Criminology & Criminal Justice Theses and Dissertations

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/2758

Browse

End date: 2009Subject: search.filters.subject.Sociology, Public and Social Welfare

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    CHILD ABUSE HOMICIDE INFLICTED BY A CHILD'S CARETAKER: A POTENTIALLY PREVENTABLE TYPE OF CHILD MURDER
    (2009) Rezey, Maribeth Lorraine; Simpson, Sally S; Criminology and Criminal Justice; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    Child abuse inflicted by caretakers has been reported the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in children. Although researchers have attempted to estimate the rate of child abuse homicide nationwide, its true scope is unknown. Quantifying child abuse homicide is important since this type of homicide is arguably preventable. This study utilizes the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) to analyze child abuse homicides inflicted by the child's caretaker across 17 U.S. states during the years they participated from 2003 to 2005. The NVDRS reports violent death data from multiple official sources, providing this analysis with a more accurate number of child abuse homicides than previously available. In this thesis, I established if the NVDRS ascertains more abuse or non-abuse homicides than death certificates. I reviewed ascertained and misclassified deaths to assess whether a common set of victim or incident characteristics exist across these homicides. A logistic regression was also conducted to examine the probability of child abuse homicide given these characteristics.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    The Impact of a Correctional Boot Camp on Social Bonds: A Randomized Comparison of a Therapeutic Boot Camp and a Traditional Prison
    (2007-05-17) Rocque, Michael Ansel; MacKenzie, Doris L; Criminology and Criminal Justice; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    This paper examines the relationship between a correctional program and social bonds. Research in the field of criminology has demonstrated the importance of adult social bonds with regard to reductions in criminal behavior. However it is unclear if correctional policies can influence social bonds. This study conducts an evaluation of a correctional boot camp (CBC) in relation to its effect on commitment and attachment of incarcerated offenders, using data from the on-going Randomized Study of a Maryland boot camp. The findings show that the particular CBC studied has a weak effect on the measured social bonds. An age interaction is examined to determine if there is a greater treatment effect for older offenders. Results indicate a weak age interaction for one of the measured bonds. Overall correctional boot camps do not appear to help form or enhance social bonds. Implications and directions for future research are discussed in the conclusion.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    An Exploration of Victim-Initiated Interventions and the Duration of Stalking
    (2006-12-11) Acevedo, Summer Anne; Dugan, Laura; Criminology and Criminal Justice; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    The concept of duration has been relatively unexplored in the stalking literature. This study examines the relationship between several victim-initiated interventions and the duration of stalking. The objective was to determine which, if any, interventions used by victims against their stalkers led to a decrease in the length of time they were stalked. Continuous survival analysis was used on a voluntary sample of victims that reported duration of their stalking in monthly intervals. Only a single intervention was associated with a significant reduction in the length of stalking cases. Duration was then recoded into years and compared to data from a national, random sample to determine if similar results occurred in a more generalizable sample. Discrete survival analysis produced inconsistent results between the two samples. These findings demonstrate the need for an updated national survey of stalking victims, as well as caution researchers against relying on small, geographically unique samples.