Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

How Do Specialized Units Affect The Outputs Of Police Organizations?: Investigating The Effect Of Community Policing Units On Community Policing Activities In Local Police Departments, Hyon Namgung

Dissertations

A review of modern police history shows the trend of increased division of labor within police agencies. However, police organizations are often criticized for creating specialized police units when they are faced with specific problems or are not effectively tackling local problems. Other challenges from within the profession include potential inter-unit conflicts or indifference of officers from other units that may hinder program implementation by specialized units. The present study looked into the changing characteristics of specialized units within police departments between 2000 and 2007. This research also examined whether creation of specialized community policing units (CP Units) influences the …

Lightning Strikes Twice: An Examination Of The Political Factors Associated With State-Level Death Sentences And Executions In The United States, 1930-2012, Ethan Christopher Amidon

Dissertations

Over the course of the last 50 years, scholars have emphasized the role that political processes play in shaping the nature of capital punishment practices. Empirical studies that have examined the relationship between political factors and capital punishment have attributed variation in the imposition of death sentences and the execution of offenders across jurisdictions in the United States to the politicization of criminal justice policies and practices and the shift in public sentiment towards more punitive ideologies that began in the 1970s. Even though historians have argued that capital punishment practices have always been shaped by political considerations, empirical research …

A Historical View Of Cuban Immigration Policy, Sarah Castro

HIM 1990-2015

Cuba is a communist country an estimated population of 11,075,244(2013), Cuba is located about ninety-three miles south of Key West, Florida. Cuba has been ruled by the communist regime of Fidel Castro, and now his younger brother Raul Castro. For over fifty years this regime has forced a major increase in the amount of people migrating to the United States. The regime has been disregarding basic human rights for decades and oppressing Cuba’s citizens. Hundreds of thousands of Cubans have come to the United States using boats, rafts, or any means available. The Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966 (amended in …

Brave New World Reloaded: Advocating For Basic Constitutional Search Protections To Apply To Cell Phones From Eavesdropping And Tracking By Government And Corporate Entities, Mark Berrios-Ayala

HIM 1990-2015

Imagine a world where someone’s personal information is constantly compromised, where federal government entities AKA Big Brother always knows what anyone is Googling, who an individual is texting, and their emoticons on Twitter. Government entities have been doing this for years; they never cared if they were breaking the law or their moral compass of human dignity. Every day the Federal government blatantly siphons data with programs from the original ECHELON to the new series like PRISM and Xkeyscore so they can keep their tabs on issues that are none of their business; namely, the personal lives of millions. Our …

A Historical Comparative Analysis Of Executions In The United States From 1608 To 2009, Emily Jean Abili

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The death penalty has been a contested issue throughout American history. The United States has been executing offenders since Jamestown became a colony in 1608 (Allen & Clubb, 2008). Since that time, many issues have been raised about the death penalty including whether or not it is moral, discriminatory, or a deterrent.

This study examines the history of executions, including lynchings, in the United States from 1608 to 2009 using a variety of sociological theories on law and society. Some of the research questions that guide this project are:

* What is the nature of change in the relative prevalence …

Political Motive And Bail: The Effect Of Prosecutorial Strategies On Pretrial Decisions In Federal Terrorism Trials, Michael John Clanton

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to understand how prosecutorial strategies affect pretrial decisions in U.S. terrorism trials and how pretrial decisions in turn affect the disposition of those trials. This research builds off of the work of Smith and Damphousse (1996) which compared terrorism indictees to traditional federal offenders. They found that the use of explicit politicality as a prosecution strategy was a significant predictor of both disposition and the sentence length in terrorism trials. This study focuses on the question of whether the use of an explicitly political prosecution strategy impacts pretrial decisions in terrorism cases and whether …

Sensitivity And Species Specificity Of Bisulfite Modification And Pyrosequencing Technology Used To Identify Tissue-Specific Dna Methylation Patterns In Common Biofluids Foudn In Crime Scenes, Sitara Christian Shirwani

Master's Theses

In order to convict the guilty or exonerate the innocent in criminal cases, it is crucial to reconstruct the crime scene and/or determine the nature of the crime. Identifying the different biofluids found at a crime scene can help shed light on these aspects of forensic casework. Recently, DNA methylation has been used as a means of identifying biological materials, as opposed to conventional protein/enzyme based methods. DNA methylation is the addition of a methyl group to the 5' carbon on a cytosine base (C), which is directly followed by a guanine base (G) and are called CpG sites. The …

Judicial Behavior And Litigant Success In Environmental Cases At The United States Court Of Appeals, Elizabeth Wheat

Dissertations

This dissertation tests the legal model of judicial behavior and uses party capability, or litigant resource, theory to explain litigant success in the Court of Appeals for environmental cases and help understand the role litigant type and resources play. Environmental law has received little attention in judicial politics, and I examine which judicial behavior model explains case outcomes. The legal model argues case characteristics best explain judicial outcomes, whereas litigant resource theory posits judicial a litigant’s resources, or lack thereof, explain outcomes.

Galanter’s (1974) party capability theory focuses on advantages repeat players, the “haves,” possess and how these advantages enable …

The Effects Of Family Structure On Juvenile Delinquency, Alisha B. Parks

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Studies show that family structure is an important factor in explaining delinquency among adolescents (Price & Kunz, 2003). There is a lack of research, however, pertaining to cohabitation. The main goals of this study are to determine if there are variations in delinquency between cohabitating and other family types, and to examine the extent to which parental social control measures account for the variation in delinquency by family structure. Data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) are used for the purposes of this study (n = 4,389). While there are no significant differences in violent delinquency …

Examining Juvenile Delinquency Contributors Through Life-Course And Strain Theory, Caitlin E. Burns

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For years the causes of juvenile delinquency have drawn a lot of attention from the scientific community and have become a widely studied concept in research literature. Causes of juvenile delinquency have become an important aspect of criminological study because with the knowledge of what contributes to delinquency, the scientific community can possibly slow down the continuous act of offending, also known as continuity, through implementation of prevention strategies. Criminological theory is used to define and help understand why certain contributors are the foundation for juvenile delinquency, along with the continuity of crime for an adolescent but also what factors …

The Hotel Manager’S Perceived Conflict Of Providing For Hospitality And Security: Can The Two Exist In Harmony?, Silvano Cozzini

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The hospitality industry relies upon regular and repeat customers for its survival. No traveler or visitor will return to a hotel property where a bad incident occurred. Would a diner go back to any restaurant where they were sickened by their meal? Would a hotel guest return to any property where they were a victim of a crime? Bad experiences make us tell ourselves, “I will never go back there again!”

This same psychology holds true for criminals. At places where they have been deterred by a high security presence, it is unlikely that they would return there, either. A …

Bringing Functional Family Probation Services To The Community: A Qualitative Case Study, Denise Lynmarie Austin

Dissertations and Theses

In March 2011, Multnomah County's Juvenile Services Division (JSD) in Portland, Oregon implemented a new program model called Functional Family Probation Services, a case management model based on the principles of Functional Family Therapy. Under this model JSD Juvenile Court Counselors deliver Functional Family Probation Services to medium and high-risk youth on probation; both to the youth and their family in their home. This qualitative case study examined the extent to which the Juvenile Court Counselors and Community Justice Managers implemented Functional Family Probation Service's components and recorded their opinions regarding Functional Family Probation Services as a case management model. …

A New Low In Getting High: Illegal Drug Use And Crime, Erica Jean Ferrelli

Dissertations and Theses

The current research analyzed the relationship between methamphetamine use, cocaine use and marijuana use within the last 12 months and crime committed within the last 12 months. Crime is defined as drug sales, property and violent crime. The research design is a quantitative approach which uses secondary data analysis of the National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent Health (Add Health) to provide evidence toward the research question; does illegal drug use increase the risk of committing a crime?The public access, 2008 Wave III data results of this nationally representative sample of adolescents in grades 7 through 12 in the US in …

Emotion Regulation And Strain In Corrections Officers: Examining The Role Of Recovery Experiences And Coping Mechanisms, Frankie Guros

Dissertations and Theses

Research has begun to identify recovery experiences during nonwork time as an important mechanism explaining the relationship between job characteristics and strain (Geurts & Sonnentag, 2006; Kinnunen, Feldt, Siltaloppi, Sonnentag, 2011). Corrections officers face challenges unique to their occupation (Armstrong & Griffin, 2004) that may contribute to the high levels of strain that currently characterize their occupation (i.e., short life expectancy, high suicide rates; Spinaris & Denhof, 2011; Stack & Tsoudis, 1997). Though previous research has not examined emotion regulation, recovery experiences, and coping within corrections officers, these constructs may be of particular importance to an occupation that requires employees …

Animal Cruelty: The Nexus Between Admonishable Violence And Sanctionable Criminal Acts, Natalie Donis

HIM 1990-2015

In recent years, animal cruelty has stirred into the limelight as society has given the issue further consideration. State and federal laws as well as the establishment of diverse non-governmental organizations exist to abate animal cruelty, but such institutions have lagged in creating effective control mechanisms in spite of the growth of this modern day pandemic. This thesis will discuss animal cruelty, the types of cruelty, legislative developments, correlation of animal cruelty to violence among humans, and ways to strengthen control mechanisms. Credible findings have indicated a propensity for offenders of animal cruelty to escalate their acts of violence towards …

Breach Of Allegiance: The History Of Treason Charges In The U.S., And Its Rebirth In The Age Of Terrorism, David Lewis

HIM 1990-2015

The purpose of this thesis is to provide a legal history and analysis of how the treason clause has been utilized since the U.S. Constitution was ratified in 1789. Further, the United States and the United Kingdom share not only a historical parallel of the meaning and use of the charge of treason, but also an abandonment of using the charge today. This thesis will provide an in-depth legal history of treason charges in the United States, along with its close parallels in historical evolution and usage to that of the United Kingdom. Focusing prominently on treason throughout United States …

Classified Information: A Review Of Implemented Offender Classification Models In Colorado, Andrielle Holmes

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

The focus of this project centers around the large amount of material in regards to objective offender classification models. Research suggests that objective classification models are the most effective means of evaluating the risk and needs of inmates while in custody. Since it is the responsibility of all correctional facilities to keep their inmate population and staff safe, implementing a successful classification tool is crucial. Documentation reviewed for this project suggests most correction facilities across the United States have implemented objective systems into their classification policies and procedures. This project attempted to evaluate classification models implemented in the county jail's …

Hot-Spot Policing And The Use Of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design, Heather L. Merigan

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

An existing gap found in current literature is whether or not prevention-oriented methods have been implemented within crime hot-spots and if these methods have been implemented, it is unknown how effective have they been. The following paper is an evaluative study conducted to examine the use and effectiveness of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) methods when implemented by police departments within crime hot-spots. This was done by distributing an on-line survey to 56 Police Chiefs and researching the websites of 136 police departments located within ten counties of the western United States. The results indicated that the use of …

Dna Testing Is The Most Effective Procedure To Solve Crimes, Son Nguyen

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

There are several different techniques to solve crimes. Fingerprinting has been used as an investigative tool to help law enforcement find suspects. By using the fingerprints obtained at a crime scene, investigators can try to find a match within the fingerprint database. Since fingerprints are truly unique, there are better technological advances that will aid law enforcements and forensic scientists confirm a suspect was at the crime scene. By using DNA, deoxyribonucleic acid, technology, established in 1985 but was first used in 1987 in law enforcement, as the main investigative tool, several different crimes can be solve by analyzing the …

Exploring The Causes Of Islamic Radicalization And Recruitment And The General Strain Theory In Identified Terrorists, Julian A. Torres

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

Little research has been done exploring the relation between the General Strain Theory and Islamist radicalization and recruitment. This author will explore a possible relationship between collective social strain and its impact on one's decision to engage in radical Islamist extremism. This author based the research on the General Strain Theory which states that when individuals experience strain or pressure, under certain circumstances, that strain can lead to offending or delinquent behavior. Muslims living in the United States and abroad, regardless of generation or nationality, can find themselves subject to discrimination, poverty, inequality and other real or perceived injustices. This …

Examining Barriers To Reentry Faced By Offenders In A Metropolitan County Jail And Community Setting, Kelly J. Russell

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

This study uses a strain theory approach to examine the barriers to community reentry faced by individuals being released from county detention facilities. Individuals who are reentering the community from jail face a variety of challenges, particularly when trying to access community resources. In almost every community, barriers to offender reentry include, but are not limited to, housing, benefit acquisition, healthcare, access to medications, identification, transportation, mental health treatment, substance abuse treatment and employment. While there has certainly been an increase in the amount of programs and services available for former offenders, research analysis presented here will identify what these …

Testing Orthodox Utilitarian And Extrajudical Determinants Of Incarceration In The U.S. At The State-Level, 1980-2005, Pavel V. Vasiliev

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This project is a theory-driven secondary data analysis of state-level incarceration trends in the U.S. between 1980 and 2005. I replicate and advance Smith's (2004) study of the relationship between the socioeconomic, demographic, political, electoral, and criminal justice factors and incarceration rates at the state level. The purpose of this project is to determine the empirical validity of the major explanations of the incarceration trends in the U.S. I advance Smith's (2004) study using important novel elements. First, I extend the scrutinized historic period by a decade by compiling time-series data for 1980-2005. Second, I employ a more sophisticated analytic …

An Examination Of Cities' Resilence To Violent Crime: A Contextual Analysis Of Victim-Offender Convergence, Vanessa Hatch Woodward

Dissertations

In his 2012 Presidential Address to the American Society of Criminology, Robert Sampson purported that causality can only be reached when social science researchers accept that individual actions are dependent on social context. He referred to this as contextual causality and argued that future research needed to focus on how to measure and/or reoperationalize community measures of crime.

There were three primary goals of this study. First was to provide a better understanding of victim-offender convergence in time and space (Cohen & Felson, 1979) within incidents of violent crime. In order to meet this goal, 90 city agencies’ incident and …

What Are The Key Competencies, Qualities, And Attributes Of The African American Municipal Police Chief?, Patrick Oliver

Faculty Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to identify and understand the dimensions of leadership of those African Americans, who are effective as the chief executive officer (CEO) of a municipal law enforcement agency, and thereby to educate and inform both those aspiring to be police chiefs and those presently serving as police chiefs, particularly African Americans. Four content areas were examined to gain a better understanding of the research question: (1) Police executive leadership literature; (2) African American leadership; (3) The trait theory of leadership; (4) emotional intelligence. Study participants were all African American police chiefs with the expertise and …

Gender Discrimination In The Workforce, Natalie Hays, Katherine Morrow

Social Sciences

No abstract provided.

A Study Of Smith County Alternative Incarceration Center Participants, Anna Tumlinson

Criminal Justice Theses

The purpose of this study is to determine if there was an appreciable difference in the success of Alternative Incarceration Center (Smith County, Texas) participants when on regular probation comparative to probationers who did not participate in the AIC program. The study uses quantitative and qualitative data obtained through self-report surveys and personal interviews. The results do not reveal statistically significant differences in the success rates of the AIC and non-AIC probationers; however, quantitative and qualitative data provided valuable insights about the intensive supervision model of the AIC from the probationer’s and probation officer’s points of view. Further study with …

The Transformation Of Our Workplaces How Gender Has Shaped Workplace Sexual Harassment Law And Award Amounts, Ian Waldick

HIM 1990-2015

Equal Employment Opportunity laws are a relatively new construct within the framework of American legal history. This area of law, however, has experienced significant development within a relatively short span of time. Over the last half-century, the Supreme Court of the United States has handed down several landmark decisions, clarifying the law as to what constitutes sexual harassment, and in which circumstances employers can be held liable for the harassing actions of employees. The purpose of this thesis is to examine this development, and to assess the question of whether the awards given to male victims of workplace sexual harassment …

Media Influences And Student Attitudes Toward Law Enforcement Figures Within Northeast Tennessee, George T. Ford Iv

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to analyze student attitudes toward various law enforcement figures and to obtain a better understanding of public relations, police effectiveness, and media influences in Northeastern Tennessee. This literature review provided a preliminary analysis of related works to advance the accuracy in conducting and examining future studies. The fields that deserve the most analysis are the underlying dimensions associated with public attitudes about police effectiveness, the media’s impact on public attitudes toward police, and the individual, external, and contextual variables that influence public attitudes toward police.

Sexual Assault Detectives' Justifications For Aggressive Victim Interviewing Methods: A Qualitative Study, Shauna Davis

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The crime of sexual assault is substantially underreported; yet, when victims do report, often times they are met with skepticism and blaming attitudes by law enforcement. Literature shows that sexual assault victims report being further traumatized by the harsh methods used by police and investigators. The effects of rape are aggravated when victims have a negative experience upon reporting, making this a serious concern. Efforts have been made to improve victim treatment but with little success. With reform efforts dating back to the 1970s, the question that must be asked is why is this still a problem? Most articles on …

Team Policing Revisited: A Quasi-Experimental Evaluation In Las Vegas, Nevada, Natalie Nicole Martinez

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In 1967, the President's Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice recommended team policing, which involves the decentralization of patrol officers and investigators to the same, defined geographical area, as a way to more effectively organize police officers and improve crime control. Despite initial enthusiasm from police officers and administrators, team policing quickly faded from use during the 1970s because its design was incompatible with the centralized model of policing prevalent at that time. However, the implementation of community-oriented policing, which promotes various organizational changes and the use of problem-focused strategies, has changed police departments in recent years and …