Thesis (M. Soc. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1994. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 134-143). Also available in print.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Rhode Island and Rhode Island College, 2005. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 281-292).

Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Queensland, 2005. / Includes bibliography.

published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Work

M.Ed. (Childhood Education) / A child is born helpless, defenseless and dependent on being nurtured. His whole course of 'becoming-adult' is a continuous struggle to overcome his helplessness and dependence. He must be led and accompanied by others whilst norms are inculcated by example so that an own identity may be established to make him defensible against the influences that society may have on him ...

Thesis advisor: Andrew Beauchamp / This dissertation examines how some policies, though not intended to, can influence youth crime. The first chapter studies the minimum dropout age (MDA), a compulsory schooling policy. This paper exploits state-level policy variation to identify the immediate and long-run effects of the MDA on crime. I find that higher compulsory schooling ages decrease male property crime while individuals are forced to be in school, but this effect dissipates in early adulthood. Male drug crime, however, experiences a decrease in both the short and long-run. These results provide further evidence for the incapacitation effect of schooling. The inconsistent long-run effect, however, calls into question the size of compulsory schooling's human capital effect on crime. The evidence indicates that, rather than a human capital effect, long-run decreases in crime may be explained by a dynamic incapacitation effect that is stronger for certain crimes, e.g., drug vs. property crimes. These findings have policy implications for crime deterrence and our understanding of criminal career development. The second chapter (co-authored with Drew Beauchamp) investigates how increases in the minimum wage impact the criminal behavior of affected workers. A growing body of empirical evidence indicates that increases in the minimum wage have a displacement effect on low-skilled workers. We use detailed panel data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 cohort to examine the effect of increases in the minimum wage on self-reported criminal activity and test the employment-crime substitution hypothesis. Exploiting changes in state and federal minimum wage laws from 1997 to 2010, we find that workers who are affected by a change in the minimum wage are more likely to become idle and unemployed. Further, there is an increase of property theft among both the unemployed and employed, suggesting that substitution between employment and crime is stronger than the income effect. These findings have implications for policy regarding both the low-wage labor market and criminal activity. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2013. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Economics.

The problem of youth deviance is a concern to many people. Canadian youth justice legislation has changed dramatically in the past century; from a child-welfare approach under the Juvenile Delinquents Act (1908), to a more legalistic ‘due process’ paradigm under the Young Offenders Act (1984), to the current Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA, 2003) which promotes the rehabilitation and responsibility of young offenders. The following study examines cases to determine the manner in which a specific section of the YCJA, s. 39 (prohibitions on the use of custodial sentences) is being used in judges’ decisions, and if so, if it is being used consistently and appropriately. Quantitative and qualitative analysis were used to examine related Canadian case law. The databases LexisNexis Quicklaw and WestlawECarswell, using the search terms “YOUTH CRIMINAL JUSTICE ACT,” “YCJA,” and “s. 39” were used to narrow down cases in which this section of the YCJA was mentioned. This search process yielded a total of 210 cases, seventy-seven of which were appeals. The appeals were analyzed qualitatively and the other cases were analyzed quantitatively. It was found that one problem in implementing s. 39 and using it consistently in sentencing appears to be judges’ uncertainty about the appropriate use of the legislation resulting from the lack of clarity within the legislation itself. Parts of the legislation were left open for interpretation, such as the definition of a violent offence, or what was to be considered an exceptional case. It is argued in this study that for any legislation to work, it must be clearly written to reduce as much subjectivity and level interpretation as possible. While judges are often criticized for their decision-making in sentencing, they are limited by the legislation that is in place. Therefore, if there are problems in the practice of the court system, the solution lies in revamping the written law first. / October 2008

Univ., Diss.--Göteborg, 2007.

Thesis (M.S.)--Auburn University, 2008. / Abstract. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 45-46).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2002. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Available also from UMI Company.