Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

"Safer" Harbor: The Impact Of Different Models Of Safe Harbor Laws On The Criminalization Of Commercially Sexually Exploited Children In The United States, Priscila Borges Marques Dos Santos

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Commercially sexually exploited children (CSEC) are commonly treated as criminals and punished for offenses committed as a result of being trafficked. Recent state-level legislative efforts have sought to prevent minors from being held criminally liable for being commercially sexually exploited. This study offers an analysis of the effects of such laws on the criminalization of CSEC through the use of ordinary least squares (OLS) regression. Data on the number of child arrests for prostitution (1995-2014) and safe harbor laws were collected from the FBI Uniform Crime Reports, the Polaris Project website, and the 2015 ECPAT report. The findings of the …

A Study Of The Fepac Accredited Graduate Forensic Science Programs' Curricula, Catherine Genice Rushton

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The National Institute of Justice (1999) and the National Academy of Sciences (2009) recommended that forensic science training shift from on-the-job training to formal education. However, the reports cited inconsistencies in the curricula of the forensic science degree programs as an impediment to this. The Forensic Science Education Programs Accreditation Commission (FEPAC) Standards were created to address this issue; however, no studies have been conducted to determine how the accreditation standards have been implemented by the FEPAC accredited graduate programs. This study evaluated the self-study responses (n=11) and website information (n=17) specific to FEPAC’s Graduate Curriculum Standards to determine how …

Generation Istalk: An Examination Of The Prior Relationship Between Victims Of Stalking And Offenders, Paige Ann Heinrich

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Stalking is a growing issue in the United States faced by many each year. The proliferation of social media sites has made cyberstalking a new form of social harassment and potential victimization. The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of traditional and cyberstalking on a medium sized college campus in the Southeastern United States. Included was an examination of the impact of the victim-offender relationship, to whom victimization was reported, and gender patterns of social media use. In total, 1,040 undergraduate/graduate students were surveyed using a multistage cluster sampling method. Results showed that cyberstalking was more prevalent …

Rights, Principles, And Data Use: An Investigation Of User Knowledge And Opinion Of Facebook's Legal Contract, Nikolas D. Payne

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This project investigated the legal contract to which users must agree before creating a Facebook account. Multi-methodological in nature, this research explored user knowledge and perception of the contract as well as how the contract measures up to the principles which Facebook claims serve as its foundation. For the quantitative portion of this analysis, a survey including measures of knowledge and perception was administered to respondents. The qualitative portion critically compared Facebook’s legal contract to the list of principles espoused by the company on their website. These analyses reveal that users rarely read this contract before agreeing to it, tend …

What Law Enforcement In West Virginia Know About Stalking Crimes, Sandra Kiser-Griffith

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Emerging research is beginning to reveal how prevalent, and dangerous, stalking can be, especially in situations that involve domestic or former domestic partners. As front line responders to stalking-related crimes, it would seem imperative that law enforcement personnel have extensive training and be knowledgeable about a broad range of stalking-related issues. A victim’s well-being can be directly impacted by the actions and interventions of the officers handling his or her case. Unfortunately, however, many states, including West Virginia, still do not require that officers receive stalking training. In an attempt to establish how well informed law enforcement officers in West …

The Selective Capacity Of The Likely To Become A Public Charge Clause In The Visa Issuance Process, Camila Morsch

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This paper provides an empirical examination of how the Likely to Become a Public Charge Clause (LPCC) is used in the American visa issuance process. This work covers literature on the logic and usage of the LPCC since the late 1800’s to present, suggesting administrative use of the LPCC expands according to different circumstances beyond its intended purposes. The quantitative portion of this work evaluates the use of the LPCC (for both immigrant applicant and nonimmigrant applicant populations) from 1966 to 2002 to ascertain the effect of economic and security conditions on the use of the LPCC. Applied Statistical Logistic …

A Pilot Study To Determine Gender Differences In The Detection Of Deception: Accuracy, Cues, And Skepticism, Randal B. Jarvis

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

How accurately people use verbal and nonverbal cues to detect deception appears to be a function of a skeptical orientation toward the truthfulness of the subject. In previous studies, some differences in gender and the detection of deception are cited, but most studies are inconclusive about whether such differences exist. In the present study, university students are asked to judge brief interviews of suspects in a mock crime criminal investigation. Suspects are either "guilty" or "not guilty" in the mock crime scenario. "Guilty" suspects include two persons who are present at the time of the mock crime. A third person, …

The Effectiveness Of The Secondary Weapon Of The West Virginia State Police, Jesse Andrew Davis

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The present study examines the effectiveness of the West Virginia State Troopers’ secondary weapon, Oleoresin Capsicum (OC) pepper spray (CAP-STUN®), as a means of alternative use of force for non-cooperative subjects. The WV State Police have adopted OC in an effort to reduce the number and severity of injuries sustained by suspects. This method was adopted as an optional means to effect arrests through non-lethal force. The use of OC can control and restrain individuals while causing the least possible harm to the individuals without increasing danger to troopers or others. Questionnaires were sent to West Virginia State Troopers for …

Title Ix Compliance: Non-Appalachian Versus Appalachian In Colleges And Universities, Monica Corbo

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to see if economic status of the region was related to a difference in Title IX compliance rates among schools. NCAA Division I-A and IAA schools were studied in non-Appalachian and Appalachian regions. The female and male ratings of students to student athletes were derived and compared according to three variables; (1) division, (2) region and (3) division x region. In order to be in compliance the overall female and male ratings should be similar. The outcome of the overall female and male ratings showed a significant difference, favoring males. Therefore, Title IX compliance …

Identity Theft Awareness In North Central West Virginia, Gwendolyn Lea Goodrich

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Identity theft occurs when an individual "takes over" the identity of another without that person's consent or when someone uses bits and pieces of information about an individual to represent himself or herself as that person for fraudulent purposes. The simplicity of gathering personal identification through technology enhancements has made identity theft reportedly the fastest growing crime in the U.S. The latest report indicates, through a national survey, that 20 percent of Americans are victims of identity theft. However, the impact of this growing crime has not been assessed in North Central West Virginia, where this study occurred. The theory …

Cultural Awareness Sensitivity Training, William L. Underwood

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

In this study, employees of the Federal Correctional Institution in Ashland, Kentucky; the Federal Medical Center in Rochester, Minnesota; and the Federal Correctional Institution in Milan, Michigan were surveyed to determine the need for a Cultural Awareness Sensitivity Training program for staff within the United States Bureau of Prisons. In addition, if the need for this program was established, the Cultural Awareness Study was formulated to determine the scope and breadth of the coverage of the program. The respondents were asked to answer 72 questions in the following areas: (1) diversity training; (2) need assessment; (3) staff demographics; (4) inmate …

The Relationship Between Education And Police Stress : Associate Degree Versus Bachelor Degree, Jamie M. Case

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Research was conducted to further investigate whether police officers with Bachelor degrees experience less stress than officers with Associate degrees. Sixty police officers from the Charleston Police Department were the respondents in the study. The officers were measured regarding levels of stress experienced from inter-departmental issues, rule, and regulations. The respondents were also evaluated using the Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale, Job Satisfaction Index, and Stress Quiz. While there were no significant differences between the two groups, police officers with Bachelor degrees reported less stress than officers with Associate degrees.

Leisure And Delinquency: A Comparative Study Of The Link Between Leisure Activities And Delinquency, Patricia L. Brougham

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

For decades policymakers, among others, have assumed that involving juveniles in leisure/recreation somehow prevents them from engaging in misbehavior and/or leisure/recreation has rehabilitative value for delinquents. The belief seems to be that involvement in leisure/recreation changes juveniles so they will be less likely to engage in delinquent behavior in the future. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationship between delinquency and leisure/recreation by comparing samples of high school students with juveniles who were on probation for delinquent behavior.

There were three statistical comparisons made. First, statistical analyses were used to determine whether there were gender differences. …