The Criminal Justice Graduate Program
Graduate Program - Capstone Projects:
Appendix A - Examples of Past Capstone Projects
Title:
The Relationship Between Alcoholism and Anger
Summary:
This study aimed to see if alcohol dependence had an effect on the amount of anger a person reported and the way in which the person expressed his or her anger. Data was compiled with the use of twenty participants taking an anger survey before and after detoxification.
Title:
An Investigation of the Relationship Between Gun Control Laws, the Extent of Handgun Ownership, and the Amount of Homicide Committed with Handguns
Summary:
The association between gun control laws, the extent of handgun ownership, and the amount of homicide committed with handguns was examined in this study. Data from all 50 states was collected and coded for seven types of gun control measures. There was no association found but there was enough evidence to conclude that states that require handgun purchasers to submit to a screening process may have lower levels of ownership.
Title:
The Nature of Gangs and Crews
Summary:
This study used a survey given to students in New York City and border cities to find out why teenagers join and participate in gangs. The focus of the study was on students in grades 9-12 from suburban and urban environments. The study proposed that “a lack of involvement in school, a lack of monitoring at home, and a lack of adequate peer relations” can lead the student to join a gang and evidence from the study results supported the hypothesis.
Title:
The Relationship Between Self-Esteem and Anger
Summary:
Twenty-seven of 93 participants in a previous study on the topic were mailed a survey to measure self-esteem. Both high and low anger subjects were compared to check for differences in levels of self-esteem. These findings were then compared with the variables and results from the previous study. The findings did not support a relationship between self-esteem and anger but there was a link between mental health and the components of self-esteem.
Title:
Status Offenders: Punishment Without a Crime
Summary:
This study seeks to test the effectiveness of the Family With Service Needs Program by looking at the juvenile’s behavior before and after the intervention. It focuses on status offenders and the effect the program has on them. Overall, the program was found to have a positive influence on the juveniles. However, this study was limited to only studying one juvenile court in the state.
Title:
Comparing Community Oriented Policing in Medium Sized Cities
Summary:
A study was conducted on all police agencies within the state of Connecticut in communities over 50,000. It investigates community-policing styles and how they influence both misdemeanor arrest rates and serious property and violent crime. These crimes were measured using UCR statistics. One of the problems of the study was that there is an inability to compare community-policing strategy to zero tolerance policing due to the lack of these types of agencies participating in the study. Even the agencies using the community policing strategy tended to combine it with other strategies and priorities.
Title:
A Needs Assessment for Northwest Village School’s Peer Mediation Program
Summary:
This study was conducted to examine the need for a peer mediation program at Northwest Village School and if implementing this type of violence prevention program would be beneficial to the students and clinicians. Over eighty percent of the children were eligible for participating in a peer mediation program. Findings were in favor of the program but further research is needed to see if it is effective in reducing aggressive behavior.
Title:
Juvenile Detention Decisions: A Study of the Influence of Legal and Extralegal Factors
Summary:
The purpose of this study was to find if there is a relationship between legal factors, extralegal factors, and decisions to detain in juvenile court. It also seeks to investigate the relationship between detention decisions and the extent to which they uphold the court’s parens patriae philosophy. The research did not find a relationship between legal and extralegal factors and detention decisions. However, it found that males were detained at a higher rate than females and there were disparities in age.
Title:
Creation of a Human Subjects Institutional Review Board for the State of Connecticut Judicial Branch
Summary:
This project involved the development of an institutional review board for the judicial branch including administration, ethical considerations, responsibilities, project review, event reporting, and review limitations.
Title:
Family Services Triage Study: An Exploration of Significant Elements during the Negotiation Process
Summary:
This purpose of this study was to explore issues discussed during family court negotiations within Judicial District courts across the state of Connecticut. This exploration will facilitate the development of an assessment tool to identify areas of concern, identify appropriate levels of intervention, guide treatment and referral recommendations, better utilize existing court resources and ease the docket flow.
