Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Segmenting The Thin Blue Line: An Ethnographic Content Analysis Of Myth And Ritual In Contemporary U.S. Police Film, Alexandra Szmutko

Doctoral Dissertations

The continued ills of mass incarceration, combined with the more recent rash of police-caused killings of people of color, make it clear that the U.S. criminal justice system is experiencing a period of profound crisis related to policing. This dissertation aims to interrogate the cultural ideologies supporting the existing policing enterprise in the U.S. To do this, the study first examines the foundational myths that shape prevailing cultural perceptions of the police and their social role. Ethnographic content analysis methodology is then utilized to identify both the presence and the subversion of these myths and their attendant rituals in a …

The “Puppycide” Of Policing: How The Law Rationalizes The Police Killing Of “Dangerous Dogs”, Jeremy Smith

Doctoral Dissertations

Police officers kill approximately 10,000 dogs every year in the United States, according to an estimate by a Department of Justice official. This amounts to police officers killing approximately 25 to 30 dogs every day. Although it is difficult to ascertain the actual extent of the problem since many law enforcement agencies do not keep track of canine shootings by their officers, the number of dogs killed by police during these encounters has government officials declaring that an “epidemic” is occurring within policing itself. The degree to which dogs die at the hands of police have led some commentators to …

Women’S Help-Seeking Behavior For Intimate Partner Violence In Sub-Saharan Africa, Ahmet Fidan

Doctoral Dissertations

Intimate partner violence (IPV) against women is a social and public health problem worldwide, particularly in developing countries. However, help-seeking for IPV among women is quite low in Sub-Saharan African countries. The present dissertation examines help-seeking behavior reported by women in five Sub-Saharan African countries: Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, to explore factors associated with the issue. Based on Resources (economic dependence), gender/feminist, and survivor perspectives several hypotheses were developed and tested. Findings from analysis indicate that from resource factors household wealth and educational level were negatively, employment status was partially associated with women’s help-seeking behavior. Justification of wife-beating …