Among the questions that drew attention were these. Are San Joaquin County's juvenile delinquents the sane as, or different than those found elsewhere? that happens to the youngster after the police refer him on into the corrections structure? What are the criteria by which decisions are made? Who makes the decisions? What services are offered? What facilities does San Joaquin County have in which to treat the juvenile? What services are offered in the institutions? In view of the current levels of knowledge, is our county doing an adequate job? Statistics are cited as necessary to delineate the source, nature and size of San Joaquin County's delinquency problem. Internal problems and assets of the Probation Department that affect the juveniles are evaluated, and these include such items as caseloads, personnel turnover and the new Special Supervision program. Detention facilities will be examined with an eye to adequacy and efficiency. If found necessary, recommendations will be made. It is not anticipated that all of the obvious questions can be answered, but it is anticipated that a study can be produced that will be of some value to the community generally, and to the county government in particular.

Results of the Youth Center Research Project were almost equally favorable for each other's two schools. The parole-violation rates of the wards released from both institutions dropped from 43% to 31%, a considerable improvement when compared with the two control California Youth Authority schools continuing failure rate of 46%. These figures were for twelve-month parole-exposure periods. But the study’s major hypotheses were not verified. The more mature youths did not do better with TA than with B Mod, and the lower-maturity wards did no better with B Mod. In fact, one classification of higher-maturity wards did a little better with B Mod, and some lower-maturity wards did a little better with B Mod, and lower-maturity wards did better with TA. But all levels did fairly well with either systems, regardless of whether or not the wards declared themselves to be in need of change. Whether those results would endure for more than twelve months were still in question as of this writing. The data were to be evaluated for years to come. In the meantime, an important question not answered in the 1972 report was: were there any interaction effects between the three major aariables: treatment method, maturity level of wards, and treater competence?

<p>While there are numerous studies of the police, few have addressed the changes in policing that have occurred since the turn of century. Prior studies address issues such as police effectiveness, social control, the military model of police organization, police socialization, and the relationship between crime rates and the size of police forces. Although these studies have provided insight into different aspects of policing, they have not established a comprehensive understanding of the police as an institution. In other words, we have little understanding of what has caused the police to change. Further, we know little about the substance and consequences of change.</p> <p>My goal is to conduct an exploratory study of changes in policing by examining the main trends in the Hamilton, Ontario, Police Department between 1900 and 1973. Trends in economics, organization and work are considered. The study provides significant findings, which can be understood in relation to the existing literature, and can provide new questions to serve as the basis for future research.</p> <p>I explain trends in policing in relation to larger social and historical factors including population growth, the changing distribution of crime, and the role of the automobile. Change was pluralistic; different factors contributed to major changes in policing. Often, change was the result of external circumstances -the larger social context provided both the motivation for change and the possible range of alternatives that could be implemented. In Hamilton, the twentieth century was a period of considerable population growth. At the same time, the city was being transformed by the automobile, a revolution that redefined urban space, patterns of social interaction and the mobility of citizens. Over the course of the century, there was a substantial shift in the distribution of criminal offenses. It is within this context that significant changes to policing occurred.</p> <p>The police responded to the changing times by changing themselves. The growth of the Department paralleled that of the city. The police adopted cars and motorcycles for patrols to cope with traffic problems and to provide a quick response to citizens in need. The Department was completely reorganized and became more professional. At the same time, the costs of policing were rising. Police chiefs continually struggled to find ways to cope with rising wages and declining work weeks. Citizens would be hired, technology employed, patrol strategies changed to cope with declining productivity.</p> <p>The findings of my research suggest that changes to the Hamilton Police can be understood in terms of diffusion theory. The larger social milieu provided not only the motivation for change: it limited the range of possible solutions at any given point in time. I argue that changes to the Police Department were a direct result of their ability to adopt innovations. Ultimately, to understand the police we must view them as social and historical products.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Bullying is a universal problem affecting the emotional, social, and physical wellbeing of school-age children worldwide. Individual level correlates of bullying have been well-documented; however, there is limited research identifying variables at the school level which contribute to bullying involvement, especially among high school students. In this dissertation, school characteristics associated with bullying were investigated using an ecological systems framework. In the first paper, a comprehensive review of the bullying literature was conducted. Research in the following areas were summarized: definitions of bullying, measures of bullying, individual correlates, influences of cognitive development and social context across age groups, contextual variables (family, school, and community), evidence-based interventions, and bullying from a socio-ecological perspective. In the second paper, research findings are presented for an original study investigating school level predictors of bullying involvement across Kentucky high schools. The study used aggregated data from a survey of 9th to 12th grade students in 26 high schools across the state, combined with existing school datasets, in order to examine: (1) the prevalence of bullies, victims, and bully-victims across Kentucky high schools and (2) school characteristics associated with elevated rates of bullying involvement. Results revealed important differences in school bullying incident reports and student reports of bullying experiences, as well as unique differences between school environments with high and low rates of bullying involvement. Overall, academic performance and parent involvement were the strongest predictors of bullying involvement at the school level; however, the relationships between these variables and prevalence rates were not as expected. In several analyses, individual level findings from the bullying research did not translate to the school level as hypothesized. Overall, these findings have important implications for researchers when using multilevel analyses in the school context, when investigating the impact of bullying interventions at the school level, and when investigating how the school environment contributes to bullying. Results also provide important information for schools developing or revising bullying data collection procedures.

When incarcerated youth – those with and those without disabilities – face the prospect of reentering the community, they have many obstacles to overcome. Employment requirements are often associated with terms of parole or aftercare. Those who fail to obtain and maintain employment often reenter the juvenile justice system instead of successfully reentering society. Research shows employment is critical for successful transition from incarceration back in to the community. Limited information is available about programs that positively impact post-incarceration employment for juveniles, however. Practitioners face the challenge of selecting effective curriculum, interventions, or supports. Unfortunately, the current knowledge base provides limited guidance about teaching employability and social skills to incarcerated youth. This study evaluated one instructional program, Ready for W.A.G.E.S., that teaches competencies for employability and social skills to incarcerated youth for the purposes of easing reentry. This instructional program was evaluated using a quasi-experimental, wait list control design with a sample of 22 incarcerated youth in one long-term juvenile justice facility. The results are varied, with the standardized instruments showing no statistically significant findings, but the qualitative evidence showing significant impact. Changes were made to the Ready for W.A.G.E.S. instructional program as a result of this study.

This thesis seeks to explore the ways in which gender and identity are imagined in times of war especially in the cases of women who participate in armed struggle within the Middle East. I focus particularly on how US and UK media's framing of these women's lives and experiences distort the ways in which we understand conflict within the contemporary Middle East. Through the case studies of female militants or supports of militancy in Palestine and the Islamic State I seek to highlight women's stories and lived realities in an attempt to understand what drives them to use particular model's of agency.

The reproductive justice movement gives a voice and representation to women of color whose experience of reproductive control is impacted by intersecting layers of oppression. This thesis uses an intersectional approach to develop the concept of racial reproductive control logics, which describes the relationship between racial logics and racial patterns of reproductive control. The study uses qualitative interviews and content analysis of organizational material to explore how the reproductive justice movement is influenced by racial reproductive control logics.

The intention of this study is to contribute to research on Black women and to bring awareness to Black women's experiences, as they navigate social institutions. This study examines the perception of the intersectionality of race and gender impacts their awareness of police violence against Black women. Researchers measured respondent's perceptions/attitudes regarding intersectionality and their awareness of people who had been victimized by police violence. The quantitative study is comprised of statements regarding patriarchy and/or sexism and statements concerning racism and/or the lack thereof. The data analysis indicates that respondents' awareness and sensitivity to racism along with their perception of sexism and patriarchy is associated with their awareness of police victims. The researcher's findings found that the intersectionality of race and gender impacts their awareness of police violence against Black women.

This research assessed the perceived and actual roles of Faith-Based Organizations (FBOs) in their community and in working with offenders and their families in relation to the Criminal Justice System (CJS). Additionally, the research study evaluated this issue on the local level in an attempt to ascertain whether FBOs still do what they have historically been perceived to do or whether their involvement with the CJS has shifted in any way. Particularly, the research study also examined perceptions of staff members from FBOs regarding services and support provided for families of offenders. The sample was selected using a combination of convenience and snowball sampling. Group sizes ranged from 2-5 participants. A total of 14 participants interacted in the focus groups. Each focus group lasted approximately one hour. All focus groups were recorded using a digital audio recording device, and transcriptions of the focus groups were prepared. The transcripts were prepared using a combination of edited and intelligent transcription techniques. Researchers reviewed the transcriptions for recurring themes. Twenty-four initial themes were generated. Researchers then reviewed the themes for redundancy which resulted in 10 themes being identified. The transcripts were then coded based on the 10 revised themes. These themes focused on issues related to the perceived and real roles of FBOs in relation to the Criminal Justice System. As expected, the researchers found that FBO programming difficulties and concerns (f = 65) and misperception and lack of church involvement in the lives of offenders and the CJS (f = 50) were the most recurring themes. Miscommunication and lack of connection between the CJS and community was found to be the third most recurring theme (f = 15), followed closely by lack of reunification of offenders with their families (f = 14). Perceptions of participants such as clergy and mental health practitioners confirmed the researcher’s expectations that offenders often express deep anxiety and concern over being separated from their families. Thus, current programming efforts may reflect a lack of emphasis on services designed to rejoin offenders with their families or reintegrate them in family systems based on participants’ perceptions. Analysis of the data is ongoing. Researchers will return to the data to further discuss theme coding and to determine if additional themes emerge. All identified themes will be further assessed for inter-rater reliability.

Using participant observation, in-depth interviews, and legislative histories, we examine Westboro Baptist Church, a religious group infamous for homophobic rhetoric and funeral protests. Employing cultural and interactionist perspectives that focus on the semiotics of death, the sacred, and desecration, we outline how Westboro’s activities purposively violate deeply held signifiers of moral order through language, while simultaneously respecting extant laws of behavior. This strategy, in conjunction with the political profitability of opposing the group, explains why the group’s activism triggered extensive legal disputes and modifications at multiple levels of governance. Westboro’s actions and use of symbols—and those of others against the group—lay bare multiple threads in the sacred cultural fabric of American society.