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Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work / W. Richard Goe / Ryan E. Spohn / This study seeks to explain variation in incarceration rates across states. To account for such variation, the study combines approaches: the Rusche & Kirchheimer (1939) thesis, which proposes that incarceration rates rise with unemployment due to potential threat to social order from the unemployed, was merged with social stratification theories to develop a theoretical model explaining variations in state incarceration rates by social class and race. The last 30 years have seen a number of studies dedicated to investigating the validity of the Rusche and Kirchheimer (1939) thesis, but these studies have yielded inconsistent results. This study adheres to and advances Rusche and Kirchheimer’s thesis, exploring the relationship between unemployment rates and incarceration rates utilizing nationwide state-level data. I tested the influence of economic factors on prison rates across the nation interacting with race-ethnicity using time series hierarchical regression, and data indicates mixed support for the Rusche and Kirchheimer thesis. This study found that important predictors related to rising incarceration rates include citizen and governmental political ideology, violent and property crime rates, and percent of population that is African American. Habitual violation of laws, including drug crime, and poverty had small effects on the incarceration rate. Additionally, this study found that inequality, not unemployment, was the most salient predictor of incarceration rates; that is, the differential in employment pay rate factored more significantly than the designation of employed/unemployed. The study revealed that such a relationship between income inequality and punishment differentially impacts citizens in general and African Americans in particular. Since excessive use of prisons exacerbates inequality, understanding the link between economic conditions such as income inequality and punishment has notable policy implications.

Structural equation modeling was used to test a theoretical model of the etiology of the deviant sexual aggression by adolescents. The subjects were 117 juvenile male sexual offenders who had been referred from either criminal justice or social service agencies to a clinic that treated offenders. The tested theoretical model included several family factors: parental deviance, child physical and sexual abuse history, and children's bonding to their parents. The model as a whole fitted the data very well. As for the specific hypotheses in the model, physical abuse by the father and sexual abuse by males were found to increase sexual aggression by adolescents. Also, children's bonding to their mother was found to decrease their sexual aggression. These results are explained from the social learning perspective and parent-child attachment or social control perspective. Further, the directions for the future research are suggested.

Research examining personality trait profiles for adolescent offenders is scarce. The occurrence of juvenile acting-out behavior is on the increase. This study was a pilot to explore means of scores for personality traits. This project looked at the means of responses of 60 delinquent adolescent males to a self-report personality questionnaire, the Comrey Personality Scales. Most members of this multi-cultural Sample were gang-related and were charged with felonies. They were sent to VisionQuest, a juvenile placement. The average age was 17 years 3 months. The means for this group were significantly different from the norms of the standardization sample. The obtained mean score on each trait continuum was discussed. The results suggested serious discouragement and emotional disturbance in these children. Suggestions for use of the profile to identify at-risk youth prior to delinquent activity were made.

This study examined the relationship between training and work alienation among correctional officers and sergeants serving in all male maximum and close security prisons in Florida. The research investigated the effects of training, individual characteristics, and institution on correctional officers' work alienation. Work alienation was measured along five subscales of powerlessness, meaninglessness, normlessness, instrumental work orientation (self-estrangement), and isolation from organizational goals. / Three correctional institutions were randomly selected from the highest risk prisons in the state, ranked by the Florida Department of Corrections as Category 7. All correctional officers and sergeants from these institutions totalling 901 were surveyed by mail. Of the 901 surveyed, 380 (42.1%) were usable for the study. / The survey elicited information on training attended by officers, their background, and level of alienation. Open-ended questions were also included. / Results of multiple regression analysis revealed that training has significant impact on lowering work-alienation. However, that impact was limited to specialized and career advancement training. Formal education had a positive effect on level of alienation. More alienated officers were likely to be married, non-whites, with no children, aged 40 years and less, working for 15 years or less, assigned to night shifts, and related to family members employed in correctional work. One particular institution had higher levels of alienation among its officers than the other two surveyed. / To alleviate work-alienation, recommendations were made for specific policy changes focussing mainly on strengthening current training standards. They relate to (1) research, development, and evaluation of training, (2) curriculum and instructional development, (3) training of trainers, (4) support services for training, and (5) strategy for staff development. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 54-07, Section: A, page: 2551. / Major Professor: Sande Milton. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1993.

The RAND Chronology of International Terrorism for 1987 is used to demonstrate the linkage between terrorism and world system theory (WST). Structural and economic terrorism are analyzed based on Fanon's historical theory of violence. WST is employed to examine international terrorism contextually (in three different case studies of U.S., U.S.S.R. and Cameroon) and to analyze how world system (WS) distribution of power determines the definition and labeling of terrorism. The study reveals that oppression engenders terrorism in the WS. As a theoretical tool WST is employed to study how patterns of violence and resistance are created by colonial policies practiced by core nations upon semiperiphery and peripheral nations and how the WS itself is responsible for creating structural terrorism. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 54-08, Section: A, page: 3216. / Major Professor: Michael J. Lynch. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1993.

This study identified characteristics of defendants, who are mentally retarded, which are related to competence to proceed to trial. The archival data of 271 subjects, the vast majority of the admission group of the State of Florida's Mentally Retarded Defendant Program, during a 15 and one half year period, were utilized. Subjects had been admitted to the program as incompetent to proceed to trial on felony charges. / The relationship of 13 variables and evaluations of competence to proceed to trial at 6, 12, 24 months and at final evaluation following admission to the mentally retarded defendant program was examined. Discriminant analysis and univariate post hoc Chi-square analyses revealed that six variables are significantly associated with evaluations of competence: (1) level of adaptive behavior deficits, (2) IQ score, (3) diagnosis of mental illness, (4) type of residence at arrest, (5) highest grade completed, and (6) employment experience. / The relationship between evaluations of competence to proceed to trial by program psychologists and court determinations of competence was also examined. Univariate Chi-square analysis revealed a very strong relationship between psychologists evaluations and court determinations at 6, 12, 24 months and at the final evaluation. Overall agreement was 96%. / A step-wise analysis revealed that only adaptive behavior, IQ, and mental illness made significant independent contributions to the discrimination between groups. A predictive model, based on the unstandardized coefficients associated with these three variables, correctly classified 85.4% of competent subjects. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 55-08, Section: B, page: 3565. / Major Professor: Harmon D. Burck. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1994.

This investigation compares three models of leadership style in police organizations by examining the Managerial Grid, the Reddin Three Dimensional (3D), and the Situational Leadership models in comparison with estimated measures of past managerial performance. All three of the cited managerial style models draw their basic structure from research conducted by Michigan and Ohio State Universities in the 1950's. The Ohio/Michigan State basic model deals with prescriptive reliance upon some combination of treatment of subordinates by superiors utilizing "task" or "structure" orientation (stemming from earlier notions of "scientific management") and "consideration" or "relationship" orientation (originating in the "human relations school"). Where the Managerial Grid model prescribes a single uniform managerial style, the 3D model implies that the most proper style would be grounded in expectations of subordinates, representated in large measure by occupational stereotypes. The Situational Leadership model prescribes that the most effective style varies, based upon a previous assessment of the maturity level of subordinate(s). / Although these prescriptive managerial style models call for differing behavior by managers toward subordinates for the achievement of effective managerial results, all three are widely used in the training of police managers in the United States. / This research draws inferences concerning possible recommendations for the future utilization of these models as prescriptive guides for leadership style in law enforcement as well as other occupations. These inferences are drawn from survey data involving nine municipal and county police departments where supervisory police managers were questioned concerning their personal leadership styles. The management style data was compared with estimated managerial effectiveness determined by ratings given the managers by their subordinates, superiors, and peers. This study of 211 police supervisors provides indications that police managers rated as more effective by their subordinates, peers, and superiors are those showing an inclination toward utilizing the Situational Leadership model as a disposition toward the treatment of subordinates. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 47-07, Section: A, page: 2750. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1986.

This dissertation is concerned with investigating the social "perceptual reality" of crime. Perceptual reality of crime refers to how society comes to view behavior, the criminal, and what society feels should be done to control crime. / Perceptions of crime discussed by this dissertation are centered around the consensus/conflict debate common to the discipline of criminology. "Players" in the consensus/conflict debate have traditionally been limited to academia and political rhetoric. This dissertation adamantly argues that a third player, popular culture, must be included if an understanding of society's perceptions of crime and justice are to be understood. / Special attention is given to sub-cultural forms of popular culture by this work. Justification for concentrating on sub-cultural forms of popular culture is to establish support for the hypotheses that American society is very diverse and that diversity often leads to conflict. / Following a literature review of popular culture's magnitude as well as a review of historical and contemporary theoretical analysis of the role played by popular culture in American society, the sub-cultural form of popular culture, rap music and rap music videos, are singled out for specific examination. / A research model designed to investigate whether or not conflict is reflected by sub-cultural forms of popular culture is presented. Following a discussion of the findings, the contributions of including the study of popular culture in attempting to better understand the formation and evolution of perceptual realities of crime in American society is critiqued. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 54-10, Section: A, page: 3884. / Major Professor: Michael J. Lynch. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1993.