Criminology Commons^™

A Historical Comparative Analysis Of Executions In The United States From 1608 To 2009, Emily Jean Abili

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The death penalty has been a contested issue throughout American history. The United States has been executing offenders since Jamestown became a colony in 1608 (Allen & Clubb, 2008). Since that time, many issues have been raised about the death penalty including whether or not it is moral, discriminatory, or a deterrent.

This study examines the history of executions, including lynchings, in the United States from 1608 to 2009 using a variety of sociological theories on law and society. Some of the research questions that guide this project are:

* What is the nature of change in the relative prevalence …

An Evaluation Of The Effectiveness Of Increased Judicial Oversight And Court-Ordered Batterer Intervention Programming In Milwaukee County Misdemeanor Domestic Violence Cases: Preliminary Findings, Nelida Cortes

Theses and Dissertations

In 1999, Milwaukee County was one of three locations in the United States chosen by the Office on Violence Against Women to participate in the Judicial Oversight Demonstration Initiative (JODI). JODI was a five year project aimed at testing the idea of whether an organized community response to domestic violence, with increased judicial and criminal justice involvement, would affect victims' safety and offender accountability. Due to its involvement with JODI, Milwaukee County implemented a number of procedural changes intended to increase victim safety, increase offender accountability, and reduce instances of domestic violence. The most prominent change was the institution of …

Race, Social Disorganization And Delinquency, Alina Bazyler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The overrepresentation of racial and ethnic minorities in crime has been an issue of debate. Some evidence, however, has shown that racial differences in offending are largely accounted for by economic disadvantage. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (n = 4,290), the relationship between race and delinquency was examined looking at social disorganization factors. It was hypothesized that there would be racial and ethnic differences in delinquency and that these differences would be accounted for by social disorganization factors, specifically collective efficacy and economic disadvantage. The results show that compared to White adolescents Hispanic adolescents …

Blaming The Victim: Effects Of Victim And Respondent Characteristics On Attribution Of Blame To Rape Victims, Richard Allen Measel

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

This study examines rape myths and the attribution of blame in instances of rape. This research builds upon previous studies that examined attribution of blame based the effects of gender, attitudes toward rape victims, and race. This study explores the impact of the seriousness of the attack on attributions of blame. It also examines the influence of the level of similarity between the respondent and the victim on attributions of blame. Data was obtained from 408 undergraduate respondents enrolled at a university. Respondents completed an online survey that included the Attitudes Towards Rape Victims Scale and a vignette of a …

The Effects Of Offender Age And Offender-Victim Relationship On Modus Operandi Strategies To Lure The Victim, Hayley Lauren Tews

Dissertations and Theses

Research on the modus operandi (“method of operation”) of child sexual abuse (CSA) offenders has been useful in informing successful prevention programs (LeClerc, 2009). However, a gap in the literature regarding the strategies offenders use to lure potential CSA victims still remains. The present study seeks to examine the effects of offender-victim relationship and offender age on the use of strategies to lure victims for the purpose of committing CSA. Data for this study is taken from a larger investigation which included 854 identified adolescent and adult CSA offenders from nine different states. A 2 X 2 MANCOVA analysis revealed …

Testing Orthodox Utilitarian And Extrajudical Determinants Of Incarceration In The U.S. At The State-Level, 1980-2005, Pavel V. Vasiliev

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This project is a theory-driven secondary data analysis of state-level incarceration trends in the U.S. between 1980 and 2005. I replicate and advance Smith's (2004) study of the relationship between the socioeconomic, demographic, political, electoral, and criminal justice factors and incarceration rates at the state level. The purpose of this project is to determine the empirical validity of the major explanations of the incarceration trends in the U.S. I advance Smith's (2004) study using important novel elements. First, I extend the scrutinized historic period by a decade by compiling time-series data for 1980-2005. Second, I employ a more sophisticated analytic …

Proposal For An Animal Crimes Unit Within The Milwaukee Police Department, Caroline Knitter

Professional Projects

The incidence of animal abuse continues to rise in communities across this nation. The range of animal abuse crimes includes starvation and neglect, dog fighting, sexual abuse to malicious killing. Research indicates that crime against or involving animals often leads to crime against humans, interpersonal violence. Many animal abuse crimes go unreported, and the human victims involved are unidentified. Overburdened with crimes against humans, many police departments do not have the resources available to focus on animal abuse. To address this issue, animal crimes units are being initiated in police departments in some major cities. The purpose ofthis research study …

A Further Test Of Strain Theory: Does Gender Discrimination Contribute To Theft By Employees?, John A. Casten

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

This study was an examination of General Strain Theory's contention that gender discrimination. as a source of strain. can lead to deviant behaviors. Specifically. the effects of gender discrimination in the workplace on theft by employees. The study was unique in that it utilized a sample split three different ways. First, by gender, second by perceived and actual measures of both crime and discrimination, and third, by combined versus separate discrimination measures. The third item being particularly unique. The study utilized bivariate correlations and logistic regression throughout for statistical analyses. The results indicated that combined measures were not as effective …

Rez Realities: Exploring The Perceptions Of Crime And Justice Among Tribal Police Officers In Indian Country, Favian Alejandro Martin

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

Although American Indians and Alaskan Natives (AI/NA) compose just over 1% of the general population in the U.S., they experience higher rates of crime and violence than the total population and are dramatically over-represented in the criminal justice system. In light of these realities, the paucity of research on AI/NA crime, violence, and justice problems is appalling. What research does exist suggests that AI/NA crime and victimization is correlated with social problems such as poverty and illegal drug use which are linked to the social ills of colonialism. Drawing on the work of Loader (1997), this dissertation examines the perceptions …

To Catch A Pirate: Analyzing Processes Of Policy Making On Maritime Piracy, Victoria E. Collins

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

There has been a resurgence of political and media interest in maritime piracy, specifically in the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Somalia. This is credited to a rise in the number of piracy attacks that have been committed in Somalia's coastal waters. In response to this rise in attacks there has been an increased deployment of military warships from as many as 30 different countries to the region in efforts to combat piracy. Although the problem of piracy has received much attention there has been little attention paid to the structural conditions within Somalia itself, such as the …

Abortion And Crime In Canada: A Test Of The Bmdl Hypothesis, Timothy Kang

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Donohue and Levitt (2001) argued that the legalization of abortion in the US during the 1970s contributed to 50 percent of the dramatic decline in crime that occurred in the 1990s. Although a lengthy debate in the literature has proliferated and remains inconclusive, this controversial theory has been popularized by the Freakonomics (2005) franchise. The liberalization of abortion services that occurred in Canada in 1988 offers an improved focal intervention to perform an empirical test of this theory. The methods that have emerged from the debate are reviewed. The most promising strategies, namely time-series plots of crime, “effective abortion rate” …

Demographics And Approval Of The Police Use Of Force In The General Social Survey, 2010, Jeremy William Algate

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

The following study attempts to explore the relationship between the demographics of respondents and their approval of the police use of force. Many studies have determined that race seems to have the definitive effect on trust of the police. More than any other demographic, this variable is indicated as the determining factor. More recently, other studies have suggested that several other demographics and characteristics might help define trust in the police more fully. This study attempts to begin this determination using data from the aggregated General Social Survey (GSS). I hypothesized that while race would be the strongest relationship, we …

Cracking Down On Exotic Dancers: How The Act, The Media And Interest Groups Frame Human Trafficking Policy In Canada, Leanne E. Kuchynski

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This thesis examines the Preventing the Trafficking, Abuse, and Exploitation of Vulnerable Immigrants Act. The history of human trafficking and migrant policy in Canada generally and in relation to this amendment passed in 2012 are examined. The framing perspective, political process model, and the policy process literature are used to understand this law. I am interested in three main questions: does the Act differentiate between victims and criminals?; how did socio-political groups shape this law?; and how do the media portray the differences in victims and criminals in relation to this law? Content analysis is used to analyze the …

Finding Its Place: The Effect Of Race On Drug Court Outcomes, Ben Gilbertson

Theses and Dissertations

The most recent statistics on United States adult drug courts indicate that there are more than 1,400 courts currently in operation nationwide (National Institute of Justice 2013). This number is rather astounding, given that drug courts only emerged in Miami, Florida in 1989. However, what is more astounding is the fact that in the two decades drug courts have existed, they have been studied more than all other criminal justice programs combined (Honda and Sheen 2011; Marlowe 2010). As successfully completing one's drug court program (i.e., graduating) often indicates whether a former participant will recidivate, myriad researchers and federally-funded studies …

A Study Of Surveillance And Privacy Rights, Jesse T. Kittle Mr.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study it to research the role and public perception of security surveillance on a university campus. The research measured variables such as age, gender, class standing political affiliation, and one's residence whether on campus or off campus. This study is focused on how students view security surveillance, and whether they see security surveillance as an important tool for the safety of the public or a threat to privacy. A student survey was administered to undergraduate students asking how they felt about crime on campus and whether crime was a problem that could be solved by security …

Sexual Assault Detectives' Justifications For Aggressive Victim Interviewing Methods: A Qualitative Study, Shauna Davis

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The crime of sexual assault is substantially underreported; yet, when victims do report, often times they are met with skepticism and blaming attitudes by law enforcement. Literature shows that sexual assault victims report being further traumatized by the harsh methods used by police and investigators. The effects of rape are aggravated when victims have a negative experience upon reporting, making this a serious concern. Efforts have been made to improve victim treatment but with little success. With reform efforts dating back to the 1970s, the question that must be asked is why is this still a problem? Most articles on …

Team Policing Revisited: A Quasi-Experimental Evaluation In Las Vegas, Nevada, Natalie Nicole Martinez

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In 1967, the President's Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice recommended team policing, which involves the decentralization of patrol officers and investigators to the same, defined geographical area, as a way to more effectively organize police officers and improve crime control. Despite initial enthusiasm from police officers and administrators, team policing quickly faded from use during the 1970s because its design was incompatible with the centralized model of policing prevalent at that time. However, the implementation of community-oriented policing, which promotes various organizational changes and the use of problem-focused strategies, has changed police departments in recent years and …

Who We Are: Incarcerated Students And The New Prison Literature, 1995-2010, Reilly Hannah N. Lorastein

Honors Projects

This project focuses on American prison writings from the late 1990s to the 2000s. Much has been written about American prison intellectuals such as Malcolm X, George Jackson, Eldridge Cleaver, and Angela Davis, who wrote as active participants in black and brown freedom movements in the United States. However the new prison literature that has emerged over the past two decades through higher education programs within prisons has received little to no attention. This study provides a more nuanced view of the steadily growing silent population in the United States through close readings of Openline, an inter-disciplinary journal featuring …

The Service And Re-Entry Needs Of Juvenile Offenders: American Indian Girls Impacted By Sexual Trauma, Rae Anne Marie Frey

Theses and Dissertations

American Indian (AI) youth experience incarceration (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2011; Easy Access to the Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement, 1997-2010) and sexual abuse (Bachman, Zaykowski, Lanier, Poteyeva, & Kallmyer, 2010; Ellison, 2005; Hamby, 2008; Robin, 1997) at disparate rates in the United States. The present qualitative project utilized Extended Case Method to explore the service and re-entry needs of AI girls who are juvenile offenders and have been impacted by sexual abuse. This project includes secondary data detailing 58 cases of detained AI girls at a state-run female juvenile detention facility in the Midwest. Results indicated 26 of …

Police Militarization: Attitudes Towards The Militarization Of The American Police, Phillip T. Wyrick

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Police militarization is a critical contemporary issue in the criminal justice field; however, only a minor amount of research exists on this issue. Almost no research exists on public attitudes toward police militarization, which is very important given the social context. A contextual literature review covers a brief history of American police with emphasis on key events leading to modern police militarization, such as the Munich Incident and Columbine. Also covered are research topics that help outline the need for research on public attitudes in this field, such as the amount and use of PPUs by Peter Kraska and the …

Faculty Assessments Of The Potential For Emergency Events On Their Campus And Their Perceived Preparedness To Respond, Craig A. Bishop

Ed.D. Dissertations

This study examined the perspectives held by college and university faculty regarding the risk and potential for emergency events to occur on their campus. The study also examined the faculty assessments of the extent to which they are prepared to respond to an emergency event. Most significant was the examination of the perspective held by faculty at public institutions of higher education in comparison to faculty at private institutions of higher education. The study encouraged the development of a culture of preparedness within institutions of higher education to best fulfill state and federal mandates while also proactively reducing the risk …

Our Side Of The Fence: Investigating The New Nativism In The United States, Candace Griffith

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study examines the new nativism movement in the United States. Specifically I look at groups who have formed in Arizona to combat illegal crossings over the U.S.-Mexico border. The new nativism arises from the perceived inability of the government to secure the border from illegal crossing. I draw on community policing and vigilante literatures to determine whether these groups could be considered a neighborhood watch or vigilante group. Using a sequential mixed method design, I conduct semi-structured interviews and engage in participate observation in the Sonoran desert with the Arizona Border Defenders, to identify how these groups label their …

Facilitated Communication And The Criminal Justice System, J. Robert Quillen

Senior Honors Theses and Projects - Psychology

Facilitated communication (FC) is an alleged breakthrough technique which allows individuals, previously thought to be severely mentally and developmentally challenged, to achieve a level of communication formerly thought to be impossible. Originally developed to assist individuals with physical disabilities and limitations, such as cerebral palsy, this technique has quickly been converted to one that aims to assist individuals with cognitive deficits such as autism toward achieving effective communication. This article explores the origins of facilitated communication, the ongoing debate in the scientific community regarding the reliability and validity of the technique, as well as facilitated communication's rapid integration with the …

There Are No "Innocent Victims": The Influence Of Just World Beliefs And Prior Victimization On Rape Myth Acceptance, Rebecca Lynne Vonderhaar

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

Approximately 209,000 women report being raped every year. Of those 209,000 rapes, only 19,491 arrests were made (U.S. Department of Justice 2011). Furthermore, reports estimate that one out of every three women will be raped at some point in her life (Amir, 1971). The prominence of rape in the United States, as well as the disparity between documented rapes to the police and victim reports of rape, is problematic for researchers in fully understanding the breadth of the problem. Considering that rape occurs at such an overwhelmingly high rate and frequently goes unreported, it is important to understand the attitudes …

An Exploration Of Drug Trafficking Among Female Offenders In The Caribbean, Dianne Berger-Hill

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

This thesis is an exploratory study examining drug trafficking among female offenders under the custodial care of the Trinidad and Tobago Prison Service. The female offenders were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide that inquired into how they were recruited, why they decided to traffic drugs, did they join in with friends, were family members or relatives involved in the activity, or did they initiate it on their own, and if their childhood experiences influenced them into getting involved with drug trafficking. Themes were identified during the course of the data analysis. More than half of the female offenders were …

Reefer Madness To Marijuana And Legalization: Media Exposure And American Attitudes Towards Marijuana (1975-2010), Richard James Stringer

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

American attitudes toward marijuana have varied greatly from the time it was criminalized in the 1930's until 2010, and public opinion favoring the legalization of marijuana has steadily risen since 1990. Since the media is purported to have had an impact on the legislation rather than objective risk factors, it is possible that the marijuana epidemic could be the result of a socially constructed moral panic. As such, this study utilized General Social Survey data to examine the relationship between media exposure and attitudes toward the legalization of marijuana from 1975 through 2010, 1975 through 1990, and 1991 through 2010. …

Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, And Sex Trafficking In The Media: A Content Analysis, Katie Ann Martin

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The following analysis focuses on the issues of sexual assault, domestic violence, and sex trafficking in media portrayals. A content analysis was done on six film releases, two for each of the topics. Prevalence of myths, stereotypes, victim portrayal, perpetrator portrayal, and final outcomes/consequences were reviewed within each of the films, along with overall themes present. The content analysis results found that some myths are present and vary by category. The most common theme in the movies was the ineptitude of the criminal justice system to successfully intervene and aid victims. Another commonly occurring theme was that victims must escape …

Building Bridges And Solving Crimes? A Critical Examination Of How Police Use The New Aged Technology Of Social Media - Specifically Facebook, Seyed Raza Mirmajlessi

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The social media conglomerate Facebook has dramatically grown over the past few years. As a result, many law enforcement officials -- specifically police -- have taken notice. Recently, this has translated into police departments nationwide adopting Facebook in their daily efforts to improve police performance. Extensive reports from news media outlets have documented the assortment of uses Facebook provides police personnel. It has been reported that police are not only using the tool to prevent crime, but also as an innovative way to engage and interact with the community. In an era of community policing, it is vital to explore …

The Strength Of Family Bonds: A Look Into The Lives Of A Family That Has Overcome Adversity And Marginality, Angelique Nevarez Maes

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In the recent literature that entails the effectiveness of parent/child bonds in deterring children from crime and related deviant activities, little information is mentioned about the effectiveness of Kinship (extended family members) and its possible effectiveness in deterring an individual from crime and related deviant activities. Adverse events such as drug abuse, early death, prostitution and gang activity can plague a family and threaten its unity when parental bonds are absent or non-consistent during adolescence. Marginalities such as poverty and racism take the family unit to the edge of society only serve to further the extent of the damage that …

Life And Health Outside Prison, Tiffany Amorette Young

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This qualitative study explores the subjective understandings of formerly incarcerated individuals' experiences of health and healthcare prior to, during, and post release. The study incorporates in depth ethnographic interviews, participant observation, and life charting to formulate a holistic understanding of how incarceration has impacted the health and lives of the participants recruited for this study. All participants were incarcerated for a minimum of one year in the U.S. prison system. This interdisciplinary study contributes to the fields of sociology, criminology, and public health, and builds on the literature of race, health, and corrections in the United States.