Thesis (M.A.)--West Virginia University, 2009. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains vi, 46 p. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 43-46).

Thesis (M.A.)--Ohio University, June, 2009.. / Title from PDF t.p. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 1998. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 230-252). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Virginia Commonwealth University, 2010. / Prepared for: Dept. of Public Policy and Administration. Title from title-page of electronic thesis. Bibliography: leaves 120-139.

Thesis advisor: Orfilio Valiente Ernesto / Thesis advisor: Margaret Guider / Thesis (STL) — Boston College, 2021. / Submitted to: Boston College. School of Theology and Ministry. / Discipline: Sacred Theology.

No description available.

This paper addresses the question: Have the changes in family structure in the U.S. become a catalyst for juvenile delinquency? For this research, I use existing statistics for my three independent variables: divorce rates, rate of working mothers with children under age 18, percent female-headed households. My dependent variable, juvenile violent crime rates, is measured using data from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. My control variables consist of the following: percent of population aged 15-25, unemployment rate, incarceration rates, drug rates, rates of gun ownership, police employment, percent of those with weekly religious service attendance, percent of persons who have a "great deal" of confidence in the Executive branch of the United States, and percent of people who can trust others. I examine Gottfredson and Hirschi's self-control theory (1990) as a possible theoretical explanation of the correlation between changes in family structure and juvenile delinquency. Previous research has shown with less supervision, monitoring and punishing the child, low self-control results leading to delinquency. My population includes all individuals in these statistics. I use a time series analysis, spanning from 1980 to 2006, to show the changes in rates over time and the correlations between family variables and juvenile delinquency. / Master of Science

The purpose of this study involved illustrating how Nonviolent Communicationsm (NVC) training affected conflict resolution in a case study of Tekoa Boys Institute, a juvenile residence and school institution. Resolution was defined as "the process of resolving a dispute or a conflict, by providing each side's needs, and adequately addressing their interests so that they are satisfied with the outcome" (Dictonary.LaborLawTalk.com 2006). The following predictions concerning this research are: 1) At the Tekoa Boys Institute, the NVC trained residential staff's involvement in nonviolent resolution will increase more from the pretest to the two year posttest than the no-NVC trained residential staff. 2) At the Tekoa Boys Institute, the NVC trained residential staff's involvement in violent resolution will decrease more from the pretest to the two year posttest than the no-NVC trained residential staff. 3) At the Tekoa Boys Institute, the NVC trained residential staff's involvement in instigating conflicts will decrease more in the two year posttest when compared to pretest than those residential staff not trained in NVC. Results were found confirming the first two predictions in this sample with a statistical significance at the .05 level. As for the third prediction, no to little effect was found in this sample. / Master of Science

Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) programs and policies are being developed and implemented across the country. CVE is being criticized by various community leaders and members due to its inherent criminalizing nature as it is currently put into place by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). By exploring the various meanings of community in a multicultural community, various processes and practices can come to be analyzed as ways to prevent violent extremism without oversight from the DOJ and the DHS. Metro Detroit is a multicultural community that experiences statistically low levels of radicalization of community members who legitimize violent extremism. Even such cases can be delegitimized when considering the circumstances in which they exist. When examining the community cohesion that exists in Metro Detroit through various organizations, especially interfaith organizations, it becomes apparent that there is a strong attempt to create a cohesive community. The argument is not that community cohesion automatically leads to the absence of violent extremism, but that community cohesion builds relationships and practices so that potential causes for violent extremism can be addressed, lessened or diminished. It is suggested that the support of strengthening community cohesion in terms of CVE be dismantled from the DHS and the DOJ. Restructuring would best be supported as a joint effort between the Department of Education, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, all of which are better equipped to deal with the causes of violent extremism. / Master of Arts / Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) programs have recently been piloted in the United States in Boston, Minneapolis, and Los Angeles. Beyond that, federal funding is given to various non-profits or organizations across the country that aim to create a stronger community in order to decrease the level or threat of radicalization. Speculation regarding the role of the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security and their involvement in CVE stems from the fact that their presence, specifically the Federal Bureau of Investigation, automatically criminalizes a marginalized or vulnerable community. Community leaders across the country are growing more concerned with how CVE programs and policy is are being implemented. Engaging communities and providing them with the necessary resources as a joint effort through the Department of Education, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development without the securitized branding of CVE would be a more efficient way to deal with issues related to violent extremism. Community cohesion and practices to build such cohesion can prevent potential extremism by reducing marginalization and encouraging communication between different communities. The argument here is not that community cohesion automatically leads to reduced extremism, but that community cohesion builds relationships and practices so that potential drivers for extremism can be mitigated. By using Metro Detroit as a case study it becomes apparent that a high level of community cohesion and social cohesion play an integral role in leading to a lack of violent extremism in a multicultural community.

This is a study of five young women’ experiences of honor-related violence. The purpose of this study is: What experiences does the women show of an honor-related violent relationship? A qualitative method was applied and interviews were done with a total of five young women. To get a better understanding of the subject I have defined the four central concepts that this study is based on: honor, culture, ethnicity and gender. These subjects together describe honor and what it means to live under those circumstances. It also gives an idea of how it can be and reasons why honor-related violence occur. The five women of the study are slightly described to give an idea of how they are and what experiences they have in the matter. From the collected data I could analyze the results and code four themes: fear, guilt and shame of a controlled life, low self-esteem and also strategies for how to survive in an honor-related relationship. The result showed two types of groups where a victim can suffer from honor-related violence. The first group is of the children that are brought up with a relative, usually the father in the family, that is the perpetrator. The second group is the woman who gets in to a relationship with a man that uses honor as a reason to be violent. In conclusion I found that the perpetrator sees the victim as something he owns and control them as if they where his. This honorcode is based on what the surrounding defines as right and wrong towards the honorculture. The violence and the measure of it is based on what the culture defines as right and wrong.