How society views the use of the death penalty as a means of punishment greatly affects the decisions of lawmakers, politicians who use it as a platform for election, and the criminals who commit the crime of murder. This study used 40 different vignettes involving real-life murder scenarios in order for participants to form a more precise opinion of what the correct punishment for the crime should be. Given a choice between the death penalty, life without the possibility of parole, a prison term of their choosing, or other, participants were asked to assign a sanction for each vignette. Respondents were asked to answer demographic questions about themselves in order for these variables to be regressed to examine how their status relates to their opinion of the death penalty as a punishment for murder. Statistical analysis showed income level, political affiliation, and religious affiliation to be significant variables. Analysis of the vignettes themselves revealed substantial variation in individual's willingness to apply the death penalty across various types of murder.

The September 11, 2001, terrorist attack resulted in a myriad of new policies designed to enhance aviation security. These policies ostensibly considered the origins of the exact threat facing the United States. Missing, however, were the inputs from rank and file pilots of the airlines that policy makers were attempting to protect. This exploratory study distributed a 50-question survey designed to measure pilot perceptions of security risk and threats. Univariate descriptives were used to examine the extent to which sample data approximated the population of interest. Factor and reliability analysis were used to document the multidimensionality of the constructs and assess the appropriateness of the linear combination of variables used to construct the scales. Finally, correlation analysis was used to better understand which areas of airline security might be targeted by policymakers to enhance existing structures and practices. Results revealed statistically significant differences in the perceptions of pilot security concerns and the focus of current U.S. aviation security policy.

The purpose of this study was to examine prescription drug abuse among the adolescent population and analyze factors that may contribute to or influence adolescent drug abuse. This study examined 3 waves of a secondary data set from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA) entitled the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). The data from these surveys are nationally representative and include data on several types of drug use and mental health conditions. Results from the current study indicate that there were significant relationships among age, gender, race, previous alcohol use, school enrollment, general health, mental health treatment, and the use of prescription drugs in the adolescent populations. Future research should be conducted to investigate the severity of the impact adolescent prescription drug abuse will have on society and to investigate possible solutions to this problem.

The purpose of this study was to analyze the influences such as age at current offense, gender, race, previous convictions, and the seriousness of crimes that contributed to the decisions received by juveniles in adult court. This study examined a secondary data set from the United States Department of Justice entitled Juvenile Defendants in Criminal Courts (JDCC): Survey of 40 Counties in the United States, 1998. The cases from these 40 jurisdictions represented all filings during one month in 75 of the most populous counties. The current study found significant differences among race, prior criminal history, current offense severity, and juveniles adjudicated in adult court. Future research should therefore continue to examine the impact of juveniles adjudicated in adult court to better inform the debate surrounding the potential dangers associated with juvenile offending and adult criminal sanctions.

This thesis examined police practices of the North Carolina Highway Patrol concerning the occurrence of racial profiling. The sample data consisted of motorists stopped in North Carolina by the Highway Patrol between January 1, 2000 and July 31, 2000 (N = 332, 861). The findings suggested that race was a likely factor in pretextual stops. The results also indicate that racial profiling was occurring more in the western region than the eastern region of North Carolina. Theoretical reasons are offered in support of these findings.

Utilizing Social Control Theory, this study explores the role of participation in After School Programs, mentoring relationships, and commitment to school in reducing adolescent delinquency. This study uses local survey data of 556 youth attending Boys and Girls Clubs collected from 2010-2012. The negative binomial regression results indicate that increased club attendance is associated with reduced delinquency. This effect is mediated by the presence of a mentor and by the youths' commitment to school.

Research testing the relationship between adolescent religiosity and delinquent behavior is inconclusive. Some studies show a significant negative relationship while others indicate no relationship. Stark (1996) asserts that the relationship between religiosity and delinquency is a function of community religiosity as opposed to personal religiosity. Thus, in areas of high religiosity, there will be a strong relationship, while areas of low religiosity will show no relationship. This study looks at the relationship between religiosity and delinquency of LDS youth in four different religious ecologies: Utah County (high religious ecology), the East coast (moderate religious ecology), the Pacific Northwest (low religious ecology), and Great Britain (very low religious ecology). Structural Equation Modeling of the data indicates that the relationship between religiosity and delinquency is strong regardless of religious ecology. Thus, the religious ecology hypothesis is not supported.

‘Knarkrondellen’, which translates to ‘Drug Roundabout’, is a known hot spot for drug trading in Malmö and the police have implemented several measures to prevent the narcotic crimes. This paper sets out to investigate the impact that the police interventions, namely enhanced police foot patrols, improved street lighting and the installation of a surveillance camera, have on the crime rates and the fear of crime at the roundabout. In a multi-method approach, quantitative data from the police register and police surveys as well as qualitative observations and interviews with the residents are analyzed. The findings show that the police interventions did not reach the desired preventative effect in the given study period and indicate the occurrence of displacement. The citizens’ feeling of safety and perception of the problems did not change significantly as a result of the interventions. Overall, the surveys and interviews suggest that the police are on the right track; however, a longer follow-up period is needed in order to examine the long-term effects of the intervention measures. Additionally, an enhanced involvement of the community in the fight against drug crimes appears necessary.

Prescription drug misuse (PDM), defined as use without a prescription or solely for the feeling or experience caused by the drug, has become a popular topic among substance use researchers. While the vast majority of studies on the topic tackle epidemiological questions surrounding PDM, there is a notable lack of studies that look specifically at risk factors rooted in sociological/criminological theories. The current research seeks to bridge this gap in the literature by examining theoretically based explanations for PDM among college students utilizing three criminological theories commonly applied to other forms of substance use: Social Learning Theory, Social Bonding/Control theory, and General Strain Theory. In addition, this study also seeks to examine differences in user types characterized by motives for misuse as they relate to predictors stemming from these theories of interest. Utilizing an independently collected sample of 841 college undergraduates from a large southern university, the findings show that nearly one in four students misused prescription drugs in the past semester. Motivations for PDM were primarily instrumental in nature, with very few respondents misusing solely for recreational purposes. Furthermore, social learning based risk factors could best account for PDM within the sample with partial and indirect supports also found for strain based risk factors as well. Implications of these findings as well as theoretical and practical applications are presented.

Research specific to gender and violent juvenile delinquency is sparse due to two factors: a substantially higher incidence of delinquent male violence and the cost associated with drawing adequate female samples is frequently prohibitive (Howell, 2003). Gender-differences are explored in a sample of arrested juveniles using an expanded measure of parental attachment [bond]. The dimensions of emotional attachment, supervision, and time-involvement with a selfreported caregiver are explored for between group differences and association with recognized risk factors for juvenile delinquency. Findings indicate that while statistically significant between-group differences are not found in the presentation of attachment, descriptive differences do exist. Females demonstrated a higher level of impairment in emotional attachment to a caregiver than their male counterparts; females arrested for a violent offense reported the highest level of problem in this area. Findings also indicate that the mechanism of attachment appears to function differently by gender group in terms of association with risk factors for delinquency. Time-involvement emerged as an important predictor for the full group and the female group, particularly in relationship with higher risk for antisocial peer involvement. Support for a gendered experience of parental attachment [social bond] is provided. Emotional attachment and time-involvement were found to be important predictors for the full group, while supervision was not indicated as important to any risk factor or to recidivism. The current research advances knowledge on gender-related differences within delinquency. Through enhancing the understanding of the complex gender-specific influences on juvenile crime, criminal justice and human service systems may better learn to address these needs thereby reducing both entrance rates into the juvenile justice system and recidivism.