Matching Items (227)
Description
This study analyzes various reasons why some Americans find the subject of ghosts and ghost hunting so fascinating. A recent poll suggests that nearly half of Americans believe in ghosts. Thousands of ghost hunting societies exist in which members try to find proof of a supernatural world. Hundreds of films featuring paranormal elements have been released over the past few decades. The prevalence of this subject warrants further investigation regarding its appeal. Ghost stories have been passed down from one generation to the next for millennia in literature and by word of mouth. There have been accounts of ghosts haunting homes and families all over the world. Edgar Allen Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne introduced the American horror story, which is characterized by themes that strike Americans where they care most. These stories transgressed from literature into film and television where they began reaching widespread audiences and continue to exist and thrive today. However, for as long as there have been people interested in ghost stories, there have been those interested in ghost hunting. This hobby became widely popular in the late twentieth century when popular films made it acceptable to discuss the possibility of a haunting in the home. Reality television then showed that anyone could be an investigator. Even though the topic of ghosts can be frightening and disturbing to some, others find ghost stories and ghost hunting very appealing. The purpose of this study is to understand the motivations of these investigations and the attraction to these tales. Over the course of this research, two interviews with local ghost hunters were conducted to understand their unique perspective on the subject. Further, public forums were analyzed to determine popular opinions regarding these appeals. Psychologists have proposed various theories regarding the appeal of ghosts in popular media, which provides a theoretical framework for the public opinions gathered from the forums. There is very little research regarding the motivations of ghost hunting, which is alarming. Many people have decided to dedicate their lives to this hobby, so why has so little research been conducted on the subject?
ContributorsCiliento, Nicole Angela (Author) / Parker, John (Thesis director) / Killoren, Lexi (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Social Transformation (Contributor) / Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry (Contributor) / School of Criminology and Criminal Justice (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
Most research on domestic violence has been regularly generalized, on the issue and the people involved, who are most commonly but not necessarily, only women. Previous studies have focused mainly on women in the United States facing a domestic violence situation and the criminal justice response to them, however studies on the immigrant populations are limited. In this qualitative research we attempt to answer the question of how do domestic violence circumstances during childhood and young formative years, 12 - 18 years old, affect people from diverse cultures, as they become adults in the U.S. This study looks at the perceptions of women from Cambodia, Mexico, Russia and Vietnam as well as the United States, involving Native American women and their dependent children who have emigrated to or lived in the U.S. and experienced violence from their intimate partner and their experiences with the law, culture, Child Protective Services and other programs. Through previous interviews with women of these cultures we gain an understanding of their struggles and thoughts about their experiences and understandings and look into what changes can be implemented in order to help the various cultured victims of domestic violence in the law, community and criminal justice system and programs.
ContributorsBenado Smasch, Alisys Antanaychene (Author) / DeCarolis, Claudine (Thesis director) / Fox, Kate (Committee member) / School of Criminology and Criminal Justice (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
Many studies have suggested the existence of what is called the school-to-prison pipeline, a model explaining the process by which we hinder the academic development of students of color and push them instead toward the criminal justice system. This process takes place through a series of practices called exclusionary discipline practices, and these include such things as suspensions, zero tolerance policies, and the prevalence of school resource officers that often reflect larger biases or implicit racism. These practices alienate students from the academic process, increasing dropout rates and negatively affecting student achievement. There has been a great deal of research investigating these discipline policies, but significantly less research investigating how teachers perceive these practices. This study examines the perceptions and attitudes of student teachers throughout their first experiences in the classroom. It explores their attitudes toward these policies, as well as their perceptions of discipline practices and student behavior problems. In conducting interviews with four student teachers, qualitative analysis of the resulting data shows that teachers are aware of the disadvantage that students of color face, however, they perceive some of these exclusionary discipline practices to be beneficial or neutral. Teachers understood suspensions to be detrimental to students, but saw no issues with zero tolerance policies or school resource officers. For this reason, it will be important to better educate teachers to be advocates for their students, and push for better policies at the administrative and legislative levels.
ContributorsLundy, Amy Nicole (Author) / Lopez, Vera (Thesis director) / Swadener, Elizabeth (Committee member) / School of Social Transformation (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / School of Criminology and Criminal Justice (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
Highly publicized cases involving citizen fatalities due to police use of force raise questions about perceptions of danger. Arrest-related deaths due to weapons, accidental injuries, and natural causes remain high year after year. Communities are greatly affected, and mistrust with the police continues to increase when these situations happen. There seem to be inaccurate perceptions that may stem from implicit associations, stereotypes, and social learning. These psychological concepts may provide theoretical explanations of how decisions are made when police officers are faced with danger. Some elements of this decision-making process may include suspect characteristics, officer experience, and police sub-culture. In this review, race/ethnicity and socio-economic status are examined as factors that contribute to police use of force. Disparities in use of force data often involve young, Black males living in low-income neighborhoods. The stereotype that this group is more dangerous than others stems from underlying prejudices and previous situations where Black people are targeted more in certain areas. Training, education, and community outreach programs can assist in mending relations between police and affected communities. Acknowledging these inaccurate perceptions, making the adjustments to police training and community relations, and being open to exploration in future research of other minority groups will assist in eliminating prejudices and creating better connections between law enforcement and the community.
ContributorsGarcia-Johnson, Anastacia Maria (Author) / Szeli, Eva (Thesis director) / Pizarro, Jesenia (Committee member) / School of Criminology and Criminal Justice (Contributor, Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
Description
Serial killers have had a profound impact on the United States' most powerful law enforcement agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Through a brief history of the FBI, the birth of the Behavioral Analysis Unit is highlighted and criminal profiling is realized as a tool to apprehend these serial killers. Four serial killer cases are presented as important representations to illustrate the contributions that were made to the FBI's investigatory procedure. As serial killings make up only one percent of the murders in the U.S. each year, it is still evident that these cases have had a profound impact on the U.S.'s top law enforcement agency. The FBI has been able to react to each case more effectively than the last. Constant learning on the job, as each impactful case happens within a short time span from the last, has been a necessity for investigators and has been a prime strength of the FBI. There is no way to tell when an individual will begin to commit serial murder, so while the FBI's methods are not perfect, the Bureau has been able to respond in full to each challenge a new serial killer case has presented and arrest the guilty party. Through an analysis of the criminal profile, stereotypes attributed to serial killers, and the application of forensic evidence to serial killer investigations, the impact of the investigations of these cases by the FBI is examined. A real world application of the FBI's recommended procedure for a serial killer investigation is spotlighted and analyzed to determine its practicality in modern-day investigations.
ContributorsMuzupappa, Joseph Raymond (Author) / Kobojek, Kimberly (Thesis director) / De Alcaraz Fossoul, Josep (Committee member) / School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences (Contributor) / School of Criminology and Criminal Justice (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
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
The purpose of this project was to evaluate possible adjudicative causes of wrongful convictions, which were strictly defined as cases where a defendant is convicted for a crime in which they are factually innocent. Most of the existing research on the causes of wrongful convictions suggests that errors occur during the investigative process. However, there is little to no research on how the court system, whose purpose is to catch and correct these mistakes prior to sentencing, fails to do just that. As such, a few possible adjudicative causes were proposed based on existing literature: errors in expert witness testimony, prosecutorial misconduct, representation by the defense, and race. Interview questions were generated based on each of these topics. Four attorneys \u2014 two prosecutors, one public defender, and one private defense attorney \u2014 were interviewed with these questions in order to qualitatively evaluate the legitimacy and the accuracy of these proposed adjudicative causes. The results indicated that attorneys rely on (and believe that jurors rely heavily on) an expert witness' performance rather than their statements and that race does not play a role in the likelihood that a defendant will be wrongfully convicted. Likewise, all four attorneys indicated that both prosecutors and defense attorneys are eager to pursue justice and that no one person is to blame for a wrongful conviction. In conclusion, errors made in the adjudicative process that lead to wrongful convictions might simply be the cause of human error.
ContributorsHietala, Kira Victoria (Author) / DeCarolis, Claudine (Thesis director) / Szeli, Eva (Committee member) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / School of Criminology and Criminal Justice (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-12
Description
Every year, millions of people find themselves displaced from their homes because of fear or threats of violence. Some of these people will become refugees, who will then be resettled in the United States. In order to help with the resettlement process, refugees are given cultural orientations through their resettlement organizations. The Phoenix Police Department teaches one of these cultural orientations for local resettlement agencies in order to dispel some of the fears refugees have about law enforcement and build a stronger relationship with the refugee community. Past research on this topic has been limited within the United States, but communities are still trying to figure out how to interact with refugees despite not knowing how to do it. There are various possible complications inherent in the integration process and many potential methods of trust building available to the refugee community and public services like law enforcement. This project seeks to understand the refugee resettlement process through field observation of the cultural orientation taught by the Phoenix Police Department and interviews with detectives familiar with the process in Phoenix. Cultural and language differences as well as lack of education and research on the topic of refugee resettlement are all key points in comprehending what the police, refugees, and resettlement organizations are doing during the integration process. Once these issues are addressed to alleviate gaps in knowledge about refugees, it may be possible to adjust the process to be easier for stakeholders involved in refugee resettlement.
ContributorsBaumgartner, Rachel Paige (Author) / Telep, Cody (Thesis director) / O'Flaherty, Katherine (Committee member) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / School of Criminology and Criminal Justice (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-12
Description
Mummification is an alternative to human decomposition that involves desiccation of the tissues of the body, particularly the skin. A total of 44 decedents with known postmortem intervals (PMIs) were collected from the Maricopa County Medical Examiner's Office and given a cumulative mummification score (CMS) describing the extent of their mummification using a novel scale. PMI was multiplied by the ambient temperature of the scene to allow for the creation of a new variable, accumulated degree days (ADDs). A non-linear relationship was found between PMI and ADD. The variables were transformed to generate a linear relationship. Pearson correlations and regression analyses were performed and generated a final graphical model (p < 0.05, r = 0.750, n = 34). An equation was calculated based off of a previously-established protocol that produced a range of possible PMIs from a given CMS. The accuracy of the ranges the equation provided was not very high (14%). When expanded to the 95% confidence intervals, 41% of cases fell within the predicted range. The data collected may not have been accurate due to the method of PMI calculation. The PMIs were calculated from the time the decedent was last known alive, which was likely artificially high as many of the individuals were socially isolated premortem. There were also several confounding variables that were not accounted for. Any variable that prevented or accelerated the escape of water from the body's tissues would slow down or speed up mummification, respectively, including clothing, skin-skin or skin-surface contact, position, body mass, humidity, and airflow. Ideally, this study would be performed with decedents with known PMIs who were tracked longitudinally.
ContributorsPeters, Nicole Alissa (Author) / Lisenbee, Cayle (Thesis director) / Shelly, Mark (Committee member) / School of Criminology and Criminal Justice (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-12
Description
The primary purpose of this project is to study the correlation between exposure to sexually-explicit materials and sexual offending. A thorough literature review has been conducted. The analyses include the definitions and history of sexual deviancy and paraphilia, a review of existing research that examines the complex relationship between said materials and criminal behavior, methods individuals use to access sexually-explicit materials, and case studies of individuals whose behavior is relevant to the purposes of this study. There does not appear to be a causal relationship between these two factors. However, there is an intricate, interrelated dynamic between the two that is worth examining more thoroughly. Further research should study the timeline in which sexual offenders first consumed sexually-explicit material, as well as the genesis of their sexually-deviant behaviors. This may lead to a clearer comprehension of their psychosexual criminality. Further understanding will hopefully lead to improved policies proposed by law makers, refined prevention/intervention strategies by law enforcement, and more effective rehabilitative methods for offenders.
ContributorsDwyer, Brittny Elise (Author) / Rebecca, Loftus (Thesis director) / Randall, Snyder (Committee member) / School of Criminology and Criminal Justice (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05