Browsing by Subject "Criminal justice system"
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Item Contesting the mark of criminality : resistance and ideology in gangsta rap, 1988-1997(2009-08) McCann, Bryan John; Cloud, Dana L.This dissertation situates the emergence of gangsta rap from 1988-1997 within the historical trajectory of the American criminal justice system and the mass incarceration of African Americans. Specifically, it examines how the genre enacted the mark of criminality as a gesture of resistance in a period of sustained moral panic surrounding race and criminality in the United States. The mark of criminality refers to a regime of signifiers inscribed upon African American bodies that imagines black subjects as fundamental threats to social order. Drawing upon the theoretical resources of historical materialism and cultural studies, the project locates the mark of criminality within the social structures of capitalism, arguing that hegemonic fantasies of racialized criminality protect oppressive and exploitative social relations. The project concludes that while gangsta rap has many significant limitations associated with violence, misogyny, and commercialism, it nonetheless represents a salient expression of resistance that can inform broader interventions against the American prisons system. A number of questions guide this project. Chief among them are the following: In what ways does the criminal justice system operate as a site of rhetorical invention and hegemonic struggle? To what extent does gangsta rap enable and disable rhetorical and political agency? To what extent does it enable and disable interracial political practice? What are the implications of gangsta rap for a gendered politics of criminality? Three case studies demonstrate how specific gangsta rap artists inverted the mark of criminality toward the constitution of affirmative and resistant fantasies of black criminality. While the work of these artists, I argue, was significantly limited in its emancipatory potential, it nonetheless offered important insights into the contingency of race and crime in America. The project also considers how other rhetors responded to gangsta discourse, frequently toward the end of supporting hegemonic notions of race and criminality. The dissertation concludes that criminality functions as a vibrant site of rhetorical invention and resistance provided it is articulated to broader movements for social justice. While the often-problematic discourses of gangsta rap do not constitute politically progressive rhetorics in their own rights, they provide resources for the articulation of righteous indignation and utopian desires capable of challenging the prison-industrial complex.Item Falling through the cracks : community based programs fill in the gaps that school discipline leaves behind(2014-05) Asase, Dagny Adjoa; Dahlby, Tracy; Minutaglio, BillThe purpose of this report is to focus on the school-to-prison pipeline and the need to intervene with school discipline that pushes students out of the classroom and into the criminal justice system. It showcases services and programs in Austin, Texas, including Southwest Keys, Webb Youth Court, and Council on At-Risk Youth as examples for solutions. The report also incorporates research and expert advice on the safety and wellbeing of students while advocating a need to change the policies and culture surrounding schools.Item Isa Parada Interview(2021-11-08) Institute for Diversity & Civic Life; Department of Religious StudiesThis interview is with Imam Isa Parada, a Latino Muslim leader with IslamInSpanish. Isa talks about growing up in New York City and Houston, the popular culture of his youth, and being involved in criminal activity as a teen. He tells the story of wanting to make a change in his life for the better, exploring Islam, and converting at the age of twenty. Isa describes the struggles of converting, such as his family’s initial concern and prejudice, as well as the joys, such as meeting his wife and studying in Saudi Arabia. He goes on to discuss the origin and growth of IslamInSpanish.Item Justicia en reforma : a diagnostic of Mexico's criminal procedure reform in early-implementer jurisdictions(2011-05) Nichols, Denton Patrick; Villarreal, Andrés; Hansen, Patricia I.Until recently, Mexico’s criminal court system systematically failed to observe the human rights of defendants, leading to widespread criticisms about the integrity of the system and the vulnerability of defendants to unconscionable judicial practices. Intending to remedy those deficiencies, several Mexican states have proceeded to transition from a semi-inquisitorial criminal procedure to an American-style adversarial one. Because of a 2008 reform to the national constitution, all Mexican states must adopt such criminal procedure reforms by 2016. In theory, these reforms should result in fewer overall cases, a reduced reliance on pre-trial detentions, and more dismissals of cases and acquittals. This thesis uses data collected by Mexico’s official statistical agency, INEGI, to test these hypotheses in judicial districts in four states: Oaxaca, Chihuahua, Morelos, and Zacatecas. While far fewer criminal cases are being brought in early-implementer districts that have transitioned to the new criminal procedures, the results on other statistical indicators are mixed. Nonetheless, the balance of evidence suggests that the reformed procedures are more likely to be fair to defendants and reduce overall wrongful convictions.Item Parents on trial : jailing for child support nonpayment(2018-05-07) Cozzolino, Elizabeth Anne; Glass, Jennifer; Williams, Christine; Pettit, Elizabeth (Becky); Osborne, CynthiaAlthough the child support enforcement and criminal justice systems have divergent purposes, they are connected when courts jail parents who owe child support debt. Jailing for child support nonpayment is one of many possible mechanisms of child support enforcement, but little is known about how frequently this tactic is used, against whom, and what the consequences are. Using a mixed methods design, this project explores the frequency, process, and consequences of jail for child support nonpayment. This dissertation is divided into four substantive chapters. In Chapter 1, I use data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCW) to explore the prevalence of jail for child support debt in a national context, finding that about 14% of debtors go to jail for this debt by the time their child is nine years old. I propose two conceptual pathways into jail, and find that debt load and family complexity are major predictors of incarceration. In Chapter 2, I map the legal process of finding a parent in contempt and committing the parent to jail, focusing on the role of judicial discretion at three crucial decision points in the life of a case. Focusing on my field work in Riley County, Chapter 3 argues that child support officials police the work and family choices of nonresident parents in ways conceptually similar to how welfare policy controls recipients’ behavior. Chapter 4 identifies how interpersonal gendered disputes translate into legal action in the child support enforcement process. This project has the potential to contribute to the national conversation about legal debt, family change, and criminal justice reform, as well as to inform laws and policies concerning child support, criminal justice, and the family. This project also has implications for the study of inequality. Through triangulating a range of novel data sources, this dissertation investigates how one legal process—punitive child support enforcement—affects people’s lives and life chances.Item The relationship between race/ethnicity and early identification of an emotional behavioral disorder and arrest outcomes(2021-09-15) House, Lexy Shyler; Vaughn, Sharon, 1952-; Patton, James R.; Cawthon, Stephanie; Doabler , ChristianThroughout the last two decades, schools have encouraged early identification of students with, or at risk for, emotional behavioral disorders (EBD; Conroy et al., 2004), with the assumption being that identification can provide this population with access to services to prevent behavioral difficulties or at least reduce their impact. Students with EBD also typically demonstrate persistent academic failure in schools leading to negative life outcomes, including involvement in the criminal justice system (U.S. Department of Education, 2014). Another important reality is that many racial and ethnic groups are disproportionately identified as having EBD (Cullinan & Kauffman, 2005). Additionally, little research has investigated whether race/ethnicity and the age of identification of an EBD is associated with involvement in the criminal justice system. Using data on students with EBD from the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2, this study used cross tabulations to examine significant differences across demographics and outcomes, and logistic regression analysis was used to understand the relationship between students’ arrest outcomes, and students’ age of identification, along with race/ethnicity of the students. Served as a guide for the development of this study, the Social-Relational Model of disability views disability as a form of social oppression (Thomas, 1999). Students with EBD often experience stigma, which can place limitations on what individuals can and cannot do, and what they can achieve. The Social-Relational Model applies to the current study because it views disability as being rooted in an unequal social relationship, resulting in disadvantage. The model restricts students from achieving certain outcomes, causing negative effects on who they become or what communities with which they are involved (e.g., the criminal justice system). Potentially, the social stigma experienced from being identified as needing special-education services may outweigh the benefits experienced by students with EBD (e.g., receiving evidence-based interventions and support). Findings demonstrated the racial/ethnic categories were not significant (Wald = .353, df = 3, p > .05) and age of youth when they started having problem/disability (Wald = .776, df = 1, p > .05) was not significant. Specifically, findings from this study indicate that race/ethnicity and the age of identification were not significantly related to arrest outcomes, suggesting that identifying students with EBD does not necessarily lead to changes that impact the likelihood of a child being arrested. Therefore, early identification does not appear to improve arrest outcomes; however, more work is needed to understand what other outcomes might be benefitted from early identification of EBD and special education supports.