Criminology Commons^™

Public-School Systems Are Criminalizing Our Young People: Giving Voice To The Marganilized, Carrie Stoltzfus

Graduate Theses & Dissertations

A phenomenological qualitative study using Critical Race Theory and counter-storytelling was completed to investigate what K-12 public schools should be doing to keep young people out of the school-to-prison pipeline (STPP). This study took place in a large city in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Interviews were completed with former students of the researcher who were previously incarcerated, educational professionals, and justice system professionals. Additionally, observations of the court systems and document reviews were completed in order to triangulate findings. Themes emerged around factors that lead to incarceration and the preferred practices to support young people to avoid …

The Martin Institute Prints, Spring 2020, Stonehill College: The Martin Institute For Law And Society

The Martin Institute: Prints

No abstract provided.

Locked Up And Locked Out: True Stories Of Individuals Who Experienced The Intersection Between Homelessness And The Criminal Justice System, Jean Johnson

Senior Honors Projects

JEAN JOHNSON (Criminology & Criminal Justice)

Locked Up and Locked Out: True Stories of the Interlocking Cycle of

Homelessness and the Criminal Justice System

Sponsor: Jill Doerner (Criminology & Criminal Justice, Sociology & Anthropology), Heather Johnson (Writing & Rhetoric)

Key locks work when a key made with teeth is placed into a cylinder with a series of pins and tumblers. If you don’t insert the right key one or more of the pins will remain in the way, preventing the key from turning and the lock will remain closed. According to the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, tens of …

30 Years Of Deadly Hate And Bias Crimes, Jeff Gruenewald, Katie Ratcliff, Taylor June, Grayson Goyer, Haley Pyle

Research Projects

The Bias Homicide Database (BHDB) is an open-source, relational database housed in the Terrorism Research Center (TRC), which is located in the J.W. Fulbright college of Arts and Sciences at the University of Arkansas. Created in 2003, the TRC harnesses science and data analytics to promote safer communities, inform evidence-based policies, and train the next generation of law enforcement and intelligence professionals. The TRC also hosts the Crime and Security Data Analytics Lab.

This brief was prepared by Terrorism Research Center (TRC) staff. The TRC is a non-profit, nonpartisan research organization.

Non-Traditional Church Involvement As A Life-Course Turning Point: Qualitative Interviews With Religious Offenders, William Hunter Holt

Dissertations

This research project conducted and then analyzed qualitative interviews from former and current addicts and criminal offenders who are voluntarily participating in the Christian faith at the same non-traditional, Protestant church. An abridged case study of this church is also provided for background and context. Life-course theory and grounded theory are utilized.

Both the offenders and this church were chosen in an attempt to better understand how the offenders’ involvement at this house of worship, along with their faith in general, have impacted them. Obtaining the perspectives of the offender is essential for three reasons. First, qualitative research conducted in …

An Analysis Of Police Pursuits In Ct During 2019, Erica Boccuzzi

CJ Masters Theses

Police pursuits can occur at any time, any location and can have numerous outcomes. There is past research on this topic which has been compared to this current study. The purpose of this research project is to analyze pre-existing data alongside the data collected by the researcher. The goal of this project serves to study every aspect of a police pursuit as provided through a mandatory pursuit form. In specific, the research was collected from different departments within the state of Connecticut during the 2019 calendar year. The pursuit form includes crucial information which can provide insight regarding pursuits in …

Solitary Confinement As Protective Custody, Arielle Lacroix

Senior Honors Projects

No abstract provided.

Are Police Actions Towards African Americans Different From Other Races?, Colby King

Political Science Theses and Capstones

Research implies that African Americans and other minorities experience racial disparities in their encounters with police. Their white counterparts tend to not experience any racially driven disparity. Oftentimes this research does not use different characteristics while testing for racial disparity, leaving much more to be explored when researching police encounters among minorities. I will be using data from the United States Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics to test some of these characteristics. This study will test demographics regarding the citizens race and gender, as well as the nature of their police encounters. Using these demographics, we can find …

Does Imprisonment Have An Effect On Crime Rates?, Diana E. Mendez

Student Publications

Since the 1790s, prisons in the United States were built with the means of reducing crime rates through the usage of incapacitation, deterrence, and rehabilitation. However, while it may seem intuitive to assume that higher incarceration rates yield lower crime rates, it is not regularly the case. Using the 2016 States dataset, I examine the effects of incarceration rates and its influence on crime rates in the United States; I suggest that states with higher incarceration rates will have higher crime rates than states with lower incarceration rates. Therefore, the evidence concludes states with high incarceration rates generate higher rates …

Cannabis And Its Historical Role In America’S Intentional Segregation Of Race, William E. Kelley

Student Publications

One of the more dramatic shifts in attitudes towards a particular trend or culture we have seen during the turn of the century is none other than attitudes towards marijuana. The Cannabis plant, commonly known as marijuana, has been illegal in the United States for a while now. In the past ten years, we have seen an influx of states and countries relaxing their attitudes towards marijuana, and it's potential benefits. While this shift in attitude towards a relatively harmless drug is a step in the right direction, many are unaware of the sinister and racist history behind outlawing the …

Safe Consumption Sites And The Perverse Dynamics Of Federalism In The Aftermath Of The War On Drugs, Deborah Ahrens

Dickinson Law Review (2017-Present)

In this Article, I explore the complicated regulatory and federalism issues posed by creating safe consumption sites for drug users—an effort which would regulate drugs through use of a public health paradigm. This Article details the difficulties that localities pursuing such sites and other non-criminal-law responses have faced as a result of both federal and state interference. It contrasts those difficulties with the carte blanche local and state officials typically receive from federal regulators when creatively adopting new punitive policies to combat drugs. In so doing, this Article identifies systemic asymmetries of federalism that threaten drug policy reform. While traditional …

Over-Medicalization And Criminalization Of Birth In The United States: Exploring The Outcomes, Meg Wallace 20

Honor Scholar Theses

This paper will examine the effects that over-medicalization and criminalization have had on the state of giving birth in the United States. It will attempt to offer insight on why the United States ranks near the bottom of countries that are considered “developed” in maternal mortality rates and infant mortality rates, despite spending the highest percentage of gross national product on health care. The paper will analyze: the history behind the medicalization of birth in the United States, different methods of over-medicalization, the impacts of unnecessary medical interventions, different incentives driving medicalization, the history of criminalization of pregnant women, the …

Domestic Violence: A Comparative Analysis Of Legal Statues In The United States (New York) And The Republic Of India (Mumbai), Lenard G. Gomes Esq.

Student Theses

Domestic violence has continued to be a major global issue effecting many if not all countries in the world. The form domestic violence can take varies from country to country. Laws protecting women from domestic violence also differs as a result This research examines how cultural differences impact domestic violence legislations in the United States and the Republic of India. India was chosen as a comparison jurisdiction because of differing demographics and possible variables in that country.

The primary data source for this study were the numerous enacted legislations pertaining to domestic violence that form the legislative landscape on domestic …

Effects Of Religion On Crime In Hampton Roads, Alaina Yvonne Bierdz

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

The influence of religion in society has been debated for hundreds of years. Renowned scholars like Max Weber and Émile Durkheim formed frameworks in which to study the relationship between religion and crime. The frameworks are based on the idea that religion promotes desirable behavior in society, while also controlling undesirable behavior. Although religion can be studied across many disciplines, this report examines the relationship between religion and crime. More specifically, the impact of religion on crime in the Hampton Roads area in Virginia. It has been thought that religiosity decreases crime. Using social bond theory as the theoretical perspective, …

Police Sexual Violence: A Few Bad Apples Or A Cultural Norm?, Philip M. Stinson, John Liederbach, Robert W. Taylor, Chloe Wentzlof, Natalie M. Wise, Bethany R. Sager, Marta Bettinelli

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Approximately 1,600 police officers across the United States were arrested for sex-related crimes during the ten year period 2005-2014. The arrested officers were employed by more than 1,100 state and local law enforcement agencies located in all fifty states and the District of Columbia. These data suggest that police sexual violence is a problem involving more than a few “bad apples” and that the phenomenon of police sexual violence may be a cultural norm within many state and local law enforcement agencies.

This presentation was accepted for presentation at the annual meeting of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences in …

“But I’M Standing Inside Right Now And I Need Help”: Security Projects And The Perceptions Of Campus Security, Andrea Corradi, Carrie B. Sanders, James Popham

Qualitative Criminology (QC)

"Acts of violence at institutions of higher education have been heavily publicized, leading security on post-secondary campuses to become a hotbed issue in the media and in the daily lives of those who attend them. With extensive media coverage of events such as the attack on Jeanne Clery, and the mass shootings at Northern Illinois University, Dawson College, and Virginia Tech, many post-secondary schools are working to enhance their security practices. The present study uses Valverde’s (2001; 2008; 2009; 2010; 2011; 2014) security projects framework to examine the lived experiences of security measures on a Canadian urban-integrated campus. Through semi-structured …

Public Opinion Of The Police In 1930s America: A Qualitative Historiographical Study, Willard M. Oliver

Qualitative Criminology (QC)

"Public opinion polls largely developed post-WWII and questions about the police did not appear until the late 1960s. Since then, over 100+ studies have assessed the modern-day public opinion of the police, but none have looked to public opinion from an earlier time period. This study uses a qualitative historiographical approach for assessing public opinion of the police in the 1930s by drawing on the primary source of a letter exchange between two of that eras greatest pulp writers: Robert E. Howard and H.P. Lovecraft. Findings suggest similarities between the 1930s and present day public opinion of the police."

Jennifer E. Cobbina, Hands Up, Don't Shoot, Joshua R. Ruffin

Qualitative Criminology (QC)

"Issues surrounding police use of excessive force continue to be a longstanding debate in the field of Criminal Justice. In the timely boots-on-the-ground work, Hands Up, Don't Shoot, Jennifer Cobbina amplifies the voices of Ferguson and Baltimore protestors by conducting indepth interviews with residents as it relates to their everyday experience with the police. In Hands Up, Don’t Shoot, Cobbina takes an “and” instead of an “or” approach in understanding the experiences often faced by residents of different intersecting identities in these communities. Further, Cobbina provides readers the opportunity to learn of the racialized experiences of these groups …

Out-Of-School Suspensions: Counter-Narratives From The Student Perspective, Karen Mcelrath, Lori Guevara, Zahra Shekarkhar, Joe M. Brown

Qualitative Criminology (QC)

"Out-of-school suspension (OSS) is a major disciplinary tool that has impacted large numbers of students in the United States. Most research into OSS has drawn exclusively on data collected from school records and other “official” sources, and this body of work has contributed to our understanding of suspension decisions by school officials. Considerably less is known about how students experience out-of-school suspensions. This line of inquiry is important because it captures the student voice and reveals a series of counter-narratives that offer alternative interpretations of students’ behaviors that lead to OSS. The aims of this study were twofold: 1) to …

“Everybody Loses:” Understanding Police Roles And Perceptions Of Domestic Violence Calls, Anjali Fulambarker

Qualitative Criminology (QC)

"To better understand police response to domestic violence, it is useful to consider the perspectives of officers themselves. Through exploratory, in-depth interviews and applying the lens of role theory, this study focuses on police officers’ perceptions of their role in responding to domestic violence, their perceptions of the effectiveness of their response, and challenges they face. Findings suggest that, for these participants, there is an overlap in the different roles they inhabit, as well as limitations and barriers to their response. These limitations and obstacles are a signal that officers may be experiencing role overload, which leads to their frustration …

Incapacitated Fatherhood: The Impact Of Mass Incarceration On Black Father Identity, Dara Lewis, Philip Young P. Hong

Qualitative Criminology (QC)

"Despite the growing body of literature detailing the disproportionate social consequences of mass incarceration to black men, many of whom are fathers, insufficient attention has been given to the extent of damage on fatherhood and father identity in particular. This article examines the consequences of mass incarceration on father identity and the performance of fatherhood among a group of black men. Drawing from rich qualitative data, the study uses the lived experiences and perceptions of a group of formerly incarcerated black fathers. This research found that the incarceration experience significantly disrupted the performance of fatherhood among this group of men …

Tasseli Mckay, Megan Comfort, Christine Lindquist, & Anupa Bir, Holding On: Family And Fatherhood During Incarceration And Reentry, Danielle L. Haverkate

Qualitative Criminology (QC)

"The impact of incarceration on families has received increased focus over the past 20 years. The bulk of examinations have narrowed in on the impact of parental incarceration on children (see Wakefield & Wildeman, 2013), the impact of incarceration on parenting (see Hairston, 2002), and the impacts of incarceration on the partners of those incarcerated (see Roy & Dyson, 2005; Turney, 2015). All of this suggests that family functioning is disrupted during periods of incarceration. Despite this, a large proportion of the literature on family relationships during and after prison focuses on incarcerated mothers (see Ferraro & Moe, 2003; Enos, …

What’S After Good?: The Burden Of Post-Incarceration Life, Quintin Williams, Cesraéa Rumpf

Qualitative Criminology (QC)

"In the current era of mass incarceration, an increasing number of people face the challenge of transitioning from prison to society. Researchers of post-incarceration life have produced a detailed account of the collateral consequences of incarceration, noting the numerous barriers people must overcome as they try to return to society. In this paper, we show how stigma continues to be a structuring force in the lives of the formerly incarcerated. We develop the concept of the burden of post-incarceration life, meaning the structural constraints formerly incarcerated people face and the constant work they undertake to demonstrate and attempt to …

Letter From The Outgoing Editor, Lynne Vieraitis

Qualitative Criminology (QC)

"Welcome to the first issue of Volume 9 of the Journal of Qualitative Criminal Justice & Criminology, and my last issue as editor. I am happy to hand over the position to Scott Jacques from Georgia State University, who has a solid record as a qualitative researcher. The journal is in excellent hands, and I wish Scott and his editorial team the best as they continue to advance the journal and qualitative research."

Explaining The Body-Worn Camera Perspective Bias, Rémi Boivin, Camille Faubert, Annie Gendron, Bruno Poulin

Qualitative Criminology (QC)

"Body-worn cameras (BWCs) can be used to provide video evidence that is expected to help settle cases quickly. The present study explores the assumption that everyone who watches a recorded intervention will have the same understanding of the images. Focus groups were conducted with different people: citizens from the general population, in-training police candidates and cadets, as well as experienced police officers. The aim was to provide insights into how a potential BWC perspective bias affects attitudes towards use of force incidents. Results suggest that the bias has more effect on those without actual experience of police work. In particular, …

“A Victim Is A Victim:” Lgbt Blindness Among Victim Assistance Workers, Michael C. Lasala, James P. Fedor

Qualitative Criminology (QC)

"LGBT crime victims underutilize victim assistance services because they fear secondary victimization by homophobic and insensitive workers and organizations. However, assessment of the perceptions and competence of those working with these populations is largely absent from the literature. To address this gap, we qualitatively investigated 83 victim assistance workers and administrators regarding their practices with LGBT victims. Overall, respondents believed that a victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity was irrelevant, which was well-meaning but potentially perpetuated a type of LGBT cultural blindness to the needs of these populations, not dissimilar to color blindness among some white service providers toward African …

“Driver’S License, Military Id, And Proof Of Registration And Insurance, Please”: Officer Discretion Surrounding Traffic Stops On An Air Force Installation, Steven L. Holman, Don Hummer

Qualitative Criminology (QC)

"Officer discretion is an oft-debated topic in American culture today. A plethora of research has been conducted on how local, county, and state law enforcement officers use their discretionary authority specific to enforcement of moving violations and the initiation of traffic stops, however to date, no such work has been conducted on a policing entity within the United States military. Through observational ride alongs and unstructured discussion with participants, this study breaks that barrier and assesses how one particular Air Force installation’s law enforcement officers exercise their authority."

“Sometimes I’M Just Wearing The Prosecutor Down”: An Exploratory Analysis Of Criminal Defense Attorneys In Plea Negotiations And Client Counseling, Jacqueline G. Lee, John W. Ropp

Qualitative Criminology (QC)

"As plea bargains have proliferated in the criminal justice system, scholars have been working to better understand their mechanics. There have been a few recent examinations of plea bargaining, but the literature lacks qualitative research that gives the defense sufficient attention. Using a sample of courtroom practitioners in one large, urban county, we examine defense attorney bargaining and client counseling tactics. Results demonstrate that defense attorneys use a variety of strategies for negotiation, including sharing humanizing information about their clients with the prosecutor and utilizing delay tactics. Results also suggest that attorneys counsel their clients about plea offers in varying …

Understanding The Motivations Of Citizens To Join A Community Posse Initiative: A Qualitative Analysis, Michael Mcskimming

Qualitative Criminology (QC)

"This qualitative study examines a community posse initiative initiated by the Clearfield County Sheriff’s Office in Pennsylvania in 2015. In this research, we aimed to understand the motivations of volunteers who joined the posse initiative and identify the factors that affect citizens’ decisions to contribute to a volunteer policing effort. To do this, we collected data through semi-structured interviews with posse members and also obtained official data from the Sheriff’s Office. The major findings suggest that participants were motivated to join the posse out of feelings of duty/attachment to the community, a desire to help law enforcement, and a heightened …

Person-Based Proactivity And Community Relations: Examining Police Perspectives In Troubled Times, Vaughn J. Crichlow, Ross Deuchar, Seth Wyatt Fallik

Qualitative Criminology (QC)

"Deadly encounters between police and Black men have led to public outrage and increasing scrutiny of law enforcement. In response, some law enforcement leaders have called for more proactive strategies in high-crime areas. While many have criticized oppressive examples of proactivity, such as stopquestion- and-frisk, others have suggested that proactive approaches could be more effective if tailored to the needs of racial and ethnic minority residents. In this qualitative study, we explore these issues using data collected from interviews and participant observation with police officers at a Southern Police Department located near several low-income ethnic minority neighborhoods. The aim of …