Universiẗat, Diss--Greifswald, 2006.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 2009. / Title from title page screen (viewed on Oct. 23, 2009). Thesis advisor: Lynn Sacco. Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of North Texas, Aug., 2009. / Title from title page display. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (LL. M.)--University of Canterbury, 2008. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 193-198). Also available via the World Wide Web.

Thesis (M.S.) -- Central Connecticut State University, 2009. / Thesis advisor: Jennifer Hedlund. "... in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Criminal Justice." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 45-48). Also available via the World Wide Web.

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In late 20th-century Texas, during decades of rapid economic growth and abrupt social transformation, traditional state institutions and other features of a less affluent Southern past persisted side by side with the modern and newly developed. Criminal justice, in Texas as in other states, became a realm that was fiercely contested politically and in the courts. Sentencing and corrections, in particular, bore the brunt of changes promoted by the frequently conflicting forces of federal grant aid to states and federal judicial intervention. In the case of Texas, comprehensive reforms ordered by federal courts became a crucial, if limited, impetus for change that challenged the resistance of the political establishment. The courts typically sought to compel state institutions to meet standards of service provision set by professional experts and certifying organizations. The lead role played by federal courts--rather than Texas professionals themselves and their statewide organizations--in advocating for reforms indicates that in a state political environment marked by a tendency toward concentrated power, and with few independent, politically insulated institutions of their own, Texas doctors, lawyers, academics, and other professionals had few active roles to play. As examples of courtordered reform, the cases of prison medical care and juvenile confinement both display the chronic abasement of professional standards by state institutions, the limits of effective judicial intervention over time, and the long-term cyclical patterns of state politics. Other episodes of attempted reform--the use of federal grant funds originally intended to upgrade criminal justice agencies, and a succession of initiatives to change the criminal sentencing code--demonstrate the prevalence of political pressures over state-supported professional expertise. The particular importance of physicians--and the absence of state medical organizations--in promoting the revival of a modernized death penalty is emphasized by a comparison with England, where doctors asserted a professional interest in criminal justice policies and preempted the medicalization of capital punishment. Ultimately the fate of each of these initiatives in the realm of sentencing and correction reflects the pressures tending against the creation and maintenance of independent professional authority in Texas.

Although there is a paucity of research on the subject of police ethics training, there remains insufficient study about the modes used to teach police ethics. In an effort to institutionalize ethics among police officers, an established framework for teaching police ethics is a critical component of a successful training program. Specifically, this study sought to understand what constitutes viable modes of teaching police ethics to officers in the higher education law enforcement profession. The research question for this study asked the following: what are the preferred modes of instruction used to teach police ethics in the higher education law enforcement profession? A literature review revealed several modes of instruction used to provide police ethics training without consensus as to which one is preferred: case study, lectures, role-playing, texts/publications, and videos. This study examined the modes used to teach police ethics from several perspectives: administrators -- police chiefs/law enforcement academy directors; facilitators -- university police department field-training instructors/law enforcement academy instructors; and consumers -- police officers. Basic qualitative research design and data gathering methods were chosen for this study. An examination and analysis of a Likert survey, interviews and documents relating to teaching police ethics were conducted. The intention of the survey was to elicit perspectives of quality and substance specific to the modes used to teach police ethics and to develop questions for the interview process; thereby, enhancing the integrity and purpose of the study. The quantitative data were descriptive, not inferential; therefore, they were used as explanatory -- merely reporting the occurrences to the qualitative findings. The data revealed that the police academy and department in-service adult learning environments are in need of improvement regarding teaching practices, and that the relationship between instructor and consumer (officer) does not endear itself to an engaging classroom experience or optimal level of learning. The data also indicated that administrators and consumers preferred the case study mode to teach police ethics, while the facilitators preferred lecture. Implications of this study included identifying principles of adult learning that will improve the facilitator's ability to teach police ethics. Moreover, the research revealed that understanding the preferred modes used to teach police ethics is an important aspect of the adult learning process. Specifically, the case study mode for teaching police ethics provided an ethical framework to prepare officers for real world situations and enhanced the opportunity to nurture career development paths. Therefore, the information and insights gained from this study provide a useful baseline of data from which to develop future model ethics-training programs in the higher education law enforcement profession.

Restorative justice is an intervention gaining worldwide recognition in criminal justice systems and other settings. There is a growing evidence base demonstrating positive outcomes in a number of domains, but to date there has been no research found focussed upon the use of restorative justice in a forensic mental health setting. This study used semi-structured interviews and grounded theory analysis to explore and develop a deeper understanding of the use of restorative approaches at an early stage of implementation in such a setting, looking at the experience of the intervention, issues particular to this setting and the implementation process. The aim was to attempt to understand the underpinning psychological processes associated with the intervention and to develop a theoretical model of the use of restorative justice in the setting. There were ten participants including restorative justice facilitators, patients and the patients’ staff victims. The final model highlights the role of containment and the necessity for facilitators to have a high level of skill when working with a complex, vulnerable and potentially dangerous client group. The findings are discussed in relation to theory and research with particular reference to the concept of containment. Restorative approaches are found to be congruent with models of mental health and offender recovery. Processing emotions, developing thinking and coherent narrative, and immediacy are found to be key components of the intervention. Clinical implications and limitations of the study are presented. Recommendations for further research to build upon these findings are made.

published_or_final_version / Criminology / Master / Master of Social Sciences