▼ Crime drama television shows have been a source of programming for television companies for decades. It is the aim of this research to help determine whether or not crime drama television shows support or hinder people’s knowledge of the criminal justice system. A survey containing various hypothetical crime scenarios was administered to students enrolled in summer classes at a major state university in Ohio. A total of 87 participants were asked to answer true or false questions about scenarios found in the most recent seasons of several popular crime drama programs and questions about actual U.S. Supreme Court rulings that are taught in most introduction to criminal justice classes. The results indicate no significant correlation between crime drama program consumption and correct answers on the survey’s exam. Correlations were performed on the various demographic information the participants provided and correct test answers on the survey’s exam. Several of the demographic variables yielded weak correlations at best with correct test answers on the exam, however age and correct test answers yielded a moderate correlation. Advisors/Committee Members: Wagner, Patricia.

▼ The problem investigated in this exploratory study is the welfare of animals, both livestock as well as companion. Specifically, this research explores perceptions by those in the animal industry regarding the support animal welfare, as well as those potentially on the opposite end who handle such issues in their daily business. Animal welfare legal enforcement remains a serious concern, particularly in relation to livestock within major agricultural companies and their confinement and slaughter of those animals. Laws are oftentimes not enforced for various reasons even by appropriate police units and cases are often ignored by the court system. In an attempt to find agreement upon the animal welfare system between animal welfare organizations and their potential business counterparts, a survey was administered to various groups surrounding both sides of the issue. It is hypothesized that if those in the animal industry agree upon anything, it is more likely they would agree on issues surrounding companion animals rather than livestock. Although there has been an abundance of research in relation to animal abuse and its connection to human violence, there have been few studies focusing solely upon animal abuse and welfare, the laws which currently govern such issues, and the varying opinions and potential compromise on those issues. By looking at two main animal categories and attempting to find a compromised ground between animal welfare and pro-business organizations, there can be some level of consensus regarding animal welfare policies, and procedures can be developed in order to properly address identified concerns. Advisors/Committee Members: Bellas, Christopher M.

▼ Prior research has found mixed results when exploring the relationship between correctional officer stress and their education level. The purpose of this study is to see whether there is a relationship between education level and correctional officer stress. Participants in this study consisted of 228 correctional officers from four correctional institutions within the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. The first of two hypotheses to be studied is that the higher the education level of correctional officers, the less stress they experience in the workplace compared to their less-educated counterparts. Secondly, correctional officers with higher education levels will also be able to cope more effectively should they experience such stress. These survey results could provide the impetus for meaningful stress management and educational programs for officers and cost savings for administrators. However, the findings in this study did not support the hypotheses. Education level did not affect the stress levels of officers, nor did it affect their ability to cope more effectively with such stress. Advisors/Committee Members: Bellas, C.

▼ The media often portrays an inner city overcome with violence. This research investigates whether citizens are emotionally responsive to this attention, as well as the self protective measures they utilize based on where they reside. Because the press devotes so much of its media coverage to violence, the main hypothesis to be tested here is that the more one is exposed to the media, the more they will be fearful of crime. The demographic variables included in this survey will be as follows: age, gender, race, average household income, and level of education. The predictor variable is the amount of media consumed, with the dependent variable being one’s level of fear of violent victimization. Conclusions were drawn from data obtained from students attending a midsized urban university (N=134) in the Midwest in order to see what impact the media has on fear. The hypothesis that high media exposure would increase levels of fear and increase precautionary measure was unsupported. However, support was found for the hypothesis that respondents who were themselves a crime victim or knew the victim of a crime are more aware of the threat of victimization. Future researchers may want to operationalize media by other means such as specifying source of media and if this influences fear of crime. Advisors/Committee Members: Bellas, Christopher.

▼ Victim-precipitation theory is based on the notion that a victim may contribute to his or her own victimization. This research replicates Marvin Wolfgang’s famous Philadelphia study on victim-precipitated homicides. Additionally, the present analysis includes variables not originally tested by Wolfgang in hopes of adding to the victimization literature. Using data from 194 homicides that occurred in Youngstown, Ohio between the years 1977-2008, information was gathered from police files to discover what demographic and situational factors increase the likelihood of a victim-precipitated homicide. Data retrieved from the Youngstown Police Department revealed that 18 percent (n=35) of homicides were victim-precipitated. Differences in the frequency of victim-precipitated homicides, as opposed to non victim-precipitated homicides are analyzed with respect to age, race, gender, victim-offender relationship, level of provocation, homicide circumstance, previous arrest record, the presence of alcohol or drugs, location, and weapon used. Utilizing binary logistic regression, three variables were statistically significant in predicting the likelihood of victim-precipitated homicide: prior criminal record of the victim, the victim-offender relationship, and the gender of the offender. Demographics of the victim, alcohol and drug consumption by the victim, homicide location, and weapon used were not significant predictors of victim-precipitated homicides. In the future, a more robust and demographically diverse sample of victim-precipitated homicides would be optimal in order to obtain a more accurate depiction of the factors which affect the likelihood of victim-precipitated homicides. Advisors/Committee Members: Bellas, Christopher.

▼ This thesis project measured the effectiveness of prison privatization at a multi-state level. A content analysis of existing data on a convenience sample of seven states that have a large percentage of their prisons privatized: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Ohio, Texas, and Oklahoma was compared to seven non-or-low privatized states that do not have a large percentage of their prisons privatized: Louisiana, New York, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Alabama, Maryland, and Illinois. A convenience sample was taken of public and private states on available data supplied by the Bureau of Justice Statistics which was used to ascertain differentiating factors on both the public and private levels. There are three factors that led states in this project to privatize its prison system. Results indicate that most states have made the decision to privatize for three reasons: lower cost; to reduce over-crowdedness, and consent decree. Several states have enacted laws that mandate either some sort of cost savings through privatization or simply an increase in quality standards by the private vendor operating the institution. In examining the cost per inmate among all fourteen states, it appears that the low-to-non privatized states spend the least amount of money per inmate to house its prisoners. In addition, many states have specific positions within their departments that monitor and maintain privatization standards. Monitoring privatization consisted of on-site monitoring, facility inspections and the oversight and monitoring of contracts. As private prisons are studied in the future, researchers should take a regional look at other aspects affecting privatization such as recidivism, turnover, and number of escapes. Advisors/Committee Members: Hazy, John.