Criminology Commons^™

Unmanned Aerial Support Program In Portland Police Bureau: A Case Study, Eiryn Renouard

Dissertations and Theses

With the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) adopting drone technology in 2024 as a tactical tool, officers have begun to experience change in the way they approach their roles as they learn to work in conjunction with this new technology. Known as the Unmanned Aerial Support program (UAS), this drone program is embedded into PPB's patrol unit. The recency of the program offers an opportunity to examine how a new program using new technology builds its culture and impacts the perspectives and behaviors of its participating officers. By interviewing officers and conducting field observations of the officers and drones in action, …

Digital (In)Justice? Evaluating Procedural Justice In Online Crime Reporting, Nazmy Natia

Dissertations and Theses

Online Crime Reporting portals (OCR) have become a routine entry point for non-emergency police services, fundamentally redefining how the public initiates contact with law enforcement. Although these portals are presented as efficient and accessible, little attention has been paid to whether their design and communication serve the people who use them. Prior research on procedural justice (PJ) has largely examined face-to-face police encounters, while latest studies of OCR systems emphasize victim experience and usability. However, the existing literature offers limited guidance on how PJ principles translate from in-person encounters to digital reporting platforms. This prompted the current study, drawing on …

Aid And Assist Cases In Multnomah County: An Exploration Of Ors 161.370, Savannah Jurasek

Dissertations and Theses

Individuals with severe mental illness (SMI) are highly overrepresented in jails. In Oregon, these individuals can be eligible for what is referred to as the aid and assist process (ORS 161.370) which is designed to facilitate restorative care in efforts to ensure that vulnerable individuals can rationally participate in their criminal proceedings. However, continuous escalation in aid and assist orders (109.3% between 2011-2025) has led to strain on the Oregon State Hospital, the primary care facility for this population. As a consequence, defendants with SMI are spending unnecessary time in custody, despite hospitalization admission guidelines governed by previously decided case …

Psychosocial Risk Factors And Recidivism Among Violent Offenders, Abbey Elizabeth Burgess

Dissertations and Theses

This study examined whether changes in LS/CMI domain scores between prison intake and release were associated with three-year recidivism among violent offenders following their release from custody. While the Risk-Need-Responsivity (RNR) framework emphasizes the importance of targeting dynamic criminogenic needs to reduce reoffending, relatively little research has assessed whether changes in domain-level risk factors translate into improved outcomes over time. Using administrative data from a state correctional system, this study analyzed domain-level changes in LS/CMI scores and their relationship to rearrest, while controlling for demographic characteristics, criminal history, and institutional factors. Results indicated that changes in most LS/CMI domains were …

Shoplifting: Analyzing Spatial And Temporal Patterns, Elizabeth Petrenko

Dissertations and Theses

Shoplifting has contributed to significant losses in Oregon, reaching nearly $956 million in 2022. While overall property crime in Portland, Oregon, dropped between 2023 and 2024, reported shoplifting incidents increased by 50.0%. In Oregon, stealing property worth $100 or less is third-degree theft and a Class C misdemeanor. Second-degree theft involving stealing property between $100 and $1,000 is a Class A misdemeanor. Although often classified as petty or minor theft, shoplifting imposes strain on retailers, consumers, and communities, which raises questions about the spatial and temporal distribution of this crime. This study uses Portland Police Bureau (PPB) offense data to …

Justice By Geography: District-Level Variation In Pretrial Release Outcomes Across Oregon, Ethan Loomis

Dissertations and Theses

AbstractOregon’s pretrial system operates under a common statewide legal framework, yet detention and release outcomes do not appear fully consistent across jurisdictions. Earlier research on pretrial decision-making has largely focused on judicial discretion, individual-level legal factors, and the use of risk assessment tools, while giving less attention to the district-level environments in which those decisions are made. This study examines whether variation in institutional capacity, political context, demographic composition, and socioeconomic conditions corresponds with differences in pretrial outcomes across Oregon’s circuit court districts.

The study draws from focal concerns theory, racial threat perspectives, and organizational approaches to court decision-making. Rather …

Mental Health In Prisons: Examining Variations In Disorders Across Custody Levels, Ariel Bysiek

Dissertations and Theses

The United States has a significantly large prison population with the number of people currently in a correctional facility being 1.9 million. Concern has been increasingly growing related to treatment of individuals in prison, particularly when it comes to solitary confinement. Many people believe that solitary confinement is unnecessarily cruel and debilitating to AIC's mental health. Studies have found contradicting information as to whether solitary impacts mental health. Part of the reason for this contradiction stems from the lack of measurement systems that are appropriate for AICs. The measures used in studies are meant for the general population, not individuals …

A Mixed-Methods Study On Extended Parental Separation Among Mexican And Central American Immigrants: Insights From Legal Violence And The Stress Process, Natalie J. Cholula

Dissertations and Theses

My mixed-methods dissertation examines the mental health effects of legal violence on Mexican and Central American immigrants experiencing prolonged parental separation amid heightened immigration enforcement. The study encompasses three papers utilizing Menjívar and Abrego's (2012) framework of legal violence and Pearlin's (1989) stress process model. The first paper employs quantitative analysis of the Mesoamerican Migration Project data, revealing that heightened immigration enforcement is associated with increased distress among Mexican immigrants in the context of parental separation, the use of coyotes, and the Trump era. The second paper offers qualitative insights from 29 Mexican and Central American immigrants, highlighting the emotional …

Latino Threat Perceptions And Immigration Attitudes: An Examination Across Generations Of Latinos, Michelle Angel

Dissertations and Theses

Recently, immigration has been a major focus in U.S. politics, more importantly with the current administration pushing for the implementation of punitive immigration policies. Research shows that perceived Latino threat is associated with support of Trump and harsh border controls. While existing research has expanded the perceived Latino threat and punitive border control attitudes among non-Latinos, less is known about how perceived Latino threat and punitive border control attitudes function within their own group and how they might vary across different generations of Latinos. Accordingly, there has been a shift in Latino voting preferences, specifically across different generations of Latinos. …

Navigating Sovereignty And Human Rights: A Legal Analysis Of Palestinian Detention Under Israeli Jurisdiction In Comparison To International Law, Amani Nidal Odeh

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis examines whether Israeli detention practices of Palestinians conform to or contravene Israeli domestic legislation and international legal standards using a doctrinal legal analysis. This thesis evaluates six key areas through four hypotheses: the detention of minors, geographic disparities (particularly Gaza), administrative detention procedures, the use of military courts, due process violations, and detention conditions. While Israeli domestic law formally authorizes these practices, the analysis finds they routinely violate crucial international legal norms, including the ICCPR, CRC, CAT, and the Fourth Geneva Convention. The use of secret evidence, prolonged administrative detention without trial, and discriminatory legal frameworks undermines the …

"This Revolution Been Televised": Media As A Tool Of Justice And An Apparatus Of State Violence, Nahal Rastegarpour

Dissertations and Theses

This study utilizes case information from an online database called Fatal Encounters, which has over 30,000 incident reports of civilian deaths involving a police officer. From this larger population, a sample of 415 cases is used to run an additional mixed method research design, which integrates quantitative data analysis and qualitative content analyses. The quantitative analysis sample includes all 415 cases, and the qualitative content analysis uses a subsample of 34 cases. Using demographic data provided by Fatal Encounters, this study expands case information to create new data sets. Both quantitative and qualitative data are collected, developed, and then analyzed. …

"Significant Bodily Intrusions": Investigations Into Law Enforcement Phlebotomy, Anne Kathleen Johnson

Dissertations and Theses

This three-paper dissertation explores law enforcement phlebotomy, the ability of law enforcement officers to draw blood. Phlebotomy is both a ubiquitous, invasive diagnostic tool as well as a social site with complex relational dynamics at play between phlebotomist and patient. Through law enforcement phlebotomy, the blood draw is co-opted from the medical field into the policing field, and the normative framework through which it is used changes: whereas medical edicts instruct providers to work with patients through an ethics of care--respecting consent and refusal--policing is not similarly bound, instead operating through a prioritization of security and efficiency. In the articles …

The Influence Of Eyewitnesses And Police Tip Line Reports: An Exploratory Case Study Of A 2005 Homicide, Abigail Rose Torres

Dissertations and Theses

Public tip lines provide the public to provide information to the police when there is an ongoing investigation. These public tip lines could increase investigations where the public is being made aware of the investigation, increasing the amount of information being brought forward. Research focuses on how tips reporting is similar to eyewitnesses in that individuals recall information. The literature illustrates how the media can influence the tips. The study is an exploratory content analysis looking at potential themes or patterns that emerged from analyzing the tips and patterns of the tip line and media files related to an Illinois …

Exploring Evidentiary Approaches And Reform Potential In The Allies In Change Program For Abusive Intimate Partners, Julie Melissa Conner

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis examines the Allies in Change batterer intervention program, analyzing its curriculum components, alignment with evidence-based practices, unique features, limitations, and implications for domestic violence intervention. The study employs a qualitative mixed-methods approach, including curriculum textual analysis, word frequency count, a semi-structured interview with Chris Huffine, the curriculum author and program founder, and observation of a forty-hour domestic violence training provided for batterer intervention programs and facilitators.

The research begins by reviewing the literature on domestic violence intervention, highlighting the importance of evidence-based practices, cognitive behavioral techniques, and cultural responsiveness. It then conducts a textual analysis of the Allies …

An Examination Of The Impact Of Court-Appointed Fines And Fees: How Governmental Reliance On These Expenses Is Harming Vulnerable Communities, Rachel Elizabeth Couche

Dissertations and Theses

Fines and fees are commonplace in the United States criminal justice system as a form of punishment for both minor and severe offenses. While substantial research has demonstrated that these financial consequences disproportionately affect certain communities, studies that depict a narrative of these impacts are vastly underrepresented in the field. This project expands upon past literature by delving into the effects of these practices on individuals and their families. The current study outlines the findings from a content analysis of twelve semi-structured interviews on the impacts of fines and fees in Oregon. The findings create a deeper understanding of how …

Cleaning The Dirty Pool: Testing Interaction Effects Using Different Panel Model Specifications, Rhiannon Berry

Dissertations and Theses

This exploratory study seeks to uncover the most effective approaches for constructing interaction terms within panel models. With no preconceived hypothesis in mind, the primary aim is to discern which modeling configuration yields the most robust results, laying the foundation for future research in statistical modeling. Using a large data set of sentencing reforms passed between the mid-1970s and mid-2000s, this study systematically assesses interaction terms and determines the most appropriate modeling. Different specifications of sentencing reforms at the state level within different modeling specifications will be explored to highlight which models are most appropriate in predicting imprisonment rates. By …

Strengthening U.S. Jail Systems’ Response To Infectious Diseases: An Evaluation Of The Covid-19 Pandemic, Erinn Bacchus

Dissertations and Theses

Jails across the United States were struck with increased infections and deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic. Studies have shown the structural make up of jails, lack of preparedness plans, and overcrowding contributed to health risks and poor health outcomes both inside jails and local communities. Yet little research has been dedicated to strengthening jail responses to infectious disease outbreaks spanning prevention measures, data collection, and reentry planning. Gaps include information on the (1) myriad infectious disease mitigation strategies used in jails and adherence to CDC prevention guidelines, (2) development of a standardized epidemiologic surveillance system, and (3) experiences working at …

The Effect Of Peer Relationships And Cyberbullying Victimization On Young Adults' Propensity To Cyberbully, Taaj Weraphorn Orr

Dissertations and Theses

Technology has deeply engrained itself in our daily lives, leading us to develop a reliance on social media to interact with those in our inner circle and stay connected with what happens around the world. However, with all these changes in technology and how we socialize with one another, we find ourselves exposed to the dangers of cybercrime, cyberbullying. General Strain Theory (GST) could be a useful framework for understanding why cyberbullying exists and why it may be difficult to address it. I collected data through a survey, after recruiting college students, and conducted correlation, mediation, and multiple regression analyses …

Is More Always Better? A Look At Visitation And Recidivism, Teriin Lee

Dissertations and Theses

The body of literature on prison visitation provides empirical support that visitation may influence the likelihood of recidivism. However, the literature is limited in both size and geographic representation, as more than half of studies originate from samples in Florida or Minnesota. Moreover, inconsistency in the use of measures further complicates generalizability of the findings. The following study utilizes data collected from the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission to examine the relationship between visitation and recidivism in Oregon. Using a sample of 29,312 adults in custody (AICs) who were released between 2011 and 2017, we test the associations of seven distinct …

Incarceration And Suicide: Do The Risk Factors Differ For Civilians And Veterans?, Rheannon Gail Ramsey

Dissertations and Theses

Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in United States jails and prisons. Many researchers have looked at suicides in prisons and what can potentially cause suicidal ideation but there are conflicting findings among civilian incarcerated populations and United States military veteran incarcerated populations.

The intent of this study is to examine which risk factors are most prevalent among adults in custody, with a focus on mental health and substance use or abuse and how these risk factors differ between incarcerated civilians and incarcerated veterans. Using survey data from the 2002 Survey of Inmates in Local Jails conducted …

Open Crime Maps: How Are Police Departments Doing So Far?, Khaing Sandee Lynn

Dissertations and Theses

In recent years, some police departments have started providing open crime maps depicting select crime-related data. However, there has been no studies so far evaluating map delivery sources, the type of maps delivered, and why agencies might be doing so. Using a random, stratified sample of 1,677 police departments from the 2013 Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) survey, the current study examines how many police departments provide access to online crime maps as well as how they are delivered (externally or internally) and prevalent map types (dot, density, choropleth, etc.). Furthermore, whether or not agencies provided a justification(s) …

Intimate Partner Violence Risk Assessment: The Additive Value Of Victim Reported Risk, Jennifer Joanne Johnson

Dissertations and Theses

Intimate partner violence (IPV) affects millions of people in the United States, causing negative generational consequences to the victim and the community. The criminal justice system has increased its preventative strategies to combat this issue through mandatory arrest laws and the use of risk assessment tools for determining the likelihood of offender recidivism. Risk factors included in standardized and actuarial risk assessment tools have been found to be relatively good predictors for violent recidivism.

This study assesses the predictive accuracy of risk factors through bivariate correlations and multiple logistic regression analysis. The risk factors analyzed include demographic information, mental health …

Understanding Fare Evasion Defendant Compliance: An Assessment Of Criminal Records, Nataly Nunez Vasquez

Dissertations and Theses

The present study sought to examine the factors that most distinguish fare evaders who do not pay their fines and fail to appear in court from fare evaders who pay their fines and appear in court. The relationship between prior criminal history and fare evasion offenders who do not pay their fines and fail to appear in court is also explored. A sample of 24,646 defendants who received a citation for fare evasion while riding the Tri-Met transit system in Portland, Oregon were divided into two groups of fare evaders who pay and appear in court and fare evaders who …

Juveniles In The Interrogation Room: Defense Attorneys As A Protective Factor, Caitlin Noelle August

Dissertations and Theses

Juveniles have a lower comprehension of their Miranda rights than adults, and in turn, are more likely to waive those rights and cooperate during an interrogation. Some states require youths to consult with their parents before/during the interrogation; however, this involvement can be detrimental to the juvenile suspect. Recently, laws in California and Illinois have mandated that juveniles consult with a defense attorney prior to the interrogation, or that the attorney is present during the interrogation.

Through semi-structured interviews with 19 juvenile defense attorneys across the state of Oregon, I explored defense attorneys' perspectives on juveniles' legal decision-making in the …

Crime Risk Near Reported Homeless Encampments: A Spatial Analysis, Kortney Lynn Russell

Dissertations and Theses

Those experiencing homelessness face several challenges in contemporary society including a higher risk of victimization compared to the general population. In order to offer effective intervention to protect members of this population, understanding the spatial relationship between homeless camps and crime is imperative. To provide the foundation for a future risk assessment used to identify camps with a higher risk of nearby victimization, this study assessed crime concentration in relation to reported homeless camps in Portland, Oregon. Utilizing two publicly available data sources, this study conducted spatial analyses on voluntarily reported homeless camp data from October through December 2019 and …

Support From Inside Out: Exploring Whether Various Social Supports Assist In Reducing Prison Rule Violations, Sarah Renee Lazzari

Dissertations and Theses

Scholars argue that prison rule violations are a way to assess whether individuals are engaging in prosocial behaviors. Individuals who engage in prosocial behaviors, during periods of incarceration, are less likely to engage in behaviors that result in official rule violations. Decreasing rule violations is one way to work towards a safer prison environment, while also preparing individuals for release. The current study uses cross-sectional data form the 2004 Survey of Inmates in State and Federal Facilities, in order to examine whether multiple types of prisons programs, which will be framed as various types of social supports, influence the frequency …

The Influence Of Age At Migration On Criminal Offending Among Foreign-Born Immigrants, Omar Melchor-Ayala

Dissertations and Theses

Domestic and international events -- such as the recent migrant caravans from Central and South America, and the records number of migrant children detained at the border -- have brought renewed attention to the adaptation of immigrants in the United States. More specifically, questions regarding whether the population of immigrants is driving the "crime problem," have taken center stage. Immigrants vary significantly in terms of when they migrate into the country. According to the Current Population Survey (CPS), the population of approximately 12 million foreign-born immigrant children living in the United States is split in terms of their age and …

Interrogating The Construction And Representations Of Criminalized Women In The Academic Social Work Literature: A Critical Discourse Analysis, Sandra Marie Leotti

Dissertations and Theses

In the United States today, there are 2.3 million people behind bars in jails and prisons. Mass incarceration has swept up the United States to such a degree that we are known globally for holding more people in correctional facilities than any other country in the world. Although women have always, and still do, reflect a smaller proportion of the correctional population, over the last 40 years, their rates of criminalization and imprisonment have far outpaced that of men's. Drastic increases in the criminalization of women are intimately connected to the entrenchment of social disadvantage enabled under neoliberal globalization. Neoliberal …

Closure Or Censure? Examining The Determinants Of Disclosure Of Sexual Assault Among College Students, Whitney Head-Burgess

Dissertations and Theses

Sexual assault is an ongoing problem on college campuses, with some projections indicating that one in four college women has experienced some sexual coercion or assault during her time at university. Recent national policy has strove to address the problem through legislation like the 2013 Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act. Nonetheless, the crime remains the most underreported in the nation despite policy and law which explicitly defines what constitutes sexual assault. However, most victims of sexual assault will disclose what happened to someone else, even if they choose not to report.

This research examines sexual assault disclosure practices on a …

Effects Of Regulation Intensity On Marijuana Black Market After Legalization, Sikang Song

Dissertations and Theses

Since 2012, many states and Canada have legalized the use and sale of recreational marijuana. One of the expected benefits of the legalization is that the establishment of a legal cannabis market would eliminate the black market which has been the main form of marijuana trade for decades. Even though legal options are available for marijuana producers and consumers, the black market is still thriving in states where recreational marijuana has been legalized. The reasons behind the persistence of the marijuana black market are complex. One of the main arguments is that the legalized states have failed to establish a …