Legal Studies Commons^™

Criminal Justice Update - August 2023, Michael Klatt

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 (no updates this month)
• PA Supreme Court
• PA Superior Court

"The Best Interests Of The Child:" Parental Claims In Nebraska Child Custody Cases, 1877–1924, Esme Krohn

Digital Legal Research Lab

Research poster titled "The Best Interests of the Child:" Parental Claims in Nebraska Child Custody Cases, 1877–1924; presented via the Digital Legal Research Lab NSF REU Site, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, August 2023.

Advisor: Katrina Jagodinsky

"A Show That Proves The Worst Monsters Are Real": Media And Social Media Impact On Criminal Trials And Post-Conviction Guilt As Perceived By Criminal Justice Students., Jennifer Leigh Patterson

Criminology & Criminal Justice Theses - Archive

This study, using survey data collected in 2022, investigates how consuming true crime media, from media such as podcasts, influences fear and anxiety among criminal justice students. In addition, the relationship between viewing criminal trials in real time and forming opinions different from the sentencing juries is assessed. Results suggest that there is no significant relationship between the consumption of true crime media and fear or anxiety. Moreover, viewing criminal trials in real time does not have a signficant effect on the formation of opinons that differ from criminal juries. Limitations, implications, and directions for future research are discussed.

Youthful Offenders Sentencing Trends In Pennsylvania, Monika Nwajei

All Theses

The overwhelming majority of existing literature on the effects of age on judicial sentence decision-making focuses on juveniles (ages 18 and below) and older adults. This paper focuses on offenders between the ages of 18-29, who fall legally outside the definition of juvenile, yet do not have the full brain development or clinical maturity of an adult to provide knowledge of sentencing outcomes for different populations and a well-rounded review and critique of judicial sentence decision-making (Johnson, Blum, & Giedd, 2009). Using a series of logistic regression analyses on the Pennsylvania Commission Sentencing (PCS) data from 2001 to 2018, I …

The (Im)Mobility Of Being: The Anti-Black And Colonial Roots Of Contemporary Policing, Korey Tillman

Sociology ETDs

Popular debates over policing often revolve around spectacular forms of police violence that grab national media attention. In this study, I examine the everydayness of contemporary U.S. policing and the antiblack and colonial roots that sustains its many forms. Drawing on three years of ethnographic fieldwork with a grassroots abolitionist organization and homeless service provider, and 23 interviews with Black adults across the U.S., I show how mundane policing serves as sites of racialization where the category of human is contested. I offer stops as an analytic to observe how these mundane forms of policing occur in places such as …

Investigation Into The Utility Of The Submaxillary Gland Androgen-Regulated Protein 3b (Smr3b) As A Normalizing Factor In Oral Fluid, Alejandro Ocampo

Student Theses

Oral fluid is a biological sample of increasing interest in clinical and forensic toxicology. This matrix is easy to obtain, it shows a low biohazard risk, and it reflects recent drug exposure. However, the interpretation of its quantitative values is limited, due to the high inter- and intraindividual variability. The investigation of normalization factors in this biological matrix may improve the interpretation value of oral fluid. This study investigated the potential of two signature peptides from the submaxillary gland androgen-regulated protein 3B (SMR3B) as normalization factors in oral fluid. SMR3B was digested in trypsin and the signature peptides SMR3B-1 and …

Method Development And Validation Of Controlled Substances On A Gas Chromatography - Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrophotometer, Regina E. Filus

Student Theses

The goal of this project was to perform a validation and a method development for an Agilent 7890 Gas Chromatograph connected to a Thermo iS50 Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrophotometer in order to put the instrument into functional and operational use. Both instruments are connected via an interface allowing for simultaneous analysis of a sample. A custom-made in-house library was created in order to search and compare to future unknown case samples. Reference materials were run and reviewed in order to determine which method and concentrations would provide the best infrared scans, and the sample repeatability runs were used to develop …

Habeas At Home And Heart: Progressive Era Cases Of Spousal Confinement To Nebraska's Psychiatric Households, Isabelle Childs

Digital Legal Research Lab

No abstract provided.

Offender Reintegration In Nevada: A Longitudinal Study Focusing On Transitional Challenges, Reentry Capital, And Recidivism, Carolyn S. Willis

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Offender reintegration (reentry) depends on offender motivation, public policies, community efforts, and resources provided through government and nonprofit sectors. As individuals are released from incarceration and reintegrate into the community, they are often dependent on resources provided by different service providers and the community. The role of the community is crucial as resources are oftentimes not accessible. Lack of employment and housing, mental health issues, substance abuse, and the inability to reestablish personal relationships diminish the prospects of successful reintegration and increase the chances of reincarceration. Reentry capital delivered through community-based programs addresses the transitional issues justice-impacted individuals encounter post-incarceration. …

A Manual For The Recovery Of Cbrne (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, And Explosive) Contaminated Human Remains, Patrick Barchett

Department of Anthropology: Theses and Student Research

Despite many international agreements and treaties prohibiting the use of CBRNE (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosive) weaponry, the proliferation of contaminated human remains displays the historic and continued use of inhumane war efforts. Due to the complications of recovery, contaminated human remains are often left unrecovered and unidentified. This thesis works to create a framework for the recovery of contaminated human remains for organizations with a focus on creating safe and sustainable working environments for those conducting the recovery. Much of this thesis assumes the remains are being recovered from interred mass graves. This thesis provides an introduction to …

Nefarious And Disconcerting Motivations For Choosing A Correctional Officer Position: A Deviant Case Analysis, Alexander L. Burton, Cheryl Lero Jonson, Damon M. Petrich, William T. Miller

Criminal Justice & Criminology: Faculty Publications & Other Works

Most research finds that individuals are drawn to the correctional officer occupation for the pay and benefits or because it provides a new and exciting opportunity. However, these are not the only interests for choosing a correctional officer position. The current study draws on a sample of pre-service correctional officers surveyed prior to beginning their jobs (N = 673). In the spirit of the deviant case method, we focus on a subset of our sample who provided problematic motivations for becoming officers (n = 38). Using a thematic analytic approach, we identified five broad themes within this nefariously/disconcertingly …

Social Justice Autobiography, Merrick Moore

Writing Beyond the Prison Living Archive

Memoir

Love Unchained: For Black Women, Monsour Owolabi

Writing Beyond the Prison Living Archive

poetry

People And Power: Person-First Language Usage And The Criminal Justice System, Casey E. Orr

Amplify: A Journal of Writing-as-Activism

Language is power. Word choice and terminology, especially those referring to people, are expressions of societal norms and institutional power. Dehumanizing crime-first terms and labels are abundant and common in criminal justice contexts despite being protested by system-involved individuals and activists. Instead, many advocate for person-first terms wherein identifying language emphasizes an individual’s humanity. With a peace-focused anthropological framework, this paper presents the case for person-first language in criminal justice contexts. It is evident that adopting first-person language usage regarding the criminal justice system is necessary after analyzing and considering the multiple sources, such as the voices of those who …

Community Supervision: Perspectives Of Probation And Parole Officers And Supervisors On Key Supervision Approaches And Policy Changes, Asianna Nelson

Dissertations and Theses

This study explores the differences across community supervision approaches in Oregon and how the implementation of state policies has influenced this field. Therefore, this study seeks to answer the following research questions: 1) How do POs and supervisors define their approach to community supervision? 2) How have POs and supervisors experienced shifts in state policy? Fourteen line staff and supervisors from seven Oregon probation and parole agencies were interviewed to answer these research questions. The findings suggest that most agencies are using evidence-based practices and implementing state policies. However, variation exists across the represented agencies in the experiences and perceptions …

Police Officers’ Perceptions Of Gunshot Detection Technology, Courtney L. Weber

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Prior research has shown that police officers’ perceptions has an influence on technological advancement implementation into an agency. Prior gunshot detection technology (GST) research has looked at how effective the technology is at decreasing response times, bringing gunfire to the attention of police, and tracking gun crime trends in the jurisdiction. However, it remains unknown whether police officers support the use of GST technology, and whether they feel that there is sufficient training and support available to them to utilize GST effectively. Therefore, this thesis aims to address several central questions regarding police officers’ perceptions of GST, their support for …

Aotearoa New Zealand, The Forcible Transfer Of Tamariki And Rangatahi Māori, And The Royal Commission On Abuse In Care, David B. Macdonald

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

This article investigates to what extent the forcible transfer of tamariki and rangatahi Māori (Indigenous children and youth) in Aotearoa New Zealand can be considered genocide. First, I begin by exploring contemporary genocide theory as it relates to dolus eventualis in settler colonial contexts, before engaging with precedents for recognizing Indigenous genocides established by truth commissions in Canada (2015; 2019) and Australia (1997). I then explore the history around Indigenous child removal in Aotearoa from the onset of colonization to the present day, attentive to ways in which the UN Convention can apply to the forced removal of Māori children. …

Law School News: Rwu Alumni Named To Pbn's 2023 40 Under Forty List 7/5/2023, Stacey Pacheco

Life of the Law School (1993- )

No abstract provided.

Criminal Justice Update - July 2023, Michael Klatt

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
• Updates from the Courts
• U.S. Supreme Court (no updates this month)
• PA Supreme Court (no updates this month)
• PA Superior Court

The Effect Of Resource Quality And Species Interactions On Dermestes Maculatus, Sarah Aliahmad

Student Theses

Forensic entomology is the use and application of insect information in legal matters, particularly in death investigations as insects utilize decomposing remains as a food source to complete their life cycle. Dermestes maculatus (DeGeer), larder beetles belonging to the family Dermestidae, are of considerable forensic importance since their larvae are typically found on human corpses during the later stages of decomposition – the advanced and dry/skeletal stages. Dermestes maculatus can be useful in estimating the post-mortem interval (PMI) of a cadaver with advanced decomposition. The purpose of this study was to investigate the colonization (egg-laying) behavior of D. maculatus; …