<p> Social learning theories of crime help explain criminal achievement through the learning process. Utilizing two prominent social learning theories, this thesis explores the under-researched relationship between mentorship and domestic cannabis cultivation. This thesis uses data collected from an online survey taken by growers in the United States, Canada, and Belgium to examine the extent that social learning related variables can predict commercial, large scale cannabis cultivation. Results show some support for social learning theories and suggest that learning definitions favorable to cultivation are a significant part of mentorship. Policy implications are also discussed. </p>

<p> The recent decline in police legitimacy (Gallup Poll, 2015) has increased the need for procedural justice. Law enforcement agencies that employ procedural justice can restore legitimacy, build trust, and enhance citizen satisfaction. Using secondary data collected from 99 homeless injecting drug users in Skid Row, Los Angeles, this study shows that despite the legal outcome of a police encounter (i.e., arrest, citation), when officers utilize procedural justice (e.g., act fairly, treat the individual with respect, and refrain from using unnecessary force, yelling or using inappropriate language), citizen satisfaction with the encounter is positive. This study provides compelling evidence for the need for procedurally just practices to re-establish the diminishing legitimacy of and trust in law enforcement agencies.</p>

<p> This study examined the impact of secondary traumatic stress on personnel who work on investigations of crimes against children. An online survey was deployed via Qualtrics to investigators and forensic interviewers of child advocacy centers examining their experiences from the initial incident to the sentencing of the perpetrator. Prior studies have shown that exposures to intimate details of crimes against children have placed secondary stress on the investigators and interviewers. The survey was administered to investigators and interviewers of child crime victims in Johnson County regarding their experiences with work stress, and stress in their personal lives resulting from their involvement in these investigations. The research examined indicators of Secondary Traumatic Stress and coping mechanism of investigators and interviewers involved in crimes against children investigations. Findings indicated a statistically significant negative association between having unintended thoughts about the victim and alcohol use. Findings will be used to broaden the understanding of STS and coping mechanisms among law enforcement personnel and to identify potential risks and protective factors for investigators of crimes against children. The survey was conducted over a two-week period and the study period ended on March 15, 2017.</p>

<p> Few studies have explored the goals and means of recent protests that are calling attention to police use of force in marginalized communities. This research explores activist ideology, social media practices in organizing protests, and perceived community relations with law enforcement. Resource mobilization theory is applied to the current protest activities against police misconduct to describe the use of social media as a means to create social protest and reform. Internet-enhanced activism is analyzed to explain changes in the traditional responsibilities and contributions of activists, and to describe the negative impact the social media have on activism. In addition, moral panic is used as a theoretical framework to explain police-community relations. Discussion of the policy implications identifies the need for alternate ways of policing and judicial review of activists&rsquo; rights in protest activities. The findings expand existing scholarship and are essential in establishing a rich narrative of how perceived and real injustice can be challenged through the perspectives of diverse community members.</p>

<p> As technology advances, law enforcement agencies continue to implement new strategies to effectively control crime and preserve social order. Over the past two years, several key events have shifted public concerns from crime control to police-community relations. In an effort to improve these relations and increase police legitimacy, many police agencies have recently implemented body-worn cameras. These devices have several presumed advantages, including the enhancement of procedural justice practices. Research on procedural justice links the quality of treatment and quality of officer decision-making to police legitimacy and higher levels of citizen satisfaction. Thus, this study analyzes how the application of body-worn cameras affects perceptions of procedural justice and citizen satisfaction. Using data collected from community member surveys, results show that fair officer treatment towards community members and impartial officer decision-making practices positively impact police interactions. Such practices combined with body-worn cameras can increase citizen satisfaction. </p>

<p> This report was an attempt to determine the cost of insurance fraud. To compare the systems in place in New York State and Pennsylvania to combat insurance fraud and then to determine which state had the better of the two systems. In 2015, NYS received 22,762 referrals and Pennsylvania received 3,266. These referrals resulted in 330 arrests for the NYS IFB and 410 arrests in Pennsylvania. The NYS IFB employed 32 investigators and the Pennsylvania Attorney General&rsquo;s Office had 58 investigators. NYS IFB&rsquo;s statistics are questionable as they list insurance fraud and related arrests. NYS IFB reports also conflict with the NYS DCJS Felony Insurance Fraud report. Pennsylvania&rsquo;s laws are the better of the two as they include application fraud and underwriting fraud, as well as outlaw the payments to medical providers and lawyers for obtaining of names and clients of accidents. Pennsylvania should enact the $10 per auto policy fee, and NYS should start to use the full amount to fund insurance fraud-related investigations. Pennsylvania has the better of the two systems. New York should designate the NYSP as the IFB Investigators for NYS. By utilizing the full $114,950,508 in surcharges from the Motor Vehicle Theft Fees and increasing the surcharges on all of the insurance carriers in New York State, they could increase the number of Investigators in each NYS Troop Zone significantly enough to make a real difference in the fraud epidemic in NYS.</p><p> Keywords: Economic Crime Management, Dr. Kyung-Seok Choo, Insurance Fraud, Prosecutions, Arrests, Convictions.</p><p>

<p> This research is based upon demographic data on physicians who appeared on the Office of Inspector General&rsquo;s (OIG) List of Excluded Individuals and Entities for the years 2008 to 2013. Demographic information on the 1,289 excluded physicians during this period were collected from public data sources. Males, older physicians, international medical graduates and primary care doctors were overrepresented amongst excluded physicians. Females, younger physicians, United States medical graduates, board certified physicians and secondary and Tertiary care doctors were underrepresented amongst excluded physicians. Possible reasons for why these groups were overrepresented or underrepresented are discussed in the dissertation. It is argued that this demographic portrait of excluded physicians is shaped by the interplay between the individual behaviors of doctors and the activities of regulatory personnel. Female physicians were more likely to be excluded for a financial offense (FO), while male doctors were more likely to be excluded for a quality of care matter (QOC). Board certified physicians were more likely to be excluded for a QOC matter, while non-certified doctors were more likely excluded for a FO. Explanations for these findings are discussed in the dissertation.</p>

Elder Americans have consistently reported a lower risk of criminal victimization for most other offenses than do adolescents and younger adults; however, certain types of financial exploitation disproportionately impact elders. As the proportion of the elder population grows at a faster rate than other age cohorts, incidents of financial exploitation among this age group are expected to continue to increase and further challenge the American ideal of retirement. In addition, it is anticipated that the baby boomer generation will be wealthier than any preceding generation of retired Americans. Declines in physical and mental capabilities and significant life changes experienced by many elder citizens, coupled with the perception of wealth, have made this population a prime target for financial exploitation. Although the number of reported cases of elder financial exploitation has been increasing, the associated theoretical and empirical research on the risk factors, protective factors, and circumstances remains limited. By integrating elements from several prominent criminological theories, this dissertation explores the utility of using the components of a life course perspective to explain patterns of financial exploitation vulnerability among a sample of retirement community residents. Prior research and official data from reported cases of elder financial exploitation give limited attention to the dynamics of changing life circumstances that may have an impact on or precipitate incidents of financial exploitation. Using tenants from the life course perspective, this study explains how age-graded changes influence elders’ vulnerability for experiencing financial exploitation. This dissertation will use data on reported incidents of financial exploitation made to a Florida county sheriff department and Seniors vs. Crime (a primarily volunteer-based organization affiliated with the Florida Attorney General’s office that provides investigation and mediation services to elders who believe they have been financially exploited). The study will also use qualitative data from focus group discussion sessions and in-depth individual interviews with residents of the largest active-living retirement community in the United States. The findings from this study highlight the significance of identifying and understanding the relationship between age-graded life events and circumstances that may influence an elderly individual’s vulnerability for financial exploitation. The study’s limitations and policy implications of the findings are discussed and suggestions are made for future research. / A Dissertation submitted to the College of Criminology and Criminal Justice in partial fulfillment of the Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester 2017. / June 9, 2017. / Elder Financial Exploitation, Life Course, Victimization / Includes bibliographical references. / Thomas G. Blomberg, Professor Directing Dissertation; Janet Kistner, University Representative; Kevin A. Beaver, Committee Member; Jennifer Copp, Committee Member; Eric A. Stewart, Committee Member.

Research on attentive publics has worked towards identifying who is considered attentive, how the attentive public is different from the general public, and how policy makers should take their views into consideration (Devine, 1970; Adler, 1984). Attentive publics are often the heart of social movements that engage society in a topic through increasing awareness and involvement. The attentive public is not a disconnected elite group, but average individuals who are more likely to be highly knowledgeable on a topic, sustain interest over time, and are more likely to participate as well as encourage others to participate in tangible actions. The size of an attentive public ebbs and flows over time, as society faces multiple issues at once, and it can take years of lobbying and engagement before any tangible results are seen at a higher level. One crime that has increased in awareness and importance is the issue of human trafficking. Accounts of men, women, and children being exploited for commercial sex or forced labor has become a hot topic of interest around the world, with estimates as high as 45.8 million people in some form of modern day slavery (Global Slavery Index, 2016). The current study uses a public opinion survey of Israeli citizens to identify if there is an attentive public, if its members are significantly different from the general and least-attentive public, and to better understand what factors of information sources, knowledge, concern, and efficacy influence an individual to get involved. The findings from this study do identify the existence of an attentive public in Israel. The attentive public is different from the general and least-attentive public on a few characteristics, but the most important one is increased efficacy. Findings suggest that use of information source and the frequency in which they report on trafficking have varying influences on knowledge, concern, efficacy, and involvement. Implications for future research are discussed. / A Dissertation submitted to the College of Criminology and Criminal Justice in partial fulfillment of the Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester 2017. / July 5, 2017. / Attentive Publics, Human Trafficking, Israel / Includes bibliographical references. / Marc G. Gertz, Professor Directing Dissertation; Martin Kavka, University Representative; Carter Hay, Committee Member; Sonja E. Siennick, Committee Member.

A large body of research has identified the importance of the family environment for influencing child development. Nonetheless, variation in the exposure to environmental risk factors is typically characterized as a random phenomenon, where the mechanisms linking environmental risk factors to behavioral development are believed to operate outside of the individual. Genetically informed research derived from the fields of behavior genetics and molecular genetics, however, suggests that genetic factors can account for some of the variation in the environment. Specifically, this line of work recognizes the potential for one’s genetic propensities to help select, create, and modify the exposure to various environments. Building off of this body of research, the current dissertation seeks to examine whether a number of single genetic variants, as well as polygenic scores comprised of groups of genes, can help account for variation in environmental exposures during early and middle childhood. Towards this end, the genotypic data available for mothers and children of the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS) will be used to guide the estimation of the variation in a number of familial environments over time. The evidence of genetically influenced environmental variation, moreover, will be contextualized within a developmental framework. The results of the current dissertation revealed three main findings. First, single genetic variants of the dopaminergic and serotonergic gene systems, as well as their polygenic scores, explained a significant amount of variation in familial environments during early and middle childhood. Second, gene-environment correlations were found to vary in importance during the early life course, which aligns with previous recommendations to examine such relationships through a developmental lens. Third, the single genetic variants and polygenic scores found to explain significant variation in measures of the family environment over multiple time points did not significantly differ from one another across the early life course. The findings are contextualized within the existing literature and recommendations for future research, as well as policy implications, are discussed. / A Dissertation submitted to the College of Criminology and Criminal Justice in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester 2017. / May 15, 2017. / Includes bibliographical references. / Kevin M. Beaver, Professor Directing Dissertation; Melissa Radey, University Representative; William D. Bales, Committee Member; Patricia Y. Warren, Committee Member.