Legal Studies Commons^™

Effectiveness Of Problem-Based Learning Strategies Within Police Training Academies And Correlates With Licensing Exam Outcomes, Cecil R. Queen

Dissertations

The training and education of police officers has recently come into question by many facets of the American general public and the mass media as well. Empirical research into the effects of police academy teaching methods is minimal. This study sought to assess the perceived effectiveness of problem-based learning (PBL) teaching strategies within police training academies in Michigan and sought to measure the effects of PBL strategies on the MCOLES Police Officer Licensing Examination mean scores in Michigan. A quantitative approach was utilized to compare the Michigan Police Officer Licensing Examination mean test scores between academies that formally adopted Problem-Based …

The Cyber-Industrial Complex, Connor O’Malley

Political Science Theses and Capstones

When Edward Snowden released a massive trove of classified files from the National Security Agency, the world became aware of numerous global surveillance systems. As Snowden hoped, a global dialogue began concerning surveillance, privacy, and government transparency. While there was a lively discourse surrounding the leak and Snowden, another story was missed. Snowden was not an employee of the NSA; rather he was an employee of Booz Allen Hamilton, a private contractor maintaining computer systems for the NSA. The deeper story here is the emerging relationship between government agencies and technology companies. This paper discusses the theory of iron triangles …

Improving Police-Community Partnerships: A Review Of The Literature, Portland State University. Criminology And Criminal Justice Senior Capstone

Criminology and Criminal Justice Senior Capstone Project

Our examination of community-based policing research and literature includes thirty-two articles. The articles contained original information on departmental procedure, training, and interactions, both positive and negative, between law enforcement organizations and the communities they serve. The overall goal of community-based policing is to improve the relationships between police and their local communities. Community-based policing promotes positive relationships and collaboration between the police and the citizens in communities in which they serve. In order to improve police legitimacy and community relations throughout the country, proper training and a set of new performance standards needs to be implemented nationwide. Maintaining trust with …

Evaluating Restorative Justice: A Guide For Practitioners, Nakee Yalon Holloway

All Capstone Projects

Restorative Justice (RJ) Programs exist in schools, workplaces, communities, the justice system, and other community and organizational settings and are targeted at various populations. In spite of numerous restorative interventions, there have been few comprehensive evaluations of those interventions that document RJ successes or provide evidence to increase the likelihood of success. RJ is responsive and emergent in nature; it is dynamic and ever changing. It is not a program with a linear path from idea to design to implementation to outcomes. RJ presents challenges to traditional approaches to research, such as process evaluations and long-term outcome studies. This research …

A Model Of Segmenting A High-Cost Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design Initiative, Paul Adams

All Capstone Projects

This project aimed to create a working model worthy to include within Schneider, Walker, and Sprague's description of a five-stage process of parceling out high-cost Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) initiatives. In 2002, the Department of Education and Department of Justice sponsored Schneider as the lead author for introducing and promoting CPTED initiatives for the first time in schools. This project's funding mechanism was created to help assist with the procurement of a highly priced CPTED initiative (key-less card system) for Suburban College.

Suburban College had faced a reoccurring pattern of theft from its classrooms and common areas. The …

Mass Incarceration: An Annotated Bibliography, Nicole Dyszlewski, Lucinda Harrison-Cox, Raquel Ortiz

Law Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Identifying Criminals’ Risk Preferences, Murat C. Mungan, Jonathan Klick

Indiana Law Journal

There is a 250-year-old presumption in the criminology and law enforcement literature that people are deterred more by increases in the certainty rather than increases in the severity of legal sanctions. We call this presumption the Certainty Aversion Presumption (CAP). Simple criminal decision-making models suggest that criminals must be risk seeking if they behave consistently with CAP. This implication leads to disturbing interpretations, such as criminals being categorically different from law-abiding people, who often display risk-averse behavior while making financial decisions. Moreover, policy discussions that incorrectly rely on criminals’ risk attitudes implied by CAP are ill informed, and may therefore …

Examining The Comparative Use, Experience And Outcomes Of Community Service Orders As Alternatives To Short Prison Sentences In Ireland., Kate O'Hara

Doctoral

Background: In Ireland, under the Criminal Justice (Community Service) 1983 Act, a community service order (CSO) must only be imposed if a custodial sentence has first been considered. In 2011, an amendment to the 1983 Act was made, requiring courts to consider imposing CSOs as alternatives to prison sentences of less than one year. This amendment sought to address the underutilisation of community service, decrease the number of short-term committals, and benefit offenders and communities. Methodology: Administrative data from the Irish Prison and Probation Services pertaining to all cases sentenced to a short-term of imprisonment or CSO between 2011 and …

Volume 08, Meghan Enzinna, Casey Dawn Gailey, Raven Collins, Chiara Enriquez, Amelia Mcconnell, Alexander Morton, Emma Beckett, Leah G. Parr, Briana Adhikusuma, Taylor Embrey, Rowan Davis, Danielle Sisson, Bianca Cherry, Melissa Cacho, Chloe Woodward, Catherine Rollins, Carson Reeher, Landon Cooper, Haley Vasquez, Marlisha Stewart, Eric Whitehead, Sabrina Walker, James Bates

Incite: The Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship

Introduction from Interim Dean Dr. Jennifer Apperson

Indigenous Peoples and the Modern Era by Meghan Enzinna

"Who Says": How Selena Gomez and the Scene Attempt to Subvert the Popular Standards of Beauty by Casey Dawn Gailey

Art by Raven Collins

Meltdown on Social Media: Amy's Baking Company Meets Kitchen Nightmares by Nathena Haddrill

Art by Chiara Enriquez

Design by Amelia Mcconnell

Worth More Than a Thousand Words: A Visual Rhetorical Discussion of Virtual Reality by Examining "Clouds Over Sidra" by Alexander Morton

Design by Emma Beckett

The Sonata: An Analysis of Piano Sonata No. 14 in C Minor, K. …

Deconstructing The Wall: The Analysis And Implications Of The 2004 International Court Of Justice Advisory Opinion On The Use Of Border Walls, Noah T. Black

MAD-RUSH Undergraduate Research Conference

This research project looks at the various jurisprudences surrounding the 2004 ICJ Advisory Opinion on the Israeli Barrier and analyzes the arguments both in support and in opposition to the Court’s decision. It then looks at the conditions for the illegality of the Israeli Barrier that were established by the Court, analyzes them, and synthesizes a list of characteristics that can be applied to other barriers in order to determine their legality. This checklist, if you will, is then applied to other border walls in order to make a tentative conclusion about their legality and if a suit could be …

Disinhibition, Violence Exposure, And Delinquency: A Test Of How Self-Control Affects The Impact Of Exposure To Violence, Wyatt Brown

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the role of self-control in the relationship between exposure to violence and antisocial behavior. Specifically, this study proposes that the impact of exposure to violence changes depending on internalized factors such as self-control. Individuals with high exposure to violence but greater levels of self-control may be less influenced by the impact of exposure to violence. Conversely, individuals with low levels of exposure to violence and lower levels of self-control may be more influenced by the impact of violence. The findings from this study suggest that there is some buffering effect on the impact of exposure to violence …

The Death Row Cookbook: An Examination Of Hustling As A Coping Mechanism For Death Row Prisoners, Gordon A. Crews, Stephen C. Stanko, Garrison A. Crews

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

•Discuss a project examining the coping mechanisms and strategies of death row prisoners •Extensive research = humans imprisoned in general •Less research = individuals on death rows •Focus = “hustling” as a coping mechanism (inmates/COs) •Special interest = how food production (cooking ingenuity) in one’s cell can be used for both a coping mechanism and a revenue stream •Final consideration will be given to the impact on the “well-being” of inmates, security, and the prison environment

Is Bad Stronger Than Good? The Impact Of Police-Citizen Encounters On Public Satisfaction With The Police, Yudu Li, Ling Ren, Fei Luo

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Purpose

Drawing upon the negativity bias theory, the purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of positive and negative perceptions of police-initiated or citizen-initiated contacts on three distinctive dimensions of public satisfaction with police (PSWP).

Design/methodology/approach

The data were obtained from a random-sample telephone survey of 1,143 residents in Houston in 2012. The OLS regressions were conducted with variables derived from the contact model and neighborhood context model that were often employed in the PSWP research. Particularly, five dichotomous variables were created to tap into the nature and quality of the police-citizen encounters.

Findings

The results confirm the …

Utilizing Prosecutorial Discretion To Reduce The Number Of Juveniles With Disabilities In The Juvenile Justice System, Mary Willis

Brigham Young University Education and Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Collateral Impact Of Maternal Incarceration: Burdens Placed On Child Caregivers, Daniel Anderson

Theses and Dissertations

Although parental incarceration is both a maternal and paternal issue, it is particularly detrimental to the family when the mother is incarcerated. The number of children with a mother in prison has more than doubled since 1991 (Glaze & Maruschak, 2008). Although there are more children of incarcerated fathers than mothers, it is particularly important to note that sixty-four percent of mothers were the primary caregivers to their children at their time of arrest (Glaze & Maruschak, 2008; Mumola, 2000). The incarceration of a mother is often more detrimental than that of the father as it typically results in displacement …

The Role Of Official Misconduct In Wrongful Convictions, Mia Gilliam

Theses and Dissertations

As the number of wrongful convictions and exonerations of individuals imprisoned for crimes they did not commit has increased dramatically, the study of wrongful conviction has become increasingly important. The majority of past research has focused on the various causes of wrongful convictions. However, very little attention is given in detail to the specific nature of each of these causes. This thesis examined the most current, inclusive database of exonerations in the United States that exists, the National Registry of Exonerations. Qualitative and Quantitative data was examined and refined, and statistical analyses were run including descriptives, frequencies, and correlations in …

The Role Of The Institution On The Adoption Of Law Enforcement Technology, Cassandra Dodge

Theses and Dissertations

While law enforcement agencies perceive that technology increases their ability to complete their mission in the most efficient manner possible, this may not be the case in reality. Considering the potential expenses, potential danger, and lack of proven efficiency, it is surprising that these technologies are continuing to be adopted. Observing law enforcement agencies through the lens of institutional theory provides an explanation for the discrepancy between what would be expected and what has actually occurred. The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the use of five technologies (records management systems, broadband networking with vehicle computers, long range …

Terrorism Preparedness: A Law Enforcement Perspective, Cayla Comens

Theses and Dissertations

Since September 11, 2001, the environments in which law enforcement agencies operate have been changing. Contingency theory hypothesizes that an organization adapts to their environment through organizational structure and contingencies in order to accomplish a state of fit or higher performance. Utilizing the contingency theory framework, the study looked to answer two research questions: (1) Do municipal and county police agencies believe they have the necessary resources and training to prevent and or respond to the next terrorist attack? (2) How does agency size, structure, funding, and perceived risk influence terrorism preparedness? A sample of 902 county and municipal law …

Token Female Police Officers Or Police Exemplars: An Evaluation Of The Theory Of Tokenism, Cameron Michael Harper

Theses and Dissertations

Despite gains in the percentage of female police officers over past decades, female police officers are vastly underrepresented in modern policing. Female police officers face barriers to integration into policing and the surrounding culture that male police officers do not face, including unbalanced physical testing, double standards for success, and others. One explanation for the different experiences of female police officers compared to male police officers is the token status of women in policing. Instead of taking the token status of female police officers for granted, this study explored the utility of the theory of tokenism (Kanter, 1977) in explaining …

Establishing Construct Validity And Reliability: Pilot Testing Of A Qualitative Interview For Research In Takaful (Islamic Insurance), Maryam Dikko

The Qualitative Report

This paper describes the process of the conduct of preliminary tests to determine the construct and content validity of the chosen data collection method for a study into the relationship between Islamic principles and objectives, Islamic financial law and takaful (slamic Insurance) operations and practices in Nigeria. Semi-structured interviews were tested on a select group of respondents mirroring the intended subjects in the field. The pilot test showed the construct to be both valid and reliable while giving the opportunity to insert refinements to the research tool.

The Path To Violent Behavior: The Harmful Aftermath Of Childhood Trauma, Nicholas Michael Perez

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Adverse childhood experiences can lead to a number of harmful outcomes throughout an individual’s life, ranging from medical problems to criminal behavior. These traumatic experiences, comprised of different forms of maltreatment and dysfunctional household environments, can affect the development of a child in a variety of different ways. The multitude of developmental changes can produce compounding harmful effects on the child’s life and lead to acutely maladaptive outcomes. Under the perspective of developmental psychopathology, the ever-changing biological, psychological, and social dynamics of children who experience trauma can contribute to deficiencies in all aspects of their subsequent development. Each of these …

Distance Education In Law Enforcement: Exploring Kentucky's Barriers, Brandon J. Combs

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A capstone submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in the College of Education at Morehead State University by Brandon J. Combs on March 4, 2016.

Analysis Of Cuyahoga County's Procedures For Alleviating The Backlog Of Sexual Assault Kits: Data And Methodology, Rachel Lovell, Fred Butcher, Daniel Flannery

Begun Center for Violence Prevention Research and Education Reports and Briefs

This brief provides a description of the data, sampling, methods, and data limitations of the SAK Pilot Research Project. Utilizing data provided by the Prosecutor’s office via an electronic database of documents used for prosecution, the Begun Center research team gleaned information about the investigative process and entered these data into a quantitative database. The Pilot Research Project focuses on unsubmitted SAKs with completed investigations as of August 2015.

Cuyahoga County Sexual Assault Kit (Sak) Pilot Project: Report On Victims, Rachel Lovell, Fred Butcher, Daniel Flannery

Begun Center for Violence Prevention Research and Education Reports and Briefs

This brief provides a description of these victims in terms of their demographics, criminal history prior to and after the sexual assault, relationship to the offender, and degree of perceived cooperation during the initial investigation in the 243 sexual assaults analyzed for the SAK Pilot Research Project.

Cuyahoga County Sexual Assault Kit (Sak) Pilot Project: Report On Serial And One-Time Sexual Offenders, Rachel Lovell, Fred Butcher, Daniel Flannery

Begun Center for Violence Prevention Research and Education Reports and Briefs

This brief provides a comparison of serial offenders and one-time offenders in terms of their demographics, criminal histories prior to and after the assault, relationship to the offender, and modus operandi in the 243 sexual assaults analyzed for the SAK Pilot Research Project. Serial offender status was determined based on the number of CODIS hits or sexual offense arrests in the offender’s criminal history.

The Cuyahoga County Sexual Assault Kit (Sak) Task Force : Describing The Process Of Testing, Investigating, And Prosecuting Unsubmitted Saks, Rachel Lovell, Fred Butcher, Daniel Flannery

Begun Center for Violence Prevention Research and Education Reports and Briefs

As of 2015, all 4,845 unsubmitted SAKs from 1993 to 2010 from Cuyahoga County have been submitted to BCI for testing. To assist the Prosecutor’s Office in streamlining their efforts, researchers at the Begun Center mapped each step of the process from Testing to Disposition. Utilizing data provided by CCPO, this brief illustrates how SAKs move through the four main phases of this process—Testing, Investigation, Prosecution, and Disposition. As a SAK proceeds through the process it (potentially) changes from (1) a SAK, (2) an investigation, (3) a prosecution, and (4) a final disposition.

The Cost Of War: Weighing Civilian Losses In The Afghan War, Jibey Asthappan

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Spending almost US $700 billion to combat insurgents in Afghanistan, the U.S. population should be hopeful that they “bought” something of value as the Afghan War concludes. This exploratory study focuses on evaluating operations within Afghanistan by accounting for enemy and civilian losses. Integration of civilian losses offers an opportunity to evaluate operations that represent societal losses to the Afghan people. Regression estimates using zero-inflated negative-binomial models indicate that military operations resulted in more civilian casualties than enemy losses.

A Cyber Forensics Needs Analysis Survey: Revisiting The Domain's Needs A Decade Later, Vikram S. Harichandran, Frank Breitinger, Ibrahim Baggili, Andrew Marrington

Electrical & Computer Engineering and Computer Science Faculty Publications

The number of successful cyber attacks continues to increase, threatening financial and personal security worldwide. Cyber/digital forensics is undergoing a paradigm shift in which evidence is frequently massive in size, demands live acquisition, and may be insufficient to convict a criminal residing in another legal jurisdiction. This paper presents the findings of the first broad needs analysis survey in cyber forensics in nearly a decade, aimed at obtaining an updated consensus of professional attitudes in order to optimize resource allocation and to prioritize problems and possible solutions more efficiently. Results from the 99 respondents gave compelling testimony that the following …

The Pracademic And Academic In Criminal Justice Education: A Qualitative Analysis, James E. Mccabe, Stephen A. Morreale, John R. Tahiliani

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Over the past several years, a few hundred colleagues involved in criminal justice education have participated in panel discussions and roundtables to discuss the trials and issues that have been observed by practitioners turned academics, or “pracademics.” Some complained of having difficulty breaking into academia. A debate has occurred in a number of colleges and universities over the benefit of having faculty with traditional academic credentials versus hiring non-traditional scholars with a blend of educational and practical experience. Similarly, there have been lively discussions over the appropriateness of a J.D. or professional doctorate as opposed to a Ph.D. in criminal …

A Method And A Case Study For The Selection Of The Best Available Tool For Mobile Device Forensics Using Decision Analysis, Shahzad Saleem, Oliver Popov, Ibrahim Baggili

Electrical & Computer Engineering and Computer Science Faculty Publications

The omnipresence of mobile devices (or small scale digital devices - SSDD) and more importantly the utility of their associated applications for our daily activities, which range from financial transactions to learning, and from entertainment to distributed social presence, create an abundance of digital evidence for each individual. Some of the evidence may be a result of illegal activities that need to be identified, understood and eventually prevented in the future. There are numerous tools for acquiring and analyzing digital evidence extracted from mobile devices. The diversity of SSDDs, types of evidence generated and the number of tools used to …