Digital Commons Network^™

Expanding Gender Non-Binary Access In California’S Victim Compensation Program, Vianeth Gonzalez Muro

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Monterey County transgender people do not feel supported seeking services at Monterey County District Attorney’s office. Many feel like they are at a higher risk of being victimized, mistreated or discriminated against when seeking services. non-binary people currently have the right to be legally designated as non-binary on their California identification documents, but when seeking services at the DAs office they are not provided that gender option. This creates a negative environment for the transgender community. Many crimes go unreported because of the fear the transgender community has when seeking support and their voices are not being heard. The capstone …

Blueprint For Shared Safety Strategic Plan, Reann Ramos

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The Blueprint for Shared Safety strategic plan will be adopted by Santa Cruz County Community Corrections Partnership as a framework of principles and practices that community leaders can use to lead shared safety strategies. By shifting the focus from the traditional criminal justice system to investments that can truly make our communities safer, the Blueprint aims to re-envision public safety together. The Community Corrections Partnership Community Education and Engagement Workgroup (CCP CEEW) has conducted data analysis to identify the key assets and gaps in Santa Cruz County. After identifying the key assets and gaps there were recommendation review sessions that …

Fraud Prevention For Seniors, Claudia Rodriguez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The senior population has been a target for fraudulent crimes. The determined contributing factors for the senior population being susceptible to fraud is being gullible, lacking knowledge of strategies to prevent fraud, and having cognitive decline due to aging. Fraudulent crimes can have major consequences such as, monetary cost, negative effects on health and unreported cases. Fraudulent crimes against seniors is a growing issue and must be addressed. In order to address this issue within the community a capstone project was developed and implemented in collaboration with the Monterey County District Attorney's Office of Consumerism and Environmental Protection Division. This …

Incompetency To Stand Trial: An Informational Guide, Natalie Baur

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

At Monterey County Behavioral Health, we serve people with a variety of mental illnesses. They range from moderate to severe- whether it be schizophrenia or depression, we provide services that will help them deal with their symptoms. We strive to cultivate positive relationships in the community with our clients and contracted facilities. In this essay, I am going to talk about a certain population of who we serve: those who are found incompetent to stand trial and the toll it takes on them and their families. Moreover, I will be talking about the challenges and uncertainties that clients and their …

Ensuring Victims’ Rights And Inspiring Hope Through Community Collaboration, Evelyn Rodriguez Martinez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Numerous crime victims who qualify for Victim Witness Assistance Program services through the San Benito County District Attorney's office are not accessing the resources. Research done to support this project revealed that countless crime victims did not utilize the services offered by the program during the time of their victimization. The project conducted was an outreach presentation, which included all the services provided by the Victim Witness Assistance Program, victims’ legal rights, and the qualifications for the California Victim Compensation Board. The outreach presentation was developed to increase awareness of victims’ rights and the Victim Witness Assistance Program to community …

Reducing Recidivism Rates, Oscar Padilla

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This main purpose of the project is to support Santa Cruz County to reduce recidivism rates. Defining recidivism from the county's perspective and discussing the factors that contribute to recidivism helps to understand the problem this project seeks to address. A discussion of the consequences of high recidivism rates helps the community understand why something must be done. AB 109 is an important bill that impacts this population in Santa Cruz county allowing for innovative solutions to be implemented. With AB109 funding a new service center was created to serve this population. The Santa Cruz Probation Service Center (PSC) opened …

Strategies For Gaining Access To Deliver Sport Programs With Highly Vulnerable Youth, Jenn Jacobs, Zachary Wahl-Alexander, Timothy Mack

Journal of Youth Development

Sport programs have been widely studied for their efficacy in helping youth develop important social, psychological, and physical skills. Extensive research has explored the challenges related to design, implementation, and evaluation of sport programs with a developmental focus. However, when designing sport programs specifically tailored for youth from vulnerable backgrounds, the challenges become multiplied, particularly when accounting for barriers that exist before the program starts. The following article describes best practices for gaining access to non-traditional, hard-to-access environments, such as foster care systems, juvenile detention centers, youth residential mental health facilities, and programs situated in high-risk communities. Recommendations are provided …

Psychological Engagement And Behavioral Activity Participation As Predictors Of Positive Youth Development, Heather Ramey, Heather Lawford, Linda Rose-Krasnor

Journal of Youth Development

Youth’s structured (e.g., sports) and unstructured (e.g., socializing) activities are key contexts for positive development. Both behavioral participation (e.g., frequency) and elements of psychological engagement (e.g., enjoyment, challenge) in programs and activities have been linked to components of youth development. We tested a model in which both psychological engagement and behavioral participation in activities predicted overall positive youth development in older adolescent and emerging adult samples (Sample 1, n = 235, mean age = 18.7 years, SD = 1.4 years, 67.7% female; Sample 2, n = 186, mean age = 20.0 years, SD = 2.1 years, 68.8% female). In the …

Immigrant Youth In Juvenile Facilities: A State-By-State Review Of Recreation Programming, Maria León

Journal of Youth Development

Recent national events have increased attention towards immigrant youth. Youth placed in juvenile justice facilities go through processes overseen by the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services, the Office of Refugee Resettlement, and the Unaccompanied Children’s Program. While in placement youth are exposed to risk factors and face cultural barriers being in a new country. As publicity of the incarceration of immigrant youth increases, there is an emphatic need for researchers to examine the quality of care youth experience in placement facilities. One of the areas that has not been critically investigated is recreation programming in juvenile justice facilities. Recreation programs …

Promoting Pro-Social Skills To Reduce Violence Among Urban Middle School Youth, Deb Risisky, James Macgregor, Deborah Smith, Jamie Abraham

Journal of Youth Development

Adolescent violence is a significant public health problem. The goal of this evaluation was to determine whether communication skills, relationships with adults, and relationships with peers were enhanced through participating in an after-school program aimed at reducing violence-related behaviors among urban middle school youth. Elements that helped to foster success among our population were providing a program that enabled consistent choice in recreational activities in a safe place, and also providing busing home to increase safety. A non-experimental study was conducted with 115 students who participated in the program. Bivariate, ANOVA analysis, and Kruskal–Wallis tests were carried out. Results indicated …

Does Equine Assisted Learning Create Emotionally Safe Learning Environments For At-Risk Youth?, Katie Cagle-Holtcamp, Molly Christine Nicodemus, Julie Parker, Mattie Helen Dunlap

Journal of Youth Development

Equine assisted learning (EAL) is a form of experiential learning that is quickly growing in interest within the educational community. A challenge with experiential learning programs for at-risk youth is creating an emotionally safe environment that opens up the participants to learning. Nevertheless, EAL has been credited with the development of life skills in youth that promote educational achievement, but research tracking the development of emotional safety and learning, specifically associated with programming dedicated to educating participants about the horse, is limited. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine if EAL, with programming centered around equine education, will …

Killer's Code: Familial Dna Searches Through Third-Party Databases Under Carpenter, Jesse Kitnick

Cardozo Law Review

No abstract provided.

A Critical Examination Of Employers Offering A Second Chance For Employment To Black Males With A Criminal Record, Jennifer Jones

Education Doctoral

Obtaining employment after serving time in prison is essential for successful reentry after incarceration. However, Black men experience the highest rate of unemployment in the United States, a trend that only intensifies after release from custody. While there is extensive research correlating the high rate of Black male recidivism with the negative influences of criminal acquaintances, community barriers, obstacles to education, and racial inequalities that prevent successful reentries, there is little literature surrounding the positive outcomes, for all parties, that arise from the decisions of hiring managers or directors who offer second chances of employment to Black men with a …

An Evaluation Of The Utility Of The Performance Diagnostic Checklist - Human Services (Pdc-Hs): A Comparison Of Formal And Informal Assessment Strategies, Cherish Chalk

Theses and Dissertations

The PDC-HS is a performance assessment tool that assists in the identification of variables contributing to performance problems among human service employees. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the utility of the PDC-HS as a formal assessment strategy. Specifically, the PDC-HS was compared to an informal assessment strategy consisting of a single open-ended interview question and a single structured interview question. Participants included 40 supervisors in varying positions in the human services industry. Descriptive statistics were used to compare participant responses to the open-ended and structured questions to the results indicated by the PDC-HS. Results suggest that the …

Effects Of Mercury On The Dopamine Transporter Cell Surface Expression In Pc12 Cells, Christina Hui

Student Theses

Environmental factors, such as heavy metal exposures, have been suggested to have an impact not only on neurodegenerative disease, such as Parkinson’s disease, but also on psychostimulants abuse and their toxicity. In this study, two questions were addressed: 1) effects of mercuric chloride on parkinsonian toxicant 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP⁺) induced cytotoxicity and 2) effects of mercuric chloride on cell surface dopamine transporter. Pheochromocytorma cells (PC12) were treated with various concentrations of mercuric chloride (0.02~2.0 ppm) for 4 hours with and without 0.1 mM MPP⁺. Significant potentiation of toxicity was observed when there was co-treatment with 0.5 ppm …

Evaluation Of A Novel Dna Collection Matrix Designed To Improve Recovery Of Touch Dna From Non-Porous Surfaces, Eric Ramirez

Student Theses

The collection of touch DNA from evidence has been a challenge in the field of Forensic Biology for decades. There are numerous collection protocols, substrates, and solutions that have been used to varying levels of success. Currently, no single method or substrate stands out as the single most effective collection protocol. The Gene Link Omni Matrix™ K105 solution is a novel collection method that can be sprayed onto the surface of non-porous evidence. The matrix dries into a film, capturing cells and cell-free DNA which can be scraped off and collected into a tube. During extraction, the matrix dissolves into …

Dna Mixture Statistics Using A Likelihood Ratio Software Tool: Effect Of Variations In Drop-Out Rates And Number Of Contributors, Felicia M. Lucero

Student Theses

Complex DNA mixtures can be very probative evidence, but comparisons to a person of interest can be affected by allelic drop-out and uncertainty regarding the number of individuals having contributed DNA to a sample. Scientific organizations such as the International Society of Forensic Genetics (Gill et al., 2006) recommend that likelihood ratios should be used to provide a statistical weight when a positive association is made between the DNA profile of a person of interest and an evidentiary DNA sample. To this effect the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) developed a software program, Forensic Statistical Tool …

Relationship Between Childhood Relationships And Antisocial And Lifestyle Characteristics Of Psychopathic Traits, Esther Kim

Student Theses

Psychopathy is a heterogeneous personality construct that has long been associated with antisocial behaviors and outcomes (Hare, 2003; Walsh & Kosson, 2006). However, some literature suggests that socially deviant behaviors and outcomes may not necessarily be a fundamental component of psychopathy (Cooke & Michie, 2001; DeMatteo, Heilbrun, & Marczyk, 2001; Lilienfeld & Widows, 2005). Research on externalizing behaviors and psychopathy has broadened from examining the quality of early relationships as a risk factor (Salekin & Lochman, 2008), to also examining early relationships as a potential protective factor against the development of psychopathic characteristics and antisocial outcomes (i.e. Backman, Laajasalo, Jokela, …

Outcomes For Professionals And Companies Through Student-Professional Reverse Mentoring Sessions, Nicholas Burr Gubler

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative inquiry explores the outcomes that professionals, and their companies, experience when they participate in a student-professional reverse mentorship. Professional development is used across all trades and professions as a way to increase employee skills and improve product/service quality. Reverse mentoring, where a novice teaches the more experienced individual, is a relatively new approach in professional development. When the reverse mentoring scenario is between students and professionals, instead of professionals and their colleagues, we know that students benefit from the reverse mentoring process but little is known about what outcomes the professionals experience. This research reports that professionals experience …

Inpatient Addiction Medicine Consultation And Post-Hospital Substance Use Disorder Treatment Engagement: A Propensity-Matched Analysis, Honora Englander, Konrad Dobbertin, Bonnie K. Lind, Christina Nicolaidis, Peter Graven, Claire Dorfman, Todd Korthius

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background

Hospitalizations due to medical and surgical complications of substance use disorder (SUD) are rising. Most hospitals lack systems to treat SUD, and most people with SUD do not engage in treatment after discharge.

Objective

Determine the effect of a hospital-based addiction medicine consult service, the Improving Addiction Care Team (IMPACT), on post-hospital SUD treatment engagement.

Design

Cohort study using multivariable analysis of Oregon Medicaid claims comparing IMPACT patients with propensity-matched controls.

Participants

18–64-year-old Oregon Medicaid beneficiaries with SUD, hospitalized at an Oregon hospital between July 1, 2015, and September 30, 2016. IMPACT patients (n = 208) were matched …

Alaska’S Constitution And Felony Disenfranchisement: A Historical And Legal Analysis, Jc Croft

Alaska Law Review

A disproportionately high segment of Alaska’s incarcerated population is non-white, placing many of these citizens under the purview of the state’s felony disenfranchisement statute. This Article argues that the Alaska legislature has impermissibly broadened the scope of the felony disenfranchisement provision over time. This provision, expressly included in the Alaska Constitution and specifically debated during the convention, permits the revocation of voting rights for a person convicted of a felony involving “moral turpitude.” Rather than leave the definition of this provision to the courts, the Alaska legislature has toyed repeatedly with identifying the crimes that involve moral turpitude. Not only …

Communications And Methodologies In Crime Geography: Contemporary Approaches To Disseminating Criminal Incidence And Research, Mitchell Ogden

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Many tools exist to assist law enforcement agencies in mitigating criminal activity. For centuries, academics used statistics in the study of crime and criminals, and more recently, police departments make use of spatial statistics and geographic information systems in that pursuit. Clustering and hot spot methods of analysis are popular in this application for their relative simplicity of interpretation and ease of process. With recent advancements in geospatial technology, it is easier than ever to publicly share data through visual communication tools like web applications and dashboards. Sharing data and results of analyses boosts transparency and the public image of …

Differences In Socialization Factors In Relation To Prescription Drug Misuse Between Rural And Urban Juveniles, Gabriela Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Juvenile misuse of prescription drugs in the United States has continuously increased over the last few decades, especially within rural regions of the country. Despite continuous increase in rates of misuse, limited research exists on elements of socialization that may function to prevent drug use. The current study utilized the Monitoring the Future Survey data to explore prescription drug misuse between different populations of juveniles. While using Hirschi’s (1969) theory of social bonds as a theoretical framework, different elements of socialization were explored to determine whether they work to contribute or prevent prescription drug misuse among rural and urban juveniles. …

Immigrant Youth In Juvenile Facilities: A State-By-State Review Of Recreation Programming, Maria León

Journal of Youth Development

Recent national events have increased attention towards immigrant youth. Youth placed in juvenile justice facilities go through processes overseen by the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services, the Office of Refugee Resettlement, and the Unaccompanied Children’s Program. While in placement youth are exposed to risk factors and face cultural barriers being in a new country. As publicity of the incarceration of immigrant youth increases, there is an emphatic need for researchers to examine the quality of care youth experience in placement facilities. One of the areas that has not been critically investigated is recreation programming in juvenile justice facilities. Recreation programs …

Black Family Engagement Through Communication Technology: A Phenomenological Study From The Perspective Of Urban Public High Schools Parents In The Greater Boston Area, Mariette Bien-Aime Ayala

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Black family engagement is the key to improving the life outcomes of young Black students (Clark, 2015; Mestry & Grobler, 2007). Recently, as a response to a need for better family engagement in K-12 education, new technologies have emerged. As educators, it is important to study the effectiveness of these new communication technologies, as well as how Black families are experiencing opportunities for engagement through them. Guided by critical race theory and capital theory, I ask: How do Black families experience opportunities for engagement with their children’s high schools through the use of communication technologies? To find this answer, in …

People With Mental Illnesses Who Face Coercive Interrogation: The Capability Of Jurors To Consider The Totality Of The Circumstances, Kathryn Derby

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Both coercive yet currently acceptable police interrogation tactics and the presence of mental illness in a defendant have been separately identified as risk factors for false confessions by defendants. Extensive research has been completed regarding each issue individually, with researchers struggling to induce sensitivity in jurors to police interrogation tactics and defendants with mental illness separately. In this study, the researchers sought to examine juror’s ability to understand the totality of the circumstances (mild or severe mental health issues as well as mild or severe police interrogation pressures) when clinical expert testimony was or was not present. Undergraduate psychology students …

Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-Iv (Mcmi-Iv) Profile Patterns And Scale Score Correlates For Jail Inmates Referred For Mental Health Services, Lauren Ashley Price

Theses and Dissertations

Personality assessment measures have been heavily used and researched with criminal offender populations in the realms of clinical, forensic, and correctional psychology for reasons including assessing reoffending risk, informing predictions regarding future behavior, and treatment planning. The Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI) features among the personality assessment measures widely used in evaluating criminal offenders. This current study compromised of adults male inmates (N=95) incarcerated in Brevard County, Florida examined scores from the recently released Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-Fourth Edition (MCMI-IV). The study’s goals included (a) providing reference data based on a sample of jail inmates receiving mental health services, (b) …

Reframing The Punishment Test Through Modern Sex Offender Legislation, Jane Ramage

Fordham Law Review

Modern sex offender registration and notification laws blur the distinction between criminal and civil law. Despite being labeled as civil regulatory schemes, these laws impose severe burdens on personal liberty—burdens that we tend to associate with criminal punishment. In 2003, the U.S. Supreme Court determined that at least one sex offender registration and notification program functioned as a civil remedy rather than a criminal sanction. In upholding the Alaska Sex Offender Registration Act, the Supreme Court held that the burdens imposed by the statute did not impose additional punishment on registered sex offenders and thus did not trigger the constitutional …

The Role Of “Coordinating Discovery Attorneys” In Multidefendant Federal Criminal Cases, Hannah Silverman

Fordham Law Review

The twenty-first century’s technological revolution has shifted the practice of law, including litigation, from being primarily paper-based to paperless. To manage the increasingly complex organization and review of evidence in civil and criminal cases, attorneys outsource legal tasks, work on teams, and use discovery coordinators. This Note examines the development of court-appointed coordinating discovery attorneys and their role in multidefendant federal criminal trials involving voluminous discovery. With a background in criminal defense and electronic discovery, these lawyers provide hands-on assistance as a way to cut costs, help overburdened and underfunded defense counsel, and improve representation of criminal defendants. In 2014, …

Exploring The Effects Of Policies On Military Readiness, Renard Dominique

All Theses And Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify factors of military policies that are counterproductive to III Marine Expeditionary Force’s (MEF) organizational readiness. The III MEF/Marine Corps Installation Pacific (MCIPAC) Liberty Regulations of Japan and Battalion Order (BnO) 11000.1C Bachelor Enlisted Quarters (BEQ) Regulation are two governing policies to which Marines and Sailors attached to III MEF and MCIPAC commands are subjected. The following research questions were formulated utilizing the Zero-Defect Theory and the Theory of Humanism as a conceptual foundation: How does perception toward the III MEF/MCIPAC liberty and BEQ regulation influence personal acceptance and adherence to these policies; …