Criminology and Criminal Justice Commons^™

Ua1c11/63 Mike Mcdowell Photo Collection, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Photographs of WKU Police Department personnel, students and activities taken by Mike Dowell.

Formation Of The Radical Self: Constructs Of Change In Western Youth To Acts Of Terrorism On Home-Soil, Robyn Torok

Australian Security and Intelligence Conference

The terrorist attack on a member of the Police service by a 15 year old boy in late 2015 sent shock waves not only through Australia but also throughout the world as the realisation of Islamic State targeting teenagers becomes a reality. This paper uses a blend of theoretical and empirical evidence to examine how the radicalised self is formed. Insights from various frameworks including: developmental psychology (teenage identity formation and role confusion), Foucault’s technologies of the self, governmentality and sociological issues including the perceived gap between Muslim values and those of the West. Coupled with these theoretical frameworks are …

Police Crime: The Criminal Behavior Of Sworn Law Enforcement Officers, Philip M. Stinson

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

This essay examines the criminological conceptualizations and research on police crime, that is, the criminal behavior of sworn law enforcement officers. It starts with an overview of the conceptualization of police crime as it relates to organizational and scholarly perspectives of social deviance. Police deviance is often conceptualized to include various misconduct, corruption, and/or crime committed by police organizations and police officers. This essay focuses on police crime resulting in the arrest of a sworn law enforcement officer and is organized within a conceptual framework that incorporates five types of police crime: sex-related police crime, alcohol-related police crime, drug-related police …

Elite Deviance, Organized Crime, And Homicide: A Cross-National Quantitative Analysis, Carol L.S. Trent

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Both elite deviance, committed by the upper echelons of society, and organized crime threaten development and the rights and security of people across and within nations; however empirical research on these topics is limited, especially in the field of criminology. This study addresses this gap in the literature by testing hypotheses derived from Simon’s symbiotic theory of elite deviance, which posits that direct and indirect relationships exist between elite deviance, organized crime, and conventional crimes exist (2008). The intervening effects of national culture and political economic ideology are also considered.

To test the research hypotheses, this study uses homicide rates, …

Ua12/8 Annual Campus Safety & Security Report, Wku Police

WKU Administration Documents

A statement of current campus policies regarding procedures for students and others to report criminal actions or other emergencies occurring on campus and policies concerning the institution's response to such reports.

The Challenges Of Seizing And Searching The Contents Of Wi-Fi Devices For The Modern Investigator, Dan Blackman, Patryk Szewczyk

Australian Digital Forensics Conference

To the modern law enforcement investigator, the potential for an offender to have a mobile device on his or her person, who connects to a Wi-Fi network, may afford evidence to place them at a scene, at a particular time. Whilst tools to interrogate mobile devices and Wi-Fi networks, have undergone significant development, little research has been conducted with regards to interrogating Wi-Fi routers and the evidence they may contain. This paper demonstrates that multiple inhibiting factors exist for forensic investigators when attempting to extract data from Wi-Fi routers at the scene. Data volatility means the Wi-Fi router cannot be …

Excusing Murder? Conservative Jurors’ Acceptance Of The Gay Panic Defense, Cynthia J. Najdowski, Jessica Salerno, Bette L. Bottoms, B. L. Harrington, Dave Kemner

Psychology Faculty Scholarship

We conducted a simulated trial study to investigate the effectiveness of a “gay-panic” provocation defense as a function of jurors’ political orientation. Mock jurors read about a murder case in which a male defendant claimed a victim provoked the killing by starting a fight, which either included or did not include the male victim making an unwanted sexual advance that triggered a state of panic in the defendant. Conservative jurors were significantly less punitive when the defendant claimed to have acted out of gay panic as compared to when this element was not part of the defense. In contrast, liberal …

The Online Sex Sting, Michael Cryan

Undergraduate Review

The Youth Internet Safety Surveys are indicative of a small subset of minors who have had contact with sexual offenders in person. Internet sex stings serve to target these adults through the use of police deception, but their use has been on the decline. Sexual offenders are a heterogeneous group; laws often mistakenly lump these various members together. This paper discusses different sources that can take responsible action to prevent online predators from reaching minors and the issue of vigilantism against offenders. Our current laws on sexual predators do not reflect the deeper, more prevalent issue of acquaintance rape.

A Phenomenological Analysis Of African American Students, Delinquent Behaviors And Future Academic Achievement, Jack S. Monelland, Brittany Spencer

Contemporary Issues in Juvenile Justice

No abstract provided.

Six Northeast Los Angeles Residents Indicate Reasons Local Youth Join Gangs And Offer Suggestions For Lowering Violence, Fernando Parra, Frank Malgesini, Emma Escobedo, Anna C. Ballesteros

Contemporary Issues in Juvenile Justice

No abstract provided.

The Argument For Moving Away From Residential Placement For Most Juvenile Offenders, Marika Dawkins

Contemporary Issues in Juvenile Justice

No abstract provided.

High Times: Is The Federal Legalization Of Marijuana Next? What The Food And Drug Administration Could Learn From Its Existing Regulations, Christopher B. Erly

American University Journal of Gender, Social Policy & the Law

This student comment examines the efficacy of marijuana being regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. The author discusses and applies potential FDA regulatory models that could be used to regulate marijuana. The comment concludes marijuana could be easily regulated under the current Food and Drug Administration regulatory scheme and suggests that marijuana should be regulated in a manner akin to tobacco rather than as a drug.

Aggregate Correlates Of Status Offender Case Outcomes Across Counties, David A. Bowers, S.E. Costanza

Contemporary Issues in Juvenile Justice

No abstract provided.

Community-Wide Awareness Of Juvenile Justice Best-Practices And Ctc In Texas, Samuel Arungwa

Contemporary Issues in Juvenile Justice

No abstract provided.

The Initiation Process And Factors Associated With Adolescent Female Gang Membership, Clara Saavedra

Criminology & Criminal Justice Theses - Archive

This study sought to address the numerous internal and external factors associated with gang membership among adolescent females as well as the various ways females are initiated into the gang subculture. Motivations and initiation rites were determined based on a series of audio-recorded focus group interviews conducted on 16 female gang members from the North Texas region. The purpose was to identify internal/external factors as well as initiation methods in order to develop programs to reduce or prevent female gang membership.

Jell-O Shots, Gordon A. Crews

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

A Jello Shot is an alcoholic beverage consisting of liquor incorporated into sweetened gelatin dessert and chilled in a small container. Given the various kinds of gelatin and liquor on the market, the types of Jello Shots are almost unlimited. Since the mid-1950s, people have developed their own recipes and personalized their production in various ways through the use of colors and chilling molds. Many do not view these as actual “alcoholic beverages” given the addition of what they have come to know as a sweet desert. A significant problem is that when people have this view then they often …

The Argument For Moving Away From Residential Placement For Most Juvenile Offenders, Marika Dawkins-Cavazos

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

This paper examines the theoretical and empirical argument or moving away from residential placement for juvenile offenders. To that end, the use ofres1dential placement for Juvenile offenders and incarceration for adult offenders are compared to shed light on the inconsistencies between rhetoric and actual practices as related to the deterrence theory. While residential placement and incarceration are generally regarded as two separate mechanisms, the literature suggests that residential placement is counterproductive and the U.S. must continue to reassess its approach to juvenile offending.

The Influence Of A Juvenile's Abuse History On Support For Sex Offender Registration, Cynthia J. Najdowski, M. C. Stevenson, J. M. Salerno, T. R. A. Wiley, B. L. Bottoms, K. M. Farnum

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 …

A Historical Review And Resource Guide To The Scholarship Of Teaching And Training In Psychology And Law And Forensic Psychology, Cynthia J. Najdowski, Bette L. Bottoms, Margaret C. Stevenson, Jennifer C. Veilleux

Psychology Faculty Scholarship

The field of psychology and law, including forensic psychology, is an exciting concentration of research activity and student training and has grown rapidly, but to what extent have teaching and training efforts in the field been systematically catalogued and evaluated? We conducted a historical review and content analysis of the American and Canadian literature on the scholarship of teaching and training in the field. This review catalogs (a) information related to the development of training and teaching, (b) descriptions of programs and courses at various levels, and (c) articles on teaching resources or techniques in this field. We hope it …

Fear In The World Of Social Media, Jamie E. Hildreth

Criminology & Criminal Justice Theses - Archive

Many researchers believe that perception of crime is formed by how crime is presented or framed by news media. News media has previously been society's only gateway to the rest of the world. "Violent crimes are prominent and presented as the norm in news media and commercial television programs, thus providing millions of people with a daily diet of rape, murder and drug abuse" (Greer, 2005). Emergence of social media may be removing many of the controls news media had in place with instantaneous, supposedly unbiased, unfiltered information. Social media may also be exacerbating the effects of news media by …

School Interventions And Criminality: An Analysis Into The Types Of School Interventions And Criminality, Holton Silas Hemby

Criminology & Criminal Justice Theses - Archive

The study focuses on the types of school interventions used in the educational system in order to understand a correlation with criminality. The participants consist of 105 individuals that were sentenced to probation in Parker County, Texas, from January 1, 2015 to February 28, 2015. The research displays gender, race, education, school interventions, juvenile criminality, and adult criminality from the participants of Parker County Community Supervision and Corrections Department. The variables of the participants were then analyzed through a cross tabulation and logistical regression. According to the results, there is no significant association with school interventions and adult criminality. In …

Gang Activity: A Deeper Analysis Into The Types Of Crime Committed By Gang Members, Zane Lehman Nash

Criminology & Criminal Justice Theses - Archive

The aim of this study is to get a better understanding of the different types of gang-related crime. The arrests of 410 gang members in Arlington, Texas from 2010-2014 are the subjects of analysis. These records display the date of arrest, age, committed offense, and gang affiliation of each gang member arrested by the Arlilngton Police Department's gang unit during this time span. Characteristics of gang members, such as age and gang type, were compared to attributes of gang-related offenses. Gang members were broken down into different age groups and gang classifications, while criminal offenses were categorized as being violent, …

Efficacy Of Property Marking As A Situational Crime Prevention Strategy, David J. Brooks, Michael Coole, Chauncey Johnson, Jeff Corkill, Malcolm Jenkinson

Australian Security and Intelligence Conference

Burglary and stealing are crimes that have a significant impact and cost on its victims and society. To mitigate such crimes, property marking is a situational crime prevention strategy that attempts to prevent through dissuasion. There are many forms of property marking, yet there is limited research of its efficacy. Where there have been such studies, there has been some indications of success. Therefore, the study assessed the efficacy of property marking to reduce burglary and stealing crimes. The study undertook a quantitate approach using non-equivalent control groups to assess the geo-spatial impact of property marking when applied at a …

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 …

Police Opinions Of Digital Evidence Response Handling In The State Of Georgia: An Examination From The Viewpoint Of Local Agencies’ Patrol Officers, Tanya Macneil

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

This research examined opinions of local law enforcement agencies’ patrol officers in the State of Georgia regarding preparedness and expectations for handling of digital evidence. The increased criminal use of technology requires that patrol officers be prepared to handle digital evidence in many different situations. The researcher’s goal was to gain insight into how patrol officers view their preparedness to handle digital evidence as well as their opinions on management expectations regarding patrol officers’ abilities to handle digital evidence. The research focused on identifying whether a gap existed between patrol officers’ opinions of digital evidence and the patrol officers’ views …

Immigration And Family Violence At The Household Level Of Analysis: Examining The Effects Of Immigrant Culture And Neighborhood Structure, Jorge Luis Hernandez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This study concerns the relationship between immigration and family violence at the household level of analysis. Previous studies have suggested that immigrant status - particularly first generation immigrant status - is not associated with crime. However, the same cannot be said about their descendants the second and third generations; as they are not as insulated from crime as their forefathers. This study measures the following variables which are relevant to the immigration and family violence relationship; immigrant generational status, acculturation levels, patriarchy, family oriented values, collective efficacy, surveillance, and measures of informal social control. This study finds that there is …

Can Americans Resist Surveillance?, Ryan Calo

Articles

This Essay analyzes the ability of everyday Americans to resist and alter the conditions of government surveillance. Americans appear to have several avenues of resistance or reform. We can vote for privacy-friendly politicians, challenge surveillance in court, adopt encryption or other technologies, and put market pressure on companies not to cooperate with law enforcement.

In practice, however, many of these avenues are limited. Reform-minded officials lack the capacity for real oversight. Litigants lack standing to invoke the Constitution in court. Encryption is not usable and can turn citizens into targets. Citizens can extract promises from companies to push back against …

Creating An Operational Security Management Structure For Inimical Environments: Papua New Guinea As A Case Study, William J. Bailey

Australian Security and Intelligence Conference

Security is a necessary cost for businesses wishing to operate in the developing economy of Papua New Guinea. The country continues to face levels of crime and violence out of proportion to other East Asian countries; which deters many would be investors. However, the potential in PNG is vast and eagerly sought after despite the high costs required to operate without harm, therefore, it is necessary manage the security situation. Experience from similar countries has shown by using optimal security management systems and structures it is possible to work safely, securely and effectively, but this requires a comprehensive security, threat …

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 …

Organized Crime In Insurance Fraud: An Empirical Analysis Of Staged Automobile Accident Rings, Chris Longino

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The growing trend of insurance fraud continues to cost US consumers billions of dollars a year through increased premiums. In 2015, the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud estimated the cost of insurance fraud as being at least $80 billion dollars a year. Even though an increasing number of criminals are drawn to the low risk, high reward of insurance fraud, little criminological literature has explored this topic and the public remains relatively unaware of the extent of the problem.

One alarming aspect of insurance fraud is the involvement of organized criminal groups. These organized criminal enterprises are formed for the sole …