Theses and dissertations

This collection includes both ASU Theses and Dissertations, submitted by graduate students, and the Barrett, Honors College theses submitted by undergraduate students. 

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The Media's Effect on the Public's Perception of Law Enforcement

Description
In this paper I examined whether the media, for example news outlets and social media sites, had any effect on how the public viewed police officers. I wanted to see if the police and citizen incidents that were dominating the airwaves actually happened as frequently as it seemed, whether the…

In this paper I examined whether the media, for example news outlets and social media sites, had any effect on how the public viewed police officers. I wanted to see if the police and citizen incidents that were dominating the airwaves actually happened as frequently as it seemed, whether the media and social media outlets had anything to do with the increase of these types of incidents, and if these incidents and reporting styles had any effect, negative or positive, on how citizens watching viewed police officers. I think it is important to see if the media can influence the way citizens think especially in regards to law enforcement officers because their role in society is crucial to keeping everyone safe and peaceful. I also believe it is important to see how these citizens are being influenced. Ultimately, I wanted to see if I could prove that the media and social media have an effect on how citizens view police officers through the way they report on certain issues. In order to do this I conducted research looking into the various news reports that have been going on, I also looked into the different issues going on and looked at research going into both the sides of police officers and media outlets. I also conducted my own research by interviewing four police officers three retired and one active, as well as distributing a survey asking specific questions relating to my thesis to college students ages 18 and over. At the end of all this research I found that media does in fact have an effect on the opinions of citizens because they seem to report on only negative incidents or those dealing with different races. Social media also plays a big part by allowing everyone to see clips of incidents without any information allowing people to form uneducated biased opinions and running with it. Which in turn influences citizens to think a certain way and believe in "facts" that are not true.
ContributorsMoreno, Christiana J. (Author) / Johnston, Coy (Thesis director) / Cerven, James (Committee member) / School of Criminology and Criminal Justice (Contributor) / School of Social Work (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-12
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Law Enforcement Officers' Training and their Use of Force

Description
The purpose of this paper was to identify issues that have arisen from lack of police officer training and misuse of force. The data analyzed is from the last 20 years and represents the ratio of shots fired to hit ratios in officer involved shootings. Using this information, the next…

The purpose of this paper was to identify issues that have arisen from lack of police officer training and misuse of force. The data analyzed is from the last 20 years and represents the ratio of shots fired to hit ratios in officer involved shootings. Using this information, the next step was to look at different training simulations and scenario studies and how they relate to real life application in the field. The effects of the training and simulation studies provided insight into what training could implement. Specifically, FIRST training and simulations that replicated adrenaline and anxiety were effective in their results. Police officer training needs to implement similar programs as they could reduce the mistakes of officers and their use of force.
ContributorsMiller, Nicholas Earl (Author) / Johnston, Coy (Thesis director) / Fritz, Noah (Committee member) / W. P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / School of Criminology and Criminal Justice (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-12

Historical, Legal, and Attitudinal Shifts of Rape Legislation and Prosecution in the U.S.

Description

The concept of rape has been a prominent part of historical U.S. criminal law, and legislation and statutes have changed significantly over time. Despite numerous reforms, however, there is still a lack of reporting, arrests, and convictions for sexual assault cases. This is due to several factors influencing the judgement…

The concept of rape has been a prominent part of historical U.S. criminal law, and legislation and statutes have changed significantly over time. Despite numerous reforms, however, there is still a lack of reporting, arrests, and convictions for sexual assault cases. This is due to several factors influencing the judgement of criminal justice actors, such as how cases are handled by police officers and prosecutors, who decide whether to further investigate a case, send the case to prosecution for sentencing, or bring the case to trial. Some of these influences include legal and extra-legal factors and certain beliefs or assumptions about sexual assault victims, which affect these officials’ discretionary decisions. As a result, criminal justice officials tend to dismiss or unfound a sexual assault case, especially with acquaintance rape, contributing to the substantial lack of arrests and convictions. These facts, which are examined in the paper, emphasize the need to reassess our criminal justice system's current response to sexual assault cases. This includes adjusting the evaluation markers for prosecutors, improving the communication between the relevant criminal justice actors, and implementing evaluations of prosecutorial ethics and community satisfaction.
ContributorsLooney Abney, Sophia (Author) / Weins, William Jesse (Thesis director) / O'Flaherty, Katherine (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Watts College of Public Service & Community Solut (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / School of Criminology and Criminal Justice (Contributor)
Created2023-05