Legal Studies Commons^™

Federal Civil Rights Litigation Pursuant To 42 U.S.C. §1983 As A Correlate Of Police Misconduct, Philip M. Stinson, Steven L. Brewer Jr, Theresa M. Lanese, Mallorie A. Wilson

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Police officers acting in their official capacity are subject to being sued in federal court pursuant to 42 U.S.C. §1983 for violating constitutional rights under the color of law. Using data obtained in a larger study on police crime in the United States, names of more than 5,500 nonfederal sworn law enforcement officers who were arrested during the years 2005-2011 were checked against the civil case party master name index of the federal courts’ Public Access to Courts Electronic Records (PACER) system. Findings indicate that more than 20% of the police officers who were arrested for committing one or more …

Police Crime Arrests In The United States, 2011, Philip M. Stinson, Evin J. Carmack, Jacob M. Frankhouser, Mallorie A. Wilson

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Purpose – The purpose of the study is to provide empirical data on cases of police crime arrests during the year 2011. The study identifies and describes incidents in which nonfederal sworn law enforcement officers were arrested for one or more criminal offenses. Research Design & Method – The study is a quantitative content analysis of news articles identified through the Google News search engine using 48 automated Google Alerts queries. The unit of analysis in this study is criminal arrest case (not individual arrested officer). Intercoder Reliability – The Krippendorf’s alpha coefficient is strong (Krippendorf’s α = .9153) across …

Psychological Mechanisms Underlying Support For Juvenile Sex Offender Registry Laws: Prototypes, Moral Outrage, And Perceived Threat, Margaret C. Stevenson, Cynthia J. Najdowski, Jessica M. Salerno, Tisha R.A. Wiley, Bette L. Bottoms, Katlyn S. Farum

Psychology Faculty Scholarship

We investigated whether and how a juvenile’s history of experiencing sexual abuse affects public perceptions of juvenile sex offenders in a series of 5 studies. When asked about juvenile sex offenders in an abstract manner (Studies 1 and 2), the more participants (community members and undergraduates) believed that a history of being sexually abused as a child causes later sexually abusive behavior, the less likely they were to support sex offender registration for juveniles. Yet when participants considered specific sexual offenses, a juvenile’s history of sexual abuse was not considered to be a mitigating factor. This was true when participants …

Interactive, Holistic, And Experiential Criminal Justice Online Learning Environment, Karen Miner-Romanoff, Lewis Chongwony, Jonathan Mccombs

Learning Showcase 2014

The study is designed to test the effectiveness of specific experiential e-learning strategies for criminal justice students, this study seeks to determine how a comprehensive series of videos that includes a criminal trial and interviews of the judge, defense counsel, prosecution, investigators and court director discussing their roles enhanced course and learning outcomes. The second study purpose is to test the effectiveness of a comprehensive and interactive criminal justice computer model that allows the students to work within the multifaceted and complex system and explore descriptions, concepts, theories, relationships, and sequences in order to enhance learning outcomes regarding the system(s) …

Institute Of Criminal Justice Excellence: Providing Information Through Innovation And Dialogue, Karen Miner-Romanoff, Jonathan Mccombs, Norman Robinson

Learning Showcase 2014

The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections, Deputy Director for Re-Entry Programs and Dr. Karen Miner-Romanoff at Franklin University have partnered to create a one of a kind Institute of dialogue, information sharing, and non-partisan evidenced-based practice communication.

The Franklin University Coalition for Criminal Justice Excellence (CJE) is a partnership with the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections and is a nonpartisan effort to join lawyers, legal scholars, social science experts, government officials, nonprofit leaders, judges, administrators, corrections and law enforcement professionals, stakeholders and practitioners in the form of roundtables, forums, events and speaker series to address the pragmatic issues …

Casa Of Franklin County, Megan Ellis, Maureen Conley

Learning Showcase 2014

Franklin County, children are appointed by the courts either a private attorney or a CASA volunteer GAL. CA abuse appointed SA volunteers complete an extensive screening and training process and are officially sworn officers of the court. CASA exists to serve the most at-risk and severe cases of child abuse and neglect in the community.

In 2014, over 3,000 children will enter the Franklin County Juvenile Courts System through no fault of their own as victims of abuse and neglect. CASA of Franklin County is on tract to serve over 805 of these; the most children CASA of Franklin County …

Burglars On Burglary: Tips From The Big House To Your House, Robert H. Meader

Learning Showcase 2014

The crime of Burglary affects all socioeconomic levels in every community. The experts who are best situated to educate the community on burglary are actual felonious burglars. To help the community prevent burglary before it occurs the Columbus Police Property Crimes Bureau—Burglary Unit joined with the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction to create an education video featuring career burglars in prison who provided prevention tips. In 2014, two Columbus Police Officers; one a seasoned Community Liaison Officer and the other a seasoned Burglary Detective, interviewed three burglars in two different Ohio Prisons; Chillicothe Correctional Institution and Marion Correctional Institution. …

An Examination Of Violation Behavior Among Participating Offenders Involved In The Grant-Funded Rural Reentry Initiative Of Ohio Within Six Months After Release From Prison, Douglas Patrick, Brian Martin

Learning Showcase 2014

Prisoner reentry services currently face multiple implementation challenges when providing parolees an access to resources in rural communities. As an extension of existing evaluation efforts on Ohio’s Second Chance Act Grant-funded Rural Recidivism Reduction Program (OR3), this project will investigate post-prison violation behavior among a sample of offenders under supervision in a rural setting. Specifically, the project will serve as an examination of violation behavior among participating offenders involved in the grant-funded rural reentry initiative of Ohio within six months after release from prison.

Utilizing quasi experimental methods to compare outcomes among grant-funded participants and an appropriately selected comparison group, …

Columbus City Attorney’S Office, William R. Martin

Learning Showcase 2014

From the non-stop pull of smart phones to overcommitted working parents, the average American worker is constantly plugged in and on the go. Such a cognitive overload can have dire consequences. These consequences include: memory and concentration problems; hostility and aggression; anxiety; and poor judgment (Smith, 2014). These effects of overload most certainly decrease the effectiveness of work productivity. To get the best out of their employees, restoring their wellbeing and re-engaging them at work should be of value to organizations across the country.

Being mindful can increase wellbeing and engagement in activities along with improving concentration. Mindfulness also decreases …

Madison County Indiana Sheriff’S Department, Kimberly Valentine

Learning Showcase 2014

The organization structure of the Madison County Sheriff’s Department implements both merit police officer and a civilian employee structure. This all fall under a military type of chain of command. The Patrol Division, Detective Division, and Court Division are all maintained by sworn police officers. The Jail Division is maintained by both civilian employees, and sworn merit police officers. There is also a Clerical Records Division that is maintained by civilian employees.

The agency’s relationship to other elements of the criminal justice system would be the first step in the system. First, the sheriff’s department investigates complaints, makes both misdemeanor …

Franklin County Adult Probation Department, Antoinette Leigh

Learning Showcase 2014

The Franklin County Adult Probation Department was created in 1945 and was located 401 South High St. in downtown Columbus. The first chief was Joseph H. Palmer and he grossed $4500 a year. The mission of the Franklin County Adult Probation Department is to assist in the protection of the community by safely and effectively supervising probationers and pre-trial reporters at the most appropriate level to affect habilitation and rehabilitation. This is a collaborative department that works together to ensure quality of services. Community Corrections Act of the state of Ohio (1979): In Ohio, community-based alternatives to prison were established …

Hilliard Police Department, Scott Hall

Learning Showcase 2014

Hilliard Police Department was originally formed in 1957 as a special police force which consisted of twenty volunteers. The city was growing, and with more people comes more potential for crime as well as more requested services.

“The employees of the Hilliard Division of Police are committed to serve the Hilliard Community and to enhance the quality of life by working cooperatively with the public to prevent crime, preserve peace, enforce the law with respect to the constitutional rights of all citizens, reduce fear and provide a safe community environment" (Lt. Plesich, Personal Communication, June 19, 2014).

Prostitution, Sex Work, Transmitted Disease And Regulation: A Global Analysis, Sam Romanoff

Learning Showcase 2014

Prostitution:

Prostitution, formally said to be “sex workers who receive money or goods in exchange for sexual services” is often called the world’s oldest profession. However, despite this statement, the world has yet to figure out the best way to regulate the act of prostitution. For years, different countries around the world have tried different ways of regulation. Some countries, such as Amsterdam have opted for making it legal in order to tax it and better regulate it. Other countries, such as America, have chosen to criminalize the act making it illegal throughout the country. Regardless of how each country …

The Juvenile Justice System, Corrections And Human Trafficking, Maureen Elizabeth Mcgill

Learning Showcase 2014

What happens to these young victims? A homeless or runaway juvenile is befriended by someone, then plied with drugs and/or alcohol. This is where the trafficker begins to exert control over the victim. The victims are given food and shelter. Sex is expected in return. At this point the trafficker has established trust with the victim, misguided as it may be. Then, Stockholm syndrome begins to set in. This is where victims protect the trafficker for fear of losing access to drugs, food, shelter or money. The victims also comply with their captors out of a sense of loyalty toward …

Juvenile Justice Education For At-Risk High School Youth, Karen Miner-Romanoff

Learning Showcase 2014

Research has shown that current legal policies of transfer of juveniles to adult court, harsh sentences, and intimidating educational programs do not 5 deter youthful crime. This study reports on a nonconfrontational pilot education program in the US juvenile justice system. In three urban high schools, an eight-week researcher-designed curriculum was delivered to three intervention classes totaling 125 at-risk students and three control classes totaling 100 at-risk students. Teachers in both groups administered 10 pretest and posttest surveys. Descriptive statistics showed substantial knowledge gains for the intervention group, from 14.2 to 35.7% in all subdomains, and −7.2 to 21.4% gains …

Reliability Of Eyewitness Reports To A Major Aviation Accident, Dave English, Michael Kuzel

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

There is a paucity of studies on the reliability of eyewitness reports to aviation crashes. We examine witness statements to a widely observed major airline accident to determine if reported accident investigator distrust of details in eyewitness reports is supported by empirical evidence. The extensive archival witness record (N > 300) of a wide-body airliner crash in clear daylight conditions is subjected to statistical analysis to test eyewitness reliability. Even with over 200 witnesses within a three square kilometre (1.6 square mile) area answering a binary observation question, the variance is sometimes high enough to preclude forming statistically significant conclusions …

7 Tips For An Efficient Faculty Bibliography: How To Tackle Faculty Bibliography Challenges With (Relative) Ease, Marcia L. Dority Baker, Stefanie S. Pearlman

Marvin and Virginia Schmid Law Library: Faculty Publications

There are many reasons to compile a faculty bibliography: recording faculty accomplishments, preserving information for future generations, and supporting your institution’s external affairs office, to name a few. Also, it is a potential publication for librarians at a tenure-granting institution. So, why did we decide to create a faculty bibliography? It was a combination of past inquiries from our patrons and the need to publish. Prior to this bibliography, no such compilation of our faculty’s work existed. Although our library hosts a display of current faculty scholarship at the start of each fall semester to promote recent faculty publications, we …

What Color Is The Number Seven? Category Mistakes Analysis And The "Legislative/Non-Legislative" Distinction, John Martinez

Brigham Young University Journal of Public Law

No abstract provided.

Essay: Philemon, Marbury, And The Passive-Aggressive Assertion Of Legal Authority, Paul J. Larkin Jr.

Brigham Young University Journal of Public Law

No abstract provided.

Eric Holder's Recent Curtailment Of Mandatory Minimum Sentencing, Its Implications, And Prospects For Effective Reform, Alan Dahl

Brigham Young University Journal of Public Law

No abstract provided.

Establishing A Suitable Lay Participation System For The Taiwanese Criminal Justice System, Yi-Lin Lou

Maurer Theses and Dissertations

This research focuses on a recent judicial reform measure proposed by the Taiwanese Judicial Yuan in 2011. The measure’s objective was to improve the criminal justice system via the implementation of a so-called “lay observer system.” The dissertation begins with an analysis regarding whether the Taiwanese criminal justice system needs to reform, and it considers whether the introduction of the proposed lay observer system would be a reasonable means of achieving the Judicial Yuan’s goals and meeting its expectations, which include rebuilding the Taiwanese society’s trust in the professional judges’ credibility and the court’s fairness. The second part of this …

Harry Potter And Zones Of Shade: Using Contemporary Literature To Examine The Impacts Of Social Control, Garrison A. Crews, Gordon A. Crews

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

•Using the story of childhood wizard Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling to examine how “Zones of Shade” impact anti-social and criminal behavior in American society. •This examination is conducted through the eyes of political theorist Michel Foucault (Discipline & Punish: The Birth of the Prison, 1975). •Examples from the Harry Potter series will be presented and examined to explain many current social ills in America. •Special interest will be given to connections with political and social rhetoric about crime and justice.

Police Sexual Misconduct: Arrested Officers And Their Victims, Philip M. Stinson, Steven L. Brewer, Brooke E. Mathna, John Liederbach, Christine M. Englebrecht

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Police sexual misconduct encompasses a range of acts from less serious noncriminal behaviors to more egregious criminal behaviors including police sexual violence. Victims of sex crimes are often reluctant to report sexual abuse when the offender is a police officer. The study provides empirical data on 771 sex-related arrest cases in years 2005-2008 of 555 sworn officers at 449 nonfederal law enforcement agencies across the United States. The study identifies and describes incidents where officers were arrested for sex crimes through a quantitative content analysis of published newspaper articles and court records. Findings focus on arrested officers and their victims.

Safe Havens Or Dangerous Waters? A Phenomenological Study Of Abused Women's Experiences In The Family Courts Of Ontario, Lois Shereen Winstock

PhD Dissertations

This qualitative, interdisciplinary research study explores the experiences of women abused by their intimate partners who appear as litigants in family court proceedings in Ontario, and the responses of judges presiding over those proceedings.

Domestic violence and abuse affects families from all social, economic and cultural groups. Women have been overwhelmingly identified as the victims of domestic violence and abuse. Children exposed to domestic violence and abuse, either directly or indirectly, are also negatively impacted. The term woman abuse has been employed to denote the gendered nature of the phenomena.

Studies of abused womens interactions with the legal system across …

Youth Gangs: An Overview Of Key Findings And Directions For The Future, Terrance J. Taylor, J. Michael Vecchio

Criminal Justice & Criminology: Faculty Publications & Other Works

Youth gangs have received considerable attention for many decades. Undoubtedly, their disproportionate involvement in violence is one main reason for this attention. While gang members spend most of their lives engaging in the same types of behaviors as other youth (sleeping, eating, playing video games, going to school), they are also much more likely than non-gang members to be involved in violence and other criminal activity. Indeed, scholars have often highlighted the functional nature of violence as it pertains to gangs.

Gangs come in a variety of forms: prison gangs, outlaw motorcycle gangs, extremist groups, and drug trafficking organizations, among …

Gate Keeping And The Politics Of Access To Prisons: Implications For Qualitative Prison Research, Janani Umamaheswar

Qualitative Criminology (QC)

"In this article, I draw on and contribute to existing literature on reflexivity and access in qualitative research, specifically in the context of prison research. I do this through a critical discussion of the research process involved in conducting a study on women prisoners in the U.S. In addition to describing the obstacles I faced in gaining access to a research site in which to conduct the study, I also discuss the implications of gate keeping for knowledge produced about women prisoners. Finally, I build on Bosworth et al.’s (2005) discussion of prison research using communication by mail. I argue …

Sarah Wilson, The Origins Of Modern Financial Crime: Historical Foundations And Current Problems In Britain, Aneta Spaic, Claire Angelique Nolasco

Qualitative Criminology (QC)

"This book traces the roots of financial crime to the Victorian Era roughly between the years 1840-1880. Wilson situates financial crime within the context of the concerns, perceptions, developments, and issues endemic to that period. She attempts to draw the reader to the realities of this particular Victorian era as it was unfolding and explains how financial misconduct within commerce became rampant as construction of the railways spurred the growth of industrialization. The book contributes to existing literature on financial crime by providing a historical analysis of its etymology and creating awareness of its historical origins and prevalence long before …

Legalizing Recreational Marijuana: Comparing Ballot Outcomes In Four States, Kenneth Leon, Ronald Weitzer

Qualitative Criminology (QC)

"Medical marijuana is now available in 23 states, and its growing acceptance has paved the way for the legalization of recreational marijuana. This article examines four recent campaigns to legalize recreational marijuana–two failures and two successes. Using data from newspaper sources, interviews with key players, and other sources, we examine the factors that influence whether a ballot initiative succeeds or fails. We identify similarities and differences between the four measures, the social forces shaping the debate, their claims and counterclaims, and a set of factors that appear to increase the odds that a recreational marijuana ballot measure will be successful."

An Examination Of The Researcher Guard Role: Bringing Prison Fieldwork Into The 21st Century, Scott Chenault

Qualitative Criminology (QC)

"In 1986, James Marquart published a seminal article on qualitative methodology in Justice Quarterly. In that piece he presented the strengths and weaknesses associated with the researcher guard role he used while conducting a prison ethnography in Texas. His method led to data that is still central to our understanding of prison culture. However, in the past 30 years, correctional philosophy and practice have undergone significant shifts in the United States. Despite these shifts, there has been a dramatic decrease in prison ethnography during the same time period. This article presents a modern adaptation of Marquart’s method, based on a …

Editorial, Willard M. Oliver

Qualitative Criminology (QC)

"Welcome to the second issue of volume two of the Journal of Qualitative Criminal Justice & Criminology. Rather than closing with acknowledgments, I would like to start this editorial introduction with them. First and foremost, I would like to thank both the editorial board members and the reviewers for this volume of the journal. Their names are listed at the beginning of this issue for without them, this journal would not be possible. Still further, if it was not for the hard work and dedication of my book review editor, Kevin Steinmetz, who recently accepted an academic appointment at …