Criminology and Criminal Justice Commons^™

Understanding The Use Of Artificial Intelligence In Cybercrime, Katalin Parti, Thomas Dearden, Sinyong Choi

International Journal of Cybersecurity Intelligence & Cybercrime

Artificial intelligence is one of the newest innovations which offenders exploit to satisfy their criminal desires. Although understanding cybercrime that is associated with this relatively new technology is essential in developing proper preventive measures, little has been done to examine this area. Therefore, this paper provides an overview of the two articles featured in the special issue of the International Journal of Cybersecurity Intelligence and Cybercrime, one about deepfakes in the metaverse and the other about social engineering attacks. The articles were written by the winners of the student paper competition at the 2023 International White Hat Conference.

Victimization By Deepfake In The Metaverse: Building A Practical Management Framework, Julia Stavola, Kyung-Shick Choi

International Journal of Cybersecurity Intelligence & Cybercrime

Deepfake is digitally altered media aimed to deceive online users for political favor, monetary gain, extortion, and more. Deepfakes are the prevalent issues of impersonation, privacy, and fake news that cause substantial damage to individuals, groups, and organizations. The metaverse is an emerging 3-dimensional virtual platform led by AI and blockchain technology where users freely interact with each other. The purpose of this study is to identify the use of illicit deep fakes which can potentially contribute to cybercrime victimization in the metaverse. The data will be derived from expert interviews (n=8) and online open sources to design a framework …

Harnessing Large Language Models To Simulate Realistic Human Responses To Social Engineering Attacks: A Case Study, Mohammad Asfour, Juan Carlos Murillo

International Journal of Cybersecurity Intelligence & Cybercrime

The research publication, “Generative Agents: Interactive Simulacra of Human Behavior,” by Stanford and Google in 2023 established that large language models (LLMs) such as GPT-4 can generate interactive agents with credible and emergent human-like behaviors. However, their application in simulating human responses in cybersecurity scenarios, particularly in social engineering attacks, remains unexplored. In addressing that gap, this study explores the potential of LLMs, specifically the Open AI GPT-4 model, to simulate a broad spectrum of human responses to social engineering attacks that exploit human social behaviors, framing our primary research question: How does the simulated behavior of human targets, based …

Decriminalizing Drugs: A Comparative Study Of Oregon In An International Context, Fox Millsaps

University Honors Theses

Oregon made history in 2020 when voters joined together to approve ballot measure 110, the Drug Addiction Treatment and Recovery Act, which decriminalized personal amounts of all illicit substances. This was done in a bid to begin treating the ongoing drug crisis as a public health issue as opposed to a criminal justice issue. While Oregon may be the first in the nation to make such a move, they are not the first government to experiment with decriminalizing 'hard drugs.' Some argue that Oregon’s model was based on Portugal's decriminalization effort and point to Portugal's success as a potential outcome …

Prosecutorial Actus Reus: Appellate Review Of Prosecutorial Misconduct And The Diminishment Of Responsibility, Elizabeth Griffiths, Heather L. Scheuerman, Sandy Xie

International Journal on Responsibility

The socio-historical concept of criminal responsibility links the action (actus reus) and mental state (mens rea), or intention, of the actor (i.e., the defendant) to determine legal and moral liability for his or her behavior and to apportion punishment. When the actor responsible for immoral conduct is the prosecutor in pursuit of a conviction, the courts respond very differently. More specifically, because prosecutors are presumed to be moral and ethical system actors, assumptions about their good character likely influence the ways in which they are held to account. This study explores the content and arguments made …

Examining Remorse In Attributions Of Focal Concerns During Sentencing: A Study Of Probation Officers, Colleen M. Berryessa

International Journal on Responsibility

This research, using interviews with probation officers in the United States (n = 151) and a constant comparative method for analysis, draws from the focal concerns framework to qualitatively model a process by which probation officers use a defendant’s remorse to attribute focal concerns in order to guide their sentencing recommendations in pre-sentencing reports. The model suggests that officers use expressions of remorse to make attributions about mitigated criminal intention (blameworthiness and notions of responsibility), reduced dangerousness and a high potential for reform (community protection), and organization-level effects for increasing caseload efficiency and using correctional resources (practical effects of …

Motivation, Activism, Speech, Dennis Patillo

Writing Beyond the Prison Living Archive

Essay

My Body, Dennis Patillo

Writing Beyond the Prison Living Archive

poetry

Ten Thousand Year Slumber, Marino Leyba

Writing Beyond the Prison Living Archive

Poetry

Prisoner Of War, Monsour Owolabi

Writing Beyond the Prison Living Archive

Poetry

Assessing School Psychologists’ Perspective Of Students Entering A School District From Juvenile Detention Facilities, Emily Wuenschell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Adolescents who are involved with the juvenile justice system encounter setbacks, stigma, and other increased risk factors that negatively impact their future life outcomes. Schools, and in turn school psychologists, are in the unique position of being able to provide effective services for these adolescents. Previous research has identified many practices that schools can implement to improve the academic, social, and vocational prospects of adolescents entering their districts from a juvenile justice placement. This study sought to understand the role of school psychologists in this transition by assessing their recommendations for and opinions of students involved with juvenile justice. Results …

Criminal Justice Update - August 2023, Michael Klatt

Criminal Justice Updates

The Criminal Justice Update is a monthly newsletter created by the Adams County Bar Foundation Fellow providing updates in criminal justice policy coming from Pennsylvania's courts and legislature as well as the US Supreme Court.

Contents:

• Updates from PA Governor's Office (no updates this month)
• Updates from the PA Legislature (no updates this month)
• Updates from the Courts
• U.S. Supreme Court (no updates this month)
• PA Supreme Court
• PA Superior Court

Youthful Offenders Sentencing Trends In Pennsylvania, Monika Nwajei

All Theses

The overwhelming majority of existing literature on the effects of age on judicial sentence decision-making focuses on juveniles (ages 18 and below) and older adults. This paper focuses on offenders between the ages of 18-29, who fall legally outside the definition of juvenile, yet do not have the full brain development or clinical maturity of an adult to provide knowledge of sentencing outcomes for different populations and a well-rounded review and critique of judicial sentence decision-making (Johnson, Blum, & Giedd, 2009). Using a series of logistic regression analyses on the Pennsylvania Commission Sentencing (PCS) data from 2001 to 2018, I …

"A Show That Proves The Worst Monsters Are Real": Media And Social Media Impact On Criminal Trials And Post-Conviction Guilt As Perceived By Criminal Justice Students., Jennifer Leigh Patterson

Criminology & Criminal Justice Theses - Archive

This study, using survey data collected in 2022, investigates how consuming true crime media, from media such as podcasts, influences fear and anxiety among criminal justice students. In addition, the relationship between viewing criminal trials in real time and forming opinions different from the sentencing juries is assessed. Results suggest that there is no significant relationship between the consumption of true crime media and fear or anxiety. Moreover, viewing criminal trials in real time does not have a signficant effect on the formation of opinons that differ from criminal juries. Limitations, implications, and directions for future research are discussed.

The (Im)Mobility Of Being: The Anti-Black And Colonial Roots Of Contemporary Policing, Korey Tillman

Sociology ETDs

Popular debates over policing often revolve around spectacular forms of police violence that grab national media attention. In this study, I examine the everydayness of contemporary U.S. policing and the antiblack and colonial roots that sustains its many forms. Drawing on three years of ethnographic fieldwork with a grassroots abolitionist organization and homeless service provider, and 23 interviews with Black adults across the U.S., I show how mundane policing serves as sites of racialization where the category of human is contested. I offer stops as an analytic to observe how these mundane forms of policing occur in places such as …

Offender Reintegration In Nevada: A Longitudinal Study Focusing On Transitional Challenges, Reentry Capital, And Recidivism, Carolyn S. Willis

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Offender reintegration (reentry) depends on offender motivation, public policies, community efforts, and resources provided through government and nonprofit sectors. As individuals are released from incarceration and reintegrate into the community, they are often dependent on resources provided by different service providers and the community. The role of the community is crucial as resources are oftentimes not accessible. Lack of employment and housing, mental health issues, substance abuse, and the inability to reestablish personal relationships diminish the prospects of successful reintegration and increase the chances of reincarceration. Reentry capital delivered through community-based programs addresses the transitional issues justice-impacted individuals encounter post-incarceration. …

Nefarious And Disconcerting Motivations For Choosing A Correctional Officer Position: A Deviant Case Analysis, Alexander L. Burton, Cheryl Lero Jonson, Damon M. Petrich, William T. Miller

Criminal Justice & Criminology: Faculty Publications & Other Works

Most research finds that individuals are drawn to the correctional officer occupation for the pay and benefits or because it provides a new and exciting opportunity. However, these are not the only interests for choosing a correctional officer position. The current study draws on a sample of pre-service correctional officers surveyed prior to beginning their jobs (N = 673). In the spirit of the deviant case method, we focus on a subset of our sample who provided problematic motivations for becoming officers (n = 38). Using a thematic analytic approach, we identified five broad themes within this nefariously/disconcertingly …

Social Justice Autobiography, Merrick Moore

Writing Beyond the Prison Living Archive

Memoir

Love Unchained: For Black Women, Monsour Owolabi

Writing Beyond the Prison Living Archive

poetry

People And Power: Person-First Language Usage And The Criminal Justice System, Casey E. Orr

Amplify: A Journal of Writing-as-Activism

Language is power. Word choice and terminology, especially those referring to people, are expressions of societal norms and institutional power. Dehumanizing crime-first terms and labels are abundant and common in criminal justice contexts despite being protested by system-involved individuals and activists. Instead, many advocate for person-first terms wherein identifying language emphasizes an individual’s humanity. With a peace-focused anthropological framework, this paper presents the case for person-first language in criminal justice contexts. It is evident that adopting first-person language usage regarding the criminal justice system is necessary after analyzing and considering the multiple sources, such as the voices of those who …

Community Supervision: Perspectives Of Probation And Parole Officers And Supervisors On Key Supervision Approaches And Policy Changes, Asianna Nelson

Dissertations and Theses

This study explores the differences across community supervision approaches in Oregon and how the implementation of state policies has influenced this field. Therefore, this study seeks to answer the following research questions: 1) How do POs and supervisors define their approach to community supervision? 2) How have POs and supervisors experienced shifts in state policy? Fourteen line staff and supervisors from seven Oregon probation and parole agencies were interviewed to answer these research questions. The findings suggest that most agencies are using evidence-based practices and implementing state policies. However, variation exists across the represented agencies in the experiences and perceptions …

Police Officers’ Perceptions Of Gunshot Detection Technology, Courtney L. Weber

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Prior research has shown that police officers’ perceptions has an influence on technological advancement implementation into an agency. Prior gunshot detection technology (GST) research has looked at how effective the technology is at decreasing response times, bringing gunfire to the attention of police, and tracking gun crime trends in the jurisdiction. However, it remains unknown whether police officers support the use of GST technology, and whether they feel that there is sufficient training and support available to them to utilize GST effectively. Therefore, this thesis aims to address several central questions regarding police officers’ perceptions of GST, their support for …

Criminal Justice Update - July 2023, Michael Klatt

Criminal Justice Updates

The Criminal Justice Update is a monthly newsletter created by the Adams County Bar Foundation Fellow providing updates in criminal justice policy coming from Pennsylvania's courts and legislature as well as the US Supreme Court.

Contents:

• Updates from PA Governor's Office (no updates this month)
• Updates from the PA Legislature
• Updates from the Courts
• U.S. Supreme Court (no updates this month)
• PA Supreme Court (no updates this month)
• PA Superior Court

Online Radicalization Case Study Of A Mass Shooting: The Payton Gendron Manifesto, Daniela Peterka-Benton, Bond Benton

Department of Justice Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

On May 14th, 2022, 18-year-old Payton S. Gendron of Conklin, New York, drove his car more than 200 miles to a predominantly black neighborhood in Buffalo, New York. At around 2:30 p.m., Gendron arrived at a Tops supermarket wearing body armor, tactical gear and a helmet with a video camera attached. He utilized the camera to livestream the event and carried an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle because of its proven deadly nature. He began firing his assaultrifle in the parking lot of the supermarket, killing three victims. He then went inside the store where he killed a security guard and nine …

Understanding Wellness In Law Enforcement: A Crisis, Phil Baebenroth

Doctorate in Education

This study investigates the perceptions of current licensed peace officers in Minnesota regarding reforming their profession. From 2017 to 2020, more police officers in the United States died by suicide than officers killed by gunfire, assaults, crashes, or accidents in the line of duty (Officer Down Memorial Page, 2023 & Blue H.E.L.P, 2023). These statistics present a wellness crisis in the policing profession that deserves immediate attention. There have been worldwide calls for changes in policing from people outside of law enforcement, but few incorporate the practical insights of police officers and even fewer are concerned with officer wellness aspects. …

Candidate-Related Distress And Voting: Examining Political Behavior Through The Lens Of General Strain Theory, Katelyn N. Smith

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examines voting as a legitimate coping strategy through the lens of general strain theory. Drawing on previous research on the correlates of voting and general strain theory, this study seeks to evaluate the influence of different beliefs and negative emotions on voting, as well as the role of voting as a way to alleviate the negative emotions brought on by presidential elections. Using an analytic sample of 664 American adults with perceived voting eligibility, two structural equation models are used to evaluate the relationship between beliefs, negative emotions, and voting. Results suggests that individual beliefs and negative emotions …

Efficacy Of Online Social Movements For Sparking Change: The Case Of The Missing Murdered And Indigenous Women Movement (#Mmiw), Kacy A. Bleeker

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The current study examined the context of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Movement (#MMIW) in the context of activist engagement, media representations, and public awareness and beliefs related to the movement. The present study framed the movement within the context of social movement theory, intersectionality, and feminism, to determine the applicability of these frameworks in explaining an Indigenous social movement. While the use of social media to facilitate and mobilize social movements is not a new phenomenon, limited research has examined the functionality of online social movements, particularly in the context of movements concerned with intersectional identities. Research highlights, …

Threats To School Safety: Examining Levels Of Community Violence And Its Relation To School-Related Threats, Dorie Ross

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Despite significant media attention provided to school-based acts of violence, these tragic incidents are relatively rare across school environments, leading to increasing challenges in identifying students who may pose a threat. Previous approaches to school discipline, including policies such as zero tolerance, resulted in significant racial disparities among students who received disciplinary consequences inconsistent with the severity of their behaviors or threats. Alternatively, a relatively recent approach that emerged following a series of school shootings in the 1990s was school threat assessment, which focuses on prevention rather than prediction. While it is important to determine students who may pose a …

A Historic Review Of Community Policing & The Implementation Issues We Have Faced, Emily Bell

University Honors Theses

Community Policing has existed around the world for decades, despite becoming increasingly popular in the later 1990s and early 2000s in the United States. There have been multiple ways that the United States has tried to implement community policing, which this paper will review. Starting in the 1960s when the 12th street race riots caused Lyndon B. Johnson to publish government reports calling for an overhaul of policing and an increased focus on community relations, and looking all the way to 2014, when President Barack Obama created the Task Force on 21st Century Policing, which also put out a report …

“Prison Tiktok”: Incarcerated Life Shared On Social Media, Kayla Reid, Nicole Niebuhr

Qualitative Criminology (QC)

Different areas of the criminal justice system interact with social media, but not much is known about how those incarcerated may be using it. A thematic analysis of “Prison TikTok” videos was conducted in order to gain a better understanding of what those incarcerated are sharing. The most represented themes in the sample are performance, food, prison views, and pains of imprisonment. Performance and food demonstrate creativity within the sample, and highlight how those incarcerated may be looking for creative outlets. Prison and pains of imprisonment include the realities of life incarcerated, and contain messaging that those incarcerated may be …