Elizabeth Ehrhardt Mustaine

University of Central Florida | UCF · Department of Sociology

Social media (SM) platforms greatly facilitate business information sharing, customer relationship building, and client emotion expression. However, managing knowledge acquired from SM messages is challenged by limited human cognitive capability. This paper describes a computational framework for developing intelligent SM-based business analytics a...

One of the often-noted ‘pains of imprisonment’ is the deprivation of good and services. One of the few ways that prisoners can acquire additional amenities is to purchase items at the prison commissary. As such, the commissary represents a small amount of control that inmates have over their lives with regard to food, clothing, and methods to pass...

Although researchers have made numerous advances in the understanding of the nature, extent, and dynamics of violence against women (VAW), there is an ever-increasing need for data used in academic research and within policy decision-making to be collected via rigorous methodological designs to accurately measure the incidence and impact of VAW. Wh...

Prostitution is one of the most publicly recognized crimes, yet one which we have limited information. Particularly, we have little knowledge of male prostitution and not much information on the locations of sexual transactions. This study fills a void in the research as we apply journey to crime theory to the question of “where” as it applies to m...

Conducting and publishing research is at the heart of the academic social scientist's job. Understanding the publication process is critical for any scholar looking for a successful career. The current study draws on survey data from 117 editors of social science journals to identify how editors experience their jobs, how manuscript reviews are pro...

Prior research (see American Journal of Criminal Justice 30 (2), 177–192, 2006a) examined the residential locations and mobility of registered sex offenders and showed a common movement into increasingly socially disorganized neighborhoods after 5 years of registration. The present study examines whether or not this downward spiral continues for th...

One of the many founding concepts of contemporary social science that arose during the Enlightenment was the idea that society could control the behavior of its citizens by using formal mechanisms of social control. Theoretically, by manipulating the magnitude of punishment or pain guilty persons would experience for their deviant behavior, society...

National estimates of homelessness vary considerably from a low of approximately 1 million to a high of 3 million. Regardless of the numbers, most individuals who are homeless have stories to tell about their experiences being unhoused and poor. These stories often incorporate the challenges of surviving each day: finding enough food, locating shel...

Despite widespread media attention, research efforts, and political support, there is relatively little known about how individuals who are employed in the criminal justice system perceive the fairness, efficacy, and scope of policies aimed at sex offenders. The present study considers the attitudes and beliefs toward sex offenders and sex offender...

Using Data from Wave 9 of the Fragile Families and Child Well Being Study (2011) this study examines predictors of fathers’ use of harsh physical child discipline methods. Central to the investigation is the question of whether fathers who have been incarcerated experience a brutalization effect of imprisonment which is manifested in harsh physical...

The recent foreclosure crisis in the USA has called for a revival in social disorganization research to examine how communities are being affected. While a number of studies have examined the direct relationship between social disorganization and crime in communities plagued by foreclosure, they have failed to look at the link between social disorg...

This study examined the utility of social disorganization theory as an explanation for child sexual abuse with a focus on differentiating single and multiple victim cases. Drawing on 1,172 child sexual abuse cases (including 159 cases with multiple victims) in Orange County, Florida, from 2004 to 2006, the present study considered case characterist...

Little is known about how criminal justice officials perceive the efficacy and scope of sex offender registration and community notification (SORN) procedures. This study examines the attitudes regarding SORN among a sample of law enforcement agency supervisors/managers using a survey methodology and the Community Attitudes Toward Sex Offenders (CA...

Conducting and publishing research is one of the core responsibilities of academic researchers. Frequently, publications are commonly used measurements for assessing suitability for hiring, tenure, and promotion. Understanding the “black box” of the publication process is essential for budding and new scholars, who are often expected to publish at...

Despite much research and policy development, it remains true that less than one half of all reported sexual assaults are cleared by arrest (Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI], 2011). Compounding this issue, many sexual assaults are not cleared by an arrest, but rather by being classified as "unfounded" by law enforcement (Soulliere, 1994, 2005;...

Over the past two decades, a number of different types of policies have been developed to govern sex offenders. Sex offender residence restriction policies have proliferated as part of this growth in sex offender policies. Several studies have focused on how different types of respondents perceive these policies. These studies show that individuals...

Scholarly examinations of the publishing process are relatively rare. But the misunderstanding and suspicion the process creates among authors and reviewers is unnecessary. The present study draws on data from reviews of manuscripts submitted for publication consideration to Justice Quarterly between 2007 and 2010. Characteristics of reviewers and...

Little is known about how criminal justice officials perceive fairness, efficacy or scope of sex offender registration, community notification procedures, residency restrictions, and beliefs about sex offenders. The present study examines the utility of assessing community corrections professionals’ views of sex offenders using the community attitu...

Understanding factors related to the clearing of criminal cases by law enforcement is an important, but understudied, issue in criminal justice. Through an examination of 2,437 sexual assault cases reported to the Orange County (Florida) Sheriff's Office and Orlando Police Department between 2004 and 2006, this study examines the ability of case an...

The purpose of this article is to explore factors contributing to perceptions about electronic monitoring policies governing sex offenders. Guided by Tannenbaum's theory of attribution and Shaw and McKay's theory of social disorganization, the authors examine the influence of demographic characteristics, victimization experiences, and neighborhood...

Both formal and informal social controls are powerful guides and restrictions on behaviors. This study assesses the types of informal social control—observations and interventions, and proposes a division of intervention strategies into two subforms—expressions of disapproval and direct sanctions. Using data from two states (Kansas and Oklahoma) an...

Little is known about how criminal justice officials perceive fairness, efficacy or scope of sex offender registration and community notification procedures, despite their importance in implementing such policies. There is also scant literature regarding parole board members and their attitudes or approaches to their work. This study addresses both...

This study builds on existing research (Hughes and Kadleck 2008; Mustaine et al. 2006a; Tewksbury and Mustaine 2006) that shows registered sex offenders are more likely to live in undesirable and socially disorganized communities. We extend such analyses to a geographically and demographically different community and employ more sophisticated measu...

This study examines the mean number of authors of criminology and criminal justice articles as well as the percentage of solo‐authored articles across 14 criminology and criminal justice journals. Data are from 11,870 journal articles over 44 years. Findings show that solo‐authored papers have declined from nearly three‐quarters of all articles in...

In this study, attention was given to how demographic, victimization, and community-level factors contribute to the belief that sex offenders can be rehabilitated. A survey was conducted with 746 residents of Norfolk and Virginia Beach, Virginia. A vast majority of the sample thought it was impossible to rehabilitate sex offenders, and a sizeable p...

The present study examines the utility of social disorganization theory for identifying community characteristics associated with varying rates of sex offenses both in general and against children. Measures of economic deprivation, community stability, cohesion, informal social control, presence of known offenders, and available opportunities are u...

The purpose of the present study is to provide an examination of the social disorganization factors that are associated with residential locations of registered sex offenders (RSOs). Specifically, this study considers the locations where RSOs reside, whether or not they tend to reside in clusters, and whether or not clusters of RSOs are associated...

Although homelessness is a serious social problem in the United States, there is little direct information about the actual experiences of violence, past and current, among homeless people. This volume, based on the Florida Four-City Study, brings together interview material from 737 women, including structured quantitative interviews as well as in...

One of the primary concerns of scholars of routine activity theory is the explication of the three core elements necessary for crime to occur. Using sex offenders as a sample of offenders, the present analysis examines the element potential offender and considers whether or not there are differences among offenders and their locations that may tran...

The college population is at a heightened risk for stalking victimization; yet it is suggested that college administrators have ignored stalking while focusing on other types of crimes, such as rape. Therefore, the present study seeks to examine the amount of attention universities are giving stalking as a crime that is a risk for their students. A...

Academic research productivity has traditionally been measured via publication counts and citations. These measures have been used to evaluate both individuals and academic departments. An additional measure of research productivity has been emerging in recent years: research grant acquisition. The present analysis explores this method of evaluatin...

The peer review process is at the heart of the scientific process. When peer review is used, it is usually for the purpose of providing quality control on the advancement of scientific ideas. In this manuscript we examine the experiences and perspectives of a sample of criminal justice scholars regarding their roles as reviewers for manuscripts sub...

Beliefs about the purpose and goals of incarceration are important determinants of how policy makers and practitioners perceive correctional operations. Drawing on survey data from 554 corrections staff persons in Kentucky, this research explores perceptions of important and primary goals for incarceration and factors influencing the endorsement of...

Concerns about incidence, forms, and consequences of alcohol use among college students lack examinations of the lifestyles and predictors of college student athletes. This article, using a sample of student-athletes and non-athletes from four Southern universities, identifies the lifestyle predictors for each population, identifying patterns and s...

The current research assesses the characteristics of neighborhoods where registered sex offenders (RSOs) reside and whether or not race influences the locations of these RSOs. Drawing on data from 2,290 RSOs in five urban counties, analysis focuses on assessing the characteristics of census tracts where Black and White RSOs reside, as well as asses...

Today, the number of prisons and the prison population is rising. One of the key challenges accompanying these changes is how prison and staff can handle this increasing number of inmates. One of the issues involved is what products, goods, and services are deemed suitable for inmates. Research has addressed this issue, but has yielded no consensus...

Recent policies enacted regarding sex offenders include the formation of a publicly accessible sex offender registry, community notification, and residential restrictions. Often the motivation behind these policies is to get information out about sex offenders to community members so that these communities can effectively guard against any revictim...

Recent developments in sanctions for sex offenders emphasize use of sex offender registries and residential restrictions in efforts to raise public awareness and keep offenders away from possible victims. One consequence of such efforts is to relegate registered sex offenders to socially disorganized communities. The present study draws on census t...

Sex offender registries are designed to enhance public safety (especially for children) by making community members aware of the identities and residential locations of convicted sex offenders in their neighborhoods. An emerging body of literature shows that registered sex offenders experience difficulties finding employment, housing, and generally...

This research employs social disorganization theory to examine the residential locations of registered sex offenders in rural areas. Data was gathered on 728 non-incarcerated registered sex offenders (RSOs) in the Appalachia region of Eastern Kentucky (41 counties total). Census tract data was used to assess the degree of social disorganization of...

Research has shown a connection between being a college sports fan and binge drinking; however, no research uses criminological theories when examining this connection. The purpose of the present study is to examine the ability of self-control and differential association theories to determine whether the relationship between college sports fans an...

Guided by social disorganization theory, this research assesses the characteristics of neighborhoods where registered sex offenders (RSOs) reside. Drawing on data from 1,504 RSOs in 4 urban counties analysis compares both census tracts with any RSOs and high concentrations of RSOs with the counties containing these census tracts. Findings show that...

Routine activity theory has long been plagued by a heavy reliance on proxy measures of lifestyles, which typically include demographic variables that are regularly used as measures of lifestyle and behavior. This reliance on indirect measures forces researchers to suppose how and why these indicators are related to victimization risks. Using detail...

Identifying the residential locations of registered sex offenders is a major concern for contemporary policy makers and communities. The present study seeks to identify whether registered sex offenders’ residential locations at time of arrest differ from their current addresses, if registrants move whether they tend to move to more or less socially...

Drawing on observational data of the residential locations of a sample of convicted sex offenders in Seminole County, Florida, this study explores the residential proximity of sex offenders to places potential child victims congregate and the neighborhood conditions/structures present in such communities. Analysis draws on routine activities theory...

Understandings of cheating behavior by college students have focused on identifying rates at which students cheat and the identification of demographic characteristics. This paper focuses on demographic and other problem behaviors associated with cheating. Male and female samples from 12 southern colleges/universities are examined separately. Resul...

Existing research on views of prison amenities has largely focused on the general public. This research assesses the perceptions and views of correctional staff regarding what should be provided. Based on data from 554 Kentucky Department of Corrections staff members, results show that correctional staffers tend to have favorable views regarding th...

Drawing on self-report survey data from a sample of 1,218 Southern college/university students collected in 1998, this study examines the relationship of demographics, family and background statuses, peer influences, experiences of alcohol and tobacco use, and academic activities as they influence the use of illicit drugs. Separate examinations are...

Routine activity theory has traditionally emphasized identifying victimization risks and suitable targets for crime. Assessments of the role of guardianship in criminal events are less emphasized. Explorations of who uses guardianship to attempt to reduce their chances for victimization have been developed only minimally, typically relying on demog...

Routine activity theory has traditionally emphasized identifying victimization risks and suitable targets for crime. Assessments of the role of guardianship in criminal events are less emphasized. Explorations of who uses guardianship to attempt to reduce their chances for victimization have been developed only minimally, typically relying on demog...

This paper identifies characteristics and behaviors of college students who steal from their places of employment. As such, the present study focuses on the job-related lifestyle behaviors and characteristics of students that influence their opportunities and likelihood of stealing from their place of employment. The data come from self-administere...

Sexual assault has been a frequent topic of research for several decades, especially for feminist researchers. Generally, feminist research suggest that there are high levels of sexual assault against women because of a patriarchal, rape-supportive culture. However, not all women have the same heightened risk for sexual assault victimization. Wh th...

Correctional research can be found in a wide range of publications, both specific to corrections and more general in focus. This research is designed to assist academics and practitioners in identifying where particular types of corrections research are most likely to be found. A total of 1,121 articles published in five corrections specialty journ...

The current study uses the National Violence Against Women Survey to examine factors associated with criminal justice system involvement in incidents of male physical violence and stalking against women. While both stalking and physical domestic assault incidents are more likely to be reported to the police if the victim is female or if the offende...

This paper explores the role of lifestyle and routine activities in the sexual assault of adult men. Little is known about the individual factors that are associated with the likelihood of male victimization. This paper explores the role of demographics, high school experiences, lifestyle statuses, school activities, leisure activities, alcohol use...

Drawing on routine activity theory, this paper examines a sample of college students involved in criminal assault to assess whether victims, offenders, and those who are both victims and offenders show similarities on demographic, social activity, neighborhood, exposure, illegal activities, and alcohol and drug use variables. This research tests pr...

Using routine activity theory this paper examines vandalism victimization rates among a sample of 1,513 American college students at nine institutions. Relying on a sophisticated set of measures of community structures, conditions, victims’ alcohol, drug and other illegal activities, lifestyle activities, and security precautions, there is strong s...

This study examines factors relevant to drinking and driving for separate sample of male and female American college students. Drawing on routine activity theory, direct measures of seven theoretical groups of possible influences on drunk driving are assessed. Findings clearly show that it is more important to consider opportunities and lifestyles,...

Drawing on surveys administered to 861 university women in nine institutions, this article presents a routine activity theory model for predicting stalking victimization likelihood for women. Using routine activity theory, the model highlights lifestyle behaviors and interactions as predictors of stalking victimization. Whereas routine activity the...

Alcohol's role in violent and predatory crime is a subject of frequent study among scholars. Generally, research finds that as alcohol consumption increases, so does the likelihood of suffering a personal attack. However, it is not just the act of drinking that increases the likelihood of violent behavior or the risk of victimization. Contextual fa...

Several common motivations for participating in drug dealing are selling to ensure a personal supply, or selling for economic gain. Research on these motives typically utilizes small voluntary or compliant (incarcerated) samples. The purpose of this paper is to add to the literature regarding who is involved in the sale of illicit drugs, and to ide...

This paper examines female and male victimization risks in general and in three domains: home, work, and leisure/public. In doing so, the analysis is based on a popular victimization model: the routine activities/lifestyle theory of victimization. There are several critiques of the routine activities/lifestyle theory research at present. Most tests...