Decision Making And Reform Within The United States Criminal Justice System,
2022
Claremont Graduate University
Decision Making And Reform Within The United States Criminal Justice System, Rainita Narender
CGU Theses & Dissertations
The United States Criminal Justice System has undergone massive legislative reform in the past decade. These reforms have prompted a demand to analyze the benefits and potential unintended consequences of proposed policies and legislation. The following dissertation measures policy implications across three types of actors in the criminal justice system: 911 call-takes, prosecutors, and law enforcement. As most citizen-officer interactions arise from 911 calls for service, the first chapter of this dissertation is a study on the “priming” effect 911-call-takers have on officer decision to arrest and use force on calls for service in Dallas, Texas (2013-2018). In this work, …
Judicial Responses To Age And Other Mitigating Evidence: An Exploratory Case Study Of Juvenile Life Sentences In Pre-Miller Cases,
2022
Northwestern Pritzker School of Law
Judicial Responses To Age And Other Mitigating Evidence: An Exploratory Case Study Of Juvenile Life Sentences In Pre-Miller Cases, José B. Ashford, Katherine Puzauskas, Robert Dormady
Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology
This study describes how judges in Maricopa County, Arizona responded to age and other mitigation evidence in imposing “life” versus “natural life” sentences for juvenile offenders convicted of homicide in pre-Miller cases. Maricopa County was selected for this case study because of its history of adhering to “restrictive interpretations” of various kinds of mitigation evidence and because of the characteristics of this county’s local court community. The study employed a mixed-methods design consisting of a content analysis of relevant case documents and a quantitative analysis of the findings from the qualitative analyses of legal case documents. It examined 82% …
The Influence Of Sociopolitical Factors On Adolescents’ And Youths’ Development,
2022
University of Kentucky
The Influence Of Sociopolitical Factors On Adolescents’ And Youths’ Development, Banafsheh Aghayeeabianeh
Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences
Youths and adolescents are one of the major perpetrators of antisocial and deviant behaviors, which have deleterious consequences for both the perpetrators and society. Although there is extensive literature on youth and adolescent antisocial behavior, some correlates of youth antisociality are not known yet. As such, the present study is devoted to understanding the micro- and macro-level predictors of youth and adolescents’ antisociality in three contexts. Three empirical studies applying bioecological systems theory and analyzing data from the International Dating Violence database using Mixed Effects Models were conducted to investigate the ecology of the development of antisocial behaviors among youth. …
Comparing The Motivation Of Auto Thieves And Carjackers,
2022
Missouri State University
Comparing The Motivation Of Auto Thieves And Carjackers, Tara Rose Abrahams
Graduate Theses/Dissertations
Motor vehicle theft is a popular crime with hundreds of thousands of vehicles stolen each year. Two common MVT methods are auto thefts and carjackings. Auto thefts occur solely as property crimes, in which an offender steals an unoccupied vehicle. Carjackings are interpersonal crimes, in which the offender steals the vehicle from the driver by force or coercion. This study compares the motivation of the two offender groups. Utilizing 28 in-depth semi-structured interviews with active offenders, this study explores why they chose to commit crimes, why they chose vehicle-related crimes, and why they chose their preferred method. Although both offender …
Important Aspects To Women’S Re-Integration: Positive Influences On Women’S Reentry Experience After Being Released From Prison,
2022
Minnesota State University, Mankato
Important Aspects To Women’S Re-Integration: Positive Influences On Women’S Reentry Experience After Being Released From Prison, Sarah A. Benson
All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects
Researchers can analyze statistics of recidivism rates and decipher that they are at an alarming rate—specifically regarding women convicts. The population of women in prison has drastically increased, and with that, so have their recidivism rates. Analyzing statistical data of incarceration and recidivism can show us the numbers, but what is the reason? Why do some women struggle to stay out of prison? I argued that one reason is because women who are released from prison are severely underprepared to reintegrate back into society and, are therefore, set up for failure. Previous studies suggest that reentry programs, education programs, relationships …
The Carceral Death Machine: Savagery, Contamination And Sacrifice In The Contemporary Prison,
2022
Claremont Graduate University
The Carceral Death Machine: Savagery, Contamination And Sacrifice In The Contemporary Prison, Timothy Malone
CGU Theses & Dissertations
In this dissertation, I develop a convict epistemology that interweaves two elements: 1) a deep engagement with the works of particular philosophers and scholars investigating questions of punishment, violence, biopolitics and political philosophy 2) with some specific, publicly-reported incidents within California prisons in the late 20th and 21st centuries and my own detailed narration of events and the structural and quotidian dynamics of the prison yard as I experienced them as inmate #K73299 from 1997 to 2005. Diverging from Foucauldian theories of disciplinarity, I argue that under neoliberalism, the primary punishments that any inmate is subjected to within the carceral …
Female Delinquency And Pathways To Crime,
2022
Nova Southeastern University
Female Delinquency And Pathways To Crime, Pamela Lynn Smykal
Theses and Dissertations
This applied dissertation investigated gendered relationships and their potential influence on women’s criminal motivation. Historically, researchers attempted to understand criminal behavior using a male-oriented perspective which has dominated criminological literature. Criminologists have neglected to consider the role of gender as a significant predictor or pathway toward criminal behavior of either males or females. Within the last two decades, female criminality has become a spotlight for recognition and attention separate from male criminality. Traditional research on crime has been limited in understanding the pathways for female criminality and motivations for offending as individual predictors of male crime. Analyzing the role of …
Getting Proactive With Police Proactivity: The Benefits Of Computer-Aided Dispatch For Directing Police Resources To Areas Of Need,
2022
Portland State University
Getting Proactive With Police Proactivity: The Benefits Of Computer-Aided Dispatch For Directing Police Resources To Areas Of Need, Kris Henning, Christian Peterson, Greg Stewart, Kimberly Kahn, Yves Labissiere, Brian Renauer, Renee Mitchell, Sean Sothern
Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications and Presentations
Sherman and colleagues (2014) argue that crime reductions associated with hot spot policing can be maximized by carefully managing the dosage of supplemental resources delivered. Fully achieving this goal in prior studies has been difficult due to resistance by officers, the use of atypical strategies for directing patrols to target locations, and insufficient attention to the measurement of treatment dosages. This has led to calls for process research examining the implementation of hot spot policing in law enforcement agencies. The current study represents one such effort. The computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system for a large U.S. police department was pre-programmed with …
Barriers And Opportunities To Exiting Prostitution: An Analysis Of Prostitution Diversion Programs,
2022
West Virginia University
Barriers And Opportunities To Exiting Prostitution: An Analysis Of Prostitution Diversion Programs, Marina Binti Mohd Hamdan
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)
Problem-solving courts incorporate therapeutic and punitive measures in the court process in the criminal justice system. Prostitution Diversion Programs (PDP) are recognition of women in prostitution's inherent systemic struggles to desist and recover. Specialized Prostitution Diversion in Baltimore City and Project Dawn Court in Philadelphia are two PDPs analyzed through a longitudinal study on participants throughout their involvement as well as after they graduate from the program. By addressing the barriers to exiting prostitution through women’s turning points and providing opportunities to overcome hardships, women are more likely to successfully exit prostitution and maintain their sobriety in the long-term. Findings …
Exploring Cyberterrorism, Topic Models And Social Networks Of Jihadists Dark Web Forums: A Computational Social Science Approach,
2022
West Virginia University
Exploring Cyberterrorism, Topic Models And Social Networks Of Jihadists Dark Web Forums: A Computational Social Science Approach, Vivian Fiona Guetler
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)
This three-article dissertation focuses on cyber-related topics on terrorist groups, specifically Jihadists’ use of technology, the application of natural language processing, and social networks in analyzing text data derived from terrorists' Dark Web forums. The first article explores cybercrime and cyberterrorism. As technology progresses, it facilitates new forms of behavior, including tech-related crimes known as cybercrime and cyberterrorism. In this article, I provide an analysis of the problems of cybercrime and cyberterrorism within the field of criminology by reviewing existing literature focusing on (a) the issues in defining terrorism, cybercrime, and cyberterrorism, (b) ways that cybercriminals commit a crime in …
“I Lost Everything I Owned… Now I’M Growing That Back”: Narratives Of Redemption After Meth Immersed Lives,
2022
West Virginia University
“I Lost Everything I Owned… Now I’M Growing That Back”: Narratives Of Redemption After Meth Immersed Lives, Danielle M. Stoneberg
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)
There is a lack of knowledge on how the process of desisting (i.e., maintaining abstinence) works for those leaving immersed drug lifestyles, leaving a need for a better understanding of the role and impact of identity in drug desistance. Through secondary analysis of interview data from a sample of 33 former methamphetamine manufacturers, this study examines the applicability of Maruna’s (2001) redemption narrative framework and identifies other aspects featured in their narratives that signaled identity change. Results found all participants discussed at least one component of the framework in their interviews. Their narrative identities changed over time to recognize that …
Love At First Profile: An Experiment Exploring If Previously Incarcerated Individuals Are Less Desirable While Online Dating,
2022
West Virginia University
Love At First Profile: An Experiment Exploring If Previously Incarcerated Individuals Are Less Desirable While Online Dating, Carina L. Perrone
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)
Incarceration is a rapidly increasing occurrence in the United States with more than 1.4 million people incarcerated and more than 2 million on some form of restricted confinement. While men are incarcerated at a much higher rate than women, women are still at a steady incline of incarceration as well. Also, people of color disproportionately make up a large number of those incarcerated while accounting for a small percentage of the general population. Previous research on people who have been incarcerated focuses on it affects education, employment, and marriage. Little research has attempted to explore how incarceration effects dating, a …
Hierarchy And Responsibility In Media: Cults, Culpability, And Culture,
2022
Eastern Kentucky University
Hierarchy And Responsibility In Media: Cults, Culpability, And Culture, Max Hargett
Online Theses and Dissertations
This is a descriptive research project that investigates how popular entertainment media portrays cults. My intention is to see how the selected films and television shows portray issues of hierarchy and culpability within the cult and to explore how the genre and theme of the content was utilized in order to evoke certain reactions and sentiments in the audience. The selected films were The Sacrament, Martha Marcy May Marlene, and Midsommar. The selected television shows were Waco and American Horror Story: Cult. Each film and series is given its own analysis. Findings indicate that a common theme of the rigid …
The Road To Justice: Incarcerated Students’ View On Education Behind Bars,
2022
Eastern Kentucky University
The Road To Justice: Incarcerated Students’ View On Education Behind Bars, Margaret Baker Price
Online Theses and Dissertations
The experience of students that are incarcerated is largely unknown. This qualitative phenomenological research study allowed four college students that are incarcerated to share their experiences. Research shows individuals who are incarcerated are less likely to reoffend this study upon release. This study will show how these individuals view their educational experience during incarceration. Interviews were conducted with each participant and data was coded and organized into themes. By utilizing a phenomenological stance, observations were made of events that led to the placement of participants in the prison system and how education has impacted their time spent incarcerated. Themes discovered …
Social Construction Of Hate Crimes In The Us: A Factorial Survey Experiment,
2022
University of Kentucky
Social Construction Of Hate Crimes In The Us: A Factorial Survey Experiment, Chenghui Zhang
Theses and Dissertations--Sociology
Hate crime is a social construct that is conceptualized and defined through judgments about the meaning of bias and prejudice, as well as the causal link between motivation and criminal act. While the enforcement of federal statutes has extended the protected grounds of hate crime, significant underreporting issues impede the understanding of the actual scale, scope, and severity of hate crimes. The purpose of this dissertation is to investigate what and how incident factors and respondents’ preexisting attitudes and beliefs influence the perceptions of a bias incident and the willingness to report such incidents. Following a three-paper format, this dissertation …
An Examination Of Three Transitional Events In The Substance Misuse Trajectories Of Women With Criminal Legal System Involvement,
2022
University of Kentucky
An Examination Of Three Transitional Events In The Substance Misuse Trajectories Of Women With Criminal Legal System Involvement, Martha Tillson
Theses and Dissertations--Sociology
Research has consistently demonstrated that criminal legal system (CLS)-involved women are distinct from men in initiation and course of drug use, with important differences on biological, environmental, and sociocultural levels. Thus, the unique pathways and transitions into and out of drug use for women with CLS involvement are critical to consider from a research perspective, but also from a need to develop and support evidence-based, women-centered services in correctional contexts. This dissertation project uses a three-paper format to investigate three aims: (1) to understand CLS-involved women’s initiations to injection drug use and their experiences providing injection initiation assistance (IIA) to …
Paper Gangsters: White Collar And Corporate Crime On Film,
2022
Wilfrid Laurier University
Paper Gangsters: White Collar And Corporate Crime On Film, Jacob Kavoukis
Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)
Many of us have never been victims of a serious crime and as a result, rely on the media in its various forms to provide us with information that we can rely on as being accurate in order to learn about it. Information on white-collar crime in the media differs from more common street crime in that it receives very little attention. The lack of attention could be because these crimes are considered non-violent and victimless, are committed by those of high social stature and power and are often complex and challenging to understand. Films can play an important role …
Parental Incarceration And Stigma: A Qualitative Content Analysis Of Children's Books,
2022
Wilfrid Laurier University
Parental Incarceration And Stigma: A Qualitative Content Analysis Of Children's Books, Samantha Nguyen
Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)
Children of parental incarceration are often forgotten victims and have been noted to experience collateral consequences such as stigma, poor mental health, and isolation. Since children are often forgotten, there is a lack of information regarding their experiences, what resources are available to them, and whether or not these resources intended to be beneficial. One of the resources that are available to children, caregivers, and other adults are children’s books regarding parental incarceration. To determine whether or not these children's books act as a guide, this study examined the content and illustrations of 19 children’s books on parental incarceration. The …
Punishment By Another Name? The Welfare State’S Disciplinary Role In The United States And Britain,
2022
University of Cambridge
Punishment By Another Name? The Welfare State’S Disciplinary Role In The United States And Britain, Kavya Padmanabhan
The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare
Scholarship on the changing nature of the welfare state in both the United States and in Britain has revealed how the influence of neoliberal ideologies has heightened the experience of punishment for poor mothers. Through a comparative literature review on the welfare states in the United States and in Britain, this article builds upon prior research to consider how the welfare state’s contemporary focus on discipline may be the product of neo- liberalism and may encourage similarities across different contexts. Furthermore, this article considers how the welfare state’s different agencies may be united in their goals and treatment of poor …
Civiic: Cybercrime In Virginia: Impacts On Industry And Citizens Final Report,
2022
Old Dominion University
Civiic: Cybercrime In Virginia: Impacts On Industry And Citizens Final Report, Randy Gainey, Tancy Vandecar-Burdin, Jay Albanese, Thomas Dearden, James Hawdon, Katalin Parti
Sociology & Criminal Justice Faculty Publications
[First paragraph] Victimization from cybercrime is a major concern in Virginia, the US, and the world. As individuals and businesses spend more time online, it becomes increasingly important to understand cybercrime and how to protect against it. Such an understanding is dependent on valid and reliable baseline data that identifies the specific nature, extent, and outcomes of cybercrime activity. A better understanding of cybercrime activity is needed to target and prevent it more effectively, minimize its consequences, and provide support for both individual and corporate victims. Before that can occur, however, better baseline data are required, and this project was …
