Digital Commons Network^™

Resisting Nullification In Excessive Force Prosecutions, Sarah E. Wagner

Buffalo Law Review

Police violence in the United States occurs at an alarming rate. Enforcing federal criminal laws aimed at holding law enforcement officers accountable for their misconduct is difficult. Even where there is strong evidence of guilt, jurors often acquit officers rather than allow them to face criminal consequences for their actions. This Article examines suspected nullification verdicts in excessive force cases through the lens of an expansive body of research on juror and jury decision making. What emerges is the theory that nullification verdicts in excessive force cases are a function of the presence of one or more authoritarian jurors, the …

“Justice” By Deception: The Immigration Regime’S Longstanding Reliance On Fraud And Coercion, Lori A. Nessel

Buffalo Law Review

No abstract provided.

Shadows, Not Substance: Trump V. United States, Presidential Criminal Immunity, And Bribery, Lennon Greco

Buffalo Law Review

No abstract provided.

Guilty Until Proven Innocent: Stories Of The Unfulfilled Promise Of The American Criminal Justice System, Abigail Clark

College Honors Program

Enshrined in the 14th Amendment of the Constitution is the promise that all persons within the jurisdiction of the United States “shall receive equal protection of the laws.” For Black Americans, this promise has been routinely unfulfilled– not only during the “Jim Crow” era, but also continuing after the Civil Rights era into the present. Instead of equal justice under law, Black Americans have been subjected to systematic dehumanization and the erasure of constitutional rights, often leading to a presumption of Black guilt rather than innocence within the criminal justice system and within white public rhetoric. Broken promises of equal …

Statutes Of Unjust Limitations: An Argument In Favor Of Increasing The Statute Of Limitations For Civil Cases Of Adult Sex Crimes In Texas, Athina E. Castañon

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

This Comment argues that Texas’s current five-year statute of limitations for civil claims arising from adult sex crimes is unjust and misaligned with modern trauma research. While Texas has enacted meaningful legislation for child survivors, adult survivors who experience sexual violence after the age of eighteen remain subjected to an arbitrarily short filing window that fails to account for the psychological, social, and economic barriers to reporting and litigation. Drawing on historical context, trauma-informed research, and a comparative analysis of reform efforts, this Comment demonstrates how rigid statutes of limitations disproportionately harm survivors and undermine access to civil justice.

Law Enforcement Perceptions And Lived Experiences Concerning Homelessness, Pedro Osbaldo Preciado

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Risk Factors As Predictors Of Maternal Filicide, Melanie Inez Bailey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

The Effectiveness Of After Care Substance Abuse Treatment Programs From The Perspective Of Released Female Offenders, Sarah Kay Blankenship

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Academic Senate - Agenda, 05/12/2026, Academic Senate

Academic Senate Agendas

No abstract provided.

Bridging The Language Gap: Enhancing Interpreter Support And Service For The Benefit Of The Lep Community, Morgan Kuchta

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

English is the language of the court, but when it intends to serve a multilingual public, there must be a strong commitment to uphold the rights of limited English proficient (LEP) individuals. LEP individuals, particularly those that speak rare languages, are disadvantaged by various issues impacting interpreters and the courts. When only the interpreter’s words are reflected in the courtroom and the transcript, it is essential that the court ensures the accessibility of qualified interpretation, as any omission or misinterpretation can hinder access to justice. We must protect the interests of LEP individuals trying to navigate the court system, and …

No Child Left To Heal Alone: Rethinking Restitution For Child Victims Of Sexual Abuse, Jessica Valiani

Advanced Issues in Criminal Law: Sex Offenses

This paper examines the long-term psychological, emotional, and financial harms suffered by child victims of sexual abuse and argues that existing restitution statutes in the United States fail to provide meaningful, sustained support for survivors. Drawing on developmental psychology research, criminal restitution frameworks, and comparative state statutes, the paper demonstrates how current laws often limit recovery to narrow categories of offenses or leave compensation largely discretionary. The paper further analyzes Kentucky’s “Melanie’s Law” as a model for imposing ongoing offender-funded obligations and proposes a new child-centered restitution statute requiring convicted offenders to fund therapy and treatment for survivors of child …

Magazine Excerpt

Lloyd Clark Papers

Pages from the Alumni Notebook of the UTA Magazine, in spring/summer 2000, showcasing recent news and alumni spotlights.

Hukum Acara Pidana Dalam Pelaksanaan Peradilan Di Indonesia (Tinjauan Empiris Terhadap Keseimbangan Penegakan Hukum Dan Perlindungan Hak Asasi Manusia), Otto Comelis Kaligis

Jurnal Hukum & Pembangunan

Abstract

Senior Day 2026, University Of Michigan Law School

Commencement and Honors Materials

Program for the May 11, 2026 University of Michigan Law School Senior Day.

Dynamic Trust Calibration, Bruno Miranda Henrique

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Trust calibration between humans and Artificial Intelligence (AI) is crucial for optimal decision-making in collaborative settings. Excessive trust can lead users to accept AI-generated outputs without question, overlooking critical flaws, while insufficient trust may result in disregarding valuable insights from AI systems, hindering performance. Despite its importance, there is currently no definitive and objective method for measuring trust calibration between humans and AI. Current approaches lack standardization and consistent metrics that can be broadly applied across various contexts, and they don’t distinguish between the formation of opinions and subsequent human decisions. This thesis brings a novel and objective method for …

Justice For None: How The United States’ Sexual-Offense System Fails Victims, Defendants, And The Public, Hannah J. Flannery

Advanced Issues in Criminal Law: Sex Offenses

This paper argues that the United States criminal justice system fundamentally fails in its treatment of sexual offenses by retraumatizing survivors while simultaneously relying on punitive mechanisms that undermine meaningful accountability and rehabilitation. Through an examination of adversarial courtroom practices, prosecutorial discretion, plea bargaining, sex-offender registries, and civil commitment regimes, the paper demonstrates how American law prioritizes punishment, political performance, and moral panic over truth, dignity, and public safety. In contrast, comparative analysis of France, Canada, and the Nordic countries reveals alternative models grounded in consent-based legal frameworks, trauma-informed procedures, and rehabilitative justice. These systems emphasize proportionality, reintegration, and institutional …

Perceptions Of Correctional Staff Regarding Coping Strategies Used By Juvenile Female Offenders, Angela Pagano Johnston

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

A Comparison Of The Effectiveness Of Dna Repair Kits In The Restoration Of Str Profiles, Katya Sandoval

Honors Theses

DNA analysis is heavily relied upon in forensic analyses. It can be expected that certain forensically relevant samples — i.e. those recovered from a crime scene, and which have been outside of the body and exposed to environmental conditions— will have undergone some form of damage or degradation. This causes the loss of important information. The purpose of this research was to compare how effectively two commercial DNA repair kits, PreCR® Repair Mix and Restorase® DNA Polymerase, were able to restore STR profiles in damaged samples. The experiments in this study were conducted using DNA extracted from human blood. Samples …

A Quantitative Critical Analysis Of Comprehensive Education Plan Effects As Implemented Under Title 5 In California Community Colleges, Nicole Jones

Dissertations

California Code of Regulations, Title 5, is the policy and regulatory guide of the California Community Colleges. Sections of Title 5 policy govern the implementation of programs and services at these colleges. It provides protection for colleges and specifies student entitlements under the law. The mission of the California Community Colleges is to serve as an open-access point, providing students with services and instruction. Access barriers to services like counseling can delay goal attainment, increase cost of attendance and time to completion, and result in lower successful retention or persistence rates. Additionally, resource allocation, Title 5 Section 59200 regulations (the …

Parents Caring For Adult Children With Co-Occurring Disorders: A Phenomenological Study, Cynthia D. Williams

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

The purpose of this study was to explore and understand the lived experiences of parents caring for an adult child, aged 18 to 30 years, with a co-occurring mental health and substance use diagnosis, with attention to how caregiving intersects with trauma, resilience, and systemic challenges. To guide this exploration, the Resilience Trauma Negotiation (RTN) framework was introduced to examine how exposure, appraisal, coping responses, and systemic context intersect to shape the complex realities of caregiving. Using Moustakas’s seven-step transcendental phenomenological approach, semi-directed interview questions were facilitated with 14 caregivers. Data were transcribed, coded, and analyzed to identify emerging themes …

Pergeseran Paradigma Pemidanaan Di Indonesia, Eva Achjani Zulfa

Jurnal Hukum & Pembangunan

Abstract

Leading A Culture Of Success, Collin T. Ginnaty

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

An in depth look toward leadership in the private and public sectors with emphasis in Law Enforcement Leadership.

Who Really Cares: A Critical Textual Analysis Of Television Portrayals Of The Fictional “Black Lady Therapist” Post-Pandemic, Tiara Johnson

Dissertations - ALL

Given television’s capacity to shape audience perceptions (Bryant & Oliver 2009) and help our cultural understandings of mental health (McMahon-Coleman & Weaver, 2020), both academic and industry research on mental health depictions and stigmas on television have increased. However, with the growing crisis and need for mental healthcare within the Black community over the past 15 years, this research uses a critical qualitative textual analysis to explore television's portrayal of fictional Black Lady Therapist (BLT) as a main character, and how these depictions counter and support stereotypical depictions of the Black woman and how these depictions can be used to …

"I Just Wanted To Help": Certified Recovery Peer Advocates And Disconnected Labor, Rosie Benser

Dissertations - ALL

This dissertation examines the remaking of the recovery industry via the rise of Certified Recovery Peer Advocates (CRPA), or recovery peers, and the conditions that enable and constrain their labor. Peer Based Support Services (PBSS) was professionally recognized in the substance use disorder (SUD) treatment field starting in the early twenty-first century through federal grants for the underinsured and the ability to submit services for Medicaid/Medicare insurance repayments. As a result, CRPAs are especially present in low-income communities, dispatched to serve people seeking recovery from SUD with a mandate to “have conversations about change.” Drawing from in-depth interviews, participant observation …

Subversive Order: Gendered Institutions, Gang Networks, And Survival In American Women’S Prisons., Amber Morris

Dissertations - ALL

Popular culture often depicts prison subcultures and gangs, yet these portrayals obscure the complexity of survival behind bars. Existing scholarship on prison life overwhelmingly focuses on men, emphasizing masculinity, race, safety, and community as the primary drivers of behavior. Women, however, represent the fastest-growing prison population in the United States, and their experiences remain under-theorized. This dissertation asks a different question: What if pseudo-families, mentorship networks, and subcultural norms aren't just coping mechanisms‚ what if they're governance institutions? Further, what if women build these systems in prisons not because they're emotional or naturally relational, but because formal institutions don't provide …

Examining How Disability Resource Professionals In Higher Education Enact Whiteness In Maintaining Power And Privileged Structures, Paula Possenti-Perez

Dissertations - ALL

This dissertation examines how Whiteness operates with the delivery of disability-related accommodations on US college campuses. The research in this study focused on three questions: (a) How do disability resource professionals individually begin to make sense of their Whiteness personally? (b) How do disability resource professionals recognize and account for their White racialized frame and Whiteness in their individual professional judgment and decision-making? (c) How do disability resource professionals describe the ways Whiteness as ideology manifests in the field of disability resources, through its professional norms and systemic practices across disability resources in higher education? Twelve White disability resource professionals, …

University Of Minnesota Morris Commencement 2026, Communications And Marketing

UMM Commencement

The University of Minnesota Morris's sixty-third commencement, Saturday, May 9, 2026, 1:30 PM.

From Exploitation To Healing: Mental Health And Resilience Among Native American Survivors Of Sex Trafficking, Katelin A. Stoebner

Honors Thesis

The mental health impacts of sex trafficking on Native American survivors and pathways to resilience are important to understanding healing. Native Americans are disproportionately affected by sex trafficking due to systemic inequities, historical trauma, and socioeconomic vulnerability. Using interviews with 47 Native survivors conducted as part of a larger Office on Violence Against Women project, this study analyzes the mental health challenges and recovery strategies identified by participants. Findings reveal that survivors commonly experience significant psychological effects, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety. Among participants, PTSD emerged as the most frequently reported condition, followed by depression and anxiety, …

"It Was Time To Go": A Case Study In Occupational Culture, Tiffany M. Kline Costa

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abundant examples of negative community-police interactions demonstrate strained relations between marginalized community members and police across the United States. Likewise, nationwide data demonstrates discrepancies in how officers interact with People of Color versus White citizens. To gain insight into influences on officer behavior, this research shines a spotlight on the occupational culture of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police (PBP) and the ways this specific occupational culture informs officer thoughts and behaviors. Via the analysis of the experiences of four former PBP officers, this research explores how culture impacts officer perspective, thoughts, and behaviors. Utilizing an interpretative phenomenological approach, data analysis …

Issues Of Justice Since Batson V. Kentucky: The Ethical Implications Of Peremptory Strikes In Jury Selection, Andrew M. Nichols

Honors Theses

The usage of peremptory strikes in jury selection have led to several issues over the course of American history. Since their inception in English Common Law, their ethically questionable use has led the United States Supreme Court to rule on them repeatedly, most notable in 1986’s decision Batson v. Kentucky. This case allowed attorneys to challenge the opposing counsel if they suspected that jurors may have been removed from the venire due to their race and reinstate them if such discrimination was present. This thesis argues that this decision has not corrected the ethical issues that I identify, namely …