This project examines how differing police responses to campus protests impact students’ crime reporting behavior. In the Spring of 2024, students protested on campuses across the United States against war in the Palestinian Territories. Nationwide, university administrations used campus and/or local and state law enforcement to forcibly remove and arrest students at demonstrations. Previous studies, such as Drolc and Shoub’s (2024) analysis of citizen-initiated contact with police in Los Angeles neighborhoods, demonstrate that police violence reduces community trust in law enforcement and causes civic disengagement. Campus crime reporting indicates willingness to engage with campus authorities within higher education communities (Cheng and Liu, 2018). However, did the 2024 police actions on campus impact students' willingness to engage with campus police? This research addresses a gap in study of policing dynamics specific to campus protest. I hypothesize that instances of violent intervention/protest repression will be associated with reduced crime reporting. The study is a comparative case analysis of publicly available crime reporting trends at eight public R1 research institutions: four had protests that ended in arrests, and four allowed demonstrations to proceed or were dispersed nonviolently. In addition to quantitative trend data, I contextualize each university through policy documents and media coverage. The study concludes with implications for police-civilian interactions and community trust in campus police as part of higher education administration. 

This research investigates the relationship between mass incarceration, mental health, and trauma among incarcerated women in Massachusetts. While men are also met with discrimination and psychological and physical abuse, it is important to acknowledge women's accounts to challenge patriarchy and explore women's perspectives. This study examines how the criminal legal system criminalizes survival strategies and unhealthy coping mechanisms, effectively punishing victims of trauma rather than providing rehabilitation. 

Focusing on incarcerated women in Massachusetts, specifically MCI-Framingham, this research utilizes qualitative reports, academic studies, and statistical data, as well as the work of the FreeHer campaign, to highlight systemic failures. Findings indicate that prison environments, characterized by invasive disciplinary practices, limited mental health services, and power imbalances, often re-traumatize women, cause PTSD, and heighten pre-existing conditions. These issues are compounded for women of color and LGBTQ+ individuals, who face heightened structural inequalities. By examining these lived experiences and the psychological toll of imprisonment, this project provides insight into the injustice of current correctional practices. This research hopes to advocate for a shift toward trauma-informed care and the recognition of how the "prison/psychiatric state" fails to address the root causes of women’s system involvement. This reinforces cycles of harm rather than fostering recovery and successful community reintegration.

Policing in the United States is constantly evolving dating back to the early 1800's to present day society. In the 1800's through the 1900's the policing style was known as a "warrior" one which highlighted a crime fighting and aggressive tactics. In the early 2000's is when policing starts to shift towards a more "guardian" style which entails a more community oriented approach. Community policing aims to get law enforcement involved with their community which allows for building public trust, enhancing communication, improving the relationship between police and community members, problem solving and a decrease in the level of crime. In recent years there has been a lack of trust with citizens and their police departments. It's critical that we understand why there is a gap and what police can do to address this. The purpose of this project is to investigate Community Oriented Policing (COP) within Massachusetts Police Departments.  This project will examine how some Massachusetts Police Departments engage in COP. This will be done through interviews with police officers. Through this we will learn how police departments implement Community Oriented Policing and how officers use different strategies. The whole goal of COP is for the police to gain better relationships with the community so that society can function at the highest level. 

The importance of having interpreters has a significant impact on how our court system works due to more individuals being helped with understanding more about what their cases are about. Specifically in certain departments whether it’s juvenile or adult probation there’s always a possibility of an individual needing an interpreter. For example, at an internship in the Dorchester Division, Boston Municipal Court (BMC), there isn’t enough interpreters for certain cases such as its restraining orders, arraignments, warrants, etc. Normally, there’s a good amount of interpreters in courts but in some situations there isn’t because as an intern I had to take some actions on helping Spanish individuals with translating what they needed whether it was to have a copy of a police report or also be able to contact them when they needed to show up to their next court date. If there aren’t enough interpreters, then this will also cause delays in sessions and keep having to move their case until an interpreter is present. This leads to frustration and a desperate feeling of being in a courthouse and waiting until your case is being heard. In this presentation I will be explaining the benefits and also the important of adding more interpreters in courts because it benefits the individual and also the staff members working in courts, helps cases from being delayed or extended to another day, while also providing support to the individual that they understand how the system works and how their case will get fixed.

For crises that require physical intervention, calling 911 is often the only option, and emergency responses are frequently limited to police. Similarly, for mental health emergencies, police and emergency medical services (EMS) respond. However, police are not adequately trained to deal with mental health crises, and often, even their presence will escalate levels of distress. The primary aim of this research is to investigate law enforcement needs regarding mental health calls with a particular focus on crisis intervention teams. Crisis intervention teams (CIT) house mental health-certified or licensed first responders in police departments, who are accompanied by officers for protection. Using Denver and Oregon as case studies for successful CIT programs, this project investigates the possibility of implementing a similar program in Southeastern Massachusetts. To consider this reform, local officers will be interviewed to assess their comfort with mental health calls, their current knowledge and training, and their openness to crisis team installation. It is hypothesized that officers will not feel adequately trained to respond to mental health calls and will have reservations about crisis teams. Findings of this study will be presented to local police departments with the goal of facilitating the installation of a crisis team in their department.

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