Digital Commons Network^™

2022g_Lac59_Approved_Pm_Ma-Criminal-Justice-Curricular-Sequence, Graduate Council

All Approved Curriculum

No abstract provided.

2022g_Lac58_Approved_Nc_Crim 6393-Quantitative Analysis, Graduate Council

All Approved Curriculum

No abstract provided.

2022g_Lac57_Approved_Cm_Crim_6383-Advanced-Data-Analysis, Graduate Council

All Approved Curriculum

No abstract provided.

2021g_Lac28_Approved_Name_Change_Ma-Criminology-And-Criminal-Justice, Graduate Council

All Approved Curriculum

No abstract provided.

Disposing Of Misdemeanors: An Empirical Perspective, Cynthia Alkon, Jonathan Marshall, Kyle Chrisman, Lydia Sidhom

St. John's Law Review

(Excerpt)

This Article will begin by discussing why misdemeanors matter and the importance of examining these cases to better understand how the criminal legal system is functioning or not. Next, in Section III, we will discuss the importance of plea bargaining, both how it works in practice and the concerns surrounding this process. We will then turn, in Section IV, to a discussion of why it matters to have better data so that the players in the system are better informed about how the legal system actually works. Better data contributes to transparency, which can help improve the general public’s …

Rethinking Coercion: Moving Beyond Moralized Accounts Of Coercion, Lorenz N. Soukup

Bates College Journal of Political Studies

Coercion is often portrayed as a vile act, which is inherently immoral. Typical examples include blackmail or receiving an offer at gunpoint. Most contemporary theories centre around this characteristic immorality of coercion. In the following paper I will argue that coercion need not involve an immoral act. I will look at two distinctly different theories of coercion. On the one hand, a moralised account proposed by Jennifer Lackey and on the other hand, an account refraining from moralising coercion brought forward by Scott Anderson. The aim of this paper is not to define coercion but to motivate a shift in …

Recurring Patterns In Democratic Backsliding: The United States, Hungary, And Israel, Leah Brouda

Bates College Journal of Political Studies

Utilizing a three-pronged analysis method, this article argues that not only is democratic backsliding – the degrading quality of democratic institutions in a state – on the rise but that it has frequent recurring themes. These themes are consolidation of executive authority, changes in court power and judicial independence, and election manipulation. Utilizing a combination of public opinion research and indexes such as Freedom House and the Global State of Democracy Index (GSDI), these themes emerge as patterns that are both understood and misconstrued by citizens in each country and of the world. The analysis is based on themes in …

Cv: Rachel Wells (Social Work), Rachel Wells

Social Work Department Faculty Curricula Vitae

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Social-Emotional Curricula On Criminal Justice Outcomes, Erica L. Chmielewski

Master of Arts in Human Services

Social and emotional learning (SEL) has become a central focus in early childhood education as researchers and practitioners seek effective, developmentally informed strategies to support children's emotional regulation, resilience, and long-term well-being. This capstone project synthesizes empirical and theoretical research published between 2018 and 2023 to examine the effectiveness of SEL interventions, their role in trauma-informed education, and their potential to mitigate long-term risks associated with early adversity. Findings across multiple studies demonstrate that high-quality SEL programs improve emotional functioning, prosocial behavior, and early academic outcomes, with powerful benefits for children in universally delivered, curriculum-based models. The review also highlights …

Study Of Victimization And Perception Of Insecurity In Ecuador: Application Of Hybrid Models With Logistic Regression, Machine Learning, And Neutrosophy, Lorenzo Cevallos-Torres, Mauro M. F. Mediano

Neutrosophic Sets and Systems

Given the victim's rising profile in contemporary victimology and criminology, this study examines victimization and the impact of perceived insecurity, paying particular attention to the situation in Ecuador, where reports of crime and violence in urban areas are on the rise. The overarching goal is to create a reliable model for victimization risk assessment that may also serve as an analytical tool for public policymaking and preventative efforts. One step is to build a classic logistic regression model that takes into account variables like age, sex, education level, occupational category, and level of physical activity. The goal is to understand …

Expanding Access To Justice: The Case For Remote Victim And Family Access To Criminal Trials, Linda Baguma

The Crown: Syracuse Honors Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Tangible Recommendations To Execute California Assembly Bill 3099: A Proactive Approach To Combatting The Missing And Murdered Indigenous People Crisis, Hannah Marquis

Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review

Indigenous people across the United States experience disproportionately high rates of violence and relatedly high rates of murders and disappearances. This phenomenon has been coined the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples Crisis (MMIP), and as a state with one of the largest Indigenous populations, California also has one of the largest MMIP caseloads. While California has recently taken action towards combatting the MMIP crisis, these have been largely “reactive” steps aimed at bolstering law enforcement responses to already occurring MMIP cases. As it stands, there is a gap in solutions that have a “proactive” focus aimed at lessening the risk …

A Case Study Of The Implementation Of Nevada’S Program To Reduce Recidivism Of The State’S Female Prison Population, Lisa C. Levine

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Success in public administration is often defined by long-term goals that demonstrate how effective a program or policy is. These long-term goals can take years to measure leading to investment doubts, shifting stakeholder goals, and the sunsetting of programs. There is a need to better understand how short-term and intermediate outcomes of a program can be used to measure success and the role goal orientation of stakeholders play in the implementation. Prison education programming exemplifies this problem as reducing recidivism, a leading goal for these types of programs, take a lifetime to prove. This study examines a female prison education …

Hypervigilance In Emerging Adulthood: The Impact Of Trauma, Milestone Achievement, And Minority Identity, Alexis Rice

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Emerging adulthood is a critical developmental period marked by identity exploration, increased autonomy, and heightened vulnerability to societal pressures. This mixed methods study examined how hypervigilance: a heightened state of alertness often associated with trauma and minority stress- varies by gender, sexual identity, racial trauma exposure, and adulthood milestone achievement among emerging adults aged 18–29. A total of 369 participants completed measures assessing hypervigilance behaviors, adulthood milestone attainment, and trauma exposure. Quantitative analyses revealed that sexual and gender minority (SGM) individuals and cisgender women reported significantly higher levels of hypervigilance compared to their counterparts. Witnessing trauma inflicted on someone of …

Pronatalism In The United States: How Political Ideals Surrounding Family And Reproductive Health Care Contribute To Neglect In The Foster Care System, Carson Sebree

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Within the past decade, conservative reproductive politics in the United States have experienced an ideological shift from pro-life toward pronatalism. This has been intensified through the rollback of reproductive rights and the rise of Christian nationalism. However, there has been no commensurate additional funding for the foster care system. This project asks the interrelated questions of: “how is pronatalism linked to neglect within the foster care system?; and, how do theories of democratic care highlight the necessity to rethink support for the foster care system and create policies that will address its shortcomings, given the rise of pronatalist aw and …

Method Development And Optimization For The Detection Of Synthetic Cannabinoids In Hair Using Lc-Msms, Linda K. Obeng

Student Theses

Synthetic cannabinoids represent one of the most prevalent and high-risk classes of New Psychoactive Substances (NPS), continuously evolving in structure and potency. Their widespread presence in seized materials and toxicology casework underscores the growing need for reliable analytical methods capable of detecting these compounds in biological matrices. Hair offers several advantages for drug testing, including a long detection window, minimal invasiveness, and resistance to adulteration; however, detecting synthetic cannabinoids in hair remains challenging due to their low incorporation levels and structural diversity. This study focuses on the method development and optimization of an LC-MS/MS technique for the detection of selected …

Modeling The Rehabilitation Of Offenders In Domestic Violence Using A Hybrid Neutrosophic-Logistic Approach To Reduce Recidivism, Johanna Estefanía Calle Imbaquingo, Karen Milagros Díaz Salambay, Jordy Alexis Vargas Yumbo, Kevin Christopher Carrasco Azogue, Otto F. Von Feigenblatt

Neutrosophic Sets and Systems

This dissertation seeks to determine if criminal suspension—per Article 651.3 of National Criminal Code (COIP)—for domestic violence offenders in Ecuador actually reduces recidivism through effective rehabilitation. This study is significant for comprehension of offender mentality and subsequent ability to accept criminal punishment to reduce recidivism for prolonged victim safety and better acts of authority in a country where domestic violence is still a major social concern. While the existing literature has studied aspects of restorative justice, very few articles have explored the predicating factors of recidivism and the lack of judicial observation and databases due to a neoteric nature and …

Prioritizing Penal Reforms For Adolescents In Ecuador: Using Neutrosophic Topsis And Hausdorff Distance, Mesías Elías Machado Maliza, Oscar Gonzalo Jácome Merino, Luis Ramiro Ayala Ayala, José Milton Jiménez Montenegro, Otto F. Von Feigenblatt

Neutrosophic Sets and Systems

This question builds upon the issue of Ecuador's minors not being liable as growing juvenile delinquents and those between 16-18 not receiving punishment for their actions will only foster more juvenile delinquents and complicate public safety and socio-protective efforts. This question is increasingly urgent given the recent upsurge in juvenile delinquency—grave crimes—and the vulnerable balance that exists between juvenile rights and social equity. While the literature is rich regarding the phenomenon of juvenile crime and delinquency, very few offer a truly feasible methodology that integrates equity, punishment, and social responsibility given the assessed social reality. Therefore, the neutrosophic TOPSIS method …

Understanding Parental Perceptions Of Truancy In Connecticut Youth: Identifying Risks And Prevention Strategies, Samantha Villa

Honors Theses

This research investigates Connecticut parents' perspectives on effective strategies for addressing truancy. By examining stakeholder attitudes and beliefs, the study aimed to understand the relationship between perceptions of responsibility for truancy prevention and support for punitive versus non-punitive intervention approaches. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on truancy rates, current legislation and interventions have proven inadequate. This study assessed Connecticut adults' recommendations for truancy policy reforms and explored the potential for community-based interventions to enhance family engagement and reduce reliance on court involvement and punitive sanctions. IBM SPSS was used to analyze an existing dataset from the Tow Youth …

When Prayers Aren’T Enough: The Need For Mission Formation And Professional Development For Lay Faculty At Catholic Colleges And Universities, Lucy A. Pesce

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Current literature suggests that administration and faculty must make a more intentional effort within Catholic higher education to articulate the mission of these religiously-affiliated institutions in response to two current issues: dwindling numbers of clergy and vowed religious faculty and administrators, and fewer students nationwide who self-identify with any form of organized religion. However, few studies have examined the experience of lay faculty at Catholic institutions who are entrusted with advancing the mission, regardless of their religious affiliation, and their professional development needs.

Using the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities’ Catholic Identity and Mission Assessment (CIMA) as a framework …

Assessing The Relationship Between Treatment Quality, Matching And Dosage And Juvenile Justice Outcomes Among Youth With Co-Occurring Substance Abuse And Mental Health Disorders, Kevin T. Wolff, Michael T. Baglivio, Joshua A. Lang

Publications and Research

This study examined differences among youth in deep-end juvenile justice residential placement who did, and did not, present with co-occurring disorders. The prevalence of cooccurring mental health and substance use/abuse issues was found to be 19%, far lower than that of prior work. Researchers demonstrated more similarities than differences between youth with and without co-occurring disorders, both in terms of their criminal histories and the prevalence of their criminogenic needs. Additionally, the residential programs across Florida appear to provide treatment at similarly high levels of integrity, as measured by 1) matching treatment services to the highest three dynamic risk assessed …

Understanding Crime Through Harm: A Multi-Stage Study Of Rochester, Ny, Hayder Alhafedhi

Theses

This capstone project develops, critiques, and applies a Crime Harm Index (CHI) for the City of Rochester, New York, as an alternative to traditional crime measures that rely solely on raw counts. Rather than treating all offenses as equal “one crime = one unit,” the project weights crimes by the severity of harm they cause, using New York State sentencing guidelines as the core metric. Across four working papers, the project moves from conceptual foundations and limitations of harm-based metrics, to the construction of a Rochester-specific Crime Harm Index, and finally to a set of spatial regression models that link …

Understanding The Relationship Between Mental Health And Criminal Justice Involvement: Pathways, Disparities, And Improving System Responses, Haley Bly

Theses

This capstone project examines the complex relationship between mental health and involvement in the criminal justice system, emphasizing how pathways, external conditions, structural inequities, and system responses interact to shape long-term outcomes for persons with mental illness (PwMI). While mental illness alone is not a predictor of criminal behavior, the intersection between psychological disorders, social strain, stigma, and systemic failures significantly heightens the risk of criminal justice involvement. Combining four working papers, this capstone examines these relationships across individual, environmental, institutional, and community levels, ultimately arguing that treatment and rehabilitative-centered reforms are essential for improving the experiences of individuals with …

The Hidden World Of Evil: Documenting Serial Killers Through The Centuries, An Evolution., Semieca Wilson

Master of Arts in Human Services

The following is an analysis of the phenomenon of serial killers from their development over time, and why it mattered due to how they operated on society. Cases reported from the past to present century were read and analyzed in search of recurring psychological patterns, changes in methods of inspecting cases and the effects of cultural, technological transformation on both felons as well as those who trailed them. The site is a product of my professional interest in the area of criminal psychology and forensic analysis and reflects my objective to provide myself and other interested professionals, academics, law enforcement …

2025 Fall - Commencement Program, Office Of The Registrar, East Tennessee State University

ETSU Commencement Ceremonies and Programs

No abstract provided.

176th Commencement, Fall

Commencement Programs

Commencement program (graduate and undergraduate exercises) for fall 2025

2025 Fall Commencement, Harding University

Commencement Programs

Program for the Harding University Commencement on December 13. 
Commencement Speaker: Dr. Susan Kehl

Halt Under Threat Why Legislators Must Demand Compliance Before Change A Playbook For Action, Vanda Seward

Capstones

This playbook examines the implementation of New York State’s Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement (HALT) Act and presents evidence demonstrating that the law has not been fully or consistently enforced by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (NYSDOCCS). Drawing on findings from the New York State Inspector General, the Correctional Association of New York, the Justice Center, court rulings, and community testimony, the analysis documents persistent violations, including excessive and illegal use of solitary confinement, inadequate documentation, failures to protect vulnerable populations, and insufficient accountability for staff misconduct. The playbook critically evaluates the recommendations of …

A Bump Hunting Approach To Finding Interpretable Data Pockets, Tushar Ojha

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

This dissertation approaches the problem of extracting simple interpretations from local regions of data. This is sometimes called bump hunting because the local regions of interest have a high concentration of a particular output value. This work develops a bump hunting method for discrete-valued tabular data where each bump is modeled by a rectangular region of the input data space so its rule-based description admits a simple logical interpretation that can inform decisions. This method is designed for labeled data where each input feature has a distinct meaning that may or may not be related to the output, and the …

Just A Place Or A Just Place?: Domestic Violence, Urban-Rural Differences, And Access To Justice, Cassie Chambers Armstrong

Kentucky Law Journal

No abstract provided.