Current Search:  sentencing (x)

View All Items

  • CSV Spreadsheet
(1 - 6 of 6)
The Female Human Trafficker in the Criminal Justice System: A Test of the Chivalry Hypothesis
Title
The Female Human Trafficker in the Criminal Justice System: A Test of the Chivalry Hypothesis.
Creator
Francis, Brielle, Huff-Corzine, Lin, Corzine, Harold, Pritchard, Adam, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
The involvement of women in human trafficking within the United States has received limited research attention. Human trafficking encompasses labor, sex, and organ trafficking (Roberts, 2012). In 2009 the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reported that women play a significant role in human trafficking. Nagel and Johnson (1994) conclude that, historically, female offenders have stayed at the edge of the criminal justice system. Generally, theories about prosecution and...
Show moreThe involvement of women in human trafficking within the United States has received limited research attention. Human trafficking encompasses labor, sex, and organ trafficking (Roberts, 2012). In 2009 the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reported that women play a significant role in human trafficking. Nagel and Johnson (1994) conclude that, historically, female offenders have stayed at the edge of the criminal justice system. Generally, theories about prosecution and conviction outcomes derive from the study of male offenders. Women can be involved in all aspects of the human trafficking organizations, from the recruitment, to the supervision of prostitutes and to the finances. Pulling from the chivalry theory framework, this study used data sourced from the FBI on human trafficking offenders and their sentencing outcomes to compare the discrepancies between men and women. The current research adds to the existing literature by examining the gender discrepancy on human trafficking case outcomes. The analysis measures how gender influences court-related decisions.
Show less
Date Issued
2016
Identifier
CFE0006302, ucf:51591
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006302
IMPROVING COMPREHENSION OF CAPITAL SENTENCING INSTRUCTIONS: A BIAS REDUCTION APPROACH
Title
IMPROVING COMPREHENSION OF CAPITAL SENTENCING INSTRUCTIONS: A BIAS REDUCTION APPROACH.
Creator
Otto, Charles Wesley, Applegate, Brandon K., University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
Previous research has demonstrated that judicial instructions on the law are not well understood by jurors tasked with applying the law to the facts of a case. The past research has also shown that jurors are often confused by the instructions used in the sentencing phase of a capital trial. Social scientists have used two different methods to improve juror understanding of legal instructions, psycholinguistic rewrites and bias-reduction techniques. Psycholinguistic rewrites of legal...
Show morePrevious research has demonstrated that judicial instructions on the law are not well understood by jurors tasked with applying the law to the facts of a case. The past research has also shown that jurors are often confused by the instructions used in the sentencing phase of a capital trial. Social scientists have used two different methods to improve juror understanding of legal instructions, psycholinguistic rewrites and bias-reduction techniques. Psycholinguistic rewrites of legal instructions have been shown consistently to improve juror comprehension of general legal instructions and instructions used in the sentencing phase of a capital trial, however, there has been a call in the literature to not only improve the clarity of judicial instructions but to address comprehension biases that interfere with jurors' ability to understand the instructions. Because a bias-reduction approach has received limited empirical testing and has never been tested on capital-sentencing instructions, this research sought to test the effectiveness of a bias-reduction approach with those instructions. Participants were randomly assigned to hear either Florida's pattern instructions used in the penalty phase of a capital trial or the same instructions with additional statements that mentioned and refuted biases thought to be associated with established areas of miscomprehension. After participants heard the judicial instructions, their understanding of the law on capital punishment decision-making was assessed. Additionally, the participants were asked to render a verdict in a hypothetical case. The results revealed that comprehension was higher for participants exposed to the bias-refutation statements than for participants who were exposed to only the pattern instructions. Among all participants, greater understanding of capital sentencing instructions was associated with an increased likelihood that mock jurors recommended a life sentence, but this observed association was not statistically significant when examining capital-juror eligible participants. The results of this study suggest that efforts should be undertaken to improve specific areas of Florida's capital sentencing instructions.
Show less
Date Issued
2004
Identifier
CFE0000011, ucf:52841
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000011
THIRD GRADE SCIENCE TEACHERS' PERSPECTIVES ON IMPLEMENTING SENTENCE FRAMES AND WORD BANKS DURING SCIENCE LECTURES TO INCREASE THE WRITING LEVELS OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS
Title
THIRD GRADE SCIENCE TEACHERS' PERSPECTIVES ON IMPLEMENTING SENTENCE FRAMES AND WORD BANKS DURING SCIENCE LECTURES TO INCREASE THE WRITING LEVELS OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS.
Creator
Shimada, Mary-Margaret M, Grissom, Donita, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
Each year, there is an increase of English Language Learners (ELLS) entering today's classrooms. A third grade teacher can be faced with having multiple ELLs in the classroom and still be required to teach them alongside native English speakers. Furthermore, third grade science teachers are also responsible for preparing all students in the classroom to comprehend and utilize scientific academic language based upon the Florida State Standards. Additionally, students are required on the FSA...
Show moreEach year, there is an increase of English Language Learners (ELLS) entering today's classrooms. A third grade teacher can be faced with having multiple ELLs in the classroom and still be required to teach them alongside native English speakers. Furthermore, third grade science teachers are also responsible for preparing all students in the classroom to comprehend and utilize scientific academic language based upon the Florida State Standards. Additionally, students are required on the FSA Florida Assessment to write about science content. Therefore, scaffolded instruction for ELLs, which will prepare them to write about science content is critical. This research study explored two third grade teachers' perspectives on implementing sentence frames and word banks in order to increase the writing levels of ELLs during science lectures. A professional development session was conducted by the researcher with the two participating third grade teachers regarding the use of sentence frames and word banks with ELLs while teaching science content. The teachers, thereafter, conducted a science lesson using the scaffolded strategy of sentence frames and word banks. It was found that when the third grade science teachers implemented sentence frames and word banks during science lectures, the ELLs showed improvement in their writing as well as their use of scientific academic language. Both teachers stated that their ELLs were somewhat completing more of their science worksheets than before the intervention. These results can conclude that implementing sentence frames and word banks during science lectures can increase the writing levels of ELLs during science lectures.
Show less
Date Issued
2017
Identifier
CFH2000199, ucf:45996
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH2000199
HOW DEFENDANT CHARACTERISTICS AFFECT SENTENCING AND CONVICTION IN THE US
Title
HOW DEFENDANT CHARACTERISTICS AFFECT SENTENCING AND CONVICTION IN THE US.
Creator
Kuenzli, Payton, Edwards, Barry, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
This research study analyzes whether or not there is any relationship between sentencing and conviction and certain defendant characteristics in the US legal system. In the midst of a time where the nation is strongly divided politically, the topic is often the center of research projects and discussions in academic journals. Specifically, this research explores the 3 characteristics- race, gender, and socioeconomic status. Within this article, multiple case studies from other journals are...
Show moreThis research study analyzes whether or not there is any relationship between sentencing and conviction and certain defendant characteristics in the US legal system. In the midst of a time where the nation is strongly divided politically, the topic is often the center of research projects and discussions in academic journals. Specifically, this research explores the 3 characteristics- race, gender, and socioeconomic status. Within this article, multiple case studies from other journals are cited in which research and experiments have suggested that these factors do have influence on both whether or not a defendant gets convicted or for how long the defendant is sentenced. With these cases in mind, we try to test the theory for ourselves in a survey experiment amongst college students. The survey tests cases with instances of academic dishonesty in university with the defendant characteristics being manipulated for race, gender, and socioeconomic status. However, the results were inconclusive of any sort of link between those characteristics and the "sentencing" in the study.
Show less
Date Issued
2018
Identifier
CFH2000334, ucf:45740
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH2000334
The Effect of a Metalinguistic Approach to Sentence Combining on Written Expression in Eighth Grade Science for Students who Struggle with Literacy
Title
The Effect of a Metalinguistic Approach to Sentence Combining on Written Expression in Eighth Grade Science for Students who Struggle with Literacy.
Creator
Telesca, Lynne, Ehren, Barbara, Zygouris-Coe, Vassiliki, Kong, Anthony Pak Hin, Hahs-Vaughn, Debbie, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
Recent data indicate that less than 50% of American secondary students are able to demonstrate grade-level proficiency in reading, writing, and science (National Center for Educational Statistics [NCES], 2007, 2011, 2012a, 2012b). Secondary students' are expected to develop advanced literacy skills, especially in writing, in order to be ready for college and careers. Students are expected to develop these advanced literacy skills, within all academic subjects. In other words, they are...
Show moreRecent data indicate that less than 50% of American secondary students are able to demonstrate grade-level proficiency in reading, writing, and science (National Center for Educational Statistics [NCES], 2007, 2011, 2012a, 2012b). Secondary students' are expected to develop advanced literacy skills, especially in writing, in order to be ready for college and careers. Students are expected to develop these advanced literacy skills, within all academic subjects. In other words, they are expected to develop disciplinary literacy skills. The statistics are alarming overall, but they are particularly alarming in the area of science. Students need strong literacy skills, including written expression, to be prepared for employment opportunities in science fields, which currently are being filled by graduates of other industrialized nations, who have a more advanced skill set. This loss of occupational opportunity poses a threat for the U.S. to remain globally competitive in science innovation and advancement, which ultimately secures economic prosperity. Despite these staggering concerns, there is little research conducted to evaluate effective instructional methods to develop complex writing skills in academic disciplines such as science.To address this critical issue, the present study examined the effects of a metalinguistic approach to the writing intervention of sentence combining with eighth-grade students who struggle with literacy. The researcher conducted the study in a typical science classroom in an urban American school setting. The focus of the intervention was to increase students' metalinguistic awareness of science text, to improve written sentence complexity in science, as well as the written expression and determination of comparison and contrast of science content. The study employed a quasi-experimental design. The participants consisted of an experimental group (two classes) who received the treatment during typical science instruction and a comparison group (three classes) who did not receive treatment, but participated in their typical science instruction. There were four participating teachers and 84 participating students. The researcher conducted the study over a period of seven weeks within regularly scheduled science classes. Twenty intervention sessions were conducted for a length of 20 minutes each, totaling 400 minutes or 6.6 hours. Hierarchical repeated measures ANOVA and hierarchical repeated measures MANOVA analyses revealed that the experimental group performed significantly better than the comparison group on their ability to determine similarities and differences (compare and contrast) related to science content, with a medium effect. The experimental group achieved a slightly higher marginal mean over the comparison group on their ability to combine sentences, with a small effect. Multiple statistical analyses revealed a trend of higher marginal means in favor of the experimental group over the comparison group on several measures of written sentence complexity on both the science compare and contrast writing prompt (small-medium effect) and the science expository essay (medium to large effect). One experimental class also demonstrated higher scores in their overall sentence correctness on science expository essay as compared to all the other classes. These findings suggest that sentence combining, utilizing a metalinguistic approach, may hold promise as an effective writing intervention in a content area classroom, for secondary students who struggle with literacy. Furthermore, the findings suggest that a metalinguistic approach to sentence combining can be successfully embedded within a content area class, which may result in increased concept knowledge and writing skills in that academic discipline. Implications for practice and future research directions are discussed.
Show less
Date Issued
2015
Identifier
CFE0005891, ucf:50897
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005891
Don't do the crime if you can't do a man's time: examining sentencing disparities using offender demographics
Title
Don't do the crime if you can't do a man's time: examining sentencing disparities using offender demographics.
Creator
Rinker, Vanessa, Corzine, Harold, Donley, Amy, Reckdenwald, Amy, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
Looking back, America has seen its fair share of differences among its population, so it should not come as a shock that sentencing disparities are a serious criminal justice issue in the United States. Each year, thousands of people are sent to Federal prisons where they receive sentences for crimes they have been convicted of committing. The United States Sentencing Commission publishes these results annually. No matter the number of persons entering the prison system on the federal level,...
Show moreLooking back, America has seen its fair share of differences among its population, so it should not come as a shock that sentencing disparities are a serious criminal justice issue in the United States. Each year, thousands of people are sent to Federal prisons where they receive sentences for crimes they have been convicted of committing. The United States Sentencing Commission publishes these results annually. No matter the number of persons entering the prison system on the federal level, the number of female offenders often remains about the same (8555 in 2000; 9451 in 2007; and 9302 in 2008). While it is illegal to openly discriminate against a defendant and give them a sentence based on his or her demographics, the laws are written in ways where discrimination can still be allowed. The current research examines the relationship between not only gender, but also looks to education, race, age, and the crime committed to explain this gap in sentencing. Methodology: The data for the current research are from the United States Sentencing Commission (USSC), an annual report comprised of details for every person who entered federal prison in the given year. The current research used data from the year 2016 and includes 67,660 cases. Findings: Findings are supportive of previous research. Whether or not a defendant will receive a sentence is influenced by gender, age, race, education, and offense type. Sex, race, and education also affected the length of the sentence received. Unlike previous studies, age did not appear to be significant when determining the length of a sentence.
Show less
Date Issued
2018
Identifier
CFE0007087, ucf:51958
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007087