Criminology Commons^™

Illegal Gambling And Its Operation Via The Darknet And Bitcoin: An Application Of Routine Activity Theory, Sinyong Choi, Kyung-Shick Choi, Yesim Sungu-Eryilmaz, Hee-Kyung Park

International Journal of Cybersecurity Intelligence & Cybercrime

The Darknet and Bitcoins have been widely utilized by those who wish to anonymously perform illegal activities in cyberspace. Restricted in many countries, gambling websites utilize Bitcoin payments that allow users to freely engage in illegal gambling activities with the absence of a formal capable guardian. Despite the urgency and limited knowledge available to law enforcement regarding this issue, few empirical studies have focused on illegal gambling websites. The current study attempts to examine the characteristics and operations of online gambling websites on both the Darknet and Surface Web, which allow Bitcoin payments. The findings suggest that both websites on …

An Empirical Study To Determine The Role Of File-System In Modification Of Hash Value, Kumarshankar Raychaudhuri, M. George Christopher

International Journal of Cybersecurity Intelligence & Cybercrime

In digital forensics, maintaining the integrity of digital exhibits is an essential aspect of the entire investigation and examination process, which is established using the technique of hashing. Lack of knowledge, while handling digital exhibits, might lead to unintentional alteration of computed hash, rendering the exhibit unacceptable in the court of Law. The hash value of a physical drive does not solely depend upon the data files present in it but also its file-system. Therefore, any change to the file-system might result in the change of the disk hash, even when the data files within it remain untouched. In this …

A Reverse Digital Divide: Comparing Information Security Behaviors Of Generation Y And Generation Z Adults, Scott M. Debb, Daniel R. Schaffer, Darlene G. Colson

International Journal of Cybersecurity Intelligence & Cybercrime

How individuals conceptualize their accountability related to digital technology. There may also be age-based vulnerabilities resulting from personal perceptions about the importance of engaging in best-practices. However, age may not be as critical as experience when it comes to implementation of these behaviors. Using the Cybersecurity Behaviors subscale of the Online Security Behaviors and Beliefs Questionnaire (OSBBQ), this study compared the self-reported cybersecurity attitudes and behaviors across college-aged individuals from Generation Y and Generation Z. Data were derived from a convenience sample of predominantly African-American and Caucasian respondents (N=593) recruited from two public universities in Virginia, USA. Four of the …

Book Review: The Cyber Risk Handbook By Domenic Antonucci, Stanley Mierzwa

International Journal of Cybersecurity Intelligence & Cybercrime

No abstract provided.

The Crime Control Effects Of A Police Sub-Station Within A Business-Improvement District: A Quasi-Experimental Synthetic Control Evaluation, Eric L. Piza, Andrew P. Wheeler, Nathan T. Connealy, Shun Q. Feng

Publications and Research

Research Summary:

The current study analyzes the crime reduction effect of a police sub-station operating within a business improvement district in Newark, NJ. Synthetic control methods were used to create a control group that was statistically equivalent to the cumulative street units in the target area. Significant reductions of burglary and motor vehicle theft were observed in the target area as compared to a synthetic control area over the post-intervention period. Robbery and theft from auto, conversely, suffered from spatial displacement. Of the six police actions included in the process evaluation, quality-of-life summonses and directed patrols increased in the post-intervention …

Why Do Some Terrorist Attacks Receive More Media Attention Than Others?, Erin M. Kearns, Allison E. Betus, Anthony F. Lemieux

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Terrorist attacks often dominate news coverage as reporters seek to provide the public with information. Yet, not all incidents receive equal attention. Why do some terrorist attacks receive more media coverage than others? We argue that perpetrator religion is the largest predictor of news coverage, while target type, being arrested, and fatalities will also impact coverage. We examined news coverage from LexisNexis Academic and CNN.com for all terrorist attacks in the United States between 2006 and 2015 (N=136). Controlling for target type, fatalities, and being arrested, attacks by Muslim perpetrators received, on average, 357% more coverage than other attacks. Our …

Parents As Pimps: Survivor Accounts Of Trafficking Of Children In The United States, Jody Raphael

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

This article discusses four survivor accounts of survivors of being sold for sexual exploitation by their parents for monetary gain. These narratives, supplemented by other accounts from 100 newspaper stories between 2012 and 2018, reveal the fact that many survivors were sold as very young children, and the abuse continued through their teen years, blurring distinctions between pedophilia and the sex trade industry. In their accounts, survivors described the motivations of their parents as well as the buyers, who used excessive force and violence. Some researchers are beginning to document the existence of parental pimping and its prevalence, which ranges …

Collective Healing: A Restorative Justice-Based Response To Sexual Abuse, Delene Bromirski

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

For much of the last 20 years, the United States has been at the center of the sexual abuse crisis within the Roman Catholic Church. Victim-survivors of clergy-perpetrated sexual abuse have long been waiting for the Church to acknowledge them and respond to their needs. This study sought to answer two important research questions: (1) whether restorative justice can be used to redress harms stemming from clergy-perpetrated sexual abuse and promote healing, and (2) whether there are common characteristics among victims who benefit from restorative events. The study employed a mixed-method research design consisting of both a quantitative and qualitative …

Investigations Of Fraud, Waste, Abuse, And Corruption In The Public Sector: A Survey Of Organizational And Software-Based Aids And Obstructions, Lawrence Kom

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Fraud, Waste, Abuse, and Corruption present significant challenges to the efficient use of public resources and stifle government service improvement by detracting from policy development and undercutting funding for important initiatives. The purpose of this study is to better understand the aids and impediments to investigations of these offenses and provide a generalizable definition for the mission of Inspectors General, the group tasked with monitoring and addressing these offenses. This study also sought to identify the material role of software in investigations of Fraud, Waste, Abuse, and Corruption. Through a purposive sampling, 18 Inspectors General from the federal, state, and …

Yalda, A Night For Forgiveness, John C. Lyden

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a film review of Yalda, A Night for Forgiveness (2019) directed by Massoud Bakhshi.

Into The Deep, Jodi Mcdavid

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a film review of Into the Deep (2020) directed by Emma Sullivan.

Why Do Officers Support Community Policing? A Cross-Departmental And Cross-Temporal Comparison, Mary Shupard, Erin M. Kearns

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Community policing is often seen as a way to repair fractured relationships between law enforcement and the public. Despite its relationship-building promise and widespread department-level adoption, individual officers show varying levels of support for community policing which can harm policy implementation. Why are some officers more supportive of community policing than others? Prior research suggests that demographic factors such as the officer's gender, race, age, and education can explain this variance. Across these studies, however, there are several contradicting or non-replicating findings. Conflicting findings may result from differences by department or differences in methodology or temporal variance – but most …

Revisiting Rural Crime: The Contributions Of Labor Markets And Interdependency, Kristina J. Thompson

Dissertations

Although rural communities – which are home to nearly 20 percent of the U.S. – have experienced disruptive labor market restructuring, few studies examine how such events influence rural crime. Moreover, general methodological approaches to rural crime treat rural places as isolated and unaffected by the broader labor market conditions around them, despite a growing body of sociological literature which suggests that urban and rural communities have varying degrees of interdependence. Drawing from urban crime theories emphasizing the importance of place and systemic relations, this dissertation explores how shifting labor market conditions and extra-local labor market opportunities influenced crime in …

Acue Certificate In Effective College Instruction Reflections, Zachary A. Powell

Q2S Enhancing Pedagogy

Pursuant to the university’s mission to enhance pedagogy for the upcoming Q2S transition, I decided to enroll in the Association of College and University Educators (ACUE) program to pursue a Certificate in Effective Teaching Practices. This program was offered through the Teaching Resource Center and entailed 25 online modules of 50-75 hours of online coursework. The program requires participants to implement lessons from the modules in the classroom, reflect upon the successes and challenges of implementation, and outline plans for future refinement.

Participation in the course focused on five content areas: Designing an Effective Course and Class, Establishing a Productive …

Understanding Prisoner Reentry: Public Perceptions Of Reentry Barriers Among College Students, Theresa D. Lee

2020 Symposium Posters

The United States has experienced an enormous rise and fall in crime rates, while incarceration rates have continued to soar. One of the many pressing concerns about the era of mass incarceration, especially in times where decriminalization of drug offenses occurs, communities are faced with increases in returning inmates and resources needed for successful reentry. This study is focused on community perceptions of college students toward barriers faced regarding incarceration, prisoner reentry, and improving recidivism rates in communities. Qualitative data are collected from interviews and focus groups conducted in an Inland Northwest community, to shed light on the community's perception …

Post-Military Service Coping Behaviors Of Student Veterans, Benjamin Wilson

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this paper was to examine the relationship between post-military service stress reactions and subsequent coping behaviors among military veterans at Eastern Michigan University (EMU). The analytical approach was based on Agnew’s general strain theory, which contends that individuals turn to unhealthy or illegitimate coping mechanisms to deal with pain, whether that be physical or psychological. Data was gathered in the form of a survey of student veterans using both dichotomous and Likert-scale questions designed to assess both their level of post-service stress and coping mechanisms with emphasis on identifying post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) type conditions. PTSD assessment …

Ua12/8 Annual Campus Safety & Security Report, Wku Police

WKU Administration Documents

This report is designed to provide students, potential students, parents, facility and staff with crime statistics and information on university services and crime prevention programs.

Is There A Difference Between Democrat And Republican States In The Percentage Of Male High School Students Who Carry Weapons On School Property?, Stephen Church, Wayne L. Davis

Lincoln Memorial University Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

Compared to other industrialized countries, America is a relatively violent country. The impact of violent crime on America’s youth is alarming and there is no clear solution. School violence is a serious problem that threatens American youth, and politicians are concerned about the high number of violent crimes committed by teens. However, Democrats and Republicans have very different policy platforms on dealing with violent crimes. On the one hand, Republicans support Stand-Your-Ground laws and believe that individuals have a right to protect themselves. On the other hand, Democrats oppose Stand-Your-Ground laws and believe the government is the best source for …

The Broad Scope And Variation Of Monetary Sanctions: Evidence From Eight States, Sarah Shannon, Beth Huebner, Alexes Harris, Karin Martin, Mary Patillo, Becky Pettit, Bryan Sykes, Christopher Uggen

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Works

Monetary sanctions have long been a part of the U.S. criminal justice system but have received increasing attention from the public as well as legal scholars and social science research in recent years. This essay describes initial findings from the Multi-State Study of Monetary Sanctions, a multi-method study designed to build on the prior research on legal financial obligations (LFOs) by examining the multi-tiered systems of monetary sanctions operating within eight states representing key regions of the United States (California, Georgia, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, Texas and Washington). Our research explores the constantly changing legal environment and documents how …

Revenue Policing, Social Control, And Neoliberalism, Nathaniel Graulich

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

A variety of studies have examined the role of economic structures in policing. These inquiries offer insight into revenue-based law enforcement activities but are simultaneously limited by blind spots in theorization. Reviewing these studies, it is apparent the criminal justice system can and is used to gain revenue for a multitude of public and private organizations. Furthermore, it is clear this is not a new phenomenon in the United States. Nor is the disparate impact of criminal justice activity on segments of U.S. society such as poor or homeless citizens, minority populations including black and latinx populations, and LGBTQ+ communities. …

An Elite Squad?: Intimate Partner Violence Myths In "Law & Order: Special Victim Unit", Katelyn Ahern

Capstone Showcase

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is a long-running fictional crime drama centering on “an elite squad” (NBCUniversal 2019) of detectives. While the show touts a progressive image, it has been previously found to victim-blame, stereotype, and contain rape myths (Brinson 1992; Rader and Rhineberger-Dunn 2010; Rader, Rhineerger-Dunn, and Vasquez 2016). For the present study, I examined how intimate partner violence (IPV) myths are represented in episodes of Law & Order: SVU. I conceptualized IPV myths for use in this study using Peter’s (2008) Domestic Violence Myth Scale. It was found that characters on SVU overwhelmingly support myths more often …

Framing Crime And Social Problems: How Students Perceive The Legality Of Digital Piracy, Jordan Henson

Online Theses and Dissertations

The current information age has seen a shift from analog product manufacturing to the production of intellectual property (e.g., software and digital media); property that is stolen at alarming rates. Much of the research concerning the modern phenomenon of digital piracy, as defined by Al-Rafee and Cronan (2006, p. 237) as “the illegal copying/downloading of copyrighted software and media files,” has stemmed from various fields, including business, ethics, marketing, and information systems. What is lacking in the literature is a notably criminal justice lens in which to view a controversial topic that is growing in popularity among the media and …

Hiding In Plain Sight: Ghosted Police Vehicles And The Perception Of Police Presence On College Campuses, Mackenzie Kibler

Online Theses and Dissertations

Previous research has shown that police presence, which involves visibility of law enforcement personnel, is often related to perceptions of individual safety and individual behavior. The purpose of this study was to explore perceptions of college students and campus law enforcement regarding visibility of and citizen/police interaction on Eastern Kentucky University’s campus. The first phase of this project was designed to measure student awareness and visibility of “ghosted” police vehicles, which are black with matte black markings on the doors and have few easily visible indicators of law enforcement vehicles, versus other police types of police vehicles on campus. The …

Navigating The Manosphere: An Examination Of The Incel Movements’ Attitudes Of Sexual Aggression And Violence Against Women, Albina Laskovtsov

Online Theses and Dissertations

There is a considerable and established literature on the topic of violence against women. Yet, there remains understudied areas of foci with lesser attention paid to its occurrence within online and digital contexts. Of particular interest is the networked misogyny and sexism of the online group that self-identifies as “involuntary celibates”, or “incels”. Drawing on data collected from online forums and chat rooms, the language and discourse of this particular group are analyzed through an integrated conceptual framework encompassing hegemonic masculinity, aggrieved entitlement, and patriarchy to better understand the prevalence and types of violence promoted by “incels”. Emerging themes revealed …

Author Biographical Notes, Mssj Staff

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

Reviewers And Referees, Mssj Staff

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

Volume 22, Full Contents, Mssj Staff

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

Legal Complexities Of The Sex Trafficking Of Minors, Christie Mccormick

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Among human rights abuses in modern society, the trafficking of women and children for labor, prostitution, and other forms of sexual exploitation is one of the greatest. While a large amount of time and financial support has gone into efforts to suppress trafficking and shelter its victims, there has not been enough done to tackle this problem. Before reaching the age of 18, it is predicted that 80% of adolescents in the United States will have traded money for sex. Many adolescent girls who have been trafficked in the commercial sex industries are subject to serious criminal penalties for prostitution-related …

Unh Students’ Attitudes Toward University Of New Hampshire Police, Angela R. Hurley

Honors Theses and Capstones

This study examines undergraduate students from the University of New Hampshire attitudes towards campus police, specifically how student experience with campus police affects their attitudes toward them. There were a total of 113 respondents from the University of New Hampshire that answered an online survey. The survey looked specifically at the relationship between students' experience and attitudes towards UNH police, hypothesizing that students who had perceived fair encounters with campus police would be more likely to contact them in an emergency and have more positive attitudes toward them . Multivariate analysis shows perceptions of witnessing an interaction and being approached …

When Life Gives You Diversity... : A History Of Racial Diversity And Conflict In Four Philadelphia Neighborhoods, 1960 - 2015, Jeaneé C. Miller

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The U.S. population has changed significantly since the 1950s, becoming markedly more racially diverse. Still, a large portion of America’s neighborhoods remain racially segregated – even in large, racially diverse cities, such as Philadelphia (Logan & Stults, 2011). As a result, there is a well-established body of research that has shown that residential segregation consistently produces negative effects for neighborhoods (Massey & Denton, 1993). In response, many scholars and policymakers have suggested that the most promising response to inequality due to segregation is racial residential integration (Denton, 2010; Ellen, 2000; Galster, 1992; Roisman, 2008). However, social science research has produced …