Digital Commons Network^™

Flawed Framework, Fatal Discretion: Unraveling Implicit Bias In Capital Punishment Decisions, Justin D. Levinson, Rachel G. Schaefer

Case Western Reserve Law Review

No abstract provided.

Tribute To Professor Kevin C. Mcmunigal, Peter A. Joy

Case Western Reserve Law Review

No abstract provided.

News Mediated Reporting And Governmental Narratives About The Enforcement Of Elite Criminality: Exploring The Social Construction Of Financial Frauds And Discrepancies In Punishment, Dominic J. Zicari

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines how financial crime enforcement decisions are socially constructed through a qualitative content analysis of news articles and government communications pertaining to two specific cases: the Enron scandal of 2001 and the subprime mortgage crisis of 2008. The study was guided by a theoretical framework that utilizes Barak’s (2017) theory of state-routinized crime control. The rigorous analysis of 394 news articles and government communication documents revealed that the media and the state rarely framed the subprime mortgage crisis as a criminal issue. Although the Enron scandal was frequently described as financial crime, journalists and government communicators were often …

Through The Lens Of Social Media: Examining The Relationship Between Exposure To Social Media Videos Of Police Misconduct And Perceptions Of Legitimacy And Cooperation With Campus Police, Kamal Alhassan

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines how exposure to social media and internet news videos depicting police misconduct influences college students' perceptions of campus police legitimacy, procedural justice, and willingness to cooperate. Although prior research has demonstrated the impact of media portrayals on perceptions of municipal police, limited attention has been given to campus policing contexts. Guided by Tyler’s process-based theory of police legitimacy and Gerbner’s cultivation theory, this quantitative study surveyed 400 students at a large public university in the Southeastern Mid-Atlantic region. Measures included self-reported viewing and engagement with police misconduct content on social media, internet, and traditional media platforms, as …

Can Shame And Guilt Be Used As A Deterrent For Substance Use And Crime Recidivism?, Megan E. Pesek, Lindsay S. Ham

2025 Research Poster Competition

The present study focuses on how shame and guilt can be used as a deterrent for substance use and substance-related crime recidivism. This research is significant because of on-going alcohol and other drug crime recidivism in the United States. 68% of drug-involved offenders have been found to recidivate within 3 years of their release from prison (Langan & Levin, 2002). Understanding how guilt and shame affect one's drug use and crime recidivism is important in recovery. This study has been influenced by John Braithwaite's theory of reintegrative shaming: using guilt and shame as the specific deterrent for recidivism. Based on …

The Research Examining Factors Associated With The Opioid Crisis Among Urban Adults (Refocus), Mona K.M. Goggins, Paige Orphé, Jovonna Atkinson, Brittany Miller-Roenigk, Kaylee A. Palomino, Danelle Stevens-Watkins

Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology Faculty Publications

Introduction: Deaths due to opioid-related overdoses have increased across the United States. Specifically in the state of Kentucky, African Americans are the only population that continues to experience an increase in opioid-related deaths. Previous literature highlights African Americans having unique drug use patterns due to systematic barriers and how these barriers limit access to protective factors and substance use treatment. The current study aims to specify patterns of African American non-medical prescription opioid use (NMPOU) and how these patterns may differ based on biological sex and generational cohort. Also, this study plans on using this data on patterns to inform …

Commencement Program, 2025, Cuny John Jay College Of Criminal Justice

Reports and Publications from John Jay College

Commencement Programs are handed out at each graduation. They include information on honorary degrees, awards and prizes and candidates for degree. However, they cannot be considered an official record of conferring of degrees.

Master Of Social Work Portfolio: Rooted In Community, Whitney Wb Pratt

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

Burning Up And Burned Out: Examining Burnout In Human Services Employees, Chloe A. Bell

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Burnout is a prevalent and critical condition experienced among human services employees. This study examined the roles of gender, parental status, and perceived organizational support (POS) as moderating factors in the relationship between stress and burnout in human services employees. A sample of full-time human services employees (N = 303) completed a survey containing assessments measuring burnout, stress, POS, and neuroticism. The results of this study indicated that POS significantly moderated the stressburnout relationship, such that greater reported levels of POS weakened the relationship between stress and burnout. However, neither gender nor parental status was found to significantly moderate the …

How South Dakota Can Criminalize Child Sexual Grooming, Jackson Marnette

South Dakota Law Review

In 2023, the South Dakota Legislature proposed and rejected Senate Bill 94, which would have criminalized child sexual grooming. South Dakota, like most states, lacks a law that effectively deters potential child sexual abusers from initiating the child sexual abuse process. Other states’ grooming laws have been challenged on constitutional grounds with differing results. This article considers the benefits of grooming laws, the pros and cons associated with other states’ passed legislation, and any issues with Senate Bill 94’s language. The article concludes with a legislative proposal based on child sexual grooming academic theory.

The Carceral State(S), Esther K. Hong

Michigan Journal of Race and Law

The carceral state is everywhere. Legal and social science scholars are increasingly using the carceral state concept to criticize various aspects, or even the entirety, of the United States. But despite how popular and common this term has become in writings about mass incarceration, criminal processes and punishments, and other forms of social control, the definition, conceptualization, and theorization of the carceral state are far from settled. This Article analyzes and contributes to this discussion by highlighting the diversity and fluidity of ideas surrounding the carceral state.

Although the term often appears without an express definition, the limited ones that …

Solving The National Security Threat Of The United States Drug Crisis, Anna B. Freehafer

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This thesis analyzes the current drug crisis in the United States with the intention of forming a sound National Security Report and Strategy to equip current and future administrations with the necessary tools and information to adapt to the modern crisis. The number of drug induced and related deaths are rising in the U.S., which arguably is cause for alarm at the federal level. With the country divided on how to properly attack this crisis, which affects hundreds of thousands of lives across the nation, this thesis aims to provide a solution to a drug crisis that is unlike any …

The Impact Of Divorce Proceedings On Victims Of Domestic Violence, Quinn G. Di Ienno

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Divorce often signifies the end of conflict in relationships that individuals no longer wish to continue. However, the impact of divorce on victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) is a topic that remains underexplored. This research investigates the extent to which individuals navigating divorce proceedings are victims of IPV and aims to illuminate their experiences within the legal system. The study delves into various forms of abuse, including physical, emotional, and financial, while also addressing the challenges victims face in seeking assistance. Employing a mixed-methods research design, this study comprises a comprehensive literature review and an online survey targeting those …

How Does The Modern Supreme Court Treat The Idea Of Retribution In The Context Of Capital Punishment?, Paige Forsberg

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This thesis explores the modern U.S. Supreme Court's treatment of retribution in the context of capital punishment, analyzing how justices have framed and justified the death penalty as a form of justice. Through the examination of key Supreme Court rulings and legal arguments, this study evaluates the evolving role of retribution in the Court’s decisions on death penalty cases, highlighting how judicial reasoning has shifted over time in response to legal, philosophical, and societal developments.

Retribution, long considered one of the primary justifications for capital punishment, is examined through a nuanced lens in this study. While historically viewed as a …

The Impacts Of Personal Narratives, Statistics Data, And Images On Attitudes And Actions, O. Ortiz, S. Jimenez Delgado, Miranda Connelly, Jesse Benefiel, Kyria Sanchez

IdeaFest 2025

Personal narratives are powerful in garnering interest, empathy, and may improve attitudes on issues as compared to statistically oriented information, but have primarily been investigated in text-only formats. Little is known about the effects of visual information on individuals' attitudes. This study aims to investigate the efficacy of presenting data, narrative information, or a combination of information through verbal or visual channels on individuals' attitudes. The implications of this study enable us to understand the most effective information presentation methods when influencing individuals' attitudes and actions on controversial and emotionally charged topics.

A Rubber-Band System For Dynamic Incentivization Of Parallelized Gamified Objectives, Nicholas Diliberti

Dissertations

With the advent of videogames as the world's first mass-market interactive media, gamification has emerged as the premier way to harness powerful behavior-affecting gamified elements and place them in other contexts, such as education, fitness, and rehabilitation. This transposition, however, ignores a key tenant of user engagement: reward ought to be aligned with effort. Most, if not all, current gamification systems dispatch static reward allocations for their spread of gamified behaviors. In this paper, an alternative is presented: dynamic gamification. This dynamic gamification reads the user's current gamified state for indicators of aptitude, dynamically remaps rewards with a tuneable evaluation …

The Life Of Or Measure 110: Evolution, Implementation, And Impact, Matthew D. Albertson

Anthós

In 2020, Oregon voters approved Measure 110, a groundbreaking policy that decriminalized possession of small quantities of controlled substances and redirected cannabis tax revenues to treatment and recovery centers. This article examines the passage, implementation, and rollback of Measure 110 with HB 4002, enacted in 2024. Drawing on state audits, legislative records, and public health data to contextualize Measure 110 within broader debates on public health, criminal justice reform, and policy-making, Albertson analyzes the progressive policy’s aspirational, reform-minded goals and the practical shortcomings in its enactment. Albertson argues that while Measure 110 has faced justified criticism and partial reversal, it …

Strafford County 2024 Annual Report Of The Commissioners, Treasurer, Other County Officers, And The Strafford County Delegation For The Year Ending December 31, 2024, Strafford County Representatives

Strafford County, NH Annual Reports

This is an annual report containing vital statistics for 2024 for Strafford County in the state of New Hampshire.

Master Of Social Work Portfolio, Derek Thrush

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

Msw Portfolio, Hailey E. Owens

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

Msw Professional Portfolio, Jill M. Henry

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

Msw Professional Portfolio, Samantha Elizabeth Chase

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

Daughter Of A Lost Bird, Susan J. Schwidde

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

Innovative Secondary School Scheduling Practices To Positively Impact Student Outcomes In West Point Public Schools, Jessica Burdette, Sydney B. Lilly, Mark A. Strickler

Doctor of Education Capstones

Utilizing the principles of improvement science through a critical pragmatic approach, this study aimed to promote West Point Public School (WPPS) student success through researching secondary school scheduling practices. The primary theory of change for this study stated that if instructional time is maximized, all WPPS students will be given the opportunity to experience academic success and increase achievement. Three key research questions emerged as we analyzed the problem of practice: How can WPPS structure a secondary school day schedule to ensure every student has the best opportunity to succeed within the system? How can WPPS incorporate research-based strategies for …

A Call To Action For Transport Justice: Exploring Transportation Disadvantages Faced By Justice-Impacted Individuals Reintegrating Into Rural Communities, Tarnika Edmunds

Master of Urban and Regional Planning Capstone Projects

This study explores the intersection of rural reentry and transportation planning, emphasizing the importance of Transport Justice in overcoming barriers faced by transit-dependent populations, particularly formerly incarcerated individuals. While urban transportation planning is widely discussed, this research highlights the overlooked challenges that rural environments pose for individuals reentering society. Through a multi-method approach that involved document analysis, participant observations, and informal discussions, this study uncovers a range of themes related to accessibility, reliability, vulnerability, and the quality of commuting experiences. The findings underline the necessity for transparency, accountability, and collaboration across sectors to address these gaps and inform policies that …

Uri Undergraduate And Graduate Course Catalog 2025-2026, University Of Rhode Island

URI Course Catalogs Archive

This is a downloadable PDF version of the University of Rhode Island course catalog.

Uplifting Youth: An Adolescent Mental Health Promotion Intervention, Adriana Cornejo

DNP Research Projects

Abstract 

The Lift Project™ is an initiative that combines positive psychology and lifestyle medicine to promote mental health. This DNP project investigated the effectiveness of The Lift Project™ in enhancing mental health outcomes in adolescents for the first time. A quasi-experimental design was employed, with participants aged 12 to 17 who attended The Lift Project™ workshop over 10 weeks (n = 22; age M = 15.3 years, SD = 0.99; 68.2% female, 100% Hispanic). Quantitative mental health assessments measuring anxiety, depression, stress, vitality, emotional well-being, flourishing, and life satisfaction were administered pre- and post-intervention. Results revealed a 30% reduction …

Keynote: Promoting Disability Equality Behind Bars, Margo Schlanger

Articles

A few years back, I finished a five-year appointment as a “settlement monitor” in a state prison system for a civil rights case about deaf and hard-of hearing people incarcerated there. With the consent of the parties, I had been appointed by a federal court to spend time in the state’s prisons, talking to prisoners and staff, and reviewing records and facilities. I saw some obvious problems. I recall one deaf prisoner; he used American Sign Language to communicate and could not speak at all. He was found to have committed a disciplinary infraction at a proceeding where he could …

Constructions Of Serial Killers And Victims: Analysis Of True Crime Docuseries, Mira Dhaliwal

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Stories of crime have consistently captured the attention of the public, with stories of heists, kidnappings and murder. The true crime genre receives enormous attention and serves for many as the primary source of crime knowledge, including who commits crime, how they commit crime and how law enforcement responds. Books and podcasts have been interrogated by researchers to understand the nature of the content but missing are the true crime documentaries and docuseries that have dominated streaming platforms in North America. The present study examined three true crime series about serial killers using social constructionism and social problems theory, and …

What Is Success? How Peer Support Workers In Ontario See Addiction & Recovery, Ngaire Rasmussen

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The drug crisis in Canada has high mortality rates, especially in remote and rural communities, but there are significant barriers to accessing healthcare to which peer support may represent a partial solution, (Eddie et al., 2019; Englander et al., 2020; The Government of Canada, 2023; Kourgiantakis et al., 2023; Lavalley et al., 2020; Lennox et al., 202; Russell et al., 2021). Research how peer support workers define success in their work with adults experiencing addiction in Ontario, Canada is lacking, but important to understanding the crisis and implementing peer programs. Grounded in Marxist theory, the following exploratory research investigated the …