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- All Subjects: criminology
- Genre: Masters Thesis
- Member of: ASU Electronic Theses and Dissertations
- Member of: Theses and Dissertations
Description
There has been a rise in heroin use throughout the United States due to doctors increasingly prescribing painkillers to patients with chronic pain (Kanouse & Compton, 2015; Compton, Boyle, & Wargo, 2015). Individuals get addicted to painkillers and, when their doctor will no longer prescribe them, turn to alternative methods of relief; heroin is often their cheapest option (Kolodny, Courtwright, Hwang, Kreiner, Eadie, Clark, & Alexander 2015). Heroin users are three to four times more likely to die from overdose than other types of drug users (Darke & Hall, 2003). The purpose of this study is to determine the likelihood that heroin users successfully reenter the community upon release from prison in comparison to other types of drug users. There are several re-entry outcomes that can be considered “success”; this study measures success as an index of the quality of the returning offender’s familial relationships as well as recidivism. The data used for this analysis is the Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative (SVORI). The sample consists of male offenders, aged 18 years and older, who have been convicted of and imprisoned for a serious or violent crime. Findings suggest familial social support does not have an effect on heroin use, but heroin use increases the risk of recidivism. These findings will provide a context for rehabilitation of heroin offenders and will launch future research focusing on the differences between heroin users and other types of drug users.
ContributorsGriffin, Amber (Author) / Wallace, Danielle (Thesis advisor) / Wright, Kevin (Committee member) / Chamberlain, Alyssa (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2016
Description
Many parents are incarcerated, and most are eventually released. Parents that have to return home from prison may encounter difficulties adjusting to being a parent on the outside. Two competing criminological theories – social control and strain – build the framework for two pathways after release from prison – desistance or recidivism. The principal question of this study examines how being a parent to a minor child has an effect on the reentry pathways, and an interaction between being a parent and gender tests the differences between mothers and fathers. Existing studies have produced mixed results with some studies suggesting that minor children are a protective factor, and some suggesting the struggles of returning parents. Research has also shown that incarcerated mothers and fathers experience their incarceration differently, and it is surmised that this would have an impact on their reentry. Data used in this study were obtained through structured interviews with 952 inmates housed in the Arizona Department of Corrections in 2010 (n= 517 males (54%); n= 435 females (46%)). Logistic regression models show that having at least one minor child does not significantly impact the reentry outcomes for parents as compared to nonparents. In addition, the interaction between minor children and gender was also not significant – there were no differences between mothers and fathers. The statistically insignificant findings most likely show the cancelling effects of two distinct pathways for reentry. Implications of the findings are discussed below.
ContributorsGricius, Matthew (Author) / Wright, Kevin (Thesis advisor) / Chamberlain, Alyssa (Committee member) / Wang, Xia (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2016
Description
Although much has been done to examine the relationship between unemployment and crime, little consideration has been given to the impact neighborhood-level factors such as informal social control may have on the strength of unemployment as a predictor of crime. The present study seeks to fill this gap by assessing whether the declining crime rates over a period of surging unemployment under the financial crisis are due to unchanged levels of informal social control. To examine these relationships, the present study utilizes data from Uniform Crime Reports (UCR), calls for service to the police, and the United States Census and American Community Survey. These data are longitudinal in nature covering the period 2007-2011 and are all related to Glendale, Arizona. The results indicate that the financial crisis predicts lower rates of property crimes as well as lower rates of calls for service relative to UCR crimes. Additionally, the present study finds that unemployment is a significant predictor of increases in UCR property crime, UCR violent crime, and engagement in each of my measures of informal social control.
ContributorsHoyle, Mary Elizabeth (Author) / Wallace, Danielle (Thesis advisor) / Chamberlain, Alyssa (Committee member) / Reisig, Michael (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2016
Description
ABSTRACT
The legalization of marijuana is increasing in the United States. With more dispensaries opening, it is essential to look at these businesses' impacts on neighborhood crime rates. Alcohol outlets are known as crime attractors/crime generators, and their presence in a neighborhood is also significant to look at when investigating violent crime rates. It is crucial then to take both marijuana and alcohol outlets together to determine the effects these facilities have on aggravated assault and robbery in a neighborhood. To assess the impact of marijuana outlets, on-premises alcohol outlets, and off-premises alcohol outlets in Los Angeles, California, on aggravated assaults and robberies, this thesis uses Los Angeles business, crime, and census data. The study addresses the following research questions: (1) Does an additional marijuana outlet in a neighborhood increase aggravated assaults and robberies? (2) Does the presence of on- and off-premises alcohol outlets increase aggravated assault and robbery? (3) Does the presence of multiple types of risky businesses increase violent crime? The current study finds an increase in aggravated assaults and robberies when marijuana outlets and on- and off-premises outlets are located in a neighborhood. The only non-significant finding is when all three outlet types were present; marijuana outlets are the only outlet type not associated with an increase in robbery. These findings suggest that limits should be placed on the number of risky retailers in a neighborhood and provides policy implications directed toward reducing violent crime near marijuana and alcohol outlets.
KEYWORDS alcohol outlets, marijuana outlets, aggravated assault, robbery
ContributorsStowell, Sierra (Author) / Chamberlain, Alyssa (Thesis advisor) / Wallace, Danielle (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022