Department: Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Criminal Justice ![[clear]](close-x.png "Remove this limiter")
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1.
Bell, Valerie R. M.A.
Gender-Responsive Risk Assessment: A Comparison of Women and Men.
Degree: PhD, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Criminal Justice, 2012, University of Cincinnati
► Risk assessment is an integral part of corrections. Risk assessment allows practitioners…
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▼ Risk assessment is an integral part of corrections. Risk assessment allows practitioners to not only predict the likelihood of success for an offender placed in the community but also to identify areas which will likely reduce risk if treated. Many scholars have argued that such areas also known as criminogenic needs differ for men and women (Bloom, Owen and Covington, 2003). In responding to these arguments scholars have created a risk assessment designed specifically for female offenders (The Women’s Risk/Needs Assessment or WRNA) (Van Voorhis, Salisbury, Wright, and Bauman, 2008). This dissertation builds on existing gender-responsive studies by examining the predictive validity of gender-neutral and gender-responsive risk/needs variables as well as gender-responsive strengths in a sample of male and female offenders in community correctional facilities using the WRNA. Results indicate that there are differences in the prevalence, co-occurrence, and predictive validity of gender-neutral and gender-responsive risk/needs and gender-responsive strengths for men and women. This study replicates the results of prior studies regarding gender-neutral risk assessment for male offenders. Additionally, this research demonstrates the importance of gender-responsive issues in the risk prediction of female offenders.
Advisors/Committee Members: Vanvoorhis, Patricia.
Subjects: Criminology
Keywords: risk assessment; gender; corrections
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2.
Carter, David E.
A Meta-Analysis of Early Life Influences on Behavior.
Degree: PhD, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Criminal Justice, 2012, University of Cincinnati
► Over the last several decades, groundbreaking advances have occurred across multiple fields…
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▼ Over the last several decades, groundbreaking advances have occurred across multiple fields of human sciences. These advances have had the largest effect in the medical field. Current understanding of human development over the life course is more comprehensive, and even more complex. These advances have also nudged the field of criminology toward a more complete model to explain individual behavior, including the influences of early life problems and their effects on behavior. To this end, this research examines factors contributing to behavioral problems early in life, which may assist in the development of antisocial behavior. Utilizing a meta-analytic approach, a synthesis of current perceptions of inducers to antisocial behavior is analyzed. Specifically, this dissertation examines the role of prenatal effects, birth complications, and other early life trauma, onto problematic behavior and aggression. Implications for inclusion of these important times in the life course into theoretical discussion are presented.
Advisors/Committee Members: Wright, John.
Subjects: Criminology
Keywords: Met-Analysis; Prenatal; Peri-Natal; Postnatal; Behavior Problems
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3.
Carter, James W. II.
Local Law Enforcement in the Realm of Cyberspace: The Role of Local Law Enforcement Agencies in Controlling Internet Crime.
Degree: PhD, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Criminal Justice, 2011, University of Cincinnati
► Since at least the 1970’s there has been speculation about the impact…
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▼ Since at least the 1970’s there has been speculation about the impact that the development of the internet would have on both the pro-social and the antisocial elements of society. Some authors have speculated that the nature of crime and the rates of crime are likely to change as a result of the ongoing technological revolution. Furthermore, it has been speculated that the technological revolution would affect the role of the police, as well. The present study examines both the preferred and the enacted roles of local law enforcement agencies within the realm of cyberspace. The preferred role of the police was operationalized as the number of complaints an agency received during the 2006 calendar year concerning 20 different types of internet crime. The enacted role of the police was operationalized as the Overall Activity Scale, a summative index representing the number of activities in which an agency reportedly engaging in efforts to control internet crimes. The present study also examined the ability of the tenets of contingency theory to explain the enacted role of local law enforcement agencies as a function of the number of internet crime complaints received. Data for the present study were gathered via self-administered questionnaires mailed to the chief administrators of 871 local law enforcement agencies in the state of Ohio. These agencies included 783 municipal police departments and 88 county sheriff agencies. While the response rate for the current study was only 17%, the findings begin the process of examining the role of local law enforcement agencies in policing cyberspace. The findings of the present study suggested that a majority of police agencies in the responding sample did in fact receive complaints concerning internet crimes. Furthermore, the study found that the overall levels of activity of local law enforcement agencies in the responding sample were not explained by the number of internet crime complaints received. A multivariate regression analysis was largely un-interpretable due to problems of multicollinearity between the independent variables. However; one independent variable did emerge as a significant predictor of agency scores on the Overall Activity Scale.
Advisors/Committee Members: Travis, Lawrence.
Subjects: Criminology
Keywords: Policing; Local Law Enforcement; Internet Crime; Cyberspace; Crime; Role of Police
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4.
Duru, Haci.
Crime on Turkish Streetblocks: An Examination of the Effects of High-Schools, On-Premise Alcohol Outlets, and Coffeehouses.
Degree: PhD, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Criminal Justice, 2010, University of Cincinnati
► This dissertation examines the relationships between three specific types of places, including…
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▼ This dissertation examines the relationships between three specific types of places, including high schools, on-premise alcohol outlets, and Turkish coffeehouses, and crime on Turkish streetblocks. Its theoretical framework is grounded in an environmental criminology approach. Research hypotheses are derived from an integration of routine activity theory, crime pattern theory, social disorganization theory, and multilevel criminal opportunity theory. For each of the target places, (high schools, on-premise alcohol outlets, Turkish coffeehouses), it is hypothesized that as the number of the target places (e.g., high schools) on a streetblock increases, the number of crimes also increases on that streetblock. Further, this relationship is hypothesized to be moderated by neighborhood level social disorganization variables. The data for this research come from four different sources. The crime data come from the Bursa Police Department, Turkey. The locations of crime incidents and places are plotted on electronic maps of streetblocks and neighborhoods of Bursa. The map files, including the maps of high schools and on-premise alcohol outlets, come from the Bursa Police Department as well. The locations of Turkish coffeehouses come from the Bursa Chamber of Commerce/Coffeehouses. Neighborhood level social disorganization variables come from the Turkish Statistical Institution. The LandScan 2008 Dataset is used to construct a measure of population at risk. The data are analyzed using the multilevel multivariate Poisson modeling (HGLM) technique (Raudenbush and Earl 2002). The research hypotheses are tested for total crimes, as well as for specific types of crime (i.e., violent crime, burglary, theft, auto-theft, and theft from auto). The results of the analyses indicate that, overall, as the number of target places (e.g., high schools) increases on a streetblock, the number of crimes also increases. The strength of this relationship varies by the type of place (i.e., it is strongest in on-premise alcohol outlets models and weakest in high schools models) and the type of crime. This relationship is also moderated by neighborhood social disorganization. More specifically, overall, neighborhood heterogeneity and economic disadvantage strengthens, and neighborhood instability and family disruption weakens the relationship. Implications of the findings for theory and practice are discussed. There are several limitations of this research. These include problems regarding the temporal ordering of the variables and technical issues regarding the map files (i.e., ambiguity regarding some streetblocks, boundary streets, locations of crime incidents and business places), and limited measures of business places and indicators of social disorganization variables. Possible effects of these limitations on the findings are discussed. With these limitations in mind, this study shows that a multilevel criminal opportunity theory is generalizable to Turkish streetblocks and neighborhoods.
Advisors/Committee Members: Wilcox, Pamela.
Subjects: Criminology
Keywords: crime; streetblocks; neighborhoods; high schools; on-premise alcohol outlets; Turkish coffeehouses
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5.
Gehring, Krista S.
Are Needs Related to Pretrial Outcomes? An Examination of the Hamilton County Inventory of Need Pretrial Screening Tool.
Degree: PhD, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Criminal Justice, 2011, University of Cincinnati
► In recent years, there have been ever increasing numbers of individuals entering…
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▼ In recent years, there have been ever increasing numbers of individuals entering into the criminal justice system. Because of this, criminal justice professionals and researchers have become progressively more concerned about the phenomenon of individuals continually cycling through the system. Pretrial service agencies are afforded a unique opportunity to address this issue at the “gateway” of the criminal justice system. It is possible that identifying and addressing pretrial needs could interrupt this cycle and contribute to pretrial success. Furthermore, attention to gender-responsive needs at this stage of the criminal justice process may prove beneficial for female pretrial defendants. While evidence-based practices in the pretrial field have begun to emerge, there has been little inquiry into pretrial needs and their subsequent influence on pretrial outcomes. This dissertation contributes to both the pretrial and gender-responsive literature by investigating the existence of gender differences of pretrial needs and whether these needs are predictive of pretrial outcomes. Examination of domains included in the Hamilton County Inventory of Need Pretrial Screening Tool afforded an opportunity to identify and examine the needs of 266 pretrial defendants from Hamilton County, Ohio. Results indicate there are gender differences in the substance, prevalence, co-occurrence of the needs of pretrial defendants; many of the examined needs are risk factors for pretrial failure; and gender-responsive pretrial risk factors are important in predicting pretrial outcomes. In all, this study demonstrates the importance of examining pretrial needs and their potential contribution to pretrial failure.
Advisors/Committee Members: Vanvoorhis, Patricia.
Subjects: Criminology
Keywords: Pretrial Defendants; Pretrial Needs; Gender Differences in Pretrial Needs; Female Pretrial Defendants
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6.
Gialopsos, Brooke A. M.S.
For Whom the School Bell Tolls: Explaining Students’ Fear of Crime and Perceptions of Risk.
Degree: PhD, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Criminal Justice, 2011, University of Cincinnati
► Although fear and perceived risk are well studied among adult samples, fewer…
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▼ Although fear and perceived risk are well studied among adult samples, fewer works have explored these phenomena among samples of students. This dissertation provided an inquiry into the fear and perceived risk of secondary students across various schools in Kentucky. More specifically, though, this dissertation examined the extent to which indicators of vulnerability (i.e., sociodemographic characteristics and prior victimization) and lifestyle/routine activities (i.e., target attractiveness, exposure, and guardianship) predicted fear and perceived risk of sexual and nonsexual in-school victimization. The shadow of sexual assault is also assessed by examining the extent to which fear and risk of sexual victimization predict fear and risk of non-sexual victimization. The rationality of students’ fear and risk perceptions are considered in light of findings from such analysis. Using data from the Rural Substance Abuse and Violence Project (RSVP), the findings revealed that many of the indicators of vulnerability and lifestyle/routine activities significantly impacted students’ fear and perceived risk. Overall, female students and prior victims of crime expressed more fear and perceived greater risk than males and nonvictims. Low self-control and believing illegal items at school were easy to obtain consistently increased students’ fear and perceptions of risk. On the other hand, attachment to peers and the perceived willingness of teachers to intervene in violent situations reduced the fear and risk perceptions of students. Given the consistency of many of these indicators across the models, it is argued that much of students’ fear and perceived risk appear rational. What is more, that data show that a portion of students’ fear and perceived risk of nonsexual victimization is driven by their fear and risk of sexual victimization. Policy implications for these findings are presented, as are recommendations for future works.
Advisors/Committee Members: Wilcox, Pamela.
Subjects: Criminology
Keywords: Fear of crime; Perceptions of risk; Shadow of sexual assault; Vulnerability; Lifestyle/routine activities; Secondary schools
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7.
Heinonen, Justin A.
Measuring how Much Criminologists Know About Crime: Using Environmental Criminology to Assess Our Knowledge of Crime Events.
Degree: PhD, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Criminal Justice, 2010, University of Cincinnati
► Understanding crime events is critical to theory and practice. Increasingly, some criminologists…
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▼ Understanding crime events is critical to theory and practice. Increasingly, some criminologists have pointed to the utility of understanding crime events for understanding both offenders and how crime can be prevented. Nevertheless, there remains today a strong bias toward studying offenders in criminological research even though research indicates that criminological knowledge of the causes of criminality is highly problematic (Weisburd and Piquero, 2008). So there is reason to suspect that criminologists may also know little about crime events. A handful of studies have tried to shed light on this suspicion, but these studies are limited. To directly address this concern, I developed an assessment process that is systematic, replicable and theory-driven to measure what we do and do not know about specific crime events. I used this process to review studies of residential burglary and personal robbery from nine journals over 30 years to answer three research questions: How much do criminologists know about these crime events? Are certain journals more useful for understanding them? And, to what extent do criminologists study specific burglary and robbery events? In response to the first question, my findings suggest that criminologists know very little about these crime events, as compared to what theory would expect them to know. In response to the second question, my findings suggest that environmental criminology journals, compared to traditional criminology journals, are more likely to publish crime event studies. And in response to the third question, my findings suggest that criminologists seldom study specific burglary and robbery events, and show few signs of changing. I discuss the limitations of my findings and their implications for research and policy.
Advisors/Committee Members: Eck, John.
Subjects: Criminology
Keywords: Environmental criminology; Crime prevention; Systematic Review; Criminological knowledge; Crime events
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8.
Henson, Billy.
Fear of Crime Online: Examining the Effects of Online Victimization and Perceived Risk on Fear of Cyberstalking Victimization.
Degree: PhD, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Criminal Justice, 2011, University of Cincinnati
► Fear of crime research has continued to grow over the last 40…
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▼ Fear of crime research has continued to grow over the last 40 years. However, while fear of crime continues to be a major variable of interest among researchers, little effort has been made to appropriately incorporate fear of crime into the study of online victimization. To date, there have been no empirical, academic studies that focus specifically on the prevalence of fear of cybercrime. Additionally, there has only one study which has attempted to examine any predictors of fear of cybercrime (Higgins et al., 2006). As a result, very little is known about fear of online victimization. The purpose of this dissertation was to continue to develop the fear of crime literature by examining the extent of fear of cyberstalking victimization, as well as the factors that serve as predictors for fear of cyberstalking. Utilizing data from a large sample of undergraduate students from the University of Cincinnati, the current study analyzed both the extent of fear of cyberstalking victimization and the link between cyberstalking victimization, perceived risk of cyberstalking victimization, and fear of cyberstalking victimization. As reported by this study, a large number of individuals are afraid of experiencing cyberstalking victimization. Further, gender, relationship status, type of offender, and frequency of pursuit behaviors have a major impact on the levels of reported fear of cyberstalking victimization. As with previous fear of crime research, cyberstalking victimization and perceived risk of cyberstalking victimization are also both key predictors of fear of cyberstalking victimization. The similarities and differences between fear of traditional street crime and cybercrime and possible directions for future research are also discussed.
Advisors/Committee Members: Fisher, Bonnie Sue.
Subjects: Criminology
Keywords: fear of crime; cyberstalking; cybercrime; college students
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9.
Jonson, Cheryl Lero.
The Impact of Imprisonment on Reoffending: A Meta-Analysis.
Degree: PhD, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Criminal Justice, 2010, University of Cincinnati
► In the early 1970s, state and federal prison populations were under 200,000,…
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▼ In the early 1970s, state and federal prison populations were under 200,000, with incarceration rates having remained relatively stable for a half century. For a variety of reasons (e.g., increased crime rates, changed political context, the "get tough" movement), the United States entered a period mass incarceration. The number of inmates in state and federal prisons increased 600 percent to over 1.5 million. Counting jail populations, the daily count of Americans behind bars currently stands at over 2.4 million;or about 1 in every 100 adults. However, despite the large number of people placed behind bars, little research has been conducted to determine the impact of imprisonment on the reoffending behavior of individuals placed behind bars. Within this context, this dissertation focus on a three central empirical questions that stand at the heart of the mass imprisonment movement: 1) When an offender is imprisoned as opposed to being given an alternative sanction (e.g., probation), is the person less likely to reoffend?, 2) Does incarcerating offenders for longer periods of time result in a greater reduction in recidivism?, and 3) Does placement in facilities with harsher conditions (e.g., fewer visitations, more restrictions) have a larger deterrent effect when compared to placement in facilities with less harsh conditions? To address the three research questions, this dissertation used meta-analytic techniques to complete a quantitative synthesis of 85 research studies. The overall mean effect size and weighted mean effect size of the three independent variables in question (i.e., non-custodial versus custodial sanctions; sentence length; harshness of conditions) were calculated to determine its impact on recidivism. Additionally, the impact of various moderators was also assessed. The results indicate that the specific deterrence argument for the use of prison is not empirically supported. When examining the impact of non-custodial and custodial sanctions on post-release reoffending, a 14 percent increase in recidivism was found for those sentenced to custodial sanctions as opposed to non-custodial sanctions. Thus, imprisonment was associated with an increase, rather than a decrease, in recidivism contradicting the predictions of specific deterrence theory. Similarly, placement in harsher prison conditions was associated with a 15 percent increase in post-release criminal behavior, failing to provide support for the specific deterrent argument. Only the analyses examining the impact of sentence length showed a deterrent effect, with longer sentences associated with a five percent decrease in recidivism. In light of these findings, the continued reliance on mass incarceration as a main response to crime is questioned. If the goal of imprisonment is to reduce the recidivism of those who are placed behind bars, this study has shown that this is not an empirically sound argument. In fact, placing individuals in prison and increasing the harshness of those prisons are contributing to the very problem it is attempting to solve. Consequently, the results suggest that an alternative crime control strategy to mass imprisonment needs to be employed if the ultimate goal is to reduce the post-release criminal behavior of those who enter the criminal justice system.
Advisors/Committee Members: Cullen, Francis.
Subjects: Criminology
Keywords: Imprisonment; Recidivism; Specific Deterrence; Meta-analysis
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10.
Koller, Cynthia.
Diffusion of Innovation and Fraud in the Subprime Mortgage Market.
Degree: PhD, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Criminal Justice, 2010, University of Cincinnati
► White-collar crime in the form of fraud in the subprime mortgage market…
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▼ White-collar crime in the form of fraud in the subprime mortgage market has been credited with contributing to the current global financial crisis. Subprime lending is a relatively new phenomenon, and its use and abuse spread rapidly throughout the financial industry over the past two decades. This project examines (1) the growth in subprime lending and fraud in the United States mortgage industry; (2) how industry practitioners perceived, utilized, and reinvented the subprime innovation for legitimate and fraudulent use; and (3) the potential of contemporary criminological and diffusion theories to extend our understanding of white-collar crime opportunity structures. Using diffusion of innovations theory as an interpretive framework, insight into how and why opportunities diffuse throughout a business system is provided, and the opportunity perspective of white-collar crime is extended.
Advisors/Committee Members: Frank, James.
Subjects: Criminology
Keywords: diffusion; innovation; subprime mortgage; fraud; white collar crime; opportunity
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11.
McArthur, Rachel.
Unraveling the Sources of Adolescent Substance Use: A Test of Rival Theories.
Degree: PhD, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Criminal Justice, 2011, University of Cincinnati
► This dissertation tests the ability of four rival criminological theories to explain…
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▼ This dissertation tests the ability of four rival criminological theories to explain adolescent substance use: differential association/social learning theory, social bond theory, self-control theory, and general strain theory. Special attention is paid to whether the theories are general, as the inventors of the theories claim, or gender-specific to males, as critics of the theories claim. To undertake this theoretical assessment, a secondary analysis was conducted using data from the Rural Substance abuse and Violence Project (RSVP). The respondents, drawn from grades 7 to 12, were pooled across four waves. The N for this study is 9,488. The empirical test revealed three main conclusions. First, measures of the components of differential association/social learning theory, social bond theory, self-control theory, and general strain theory were able to explain substance use among adolescents. Second, the theories had general effects across males and females and thus were not gender-specific. Third, because all perspectives earned some empirical support, they might best be seen not as theoretical rivals but as complementary theories that all contribute to our understanding of the sources of substance use among youths. However, given the modest amount of variation explained in the analyses, future research on substance use may benefit from two extensions. First, most studies, including this dissertation, operationalize only parts of theories. The next generation of empirical tests should seek to measure all components of the major theories, thus truly assessing the models’ explanatory potential. Second, a truly complete theory of substance use must build upon but not be limited to the major perspectives. Therefore, a need exists to examine the causal impact of factors—such as those unique to women or biological traits that shape conduct from childhood onward—that lie outside the traditional theories of crime.
Advisors/Committee Members: Cullen, Francis.
Subjects: Criminology
Keywords: Substance Use; Social Learning Theory; Social Bond Theory; Self-Control Theory; General Strain Theory; Gender
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12.
Myer, Andrew James.
Hurricane Katrina, Citizen Displacement, and Social Control: A Test of the Threat and Benign Neglect Hypotheses and an Investigation of the Crime-Arrest Relationship.
Degree: PhD, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Criminal Justice, 2010, University of Cincinnati
► A guiding theory often used by criminologist to examine the application of…
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▼ A guiding theory often used by criminologist to examine the application of social control is the conflict perspective. This perspective asserts that social control is used as a tool to protect elite segments of society. The conflict theory posits an increase in social control when elite groups are threatened, the threat hypothesis. While the benign neglect hypothesis predicts a decrease in crime control when the population under threat is a non-elite population. One of the main concerns of this paper is to address limitations in the oft studied threat hypothesis and the understudied benign neglect hypothesis. Two limitations of previous studies of conflict hypotheses are (1) lack of a direct measure of threat and (2) aggregation bias. This research will employ a more direct measure of a threatening event: the displacement of citizens to Houston, Texas, by Hurricane Katrina, moving beyond the reliance between the correlation of structural antecedents and social control. This research will also investigate aggregation bias by evaluating conflict hypotheses at a level below the city—the traditional unit of analysis of past research. To this end, this research will use time series analysis to directly account for social control pre- and post-displacement to determine if any changes in the administration of social control occurred as a result of the displacement. Finally, this paper also attempts to examine the role that social context plays in the reciprocal relationship between crimes and arrests. Past research on the crime arrest relationship has been mixed. Cross sectional designs often corroborate predictions of economic theory, while the more rigorous time series designs fail to provide similar results. Recent research suggests that the social context of an area may exert an influence on this relationship. To this end, this investigation will employ bivariate time series techniques to examine the role that social context plays in the reciprocal relationship between crimes and arrests.
Advisors/Committee Members: Chamlin, Mitchell.
Subjects: Criminology
Keywords: Threat; Benign Neglect; Crime-Arrest Relationship; Direct Measurement; Aggregation Bias
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13.
Ozer, M.Murat.
Assessing the Effectiveness of the Cincinnati Police Department’s Automatic License Plate Reader System within the Framework of Intelligence-Led Policing and Crime Prevention Theory.
Degree: PhD, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Criminal Justice, 2010, University of Cincinnati
► This study aims to explore the effectiveness of ALPR systems within the…
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▼ This study aims to explore the effectiveness of ALPR systems within the framework of intelligence-led policing in two specific ways. First, the impact of ALPR systems on policing will be analyzed through assessments of crime clearance rates (follow-up arrests). In addition to impact analysis, ALPR mobile units and traditional policing will be compared for their manpower and cost effectiveness. Second, this study will identify and recommend the most effective strategies for deployment of ALPR units based on optimal crime reduction benefits through arrests and crime prevention techniques. Using the tenets of specific theories of crime prevention, including offender search theory and crime pattern theory, this study examines whether crime prevention theory can assist researchers and police leaders to optimally allocate ALPR mobile units to prevent crime before it occurs. Based on this analysis, specific recommendations regarding deployment of ALPR units will be provided. The current study is organized into five remaining chapters. Chapter 2 begins with a brief review of policing strategies to create a basis for the distinction of policing philosophies and the organizational structure of police work. Specific attention will be given to intelligence-led policing (ILP) strategies. The underlying premises of ILP will be used to develop a framework that directs discussions regarding effective crime control models. Chapter 3 specifically focuses on ALPR as an example of an approach that furthers the goals of the data-driven, ILP model. Following a descriptive overview of ALPR technology, the scant literature regarding the effectiveness of ALPR is reviewed. Given the implications of ALPR for possible crime prevention, specific tenets of relevant crime prevention theories are reviewed in the context of how they might be utilized to improve the effectiveness of ALPR systems. Chapter 4 presents in detail the study’s specific research questions and hypotheses, and provides a description of the multiple data sources used to examine these questions. The proposed analytical strategy, as well as the strengths and limitations of the study’s methodology, are reviewed. The results of the proposed analyses will be Chapter 5 in the final dissertation, while the discussion and implications of these findings will comprise Chapter 6. It is anticipated that this research will bring two new insights into the policing literature. First, the evaluation of the effectiveness of data driven approaches (using ALPR units as an example) will provide a guide for police departments seeking to empirically determine the value of other data-driven techniques. Second, policing scholars have stressed that the importance of data management methods in crime prevention is generally neglected (Manning, 2001; Webb, Smith, & Laycock, 2004). This study intends to bridge this gap by focusing on strategic deployment of ALPR mobile units using crime prevention theory as a guide.
Advisors/Committee Members: Engel, Robin.
Subjects: Sociology
Keywords: ALPR technology; crime prevention; intelligence-led policing
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14.
Park, Seong min.
Improving Statistical Modeling of Repeat Victimization: Zero-inflated Effect and Bayesian Prediction.
Degree: PhD, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Criminal Justice, 2010, University of Cincinnati
► Repeat victimization has become an important issue in the study of crime.…
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▼ Repeat victimization has become an important issue in the study of crime. However, studies on repeat victimization have not fully paid attention to the statistical characteristics of repeat victimization. In this study, I review the statistical characteristics of repeat victimization and identified three main statistical concerns that should be considered in order to improve the understanding of the phenomenon of repeat victimization: First, studies on repeat victimization have misrepresented the stochastic characteristics of repeat victimization. Second, researchers have neglected the possibility that there may be a large portion of the population who are practically immune from victimization. Third, I expect the accuracy of predicting future victimization may be increased by using both prior information and frequentist likelihood functions simultaneously. To address these concerns, I propose two statistical models: (1) the zero-inflated negative binomial model, and (2) the Bayesian predictive model. From the analysis of Korean Youth Panel data with these proposed models, I find that accounting for zero-inflated effects produces information about victimization that is not otherwise available. And I also detect that the causes of zero-inflated effects are sometimes different than the causes of high risk or event dependency. However, I fail to find optimistic utility of Bayesian methods for studying repeat victimization. Though Bayesian methods can be used to develop individual victimization predictions that are comparable across people and circumstances, their prediction accuracy is less than a much simpler procedure: forecasting victimization based on prior victimization only. The limitations of this study and the suggestions for future studies are discussed.
Advisors/Committee Members: Eck, John.
Subjects: Criminology
Keywords: Repeat Victimization; Statistical Modeling; Zero-inflated effect; Bayesian analysis
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15.
Payne, Troy C.
Does Changing Ownership Change Crime? An Analysis of Apartment Ownership and Crime in Cincinnati.
Degree: PhD, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Criminal Justice, 2010, University of Cincinnati
► Crime at multi-family dwellings is an ongoing concern. Using concepts from environmental…
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▼ Crime at multi-family dwellings is an ongoing concern. Using concepts from environmental criminology, this dissertation adapts Madensen's (2007) model of bar place management to apartments. One aspect of this model, the relationship between ownership change of an apartment building and crime, is examined. I found that while about half of apartments change ownership during the period 2002-2009, serial ownership change is rare. Crime is heavily concentrated among apartments, with over half of crime occurring at just 10% of apartments – and these extreme values of crime tend to drive the multivariate analysis. Ownership change and crime are associated with each other in a feedback system. Ownership change is more likely at apartments with a history of past crime, and ownership change is associated with a 10% increase in future crime counts. Neighborhood context has a complex relationship with significant variation between neighborhoods in both crime counts and in the relationship between ownership change and crime. In some neighborhoods, ownership change and crime are positively related; in other neighborhoods, the relationship is negative. Even though my findings are sensitive to extreme values, methodology and model selection decisions, it is apparent that ownership change could be an important intervention point for crime prevention. Interventions such as landlord training should be targeted at high crime apartments which change ownership, while recognizing that the overwhelming majority of apartments and apartment owners have zero crime.
Advisors/Committee Members: Eck, John.
Subjects: Criminology
Keywords: multi-family housing; crime; apartment; multi-level analysis; owner; ownership
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16.
Scherer, Heidi L.
Disability Status and Victimization Risk Among a National Sample of College Students: A Lifestyles-Routine Activities Approach.
Degree: PhD, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Criminal Justice, 2011, University of Cincinnati
► Over the past decade, several authors have conducted studies on samples of…
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▼ Over the past decade, several authors have conducted studies on samples of college students to gain a greater understanding of victimization among this population. This body of research has demonstrated that in comparison to the general public, college students are more likely to report having experienced sexual and stalking victimization. At the same that this research was being carried out, a related but independent body of research began exploring victimization among another high risk population, individuals with disabilities. This exploration produced evidence that individuals with disabilities appear to be at an increased risk of victimization when compared to their counterparts without disabilities. The purpose of this dissertation is to bridge the gap in these two bodies of research by examining the relationship between disability status and sexual and stalking victimization among a national-level sample of college students. This study extends upon past research by: 1) estimating multivariate models that control for known risk factors of victimization derived from the lifestyles-routine activities framework, 2) utilizing multiple operationalizations of disability, and 3) examining various types of victimization. Bivariate results demonstrate that there was a significantly larger proportion of sexual and stalking victims among students with disabilities in comparison to students without disabilities. Multivariate results indicate that disability status is a significant predictor of sexual and stalking victimization even after controlling for risk factors of victimization among college students. In each of the estimated models, students with disabilities were significantly more likely to report having been victimized. On average, individuals with mental disabilities or multiple types of disabilities experienced the greatest likelihood of sexual and stalking victimization. Implications for future research and prevention/policy are explored.
Advisors/Committee Members: Fisher, Bonnie Sue.
Subjects: Criminology
Keywords: stalking victimization; disability; college students; routine activities; sexual victimization
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17.
Schnupp, Rebecca J.
Adolescent Deviance within Families and Neighborhoods.
Degree: PhD, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Criminal Justice, 2010, University of Cincinnati
► Much of the research on delinquency has focused on the role that…
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▼ Much of the research on delinquency has focused on the role that either families or neighborhoods play in the development of criminal behavior. While both of these theoretical traditions have received much empirical support, it is argued that individuals are simultaneously affected by each of these contexts either directly or indirectly (Gephart, 1997). Further, these contexts interact with each other and the individual to produce behavioral outcomes (Bronfenbrenner, 1979, 1986, 1988). A more adequate portrayal for why individuals engage in delinquency, therefore, should not only examine the effects of one context but also how these different contexts function together to either facilitate or impede antisocial behaviors. The primary propose of this dissertation is to try to ascertain if the effects of the more proximal context to the child, the family, is moderated by the more distal context, the neighborhood. Specifically, are the positive effects of “good” parenting found in both “good” and “bad” neighborhoods? Or does the neighborhood a family resides in alter the effects of “good” parenting? Using structural equation modeling, this dissertation will explore the moderating effects of neighborhood factors in the relationship between parenting and antisocial behavior while also considering the individual characteristics of the child. These relationships will be assessed using waves one and two of the National Survey of Families and Households (NSFH). The results of this study revealed that although the direct effects of parenting and neighborhood factors are weak, residential instability moderates the effects of parenting. This association remained after considering the reciprocal nature of the relationship between parenting and child’s disposition. The implications of these findings, as they pertain to the current practice of studying contexts in isolation from one another, will be discussed.
Advisors/Committee Members: Benson, Michael.
Subjects: Criminology
Keywords: Parenting; Neighborhoods; Antisocial Behavior
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18.
Snyder, Jamie A.
College Students with ADHD: Extending the Lifestyles/Routine Activities Framework to Predict Sexual Victimization and Physical Assault.
Degree: PhD, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Criminal Justice, 2011, University of Cincinnati
► The victimization of college students has been the focus of many past…
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▼ The victimization of college students has been the focus of many past studies. The majority of these studies have focused on using the lifestyles/routine activities framework to identify predictors of college student victimization. This framework posits that individuals who are exposed to risky situations, in close proximity to motivated offenders, are attractive targets, and lack capable guardianship are at high risk for victimization. While the lifestyles/routine activities framework has received support through empirical testing, some researchers have argued for the need to extend of the framework to incorporate other risk factors. ADHD is a potential risk factor that may be important in the prediction of college student victimization. Past research suggests that children with ADHD are at an increased risk of being victimized, however, no research could be located that examined the relationship between ADHD and victimization risk among young adults. Thus, this dissertation attempts to expand the lifestyles/routine activities framework in several areas: 1) provide an estimate of sexual victimization and physical assault prevalence among a national sample of college students 2) provide an estimate of the prevalence of ADHD among a national sample of college students 3) include ADHD as a potential risk factor in the prediction of sexual victimization and physical assault among college students 4) test the lifestyles/routine activities framework in the prediction of sexual victimization and physical assault. The findings indicate that ADHD is an important predictor of sexual victimization and physical assault, emerging as a significant risk factor across models. The lifestyles/routine activities theory also received general support particularly for the concepts of exposure, proximity, and guardianship. ADHD as an extension of the lifestyles/routine activities framework is discussed along with possible prevention methods.
Advisors/Committee Members: Fisher, Bonnie Sue.
Subjects: Criminology
Keywords: Victimization; College students; ADHD; Lifestyles/routine activities theory; Sexual victimization; physical assault
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19.
Stadler, William Andrew.
White-Collar Offenders and the Prison Experience: An Empirical Examination of the “Special Sensitivity” to Imprisonment Hypothesis.
Degree: PhD, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Criminal Justice, 2010, University of Cincinnati
► Quantitative research concerning white-collar offenders has received little attention in recent years.…
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▼ Quantitative research concerning white-collar offenders has received little attention in recent years. Research that has been conducted has primarily focused on the social and behavioral characteristics of these individuals, as well as the etiology of white-collar offending. In this regard, comparisons have been drawn between conventional street offenders and those convicted or sentenced for white-collar offenses with respect to demographic, social, and criminal history information. However, virtually no research has investigated the attributes and experiences of white-collar inmate within the prison environment. Moreover, there have been few attempts to draw comparisons among samples of imprisoned white-collar offenders and their street offender counterparts. While informative, studies that have examined incarcerated white-collar offenders have largely been guided by a qualitative research methodology that does little to inform the predictive validity of white-collar offender characteristics with respect to their subsequent prison experiences. As a result, the hypothesis that white-collar offenders are particularly sensitive to prison environments, because they are thought to be from backgrounds of privilege and hold higher rank on the social status spectrum, has remained untested. Because of this lack of research, the view that white-collar offenders experience more frequent and significant prison adjustment problems in the form of physical and mental health harms, social isolation, victimization, and institutional misconducts largely remains unchallenged. However, more rigorous investigation of the experiences of incarcerated white-collar offenders could have far-reaching implications with respect to how the justice system wishes to sanction white-collar offenders, how correctional facilities might go about addressing the needs of this special inmate population, and how the prison experience might impact the lives of white-collar offenders, both in prison and upon their release from incarceration. In an attempt to investigate these issues and address the special sensitivity hypothesis, the current study utilizes a male sample of incarcerated federal corrections inmates to explore differences between white-collar and street offenders. Specifically, demographic and social characteristics, as well as those involving attitudes, motivations, self-control, and personality attributes are examined among a male-only sample of prisoners incarcerated for white-collar offenses and non-white-collar offenses. Moreover, the current study examines the hypothesis that white-collar offenders are somehow more sensitive to the pains of imprisonment than offenders of the non-white-collar variety. The subsequent prison experiences of these offenders is examined and measured through a variety of prison adjustment measures during the course of their prison stay. Finally, implications of the findings are discussed with respect to how the justice and correctional systems may be affected by, and how they choose to respond to, white-collar offending populations with different management, supervision, and treatment strategies.
Advisors/Committee Members: Benson, Michael.
Subjects: Criminology
Keywords: Special Sensitivity; White-Collar Offenders; Adaptation to Imprisonment; White-Collar Crime; Prison Experience
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20.
Stewart, Megan C.
The Effect of Victimization on Women’s Health: Does the Victim-Offender Relationship Matter?.
Degree: PhD, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Criminal Justice, 2011, University of Cincinnati
► The study of violence against women has slowly begun to gain momentum…
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▼ The study of violence against women has slowly begun to gain momentum in the last two decades. Empirical research from various disciplines such as criminology, sociology, psychology, and medicine has demonstrated that violence against women is a pervasive social problem affecting women of all ages, races, and socioeconomic statuses. Despite criticism of the field for a lack of national-level data and problems with differing terminology and definitions, the violence against women research has made great progress towards demonstrating the scope and extent of violence women experience. Using the National Violence Against Women Study (NVAWS), the present research seeks to expand what is known about violence against women by exploring the impact of the victim-offender relationship on psychological and physical health and wellbeing for the crimes of rape, stalking, and physical assault. Specifically, this research hypothesizes that using a general strain theory (GST) lens would lead one to expect differences in health outcomes depending on the perpetrator committing the violence. Two research questions are tested in this current study: 1) what is the prevalence of violence against women by victim-offender relationship? and 2) what is the effect of the victim-offender relationship on a woman’s psychological and physical health, and overall wellbeing? Findings indicate that across three types of violence against women, a variety of perpetrator types are responsible for violence against women, and that no single group can be ignored. Additionally, it appears that while victimization is related to negative health outcomes, the victim-offender relationship does not significantly contribute to increasing the odds of experiencing negative health outcomes. These findings are discussed in relation to previous empirical research and the future of violence against women research.
Advisors/Committee Members: Fisher, Bonnie Sue.
Subjects: Criminology
Keywords: violence against women; rape; stalking; physical assault; victim-offender relationship
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21.
Stoddard, Cody J.
Understanding Organizational and Ecological Impacts on Police Use of Formal Authority: Testing an Ecological Theory of Police Response to Deviance.
Degree: PhD, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Criminal Justice, 2011, University of Cincinnati
► The use of police authority is a major area of focus for…
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▼ The use of police authority is a major area of focus for criminal justice researchers. While a variety of factors have been found to impact police use of formal authority, most of these factors relate to legal, situational, and individual characteristics of the police-citizen encounter. While the research on legal, situational, and individual factors has been plentiful, comparatively little attention has been dedicated to examining the influence of organizational and ecological factors on the use of formal authority in police-citizen contacts. In 1997, David Klinger proposed a theory that explains how ecological and organizational variables impact the level of formal authority an officer will use during police-citizen contacts. However, this theory has been subjected to limited empirical verification. This dissertation conducted the most complete test of Klinger’s theory of ecological and organizational impacts on police use of formal authority to date. This dissertation adds to the increasing body of knowledge about factors that influence officer decisions to use their authority in police-citizen contacts.
Advisors/Committee Members: Frank, James.
Subjects: Criminology
Keywords: Police Decision Making; Police Vigor; Formal Authority; Ecological Theories; Organizational Theories; Police Authority
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22.
Webster, Jennifer H.
A Meta-Analytic Review of the Correlates of Perceived Stress among Police Officers.
Degree: PhD, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Criminal Justice, 2012, University of Cincinnati
► There appears to be widespread belief (among lay persons, academics, and police…
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▼ There appears to be widespread belief (among lay persons, academics, and police officers) that the occupation of policing is highly stressful (Kappeler et al., 2000). Furthermore, many believe operational variables unique to policing are the primary causes of this stress (e.g., Waters and Ussery, 2007). The near-dogmatic resiliency of this image of policing has created a popular culture where all matters related to the profession are approached with these underlying assumptions. It has also given rise to the tendency among stress researchers to focus on the operational or organizational demands facing officers without giving due consideration to the process of cognitive appraisal - and the many influences on that process - which shape the evaluation of those demands. This atheoretical approach in combination with variability in methodological quality across studies, including gross inconsistencies in the choice and measurement of the independent variables, and even in the measurement of the dependent variable of interest itself (stress), has given rise to a body of research that has been characterized in multiple narrative reviews as contradictory and inconclusive. The current study is an effort to take stock of the research on perceived stress among police officers by quantitatively synthesizing the available empirical literature on the subject via the use of meta-analysis. The research plan proposed to first compare individual correlates of perceived stress in order to draw conclusions about their relative strength and stability. Unfortunately, the 103 studies which meet the inclusion criteria for the meta-analysis are so fraught with missing data there are not enough effect size estimates for individual correlates to allow for meaningful comparisons at that level. However, the systematic documentation of the depth and breadth of missing data is an important contribution of the current study, and should help guide future research in this area. The current study also proposes a model of stress and coping as an interactive process between an individual and his or her environment. Although the large amount of missing data do not allow for meaningful comparison of individual predictors, collapsing correlates into predictor domains that mirror the proposed model of stress and coping allows for a preliminary analysis of some of the constructs in that model. While the broad confidence intervals generated for each domain do require caution in interpretation, the findings at least suggest that each domain contributes to the perception of stress and that knowledge in this area might best be advanced by recognizing the importance of each in shaping an interactive process of stress and coping rather than attempting to rank individual correlates. In short, the data do not allow definitive conclusions that personal characteristics or job characteristics, for example, are more important than others in shaping stress perception among police officers. Clearly, these findings are limited by the degree of missing data, but it may be that questions about what is most important in shaping police stress have remained unanswered because the variables of interest make equally important contributions to a complex process.
Advisors/Committee Members: Travis, Lawrence.
Subjects: Criminology
Keywords: police stress; stress and coping; meta-analysis
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23.
Winesburg, Melissa.
Perceptions Of Neighborhood Problems: Agreement Between Police and Citizens and Impact on Citizen Attitudes Toward Police.
Degree: PhD, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Criminal Justice, 2011, University of Cincinnati
► Research comparing police and citizen perceptions of neighborhood problems and the impact…
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▼ Research comparing police and citizen perceptions of neighborhood problems and the impact their agreement or disagreement has on attitudes toward the police is limited. While researchers have examined citizen attitudes toward the police since the 1960s, there have been few studies focusing on police and citizen priorities. This research examined these issues together to determine whether or not differences in perceptions impact citizen attitudes toward the police. This research explored data collected from two sources, including a survey of citizens in Cincinnati neighborhoods and a survey of Cincinnati police beat and community officers assigned to separate neighborhoods. It examined police and citizen alignment of 13 neighborhood problems focusing on crime and disorder, and the impact these have on attitudes toward the police. Logistic regression models were used to examine the influence police-citizen agreement on neighborhood problems had on citizen perceptions of attitudes toward the police in general, citizen attitudes toward the job police were doing to prevent crime in their neighborhood, and citizen attitudes toward the job police were doing working with citizens in their neighborhood to solve crime. Findings revealed that when citizens viewed disorder as less of a problem than officers, citizen satisfaction toward the police increased across all dependent variables in the study. Findings also revealed that the mere presence of a difference in perceptions impacted attitudes toward the police, regardless of the magnitude of the difference in perceptions. When police and citizens differed in their perceptions of neighborhood crime problems, citizens were more likely to have positive attitudes toward the job police were doing to prevent crime when they perceived crime as less of a problem than officers.
Advisors/Committee Members: Frank, James.
Subjects: Criminology
Keywords: citizen police concensus; citizen attitudes; crime and disorder; community policing; neighborhood problems; police priorities
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