Current Search:   Reynolds, Kenneth (x)

View All Items

  • CSV Spreadsheet
(1 - 5 of 5)
FACTORS INFLUENCING USER-LEVEL SUCCESS IN POLICE INFORMATIONSHARING: AN EXAMINATION OF FLORIDA'S FINDER SYSTEM
Title
FACTORS INFLUENCING USER-LEVEL SUCCESS IN POLICE INFORMATIONSHARING: AN EXAMINATION OF FLORIDA'S FINDER SYSTEM.
Creator
Scott, Jr, Ernest, Reynolds, Kenneth, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
An important post-9/11 objective has been to connect law enforcement agencies so they can share information that is routinely collected by police. This low-level information, gathered from sources such as traffic tickets, calls for service, incident reports and field contacts, is not widely shared but might account for as much as 97% of the data held in police records systems. U.S. policy and law assume that access to this information advances crime control and counterterrorism efforts. The...
Show moreAn important post-9/11 objective has been to connect law enforcement agencies so they can share information that is routinely collected by police. This low-level information, gathered from sources such as traffic tickets, calls for service, incident reports and field contacts, is not widely shared but might account for as much as 97% of the data held in police records systems. U.S. policy and law assume that access to this information advances crime control and counterterrorism efforts. The scarcity of functioning systems has limited research opportunities to test this assumption or offer guidance to police leaders considering investments in information sharing. However, this study had access to FINDER, a Florida system that shares low-level data among 121 police agencies. The user-level value of FINDER was empirically examined using Goodhue's (1995) Task-Technology Fit framework. Objective system data from 1,352 users, user-reported "successes," and a survey of 402 active users helped define parameters of user-level success. Of the users surveyed, 68% reported arrests or case clearances, 71% reported improved performance, and 82% reported improved efficiency attributed to FINDER. Regression models identified system use, task-fit, and user characteristic measures that predicted changes in users' individual performance. A key finding was that FINDER affirmed the importance of sharing low-level police data, and successful outcomes were related to its ease of use and access to user-specified datasets. Also, users employed a variety of information-seeking techniques that were related to their task assignments. Improved understanding of user-defined success and system use techniques can inform the design and functionality of information sharing systems. Further, this study contributes to addressing the critical requirement for developing information sharing system metrics.
Show less
Date Issued
2006
Identifier
CFE0001503, ucf:47139
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001503
RUSSIAN CULTURAL FACTORS RELATED TO PERCEIVED CRIMINALPROCEDURE FAIRNESS: THE JUXTAPOSITION OF POLICY AND PRACTICE
Title
RUSSIAN CULTURAL FACTORS RELATED TO PERCEIVED CRIMINALPROCEDURE FAIRNESS: THE JUXTAPOSITION OF POLICY AND PRACTICE.
Creator
Semukhina, Olga, Reynolds, Kenneth, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between the Russian culture and citizens' perceived fairness of the new Criminal Procedural Code of Russia of 2001 (CPC of 2001). The CPC of 2001 is a key policy in the Russian criminal law reform with the purpose of implementing adversarial procedure elements in Russia. The existing literature has documented the lack of public support along with observed violations of the CPC's major provisions which as made this an...
Show moreThe purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between the Russian culture and citizens' perceived fairness of the new Criminal Procedural Code of Russia of 2001 (CPC of 2001). The CPC of 2001 is a key policy in the Russian criminal law reform with the purpose of implementing adversarial procedure elements in Russia. The existing literature has documented the lack of public support along with observed violations of the CPC's major provisions which as made this an important area for study. It is theorized that the apparent contradiction between the underlying values of the Russian culture, and CPC's adversarial procedure that reflects anti-cultural values, are responsible for the lack of substantial public support and acceptance of the CPC of 2001. The theory of motivational values developed by Schwartz (1990) is used as a framework to examine the Russian culture. Damaska's (1986) theory of procedural models is used to examine the adversarial elements of the new CPC of 2001. The group value theory of fairness is employed to examine the relationships between Russian cultural values and the public opinion about the criminal procedural law (Lind & Tyler, 1988). The study used a multi-stage stratified random sample of 1,588 Russian residents to explore the relationship between the culture and the perceived fairness of the CPC of 2001. The sample is representative of the Russian Federation population. The data is analyzed through four structural-equation models, a set of non-parametric tests, and descriptive statistical analysis. The findings of this thesis confirmed that cultural values in Russia are predominantly collective. On average, 69% of Russian respondents reported that collective values play a very important role in their life. The type of prevailing values was dependent on the demographic characteristics of the sample: age, gender, place of residence, level of education, marital status, and household income. It was found that the majority of Russian citizens believe that the inquisitional criminal procedure is an ideal of fair law. On average, 72% supported the inquisitorial procedural model in Russia. Unlike the adversarial procedure, the inquisitorial procedural model is not based on competition between the equal parties of prosecution and defense. Instead, it is viewed as a cooperative process between the judge, prosecutor and defense in their inquiry into the circumstances of the case. The adversarial procedural model was not supported by most citizens. Only 33.5% reported that the adversarial procedural model can be considered fair. The study corroborated that the new CPC was not fully supported by the majority of respondents. An average of 27.5% of respondents in Russia reported that the CPC of 2001 is a fair law, in comparison to 72.5% who think that the CPC of 2001 is unfair. The findings validated that the CPC of 2001's inclusion of adversarial procedural elements contradict key values of the contemporary Russian culture. It is concluded that the CPC of 2001 should be reformed to facilitate citizen acceptance. Greater acceptance will support the attempt to advance the democratization of the criminal process through increased civil rights while simultaneously enhancing positive social control. It is proposed that the planned policy reforms that contain additional elements of the adversarial criminal procedure be introduced in a phased manner. It is also recommended that the adversarial procedure values should be publicized through public awareness educational programs. The data analysis also suggests that confounding factors such as citizen distrust of the criminal justice institutions can contribute to problems associated with acceptance of the criminal law reform. The research model developed for this study can be used to examine policies related to criminal law reform in other former Soviet Union countries.
Show less
Date Issued
2007
Identifier
CFE0001867, ucf:47406
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001867
Assessing Harm Reduction: A Qualitative Investigation about the Impact of Therapeutic Jurisprudence on Non-completing Drug Court Clients
Title
Assessing Harm Reduction: A Qualitative Investigation about the Impact of Therapeutic Jurisprudence on Non-completing Drug Court Clients.
Creator
Francis, Traci, Sanborn, Joseph, Reynolds, Kenneth, Mccarthy, Bernard, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
Currently, the drug court treatment outcome literature provides little guidance about examining clients that fail to complete drug court. Typically, only successful clients are tracked and measured for outcome success characteristics and not much is known about unsuccessful client outcomes. A large portion of individuals who begin drug court do not complete the program. With unsuccessful rates ranging from 34 to 73%, it seems reasonable to examine the outcome of these cases. Ignoring this...
Show moreCurrently, the drug court treatment outcome literature provides little guidance about examining clients that fail to complete drug court. Typically, only successful clients are tracked and measured for outcome success characteristics and not much is known about unsuccessful client outcomes. A large portion of individuals who begin drug court do not complete the program. With unsuccessful rates ranging from 34 to 73%, it seems reasonable to examine the outcome of these cases. Ignoring this phenomenon is problematic because various stakeholders remain uninformed about the drug court model's full effectiveness. The focus on successful clients may fail to fully capture and understand positive residual effects of the drug court program. Questions in this research include: Do unsuccessful drug court clients experience positive program results? Has self-awareness increased about the extent of their substance abuse problem? Are unsuccessful clients more confident in their ability to effect positive change? Is there an increased motivation to change? If non-completers are more aware of the potential for harm, are there reductions in risky behaviors? This study is a qualitative investigation using a phenomenological design. The data source is a convenience sample of unsuccessful drug court clients that participated in a pre-trial intervention or post-plea adult drug court program in East Central, Florida. The unit of analysis is the individual, and the total number of participants interviewed is N=30. A grounded theory approach, a harm reduction paradigm from the psychotherapy arena, and a variation of an Intention-to-Treat design from the medical field were used to frame the research. This study found some reductions in both criminality and substance use. Several participants also reported improved familial relations and continued connections to the recovery community. Many participants demonstrated an increased self-awareness of a destructive lifestyle, an increased motivation to change destructive behaviors, and an increased self-efficacy in their ability to make substantive life changes. Incarceration was also found to be a motivator for positive change. Therefore, the inclusion of unsuccessful client outcomes was found to be critical to fully understanding the impact of the therapeutic jurisprudence model.
Show less
Date Issued
2011
Identifier
CFE0004109, ucf:49106
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004109
Investigators' Perceptions of Inter-Jurisdictional Law Enforcement Information Sharing On Criminal Investigative Success: An Exploratory Analysis
Title
Investigators' Perceptions of Inter-Jurisdictional Law Enforcement Information Sharing On Criminal Investigative Success: An Exploratory Analysis.
Creator
Freeman, Jennifer, Reynolds, Kenneth, Winton, Mark, Ford, Robert, Georgiopoulos, Michael, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
Information sharing among law enforcement entities became a national priority after the 9/11 attack (Carter, 2005). Various information systems utilized by law enforcement agencies may be promising; however, there is little extant empirical research to validate the system's effectiveness related to increasing investigative success (Bureau of Justice Assistance, 2010). One information system that has tied together numerous Florida law enforcement agencies is the FINDER system. FINDER, the...
Show moreInformation sharing among law enforcement entities became a national priority after the 9/11 attack (Carter, 2005). Various information systems utilized by law enforcement agencies may be promising; however, there is little extant empirical research to validate the system's effectiveness related to increasing investigative success (Bureau of Justice Assistance, 2010). One information system that has tied together numerous Florida law enforcement agencies is the FINDER system. FINDER, the Florida Integrated Network for Data Exchange and Retrieval system, provides agency investigators a wide range of information not previously available (Reynolds, Griset, (&) Scott, 2006; Scott, 2006). This study's foundation was primarily based upon the conceptual frameworks of diffusion of innovations and knowledge management. Survey based information from investigators using FINDER and those using a non-FINDER information system was obtained and analyzed to determine if the information impacted investigative success. Questionnaires were sent to those law enforcement investigators that participate in the FINDER system, as well as those who use a non-FINDER system. Through descriptive and regression analysis, it was found that FINDER participants reported there was a positive contribution to investigative success. The research also found that certain information obtained from FINDER assisted in arrests and an investigator's ability to solve cases. This study provides a foundation for further information system research related to case solvability and investigative success.
Show less
Date Issued
2014
Identifier
CFE0005167, ucf:50660
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005167
Family Dependency Drug Courts: An Empirical Test of Therapeutic Jurisprudence
Title
Family Dependency Drug Courts: An Empirical Test of Therapeutic Jurisprudence.
Creator
Lindsey-Mowery, Elizabeth, Reynolds, Kenneth, Surette, Raymond, Eastep, Mary, Winton, Mark, Zhang, Ning, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
The rise in cases of child abuse and neglect over the past two decades has overwhelmed the nation's dependency court and child welfare agencies. While multiple factors are associated with child abuse and neglect, it is indisputable that substance abuse plays a significant role. The families that come into the dependency system with substance abuse issues are substantially more difficult and challenging to serve. Consequently, the families experience low levels of reunification and high levels...
Show moreThe rise in cases of child abuse and neglect over the past two decades has overwhelmed the nation's dependency court and child welfare agencies. While multiple factors are associated with child abuse and neglect, it is indisputable that substance abuse plays a significant role. The families that come into the dependency system with substance abuse issues are substantially more difficult and challenging to serve. Consequently, the families experience low levels of reunification and high levels of child welfare recidivism. In response to the increase in dependency cases involving substance abuse and the inability of the traditional dependency courts (TDC) to handle these cases, Family Dependency Drug Courts (FDDC) were created.The study utilized Therapeutic Jurisprudence Theory to examine differences in child welfare outcomes between substance abusing individuals served in a traditional dependency court system versus the therapeutic jurisprudence driven Family Dependency Drug Court system. Logistic regression, ANOVA and Chi-square were performed on a non-random sample derived from court systems in two Central Florida counties to examine two child welfare outcomes, specifically reunification rates and child welfare recidivism.The findings indicate that substance using participants in the FDDC have much higher rates of reunification than comparable substance using participants processed through the traditional dependency court. Also, of the individuals who attended FDDC, those who graduated were reunified at a significantly higher rate than those that didn't graduate. In regards to child welfare recidivism within a one year time period, there was not a statistically significant difference when comparing the FDDC participants and the TDC participants. When comparing the FDDC participants who completed the program versus those that failed to complete the program, while the child welfare recidivism rates were not significantly different, there is some evidence that the participants that completed the FDDC program experience less child welfare recidivism than those that don't have the full experience of therapeutic jurisprudence. This research lends some support for both the FDDC program and the explanatory power of Therapeutic Jurisprudence Theory. Theoretical and policy implications, as well as further research, are proposed and discussed.
Show less
Date Issued
2013
Identifier
CFE0005027, ucf:49983
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005027