Browsing by Subject "crime"

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Cell Block Boom: The Impact of Texas Prison Expansion
(Bureau of Business Research, The University of Texas at Austin, 2000-02) Reynolds, Carl
In recent years, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) has emerged as the largest state agency and, with approximately 40,000 jobs, probably the largest employer of any type in Texas. Most of its employees are correctional officers guarding 144,000 felony offenders – the result of the Texas prison building growth industry. In the midst of massive prison expansion nationwide, Texas has overshadowed its peer jurisdictions at times. What are the implications of this rapid expansion? Several ramifications of the Texas prison-building boom merit the public’s increased awareness and may be of particular interest to the Texas business community.
Creek cleanup to crack down on crime
(Austin American-Statesman, 2008-08-16) Price, Asher
Crime and the Treatment of the Criminal
(University of Texas at Austin, 1910-05-01) University of Texas at Austin
Criminalizing Culture: Black Masculinity in the Era of Mass Incarceration
(2020) Braziel, Whitley; Epp, Derek
This independent research seeks to analyze the industrial, cultural, and textual production of Black masculinity in commercial American film, from the Blaxploitation era of the 1970s to the digital present. I examine how the dominant media industry has constructed Blackness for national audiences, and how Black creatives, producers, performers, and audiences have responded to and intervened in these textual constructions and industrial spaces. In considering the cultural and political implications of, and struggles over, these representations, I examine how Blackness in film has intersected with, reinforced, and challenged dominant ideologies and meanings of race in America, as well as entrenched power structures and hierarchies. My research is built upon the theories of social construction, cultivation, and agenda setting, and utilizes a content analysis approach. Thus, my research surveys a range of historical and contemporary media texts of pop culture entertainment in order to track key movements, texts, and figures in the history of mediated Blackness, investigating how it has shifted over time in relation to different industrial configurations and sociopolitical contexts.
Emigrant Widows of Tajikistan and Guatemala: Where Structural Poverty and Structural Repression of Women Intersect
(2021) Lane Boyer, Judy Elizabeth; Garza, Thomas Jesús
Guatemala and Tajikistan are two countries located in different geographical regions, but they appear to have similarities. Guatemala serves as a link in the illegal drug trafficking route between the world’s highest cocaine producers, Peru, Bolivia, and Colombia, and the United States. Tajikistan receives the bulk of heroin and opium from Afghanistan, the world’s highest producer of the two narcotics, much of which is destined for Russia. Additionally, Transparency International’s 2018 corruption perceptions index ranked Guatemala at 144 and Tajikistan at 152 out of 180 countries, placing both countries among the top third in terms of governmental corruption. Yet, reported crime rates in both countries are low to mid-range compared to many other countries. Many men in both countries emigrate for work, with migrant Tajikistanis overwhelmingly choosing Russia as their destination and Guatemalans seeking work in Mexico or the United States. At the same time, existing literature on both countries indicates high levels of social and/or institutional oppression of women, intrafamilial violence, often directed towards women, and endemic poverty, especially in rural regions. Thus, how do structural limitations affect the social and economic opportunity of “emigrant widows,” or women in these countries whose intimate partners have left them to find work outside the country? This qualitative study focuses on this question. It also examines other phenomena, including drug trafficking and government corruption, which may or may not affect the lives of these women, termed “emigrant widows,” but which may share common contributing factors. The data is presented via an ethnographic portrait of emigrant widows based on qualitative data gleaned through a series of semi-structured field interviews with emigrant widows, social workers, and gender experts in each country. The data is contextualized in a framework of existent relevant scholarly literature and articles and reports produced by governmental organizations, news sources, and non-governmental organizations.
Is crime hereditary? An analysis of biological ideas from eugenics to the human genome project.
(2020) Tong, Xin Ying; Levine, Philippa
Eugenics, the idea of improving the biological quality of the human race, has been interrelated with concepts of crime since at least Classical times. The eugenics doctrine has fueled mental institutions and state-owned penitentiaries, as well as manifested itself in popular culture and scientific studies. With a focus on post-1883 American history, I examine the evolving relationship between eugenics and crime through a historical lens and into the modern day to present a stance on the an age-old question: is crime hereditary? I follow the separate but concurrent development of eugenics and the idea of the biological criminal, then I examine the distinct concept of a born criminal through eugenic family studies, court cases, and prison eugenics. Although eugenic criminology has lost momentum, it continues to influence modern thought, particularly in legal proceedings and the use of biological technologies. I identify a return to the biological basis of crime throughout history, and I assert that this tendency will continue with American society accepting increasingly scientific explanations for crime. Thus, based on societal definitions of criminal behavior, crime will inherently be considered hereditary. I argue that the fluid role biology plays is largely based on social climate, and therefore biology does not take precedence over socio-environmental factors-- a mistake that has been committed in the past. With advancing biological and reproductive technologies, novel issues surrounding the biological basis of crime arise: will this result in interventionalist policies before an "at-risk" individual commits a crime? How will this impact our criminal justice system? If criminality carries a biological basis, these issues must be addressed promptly.
Planning Forum Volume 03
(The University of Texas School of Architecture, 1997) Walker, Jim
Restore Runberg: Developing an Asset Inventory
(Professional Development Journal, 2015) Pitzer, Kyle A.
Professional Development: The International Journal of Continuing Social Work Education is a refereed journal concerned with publishing scholarly and relevant articles on continuing education, professional development, and training in the field of social welfare. The aims of the journal are to advance the science of professional development and continuing social work education, to foster understanding among educators, practitioners, and researchers, and to promote discussion that represents a broad spectrum of interests in the field. The opinions expressed in this journal are solely those of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect the policy of The University of Texas at Austin's School of Social Work or its Center for Social and Behavioral Research.
Safety In Numbers: Improving the University of Texas’ Security Climate Through the Control and Transmission of Information
(2018-05) Black III, Michael
Campus safety and security is a concern that challenges colleges across the country. This is true also for The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin). With two recent homicides, a growing awareness of rampant sexual assault, and the political polarization of the student body, the dialogue surrounding UT Austin and its safety environment has become especially urgent and energetic. Interview with campus administrators suggested that one of the most effective ways to create a secure student body is to educate its constituents so that they can make informed decisions about their safety. The purpose of this study was to investigate ways that UT Austin can enhance its ability to create that informed community. The topic was divided into three categories, information, communication, and transparency that were analyzed individually. The first section investigates what information UT Austin is disseminating, how the data are formatted, how the information is contextualized, and what data are often inaccessible to the public. Delaying or withholding information degrades administrative transparency, which can erode student feelings of safety. The final section investigates ways that the University improve that relationship through performance analysis and feedback solicitation. To conduct this analysis, research on campus safety and security from 2000 to 2017 and interviews with campus administrators were synthesized along with a dataset comparing twenty peer institutions across a series of performance metrics. The results indicate that UT Austin currently has substantial growth potential in regards to its safety environment, and the study concludes by suggesting recommendations for the University that include publishing crime data in more open formats, increasing student involvement in campus security, streamlining and formatting online resources, and ensuring the recency of security information.
Technology And Child Sex Trafficking: A Comparative Study Of The United States, Venezuela, And The Philippines
(2019-05-01) Murray, Catherine; Kellison, Bruce
The global sex trafficking industry – with profits over $150 billion annually – will eventually become the number one crime in the world. It exists on a global, planetary scale and primarily affects the most marginalized populations of society. The numbers are staggering, and the statistics provide only a glimpse into the reality of the epidemic that is sex trafficking. Because sex trafficking touches the most vulnerable populations, it largely preys on children in every country and in every city. Modern day slavery far surpasses any of the past slavery in both number and scale, while most of the public remains seemingly unaware of its presence. However, as the paradigm of child sex trafficking gradually shifts towards greater uses of technology, it seems possible to leverage what appears as an enabler to also become an inhibitor. My thesis seeks to define technology’s role in both the perpetuation and the prevention of child sex trafficking globally. It aims to shed light on progress made in the developed world, specifically the United States, and apply that to countries in the developing world, specifically Venezuela and the Philippines. The thesis will compare the roles of technology in these places in order to identify any possible anti-trafficking solutions. It looks at the various degrees to which technology fuels trafficking in each of the three countries and seeks to pinpoint the places where it can serve to deteriorate the supply and demand industry of child sex trafficking.
Youth in Trouble: Problems, Issues and Programs in Texas, PRP 26
(LBJ School of Public Affairs, 1978) David, Henry; Gerrard, Meg; Neidhart, Anthony C.