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Articles 1 - 30 of 52
Full-Text Articles in Criminology
The Cost Of Compassion: Mixed Methods Insights Into Healthcare Chaplains’ Experiences Of Workplace Violence, Dana Fachner
The Cost Of Compassion: Mixed Methods Insights Into Healthcare Chaplains’ Experiences Of Workplace Violence, Dana Fachner
Theses and Dissertations
Healthcare workers’ exposure to workplace violence has been well documented, with research emphasizing both its frequency and severity among clinical staff like physicians and nurses. Still, one group remains markedly overlooked: healthcare chaplains. Despite their frequent presence in high-stress, unpredictable, and emotionally charged situations, chaplains have never before been included in research regarding healthcare workers’ exposure to workplace violence. Healthcare chaplains provide spiritual and emotional care to patients, families, and staff by offering support that is culturally sensitive and appropriate to patients’ religious traditions. Chaplains collaborate with medical teams to deliver holistic care and are involved in a wide range …
Assessing Abuse And Neglect In U.S. Nursing Homes: A Comparative Analysis Across Pre-, During, And Post-Pandemic Periods, Katherine Gane
Assessing Abuse And Neglect In U.S. Nursing Homes: A Comparative Analysis Across Pre-, During, And Post-Pandemic Periods, Katherine Gane
Theses and Dissertations
Nursing homes are among the most closely regulated providers in the U.S. healthcare system, with both federal and state agencies working together to monitor care and help protect residents. The COVID-19 pandemic, however, introduced unprecedented challenges for facilities and survey agencies alike, disrupting normal operations, limiting in-person visits, and temporarily shifting regulatory priorities. The purpose of this study was to examine how these pandemic-related disruptions were reflected in the severity and reporting patterns of substantiated abuse and neglect deficiencies in U.S. nursing homes. Using publicly available data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), this study analyzed 39,607 …
Life After Prison: Exploring Gendered Differences In The Impact Of Social Support On The Ease Of Reintegration For Previously Incarcerated Men And Women, Joy Ferdinand
Theses and Dissertations
Successful reintegration into society remains a significant challenge for formerly incarcerated individuals, particularly in securing stable housing and employment. This study examines the gendered impact of social support on reintegration outcomes, specifically assessing how peer instrumental support, familial instrumental support, and familial emotional support influence housing stability and employment within three months of release. Using data from the Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative (SVORI), this study employs logistic regression models to explore whether gender moderates the relationship between social support and reentry success. Findings indicate that peer instrumental support significantly affects housing stability, but its impact varies by gender. …
Punitiveness In The Modern Era: Gender Roles & Anti-Transgender Attitudes, Haley Brooke Trantham
Punitiveness In The Modern Era: Gender Roles & Anti-Transgender Attitudes, Haley Brooke Trantham
Theses and Dissertations
Public opinion on punitiveness is an important topic of study because it can influence political elites’ decision making when developing legislation. This study focused on the role gender ideology and anti-transgender attitudes on punitiveness while controlling for religious and political conservatism. The 2020 American National Election Study (ANES) was used to examine the association between conservatism, traditional gender roles, and anti-transgender attitudes on their influence of punitiveness. Three ordinal logistic regressions were run for each type of punitiveness (i.e., death penalty support, crime spending, and felon disenfranchisement). Results indicated that religious conservatives had lesser odds for supporting the death penalty …
Mental Illness Amongst Incarcerated Individuals And Its Effect On Gaining Employment, Tionna S. Miller
Mental Illness Amongst Incarcerated Individuals And Its Effect On Gaining Employment, Tionna S. Miller
Theses and Dissertations
More than half the correctional population has a mental health disorder (NIH, 2022). Having a mental health disorder can severely interfere in one’s transition back into the community, specifically surrounding their access to employment. This dissertation analyzes the extent to which the mental health of previously incarcerated individuals affects their employment upon release. Results from this study concluded that having a mental health diagnosis did interfere with previously incarcerated individuals’ access to employment, especially if those individuals were black. This dissertation concludes with a discussion of the findings, limitations, contributions, as well as implications for practitioners, policy makers and researchers.
The Effects Of Burnout And Secondary Trauma On Parole Officers Working With Elderly Inmates, Kiley Leeann West
The Effects Of Burnout And Secondary Trauma On Parole Officers Working With Elderly Inmates, Kiley Leeann West
Theses and Dissertations
The purpose of this study was to understand the impact of working with aging inmates on parole officers. Overall, previous research has shown those who work with parolees experience secondary trauma and burnout due to long contact hours, and lack of job training and resources. Research, however, has been limited on parole officers who work with the elderly offender population. Arguably, older inmates face unique obstacles that are in addition to the general offender population such as chronic health conditions, physical disabilities, and lack of family support. As the number of elderly parolees continues to increase, parole officers who work …
An Assessment Of Sentencing Disparities By Race In The State Of Arkansas, Viola Schaeffer
An Assessment Of Sentencing Disparities By Race In The State Of Arkansas, Viola Schaeffer
Theses and Dissertations
Past research has found that there are often disparities in sentencing outcomes due to extralegal factors such as race, gender, age, socioeconomic status, education level, and geographic location. The most prominent and widely studied of these factors, however, is race. Specifically, studies have shown that minority offenders (e.g., African Americans) were more likely to receive a lengthier sentence than their White peers. The purpose of this thesis is thus to examine if there is racial bias in sentences levied to violent offenders in Arkansas. This is be done by analyzing sentencing data from the Arkansas Office of the Courts between …
Economic Governance And Violence: A Cross-National Analysis, Steven Mccain
Economic Governance And Violence: A Cross-National Analysis, Steven Mccain
Theses and Dissertations
Understanding how economic governance influences routine activities is crucial within the field of criminology to better understand how grounds for violence emerge. Literature of cross-national studies concerning the effects of economic governance has recently developed to study its relationship with violence, specifically homicide. However, there is a deficit of frameworks related to criminological theory in this literature. Using a routine activity framework, the current dissertation seeks understand how different degrees of economic governance in general and, more specifically, the five areas of economic governance – size of government, legal system and property rights, sound money, freedom to international trade, and …
Intimate Partner Violence, Socioeconomic Status, And The Media, Christianna Victoria Page
Intimate Partner Violence, Socioeconomic Status, And The Media, Christianna Victoria Page
Theses and Dissertations
News media’s communication of social issues can create societal pushes for policy change. This is true regarding femicide and violence against women. How news media communicate demographics such as socioeconomic status (SES) of intimate partner femicide (IPF) victims in a digital space is underexplored. This study is a thematic analysis analyzing how digital news articles communicate the SES of IPF victims. The sample for this study was taken from a population of digital news articles about IPF sources from ten major U.S.-based online news sites and analyzed 50 digital articles for news media’s communication of SES of victims. Results from …
Experiences Of Youth In Confinement: Pathways Of Racial-Ethnic Disparities In Juvenile Corrections, Kimbla Newsom
Experiences Of Youth In Confinement: Pathways Of Racial-Ethnic Disparities In Juvenile Corrections, Kimbla Newsom
Theses and Dissertations
Of the vast body of research focusing on the racial and ethnic disparities (RED) phenomenon in the juvenile justice system, much of the attention has been at critical points of system contact such as arrest and disposition, while overlooking what happens within critical stages such as confinement facilities. This dissertation investigates the ways in which youth experiences in juvenile confinement facilities differ across racial and ethnic groups. Findings reveal that race and ethnicity is a significant predictor of a youth experiencing more control-oriented interventions, longer lengths of stay in confinement, and fewer connections to reentry services. The dissertation concludes with …
A Mixed Methods Approach To Police Decertification, Lacey Roughton
A Mixed Methods Approach To Police Decertification, Lacey Roughton
Theses and Dissertations
The decertification of police officers is an important mechanism for law enforcement accountability for those who engage in misconduct, however, we have limited knowledge on the processes and outcomes of this form of police accountability. By using a convergent mixed methods design, the purpose of this study was to understand the process in which police decertification occurs and factors that influence decertification decisions in a Southern state. The data for this study included decertification case evidence packets, observational data from decertification hearings, and in-depth qualitative interviews with commissioners involved in police officer decertification case decisions. The findings from this study …
Not A Monolith: Influence Of Race And Religiosity On Muslim Perceptions Of Police, Arsala Aneeq Khan
Not A Monolith: Influence Of Race And Religiosity On Muslim Perceptions Of Police, Arsala Aneeq Khan
Theses and Dissertations
Muslim perceptions of police are not often understood. In order to better understand these attitudes, this dissertation approached Muslim respondents with two main factors in mind: racial identity and religiosity, both identities that often set Muslims apart from other Americans. This dissertation asked respondents four questions about police respect, police importance, police use of force and police defunding. The data for this dissertation was collected by Yaqeen Institute of Islamic Research in summer 2020. In order to compute these questions, a series of structural equation models were run. Findings included Muslim respondents who were aware of discrimination in mosques and …
Reporting Factors Of Sexual Assault On College Campuses, Kia Mills
Reporting Factors Of Sexual Assault On College Campuses, Kia Mills
Theses and Dissertations
Sexual assault occurs when a sexual act is attempted against an individual’s will. A large concern regarding sexual assault on college campuses is the lack of reporting. The purpose of the current study is to focus on the different reporting factors of college campus sexual assault and to identify the factors that impact students’ disclosure of sexual assault incidents. The need for research on this topic is to provide more information to colleges and universities and their students on the many factors that are still persistent in preventing students from reporting campus sexual assault experiences. Additionally, the current study is …
Safety Behind The Computer Screen: Gauging Public Perceptions About Teacher Student Sexual Abuse, Kilby E. Raptopoulos
Safety Behind The Computer Screen: Gauging Public Perceptions About Teacher Student Sexual Abuse, Kilby E. Raptopoulos
Theses and Dissertations
Female sex offenders are often portrayed in the media more leniently than male sex offenders, which could influence the way the public perceives these offenders. Further, the media is not always accurate in how they portray sex crimes either which can translate to misconceptions among the public specifically regarding sex offenders. The purpose of this research was to explore media coverage of teacher student sexual abuse in relation to the public’s reaction to these news stories. The current study utilized news stories to analyze reader comments on a news website to understand 1) how teacher sex offenders are portrayed, 2) …
A Structural Examination Of Organizational Justice, Self-Legitimacy, Employee Engagement, And Civic Engagement In Police, Mary Isis Wuestewald
A Structural Examination Of Organizational Justice, Self-Legitimacy, Employee Engagement, And Civic Engagement In Police, Mary Isis Wuestewald
Theses and Dissertations
Recently, the concept of police self-legitimacy has spurred research interest. Several studies have demonstrated beneficial outcomes associated with officers who are confident in their own authority. The current dissertation builds on this emerging area of study by examining the influence of organizational justice on police self-legitimacy, as well as self-legitimacy’s impact on employee engagement and civic engagement in police officers. Survey data were gathered from a sample of 1,391 officers from variously sized agencies across seven regions of the United States. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypotheses. The results indicate that organizational justice is a key component …
The Impact Of Appearance On Transgender Victimization, Tabrina M. Bratton
The Impact Of Appearance On Transgender Victimization, Tabrina M. Bratton
Theses and Dissertations
Trans people experience disproportionate rates of victimization compared to cisgender people. This disparity persists despite the finding that many of the same predictors of cisgender victimization have been identified for transgender victimization (e.g., age, race, income, employment, sex work participation, homelessness), which suggest transgender-specific factors may be at play. Some scholars have proposed that transgender victimization is due to their non-conforming appearance. The purpose of this dissertation was to expand our understanding of anti-trans violence by concentrating on the relationship between appearance and sexual and recent physical victimization. This dissertation builds upon the existing transgender victimization literature by focusing on …
#Mmiw: Framing The Online Presence Of The Missing And Murdered Indigenous Women Social Movement, Natalie Michelle Snow
#Mmiw: Framing The Online Presence Of The Missing And Murdered Indigenous Women Social Movement, Natalie Michelle Snow
Theses and Dissertations
Indigenous women experience violence at a disproportionate rate compared to non- Indigenous women. The disproportionate violence has created a crisis commonly referred to as the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) movement. Over the last 15 years, activists, organizations, and families have responded to the lack of political motivation to address the violence by raising awareness on social media. While people communicate via multiple social networks, Twitter is the leading forum for information about the movement and accompanying events such as vigils, walks, and memorials. For this reason, this dissertation explored the Twitter presence of the MMIW social movement. Analysis …
The Effects Of Victimization And Trauma On Well-Being, Physical Health Nutritional Habits, And Resting Heart Rate (Rhr) Based On Gender And Sexual Orientation, Mary Hannah Hughes
The Effects Of Victimization And Trauma On Well-Being, Physical Health Nutritional Habits, And Resting Heart Rate (Rhr) Based On Gender And Sexual Orientation, Mary Hannah Hughes
Theses and Dissertations
There is a well-established and growing body of research dedicated to understanding the influence of past victimization on physical health outcomes. Consequently, knowledge on identifying how past victimization types influence each domain of physical health and if these outcomes differ by gender and sexual orientation remains largely absent within literature. Therefore, the purpose of the following study is to expound upon victimization literature by examining the physical health outcomes associated with different victimization types and to examine how these factors differ by both gender and sexual orientation with regard to victimization type (personal, property, and stalking). Guided by both life-course …
Police Use Of Social Media Technologies, Akpomudiare Darlynton Adegor
Police Use Of Social Media Technologies, Akpomudiare Darlynton Adegor
Theses and Dissertations
This study used a qualitative research design to analyze how the Little Rock Police Department (LRPD) utilizes social media technologies to promote its community policing philosophy. I conducted a content analysis on 586 tweets by LRPD and 992 public responses posted between May 2020 and May 2021. From my analysis, I found that LRPD social media platforms support both community policing and problem-solving. LRPD uses social media for interactions, connections, and partnerships with community members. The second notable finding was that the public is responsive and receptive to LRPD’s use of social media to connect with them. However, LRPD’s level …
Fascination With Murder: Exploring The Internal Structure Of The True Crime Community, Eric Gaither
Fascination With Murder: Exploring The Internal Structure Of The True Crime Community, Eric Gaither
Theses and Dissertations
The admiration of killers is a trait found in numerous murderers, who claimed they felt inspired to murder from previous attacks. The True Crime Community is an online community with a deep fascination and possible obsession with criminal behavior. Community members include those who display admiration for killers and those who commit copycat crimes. Unfortunately, information regarding this community is limited and often conflicting as academic studies are scarce. This thesis explores the True Crime Community culture with a content analysis of authority figures' posts from a True Crime Community forum to understand the norms of discussions and behaviors. Although …
A Qualitative Examination Of Female Sex Offender Grooming Of Child Victims, Mollee Katherin Steely Smith
A Qualitative Examination Of Female Sex Offender Grooming Of Child Victims, Mollee Katherin Steely Smith
Theses and Dissertations
Sex offenders often engage in manipulative and coercive behavior to begin, conceal, and continue to sexually abuse children over time. They utilize grooming behaviors to gain the trust and compliance of their victims. Grooming is the process by which an offender prepares a victim, significant adult and peers, and the environment for the eventual abuse. Most of what is understood regarding grooming behavior derives from exclusively male samples, which is problematic because male and female sex offenders vary widely in their offending patterns, motivations, and behaviors. For the present study, I examined the nature of sexual grooming among a sample …
An Examination Of Drug Court Clients’ Risky Behavior And Perceptions Following An Hiv Education Program, Latunja Sockwell
An Examination Of Drug Court Clients’ Risky Behavior And Perceptions Following An Hiv Education Program, Latunja Sockwell
Theses and Dissertations
Drug courts were intended to allow non-violent drug offenders an alternative to imprisonment. Drug court programs have a focus on health as well as drug use, and HIV education is a required component of drug courts. Through a partnership with the AR Department of Health (ADH) and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, ADH was able to provide an HIV intervention conducted by certified trainers and counselors. Research is limited on HIV education, delivery, and outcomes in drug court settings. The purpose of this study is to examine whether using an outside entity to deliver HIV education should prove …
What Do They Know? Police Experiences With Hate Crime In Arkansas, Randi Marie Latiolais
What Do They Know? Police Experiences With Hate Crime In Arkansas, Randi Marie Latiolais
Theses and Dissertations
Hate crimes are likely underreported due to victim’s understanding and reluctance to reporting hate crimes. Few studies have looked at how police attitudes and experiences can affect the way officers report incidents, especially for hate crimes. This Thesis explored police definitions and perceptions of hate crime to ascertain the degree to which these experiences might affect police responses to hate crime (e.g., reporting, investigation, protective actions for victims) and their interactions with victims. A thematic content analysis identified patterns in the definitions and experiences police officers from Pulaski County (AR) have regarding hate crimes. A snowball sampling technique resulted in …
A Qualitative Examination Of Homeless Lgbtq+ Adults In Arkansas, Trye Price
A Qualitative Examination Of Homeless Lgbtq+ Adults In Arkansas, Trye Price
Theses and Dissertations
In the United States, LGBTQ+ individuals are disproportionately represented among the homeless population. While homeless, members of the LGBTQ+ community are more likely to face discrimination, stigmatization, and victimization than their heterosexual counterparts. Although previous research on homelessness among the LGBTQ+ community has been insightful, we know little about the lived experiences of homeless LGBTQ+ adults in Arkansas. Therefore, the current study sought to understand the life experiences of LGBTQ+ adults in Arkansas who are or were homeless at one time in their adult lives. More specifically, this study focused on how individuals enter and exit homelessness, incidents of physical …
Pretrial Release Policy Portfolios: Examining Changes Over Time In States With Low Policy Activity, Madison Kristine Doyle
Pretrial Release Policy Portfolios: Examining Changes Over Time In States With Low Policy Activity, Madison Kristine Doyle
Theses and Dissertations
Changes in the policy process is one of the lesser explored phenomena within the field of criminal justice. A basis of knowledge about changes in various criminal justice policy processes in the U.S., could benefit scholars and practitioners alike. This thesis explores changes in content of pretrial release policy (PRP) portfolios in states with the least policy activity both within and across states over time. A thematic content analysis of PRPs from eight U.S. states (Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Maine, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming) revealed how PRPs have changed in those states over time. States that had fewer …
Not All Factors Are The Same: Examining Institutions Among Sex Offenders Throughout The Life-Course, Brooke Cooley
Not All Factors Are The Same: Examining Institutions Among Sex Offenders Throughout The Life-Course, Brooke Cooley
Theses and Dissertations
This dissertation focused on the quality of institutions relative to theories of life-course and desistance. Specifically, this study focused on the quality of marriage, parenthood, and employment and whether the quality of these institutions inhibited or encouraged sexual offending/reoffending and how these factors influenced individuals’ offending behavior over time. While there is an abundance of literature relative to institutions and general offending, little is known about how these institutions impact sexual offending. The purpose of this dissertation was to fill this gap in the extant literature by qualitatively examining how the institutions of marriage, parenthood, and employment influenced sexual offending/reoffending …
Fear Of Crime On Campus: An Analysis Of Perceived Risk And Constrained Behavior, James Nathaniel Hurst
Fear Of Crime On Campus: An Analysis Of Perceived Risk And Constrained Behavior, James Nathaniel Hurst
Theses and Dissertations
Fear of crime has often been measured as how afraid a person is of criminal victimization within their neighborhood yet, problems inherently arise with utilizing static measures for dynamic concepts. Predominant among such issues lies the environmental and temporal aspects of fear, as it is known that fear is not experienced equally at all places nor by all people. Recent analyses focusing on fear’s spatio-temporal nature have found within-neighborhood fluctuations at specific places and times, however, these studies only addressed emotional fear. Perceived risk represents another facet of fear. As campuses appear to have heightened levels of perceived risk, the …
A Vehicle For Crime: Ridesharing And Victimization, Lacey Roughton
A Vehicle For Crime: Ridesharing And Victimization, Lacey Roughton
Theses and Dissertations
Ridesharing services that allow the exchange of transportation services between a private vehicle owner and a passenger via smartphone applications (e.g., Uber, Lyft, and others) have revolutionized the way people travel within cities, however, ridesharing may be associated with changes in victimization risks. Few empirical studies have explored the possible connection between ridesharing and crime. This study examined the relationship between ridesharing and crime in Chicago and explored the types of crimes that occurred during ridesharing, the situational characteristics of those crimes, and how many crimes in ridesharing resulted in arrest. Crimes within taxi cabs, similar to ridesharing, were assessed …
An Analysis Of Police Shootings In Dallas, Texas, 2003-2018, Steven Mccain
An Analysis Of Police Shootings In Dallas, Texas, 2003-2018, Steven Mccain
Theses and Dissertations
Legal establishments authorize police discretion of deadly force if they believe the threat to life or great bodily harm outweighs to threat presented by a criminal. Policing has been reactive when modern weapons of the times are used for criminal purposes. The adaptation process by police has made firearms necessary tools for conflict resolution. The Supreme Court also plays a role in determining what is reasonable use of deadly force, as these situations are rare with little precedent that require judicial review. Research on deadly force examines micro-level characteristics to better understand these situations. This study contributes to existing literature …
Public Punitiveness: The Intersection Of Racial Attitudes And Empathy, Arsala Aneeq Khan
Public Punitiveness: The Intersection Of Racial Attitudes And Empathy, Arsala Aneeq Khan
Theses and Dissertations
Public punitiveness has grown in recent decades and two components that help explain this rise are negative racial attitudes and empathy. For this thesis, a survey was passed out to 66 undergraduate criminal justice students at a mid-sized southern university. In order to better understand respondent relationship to punitiveness, a factor analysis was conducted that divided punitiveness into three scales. These scales were subsequently measured using three OLS regression analyses testing punitiveness with negative racial attitudes, empathy and control variables. The results showed no significant relationships between negative racial attitudes, empathy, and punitiveness. However, control variables such as age and …