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- Creators: School of Criminology and Criminal Justice
- Member of: Barrett, The Honors College Thesis/Creative Project Collection
Description
Criminal Justice is a complex subject matter, and not everyone agrees on the way a criminal justice system ought to function. But one feature that is common to virtually all forms of proposed justice systems is that a true justice system treats people ethically. The question, then, is how a justice system can achieve this. This investigation analyzed two ethical theories, Kantianism and Utilitarianism, to determine which one would be better suited for guiding a criminal justice system on how to treat the people involved ethically. This investigation focused on applying the two theories to the U.S. Criminal Justice System in particular.
Kantianism is a duty-based moral theory in which actions have an intrinsic moral worth. This means certain actions are morally right and other are morally wrong, regardless of the intended or realized consequences. The theory relies on the categorical imperative to judge the morality of certain actions. It states that an action is moral if its maxim can be willed universal law and if it avoids treating people as merely a means. In contrast, Utilitarianism is a consequentialist theory which focuses on the consequences of an action in judging moral worth. In Utilitarianism, the morally correct action is the one which will maximize utility; that is to say, the morally right action is the one which will produce the greatest amount of happiness and minimize the amount of pain for the greatest number of people.
After applying these two theories to moral dilemmas facing the U.S. Criminal Justice System, including the appropriate collection of DNA evidence, the use of police deception, and the use of criminal punishments such as solitary confinement or the death penalty, it was clear that Kantianism was the ethical theory best suited for guiding the system in treating people ethically. This is because Kantianism’s focus on the intrinsic moral worth of an action rather than its consequences leaves less room for ambiguity than does Utilitarianism.
Kantianism is a duty-based moral theory in which actions have an intrinsic moral worth. This means certain actions are morally right and other are morally wrong, regardless of the intended or realized consequences. The theory relies on the categorical imperative to judge the morality of certain actions. It states that an action is moral if its maxim can be willed universal law and if it avoids treating people as merely a means. In contrast, Utilitarianism is a consequentialist theory which focuses on the consequences of an action in judging moral worth. In Utilitarianism, the morally correct action is the one which will maximize utility; that is to say, the morally right action is the one which will produce the greatest amount of happiness and minimize the amount of pain for the greatest number of people.
After applying these two theories to moral dilemmas facing the U.S. Criminal Justice System, including the appropriate collection of DNA evidence, the use of police deception, and the use of criminal punishments such as solitary confinement or the death penalty, it was clear that Kantianism was the ethical theory best suited for guiding the system in treating people ethically. This is because Kantianism’s focus on the intrinsic moral worth of an action rather than its consequences leaves less room for ambiguity than does Utilitarianism.
ContributorsMorett, Xavier Laakea (Author) / Manninen, Bertha (Thesis director) / Kimberly, Kobojek (Committee member) / School of Criminology and Criminal Justice (Contributor) / School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
The focus of this project is developing a business plan for faith-based counseling for college students. Renewed Living Counseling Center (RLCC) is a faith-based counseling center in the Tempe area serving Arizona State University students. RLCC strives to bring healing and wholeness to each student who comes through the doors, to empower them to realize and live out their potential, by providing them with the skills to accomplish their dreams and live full lives, through counseling, motivation, education, and treating studentʼs behaviors to become whole and successful. Research indicates that the proposed center, Renewed Living Counseling Center (RLCC), has great potential for success because:
1. Spirituality and faith are increasingly recognized as important aspects in a personʼs life. National research shows that 66% of people feel counseling should include spirituality. Research with ASU students found that students reflect this statistic, as they feel spirituality is an important part of counseling. Students also feel spirituality is appropriate to include as part of counseling services offered by centers referred to by ASU.
2. There is a need for counseling at ASU. Nationally,approximately1,100 college students commit suicide each year. At ASU, almost one-third of students reported feeling so depressed that it is difficult to function, and 0.9% report having attempted suicide within the past year.
3. Surveys of ASU students indicate that students who describe themselves as being religious are more desirous that counseling include a spiritual dimension. Surveys of campus pastors indicate that over 80% believe there is a need for faith-based counseling and would refer students to a local center.
4. Price is an issue. Indeed, a survey of campus pastors indicated that they believed cost of counseling to be one of the primary deterrents to students seeking help. One way to control costs is to use a mixture of residents and licensed counselors. As in medicine, students must complete coursework along with a period of residency or internship to obtain licensing. Both religious and secular masters programs in counseling exist in the greater Phoenix area. Thus, there is a potential supply of students who could work as residents, permitting RLCC to offer counseling services at reasonable prices.
1. Spirituality and faith are increasingly recognized as important aspects in a personʼs life. National research shows that 66% of people feel counseling should include spirituality. Research with ASU students found that students reflect this statistic, as they feel spirituality is an important part of counseling. Students also feel spirituality is appropriate to include as part of counseling services offered by centers referred to by ASU.
2. There is a need for counseling at ASU. Nationally,approximately1,100 college students commit suicide each year. At ASU, almost one-third of students reported feeling so depressed that it is difficult to function, and 0.9% report having attempted suicide within the past year.
3. Surveys of ASU students indicate that students who describe themselves as being religious are more desirous that counseling include a spiritual dimension. Surveys of campus pastors indicate that over 80% believe there is a need for faith-based counseling and would refer students to a local center.
4. Price is an issue. Indeed, a survey of campus pastors indicated that they believed cost of counseling to be one of the primary deterrents to students seeking help. One way to control costs is to use a mixture of residents and licensed counselors. As in medicine, students must complete coursework along with a period of residency or internship to obtain licensing. Both religious and secular masters programs in counseling exist in the greater Phoenix area. Thus, there is a potential supply of students who could work as residents, permitting RLCC to offer counseling services at reasonable prices.
ContributorsMatthews, Rachel Leigh (Author) / Steinbart, Paul (Thesis director) / Chung, Sally (Committee member) / Sanders, Ben (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Accountancy (Contributor) / WPC Graduate Programs (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
Forensic science has commanded the spotlight in mainstream media, both fact-based and fictional. Popular fictional shows, like CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, give unrealistic scenarios of criminal proceedings by forensic scientists and investigators. From inaccurate timetables to blurred job responsibilities, fictional media has spread misconceptions of the industry. Fictional shows depict unrealistic relationships between the investigators and the scientists. Documentary crime shows and movies, while based in fact, are often oversimplified for entertainment purposes. Public safety officials and the news media are often at odds. The media yearns to release case details as quickly as possible, while officials attempt to keep investigations closed to the public to minimize public harm. This research takes a unique approach to study the impact media entities have on the public's perception of Arizona's criminal just system, and how the system has responded as the public's expectations have been altered. Evidence collecting procedures have changed, along with the sheer volume of evidence processed on a daily basis at crime labs around the state. Courtroom procedures have also changed, as juries now expect physical evidence to be presented in every case. Mass media must do a better job of accurately portraying criminal investigative techniques in order to better educate the public, and to produce a better informed jury pool with reasonable expectations concerning criminal evidence. Higher education also has a significant role to play in both making the public aware of the power and limitations of forensic science, and in preparing future generations of forensic scientists.
ContributorsSmouse, Rebecca Jean (Author) / Lafond, Sue (Thesis director) / Brehman, Brian (Committee member) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication (Contributor) / School of Criminology and Criminal Justice (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
Description
Bloodstain Pattern Analysis and Toxicology are important aspects of Forensic Science in determining what occurred at a crime scene. There are limited studies done on the effects of drugs on blood spatter found at crime scenes. Since drugs can have different effects on the body, the blood would be affected by these drugs. Visine and Aspirin were chosen to be incorporated into sheep’s blood due to their common use in the general population. Contaminated blood was deposited onto several common surfaces alongside controls. The results were compared to the control and the secondary control, DI water added to blood, using a two-sample t-test. Many of the results came back as significant including the secondary control compared to the control group. Therefore the significance of the results cannot be linked directly back to the substances themselves, but to the water in addition to the substance added. Future studies could be done with higher concentrations of drugs, with the metabolites of drugs, and with different drugs, licit and illicit.
ContributorsWedel, Sydnee (Author) / Parrott, Jonathan (Thesis director) / Weidner, Lauren (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences (Contributor) / School of Criminology and Criminal Justice (Contributor)
Created2022-05
Description
Much research has been directed towards increasing cultural diversity in law enforcement; however, the same energy has not been directed towards the field of forensic science. Although similar, in a crime scene the two fields have different functions. While law enforcement would be concerned with notifying family, interviewing suspects, or maintaining a perimeter, forensic scientists would be concerned with analyzing the crime scene and collecting evidence. Within the forensics population, those of Caucasian descent make up approximately 62% of the criminal forensics field, with Hispanic and Latino individuals at 13.5% and other racial minorities at smaller numbers (Koppl, 2007). The purpose of this research is to discover existing diversity initiatives in forensic science programs throughout the United States and what can be done to ensure that racial minorities are better served by forensic degree programs. Because the criminal justice field services many different racial groups, it is imperative for professionals to reflect the diversity of the communities they serve. This thesis aims to discover the extent to which existing programs aid racial minorities seeking to enter the field of forensic science.
ContributorsSimon, Benita (Author) / Kappes, Janelle (Thesis director) / Janicek, Chelsea (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Criminology and Criminal Justice (Contributor)
Created2022-05
Description
It is no surprise that crime has become an interest to people both nationally and globally. It is impossible to turn on a TV without hearing cable news talking about a bank robbery or a murder, or a political hearing of some sort. Crime TV shows are incredibly common—there are whole channels dedicated to just crime, and many prime-time TV shows deal with some form of crime, most often the law enforcement teams that interact with it. Movies and books about crime are also incredibly common—most movie theaters have at least one horror movie or psychological thriller on show at a given time, and books stores and libraries have entire sections about true crime and mysteries.
Crime has become an inescapable part of being a consumer and viewer in today’s society. The interest in crime, however, could not have just been created by the media or a few specific parties and gained the amount of attention that is has today. Crime has been of interest since ancient times, seen immortalized in art and literature with famous events like the death of Socrates and the assassination of Julius Caesar. However, only more modern advances in media and the growth in consumerism could have led to interest and commodification of crime as we see it today. Landmark cases like Ted Bundy and O.J. Simpson have contributed to the growth of the media landscape, but because of the cyclical nature of the news and consumer cycle, these cases would not differ much in the way that they would be covered today, even with the new methods of disseminating information that we have today, such as social media and news websites that are accessible by everyone. Crime as entertainment has been a product not just of the media and popular culture but also from American consumers who continue to give media and pop culture producers a consumer who wishes to view their content and to continue to further the interest in crime. Media and popular culture are not the only people to blame for the popularization of crime as a product; people in the United States, and globally, are just as much responsible for the creation of crime as entertainment.
Crime has become an inescapable part of being a consumer and viewer in today’s society. The interest in crime, however, could not have just been created by the media or a few specific parties and gained the amount of attention that is has today. Crime has been of interest since ancient times, seen immortalized in art and literature with famous events like the death of Socrates and the assassination of Julius Caesar. However, only more modern advances in media and the growth in consumerism could have led to interest and commodification of crime as we see it today. Landmark cases like Ted Bundy and O.J. Simpson have contributed to the growth of the media landscape, but because of the cyclical nature of the news and consumer cycle, these cases would not differ much in the way that they would be covered today, even with the new methods of disseminating information that we have today, such as social media and news websites that are accessible by everyone. Crime as entertainment has been a product not just of the media and popular culture but also from American consumers who continue to give media and pop culture producers a consumer who wishes to view their content and to continue to further the interest in crime. Media and popular culture are not the only people to blame for the popularization of crime as a product; people in the United States, and globally, are just as much responsible for the creation of crime as entertainment.
ContributorsCooke, Emilie (Author) / Kobojek, Kimberly (Thesis director) / Gordon, Karen (Committee member) / School of Criminology and Criminal Justice (Contributor) / School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
Chemiluminescent reagents, such as BlueStar® forensic reagent, are used during crime scene investigations to detect latent bloodstains as they react with the iron in blood to produce bright chemiluminescence. There are several substances that cause false positives with BlueStar® reagent, including plant peroxidases and certain metal compounds. These false positive substances are commonly seen in cosmetic products. The widespread availability and popularity of cosmetics makes it possible that false positive substances may be encountered at crime scenes and could potentially interfere with investigations. The cosmetic products chosen for this study included two of the following types of products at different price points: foundation, primer, moisturizer, cleanser, and setting powder. The ten cosmetic products were tested with BlueStar® forensic reagent in two rounds of testing on multiple surface types to mimic different ways investigators may encounter the products at crime scenes. The results of the tests were overall negative as the products did not produce any chemiluminescence, indicating that the products do not cause false positives with the BlueStar® forensic reagent and are not concern for investigators. As a majority of the products contain ingredients known to cause false positives with BlueStar®, the completely negative results raised several questions. More exploration of the interaction between cosmetic products and BlueStar® reagents needs to occur in order to clarify and confirm if cosmetics pose a risk to crime scene investigators.
ContributorsMaley, Samantha Bree (Author) / Kobojek, Kimberly (Thesis director) / Cahill, Thomas (Committee member) / School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences (Contributor) / School of Criminology and Criminal Justice (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
The purpose of this project was to create a platform where people could tell their stories about how their faith impacted their incarceration and their incarceration impacted their faith. There is no single path to pursuing faith in prison, and each person faces their own challenges and facilitators in doing so. There is power in stories, and we can learn so much from simply listening. Each story told through this project presents a unique experience of pursuing Christianity while incarcerated. This project interviewed three people who had pursued their faith during their time in prison. The goal of these interviews was to hear first hand the experiences of dedicating oneself to Christianity while incarcerated. Their stories were broken up into three sections, pre-incarceration, during incarceration, and post-incarceration to explore how each participant’s faith differed across the three phases. Main topics discussed include what religious services they had access to while incarcerated, what the main challenge they faced in pursuing their faith in prison, and how their faith impacted their reentry into society.
ContributorsMccall, Rylei (Author) / Henson, Abigail (Thesis director) / Montes, Andrea (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Criminology and Criminal Justice (Contributor) / Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law (Contributor)
Created2022-05