Digital Commons Network^™

Prevention Of Sexual Assault In Women, Carly Codignotto

Academic Festival

No abstract provided.

As-994-25 Resolution To Call On Cal Poly's President To Sign The American Association Of Colleges And Universities Public Statement 'A Call For Constructive Engagement', Executive Committee

Academic Senate Resolutions

The Academic Senate of Cal Poly endorses the Public Statement by AAC&U 'A Call for Constructive Engagement'; and further resolves that the Academic Senate calls on the Cal Poly President to join other higher education leaders in California and across the United States and sign the Public Statement from the AAC&U 'A Call for Constructive Engagement.'

Amicus Brief Of Center For Civil Rights And Critical Justice In Support Of Appellant, Jessica Levin, Melissa Lee, Ronald A. Peterson Law Clinic

Center for Civil Rights and Critical Justice Advocacy

No abstract provided.

Memory Stewardship: Preventing Confabulation In Child Victim Statements, Dixie Blair Ivey

Master of Arts in Human Services

Confabulation consists of a false memory report. Some scholars consider confabulation a clinical symptom of a neurological disorder. Others view the subject more broadly. Regardless of the boundaries of the definition, confabulation is an example of false memory. False memory reports can occur under many circumstances. The details of these circumstances, as well as the general cognitive processes that dictate memory, are important to understand, particularly to those who rely on memory for the purposes of forensic investigations. In order to use memory statements to reliable effect, the investigator or interviewer must understand how their own actions, the actions of …

From Prison To Community: Challenges Of Recidivism In The United States, Kellie R. Parks

Master of Arts in Human Services

Recidivism among adult females in the United States is often an overlooked and under analyzed aspect of the justice system. Women criminals encounter unique challenges and often need distinct rehabilitative needs while incarcerated and following release. This paper explores the many factors contributing to recidivism in adult females including mental health challenges, biological, neurologic and social factors. It provides insight into how lower recidivism rates can be achieved by adapting other reform measures such as education programs.

The Bison, April, 25, 2025

The Bison Newspapers

No abstract provided.

Ud In The News April 12-25, University Of Dayton

News Releases

Town & Country magazine listed UD among 'the best merit aid scholarships.' Faculty contributed to The Conversation, the Academic Minute, Poets & Quants and RealClearMarkets. Spectrum News 1 Ohio featured a program for neurodivergent students.

Adolescent Drug Use, Maike Klein

Essays in Developmental Psychology

The adolescence stage of life is a critical period for increased risk behaviors such as use of tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drugs (Chen & Jacobson, 2012), unprotected sex and sexually transmitted infections (Center for Disease Control, 2014) as well as violent and nonviolent crimes (Pastore & Maguire, 2006; Collado, MacPherson, Kurdziel, Rosenberg, & Lejuez, 2014). Drug misuse during adolescence continues to be a problem in the United States. Mitchell et. al. (2014) illuminate the epidemical forces of drug use by reviewing data of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), showing that 1 in 10 adolescents from ages …

Patriarchal Violence, Fallon Flowers, Lisa K. Lashley, Charles J. Golden

Essays in Developmental Psychology

Patriarchal violence has been described as a pattern of behavior by men perpetuated against women in order to maintain control over women and their behavior. Ultimately, it is meant to oppress them; resulting in women being relegated to a lower position in society. The need for men to exert control over women via Patriarchal violence has roots in one’s cultural, societal, and moral beliefs. Such beliefs pertain to what is considered appropriate and what is considered inappropriate in a cultural context.  One of the burgeoning examples of this form of violence against women is the “honor killing”, the killing of …

Daca’S Impact On Recipients: Interviews With Three Daca Recipients From Michigan, Jazmin Moron

Honors Theses

This thesis explores the lived experiences of three Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients residing in Michigan. It examines how DACA has impacted their lives across three distinct phases: pre-DACA, while applying for DACA, and post-DACA. Through qualitative, semi-structured interviews, this research uncovers key themes: normal childhood, proof of presence, skeptical DACA future, and restricted immigration pathways. While DACA offered recipients increased opportunities in education, employment, and stability, it also imposed systemic challenges such as costly renewals, limited career growth, and continued legal uncertainty. By focusing on Michigan—a state with a relatively small Hispanic/Latino population—this study highlights the unique …

The Relationship Between Psychological Distress, Work Burnout, And Firearm Ownership Among Correctional Officers, Corey Tolliver

Academic Festival

Introduction. This study examines the relationship between psychological distress, work burnout, and firearm ownership among correctional officers. Methods. Using secondary cross-sectional data, we investigated psychological distress, work burnout, and the impact of firearm ownership among 211 correctional officers (COs). Results. Psychological distress is alarmingly high across all racial/ethnic groups, with the vast majority classified as likely to have a severe mental disorder. White COs exhibit the highest mean distress scores. Over half of the COs enrolled reported owning a firearm (54.5%). Those who reported having to own a firearm tended to have higher work burnout compared to those who never …

What Impact Does Ai Have On American Elections?, Andrea Villalba Simon

Academic Festival

This paper explores how artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping the concept and practice of power in the context of voting in the United States. AI has allowed campaigns and institutions to communicate more efficiently, analyze voter behavior, and manage elections with greater precision. However, this same technology introduces major risks. These include the manipulation of public opinion, misinformation, cybersecurity threats, and unequal access to political influence. Through real-world examples and expert insights, this paper examines how AI impacts who holds power, how it is exercised, and what that means for democracy in the U.S. It draws on Robert Dahl’s influential …

Drug Treatment Courts: Choosing Between Rehabilitation And Recidivism, Grace Miller

Academic Festival

The presentation discusses the use of drug treatment courts to serve justice to those whose offenses are related to their struggle with illicit drug use. Drug treatment courts are described and its benefits are outlined. These courts are compared to treatment of drug offenders within the normal justice system, and the drawbacks of drug treatment courts are discussed. This informs the future of drug treatment courts int he United States.

"If It Doesn't Fit, You Must Acquit": The Perception Of Evidence, Brooke Rizzuto

Academic Festival

The legal process of the criminal justice system may be rooted in facts, but how a jury interprets those facts is inherently subjective. Their perception is influenced by how the case is framed, who is speaking, and how compelling the story is, not just by the evidence alone. This paper explores how psychological factors impact the perception of evidence in court by comparing the People v. Simpson murder trial and the Depp v. Heard defamation lawsuit. Both trials involved large amounts of forensic or digital evidence, expert witness testimony, and media attention, but produced very different outcomes.

In the Simpson …

Empowering Youth: Risk Factors Of Juvenile Delinquency, Shannon Keenan

Academic Festival

No abstract provided.

A Legal Analysis On The Link Between Pornography Consumption And The Perpetuation Of Abuse, Madelyn Garrett

Advanced Issues in Criminal Law: Sex Offenses

This essay examines the connection between the overconsumption of pornography and the growing demand for violent and extreme types of pornography. This essay also looks at the abuse this demand perpetrates.

How Prepared Are Online Schools To Identify And Respond To Student Abuse?: Not Well, But There Is Hope, Monika Krah, Analisa Lewis, Juliann Sergi Mcbrayer, Chad Posick, Eric Landers

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

In our rapidly-advancing technological world, little is known about school safety planning in online school settings. We expanded the Crisis Event Perception Survey (CEPS) to the Sustainable, Accessible, Feasible, and Effective (SAFE) Crisis Event Perceptions Survey to assess verbal, physical, relational, and cyberbullying prevalence and administrator preparedness in online school settings. We found that almost half of school administrators assessed were untrained in responding to physical (48%) and relational (43%) bullying and approximately one-third of school administrators surveyed felt unprepared to address physical and/or relational bullying in online schools. Furthermore, we found that only about half of administrators are trained …

The “Chains” Of Command: Confronting The Role Of Gender In Perceptions Of Female Service Members’ Professionalism, Dani Schulz

Symposium on Research and Creative Expression (SORCE)

This research investigates whether there is a connection between gender and perceptions of military professionalism. The military is a highly-masculinized workplace which women have not occupied for long; as such, this research aims to discover whether military members perceive women in the military as professional. To do so, the researcher used a survey with both quantitative and qualitative questions to discover what a sample of Army National Guard soldiers' self-perceptions reveal about their views of women in the military. The researcher also covertly observed two weeks of Army National Guard training to learn whether the sample's behavior toward women in …

Reported Bias Incidents In Northwest Indiana: An Examination Of Newspaper Accounts, Sophia C. Brown, James Old

Symposium on Research and Creative Expression (SORCE)

This exploratory study investigates bias-motivated incidents in and around the City of Valparaiso, Indiana, over the past 30 years. The study aims to examine patterns and trends in such incidents, defined broadly as "bias-motivated incidents" rather than the more narrowly defined "hate crimes." While hate crimes, according to the FBI, involve criminal offenses motivated by bias against race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or ethnicity/national origin, bias-motivated incidents encompass any behavior expressing hostility toward individuals or property based on these characteristics, regardless of whether they rise to the level of criminal activity. The research analyzes reports of these incidents as documented …

A Punishment That Harms Everyone And Benefits No One: An Analysis Of The Use Of Solitary Confinement Under Common Sociological Theories Of Punishment, Allison Lampert

Et Cetera

In the United States, experts estimate that nearly 100,000 incarcerated individuals are held in solitary confinement. While individuals can be held in solitary confinement for a variety of reasons, many are placed in lockdown because they have untreated mental illnesses, have committed some sort of minor disciplinary infraction, are need of protection, or for unpopular personal beliefs. In other words, solitary confinement is used as a broad catch-all to a wide range of low-level and nonviolent misbehaviors. This note argues that solitary confinement is an unjustifiable mode of punishment as analyzed under two commonly cited sociological theories of punishment: retributivism …

Juvenile Treatment: A Systematic Review Of Methadone On Juveniles After Incarceration, Joshua Bortieh

Criminal Justice Scholarly Projects

Methadone Maintenance Treatment (MMT) has emerged as a harm-reduction strategy for addressing opioid use disorder (OUD) among justice-involved juveniles. Despite its growing implementation, there remains limited consensus regarding its effectiveness in reducing recidivism, its ethical and legal implications, and the systemic barriers surrounding its administration. This study employed a systematic literature review (SLR) to examine the therapeutic, ethical, and criminological dimensions of MMT in juvenile justice populations. The review followed PRISMA 2020 guidelines and synthesized 15 peer-reviewed empirical studies published between 2010 and 2023. Data were sourced from four major electronic databases PubMed, PsycINFO, Scopus, and Web of Science using …

Assessing Information Literacy In A Living Learning Community: An Academic Library Case Study, Sara Mccaslin, Sean Kinder

The Southeastern Librarian

Assessment of information literacy efforts can impact college students’ success and retention. Library outreach and partnerships with teaching faculty, especially those targeted towards first-year students, are important. Library involvement with High Impact Practices (HIPs) including Living Learning Com-munities provide librarians with an assessment-rich environment to connect information literacy with student success and retention. This case study sought to assess the impact of information literacy library instruction on first-year Living Learning Community (LLC) Criminology students and asked the follow-ing question: Are the general information literacy class and the Special Collections information literacy class beneficial to Criminology LLC students? The authors learned …

Assessing Relationship Type, Weapon Use, Weapon Type, And Injury In Sexual Assault Kit Backlog Data, Madeline Faye Stewart

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

This paper explores the familial and stranger relationship dynamics between victims and suspects/offenders in sexual assault cases. It assesses the likelihood of weapon use and identifies the specific types of weapons involved. This analysis addresses gaps in existing research by examining the relationship between weapon type, weapon use, and relationship type. The study focuses on three key aspects: (1) the types of weapons used during an assault, (2) the nature of victim-suspect/offender relationships, and (3) the presence of any injuries. By analyzing these data, the research aims to identify trends in weapon use and determine whether certain relationships correlate with …

2025 Acssc Program, Acssc Planning Committee

Annual Celebration for Student Scholarship and Creativity

No abstract provided.

Spring 2025 Excellence In Research And Creative Inquiry And Incite Award Ceremony, Office Of Student Research, Longwood University

Spring Showcase for Research and Creative Inquiry

No abstract provided.

The Correctional Responses To Covid-19: In Ohio, The U.S., And Across The Globe, Kendall E. Visco

Honors Theses

The United States has the largest correctional system in the world, and as a result, the system is vulnerable to various public health issues, the most recent being the COVID-19 pandemic. Correctional institutions across the country were unprepared for a pandemic of this scale, specific to supplies and regulations. As a result, tens of thousands of incarcerated individuals fell sick in outbreaks, and thousands more passed away due to complications. Regulations varied from institution to institution, and policies then and now are still unclear. To prepare for the future, understanding these policies is vital to better understand where successes and …

If You Cannot Afford An Attorney, None Will Be Appointed For You: Exploring Rates Of Representation By Counsel In Texas Misdemeanor Courts, Andrew Davis, Shelby Sirivore, Victoria Smiegocki

Journal of Criminal Justice and Law

All misdemeanor defendants in the United States have the right to be represented by a lawyer if they are facing the possibility of incarceration. Yet implementation of that right is often left to local policymakers, and rates of non-representation (defendants proceeding without lawyers) vary enormously. Through an examination of data from Texas counties in 2019, we find non-representation rates were highest in the state’s poorest and most rural counties. But we also find signs that local policy choices matter. Counties with public defender offices, and those with less restrictive policies on financial eligibility for indigent defense services, appointed lawyers to …

Cultivating A Will To Serve: Applying Cultivation Theory To Understand The Effect Of Legal Dramas On Attitudes Toward Jury Service, Matthew J. Dolliver, Josie Leonhardt, Emily Pedigo

Journal of Criminal Justice and Law

Despite being a pillar of the American legal framework, response rates to jury summons remain low, particularly among minorities. Prior research has focused on structural factors contributing to these low rates. Yet, little research has examined citizens’ willingness to engage in the process. At the same time, research on Cultivation Theory suggests some types of consumption are associated with an increased desire to work in the Criminal Justice System. This study explores the impact of media, including news, social media, and legal dramas, on citizens’ disposition toward juries, including beliefs about the importance of juries and willingness to serve on …

The Legal Cybersecurity Crisis: Potential Resolutions And Artificial Intelligence Implications, Ava R. Warrick

Senior Honors Theses

As cybersecurity becomes more relevant in the digital age, law firms have overlooked protections from cyberattacks, and this neglect has led to irreversible client data breaches. This thesis sought to investigate cybersecurity vulnerabilities in law firms and to theorize potential solutions using a literature review methodology. The research questions for this project are: What are the most effective cybersecurity protections for United States law firms, and should those cybersecurity protections utilize AI-based systems? In response, this thesis posits three claims. First, the central factors that contribute to inadequate law firm cybersecurity are as follows: lack of governmental oversight over legal …

Volume 16, Maggie Duncan, Madeline Little, Alicia Hoffman, Megan Livesay, Gabrielle Quaresma, Serenity Allen, Laina Pfountz, Ainslie Allred, Sabrina Robles, Nicholas J. Duellman, Trinity L. Deguzman, Melissa H. Savage, Margaret Dudley, Jocelyn Escobar, Olivia Hildreth, Olivia Hopkins, Benjamin Gettier, Lee Kassay, Jade Riddle, Ashley Seiders

Incite: The Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship

Introduction Dr. Amorette Barber, Director, Office of Student Research

From the Editor Dr. Hannah Dudley-Shotwell

Artist’s Statement Maggie Duncan

On Mentoring Dr. Lee Millar Bidwell

The Hujum Campaign in Uzbekistan and its Consequences by Madeline Little

Wet Cupping Compared to Dry Needling for Treatment of Patients with Low Back Pain: A Critically Appraised Topic by Alicia Hoffman and Megan Livesay

Optimization of eDNA Air Sampling Via 3D Printed Fan by Gabrielle Quaresma

Beyond the Classroom: A Qualitative Study of Teacher Attrition and Retention by Serenity Allen and Laina Pfountz

The Treatment of Subacromial Impingement Syndrome with Platelet-Rich plasma Injections Verses …