Master Theses & Projects
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Individuals’ empathic responses to exonerees’ emotional and physical suffering
(2022-06-01)In exploring avenues to combat the stigma exonerees experience, a study was conducted to examine whether exposure to an exoneree’s suffering increases empathy and helping, and whether different empathic responses (e.g., ... -
The effects of rapport building on information disclosure in virtual interviews
(University of Ontario Institute of Technology, 2022-06-01)Rapport-building has been identified as an effective tool when interviewing victims and witnesses of events that may be sensitive in nature. The objective of this study was to examine the rapport-building process within a ... -
Measuring cues to deception: a multitrait-multimethod analysis
(2021-12-01)Cognitive load and arousal are constructs typically included in theories of deception, but they are often measured using a range of unvalidated techniques. Using a multitrait-multimethod analysis, I assessed the reliability ... -
Youth and at-risk behavior: the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in the Caribbean Island of Dominica
(9/1/2021)Hurricane devastation in the Caribbean has become a very common phenomenon over the past decades, and the destruction that follows comes with severe implications for the people directly affected by it. This study aims to ... -
Youth homelessness: an exploration into the desire for family reunification
(8/1/2021)With family conflict serving as the predominant underlying factor that leads to youth homelessness, family has often been framed as “the problem.” As such, many youth services have ignored the role of family as potential ... -
A content and thematic analysis of Reddit discussions about When They See Us
(8/1/2021)As the number of wrongful conviction media productions increases, an understanding of their impact on viewers is prudent. In this thesis, I investigated the effect of watching When They See Us – a dramatized miniseries ... -
Perceptions of crime changes, well-being, and personal safety during the COVID-19 pandemic
(8/1/2021)Ontarians have been greatly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of their personal safety, well-being, and stress. As such, data was collected in January 2021 and surveyed 258 Ontarians to determine the effects that ... -
Exploring the interactional theory: a theoretical exploration of the dark web’s impact on delinquent behaviour
(8/1/2021)Throughout the years, modern issues of delinquent behaviour have evolved and shifted from the advancements of technology and the development of the virtual world. Despite the possibility for this connection, research has ... -
Willingness to help: how the portrayal and perception of a wrongfully convicted individual affects people’s willingness to help exonerees
(8/1/2021)Currently, in Canada there is no legal requirement to compensate exonerees (Roach, 2012), and despite research suggesting Canadians would be supportive of this government assistance for exonerees (Angus Reid, 1995; Clow, ... -
“Feeling like Rapunzel, you know?”: A narrative inquiry of youth, boredom, and deviance
(8/1/2021)In a late modern society, the presence of placelessness and meaninglessness can be overwhelming to individuals, especially youth. Jock Young’s theory of human behavior suggests that individuals engage in crime to rid ... -
Why would someone send me that?! Exploring the prevalence, contexts, motivations, and predictors of sending unsolicited sexual images
(8/1/2021)Technology has afforded the development of new ways to perpetrate non-consensual sexual acts, one being sending unsolicited sexual images (USIs). This thesis examined this underexplored act by examining the prevalence, ... -
Biased policing, martyrdom, white gratitude & brown pain: media narratives surrounding the Bruce McArthur case
(8/1/2021)Between 2010 - 2017, eight men from Toronto’s Gay Village went missing and later discovered murdered by Bruce McArthur, a 67-year-old gay, white man from Toronto. Upon McArthur’s 2018 arrest, allegations of racial bias and ... -
The effects of money laundering on the Canadian real estate market
(4/1/2021)White collar criminals benefit from their status and positions. Further, they invest the proceeds of crime into the Canadian real estate market, driving up the price of home ownership for working-class Canadians. This ... -
Predicting the threat of death in stalking cases through Artificial Neural Network
(2020-10-01)Stalking is a complex phenomenon that needs to be explained through several frameworks of research. During the years, scientists from the psychological, criminological, psychological, and legal fields made important steps ... -
Increasing experience sharing through regulation instructions
(2020-12-01)Experience sharing is an individual’s tendency to resonate with and take on the sensory, motor, and affective experiences of others. While traditional conceptualizations of this process argue its automaticity, recent ... -
Identity through Sports: Basketball and Black Masculinities
(2020-12-01)The development of black masculinities is a complex negotiation that is affected by various social constraints. While historically black males have faced significant checks on their construction of identity, their engagement ... -
Recidivism and treatment attrition among persons who sexually offend (PSOs): applying the integrated risk assessment and treatment system (IRATS)
(9/1/2020)The aim of this thesis was to investigate whether the Integrated Risk Assessment and Treatment System (IRATS; Looman & Abracen, 2013) can provide an explanatory framework for understanding persons who sexually offend (PSOs). ... -
Body-worn camera footage in the courtroom: an examination of the effects of BWC expert testimony on perceptions of police officer trustworthiness and guilt
(9/1/2020)As more police agencies rely on Body Worn Cameras (BWCs) worldwide, the following study aims to guide policing and legal proceedings through an examination of perceptions of guilt and trustworthiness of an officer on trial ... -
“Foids have no soul, they are not human.” A sociological examination of the language used by an online male supremacy group.
(6/1/2020)The online incel community has seen a rise in participation and mainstream media attention, largely due to recent mass murders targeting women committed by self-identified members. Scholarship has therefore focused on the ... -
Impacts of the TRC and ALRC reports on Indigenous correctional programming and services: a cross-country comparison of Canada and Australia
(9/1/2020)Indigenous peoples have been overrepresented in the Canadian and Australian criminal justice systems for decades. Commissions were established in both of the commonwealth countries, which produced reports addressing the ...