Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

“That Is Not Behavior Consistent With A Rape Victim”: The Effects Of Officer Displays Of Doubt On Sexual Assault Case Processing And Victim Participation, Laura L. King, Lisa M. Growette Bostaph

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications and Presentations

Despite the prevalence and severity of sexual violence, case attrition has been identified as a significant issue. Of the cases that are reported to police, only a small portion result in arrest, prosecution, or conviction. Research has revealed that much of this attrition occurs early in the process and that a number of theoretically supported legal (e.g., physical evidence, victim participation) and extralegal (e.g., demographics, victim credibility) factors influence how and whether a case progresses through the criminal justice system. However, few researchers have directly examined the impact of officer doubt on case processing. Whereas legal and extralegal factors represent …

Crime In A Time Of Cannabis: Estimating The Effect Of Legalizing Marijuana On Crime Rates In Colorado And Washington Using The Synthetic Control Method, Alexis J. Harper, Cody Jorgensen

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications and Presentations

The legalization of marijuana for recreational use continues to expand across America. Colorado and Washington were the first states to legalize marijuana in 2012. A primary concern regarding legalization is how these policy changes affect crime rates. Researchers have begun to estimate the effect marijuana legalization has had on crime rates. We extend this literature by using a different analytical approach. State level data covering years 2000–2019 were analyzed using the synthetic control method to find that legalizing marijuana for recreational use in Colorado and Washington was generally not associated with variations in index crime rates. These findings substantiate prior …

Examining The Effects Of Legalizing Marijuana In Colorado And Washington On Clearance Rates: A Quasi-Experimental Design, Cody Jorgensen, Alexis J. Harper

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications and Presentations

Objective This study follows the lead of Makin et al. (Police Quarterly 22(1): 31–55, 2019) who found that marijuana legalization is associated with a marginal increase in clearance rates for some crimes but not for others.

Methods We build on their work attempting to replicate their findings by using the synthetic control method and fixed-effects models. A 50-state panel data set was constructed and analyzed. The dependent variables were aggregated violence and property crime rates. The independent variable was dichotomously measured recreational marijuana legislation.

Results Marijuana legalization is not a meaningful avenue of increasing clearance rates.

Conclusion The synthetic …

The Risk Of Adolescent Victimization: Assessing Elements Of The Social Bond Theory, Jaime Antonio Negrete

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Travis Hirschi’s social bond theory holds that the social bonds (attachment, commitment, involvement, and belief) individuals have with parents, friends, extracurricular activities, work, and school can affect an individual’s life choices. When social bonds are weakened, broken, or nonexistent, the lack of these bonds can explain why crime and delinquency occur. Therefore, Hirschi believed that asking why offenders “do it” when it comes to crime is irrelevant. Rather, we should be asking “why don’t we do it” when it comes to crime and delinquency, which lead Hirschi to believe that the answer to that question could be answered by the …

Further Evaluation Of The Associations Between Psychopathic Traits And Symptoms Of Ptsd And Depression In A Nonclinical Sample, Nicholas Kavish, Danielle Boisvert, Eric M. Cooke, Richard H. Lewis, Matthias Woeckener, Jessica Wells, Todd A. Armstrong

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications and Presentations

Examining psychopathic traits at the factor or facet level has revealed that various aspects of psychopathy may be differentially related, even in opposing directions, to important outcomes (e.g., intelligence, emotion regulation). Empirical work on relations between psychopathy and internalizing disorders, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression, has provided evidence for a positive association with antisocial traits. However, findings for the affective domain have been more equivocal. The current study (N = 732) sought to replicate past findings of the positive association of antisocial psychopathic traits with higher levels of PTSD and depressive symptoms, and to further explore …

The Relationship Between Organizational Culture And Police Officer Wellbeing: An Empirical Examination Of One Agency, Silas Patterson

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the relationship between organizational culture and police officer well-being, using an empirical examination of one agency. Culture is important in law enforcement. Previous studies on police culture have typically sought to understand the effect of culture on officer behaviors. This thesis takes a different approach by examining the effects of culture on individual officer well-being. The results of this study indicates that culture is related to well-being, along certain dimensions. Cultural attitudes towards an organization’s administration and the citizens officers interact with are shown to be consistent predictors of well-being. The results of this study provide implications …

We Can Move Mountains: Engaging In State-Level Policy Work, Lisa M. Growette Bostaph, Melissa Wintrow

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications and Presentations

An increasing number of academic researchers are becoming involved in state-level policy work as a result of existing local partnerships or direct requests by agency directors or elected officials. Most faculty and policymakers do not receive any training in doing such collaborative work and, for each party in the partnership, it can often seem like landing on another planet or, at the very least, visiting a foreign country, with different jargon, players, and stakes. This essay provides a brief guide to navigating the world of state-level partnerships in policymaking.

“Sometimes I’M Just Wearing The Prosecutor Down”: An Exploratory Analysis Of Criminal Defense Attorneys In Plea Negotiations And Client Counseling, Jacqueline G. Lee, John W. Ropp

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications and Presentations

As plea bargains have proliferated in the criminal justice system, scholars have been working to better understand their mechanics. There have been a few recent examinations of plea bargaining, but the literature lacks qualitative research that gives the defense sufficient attention. Using a sample of courtroom practitioners in one large, urban county, we examine defense attorney bargaining and client counseling tactics. Results demonstrate that defense attorneys use a variety of strategies for negotiation, including sharing humanizing information about their clients with the prosecutor and utilizing delay tactics. Results also suggest that attorneys counsel their clients about plea offers in varying …

An Examination Of The Lethality Assessment Program (Lap): Perspectives On Implementation, Help-Seeking, And Victim Empowerment, Tara N. Richards, Lane Kirkland Gillespie, Katherine Kafonek, Margaret Johnson

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Lethality Assessment Program (LAP) aims to empower law enforcement officers to screen victims of domestic violence for potential lethality and connect them to service providers. This research surveyed domestic violence victims seeking legal services (n = 141) to assess whether LAP receipt is associated with greater rates of self-protective measures, service use, or empowerment, and to examine victims’ perspectives on the LAP process. Findings indicate no relationship between receipt of the LAP and use of self-protective measures or victim empowerment, mixed evidence between receipt of the LAP and service utilization, and room for improvement regarding how law enforcement …

Hot Spots Of Crime: Seasonal Patterning Of Campus Crime, Karen Zahid Armenta Rojas

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Provisions of the Clery Act require institutional reporting of crime on college campuses. Using the Clery Act data from Boise State University in Boise, Idaho, this study examines crime type fluctuation through seasonal patterns using a hot spot analysis. The data are mapped to identify geospatial patterns of crime through the seasons. This study investigates if certain crime types peak depending on the season and if the introduction of resident housing locations shift hot spots around campus using 2012-2018 Boise State Crime Logs. Results illustrate varying patterns of crime on campus through the seasons but general stability in the spatial …

Evidence, Arrest Circumstances, And Felony Cocaine Case Processing, Jacqueline G. Lee, Alexander Testa

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications and Presentations

Case evidence and situational arrest characteristics are widely speculated to influence courtroom actor decisions, yet such measures are infrequently included in research. Using new data on felony cocaine cases from an urban county in a Southern non-guideline state, this study examines how physical evidence and arrest circumstances affect three stages of case processing: initial charge type, charge reduction, and sentence length. The influence of evidence appeared strongest at the early stage when prosecutors chose the appropriate charge, though certain evidentiary and arrest measures continued to influence later decisions. Charge reductions were driven mostly by legal factors, and while guilt should …

‘Not Feeling Like A Caged Animal’: Prisoner Perceptions Of A Remote Video Visitation System, Danielle J. Murdoch, Laura L. King

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications and Presentations

In recent years, correctional agencies have increased their use of video visitation in an effort to offset costs and increase security, among other objectives. In the present study, interviews (N = 12) and surveys (N = 58) were conducted with prisoners at a jail in the Northwestern U.S. that had replaced in-person, glass partition visitation with remote video visitation. The results suggested that while there were positive aspects of video visitation, such as the ability to visit with loved ones from afar, there were criticisms as well, including technological and access issues. The policy implications of the findings and directions …

Sexual Abuse And Assault Against Minors: A Spatial Application Of Routine Activity Theory, John Ropp

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Recent advances in criminological theory have changed the way we approach age-old questions of criminality. Routine activity theory, hotspots analyses, and spatial-statistical models have become popular methods of investigating criminal phenomena. This study tests the applicability of spatial analyses and routine activity theory by examining the relationship between a geographically-measured lack of guardianship composite score and the occurrence of child sexual abuse (CSA) and sexual assault perpetrated against minors (SAAM). Moran’s I, single kernel interpolation, dual kernel interpolation, and spatial lag regression are used as methods of analysis for this study. Strong evidence of spatial clustering is observed and a …

Correcting Forensic Dna Errors, Greg Hampikian

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

DNA mixture interpretation can produce opposing conclusions by qualified forensic analysts, even within the same laboratory. The long-delayed publication of the National Institutes of Standards and Technology (NIST) study of 109 North American crime laboratories in this journal demonstrates this most clearly. This latest study supports earlier work that shows common methods such as the Combined Probability of Inclusion (CPI) have wrongly included innocent people as contributors to DNA mixtures.The 2016 President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology report concluded,“In summary, the interpretation of complex DNA mixtures with the CPI statistic has been an inadequately specified—and thus inappropriately subjective—method. …

The Relationship Between Aggression And Depression: Testing The Moderating Effects Of Age And Gender, Benjamin P. Comer

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is to a) explore the research related to aggression and depression and b) test hypotheses that focus on the relationship between aggression and depression in relation to age and gender over time. Aggression and depression are discussed extensively by examining a broad range of literature that points to environmental, social, individual, psychological, and biophysiological influences. First, aggression and depression are discussed separately in terms of their underlying theory, biosocial perspectives, typologies, behavioral and personality abnormalities, brain structures related to each, and neurochemical/neurological influences. The final sections of the literature review discuss how aggression and depression …

Perceptions About Sexual Offenses: Misconceptions, Punitiveness, And Public Sentiment, Laura L. King

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications and Presentations

Decades of research on public opinion about crime reveal varying, yet relatively punitive attitudes that are often riddled with misconceptions. Sparked by the increased media and legislative attention devoted to sex offenders beginning in the 1990s, researchers began to more closely examine public opinion about sexual offenses. Findings suggest the public adheres to several misconceptions about sexual offenses and supports harsh sanctions for offenders. However, further research is warranted to more closely examine the relationships among these variables. Thus, the goal of the present study was to survey Pennsylvania residents to examine the degree to which misconceptions about sexual offenses …

Badges And Bongs: Police Officers’ Attitudes Toward Drugs, Cody Jorgensen

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications and Presentations

For unknown reasons, the research investigating police officers’ attitudes toward drug use is underdeveloped. One study, by Wilson, Cullen, Latessa, and Wills, has directly investigated police officers’ perceptions toward general vice crimes (including drug use) and perceived appropriate sanctions for committing these offenses. This article built upon that study. A survey measuring officers’ attitudes toward drugs was developed and used to gather data from a large metropolitan police department in the South. Responding officers displayed fairly serious and punitive attitudes toward drug offenses. In addition, they reported an interventionist attitude, believing that more can and should be done to control …

Delinquency Predictors: Offending To Commitment, Kaitlyn M. Pederson

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The United States processes millions of adolescents through the juvenile court system annually. Throughout these hearings and upon adjudication, it is ultimately up to a judge to decide the juvenile’s disposition. Although research on juvenile delinquency has identified a variety of factors linked to youth offending, research is limited in terms of variables predicting a juvenile’s dispositional outcome. The current study examined number of predictive variables for youth offending to determine if they also influence a juvenile being committed to state custody in Idaho. This analysis consists of pre-screen evaluations obtained by the Idaho Department of Juvenile Corrections. The factors …

Badges And Brothels: Police Officers’ Attitudes Toward Prostitution, Cody Jorgensen

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications and Presentations

There is a gap in the literature regarding police officers’ attitudes about vice, specifically prostitution. Scholars should study this topic because police are interacting with drug dealers and drug users, prostitutes, and Johns, and gamblers and bookies regularly. Additionally, how police perceive prostitution is likely to influence how they enforce laws prohibiting it. This paper presents survey items measuring police officers’ attitudes about prostitution related offenses and examines the relationships between officers’ attitudes toward prostitution and their personal as well as professional characteristics. Responding officers displayed fairly serious and punitive attitudes toward prostitution offenses. Respondents believed that prostitution was a …

Ideology In Physics: Ontological Naturalism And Theism Confront The Big Bang, Cosmic Fine-Tuning, And The Multiverse Of M-Theory, Anthony Walsh

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications and Presentations

The most profound questions that philosophers and scientists have asked across the centuries have been metaphysical and existential, such as “What is the meaning and purpose of life, why are we here, and why is there something rather than nothing?” There can be no definitive answers to these questions, so those who pose and propose answers to them necessarily engage ideology. Some physicists have become philosophers in that they are attempting to answer these profound questions with highly speculative theories as, for instance, Hawking and Mlodonow’s book The Grand Design (2010) which they tout as providing new answers to age-old …

Evolutionary Theory And Criminology, Anthony Walsh, Cody Jorgensen

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this chapter, we (a) demonstrate the relevance of evolutionary theory to criminology, (b) discuss the evolutionary origins of both prosocial and antisocial traits, and (c) show that evolutionary theory is invaluable to understanding two key issues that have been impervious to solution using the standard social science model—the sex ratio in criminal offending and the age-crime curve.

The Complexity Of Public Attitudes Toward Sex Crimes, Laura L. King, Jennifer R. Roberts

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications and Presentations

Previous research suggests that public opinion about crime is nuanced as it has been found to vary greatly depending upon the type of questions asked and the amount of information provided. Few have similarly examined the complexity of public attitudes specifically about sex crimes. A survey was administered to a sample of U. S. residents utilizing the factorial survey method. The results suggested that specific details about the offense, offender, and victim had a significant effect on perceptions. The findings point to discrepancies between policy and public opinion, as well as to the importance of educating the public about the …

Ideology, Race, And The Death Penalty: “Lies, Damn Lies, And Statistics” In Advocacy Research, Anthony Walsh, Virginia Hatch

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications and Presentations

We use the literature on race in death penalty to illustrate the hold that ideology has on researchers and journalists alike when a social issue is charged with emotional content. We note particularly how statistical evidence become misinterpreted in ways that support a particular ideology, either because of innumeracy or because—subconsciously or otherwise—one’s ideology precludes a critical analysis. We note that because white defendants are now proportionately more likely to receive the death penalty and to be executed than black defendants that the argument has shifted from a defendant-based to a victim-based one. We examine studies based on identical data …

Sheriff's Deputies' Perceptions Of The Implementation Of Video Visitation Programming In A Jail Setting: An Exploratory Study, Caitlyn O'Very

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

This study sought to understand how sheriff’s deputies at the Ada County Sheriff’s Office perceived the implementation of a remote video visitation program at the Ada County Jail, as well as what the deputies believed to be the strengths and weaknesses of the system in terms of how it affects their daily job, and inmates and their families. Anecdotal evidence suggests that video visitation can positively impact the work of sheriff’s deputies by decreasing the amount of time they spend processing visitors into the facility and moving inmates around the facility. An exploratory secondary data analysis was conducted by reviewing …

A Content Analysis Of Social Media Policies Of Police Departments And Sheriffs' Offices In The State Of Idaho: Congruency To The Model Policy, Kourtnie R. Rodgers

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The use of social media as a medium of communication has increased significantly over the past decade, and as such, there is huge potential for reaching a large audience with any information one wishes-positive or negative. Law enforcement is no exception to the social media craze. Agencies across the country have begun to use social media in their departments for public relations activities, and investigations, among other goals. The rapid growth and adoption of social media brings with it the potential for important precautionary steps to be overlooked. Due to this rapid shift in online communication and ever-increasing popularity of …

Is Bigger Better? An Analysis Of Economies Of Scale And Market Power In Idaho Police Departments, Tate Jayden Fegley

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Whether the nature of policing services allows for economies of scale to be realized is an important question for police departments for reasons of both cost and efficiency. This study replicates the methodology used by Southwick (2005) to estimate police production and demand in order to determine whether there are economies of scale among police departments in Idaho. Southwick's (2005) method is unique in that it incorporates measures of market power to predict police efficiency. The present study is unique in that it involves data from a low density, low population western state. Southwick's results for New York State are …

Corrections Reform In Kosovo: A Qualitative Study Of Canadian Corrections Advisers’ Experiences In A Post-Conflict Environment, Danielle Murdoch

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications and Presentations

This case study of corrections reform in Kosovo contributes to the growing academic literature on corrections reform during peacebuilding missions in post-conflict environments. Fourteen Canadian corrections advisers who were deployed to Kosovo between 1999 and 2006 were interviewed about the dynamics and challenges they experienced abroad. Interview transcripts were coded and analysed using NVivo10. Five key themes emerged from the data: the importance of understanding the local context; the prevalence of corruption; the lack of attention and resources devoted to corrections reform in post-conflict Kosovo; the challenges of providing safe and secure confinement for prisoners detained in facilities staffed by …

Police Response To Children Present At Domestic Violence Incidents, Danielle Darlene Swerin

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Police response to domestic violence incidents has continued to change and expand in the past several decades. Although domestic violence was originally considered a private matter not warranting police intervention, it now represents one of the most common calls for service received by police agencies. While police intervention in domestic violence incidents has improved substantially, response to children present remains an undeveloped area of research and practice. The present study examined 345 police reports from an agency in the Northwest in order to explore police response to domestic violence incidents and specifically their response to children. Similar to results from …

University Student Beliefs About Sexual Violence In Prison: Rape Myth Acceptance, Punitiveness, And Empathy, Laura L. King, Kathleen J. Hanrahan

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications and Presentations

Although prison rape has been recognised for years, it began to receive increased attention in the USA following the passage of the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA). In addition to prevalence and victimisation estimates, several researchers have examined the attitudes of correctional personnel towards prison rape. However, few have surveyed the opinions of those not currently working in the criminal justice system. Drawing from the body of research on rape myths, our goal was to examine prison rape myth acceptance among a university student sample to describe these beliefs, as well as examine attitudinal correlates. The findings indicated that prison …

Tragic Choices In Ideological Battles: Gay Rights Versus Religious Freedom, Anthony Walsh

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications and Presentations

A major domestic issue in the United States today is the battle between gay rights and religious liberty. It is an issue often framed as a zero-sum battle where one side must lose and be faced with a tragic choice. Thus far, it has only been religious individuals who believe marriage is only supposed to be between men and women, and who act on this belief who have been made to make this choice. Religious believers connected to the wedding industry who refuse to facilitate gay weddings have been faced with the tragic choice of either abandoning their faith or …