Examining the Gendered Effects of Prior Victimization on Delinquency Type among Justice-Involved Youth

The purpose of this dissertation is to examine the manner in which different types of prior victimization affect juveniles’ offense type. There is a strong relationship between victimization and offending, meaning that victims are more likely to be offenders and offenders are more likely to be victims, but the exact nature of this relationship remains imprecise. Youth with a history of victimization have an increased risk of delinquency and justice system involvement during adolescence and adulthood. Additionally, a majority of incarcerated youth report having experienced at least one type of victimization before their system involvement and youths’ victimization experiences tend to differ by gender. Many scholars have argued that victimization elicits unique effects on females’ illicit behavior and pathways into criminal behavior but the empirical research regarding the gendered effects of victimization on offending are mixed. This dissertation seeks to explore the relationships between justice-involved youths’ prior victimization experiences and their current criminal behavior using the Survey of Youth in Residential Placement (SYRP) 2003 (Sedlak, 2003). The SYRP is currently the only large-scale, nationally representative sample that collects detailed information directly from justice-involved youth about their prior victimization experiences. One of the primary goals of this dissertation is to determine whether youth with a history of victimization are involved in the justice system for different offenses than non-victimized youth. I will also examine whether different types of victimization and polyvictimization are related to specific forms of offending or a variety of offenses. Finally, I will examine whether the effects of different victimization types on different offense categories are the same for males and females while controlling for other relevant factors known to influence delinquency. Overall, justice-involved youth with a history of victimization were more likely to be system-involved for violent offenses, while youths without a history of victimization were more likely to be involved for minor, non-violent offenses. I found that different types of victimization were related to specific forms of offending rather than general delinquency, and that these relationships varied by gender

Female Sex Offenders: Public Awareness and Attributions

Researchers have suggested that there is a code of denial associated with sex offenders that are female. Sexual victimizations by women may go unnoticed or unreported if there is a general lack of awareness that females commit these crimes. This thesis used data from the 2012 Nebraska Annual Social Indicators Survey to examine two primary questions. First, does the public think females are capable of sexually offending? Second, what are the causes attributed to female sex offenders by the public? Researchers, media, and politicians have primarily focused on male sex offenders and existing gender stereotypes held by the public introduce the possibility of sex differences in perceptions of female sex offenders. As a result, two secondary questions are also examined. Specifically, I tested for sex differences in both the public’s perception of whether females can commit sex offenses and the explanations given for why females sexually offend. Public perceptions of sex offenders can affect recognition of offending and reporting, which limits our knowledge concerning the scope of childhood sexual abuse and the harm associated with victimization

Youth Residing in Out-of-Home Placements: Examination of Behavior and Academic Achievement

A data set from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being II was analyzed to determine if significant relationships existed between participants’ internalizing and externalizing scores on the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and their (a) scores on assessments of academic achievement and (b) behavior problems leading to suspension or expulsion. Results indicated that participants’ scores on the CBCL were not predictive of their academic achievement but were predictive of their numbers of behavior problems leading to suspension or expulsion

Examining the Effects of Nebraska\u27s Good Time Laws - Research Brief

The purpose of this research brief is to summarize the findings of a study of Nebraska’s good time laws conducted by Dr. Benjamin Steiner and Calli Cain for the Nebraska Center for Justice Research at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. An electronic copy of the full report can be accessed through the link at the end of this brief. This brief lists each of the three specific research questions, the primary findings for each question, and the major conclusion from each set of findings. Please refer to the full report for the executive summary, full findings, and methodological details of the research project

Modeling the Effectiveness of Hourly Direct-Response Radio Commercials

The authors investigate the impact of direct-response commercials on incoming calls at a national call center. To this end, the authors analyze the data of a fast service for repairs of (parts of) a durable consumption good in Flanders, Belgium. The authors have access to data at the 15 minute interval covering 30 months in which 5172 radio commercials were broadcasted on six radio stations at various times of the day and at with differing commercial lengths. Their model is a two-level model, where the first-level estimates of the short-run and long-run effects are correlated with various aspects of the commercial is the second level. Their main conclusion is that GRPs are the key drivers of the effectiveness of commercials.HF5837;long-run elasticity;advertising response;short-run effects;advertising effectiveness;two-level model

Depositional behaviors of trace metals around hydrothermal vents in the Scotia Sea

Sediment deposition along the East Scotia Ridge (ESR) in the Southern Oceanis dominated by biogenic sediment due to its location within the diatom belt and is influenced by the Antarctic Circumpolar Current mainly flowing west to east. Hydrothermal vent systems occur along the ESR, are characterized by nine tectonic segments (E1-E9). Sediment cores in the vicinity of ridge segments E2 and E9 from the ESR were analyzed to gain a better understanding of potential vent fluids related to trace metal distributions in surrounding modern marine sediments. Solid phase multicore and porewater samples collected during the R/V Polarstern Expedition PS_119 were located on both east and west sides of the ESR. Samples were selected at different distances from the hydrothermal vents along two west to east transects crossing E2 and E9 to gain a broader understanding of how chemical signatures within the sediment column change due to their proximity to the vents. As hydrothermally emitted plumes move throughout the water column, they affect where trace metals are deposited onto underlying sediments. Each core was analyzed using an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Analysis across the transects show a steady increase in trace metal concentrations on the eastern side of the ESR compared to samples from the western side indicating a currents-induced eastward movement of hydrothermal plumes from the ESR. In addition, sediments near E9 exhibited much higher trace metal enrichments compared to segment E2 signifying a more trace metal-rich magmatic substrate source and different water-rock interactions increased metal concentrations within plumes and their deposits. Understanding the effects of hydrothermal activity on marine sediment is crucial when studying the productivity of an area using trace metal proxies because trace metal input from hydrothermal vents can overprint chemical signatures left from phytoplankton in marine sediments. Silver seems to be relatively unaffected by hydrothermal activity as it has similar concentrations within the cores analyzed, while cobalt and copper concentrations fluctuated with different distances from the hydrothermal vents. Thus, copper and cobalt have the potential to indicate changes in deep ocean currents, while silver may be a good productivity proxy in the Southern Ocean

Considerations in Promoting Parent and Family Involvement

It has been recognized for decades that parent and family (PF) involvement is a vital component of students\u27 educational experiences. Moreover, PF involvement is identified as an important protective factor for students. Thus, school administrators and educators understanding and encouraging positive relationships between families and schools may be one way to promote academic, social, and emotional success for youth throughout their lives. The purpose of this paper is to examine the literature on PF involvement and delineate a proposed model of PF involvement to foster resilience in children and youth

Nonstranger Victimization and Inmate Maladjustment: Is the Relationship Gendered?

Scholars have hypothesized that victimization elicits distinctive effects on women’s pathways to prison and subsequent prison maladjustment, but few researchers have investigated gender differences in this relationship. Using nationally representative samples of men and women housed in state prisons, we examine gender differences in the effects of experiencing different types of nonstranger victimization prior to prison on inmate maladjustment. Results indicate that pre-prison nonstranger victimization affects men’s and women’s maladjustment similarly, with some gender differences—specifically, the effect of being physically assaulted by a nonstranger as an adult on violent misconduct was stronger among men, as was the effect of child abuse on men’s depressive symptoms. Our findings suggest the effects of experiencing nonstranger victimization prior to incarceration on prison maladjustment may be gender-neutral more so than gender-specific. Based on our findings, nonstranger victimization should be deemed important in theories of men’s maladjustment as well as in theories of women’s maladjustment

Modeling the Effectiveness of Hourly Direct-Response Radio Commercials

The authors investigate the impact of direct-response commercials on incoming calls at a national call center. To this end, the authors analyze the data of a fast service for repairs of (parts of) a durable consumption good in Flanders, Belgium. The authors have access to data at the 15 minute interval covering 30 months in which 5172 radio commercials were broadcasted on six radio stations at various times of the day and at with differing commercial lengths. Their model is a two-level model, where the first-level estimates of the short-run and long-run effects are correlated with various aspects of the commercial is the second level. Their main conclusion is that GRPs are the key drivers of the effectiveness of commercials