A Study Of The Molecular Chemistry Of Glasses By Infrared Microspectroscopy And Its Use In Forensic Glass Discrimination And Classification
Year of Dissertation:
2012
The analysis of the molecular structure of glass is a novel forensic method that provides knowledge about glass chemistry that is not currently employed by forensic scientists as well as improves the discriminatory power within this class of transfer evidence. Infrared (IR) spectra contain extensive information about the molecular structure of the complex silicates in commercial glasses. This research is based on measuring the attenuated total reflection (ATR) mid-IR spectra of soda-lime silicate glasses to detect variations of the molecular structure to assist in the comparison of glass evidence. The use of ATR mid-IR spectra for the discrimination and classification of glasses was investigated. Discrimination error rates of approximately 5% and classification by end-product (window or container) error rates on the order of 2% were achieved with principal component analysis-canonical variate analysis (PCA-CVA) hold-one-out cross validation (HOO-CV) on the first and second derivative spectra of 153 soda-lime silicate glasses.
Victimization and Involvement in Social Control: Effects of Neighborhood Conditions
Year of Dissertation:
2009
This study disentangles the interrelationship between victimization and involvement in social control via participation in voluntary associations for crime prevention. There is a great deal of research on the effects of community organization on crime and relatively little on the effects of crime on community organization, despite the acknowledgement of the impact of crime on social capital in communities. The current study addresses this issue. In particular, this research sets out to contribute to the emerging literature in contextual analyses of victimization effects, social control, and community organization, first by examining the impact of crime on individuals' decisions on their involvement in neighborhood crime prevention organizations (NWGs); second by revealing different change models for individuals who join, leave, and stay in these organizations; and finally by comparing how crime impacts individuals' household-protective behaviors and community-protective behaviors. Specifically, I consider different types of crime at both individual and neighborhood levels and individuals' perception of neighborhood safety.
Cyber-surveillance: A Case Study in Policy & Development
Year of Dissertation:
2010
The dissertation examines the historical developement of surveillance, electronic surveillance, and cyber-surveillance from the Colonial times to the present.
Evaluation of the Effects of Shift work Assignment: A Survey of Motivation in Police Officers
Year of Dissertation:
2010
The detrimental health effects of a varied shift schedule on personnel were researched extensively. In fact, the culmination of this work was substantive policy changes, especially within the law enforcement field. While these policy changes were sound in principal, the implementation of invariable shift assignments to meet organizational requirements and the subsequent impact on personnel was documented less frequently. There was little research on employee motivation as a consequence of shift assignments. Partly a consequence of the implementation of organizational mandates with little regard for employee welfare, it was this employee/organization nexus that was inherently important to personal and organizational success. This relationship between employee motivation and shift assignments needed to be researched, and was the focus of this proposal.
Offending in Karachi's neighborhoods: An empirical test of the systemic model of social disorganization
Year of Dissertation:
2012
The systemic model of social disorganization posits that structural challenges impede the development of neighborhood networks responsible for informal social control, and thereby increase residents' involvement in crime. However recent studies suggest that in severely disadvantaged and isolated communities, even well-functioning networks may be unable to prevent offending, as a result of cultural and political economy factors such as legal cynicism and the legitimization of violence. This research examines the utility of the ecological framework in Karachi, and assesses the impact of key social disorganization indicators - ethnic heterogeneity, residential mobility and concentrated poverty - on offending. It also examines the extent to which these impacts are mediated by variation in state legitimacy across Karachi's neighborhoods.
Memorial Laws: Social and Media Construction of Personalized Legislation, 1994 -2005
Year of Dissertation:
2009
The purpose of the present study is to conduct an in-depth qualitative evaluation of the sociological traits of victims and the crime variables that appeared to be associated in some manner with the adoption of Memorial Laws in various states. The present study represents a first attempt to investigate Memorial Laws as a phenomenon.The study presents several important factors that it hypothesizes to be related to Memorial Law passage. These factors include socio-cultural conditions (e.g., fear of crime, publicity about victims and attention given by the media to victim attributes) and political activities (e.g., the dominant political ideology statewide, the political culture of a state), among others. The data used in this study consists of all Memorial laws enacted in state legislatures between 1994 and 2005.
Community Policing & Counter Terrorism: Community Policing Philosophy as a Tool for Local LAw Enforcement to Counter Terrorist Activities
Year of Dissertation:
2009
The phenomenon of terrorism has become an issue of great concern to society and the response of governments has varied throughout the world. For the purpose of this study, an act of terrorism will be operationalized as the use of force by non-state actors against a civilian population in an attempt to coerce a target audience to implement a political, economic, religious or ideological change. The United States (US) government has utilized a number of federal organizations, such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Central Intelligence Agency, to investigate and prevent acts of terrorism both domestically and internationally. Although many local law enforcement agencies have received increased funding to address the phenomenon of terrorism, there has been limited research conducted to ascertain the changes implemented and the effectiveness of new programs and training. The state of preparedness of local law enforcement agencies in their proactive efforts to counter terrorism is shrouded in the dark. There has been practically no research in the area of mobilization of local communities in intelligence gathering and other proactive tools to counter terrorist activities. The local law enforcement response to the phenomenon of terrorism remains unknown for an overwhelming majority of departments in the US.
The Relationship Between Possessing Child Pornography And Child Molestation
Year of Dissertation:
2010
Based on integrated theories of sex offending, non-contact (n=176) and contact (n=71) adult male child pornography offenders were compared on dispositional and transitory dispositional variables. Contact child pornography offenders were successfully discriminated from their non-contact counterparts based on their deviant sexual interests, criminal history, inability to self-regulate sexually, substance abuse history, online seduction of minors and networking with others who had similar deviant sexual interests. For contact child pornography offenders, four factors were found to be predictive of child sex abuse - criminal history, marital status, involvement in indiscriminate sexual behavior, and the online seduction of minors. Additionally, from a situational perspective, the offense process of contact child pornography offenders was found to be similar to that of child molesters.
The Chemical Analysis of Modern Tattoo Inks
Year of Dissertation:
2012
The application of vibrational spectroscopic methods to the analysis of modern organic pigments found in tattoo inks is explored in this project. In the field of forensic science, the recognition and identification of both inorganic and organic pigments in human tissue can aid in the identification of charred, decomposed, mummified or otherwise unidentifiable remains in criminal investigations and mass disasters (natural, accidental and as a result of terrorism). In the field of art conservation and cultural heritage, the characterization and archiving of organic pigments in traditional tattoo inks can aid in future anthropological and archaeological studies of human culture and history. The criminal justice field has long studied the culture and impact of tattooing, especially in criminal behavior and incarcerated individuals. A more detailed knowledge of the composition of tattoo inks can assist in understanding criminal behavior and cultural practices of individuals in prison settings and among social groups. Furthermore, by detailing the visual, microscopic and spectroscopic analysis of tattoo inks along with describing the theories of vibrational spectroscopy and color chemistry, a thorough analytical method can be developed and validated to conform to current forensic laboratory accreditation standards and the satisfaction of legal standards such as Frye, Daubert and the Federal Rules of Evidence.
Dual Arrest in Intimate Partner Violence Incidents: The Influence of Police Officer, Incident, and Organizational Characteristics
Year of Dissertation:
2009
An unintended consequence of mandatory and preferred arrest laws has been dual arrest, the arrest of both parties in an incident involving intimate partner violence. Concern has been raised that its continued use may have an undesirable impact on the victims of this crime, particularly as it relates to revictimization by the criminal justice system. Using family violence arrest data from 21 municipalities in southwestern Connecticut for calendar year 2005, this research tests the influence of officer, incident and organizational variables on the decision to arrest both parties in an incident involving intimate partner violence. The sampling frame for the research is all family violence incidents that occurred from January 1, 2005 through December 31, 2005 in the 21 municipalities identified above, that resulted in arrest. In order for the incident to be included in the sampling frame, it had to involve a couple in an intimate relationship. The data analysis was conducted in a three-step process. Univariate analyses consist of means, frequency and percentage distributions, and tabular displays of the relative distribution of scores on each variable. Bivariate analyses consist of chi square tests of statistical independence. Finally, binary logistic regression was employed to test each of the independent variables and examine their contribution to the prediction of dual arrest. Significant predictors were identified as departmental policy with self-defense language, offense seriousness, officer seniority, and spousal relationship. The methodology also included a qualitative component in the form of focus groups. Four focus groups of 4-6 officers each were conducted in an effort to further explain quantitative results and attempt to probe the minds of the police officers making these arrest decisions. Additional issues raised by police officers during the focus groups were the influence of liability, field training officers, and first line supervisors. The implications of the research include an increased understanding of dual arrest, the need for better data collection, illumination of the benefits of self-defense language in departmental policies, the need for enhanced police officer training, and demonstration of the need for primary aggressor language in statutory law.