Criminology and Criminal Justice Commons^™

A Law Enforcement Leader's Response To Human Trafficking, Samuel Whitebear

Master of Arts in Criminal Justice Leadership

Law enforcement leaders must consider how their agency can effectively investigate human trafficking in their jurisdiction. These leaders are tasked with creating an agency culture that prioritizes ethical decision making, which directly affects variables such as officer training and officer treatment of trafficking victims during investigations. Ethically sound decision making has rewards, such as inspiring other leaders to act in a similar fashion. Human trafficking training with an emphasis on the thought-behavior link will enable officers to understand the motivations of both traffickers and victims. Untrained officers rely on biases and assumptions when interacting with sex workers. This is because …

Development And Implementation Of Mental Health Court: Benefits, Barriers, And Bridges, Nevada Smith

Master of Arts in Criminal Justice Leadership

The effective development and implementation of a specialty treatment court program such as a Mental Health Court is tedious, involved, and thorough; the impact of these comprehensive efforts is equally worthwhile, valuable, and substantial. The overall success of a mental health court program’s development and implementation derives from equal and intentional consideration of legal, ethical, and administrative factors. Considering these lenses collaboratively establishes the necessary groundwork for any new mental health court program in its infancy to build upon. This research expands on the ongoing statewide crisis involving individuals who are inadvertently left to slip through the cracks of the …

Solving Old Cases With New Technology, Philip Hodapp

Master of Arts in Criminal Justice Leadership

The State of Minnesota has seen a significant uptick in the homicide rate in the last ten years, and not all homicides are being solved. Due to a significant staffing shortfall across the state, but especially in the inner-city areas, police agencies are having a hard enough time keeping up with ongoing cases, let alone finding time to work on cold cases. With the advancement in DNA technology, including Forensic Genetic Genealogy, cases need to be re-examined to see if the new technology could spark life into older investigations.

Due to the rise in skepticism of policing today and the …

Ethical Problems Of Enforcing Justice In Death Note And Psycho-Pass Anime, Aldiyar Alen

CAFE Symposium 2025

What happens when justice is controlled by a single person or a powerful system? This research explores how Death Note and Psycho-Pass show the dangers of extreme justice. In Death Note, Light Yagami takes the law into his own hands, believing he can create a perfect world by eliminating criminals. In Psycho-Pass, an advanced AI system judges people before they even commit crimes, deciding their fate based on predictions. Both systems aim to reduce crime but end up threatening personal freedom and fairness. By comparing these stories, this study highlights the risks of justice without balance, questioning how …

Ever-Increasing Statistics Of Police Response To Mental Health Crisis Calls: Best Practices, Lauren Olson

Master of Arts in Criminal Justice Leadership

This paper explores the evolving role of police officers in addressing mental health crises, emphasizing the challenges and ethical dilemmas they face due to insufficient training and resources. It highlights the need for specialized training, ethical guidelines, and collaboration with mental health professionals to equip officers better and ensure public safety.

The paper advocates for policy and practice shifts to address the growing demands on law enforcement in mental health situations. The rising trend of mental health calls presents significant challenges for police officers, who often lack the resources and training to provide appropriate assistance, resulting in higher incarceration rates …

Guggenheim, Macarthur Fellow To Address Class Of 2025, James Owsley Boyd

Keep Up With the Latest News from the Law School (blog)

Reginald Dwayne Betts, an internationally recognized poet, legal scholar, educator, and prison reform advocate, will serve as the 2025 Commencement speaker for the graduating classes of the Indiana University Maurer School of Law.

The Law School will recognize its graduating students on Saturday, May 10, from 4 to 6 p.m. in the Indiana University Auditorium.

“Dwayne Betts has a remarkable story that resonates with audiences around the world,” said Dean Christiana Ochoa. “His journey from incarceration to inspiration is an example of how we can all make positive changes in our lives and make an impact on others. I’m grateful …

Venturing Into The Heartlands: Comparing Trauma-Informed Spaces In Urban And Rural Jurisdictions Through Field Observations, Ziwei Qi, April Terry

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

This study explores trauma-informed practices within courtroom settings in a Midwestern state, comparing urban and rural judicial districts through in-depth field observations. Using a semi-structured observational approach, we examined courtroom dynamics, environmental factors, and community influences to assess how trauma-informed design principles are applied. Our findings reveal notable contrasts: rural courtrooms grappled with resource limitations and conservative cultural influences, while urban settings displayed a fast-paced, often impersonal atmosphere. Socio-political factors, such as community values and political symbolism, emerged as significant influences on courtroom practices, shaping the receptiveness and implementation of trauma-informed approaches. Guided by Braun and Clarke’s (2006) thematic analysis …

Criminal Justice Update - February 2025, Mia Agudelo

Criminal Justice Updates

The Criminal Justice Update is a monthly newsletter created by the Adams County Bar Foundation Fellow providing updates in criminal justice policy coming from Pennsylvania's courts and legislature as well as the US Supreme Court.

Contents:

• Updates from PA Governor's Office (no updates this month)
• Updates from the PA Legislature (no updates this month)
• Updates from the Courts
• U.S. Supreme Court: Criminal Law & Procedure
• PA Supreme Court: Criminal Law & Procedure
• PA Superior Court: Criminal Law & Procedure

Physical Fitness And Wellness In Law Enforcement, Tavion Buchanan

Master of Arts in Criminal Justice Leadership

Long hours, shift work, and general poor nutrition factor into a multitude of reasons why first responders are obese, suffering from mental illnesses, and dying at a faster rate than the general public. First responders also suffer from PTSD, alcoholism, and commit suicide as a direct result of the horrendous things they see and respond to. Administrators should attempt to mitigate these issues by leading from the front when it comes to physical fitness and mental health. Administrators should also give first responders ample opportunity to work on their mental health and physical wellbeing. Law enforcement is one of the …

Recruitment And Retention In Law Enforcement, Jefferson Dennis

Master of Arts in Criminal Justice Leadership

This capstone paper covered the topic of recruitment and retention. It detailed issues around this topic and ways to improve it. United States law enforcement agencies face challenges when recruiting qualified personnel, including issues related to image, working under stress, low pay scale, and disciplined organizations. Topics were analyzed through administrative, ethical, legal, and legislative lenses. The study outlines comprehensive policy changes that include a broad and competitive pay structure, increased support to mental health workers, better community outreaches, and product modernization in recruitment and retention.

Solving The Public Defense Crisis In Kansas, Malia N. Brink, Pamela R. Metzger

Deason Center Reports

Kansas has a constitutional obligation to provide counsel to any arrested person who cannot afford to hire a private attorney. But attorney shortages in Kansas threaten this core constitutional right. According to the American Bar Association, there are an average of four attorneys per 1,000 people nationwide. However, only six of Kansas’s 105 counties have two or more attorneys per 1,000 people. In 44 counties, there is just one attorney or fewer per 1,000 residents. The situation is particularly worrisome in rural Kansas. In 2023, nearly half of Kansas’s population lived in rural counties, but 80% of its lawyers lived …

Does Treatment Setting In Ati Matter? An Examination Of Completion Rates And The Role Of Violent Charges Among Individuals With Co-Occurring Disorders, George J. Anderson

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Despite the proliferation of alternatives to incarceration (ATI) for individuals with co-occurring disorders in recent decades, little is known about comparative styles of treatment used in this context. The following study uses data from a case management service in a large urban city (n=273) where several types of treatment are utilized in the ATI landscape. Specifically, this study compares ATI completion rates and time to completion or failure for several styles of treatment: clinic-based outpatient, residential, assertive community treatment (ACT) and personalized recovery-oriented services (PROS) programs. Results of a logistic regression indicate that individuals initially referred to residential treatment had …

Exploring Modern Data Accessibility Surrounding Police-Involved Killings Of Black Citizens, Chloe Robinson, Jenna L. Borseth

The Guardianship Journal

The need for greater data transparency regarding police-involved killings has been a recurring issue raised by scholars in the field. With limited means of using official policing data, research in the area of police-involved fatalities and other critical policing issues has relied on alternative data sources. While the government has historically failed to instill a mechanism for systematically collecting this information, the development of the Use-of-Force Data Collection in 2019 was an initial step in improving data transparency. The current study seeks to reassess the accessibility and utility of various data sources following the publication of the Use-of-Force Data Collection. …

Criminal Justice Update - January 2025, Mia Agudelo

Criminal Justice Updates

The Criminal Justice Update is a monthly newsletter created by the Adams County Bar Foundation Fellow providing updates in criminal justice policy coming from Pennsylvania's courts and legislature as well as the US Supreme Court.

Contents:

• Updates from PA Governor's Office (no updates this month)
• Updates from the PA Legislature (no updates this month)
• Updates from the Courts
• U.S. Supreme Court: Criminal Law & Procedure
• PA Supreme Court: Criminal Law & Procedure
• PA Superior Court: Criminal Law & Procedure

Design And Implementation Of In-Prison Restorative Justice Programs: Insights On Leadership Challenges, Jonathan Paul Branch

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this case study is to provide direct insight into effective strategies for designing and implementing an in-prison restorative justice program. Mass incarceration remains a deeply entrenched characteristic of the U.S. criminal justice system, and prisons pose unique challenges to restorative practices, which literature on the subject often describe in general terms. By focusing on one organization successfully implementing in-prison restorative justice, the study aims at specifically illustrating how the prison system impedes attempts at providing restorative services and what practitioners might do to circumvent or otherwise mitigate those challenges. The study is guided by the following primary …

Oer Review: Research Methods For Criminal Justice Students, Youngki Woo

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Building upon these foundational works and leveraging extensive experience and expertise in conducting qualitative and quantitative research within social science settings, Monica Williams, the author of Research Methods for Criminal Justice Students, has crafted a well-designed research methods textbook. This comprehensive guide is designed for both undergraduate and graduate students in criminal justice. It draws on Williams’ extensive academic career, which includes conducting a wide range of research projects, analyzing empirical data, and publishing peer-reviewed journal articles. The textbook covers various research methodologies such as surveys, case studies, in-depth interviews, observation, focus groups, content analysis, and secondary analysis of …

An Eye For An Eye Makes A Vigilant Society, Liam C. Preyer

Capstone Showcase

Vigilantism is one of the oldest practices of mankind; for as long as there have been moral and legal laws to govern us and live by, there have been individuals who have sought justice outside these systems. Vigilantism is the response to failures in the justice system, and in the United States in particular, we have seen examples from the Western Frontier to the modern-day digital landscape. This paper will explore the nature of vigilante justice through historical, psychological, media-driven, legal, and digital lenses. We will explore how cultural narratives, media influences, government actions, and psychological motivations have shaped the …

The Downstream Well-Being Effect Of Encounters With The U.S. Criminal Justice System, Christopher A. Sanders, Laura A. King

Psychology Faculty Publications

This study examines the relationship between encounters with the criminal justice system and psychological well-being in a large U.S. sample. This project builds upon previous research about the negative outcomes tied to such encounters by examining potential long term negative effects on people’s subjective well-being and sense of meaning and purpose in life. Panel study participants indicated their lifetime exposure to the criminal justice system, and then, about two years later, indicated their current subjective well-being and sense of meaning and purpose in life. Our findings reveal that the number of past police arrests is associated with reductions in well-being, …

Why Community: The Potentials And Limitations Of Community Engagement In Restorative Justice, Emily P. Chauhan

Honors Theses

This thesis explores the role of community in restorative justice through both the criminologist and practitioner perspectives. Through investigating the limitations of the U.S. penal system, which ranks highest globally in incarceration rates yet fails to ensure public safety, the research investigates restorative justice as a victim-cantered, harm-driven alternative. It emphasizes how restorative justice redefines crime by focusing on healing and accountability rather than punishment of the criminals/harm-doers. This thesis examines how communities are essential to restorative processes and how restorative justice, in turn, helps to build communities. Drawing from case studies, models, and interviews this thesis questions the assumptions …

“You’Re Only As Good As Your Resources”: Exploring Virginia Police Chiefs’ And Sheriffs’ Decisions As Public Administrators To Engage In Community Collaborations With Domestic And Sexual Violence Agencies, Christine E. Wengloski

Theses and Dissertations

The collaborations between domestic and sexual violence victim-serving agencies (DSVAs) and law enforcement agencies help connect victims of crime to needed services. To maximize the benefits of these victim-serving initiatives in Virginia, it is imperative that victim-serving agencies understand the perceptions and factors that influence the decision-making of law enforcement administrators. In this study, I first present a theoretical framework of Herbert Simon’s Decision-Making Theory as a guide to understanding police chiefs and sheriffs as public administrators. A review of the literature demonstrates gaps in existing scholarship around chiefs’ and sheriffs’ decision-making about domestic and sexual violence victim-serving initiatives. Next, …