Legal Studies Commons^™

A Review Of The Ripple Effect Of Parental Incarceration: Suggestions For System Improvement From Neonatal Development Through Adolescence, Karen Thew, April Terry

International Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities

Parental incarceration has the potential to drastically affect the social, behavioral, and physical lives of children. Such negative impacts include prenatal and chronic health conditions, behavioral and mental health issues, developmental delays, juvenile and criminal legal system involvement, and overall declines in well-being. These damaging outcomes occur for babies delivered during their mothers’ incarceration with negative lingering effects seen throughout the lifespan. Due to the stigmatization of incarceration, these children may experience bullying, engage in isolating behaviors, and struggle within the school, which may lead to the school-to-prison pipeline. While prevention and intervention services directed at these youth could not …

Explaining Police Officer Intentions To Leave Their Career Field, Michael T. Rossler, Charles Scheer

Faculty Publications - Criminal Justice Sciences

Research examining police officer retention has generally relied upon general work environment predictors to explain intentions to leave a police career. Recent research has applied theory explaining departures as a multistep process, where job satisfaction and stress mediate the relationship between work conditions and leaving the profession. These prior inquiries have been methodologically limited in the number of predictors and agencies included. The current inquiry uses a survey of eight police agencies to test the conceptual framework that job satisfaction and stress mediate the relationship between workplace environment and intentions to leave policing. Findings indicate that many commonly theorized predictors …

Overcoming Challenges And Unlocking Potential In Police Training Programs: The Case Of Blue Courage, Ryan E. Spohn

Reports

The Blue Courage website provides the mission of their agency: “The Blue Courage mission is to illuminate a path forward so that we ignite transformation in the individuals and organizations that we engage through our ground-breaking educational and consulting services. Transformation occurs with the small, consistent, incremental changes that amplify and reset current benchmarks of performance. Capacity continuously grows by enhancing our ability to execute, experience, and understand practical applications and tools that can be effectively used to ritualize capacity building practices — both professionally and personally.”

This noble mission reflects the dominate philosophies behind their law enforcement training program1 …

Is #Metoo Dead? Thoughts On The 2024 U.S. Presidential Election, Jody Raphael

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

No abstract provided.

Researching The U.S. Senate Presidential Nominee Confirmation Process, Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

The beginning of 2025 has seen renewed public attention and emphasis on the constitutionally mandated U.S. Senate confirmation process. This stems from the beginning of the second Trump Administration as its nominees navigate this process. The presentation provides historical background on this process, demonstrates what nominees, Senate oversight committees, and the full Senate in administering this process and enables readers to find out how to access information resources documenting this process. The confirmation process continues throughout presidential administrations and may involve little public attention and controversy or acute public attention and controversy. The contrasting 2025 confirmation experiences of Secretary of …

Neurocriminology: A Beginner’S Guide, Jerrod Brown

Forensic Scholars Today

No abstract provided.

Neurocriminology: Revolutionizing Specialized Training For Criminal Justice System Professionals, Janina Cich

Forensic Scholars Today

No abstract provided.

Recidivism: The Hardships Of Reentry, Nicholas Pierce-Davis

Master of Arts in Criminal Justice Leadership

This paper will focus on the implementation of specific programs that can reduce recidivism rates. It will describe the process of how re-entry programs, with the policies and the services they provide, allow for a smooth transition from inmates/ incarcerated persons to successfully integrated members of the community. This paper will discuss how as an administrator, one would consider applying the concepts of the thought-behavior link (prosocial / criminal behavior), evidence-based models, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapies throughout services provided within the program to the effects of pro-social support and lowering the rate of recidivism. It will also explore current court …

A Collaborative Approach To Workplace Violence Prevention In Healthcare, Mark T. Daigle

Master of Arts in Criminal Justice Leadership

Workplace violence is an issue that while not unique to a healthcare setting, is certainly more prevalent. Even more disturbing is that many instances of workplace violence go unreported. Identifying and implementing evidenced based approaches that seek to ensure the safety and well-being of healthcare workers and patients is no small task. Healthcare organizations are faced with the dilemma of protecting and advocating for the safety of their staff against acts of workplace violence, while also providing necessary care for patients who may be violent or disruptive. Properly managing these behaviors requires a thoughtful and thorough approach that recognizes the …

Juvenile Justice And Delinquency – Reforming A Broken System, Brandie Olson

Master of Arts in Criminal Justice Leadership

The juvenile justice system faces significant controversies, primarily concerning accountability and the treatment of young offenders. With rising juvenile crime rates, especially in urban areas like Hennepin County, there is an urgent need for reform. How does the system balance the urgency to hold young offenders accountable while providing the necessary support to foster their rehabilitation? Together, we must explore these challenges to pave the way for a more even-handed and effective juvenile justice system that prioritizes the future of our youth. As legal frameworks intersect with adolescent growth, three key ethical domains emerge: ensuring developmental appropriateness, upholding fair treatment, …

Police Wellness, Autum Shurbert-Hetzel

Master of Arts in Criminal Justice Leadership

A career in Law Enforcement allows people to build partnerships with community members to work towards a common goal of enhancing public safety through collaboration and trust. It's a rewarding yet often challenging career because officers must make split-second decisions in high-stress situations while working long hours and missing family events. Over time, police officers experience stressors from their jobs and personal lives that become overwhelming and difficult to navigate due to the unforeseen challenges of their chosen career in law enforcement. These challenges make it crucial for officers to find approaches that enable them to overcome these challenges that …

Harm Reduction In Corrections And Improved Treatment Programs, Aliceanne Pegg

Master of Arts in Criminal Justice Leadership

The prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus, Hepatitis B, and Hepatitis C in the United States corrections system is discussed. The importance of implementing harm-reduction strategies to help reduce the spread of bloodborne viruses is described. Also examined are rural communities' barriers to behavioral health and substance use treatment programs. The need for these treatment programs will be defined, and a policy to correct the issue will be proposed. These programs are not without criticism, and the ethics of implementing these programs are often called into question. Ethical considerations of these programs are considered, and an action plan is described to …

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 …

Inclusive Space For Everyone Door Sign (Printable 8.5 X 11 Inch), Joan H. Robinson

Open Educational Resources

This is a printable 8.5 x 11 inch door sign for faculty, staff, and administrators to let people know it is an inclusive space for everyone. For improved visibility, print with a color printer and cut along the dotted line.

See also: 11 x 17 inch door sign.

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 …