Criminology Commons^™

Federal Policy Has Failed To Protect Indigenous Women, Sheena Gilbert, Emily M. Wright, Tara Richards

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Crime Patterns In Bend, Oregon Over A Twenty-Year Period, Holly Schorr

University Honors Theses

Most of the public's understanding of crime is based on mainstream media coverage, which is often tainted by sensationalism and oversimplification. News coverage tends to focus on shorter-term trends that can exaggerate crime patterns and obscure important contextual details. Although there are large quantities of data that can be used to analyze crime over long periods of time and in great detail, long-term analyses are often overlooked due to the ever-present need for shorter-term analyses to inform local policies and policing strategies. In this report, we will utilize UCR and NIBRS data to analyze both the nature of individual offenses …

Institutional Indifference: Physical And Mental Health Challenges Of Pregnant Inmates, Menolly A. Hollabaugh

Honors Projects

The unprecedented rise in the US incarceration rate is well-documented. However, research into the historic increase in the prison population largely focuses on male prisoners. The dramatic increase in the rate of incarcerated females is often overlooked. This omission is important because women face unique challenges while incarcerated. One of the gendered differences, which affects women, physically and mentally, is pregnancy. This paper examines the current data available on the prevalence of pregnancy amongst female inmates, and data gaps and limitations. Pregnancy is distinctively difficult for incarcerated women as they navigate the stressors of the prison environment while receiving minimal …

Measuring Procedural Justice Policy Adherence During Use Of Force Events: The Body-Worn Camera As A Performance Monitoring Tool, Victoria A. Sytsma, Eric L. Piza, Vijay F. Chillar, Leigh S. Grossman

Publications and Research

This study capitalizes on a successful researcher–practitioner partnership to conduct a systematic social observation (SSO) of police body-worn camera (BWC) footage in Newark, NJ. To demonstrate the utility of BWCs as performance monitoring tools, we measure officer adherence to procedural justice standards throughout use of force events as mandated in the Newark Police Division’s updated policies pursuant to an ongoing federal consent decree. Overall, a slim majority of use of force events are procedurally just. However, results indicate several instances of policy noncompliance. Results are discussed, and policy recommendations related to procedural justice policy violations and BWCs for performance monitoring …

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) …

Understanding The Bounds Of Legitimacy: Weber’S Facets Of Legitimacy And The Police Empowerment Hypothesis, Kyle Mclean, Justin Nix

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Despite considerable evidence that police legitimacy results in beneficial outcomes like compliance, cooperation, and empowerment, scholars have yet to agree on how to define and operationalize legitimacy. Drawing on Max Weber’s facets of legitimacy, we developed and tested a measure of “traditional authority,” reflecting the possibility that some people legitimate the police more so based on tradition than normative concerns regarding fairness. Confirmatory factor analysis of survey data from a national sample of 701 US adults revealed that our traditional authority items loaded separately from items commonly used to capture feelings of trust, obligation to obey, and moral alignment. Furthermore, …

The Americanization Of Karen Refugee Youth: Exploring Attitudes Toward And Use Of Methamphetamine, Brooke N. Cooley, Lisa L. Sample, Karen Rolf, Julie D. Garman

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Drug use among refugee populations is a concerning trend in many urban American cities. For instance, Omaha, Nebraska is home to an estimated 7,000 refugees from Myanmar, with at least 75% of those being Karen refugees. The purpose of this paper is to explore methamphetamine use among Karen adolescents in Omaha and to examine whether Karen youth bring their drug use habits with them from refugee camps or if they learn about drugs from their American peers. Two focus groups of Karen youth and two focus groups of Karen parents were conducted to examine methamphetamine use among this population. Findings …

Reality Written For The Privileged Few: A Review Of Erased: The Impact Of Fosta-Sesta By Danielle Blunt And Ariel Wolf, Megan Lundstrom

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

No abstract provided.

How Did You Become A Police Officer? Entry-Related Motives And Concerns Of Women And Men In Policing, Samantha S. Clinkinbeard, Starr J. Solomon, Rachael M. Rief

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

As police agencies in the United States suffer declining applications and struggle to recruit women, the National Institute of Justice has identified workforce development as a priority research area. To recruit more effectively, we must understand what attracts people to policing and what deters them. We surveyed officers in two Midwestern police departments (n = 832) about entry motivations and concerns and examined gender differences. Serve/protect motivations were most important for men and women, though women rated the category significantly higher. Women and non-White officers rated legacy motives higher than did males and White officers. Women reported more concerns overall …

Children As Mischievous Spirits: Legitimizing Child Cruelty And Filicide In Contemporary Africa, Chima Agazue

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

The belief that certain humans are spiritual entities and the belief that some people are spiritually possessed can be found across histories and cultures. While these individuals are not always viewed in the negative or treated inhumanely, cases abound whereby degrading and inhumane treatments are meted out to some of them. In the African continent, certain groups of people, particularly children are linked to certain mischievous spirits due to their unusual appearance, aberrant behavior, disability, chronic illness, psychopathology or exceptional ability. Some are also suspected and consequently mistreated due to events surrounding their birth. Such children are known by different …

Compilation Of Mentoring Programs In San Diego And Imperial Counties, Nohelia Ramos, Caitlyn Lauchner, Andrew Blum

Kroc IPJ Research and Resources

This document compiles information on mentoring programs in San Diego and Imperial Counties. The goal is to provide a clear picture what mentoring programs are being implemented and to give basic information about those programs as of June 2021.

The purpose of the document is three-fold. First, as a deliverable under the Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative (PSN), it is designed to provide basic information to the US Attorney’s Office and others involved in the PSN on the range of mentoring programs that exist. Mentoring programs have proven to be an effective program strategy for producing a range of positive youth …

Victim Impact: The Manson Murders And The Rise Of The Victims’ Rights Movement, Merrill W. Steeg

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Religious Beliefs, Practices, And Social Networks On Rwandan Rescue Efforts During Genocide, Nicole Fox, Hollie Nyseth Brehm, John Gasana Gasasira

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

In April 1994, in one of the most Christian nations in Africa, genocidal violence erupted culminating in the deaths of upwards of one million people. While thousands participated in mass killings, others choose not to, and rescued persecuted individuals instead. Relying on 45 in-depth interviews with individuals who rescued others in Rwanda, we demonstrate that religion is tied to rescue efforts in at least three ways: 1) through the creation of cognitive safety nets that enabled high-risk actions; 2) through religious practices that isolated individuals from the social networks of those committing the violence; and 3) through religious social networks …

Systemic Racism In The United States, Ari Emilia Short

Libraries

This bibliography contains an annotated selection of articles and studies related to systemic racism in the United States of America, covering 21st-century racial inequities in criminal justice, housing, employment, voting, education, and healthcare. Given the contentious nature of this topic - whether and to what extent systemic racism exists in the United States - sources were selected for relative neutrality, authority, and quality of methodologies used. This piece is intended to assist leaders, educators, activists, and any who wish to become better informed about this topic, develop empathy toward impacted groups, and prepare to address institutional concerns related to diversity, …

Improving Mandatory Firearms Training For Law Enforcement: An Autoethnographic Analysis Of Illinois Law Enforcement Training, Casey Lafrance

Qualitative Criminology (QC)

"This study employs autoethnographic analysis of the author’s experiences in a mandatory police firearms training course in the United States. I first review relevant literature on firearms training as well as autoethnographic methodology. Afterward, I present my experiences and analyze them in the context of literature on police use of force, representative bureaucracy, and accountability. Based on this account, I offer suggestions for improving the course by integrating concepts from the literature on officer decision-making, community-police relations, and group dynamics. I conclude by recommending more course time be devoted to the decision to use force, rather than simple firearm proficiency."

An Examination Of Drug Court Clients’ Risky Behavior And Perceptions Following An Hiv Education Program, Latunja Sockwell

Theses and Dissertations

Drug courts were intended to allow non-violent drug offenders an alternative to imprisonment. Drug court programs have a focus on health as well as drug use, and HIV education is a required component of drug courts. Through a partnership with the AR Department of Health (ADH) and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, ADH was able to provide an HIV intervention conducted by certified trainers and counselors. Research is limited on HIV education, delivery, and outcomes in drug court settings. The purpose of this study is to examine whether using an outside entity to deliver HIV education should prove …

Hate Exhaustion, Emotional Support, And Desistance From White Supremacist Groups, April Celeste Gould

Qualitative Criminology (QC)

"This study examines how and why people join, participate in, and leave White supremacist terrorist (WST) groups. In-depth life history interviews and biographic timelines of former White supremacists in the United States and Canada were collected. Findings indicate that former members’ decisions to engage and desist from WST groups are greatly influenced by their experiences of emotional support—or lack thereof. Participants lacked emotional support prior to joining WST and the emotional support they received from group membership was toxic. Participants exited WST because they experienced hate exhaustion and were willing to sacrifice all or most of their emotional support to …

Why Does An Ex-Offender Reoffend?, Jacob Rybak

Symposium of Student Scholars

What leads an offender to go back to prison? This researcher has lived in the Georgia State prison system for 3.5 years. Using personal insights as well as analytics, this researcher analyzes Iowa state’s six-year data set tracking recidivism of released offenders and recommends changes to the prison system to address the analytical findings.

The Iowa recidivism data set includes the following information for all offenders: age group, type of release (parole vs different discharges), release year, original offense, and whether they recidivated. For the recidivating offenders, the data set includes the days to return to prison, the type of …

“She Is A Woman, She Is An Unbeliever—You Should Not Meet With Her”: An Ethnographic Account Of Accessing Sala, Kathrine Elmose Jørgensen, Henriette Frees Esholdt

Qualitative Criminology (QC)

"The Salafi-jihadist environment, which seeks to remain closed and clandestine, is extremely hard to access. Moreover, the milieu is gender segregated and hostile towards non-Muslims, even other Muslims who are not considered “real” Muslims. Depending on the researcher’s positionality this can either further complicate or facilitate accessing the milieu. Based on methodological experiences from ethnographic fieldwork (interviews and observations) in Denmark and Sweden, this article aims to unravel how researcher positionality influences different layers of access when investigating Salafi-jihadist environments. Acknowledging that gaining access is a continuous process throughout the entire research process, we specifically explore how our positions as …

A Criminological Analysis Of Notorious Serial Killers In The United States, Hannah E. Booth

Honors Thesis

Serial killing is a phenomenon that both fascinates and scares people. The United States has experienced several notorious serial killers that remain well-known, even years after their crimes. Serial killers are known for having many similar, but also many different traits. Ted Bundy, Dennis Rader, and Aileen Wuornos are some of America's deadliest serial killers, but each has backgrounds and traits that make them unique. This paper will provide an analysis of their psychopathic traits, and a model showing the significance of biological and environmental factors in their lives. Analyzing individual case studies for each killer will explain how their …

When Crime Moves Where Does It Go? Analyzing The Spatial Correlates Of Robbery Incidents When Crime Moves Where Does It Go? Analyzing The Spatial Correlates Of Robbery Incidents Displaced By A Place-Based Policing Interventiondisplaced By A Place-Based Policing Intervention, David N. Hatten, Eric L. Piza

Publications and Research

Objective:

Examine the place-based correlates of robbery incidents displaced by a foot-patrol intervention in Newark, NJ. We use constructs from Crime Pattern and Social Disorganization theories to test hypotheses concerned with associations between the structure of the environment and the displacement of crime.

Method:

Robbery incidents were spatially joined to street segments to study micro-level displacement processes. Predictor variables were operationalized using data from the Newark Police Department and Infogroup USA. Generalized Linear models tested associations between the characteristics of street segments and displaced robbery in the target area as compared to a control.

Results:

Environmental structure is important to …

A Look Into Wrongful Conviction Within The U.S. Justice System, Isabella T. Likos

The Downtown Review: An Interdisciplinary Journal Written and Peer-Reviewed by Mandel Honors College Students at Cleveland State University

The United States justice system has principles in place in order to prevent wrongful convictions such as the presumption of innocence and having to prove beyond a reasonable doubt. However, even with these principles in places there are times that people are wrongfully convicted. There are multiple reasons why wrongful conviction occur, including false confessions and erroneous eyewitness testimony. Wrongful conviction impacts not only the wrongfully convicted, but their family, friends, and the victims. While wrongful convictions do happen, there are steps that can be taken going forward that can help prevent them and exonerate the wrongfully convicted.

The Geographical Tendencies Of Serial Killers In The United States, Charlene Niles

Sociology and Criminology Undergraduate Honors Theses

Law enforcement agencies operate with the belief that serial murder occurs in geographical areas where groups engaging in high-risk lifestyles are prevalent. While such a conclusion does seem logical, it has never been challenged using empirical data. My thesis challenges this assumption through factual analysis. A literature review revealed what other researchers in the field estimate are the reasons behind a serial killer’s choice to operate in a given area. Research will be conducted by implementing data from the Radford/Florida Gulf Coast University Serial Killer Database and the United States Census Bureau to examine the geographical patterns of serial murder …

Understanding Aspiration And Education Towards Desistance From Offending: The Role Of Higher Education In Wales, Mark Jones, Debbie Jones

Journal of Prison Education and Reentry (2014-2023)

There has been a growing recognition of the value of education in facilitating desistance from offending. Yet, despite a determined push to “widen access” universities continue to be an unwelcoming place for those with a criminal record. To better understand the role of higher education in raising aspiration towards desistance, this paper draws on findings from a study in Swansea, Wales. Adopting a Pictorial Narrative approach the findings suggest that, whilst the participants identified potential benefits of attaining a higher education, those aspirations were outweighed by a distrust of the “institution” and a fear that the stigmatisation experienced through the …

Conducting Research In Indigenous Communities: Recommendations For Research Partnerships, Sheena Gilbert, Emily M. Wright, Raquel Deherrera, Tara Richards

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Before conducting research in an Indigenous community, a researcher, especially a non-Indigenous researcher, must recognize and acknowledge not only the historical impact research has had on Indigenous communities but the current impacts that arise when research is conducted in Indigenous communities. Specifically, one must consider settler colonialism and its continuing impact on Indigenous communities today. Professor of Indigenous Education Linda Tuhiwai Smith (2012) states: “The word itself, ‘research’, is probably one of the dirtiest words in the Indigenous world’s vocabulary”. Smith continues by linking research and Western imperialism and colonialism together, with research being a tool for imperialism and colonialism. …

Defining Intelligence Failure: A Puzzled Discourse, Gabriel Isaiah Koshinsky

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

A specter is haunting the U.S. Intelligence Community, and this specter is intelligence failure. Up to the present day the Intelligence Community (IC) continues to be mired with allegations of intelligence failure from the media, policymakers, academics, and practitioners alike. An initial review of literature shows a common definition of intelligence failure remains elusive and deficient. This study seeks to add to the scholarly discourse and benefit continued research around intelligence failure, through an attempt to produce a working definition through a systematic review of existing definitions. This study used a systematic review method to examine over 210 sources from …

Pandemic Emotions: The Extent, Correlates And Mental Health Consequences Of Personal And Altruistic Fear Of Covid-19, Melissa M. Sloan, Murat Haner, Amanda K. Graham, Francis T. Cullen, Justine T. Pickett, Cheryl L. Jonson

Criminal Justice & Criminology: Faculty Publications

COVID-19 has had unprecedented effects on populations around the world. Given the political context of the pandemic and the nation’s response to it, this study sought to assess the extent of Americans’ personal fear about the virus as well as their fear for others (altruistic fear), identify potential predictors of these fears, and examine the mental health impact of heightened COVID-19 fears. Overall, a majority of respondents worried about various aspects of the virus, from being exposed to dying, and reported often worrying about others, including family, the elderly, and healthcare professionals. Building on the fear of crime literature, we …

It’S Not All Aces: The Role Of Negative Parental Influences And Criminal Thinking In Juvenile Offending Behaviors, Branna Humphrey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The role of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and criminal thinking in causing criminal behavior has been explored extensively in criminal justice research. Based on the concepts of ACEs and the Psychological Inventory of Criminal Thinking Scale, the negative parental influences and criminal thinking styles of 1,354 juvenile offenders were examined to establish that negative parental influences and criminal thinking are separately associated with juvenile problem and offending behavior, and that criminal thinking mediates the relationship between negative parental influences and juvenile problem and offending behavior. Analyses showed support for criminal thinking as a pathway from negative parental influences to juvenile …

Extreme Far-Right Murder-Suicide Attacks In The U.S. And Germany: A Comparative Storyline Analysis, Hayden Lucas

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Despite increasing empirical research on suicide terrorism since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, prior studies have focused primarily on radical Islamic terrorism in non-Western contexts. As a result, less is known about how murder-suicide attacks committed by other ideological movements unfold, particularly the extreme far-right in North America and Europe. Researchers have begun to theorize the social and psychological processes believed to play a role in the radicalization of suicide terrorists. However, the observable, situational processes shaping radicalized individuals when planning, preparing for, and executing suicide terrorism remain underexplored. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to identify intervention points by …

Brown Moral Panic: Racism In The Trump Era, Carlos Vasquez

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study is to examine the language used by news media to report Trump’s anti-immigration rhetoric against Mexican immigrants, from the beginning of his presidential campaign to the El Paso Massacre on August 3rd, 2019. The study focuses on the latest moral panic in the United States against Mexican immigrants (2015 to 2019) using qualitative methods. The research examines how Trump’s racist anti-immigration rhetoric is depicted in news media categorized as neutral. The study focuses on the Associated Press (Neutral Center), New York Times (Neutral Left) and Reuters (Neutral Right).