Gun violence is a problem in many communities across the United States that are characterized by poverty, and lack of quality education, yet little is known about the experiences of victims of gun violence in these places. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to better understand how people who have been victims of gun violence perceive problems and solutions associated with the production, distribution, and ownership of guns. Based on the theoretical framework of Rousseau's social contract theory, this study explored gun violence from the perspectives of 10 victims whose lives were directly or indirectly affected by gun violence to understand how victims perceive the obligations of government to the governed in terms of response to gun violence. Data from individual interviews were subjected to selective and open coding followed by a thematic analysis procedure. The key findings from this study revealed that gun violence victims were able to differentiate between the intended use of firearms and its abuse. The victims associated the abuse of firearms to deteriorating social factors. In accordance with the classic premise of the social contract theory, the victims thought that the fight against gun violence needed to be led by the affected communities. The results of this study demonstrated what appeared to be a new rendition of theory, that instead of challenging local authorities, the victims opted for a leadership-based collaborative approach to eradicate the underlying social weaknesses that lead to gun violence. The conclusions drawn from this study may provide insight into appropriate measures that can aid in social uplift among affected communities, such as modifications to existing gun control laws to promote safety and efficiency and citizen collaboration toward improved regulation.

Since its first use in criminal investigations in 1987, DNA profiling has become the new gold standard for investigations and prosecutions. Academics, politicians and law enforcement officials have presented DNA evidence as a ??scientific hero?? that is capable of solving crimes and preventing miscarriages of justice. However, in spite of this reputation, few studies have explored the impact of this technology on criminal justice practitioners, or on the process of investigating and processing criminal offences. This dissertation provides a comparative study of the use of DNA profiling in two jurisdictions: New South Wales (NSW) in Australia and the Thames Valley in the United Kingdom (UK). Interviews canvassed the perspectives and experiences of police officers, scene of crime officers (SOCOs), forensic scientists, criminal lawyers, and judicial officers from these areas. These interviews were analysed in conjunction with appeal judgments and police statistics to reveal how DNA evidence has been used in the NSW and Thames Valley. The research presented in this dissertation indicates that DNA profiling is having a number of far-reaching effects on both criminal justice systems and is seen as a reliable forensic tool by criminal justice practitioners. Practitioners routinely use DNA evidence throughout the various stages of the criminal justice process and are actively changing their practices to utilise the technology more effectively. One of the main impacts of the introduction of DNA evidence into criminal investigations has been the need to provide substantial resources and infrastructure for the collection, analysis, and storage of samples. Both jurisdictions encountered a number of problems because they provided insufficient resources to effectively use DNA profiling. This study also offers insight into how criminal justice practitioners perceive the dangers of using DNA evidence and how miscarriages of justice can occur. Finally, through an analysis of the combined experiences of criminal justice practitioners, this dissertation challenges the widespread acceptance and routine use of forensic DNA profiling. It further suggests that it is now time to re-consider current practices in relation to how resources are devoted to the technology, and how criminal justice practitioners are using the technology.

The current research focuses on parents' level of understanding of Miranda rights and parents' likelihood of encouraging their teenagers to waive their Miranda rights. The previous research suggests that parents alone may not adequately protect juveniles' rights during interrogation and waiver. Prior research also suggests that parents' and juveniles' past experience with the justice system may not help them during their current interrogation and waiver. A 17-item questionnaire was used to assess the two dependent variables and the two independent variables. The two dependent variables were parents' understanding of Miranda rights and parents' likelihood of encouraging arrested teens to waive their rights. The two independent variables were whether or not a parent has been arrested and whether or not the teenager has been arrested. There were four conditions: parents who had been arrested with teenagers who had been arrested, parents who had been arrested with teenagers who had not been arrested, parents who had not been arrested with teenagers who had been arrested, and parents who had not been arrested with teenagers who had not been arrested. Several ANOVAs (Analyses of Variance) and one ANCOVA (Analysis of Covariance) revealed patterns in the data supporting the hypothesis that parents may not provide adequate support for teenagers during the waiver process. Overall, past experience was shown not to have an effect on the likelihood for parents to encourage waiver or on their score on the Comprehension o/Miranda Rights - Recognition (CMRR) (used to measure level of understanding of the Miranda warnings) (Grisso, 1998). Furthermore, the implications for this study supported the notion that having legal counsel present during the waiver process is beneficial to the arrested teenager.

The study was conducted in order to determine the effects of the Citizen Police Academy (CPA) program on community and officer attitudes. The two main goals of this program are to increase officer awareness of community concerns and to raise community awareness about the police department. Surveys were distributed to three groups: employees of the Bowling Green Police Department, all alumni of the CPA, and a random sample of the local community. Participants were asked their attitudes regarding crime prevention, awareness of police officers' activities, and the effectiveness of the CPA program. T-tests and ANOVAs determined that police officers who had participated with the CPA did not express significantly more support for the CPA program than did those who had not participated with the program. Community members rated officer awareness of community concerns lower than did the officers themselves. Finally, alumni were able to identify obscure programs discussed by the CPA significantly more often than were community members. Results of this assessment seem to indicate that the CPA is successfully meeting its goal of increasing community awareness about the police department. Use of these results for improving the program are discussed.

Individuals resorting to violent aggression in the form of criminal homicide have often been the object of great public concern. Of the many actions punishable by criminal law, the taking of a human life by another human being most often entails a severe sanction, especially when it has been done deliberately and with a degree of premeditation. Public fear and concern dictate forceful sanctioning toward the homicide offender or offenders; no other criminal offense is so likely to result in the death penalty or life imprisonment.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 1978. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 190-198). Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center.

Thesis--Utrecht. / Summary in English. Includes bibliographical references (p. [147]-150) and index.

The aim of this study is to understand changes in the criminal justice system and their effects on policy and practice within the probation service In England and Wales. Towards this aim it utilises the techniques of participant observation, interviews, documentary research and an extensive self-completion questionnaire. The study proceeds by examining the history and politics of the Service and the relationship of these to changes in internal policy and occupational practice. More specifically, it then considers the responses of one probation area. Therefore, the study does not separate the issue of environmental effects on an organisation and how that has consequences for policy and practice within the Service. Within the Treen policy process, an 'implementation gap' is found to exist between probation management (ACPO and above) and the front-line (probation officers and ancillaries). However, the study goes further by examining the issues of autonomy and accountability of probation staff in relation to the organisation itself , as well as other groups and agencies. Further, alterations in the roles of personnel are examined in relation to the changes which policy implies. Again, significant differences are found to exist between the two groups of staff mentioned above. In order to further understand these differences, the study then examines ‘everyday work’ and finds that discretion is a necessary feature for managing and controlling a probation work setting . In the process, the issue of the compatability of policy and practice is raised and found to be wanting. Utilising a model developed in chapter 2, the study then seeks to understand these tensions as stemming from the 'politics' of the ‘alternatives to custody industry’ with its emphasis on central control and punishment; a philosophy at odds with the Service's traditional humanitarian concerns. The study finds in the nature of policy, a need for both both uniformity and predictability in probation work. However, the working environment is found to be neither uniform nor predictable, with front-line personnel also firmly believing that they need discretion in order to exercise their duties effectively. Finally, from a further understanding of this 'politics of probation', the study finishes with beliefs on the future development of the Service.

As police personnel carry out their mandates of enforcing the law, maintaining order, and serving the public, they are entrusted to "practice what they preach." They are expected to abide by the rules, laws, and ethical principles that apply to them as they hold private citizens to account for violations of laws. When the police do not live up to this standard by committing police misconduct, it can tarnish not just the individual officer, but the department and jurisdiction as well. Police misconduct is a concern for society as police misbehavior can result in negative outcomes, such as distrust by the citizenry, poor police-community relations, and litigation. Therefore, it is important for academics and police administrators to gain a better understanding of why police personnel engage in occupational deviance. A sizable literature has identified several individual, organizational, and community-level correlates of police misconduct, but there is a general dearth of knowledge concerning criminological explanations for police misconduct. The purpose of this study was to assess the potential relationship between self-control and police misconduct utilizing two versions of self-control theory. The primary objectives of the dissertation were to: (1) investigate whether self-control predicts police misconduct; and, if so, (2) identify which version of self-control theory best explains police misconduct. The original version of self-control theory (Gottfredson and Hirschi, 1990) hypothesizes that crime and deviant behavior are the result of low self-control, which is characterized by impulsivity, a preference for simple tasks, a proclivity for risk-seeking activities, self-centeredness, and a quick temper. More than a decade later, Hirschi (2004) revised the theory in an effort to address several shortcomings of the original theoretical model. In this revision, he moved the focus away from the personality trait of self-control to a rational choice, decision-making conceptualization, which he argued is more consistent with the original intent of the theory. From this new perspective, self-control refers to an internal set of inhibitors that influence the choices people make. Data were collected through online surveys of 101 police supervisors within three U.S. police agencies. The respondents are part of a larger research project, known as the National Police Research Platform, which is funded by the National Institute of Justice. The data were analyzed using a series of correlational and multiple regression strategies. Based on theory and prior research, it was hypothesized that measures of both theoretical versions would significantly predict police misconduct and that, in a full regression model, both versions would yield significant (and independent) effects. As predicted by the hypotheses, the results demonstrated that low self-control (as a measure of Gottfredson and Hirschi's theoretical version) and revised self-control (as a measure of Hirschi's revised theoretical version) were both significantly related to past police misconduct and the likelihood of future police misconduct. Furthermore, both measures produced independent effects in full regression models. Lastly, as evinced by standardized regression coefficients, the results suggested that revised self-control is the superior theoretical version within the context of police deviance. The finding that self-control is related to police misconduct has important policy implications for police administrators. Specifically, it is recommended that administrators 1) bolster their personnel selection and hiring through the use of more judicious background investigations and increased use of psychological testing; 2) increase the use of integrity-testing strategies, such as early warning systems, to detect problematic employees; and 3) utilize quality police training programs with emphases on ethics, consequences of misbehavior, and mechanisms to strengthen employees' levels of self-control. Study strengths and limitations, as well as directions for future research, are presented.

A developing body of research within the fields of criminology and rural sociology has emphasized the importance of considering geographic place in the study of interpersonal violence, and domestic violence in particular. Exploring how place is related to domestic violence lends itself to considerations of geographic variation in socio-structural conditions. A handful of studies since the 1980s have explored structural correlates of intimate abuse largely rooted in one of two theoretical contexts: social disorganization or gender inequality/patriarchy. However, knowledge regarding the relationship between place, social structure, and specific types of violence remains limited. The present study is intended as an examination of the relationship between place, social structure, and intimate homicide. Specifically, this study explores the influence of rurality, social disorganization and gender inequality on male perpetrated-female victim intimate partner homicide (femicide). Analyses are also conducted on non-domestic homicide to serve as a comparison to femicide findings. Several research questions are explored including, (1) does rurality have a significant relationship with femicide rates, (2) does structural gender inequality have a significant relationship with femicide rates, and is this relationship conditioned by rurality, (3) does social disorganization have a significant relationship with femicide rates, and is this relationship conditioned by rurality. All research questions are also explored for non-domestic homicide rates. The data come from several sources including the 2000 U.S. Census (theoretical indicators and control variables), the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service (measure of rurality), the North Carolina State Center for Health Statistics (measure of homicide), and the North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence (measure of femicide). A unique contribution of this study is the use of non-official data sources for homicide measures which are not bound by the same limitations (e.g., accuracy, voluntary reporting) that limit the commonly utilized UCR and SHR data. Negative binomial regression is used to analyze county-level rates of femicide and non-domestic homicide for the population of North Carolina counties (N=100).The results indicate that (1) place does matter, as illustrated by significantly higher risk of femicide and non-domestic homicide victimization in rural counties compared to non-rural counties; (2) increasing female equality in rural counties may serve as a protective factor against femicide victimization, but this relationship is mediated by social disorganization; and (3) increasing social disorganization in non-rural counties is associated with higher risk of non-domestic homicide. The present study has several implications for femicide and disaggregated homicide research. First, the findings demonstrate the importance of considering geographic location in modeling structural theoretical indicators and processes. Second, the significance of certain theoretical indicators representing both gender inequality and social disorganization contribute to the development of a matrix of risk that can be used to encourage and/or justify the more arduous task of testing fully specified models of the theories across place. Third, the present study contributes to the literatures extending social disorganization to rural places and to domestic violence, and the role of structural gender inequality in gendered violence. Future research exploring structural explanations for intimate partner homicide are urged to make comparisons across disaggregated homicide types and, most importantly, consider the influence of rurality.