Criminology and Criminal Justice Commons^™

Hostage Negotiations In Lieu Of Armed Assault, William A. Merkle

Senior Theses

The failed attempt to rescue hostages during the 1972 Olympics in Munich Germany led to the unnecessary and terrible loss of lives of both hostages and captors. Ever since then, great efforts have been undertaken by law enforcement professionals and researchers to develop clear protocols to help insure the safety of all involved parties. Negotiations, one tactic among several, represents a non-violent alternative to armed assault that can be used to obtain the safe release of hostages and the capture of unharmed hostage takers. Drawing on my forty year career experience in California Corrections, this paper argues for the power …

Measuring The Level Of University Student Knowledge On The U.S. Drug Policy And Harms Associated With Illicit Drug Use: A Replication Study, Ashley E. Williams

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose of this thesis project is to measure the level of knowledge that university students have regarding state and national illicit drug classifications in the United States and associated penalties with these classifications, as well as the harms resulting from consuming illicit drugs. This particular study, which is to be conducted as a replication study to Higson’s campus-based study on the UK drug policy, focuses on a different campus population in regards to the U.S. drug policy. Replication studies such as these are beneficial to previous studies because such additional research will not only strengthen the findings and correct …

Intermittent White-Collar Offenders: Who They Are And How To Stop Them, Mark Edward Correia

Criminal Justice

This paper examines intermittent white-collar offenders. Intermittent offenders represent the most dangerous of white-collar offenders as they are criminally dormant for years at a time and commit deviant acts when the opportunity presents itself. It is for this reason that they are classified as “opportunity seekers.” This paper will discuss previous white-collar crime research and assert that white-collar offenders are predisposed to crime. In addition, a modern definition for white-collar crime will be introduced. Following the analysis of the intermittent white-collar offender characteristics, real-world applications on how to dissuade offenders from participating in white-collar crime will be discussed. The onus …

Predicting Solitary Confinement, Bryce Young Roby

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Abstract The rates of incarceration in the United States have steadily increased at an average rate of 3.4% per year since 1995, requiring the majority of federal and state institutions to function at or above capacity (Haun, 2007). This influx of adults entering correctional systems has placed increased pressure on prison officials to efficiently and effectively monitor inmate behavior as maintaining the safety and security of the correctional institution is most often the highest priority of correctional administrators (Cullen, Latessa, Burton, & Lombardo, 1993). One security measure commonly implemented to manage inmate violence and disturbances is solitary confinement. This study …

The Effectiveness Of An Evidenced-Based Decision Making Program In Criminal Justice Systems, Tashina Lorraine Keith

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Abstract The National Institute of Corrections selected the Yamhill County Department of Corrections to implement a new evidenced-based decision making program within their criminal justice system. As part of the new program, every individual who was arrested and placed on probation went through a case analysis assessment and had their treatment programs approved by a judge prior to sentencing. In this study 20 randomly selected individuals who received their treatment programming prior to sentencing were matched to 20 randomly selected individuals who received treatment programs post-sentencing. The hypothesis of this study was that those probationers in the pre-sentencing group who …

Racial Profiling : Using Propensity Score Matching To Examine Focal Concerns Theory., Anthony Gennaro Vito

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines traffic stops by the Louisville Police Department between January 1 and December 31, 2002 to see if racial profiling was evident. Focal concerns theory is tested as a theoretical explanation for racial profiling. The method of statistical analysis used is propensity score matching. The analysis examines all White and Black drivers, all White and Black male drivers, and all White and Black female drivers to see if there was evidence of racial profiling by the Louisville Police Department.

Sex Offenses At Protestant Christian Churches : A Typology And Examination Using Social Disorganization Theory., Andrew Stephen Denney

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The focus of this study is two-fold. First, using data obtained via content analyses of published news articles, this study examines sexual offenses that have occurred at or through activities provided by Protestant Christian churches in the US. Drawing upon 326 identified cases spanning from 1999 until 2014, this study aims to explore common offense, offender, and victim characteristics of sex offenses that occur at these locations. Moreover, this study aims to create a typology of offenders and victims at or through activities provided by Protestant Christian churches. Second, using the data from the content analyses and social disorganization measures …

Imagining The Unimaginable: Torture And The Criminal Law, Francesca Laguardia

Department of Justice Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

This article examines the use of torture by the U.S. government in the context of the late 20th-century preventive turn in criminal justice. Challenging the assumption that the use of “enhanced interrogation tactics” in the war on terror was an exceptional deviation from accepted norms, this article suggests that this deviation began decades before the terror attacks, in the context of conventional criminal procedure. I point to the use of the “ticking time bomb hypothetical,” and its connection to criminal procedure’s “kidnapping hypothetical.” Using case law and criminal procedure textbooks I trace the employment of that narrative over several decades, …

Knocking On The Door : Police Decision Points In Executing Search Warrants., Brian Patrick Schaefer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research indicates that search warrants raids increased during the 1990s and continue to be a common enforcement tool for law enforcement. The extant literature does not provide a detailed understanding of why police departments are increasingly using search warrants and in particular why plainclothes detectives are conducting these raids at a higher rate. Furthermore, the research does not provide an understanding for how search warrants are secured and executed by police departments. This research examines the social constructions detectives use to justify and carry out the various stages of the search warrant process. Ethnographic research was used to observe 73 …

Capital? Child Rape : Does Public Opinion Support The Use Of The Death Penalty On Child Rapists?, Charlene Kaye Chudacoff 1987-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For many years scholars have quested to determine public support for the death penalty while achieving varying degrees of accuracy. Some studies have asked respondents to rate their level of agreement with the imposition of the death penalty for the crime of murder while others simply ask respondents if they agree with the use of the death penalty at all. The purpose of this thesis is to challenge oversimplification of death penalty polls while testing citizens’ willingness to impose the death penalty for the crime of child rape. Two surveys were administered, one survey with statements of five different crimes …

Police Response To Children Present At Domestic Violence Incidents, Danielle Darlene Swerin

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Police response to domestic violence incidents has continued to change and expand in the past several decades. Although domestic violence was originally considered a private matter not warranting police intervention, it now represents one of the most common calls for service received by police agencies. While police intervention in domestic violence incidents has improved substantially, response to children present remains an undeveloped area of research and practice. The present study examined 345 police reports from an agency in the Northwest in order to explore police response to domestic violence incidents and specifically their response to children. Similar to results from …

An Ethnographic Study Of Scrappers And Metal Thieves., Benjamin Fred Stickle

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Metal theft is a crime that has significantly affected the U.S. in the last decade causing millions of dollars of damages and losses. However, little is known about its prevalence and harms to society. Moreover, even less is known about the individuals who are involved in metal theft. This lack of knowledge has hampered the ability of law enforcement, governments and individuals to prevent metal theft. The present study provides the first known qualitative examination of scrappers and metal thieves. Qualitative data is derived from participant observation and unstructured interviews with scrappers as well as metal thieves. The goals are …

Support Partners Of Registered Sex Offenders : Exploring Their Experiences, Identities, And Perceptions., David Patrick Connor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Although it is widely recognized that many convicted criminal offenders experience considerable setbacks in communities that make their lives more arduous, registered sex offenders (RSOs) who live in American society arguably face more challenging impediments. As a result, ensuring their access to social support is especially salient. The notion that social support is particularly relevant to RSOs is perhaps best manifested through a common feature of community-based sex offender treatment programs, where participating RSOs are obligated to forge social relationships with primary support partners. These individuals are an important population to examine, as they purportedly play important roles with respect …

Judges' Perceptions Of Sex Offender Registration, Community Notification, And Residency Restrictions., Lauren Nicole Lennon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There is a meager amount of literature available on how criminal justice system actors perceive the range of sex offender registration and community notification (SORN) policies and their effectiveness, as well as sex offenders themselves. To date, only one study has been done on judges regarding their attitudes toward sexual offenders by Bumby and Maddox (1999). However, a study has not been completed in regard to judges’ perceptions of SORN and its efficacy in addition to their views on residency restrictions. The following study tries to expand the literature available and examines the perceptions of judges concerning SORN, residency restrictions, …

The Impact Of Victimization On The Disabled., Derek James Allen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

To date victimizations amongst the disabled has been researched, but the literature tends to group these victimizations amongst disabled as a whole. This research is also limited for this particular population and this review tries to outline, expand, and attempts to explain improvements for research by identifying the disabled into specific groups rather than all as one group. For example, individualizing policies and research for the blind specifically or any disability in an individualized approach. In the following an intensive online search of literature regarding different victimizations rates, types of disabilities and correlative victimizations, and the relationship these disabled individuals …

Assessing Victim Blame: Intersections Of Rape Victim Race, Gender, And Ethnicity, Kirsten A. Piatak

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The current study sought to assess the impact of the race, gender, and ethnicity of rape victims on college students’ propensity to assign culpability to victims. Using a sample of college students (n=279) from a mid-sized Southeastern university, respondents were given a set of six different vignettes, varying only by victim characteristics. These vignettes featured alcohol-facilitated sexual assault between acquaintances, a common occurrence in college environments. Respondents were asked to evaluate the culpability of the victim through a blameworthiness scale. Through the incorporation of the Illinois Rape Myth Acceptance Scale, this study also measured the respondents’ propensity to assign blame …

Prison Privatization: Driving Influences And Performance Evaluation, Carla Schultz

Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science

United States conservatism and neoliberalism have created a market for prison privatization. The business of making money from incarcerated bodies is in direct conflict with the goals of the justice system. Driving economic and political forces are examined and used to explain the rising prison-industrial complex. Private prison performance is measured by recidivism, cost, inmate rights, and quality of confinement. This paper suggests that prison privatization must be reformed or abolished to improve the corrections system in the United States.

The Role Of Lifestyles And Routine Activities On Youth Sexual Assault And Intimate Partner Victimization, Margaret Tilley

Dissertations, Theses and Capstone Projects (Full IR Collection)

Past research indicates that a significant proportion of youth experience sexual or intimate partner victimization (IPV) during their time in high school. Studies examining the risk-factors for victimization among this population report that youth are more likely to be victimized when they engage in behaviors such as drinking, drug use, and risky sexual practices (see Basile, Black, Simon, Arias, Brener & Saltzman, 2006). Many past studies that have examined the risk factors for victimization among this population have used the theoretical framework put forth by the routine activities theory (Cohen & Felson, 1979) and lifestyle-exposure theory (Hindelang, Gottfredson & Garofalo, …

Personal Perceptions Of Privacy And Security, Jaime L. R. Grinch

Honors College Theses

The US government is utilizing multiple controversial methods to detect and prevent terrorism. Do government officers, such as police, view these programs differently than university students? What other differences may exist to explain the difference in viewpoint? Surveys were given to the students of Georgia Southern University and officers of the Statesboro Police Department. They provided their respective opinions on these programs. The data suggested that police were more open to the use of surveillance to prevent terrorism. Police were more willing to allow the government to use surveillance against Muslims, Latinos, Liberals, Christians, and Conservatives. Also between the two …

A Culture Change, Jeremy Travis

Publications and Research

Mass incarceration. In recent years it’s become clear that the size of America’s prison population is unsustainable – and isn’t needed to protect public safety.

In this remarkable bipartisan collaboration, the country’s most prominent public figures and experts join together to propose ideas for change. In these original essays, many authors speak out for the first time on the issue. The vast majority agree that reducing our incarcerated population is a priority. Marking a clear political shift on crime and punishment in America, these sentiments are a far cry from politicians racing to be the most punitive in the 1980s …