Criminology Commons^™

Not Just Welfare Over Justice: Ethics In Forensic Consultation, Philip J. Candilis, Tess M. S. Neal

University of Nebraska Public Policy Center: Publications

The ethics of forensic professionalism is often couched in terms of competing individual and societal values. Indeed, the welfare of individuals is often secondary to the requirements of society, especially given the public nature of courts of law, forensic hospitals, jails, and prisons. We explore the weaknesses of this dichotomous approach to forensic ethics, offering an analysis of Psychology’s historical narrative especially relevant to the national security and correctional settings. We contend that a richer, more robust ethical analysis is available if practitioners consider the multiple perspectives in the forensic encounter, and acknowledge the multiple influences of personal, professional, and …

Te Efect Of Experiencing Child Physical Abuse On Violence In Adolescence Is Weakest In The Most Disadvantaged Neighbourhoods, Emily M. Wright

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

It is reasonably well established that those who suffer physical abuse as children are more likely to be violent as adolescents and young adults. It is less well known, however, whether the effects of abuse are amplified or made weaker by the social circumstances in which a child lives.

Follow The Legislation - Human Trafficking And Child Abduction, Minnesota State University, Mankato

Crime/Violence

Bibliography and photographs of a display of government documents from Minnesota State University, Mankato.

Unpunished Criminals: The Social Acceptablity Of White Collar Crimes In America, Joseph P. Martinez

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

White collar crime is a serious issue in the United States of America, responsible for an estimated $250 billion to $1 trillion in economic damages each year. White collar crimes include: bank fraud, blackmail, bribery, counterfeiting, credit card fraud, embezzlement, extortion, forgery, insider trading, insurance fraud, investment schemes, securities fraud, tax evasion, advanced fee scams, service and repair scams, as well as Ponzi & pyramid schemes just to name a few.

There are a number of factors to consider regarding crimes, both street and white collar level including: the total cost of the damages and ripple effects that will reach …

Racial Residential Segregation And Social Control: A Panel Study Of The Variation In Police Strength Across U.S Cities, 1980–2010, Stephanie L. Kent, Jason T. Carmichael

Sociology & Criminology Faculty Publications

Despite a great deal of theoretical and empirical attention given to racial residential segregation and its influence on a number of social problems in the United States, few scholars have examined the role that this persistent form of racial inequality plays in shaping the magnitude of formal social control efforts. Our study examines this relationship by assessing the potential influence that the isolation of minorities may have on efforts to control crime in urban centers across the United States. Using a pooled time-series regression technique well suited for the analysis of aggregate, longitudinal data, we assess the potential influence of …

Bankster's Paradise: The Importance Of Discourse In Creating A Haven For Criminogenic Banks In The United States, Maria Jacqueline Bordt

Online Theses and Dissertations

This work examines the ways in which language can contribute to a cultural climate in which white-collar crime is no longer considered "deviant," but rather is considered part of a normally functioning political economy. The 2012 money laundering case involving HSBC is examined in conjunction with the rhetoric of popular financial counselor Dave Ramsey. This research seeks to define how language involving the accumulation of capital is equated with virtuousness, thus constructing a myth about the criminality inherent to "legitimate" capital enterprises.

From Community Policing And Crime Control To Security Policing And Citizen Control: Rural And Small-Town Policing In Post 9/11 America, Josh Yeager

Online Theses and Dissertations

Research is lacking on rural and small-town policing in the post 9/11 era. This is unfortunate in view of changing perceptions of threat and insecurity, the financial crisis of 2008 and curtailments placed on funding for rural and small-town police agencies. This thesis argues that the proliferation of homeland security resources and priorities has significantly shaped rural and small-town policing in recent years. Rural and small-town law enforcement agencies, often lagging behind in resources and funding as compared to their urban counterparts, have embraced homeland security agendas, priorities and technologies as a means of securing their financial goals and abilities. …

Trafficking In Child Labor In Ghana And Senegal, Steven Brandt

Annual Interdisciplinary Conference on Human Trafficking: 6th (2014)

The goal of this paper is to determine the efficacy of anti-trafficking governance in Senegal and Ghana and what social, political, legal and economic factors work for or against those policies such as: - social policies for and against the growth of the NGO community - enforcement of anti-trafficking laws - economic policies for impoverished urban and rural communities - government rehabilitation policies for minors - federal, state and local corruption - border security/immigration - religious and political freedom This research comprises a comprehensive literature analysis as to the current state of trafficking of minors in Ghana and Senegal. First …

I Remember Richelieu: Is Anything Secure Anymore?, Michael G. Crowley, Michael N. Johnstone

Australian Security and Intelligence Conference

Petraeus-gate, hacked nude celebrity photos in the cloud and the recent use of a search and seizure warrant in the United States of America to seek production of customer email contents on an extraterritorial server raises important issues for the supposably safe storage of data on the World Wide Web. Not only may there be nowhere to hide in cyberspace but nothing in cyberspace may be private. This paper explores the legal and technical issues raised by the these matters with emphasis on the courts decision “In the Matter of a Warrant to Search a Certain E-Mail Account Controlled and …

Understanding The Role Of Social Groups In Radicalisation, Kira Harris, Eyal Gringart, Deirdre Drake

Australian Security and Intelligence Conference

The inability to form psychological profiles of individual members across a variety of extremist groups, as well as the recognition in extremism and terrorism research indicates that no adequate personality profile exists. This requires an analysis of other factors that influence the radicalisation process. By drawing on social identity theory, this paper offers a psycho-social explanation for how people define themselves in relation to their social group, as well as how the intra-group relationships can lead to extreme behaviour and resistance to counter efforts. These groups promote a salient social identity that becomes intrinsic to the self to the extent …

7th Australian Security And Intelligence Conference, 2014, Edith Cowan University: Conference Details, Security Research Institute, Edith Cowan University, Security Research Institute, Edith Cowan University

Australian Security and Intelligence Conference

No abstract provided.

A Façade Of Normalcy: An Exploration Into The Serial Murderer's Duplicitous Lifestyle, Maryann Stone White

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

The crime of serial murder both fascinates and repulses a myriad of academic disciplines, law enforcement agencies, news media, and popular culture. Despite the vast attention the phenomenon of serial murder has received, serial murderers are poorly understood. The current study used an interdisciplinary approach, combining insights from criminology and psychology to explore what mechanism(s) allow serial murderers to maintain a seemingly normal existence, frequently maintaining personal relationships, steady employment, and reputable social networks.

The data were analyzed using a deductive approach guided by a set of research questions as well as an inductive approach, which allowed emergent themes and …

Contemporaneous And Lagged Effects Of Life Domains And Substance Use: A Test Of Agnew's General Theory Of Crime And Delinquency, Fawn T. Ngo, Raymond Paternoster

Criminology Sarasota Manatee Campus Faculty Publications

This study presents a partial test of Agnew’s general theory of crime and delinquency. Relying on a sample of adolescents and employing measures of the self, family, school, and peers domains, this study examines the contemporaneous and lagged effects of these four life domains on the likelihood of consuming alcohol and using marijuana. This study also assesses the contemporaneous and lagged effects of the life domain variables on themselves and on one another. Overall, the results lend support for Agnew’s general theory. The results also reveal several notable puzzles and underscore the complexity of this potentially important contemporary theoretical perspective.

The Impact Of Trial Evidence On Juror Decision-Making, Jeremy Shifton

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

It is widely accepted that a confession is one of the most incriminating piece of evidence that can be presented in a criminal case (Kassin & Neumann, 1997). However, little prior research has examined the impact of situational characteristics (e.g., length of interrogation, how recently suspect has slept, etc.) of the interrogation and resulting confession. While police tactics and personal characteristics are known to impact perceptions of the resulting confession, little is known about how aspects of an interrogation might impact the perceptions of jurors. In three studies, this dissertation seeks to determine how mock jurors' perceptions of evidence strength …

Receptivity Of Capital Jurors To Mitigating Factors Of Mental Illness, Intellectual Disability, And Situational Impairments In Death Penalty Decisions : The Capital Trial Analyzed As A Mitigating "Weight And Counterweight" To Premature Decisions And Pro-Death Bias, Leona Deborah Jochnowitz

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This research presents aspects of juror receptivity to mitigating factors of mental, cognitive/intellectual and situational impairments in capital sentencing decisions. The study examined types of mental factors, as well as the gender of defendants, the aggravating nature of the crime and victim vulnerability. An exploratory cross-tabulation analysis evaluated the percentages and relationships between juror closed-ended CJP survey responses to mental sentencing factors and mental evidence presented at trial for 38 cases. While the sample size was too small in some cells for significance testing, the percentages demonstrated patterns. A detailed qualitative analysis of 12 cases with strong evidence of mental …

We Can Work It Out : The Hidden Role Of The Workplace In Shaping Urban Crime Control, Chris E. Rees

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Ethnoracial minorities have rapidly integrated into American workplaces over the last half-century, yet little research has examined the effects of this integration on wider social processes. Drawing from minority threat theory and the contact hypothesis, this thesis examines the impact of workplace segregation on metropolitan levels of police force size during the year 2010. Findings indicate that, net of controls, workplace segregation is associated with higher levels of police forces size. Moreover these effects are a stronger predictor of police forces than residential segregation. The thesis concludes with a relevant discussion on the research and policy implications of these findings.

Criminal Behavior In The Life Course : The Sex Difference And The Role Of Childbirth In The Desistance Process, Siyu Liu

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

My dissertation demonstrates sex differences in offending over the life course with a flexible model on the age-crime curve using a longitudinal dataset, and examines the causal role of childbirth in the process of desistance for both sexes.

Correctional Group Quarters, Neighborhood Crime And Property Values, Kelly Mcgeever

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The primary aims of this dissertation are to examine the association between correctional group quarters and crime rates and the effect of correctional group quarters on property values in urban neighborhoods. There has been a surprising lack of examination of these relationships, especially since community residents' anticipated fears of correctional facilities have been well documented. The few studies that have considered correctional facilities, crime, and property values have generally focused on one rural location and almost exclusively evaluate state prisons without consideration to the range of correctional facilities. Broken windows theory and `Not in My Backyard' literature are used to …

Family Structure And Juvenile Delinquency : An Examination Of Inter-Individual Difference And Intra-Individual Variability, Qing Wei

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Although a wealth of research in criminology identifies that family structure variables are critical in understanding adolescent and young adult involvement in delinquency and crime, family structure has been treated as static variables in most of the studies and the relationship between family structure and juvenile delinquency is often tested cross-sectionally. However, a full understanding on the role of family structure requires an examination of impacts of both the state and the change of family structure on adolescent behavior. It also requires an examination of both the short-term and the long-term impact of family transition on children's behavior.

On The Island : Marginalized Residents Of A Single Room Occupancy Motel, Christopher Philip Dum

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

One consequence of the punitive turn in criminal justice policy has been an increase in residential instability among previously incarcerated individuals. For registered sex offenders in particular, residence restriction laws severely limit housing options. Many formerly incarcerated individuals find difficulties securing employment, which limits their ability to afford a stable residence.

The Role Of Immigrant Assimilation And Segregation In Explaining The Effect Of Immigration Size On Neighborhood Crime, Ilir Disha

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The Role of Immigrant Assimilation and Segregation in Explaining the Effect of Immigration Size on Neighborhood Crime

The Sex Ratio, Gender Equality, And Women's Victimization : A Cross-National Analysis, Laura M. Demarco

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The relationship between the sex ratio and crime is underdeveloped in the criminological literature, particularly regarding the victimization of women. Much of the existing work draws on theorizing by Guttentag and Secord (1983) on the interpersonal dynamics related to dyadic power. In this line of research, the characteristics of structural power are largely taken for granted. Drawing on literature about gender inequality and women's victimization, this study recasts Guttentag and Secord's notion of structural power as a continuous measure of gender equality. I examine the effect of the sex ratio on women's victimization, and evaluate if that effect is contingent …

Crime And Natural Resource Booms: Evidence From Unconventional Natural Gas Production, Timothy M. Komarek

Economics Faculty Publications

The USA has experienced a sudden expansion of oil and natural gas production due to the combination of hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling. The energy extraction boom has had many localized impacts, most notably in areas with substantial shale gas reserves. This paper exploits a natural experiment in the Marcellus region to examine one channel of the so-called resource curse, the effect of resource extraction on local crime. The results show that areas experiencing a natural gas extraction boom suffer an increase in overall violent crimes, while property crimes remain similar to non-boom areas. Furthermore, the violent crime increase appears …

Analyzing The Influence Of Micro-Level Factors On Cctv Camera Effect., Eric L. Piza, Joel M. Caplan, Leslie W. Kennedy

Publications and Research

Objectives Despite the popularity of closed circuit television (CCTV), evidence of its crime prevention capabilities is inconclusive. Research has largely reported CCTV effect as ‘‘mixed’’ without explaining this variance. The current study contributes to the literature by testing the influence of several micro-level factors on changes in crime levels within CCTV areas of Newark, NJ.

Methods Viewsheds, denoting the line-of-sight of CCTV cameras, were units of analysis (N = 117). Location quotients, controlling for viewshed size and control-area crime incidence, measured changes in the levels of six crime categories, from the pre-installation period to the post-installation period. Ordinary least squares …

Determinants Of Crime In Chicago, Ross Olson

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This paper addresses occurrences of violent crime and their determinants in the city of Chicago using data collected at daily intervals for a period of two years. The economics of crime, in particular the price that crime imposes on society, is briefly explored along with a discussion of general policy techniques that aim to reduce the occurrence of violent crime. The empirical analysis addresses temperature, holidays (both official federal holidays and informal "party" holidays), weekends, unemployment rate, and seasonal trends. Relationships are examined between these variables and total crime, as well as with each component of violent crime: aggravated assault, …

President's Message, Brian Payne

Sociology & Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

The article describes the author's experience regarding the 2014 Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS) Meeting held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The author recognized the participation and efforts of ACJS members in making the event a success, including Christine N. Famega, Nicky Piquero, and Jim Frank.

Spare The Rod, Endanger The Child? Strain, Race/Ethnicity, And Serious Delinquency, Ryan E. Spohn

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

General strain theory has evolved into a comprehensive theory of delinquency by incorporating factors that condition the relationship between strain and delinquency as well as acknowledging the subjective nature of strain. This study advances general strain theory by examining the conditioning role of race and the manner in which race influences the subjective experience of strain. Examining a nationally representative sample of adolescents, this study finds that ethnic minorities generally experience greater strain. However, the effect of strain is not consistently more criminogenic for ethnic minorities. Our research suggests that the impact of strain on delinquency is conditioned by the …

Diversion In Nebraska: Fy 2012/2013, Amy Hoffman, Anne M. Hobbs

Reports

Among the many initiatives created with the passage of LB 561, the position of the Juvenile Diversion Program Administrator was established within the Nebraska Crime Commission. The Diversion Administrator is tasked with assisting in creating and maintaining juvenile pretrial diversion programs to divert juveniles away from the judicial system and into community-based services. That process includes creating a statewide steering committee to assist in regular strategic planning related to supporting, funding, monitoring, and evaluating the effectiveness of plans and programs receiving funds from the Community-Based Juvenile Services Aid Program, as well as provide best practice recommendation guidelines and procedures used …

Commercial Sexual Exploitation Of Teens, Tamieka Meadows, Alexis Kennedy

McNair Poster Presentations

This research explores whether commercially sexually exploited children (CSEC) abuse drugs or face greater histories of abuse than their delinquent peers. This research will evaluate whether girls who are CSEC victims experience more abuse of drugs or experience more physical, emotional, or sexual abuse. The study also explores whether CSEC victims witnessed more abuse than non-CSEC victims. A survey of needs and issues facing delinquent girls was given to 130 girls between the ages of 13 to 18. Questions asked about their drug use, abuse history, and whether they witnessed abuse. This research found that many girls who are CSEC …

Captive For Life: Conserving Extinct In The Wild Species Through Ex Situ Breeding, Irus Braverman

Contributions to Books

Published as Chapter 12 in The Ethics of Captivity, Lori Gruen, ed.

Are there “fates worse than death,” to use Kurt Vonnegut’s title? Is captivity one such fate? Captive for Life examines these questions through the lens of conservation biology’s ex situ models of captive management — and captive breeding in particular — for wild animals, and especially for species that have been designated as Critically Endangered or as Extinct in the Wild. Drawing on interviews with leading conservation biologists, the chapter describes the erosion of the distinctions between species management in captivity and in wild nature, often referred to …