Criminology and Criminal Justice Commons^™

A Content Analysis Of Criminal Justice Policy Review, 1986-2008, Philip M. Stinson, Jennifer L. Huck, Jason D. Spraitz

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Academic disciplines have been characterized as static institutions that do not change or conform to outside forces. Abbott (1999) and Silbey (2000) have discussed this issue in relation to how the history of refereed journals in the social sciences can provide information on department, institution, and disciplinary changes that often wear a false guise of continuity. This paper analyzes the content of Criminal Justice Policy Review by replicating the methodology Silbey (2000) used to study the content of Law & Society Review in terms of editorship, authorship, article contents, method and mode of research, and article topics. The results indicate …

An Analysis Of The Influence Of Sampling Methods On Estimation Of Drug Use Prevalence And Patterns Among Arrestees In The United States: Implications For Research And Policy, Janine Kremling

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Using data from the Drug Use Forecasting (DUF) and the Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (ADAM) programs collected by the National Institute of Justice the question whether the drug estimates of DUF, using a non-probability sample, and the drug use estimates of ADAM, using a probability sample, yield substantially different results will be explored. The following main questions will be addressed using equivalence analysis: Are there substantial differences in the DUF and ADAM samples with regard to the drug use information obtained from arrestees at nine sites across the United States? The analysis suggests that the drug use information contained in …

Think Outside The Cell: Are Binding Detention Standards The Most Effective Strategy To Prevent Abuses Of Detained Illegal Aliens?, Federico D. Burlon

Political Science Honors Projects

In the last twenty years the U.S. government has increasingly utilized detention to control illegal immigration. This practice has become controversial because it has caused numerous in-custody abuses and deaths of immigrants, asylum seekers, refugees and even citizens. Immigrant rights advocates have called for the passage of binding detention standards to prevent in-custody abuses. This thesis’s policy analysis reveals, however, that while they may finesse the practice of immigration detention, such binding standards would be ineffective in protecting immigrants’ rights. Instead this policy analysis calls for and explains the feasibility of discontinuing the practice of mass immigrant detention.

Terrorism Ideology And Perceptions Of Homeland Security In Tennessee Law Enforcement, Adam Baldwin

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Homeland security is a concept that has become firmly embedded in American society since the events of September 11, 2001. While recent research has begun to study the implications of homeland security in state and local law enforcement, few have focused on perceptions of homeland security ideology, policy, and practice. Therefore, this study focuses on the impact that homeland security ideology, policy, and practice has had on the local law enforcement community by examining the varying levels of individual understanding, agreement, and support for the concept. Moderate levels of agreement were found regarding homeland security clarity at federal, state, and …

Childhood Animal Cruelty Methods And Their Link To Adult Interpersonal Violence, Brandy B. Henderson

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Recent research has begun to establish a relationship between childhood acts of animal cruelty and later violence against humans. However, few studies have focused on the influence of animal cruelty methods on later interpersonal violence. In a replication of a study by Hensley and Tallichet (2009) and based on a sample of 180 inmates at medium- and maximum-security prisons in a Southern state, the present study examines the relationship between several retrospectively-identified animal cruelty met hods (drowned, hit, shot, kicked, choked, burned, and had sex with) and interpersonal violence committed against humans. Four out of five inmates reported hitting animals. …

Assessing The Legality Of Solitary Confinement, Steven Debraccio

Criminal Justice

No abstract provided.

Crime Is Not Just A Man's World: Perceptions Of Female Offenders Through A Feminist Lens, Marianne Hudson

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Using the scale on feminist views developed by Henley et al. (1998), this study adapted and created two survey instruments to measure views on feminism and female offenders: 1) the Societal Perspectives Scale, which measures a respondent’s views of feminism; and 2) the Female Offender Perspectives Scale, which measures a respondent’s views of female offenders. Using these survey instruments and convenience sampling, the current study examined college students’ perceptions of feminism and female offenders. This study sought to investigate the following hypotheses: 1) the reliability of the survey instruments, especially the Female Offender Perspectives Scale; and 2) the predictive value …

How Do Idaho’S Lineups Line Up? An Exploratory Study On Congruence To Nationally Recommended Practices In Eyewitness Identification Procedure, Nichole Jolein Gerhard

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The following research is an exploratory study into the level of congruence of Idaho law enforcement agencies to nationally recommended best practices in eyewitness identification procedure. Based on a series of questions relating specifically to the use of recommended procedures in eyewitness identification, law enforcement agencies were graded and assessed an individual score within two different levels of congruence: overall and functional. With three possible groups, desirable, average, and poor, the majority of Idaho departments received scores placing them in average standing for both overall and functional congruence. Three dominant themes in the research (agency type, written procedure, and officer …

Views Of Justification And Blame Of Violent Interpersonal Dating Relationships, Christina Policastro

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

There is an abundant amount of literature dedicated to examining perceptions of domestic violence. Despite the substantial amount of literature, few studies have focused on attitudes toward domestic violence in dating relationships. This study uses a large convenience sample of college students to investigate how college students assign responsibility when presented with two domestic violence scenarios that vary contextually. One scenario depicts a conventional male on female case of intimate partner violence while the other is a more ambiguous scenario involving behaviors that could be construed as “mutual violence.” Bivariate and multivariate analyses were employed to analyze the effects of …

Characteristics Of Adolescent Females Sexually Exploited Through Prostitution, Alanna Robinson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Adolescent females are becoming the fastest growing population amongst juveniles being held in detention and referred to juvenile courts. Unfortunately such increases are linked to a lack of alternative services available for youths during the adjudication process. Upon being arrested, delinquent girls are suffering from a host of health, emotional and social issues for which there is also a lack of programming and detailed research. However, emerging evidence indicates that female delinquency is characterized by a multitude of overlapping problems that distinguish them from male delinquents. Issues include poor mental health, history of child abuse, substance abuse among parents and …

Blameworthiness And Dangerousness: An Analysis Of Violent Female Capital Offenders In The United States And China, Courtney Brooke Lahaie

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The United States and China represent two of the leading nations that retain the death penalty in both law and practice. Research suggests that judges' sentencing decisions are based primarily on two factors, blameworthiness and dangerousness. Studies involving gender and sentencing in capital punishment cases tend to provide inconsistent findings. The current study uses case narratives to examine the direct and conjunctive effects of various factors on the sentencing decisions of violent female capital offenders in the United States and China. The findings suggest that the concepts of blameworthiness and dangerousness are distinctly defined in the United States and China. …

Displacement Or Diffusion: A Secondary Analysis Of The Las Vegas Safe Village Initiative, Daniel Duane Swanson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Police initiatives have been implemented by many agencies in an attempt to curtail growing crime rates. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department implemented the "Safe Village Initiative" to address this issue in west Las Vegas. This deterrence based model reduced calls for service in the target area with a diffusion of benefits to the surrounding neighborhoods.

The current study will analyze two research questions pertaining to the "Safe Village Initiative". The first will assess the possibility that a displacement of crime occurred as a result of the treatment. The second research question will address whether, if no displacement occurred, there …

Sex, Drug Courts, And Recidivism, Doria Nour Dandan

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Research studies have identified gender differences in the drug abusing patterns and treatment needs of men and women. Even so, studies on the drug court model have not assessed drug court effectiveness across sex. Using secondary data collected from the Ada County Drug Court, the recidivism rates of drug court participants (n=259) and probationers (n=235) were analyzed. Drug court participants were found to be less likely to recidivate compared to probationers, which supports previous research on drug court effectiveness. Regression analyses failed to find an interaction between group membership and sex, thereby indicating that the effect of the drug court …

Factors Influencing Attitudes Towards Prostitution, Brian Robert Brehman

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to examine the factors that influence attitudes towards prostitution. Students from University of Nevada, Las Vegas and University of British Columbia (N=591) were compared based on their responses to the Attitudes Towards Prostitution (ATP) Scale and by demographic differences. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) identified significant differences in ethnicity, religiosity, and certain sexual experiences. Regression analysis revealed location of students and religiosity were significant predictors of attitudes.

Assessing The Impact Of Police Order Maintenance Units On Crime: An Application Of The Broken Windows Hypothesis, Steven Andrew Pace

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

High levels of violent crime and disorder area concentrated within certain neighborhoods of northwest Las Vegas, Nevada. In April 2009 a police order-maintenance unit designed to reduce minor and major offenses was initiated in these areas. Drawing on the Broken Windows Hypothesis, the unit combined detailed crime analysis with extensive police efforts to address specific community problems. This paper discusses the implementation and impact of the police order-maintenance unit during its operation.

From Drunken Drivers To Prostitutes And Shoplifters: The Onset Of The Great Depression And Shifting Police Priorities In Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1928-1934, Sarah J. Sweers

Honors Projects

No abstract provided.

The International Criminal Justice System’S Response To Genocide: A Case Study Of The Darfur Conflict And President Omar Hassan Ahmad Al-Bashir, Ingrid Scheer

Honors Projects

No abstract provided.

Following The Lead Of Barack Obama, Cnn, And Ashton Kutcher: Police Departments’ Use Of Twitter, Mari Sakiyama, Amanda Hurst, Omar Melchor, Daniel Shields, Deborah K. Shaffer, Joel D. Lieberman

Graduate Research Symposium (2010 - 2017)

An increasing number of police departments are using Twitter to communicate with the public. As with any emerging communications technology, there is considerable variation in the usage of this medium. This study reports the results of a content analysis designed to determine how police departments are using Twitter.

Burglary Trends In Nevada, 1990-2007, Theresa Wilk, Terance D. Miethe, Timothy C. Hart

Graduate Research Symposium (2010 - 2017)

Burglary involves the unlawful breaking and entering into a home or other building with the intent to steal something within it. Nationally, about 2.2 million burglaries were known to the police in 2007 (UCR, 2007). Over the last two decades, Nevada’s burglary rate is consistently higher than the national average. There are many consequences of burglary as well as efforts to control these offenses. The presentation of this state data brief describes patterns of burglary in Nevada and compares them with national trends. It examines the prevalence of burglary over time, the different types of burglary and its offense attributes, …

Assessing The Impact Of Police-Order-Maintenance Teams On Crime: An Application Of The ‘Broken Windows’ Hypothesis, Steven A. Pace, William Sousa, Dan Mcgrath

Graduate Research Symposium (2010 - 2017)

High levels of violent crime and disorder characterize certain neighborhoods of northwest Las Vegas. In April 2009, collaboration between academics and police personnel announced the deployment of a police order-maintenance unit designed to reduce minor and major offenses in these areas. Drawing on the Broken Windows hypothesis, the unit combined a detailed crime analysis with extensive police efforts to address specific community problems. This paper discusses the implementation and impact of the police order-maintenance unit during its operation.