Criminology Commons^™

Student Perceptions Of Active Shooters On Campus, Barry T. King

Master’s Theses and Projects

This study examines the level of fear Bridgewater State University students experience about becoming a victim of a violent attack on campus by an active shooter. Since 1996, nearly 60 school shootings have taken place in American schools, resulting in hundreds of deaths. This study examines the impact on students' fearfulness in the wake of the most recent mass murders happening on college campuses at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University.

Perceptions On Police Use Of Force: A General Strain Theory Approach To Explicate Use Of Force Incidents, Clint Edward Apaza

Master’s Theses and Projects

This mixed method study focused on stress and its influence on police officers’ use of force. As a theoretical frame, Agnew’s General Strain Theory (GST) was applied to measure police officers’ decision making process in use of force, and the evaluation was compared to the college population. Data derived from law enforcement officers and college students via survey questionnaires reflecting strain factors and the Use of Force Model of case-vignettes. The magnitude of strain is measured via the assessment three major psychological diagnostic criteria: 1) STAI (State Trait Anxiety Inventory, 2) PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), and 3) DI (Depression Inventory). …

Mobile Phone Technology And Online Sexual Harassment Among Juveniles In South Korea: Effects Of Self-Control And Social Learning, Kyung-Shick Choi, Seong-Sik Lee, Jin Ree Lee

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Mobile phones are increasingly developing into a technology-based device that everyone is dependent on. While previous research has been extensive in examining different theoretical explanations for interpreting juvenile delinquency, research on mobile induced online sexual harassment among juvenile populations have been rather scarce and limited. As a result of this dearth, the present study employs a theoretical approach in rationalizing why juveniles commit online sexual harassment using their mobile phones. Elements from both social learning and self-control theories are used to assess the causes for online sexual harassment using mobile phones. By conducting binomial logistic regression analyses, this study finds …

Processes Of Racialization Through Media Depictions Of Transracial Violence, Megan Allen

Honors Program Theses and Projects

In this honors thesis, I explore the process of racialization in media coverage of White-on-Black violent events (both crimes and incidents not recognized by the legal system as crimes) using a critical race theory framework. Recent years have seen a series of killings of and assaults on African American people that have become newsworthy, as they have been seen, often controversially, as unjustified. The controversy has largely broken down on racial and political lines, with minority Americans and the left seeing these incidents as evidence and example of ongoing racial inequality, with whites and the right, in particular right-wing whites, …

Juvenile Prostitution: An Exploration In Gendered Theory, Kelli Reynolds

Master’s Theses and Projects

The purpose of this study is to investigate the ways in which juvenile females enter into prostitution. This theoretical analysis will assess support for existing explanations of delinquency and prostitution of female juveniles using secondary data sources. This secondary data source is pulled from a survey of 114 adjudicated delinquent girls in South Carolina, which was collected in 2014. A comprehensive review of the literature regarding juvenile prostitution will include perspectives on polyvictimization and cumulative trauma as well as the history of prostitution. These concepts will be supported further by discussing current research and survey data. The specific focus of …

War On Drugs: Examining The Effects On Social Disorganization And Crime In Cities, Ruben Ortiz

Master’s Theses and Projects

The work of Shaw and Mckay (1942) paved the way for researchers to study inner-city crime by focusing on the environment and its effects on residents. Social disorganization, characterized by weakened institutions led researchers to analyze and predict patterns of crime in urban areas. Researchers argue that social disorganization theory arguments developed from this approach, but lost appeal among researchers due to limited empirical tests. The theory experienced a renewed interest in the 1980s, as structural factors (e.g. poverty, heterogeneity, residential mobility, racial inequality, and family disruption) were considered, all of which allowed researchers to study patterns of crime in …

College Sexual Assault: Student Risk Of Victimization Off-Campus, Danielle Christenson

Master’s Theses and Projects

Although there is a plethora of research focusing on college sexual assault victimization and risk factors respectively, few studies have specifically examined the location of these incidents as a risk factor. Among the few studies examining sexual assault location, the researchers determined college students are more likely to be victimized off-campus. Fisher, Cullen and Turner (2000) found that 66.3% of sexual assaults of college-aged females took place off-campus compared to 33.7% that occurred on-campus (Fisher et al., 2000). In a similar study, Nobles, Fox, Khey and Lizotte (2012) examined the role of location in college crime (including sexual assault). The …

Ownership Of Images: The Prevalence Of Revenge Porn Across A University Population, Corrie Mccue

Master’s Theses and Projects

Since the Internet was first established in the late 1960s it has become significantly easier to gain access to. Email, bulletin board systems, and Internet gaming came to be in the 1970s. Internet pornography soon followed and access has continued to increase.

A new trend in pornography includes interactive pornographic websites, which offers users the ability to upload and share pornographic materials. This ability allows individuals to not only post their own photos or videos, but also the photos and videos of others who may, or may not, have consented to such distribution. Nonconsensual pornography also referred to as “revenge …

Empirical Assessment Of Cyber Harassment Victimization Via Cyber-Routine Activities Theory, Sinchul Back

Master’s Theses and Projects

Over the decades, the advance of the social networking sites and computer-mediated communication tools has facilitated cybercriminals to expand their scope of criminal activities from the physical world to the virtual realm. Cybercriminals can easily leverage the Internet to operate sexual crime such as cyber-harassment. This study aims to empirically assess cyber-harassment victimization in South Korea via Cyber-Routine Activities Theory (2008). Cyber-Routine Activities Theory includes five major tenets: 1) digital capable guardianship, 2) motivated offender online, 3) suitable target online, 4) online risky behavior, and 5) online vocational and leisure activities. Data were derived from the 2013 Korean Institute of …

Ransomware Against Police: Diagnosis Of Risk Factors Via Application Of Cyber-Routine Activities Theory, Kyung-Shick Choi, T. M. Scott, Daniel P. Leclair

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Technologically advanced hackers are able to commit a crime and leave undiscovered by the authorities. Recent increases in cyber-attacks utilizing technology known as ransomware are leaving police departments and other institutions in the serious situation of having to pay ransom to cybercriminals. The present study employs a Cyber-Routine Theoretical approach in explaining why ransomware victimization has become a viral phenomenon. Data were derived from the recent reported cases of ransomware attacks towards police departments in the U.S. and analyzed in order to build a victim profile. This study shows that online lifestyle and cybersecurity are the salient factors that contribute …

Police Contacts And Attitudes Toward Police: A Study Of Race And Policing, Gary Portway

Undergraduate Review

In the past couple of years, different police departments in the United States have ignited intense criticism for allegedly operating in unethical and unconstitutional ways, namely facilitating the law under racist principles. Since the structure of policing often shifts based on changes within general society, it has become a common standard that policing must match the highest degree of ethics adopted by citizens of the United States. There is a compelling need for more research to be done on the police-citizen relationship. This research studies whether there is disproportionality, with a specific focus on race and ethnicity, in some of …

Processes Of Racialization Through Media Depictions Of Transracial Violence, Megan Allen

Undergraduate Review

In this research project, I explore the process of racialization in media coverage of White-on-Black violent events (both crimes and incidents not recognized by the legal system as crimes) using a critical race theory framework. The past three years have seen a series of killings of and assaults on African American people that have become newsworthy, as they have been seen, often controversially, as unjustified. The controversy has largely broken down on racial and political lines, with minority Americans and the left seeing these incidents as evidence and example of ongoing racial inequality, with whites and the right, in particular …

Police Contacts And Attitudes Toward Police: A Study Of Race And Policing, Gary Portway

Honors Program Theses and Projects

The way in which police officers engage with general society is often under meticulous watch by countless amounts of citizens. The United States – at an unprecedented point in regards to technological advancement and education – expedites such meticulous watch in a way that it often becomes noticeable criticism. Strategies of policing such as New York City’s “stop-and-frisk” policy have ignited much criticism of police, and have caused the need for many general improvements to the way in which police facilitate. Since the structure of policing often shifts based on changes within general society, it has become a common standard …

Empirical Assessment Of Lifestyle-Routine Activity And Social Learning Theory On Cybercrime Offending, Elizabeth Phillips

Master’s Theses and Projects

The Internet and its overwhelming possibilities and applications have changed the way individuals carry out many routine activities such as going to work or school, or socializing. Social networking sites such as Facebook are ideal settings for interacting with others, and unfortunately, are also ideal settings for committing cybercrimes. The purpose of this study is to investigate the occurrence of online offending against individuals, specifically harassment, stalking, impersonation, and sexting. Self-report surveys collected from a sample of 274 college students were examined using a negative binomial statistical analysis to determine possible relationships between risky online and offline lifestyles as well …

[Violence] Policy Perspectives, Elizabeth Englander

Psychology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

'Scared Straight' And Other Juvenile Awareness Programs For Preventing Juvenile Delinquency, Anthony Petrosino, Carolyn Turpin-Petrosino, Meghan E. Hollis-Peel, Julia G. Lavenberg

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Background: 'Scared Straight' and other similar programs involve organized visits to prison by juvenile delinquents or children at risk for criminal behavior. Programs are designed to deter participants from future offending through firsthand observation of prison life and interaction with adult inmates. These programs remain in use despite research questioning their effectiveness. This is an update of a 2002 review.

Objectives: To assess the effects of programs comprising organized visits to prisons by juvenile delinquents (officially adjudicated, that is, convicted by a juvenile court) or pre-delinquents (children in trouble but not officially adjudicated as delinquents), aimed at deterring …

Cyberbullying Among 11,700 Elementary School Students, 2010-2012, Elizabeth Englander

MARC Research Reports

Study: 11,700+ Third-, Fourth- and Fifth-Graders, sampled in New England from a variety of schools (representing a variety of socioeconomic classes), between January 2010 and September, 2012. Study presented on November 6, 2012 at the International Bullying Prevention Association Annual Conference, Kansas City, MO.

Digital Self-Harm: Frequency, Type, Motivations, And Outcomes, Elizabeth Englander

MARC Research Reports

This report describes research conducted in 2011 and 2012 on 617 subjects, 10% of whom reported self-cyberbullying. The report details the frequency of self-cyberbullying in boys versus girls (17% versus 8%) and the frequency of the incidents in questions. The data also reveals some of the characteristics of self‐cyberbullies, their motivations for digital self-harm and the relative success of the tactic.

Spinning Our Wheels: Improving Our Ability To Respond To Bullying And Cyberbullying, Elizabeth Englander

MARC Publications

Bullying is physical and or psychological abuse perpetuated by one powerful child upon another, with the intention to harm or dominate. Bullying and aggression in schools has reached epidemic proportions. Abusive bullying behaviors begin in elementary school, peak during middle school, and begin to subside in high school. Bullying behaviors are associated with catastrophic violence. Cyberbullying has emerged as one result of the increasingly online social life in which modern teens and children engage. Mediation may be inappropriate. The only safety mechanism that children will ultimately retain is the one between their ears.

Practical Ways To Reduce Online & In-School Bullying, Elizabeth Englander

MARC Publications

The Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center (MARC) is an academic Center at Bridgewater State University in Massachusetts. By running a training program for graduate and undergraduate students in higher education, MARC offers free research, programs and services to K-12 schools in Massachusetts. Everyone benefits: future educators receive unique field training, and K-12 schools receive high-quality, no-cost programs and services. One important characteristic of MARC’s mission is to transmute significant research findings into concrete, useable information for K-12 teachers in the field. The sheer amount of information available today about bullying and cyberbullying can make any educator’s head spin. But despite the …

Marc Handful O' Statistics, Elizabeth K. Englander

MARC Research Reports

These statistics were gleaned from two 2010-­‐2011 studies through the Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center at Bridgewater State University in Bridgewater, Massachusetts.

• In-depth survey of 617 college freshman
• Survey of 21,000 children in grades 3-12 in a variety of communities across Massachusetts.

Research Findings: Marc 2011 Survey Grades 3-12, Elizabeth K. Englander

MARC Research Reports

Self-report survey of 20,766 children in grades 3-12 in Massachusetts

Marc Freshman Study 2011: Bullying, Cyberbullying, Risk Factors And Reporting, Elizabeth K. Englander

MARC Research Reports

The Sample:

• 617 College freshman, studied over a 6 month period in 2010-­‐2011
• Predominately white
• Predominately 18–19 years old
• Parents tend to be high working class, low middle class, or middle class

Studied for: rates of behavior; risk factors & their relationship to bullying and cyberbullying; and many other social, family, and school factors

Just Turn The Darn Thing Off: Understanding Cyberbullying, Elizabeth Englander, Amy Muldowney

Bridgewater Review

Cyberbullying is the newest form of an abusive pattern of behavior that has always existed among young people, and which has recently been increasing alarmingly in both frequency and severity. Efforts to identify and prevent cyberbullying have been studied and developed by the Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center (MARC) and include working with parents, schools, and children.

On The Front Lines: Educating Teachers About Bullying And Prevention Methods, Aviva Twersky Glasner

MARC Publications

Problem statement: Bullying is a serious problem in American schools and is characterized by aggressive behavior distinguished by unequal power and the intention to cause physical, social, or emotional harm to others Bullying is evolving from the classic image of a big schoolyard bully picking on smaller kids to a more technologically, sophisticated model of kids using cyber technology to electronically tease, bully and harass their peers with texting, voicemails, emails and posts on public websites, like Facebook, that are popular with young students. While parents are and should be encouraged and trained to recognize understand the insidious nature of …

Girls And Cyberbullying, Elizabeth Englander, P. Snell

MARC Publications

No abstract provided.

Snapshot: Massachusetts Statistics On Frequency Of Bullying And Cyberbullying (2008-09), Elizabeth Englander

MARC Publications

No abstract provided.

A Cross-Cultural, Comparative Analysis Of The Domestic Violence Policies Of Nicaragua And Russia, Jo-Ann Della Giustina

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

This is a cross-cultural comparative analysis of the domestic violence policies of Nicaragua and Russia. While these two countries have striking differences, they both had socialist revolutions that established workers and farmers governments. The Soviet Union was the main economic and political support for Nicaragua following the 1979 Frente Sandinista Para Liberacion Nacional (FSLN--Sandinista Front for National Liberation) revolution.

This article examines the domestic violence policies of post-Soviet Russia and Nicaragua. While both countries have serious domestic violence problems, only Nicaragua is taking an aggressive stance to eradicate the problem. The Russian government barely even acknowledges that there is a …

Cyberbullying & Bullying In Massachusetts: Frequency & Motivations, Elizabeth Englander

MARC Publications

This brief reports on the major findings of the studies conducted in the Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center during the years 2006 to 2008. Detailed analyses are omitted but general findings are displayed and explained. The data deals primarily with cyberbullying, but some data related to bullying behaviors is reported. The findings are separated by study. Two studies are reported upon here: a survey of 334 college freshman and a survey of 178 K-12 educators from public schools across the Commonwealth. A third study, of 75 pediatricians in Massachusetts, will be discussed under separate cover. The findings from the two studies …

Cyberbullying And Information Exposure: User-Generated Content In Post-Secondary Education, Elizabeth K. Englander

MARC Publications

The term “Cyberimmersion” refers to the central role that the Internet and electronic communications now play in the lives of individuals born after 1980 in the First World. Cyberimmersion has transformed everything about bullying and harassment between youth in the First World. It has also transformed the information landscape, although confusion about the scope and nature of this transformation is common. User-generated content has opened the door to a vast “spillage” of information, both damaging and promising. Younger users evidence a high comfort level with technology but many remain naïve in the areas of electronic security, privacy, and information exposure. …