Browsing by Author "Jarjoura, G. Roger"

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    ARE RACE AND AGE THE FACTORS THAT DRIVE THE DECISION MAKING WITHIN THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM IN INDIANA?
    (Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2012-04-13) Williams, Kendrea; Jarjoura, G. Roger
    The objective of this research is to replicate an Iowa Study regarding Disproportionate Minority Confinement (DMC). (DMC) tracking requirements are the result of a study conducted by Huizinga and Elliott done (1987) which reported that “African-American kids were apprehended and charged more often in serious crimes, than white youth who were involved in the same type of offenses.” We are analyzing data from the 92 counties in Indi-ana to find out if race and age are in fact contributing factors that determine whether or not youth are committed to secure confinement. Our research will be based on two questions: Does race increase the likelihood for African American youth to receive a harsher sentence? Does the age discount (where younger kids are less likely confined) apply equally among the sub-groups? The Iowa study concluded that race and age did play a major role in the Juvenile Justice Decision making process in Iowa. The results of this study will be submitted for publication to some of the leading Criminal Jus-tice journals.
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    Examining the Influence of Ethnic/Racial Socialization on Aggressive Behaviors Among Juvenile Offenders
    (CSR Incorporated, 2016) Zapolski, Tamika C. B.; Garcia, Crystal A.; Jarjoura, G. Roger; Lau, Katherine S. L.; Aalsma, Matthew C.; Psychology, School of Science
    Risk assessment instruments are commonly used within the juvenile justice system to estimate a juvenile's likelihood of reoffending or engaging in aggressive or violent behavior. Although such instruments assess a broad range of factors, the influence of culture is often excluded. The current study examines the unique effect of ethnic/racial socialization on recent aggressive behaviors above and beyond three well-established risk and protective factors: delinquency history, moral disengagement, and social support. Participants were 95 juveniles who were either on probation or in detention centers in three Midwestern counties and who completed structured surveys related to personal experiences within and outside of the juvenile justice system. The findings provided partial support for our hypotheses: Consistent with previous findings, delinquency history and moral disengagement were significant predictors of recent aggressive behavior. Furthermore, when ethnic/racial socialization was added to the model, promotion of mistrust provided additional predictive validity for aggressive behavior above and beyond the other factors assessed. Based on these findings, the inclusion of education on culture may prove to be an important supplement to established intervention tools for juvenile offenders.
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    Firearm Suicide Among Older Adults: A Sociological Autopsy
    (2010-08-12T16:13:50Z) Slater, Greta Yoder; Adamek, Margaret E.; Jarjoura, G. Roger; McIntosh, John L.; Patchner, Michael A.; Vernon, Robert, 1947-
    Background: Emile Durkheim (1897/1985) theorized that sociological variables (e.g., social, political, economic) are more helpful for understanding suicide than individual or psychological explanations. This study extends the previous sociological work on suicide by testing a theoretical model that includes economic, political, and social variables. The purpose of this study was the development and testing of a predictive model of firearm suicide among the general population and among older adults in the US.
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    Impact of Schools' Social Bonding on Chronic Truancy: Perceptions of Middle School Principals
    (2009-03-18T18:34:05Z) Gentle-Genitty, Carolyn Sherlet; Westhuis, David; Barton, William H., 1949-; Adamek, Margaret E.; Anderson, Jeffrey; Jarjoura, G. Roger
    No longer is the family the only unit of care for children and their education; schools are now the primary unit of education and are responsible for at least 6-8 hours of student connectedness. Yet, one in every 100 US students is truant. Among students ages 14-17, the number of truants is one in 10. In one township in Indiana, one in every three students is a chronic truant. Understanding why children disengage from school before reaching the compulsory attendance age of 16 is essential. This study explored the relationship of schools’ social bonding opportunities and principals’ perceptions of students’ social bond on rates of chronic truancy in middle schools. Chronic truancy was defined as 10 or more absences reported to the Indiana Department of Education during the 2006-2007 school year. Methods. A cross-sectional online survey consisting of 81 items was administered using Survey Monkey™. The list of participants was generated from the Indiana Department of Education’s online database of middle and junior high schools in Indiana. Of the 429 principals invited to participate, 144 responded. The final sample consisted of 99 public schools. Secondary data was used to compare school demographic characteristics. Results. Using multiple regression analyses, the results showed that schools’ social bonding opportunities and principals’ perceptions of students’ social bonding in middle school were positively but not significantly related to rates of chronic truancy. The variables in the model of best fit accounted for 16% of the change in rates of chronic truancy. Principals reported doing well at creating opportunities for students to attach and be involved in school but that they needed to improve on building relationships to effectively increase social bonding in their middle schools. Conclusions. Student success is dependent on not only what the student brings to the school environment but what the school environment provides to the student. Creating an environment for students to thrive and succeed relies on the opportunities for social bonding in the middle school. Truancy prevention and school engagement is a shared responsibility.
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    The Lived Experiences of African American Grandfathers Raising Their Grandchildren
    (2010-08-05T16:45:57Z) Twyman, Michael R.; Vernon, Robert, 1947-; Patchner, Michael A.; Siegel, Sheldon; Jarjoura, G. Roger
    According to the most recent US Census statistics, there is an estimated 2.5 million grandparents raising their grandchildren in the United States without the children's parents present in the household. In Indianapolis, the figure constitutes nearly 9,000 households. There are a disproportionately higher number of African American grandparents that are primary caregivers to their grandchildren. However, 6 percent of this population is grandfathers who are raising their grandchildren, while some 40 percent of the grandmothers are married. The research is a compilation of interviews with ten African American grandfathers living in Indianapolis who are raising their grandchildren in their households without the presence of the grandchildren’s parents. These men were either married or widowed and have either formal custody of their grandchildren through adoption, foster care/kinship care, court-appointed guardianship or informal living arrangements. The objective of the research was to capture the lived experiences of these grandfathers who were fulfilling their caregiving roles. Thus, the research methodology used was reflective of the phenomenological paradigm of inquiry.