Law Enforcement Officers, Jacqueline Estrella

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Scholarly Projects

Problem: Law enforcement officers are exposed to repeated trauma on the job that may negatively affect their mental health. Officers may avoid seeking mental health treatment due to police culture, stigma, and other barriers which may increase risks for suicide, absenteeism, and maladaptive coping.

Objectives: Develop an evidenced-based guideline to address barriers law enforcement officers face in seeking mental health treatment.

Methods: The National Quality Measures Clearinghouse (NQMC) Domain Framework was used to guide a literature review to identify best practices suitable for a guideline. Articles were graded for strength based on the John Hopkins Nursing Evidence Based Practice (JHNEBP) …

Strafford County 2025 Annual Report Of The Commissioners, Treasurer, Other County Officers, And The Strafford County Delegation For The Year Ending December 31, 2025, Strafford County Representatives

Strafford County, NH Annual Reports

This is an annual report for 2025 containing vital statistics for Strafford County in the state of New Hampshire.

Msw Portfolio, Ryan Stadheim

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

Interrupting Inequity: A Systems Change Approach To Reducing Discipline Disproportionality, Jesse Raymond Ault, Jacqueline Theresa Barber, Tara Alexis Hodges, Brittnei Nicole Mckeithen-Barnes, Marleny Perdomo

Doctor of Education Capstones

Disproportionate discipline in public schools remains a persistent and complex challenge, particularly for Black and Hispanic students, male students, and students with disabilities. This capstone project examined patterns of racial discipline disproportionality within a large, suburban school division, referred to throughout the project as Polaris County Schools (PCS), to better understand the systemic conditions contributing to these disparities. Using a mixed-methods approach grounded in the Public Education Leadership Project (PELP) framework, the research team conducted document and literature analysis, school board observations, partner consultations, and a review of disaggregated discipline data. The team also engaged in external interviews with experts …

Justice On Trial: Integrating Ethics In Law School Advocacy Courses, Veronica J. Finkelstein

Emory Business Law Review

The rule of law depends not only on legal doctrine and institutional design, but on the daily ethical choices of the lawyers who operate within the adversarial system. Trial lawyers, in particular, wield extraordinary power courtroom outcomes, yet law schools too often train future advocates to perform persuasive techniques without meaningful engagement with the ethical obligations that constrain those techniques and the lawyers who wield them. This article argues that the persistent separation between trial advocacy education and legal ethics instruction leaves law students ill-prepared for the moral complexities of litigation and threatens public confidence in the justice system.

Tracing …

Summoning Firms: Promoting Democratic Stability And Economic Prosperity In Times Of Constitutional Crisis, Jon D. Michaels

Emory Business Law Review

No abstract provided.

Perceived Discrimination And Posttraumatic Stress In People Of Color: The Moderating Role Of Ethnic-Racial Identity And Psychological Flexibility, Jacinta O. Anyanwu

Dissertations and Theses

Perceived discrimination is highly prevalent among people of color (POC) and is strongly associated with elevated posttraumatic stress symptom (PTSS) severity, even after accounting for socioeconomic factors. Guided by the minority stress model, this study examined whether two resilience factors - ethnic racial identity and psychological flexibility moderated the association between everyday discrimination and PTSS in a trauma exposed adult sample of POC. Participants (N = 355) were recruited through Prolific, an online crowdsource platform, and completed self report measures assessing discrimination, PTSS severity, ethnic racial identity, and psychological flexibility. Everyday discrimination was a robust predictor of PTSS severity across …

U.S. Administrative Law: A Casebook (6th Ed.), Jud Mathews

Faculty Scholarship

The number of administrative law texts is vast. The approach of this one, now in its fifth edition, is simple. It is: (1) to focus on the richest and most canonical cases; (2) to provide more extensive extracts of them than most casebooks; and (3) to keep the notes to a bare minimum. Updated through October 2025, the book contains a number of significant decisions from recent Supreme Court terms, as well as foundational classics that many contemporary casebooks cut, and much in between.

Determinants Of Digital Piracy: An Integrated Model, C. Christopher Lee, Peiyao Chen

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

Digital piracy is a form of copyright infringement, and challenges persist in addressing it effectively. Accordingly, understanding why people engage in digital piracy is crucial. Although prior studies have examined digital piracy from multiple perspectives, existing studies on the explanatory factors of digital piracy remain fragmented. To address this research gap, this study develops an integrated model that incorporates key theoretical perspectives, neutralization theory, social learning theory, and the theory of planned behavior (TPB), along with key determinants including gender, age, and the technology factor. Rather than conducting a meta-analysis of previous studies, this study adopts a survey-based approach to …

Junior Public Health Service Officer Mentor Program: Developing New Leaders In The United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps For Workforce Retention, Felecia Annetta Bailey

Yale School of Nursing Digital Theses

Junior Public Health Service Officer Mentor Program: Developing New Leaders in the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps for Workforce Retention

Mentorship is a critical tool for preparing junior personnel for senior roles, professional development and retention within organizations; however, formal mentorship is often lacking or insufficiently tailored to the needs of diverse workforces, particularly in organizations comprising uniformed service members and civilian employees. This project was designed to provide targeted mentorship for Public Health Service (PHS) Commissioned Corps junior officers and to modify an existing mentoring program that primarily served civilian personnel.

The project aimed to modify the …

Minority Stress And Drug Use Among 2slgbtq+ Canadians, Robert Chin-See, Todd Coleman

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Background: Several social and environmental factors influence drug use behaviors and contribute to frequent drug use among Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and other (2SLGBTQ+) individuals. The purpose of the current study was to examine the relationship between the minority stress, drug use, and other socio-ecological factors.

Methods: This study employed structural equation modelling on data (2021—2022) from a nationally representative pan-Canadian survey (N = 1542) on 2SLGBTQ+ health to examine the association between minority stress, drug use, and relevant socio-ecological predictors. A separate mediation analysis was conducted and controlled for socio-demographic characteristics.

Results: SEM results showed parsimonious fit …

The Effects Of Appearance Change And Partial Face Visibility On Eyewitness Identification, Raina-Lynn A. Brock M.A., Judy Eaton Ph.D.

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

There is limited research examining the possibility of a temporary appearance change (e.g. a black eye) between exposure to a perpetrator at the time of a crime and later identification attempts by eyewitnesses. Across two experimental studies, this research examines how eyewitness identification decisions are impacted by an appearance change and how lineup procedures can influence eyewitness accuracy. Study 1 examined how a transient facial feature, a black eye, affects the accuracy of eyewitnesses’ identification decisions, while manipulating the severity of the black eye (prominent bruising, faded bruising, no bruising). Participants (N=403) were exposed to a 43-second mock crime video …

The Surveillance Of System-Adjacent Individuals, Mariam A. Hinds

Faculty Scholarship

Although the Fourth Amendment protects against “unreasonable searches and seizures,” this right is not enjoyed by all people equally. Supreme Court jurisprudence has curtailed the Fourth Amendment privacy rights of individuals under probation or parole supervision. In this line of cases, the Court concluded that the government’s interest in monitoring supervisees, reducing recidivism, and promoting public safety outweighed their reasonable expectation of privacy.

However, surveillance mechanisms like probation and parole extend the criminal legal system’s carceral gaze beyond the supervisees and peer into the bedrooms and digital lives of their families, roommates, and communities, or who this Article calls system-adjacent …

An Empirical Study Of Malingering In Insanity Cases Across Twelve Decades, Deborah W. Denno

Faculty Scholarship

The last 120 years have seen a surge in the use of neuroscientific evidence in American criminal law cases, fueled by discoveries in brain science that have challenged the legal system’s assumptions about human thinking and culpability. One key assumption is that many defendants “malinger,” that is, feign or fake insanity or mental illness, to garner an acquittal or mitigated punishment. Likewise, when potential evidence that a defendant is malingering is introduced in court, it can have a pronounced and powerful negative effect on the defendant’s insanity claim, especially when juries and criminal justice actors are already skeptical of insanity …

Impact Of Childhood Trauma On Perceptions Of Health: Examining The Role Of Religiosity As A Protective Factor Among Black And African American Adults, Patrice Penrose

West Chester University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Final Projects

Purpose: Childhood trauma has detrimental immediate and lifelong impacts on health. Black and African Americans experience higher rates of potentially traumatic events (PTEs) than the general population. Religiosity, a common coping mechanism for many who experience trauma, could serve to moderate the impacts. This study examines whether the importance of religion buffers against the impact of childhood exposure to PTEs on adult perceptions of health and assesses whether social support and/or coping mediate the relationship between religiosity and perceived health.

Method: This study analyzed data from 2,537 Black and African American participants in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to …

The Role Of Technology In Education: Friend Or Fiend?, Michaela A. Morgan

West Chester University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Final Projects

In this paper we will be examining the role of educational technology in the United States through a critical lens with the purpose of arguing that the growing dependence on EdTech, standardized testing, and data-driven instruction has contributed to the privatization, dehumanization, and inequity of public education. Drawing from critical pedagogy, sociocultural theory, and educational research both recent and decades prior. In my paper I explore how technology in schools often functions less as a liberatory tool and more as a mechanism of surveillance, commodification, and control. We consider the historical roots of educational inequality, including eugenics, meritocracy, and colonial …