dissertation in criminal law

Home > USC Columbia > Arts and Sciences > Criminology and Criminal Justice > Criminology and Criminal Justice Theses and Dissertations

Criminology and Criminal Justice Theses and Dissertations

Theses/dissertations from 2023 2023.

The Risk of Protection: Examining the Contextual Effects of Child Protective Services on Child Maltreatment Fatalities in the U.S. , Cosette Morgan McCullough

Family Mass Murder: An Exploratory Study Of The Role Of Arson , Rachel Rori Rodriguez Spradley

Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022

Too Feminine for Execution?: Gender Stereotypes and the Media’s Portrayal of Women Sentenced to Death , Kelsey M. Collins

Juveniles, Transferred Juveniles, and the Impact of a Criminal Record on Employment Prospects in Adulthood: An Experimental Study , Joanna Daou

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

Why So Long? Examining the Nexus Between Case Complexity and Delay in Florida’s Death Penalty System , Corey Daniel Burton

The Criminalization of HIV and HIV Stigma , Deanna Cann

Views of Substance Use During Pregnancy: Social Responses to the Issue , Taylor Ruddy

The Spatial Variability of Crime: A Review of Methodological Choice, Proposed Models, and Methods for Illustrating the Phenomenon , Matthew D. Spencer

Community Corrections Officer Decision-Making: An Intersectional Analysis , Amber Leigh Williams Wilson

Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020

The Utility of Using Virtue Locales to Explain Criminogenic Environments , Hunter Max Boehme

Fostering Resilience in Correctional Officers , Jon Thomas Arthur Gist

The Impact of Race/Ethnicity on Sentencing: A Matching Approach , Travis Jones

Unraveling the Temporal Aspects of Victimization: The Reciprocal, Additive, and Cumulative Effects of Direct/Vicarious Victimization on Crime , Yeoju Park

Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019

Media Influence on College Students' Perceptions of the Police , Matilda Foster

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Ohio's Certificate of Relief , Peter Leasure

Trends in the Prevalence of Arrest for Intimate Partner Violence Using the National Crime Victimization Survey , Tara E. Martin

Reading Between the Lines: An Intersectional Media Analysis of Female Sex Offenders in Florida Newspapers , Toniqua C. Mikell

Theses/Dissertations from 2018 2018

The Short-Term Self-Control Stability of College Students , Nicholas James Blasco

Developmental Patterns of Religiosity in Relation to Criminal Trajectories among Serious Offenders across Adolescence and Young Adulthood , Siying Guo

Local Incarceration As Social Control: A National Analysis Of Social, Economic, And Political Determinants Of Jail Use In The United States , Heather M. Ouellette

Association Between Perception Of Police Prejudice Against Minorities And Juvenile Delinquency , Kwang Hyun Ra

A Quasi-Experimental Analysis Of School-Based Situational Crime Prevention Measures , Gary Zhang

Theses/Dissertations from 2017 2017

Sex Offender Policies that Spin the Revolving Door: An Exploration of the Relationships Between Residence Restrictions, Homelessness, and Recidivism , Deanna Cann

Untangling the Interconnected Relationships between Alcohol Use, Employment, and Offending , Margaret M. Chrusciel

Inmate Time Utilization And Well-Being , Mateja Vuk

Theses/Dissertations from 2016 2016

The Socio-Legal Construction Of Adolescent Criminality: Examining Race, Community, And Contextual Factors Through The Lens Of Focal Concerns , Patrick Glen Lowery

The Impact Of Deinstitutionalization On Murders Of Law Enforcement Officers , Xueyi Xing

Theses/Dissertations from 2015 2015

Relationships Between Law Enforcement Officer-Involved Vehicle Collisions And Other Police Behaviors , John Andrew Hansen

In the Eye of the Beholder: Exploring the Dialogic Approach to Police Legitimacy , Justin Nix

Criminology on Crimes Against Humanity: A North Korean Case Study , Megan Alyssa Novak

General Strain Theory and Bullying Victimization: Do Parental Support and Control Alleviate the Negative Effects of Bullying , Jonathon Thompson

Theses/Dissertations from 2014 2014

Adultification in Juvenile Corrections: A Comparison of Juvenile and Adult Officers , Riane Miller Bolin

Perception of Police in Public Housing Communities , Taylor Brickley

Neighborhood Disorganization and Police Decision-Making in the New York City Police Department , Allison Carter

The Impact of Race on Strickland Claims in Federal Courts in the South , Wyatt Gibson

Lead Exposure and Crime , Tara Elaine Martin

GETTING AWAY WITH MURDER: HAZING, HEGEMONIC MASCULINITY, AND VICTIMIZATION , Toniqua Charee Mikell

Theses/Dissertations from 2013 2013

Policing Alcohol and Related Crimes On Campus , Andrea Nicole Allen

Gender and Programming: A Comparison of Program Availability and Participation in U.S. Prisons for Men and Women , Courtney A. Crittenden

Assessing the Impact of the Court Response to Domestic Violence in Two Neighboring Counties , Gillian Mira Pinchevsky

Theses/Dissertations from 2012 2012

Criminal Sentencing In the Court Communities of South Carolina: An Examination of offender, Judge, and County Characteristics , Rhys Hester

Examining the Effects of Religiosity and Religious Environments On Inmate Misconduct , Benjamin Dane Meade

Theses/Dissertations from 2011 2011

Criminologists' Opinions On Correctional Rehabilitation , Heather M. Ouellette

Theses/Dissertations from 2010 2010

A Qualitative Analysis of the Etiology, Manifestation, and Institutional Responses to Self-Injurious Behaviors in Prison , Steven Doty

Theses/Dissertations from 2002 2002

The Effects of Administrative Factors on Police Officer Job Performance , Irick Anthony Geary Jr.

Advanced Search

• Notify me via email or RSS
• Collections
• Disciplines

Submissions

• Give us Feedback
• University Libraries

Home | About | FAQ | My Account | Accessibility Statement

Privacy Copyright

Home > College of Social and Behavioral Sciences > Criminal Justice > Criminal Justice Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Criminal Justice Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Theses/projects/dissertations from 2023 2023.

HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN THE AMERICAS: COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL SOURCE COMPILATION VERSUS UNODC DATA , Ivette Avila Jimenez

SUPPORTING REENTRY AT THE EGOCENTRIC LEVEL: INVESTIGATING THE ROLE SOCIAL NETWORKS PLAY POST INCARCERATION , Jennifer Perretti

Theses/Projects/Dissertations from 2022 2022

Crisis Intervention Team Training and Use of Force on Persons with Mental Illnesses , Xavier Aguirre

THE EFFECT OF POLICE SUB-CULTURE ON INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE WITHIN LAW ENFORCEMENT FAMILIES , Geovvany Mendez

FORMAL AND INFORMAL LABELING OF ADOLESCENTS: THE CONSEQUENCES OF CUMULATIVE DISADVANTAGE ON DEVIANCE DURING EMERGING ADULTHOOD , Chijioke Onyekonwu

Theses/Projects/Dissertations from 2020 2020

UNDERSTANDING WHY INDIVIDUALS USE CLUB DRUGS AT RAVES AND ELECTRONIC DANCE MUSIC EVENTS: A PEER CLUSTER THEORY APPROACH , Brandi N. Burns

PERSONALITY DIFFERENCES IN PREDICTING ASSAULT AND BINGE DRINKING: VARIATION ACROSS EXPLANATORY FACTORS AND GENDER , Allison De Franco

IDENTIFYING MARKERS OF TRANSIT STATES EMBEDDED IN INTERNATIONAL DRUG TRAFFICKING NETWORKS , Citlalik Ibarra Figueroa

AN INTERRUPTED TIME SERIES ANALYSIS EVALUATING THE IMPACT OF HELLER ON VIOLENT GUN CRIME TRENDS IN WASHINGTON D.C. AND DETROIT, MICHIGAN , Naveen Raj Madahar

Theses/Projects/Dissertations from 2018 2018

FEMALE LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER'S EXPERIENCES OF WORKPLACE HARASSMENT , Vanessa Brodeur

CAN WE LEARN FROM HACKERS TO PROTECT VICTIMS? , Nicholas Marshall Chavez

Theses/Projects/Dissertations from 2017 2017

HOW FAR WILL YOU GO WHEN THERE IS AN EMBARGO?A STOCHASTIC ACTOR-ORIENTED MODEL OF THE EFFECTS OF ARMS EMBARGOS ON ILLICIT WEAPONS TRADE , Jennifer A. Hagala

Social Media and the Voice of the Department , Brittany N. Rios

Theses/Projects/Dissertations from 2016 2016

CROSSING BORDERS: MEXICAN DRUG TRAFFICKING ORGANIZATIONS INFLUENCE ON INTERSTATE GANG STRUCTURE , Stacey Michelle Goldberg

The Effects of Gender on Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol Sentencing Disaprities in Pennsylvania , Dianna Hurst

Theses/Projects/Dissertations from 2015 2015

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AGE OF ONSET OF DRUG USE, DRUG DEPENDENCE, MENTAL DISORDERS, AND OFFENSE TYPE AND SEVERITY , Kimberly Diane Gallo

BULLYCIDE: AN EXPLORATION OF THE PREVALENCE OF POTENTIAL INDICATORS COMPARING LGBTIQ AND HETEROSEXUAL ADULTS , Isai Valdez

Theses/Projects/Dissertations from 2014 2014

A Typology of Homegrown Terrorists , Cynthia Estella Quintero

Los Angeles County's Criminal Street Gangs: Does Violence Roll Downhill? , Jasmin B. Randle

WOMEN AS VICTIMS OR SURVIVORS , Shelby N. Swanson

Theses/Dissertations from 2013 2013

International cocaine and heroin trafficking: A network approach , Stephen Richard Anderson

Drone effects: Structural change in Al Qa̕ ida communications , Stacy Michelle Bush

A path analysis on the acquisition of mental health treatment and the effect of that treatment on subsequent offending , Gabriel Jude Saucedo

Theses/Dissertations from 2012 2012

Empirical test of the general strain theory on workplace shootings , Joshwan Marcus Cobbs

Identity theft: A problem of complex systems or moral panic? , Matthew Timothy Tracy

Theses/Dissertations from 2011 2011

Controlling gang crime: The Santa Nita gang injunction , Bryan William Devor

An examination of the organizational factors that contribute to police officer perceived organizational support , Dustin Cody Gaines

Immigrant Hispanic women and the victimization they encounter in the United States , Alejandra Aranda Redondo

Hate crimes based on gender identity and sexual orientation , Katie Nicole Williams

Theses/Dissertations from 2010 2010

An examination of observed disparities between felony murder and manslaughter rates across California , Michael Christopher Fuhr

Cartoon violence: A comparison of past and present , Elizabeth Cameron Macias

Job stress among public service employees , Carlena Antonette Orosco

Theses/Dissertations from 2009 2009

Detection of deception in criminal defendents: Treatment or trial? , Loran Noelle Bounds

Disciplinary patterns and complaint system of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department , Scott Eric Hutter

The effectiveness of using homicide and auto theft rates as indicators of violent and property crime in the United States , Joseph Allan Schwartz

Theses/Dissertations from 2008 2008

The nine reasons why inmates offend: Rational choice and determinism , Anthony Robert Carbo

Juvenile movement between activity nodes , Jill Mary Christie

Examining the effects of abuse on girls in gangs , Champagne Monique Ford

Gang membership, drug sales, violence, and guns , Jose Fabian Gonzalez Dominquez

Measuring crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) in shopping centers , Anchalee Roongsittchichai

The effects of Megan's Law on the reintegration of child sex offenders , Trisha Marie Tenorio

Theses/Dissertations from 2007 2007

The invisible woman: The lesbian - scared straight , Kathleen Louise Dart

Artists and crooks: A correlational examination of creativity and criminal thinking , Luis Daniel Gascón

Crime and the Sorcerer's Stone: Using Harry Potter to teach theories of crime , Julie Elizabeth Humphrey

The effectiveness of anger management counseling on recidivism rates of gang-related adolescents in the Project BRIDGE Program , Candace Kay Johnson

Healthcare fraud and non-fraud healthcare crimes: A comparison , Michael Ponce

Implications of sex offender residency restrictions , Erin Patricia Wolbeck

Theses/Dissertations from 2006 2006

Assessing the impact of the mentally ill offender crime reduction aftercare program in San Bernardino, California , Araseli De La Rosa

Insulating effects of early childhood education , William Anthony Kull

Parolee and police officer perceptions of prison gang etiology, power, and control , William Henry Richert

Theses/Dissertations from 2005 2005

Treatment of mentally ill juvenile offenders in the criminal justice system , Robin Michelle Atlas

The geo-spatial analysis and environmental factors of narcotics hot spots , Stefanie Wrae Balchak

The effects of family size on the development of delinquency , Tasha DeLeeuw Gilbert

A portable traveler's weblog , Feng-Chun Lung

Trafficking in women: International sex services , Joseph Morgan Wilcox

Theses/Dissertations from 2004 2004

Spirituality: The effects on female inmates and recidivism , Joanne Marie Erbe

The impact of social disorganization and public school characteristics in explaining suspensions and expulsions , Amanda De Vries Liabeuf

The relationship between place management and physical environment in apartment crime , Eric Steven McCord

Domestic violence and the Air Force family: Research into situational dynamics and evaluation of the Air Force Family Advocacy Program , Thomas Peter Sherman

Female property crime offenders: Explanations from economic marginalization perspective , Susan Chih-Wen Su

Theses/Dissertations from 2003 2003

Why do they resist? Exploring dynamics of police-citizen violence during arrest encounters , Kimberly Joy Belvedere

Boot camps: An alternative sanction for better or worse , Angela Dawn Macdonald

Theses/Dissertations from 2002 2002

Chemical dependency treatment: An examination of following continuing care recommendations , Briar Lee Faulkner

The criminal behavior and motivations behind McVeigh's decision to bomb the Murrah Federal Building , Mark Lawson Fetter

Theses/Dissertations from 2001 2001

A description and assessment of a Youth Accountability Board , Tamara Dawn Sorensen

Privatization of Southern California local detention facilities , Anita Whitehead

High technology cargo theft: A new multibillion dollar criminal industry , John Robert Yakstas

Theses/Dissertations from 2000 2000

Commuters and city crime rates , Colin Leslie Adkins

Banning Correctional Facility: Residential substance abuse treatment program process survey , Melinda DeAnn Hulvey

An evaluation of the drugs crime nexus, legalization of drugs, drug enforcement, and drug treatment rehabilitation , James Richard Keesling

Evaluation of the operation New Hope Alternative School and lifestyle improvement program for at-risk juveniles , Matthew Ashley Robby

The promise of restorative justice: An outcomes evaluation of an Orange County Victim Offender Reconciliation Program, with focus on the victim's perspective , Charlaine Annette Cecilia White

Theses/Dissertations from 1999 1999

Is capital punishment a deterrent to crime? , Greg Warren Colyer

Theses/Dissertations from 1998 1998

Cross cultural relations in law enforcement , Mario Martin Cortez

Domestic violence: An evaluation of policy effects on arrests for the Riverside County Sheriff's Department from 1987 to 1997 , James Patrick McElvain

The verdict in retrospect: An anlysis of the sociological and jurisprudential paradigms of jury decision-making , Christopher S. Riley

A comparative study of recidivism rates between graduates of Twin Pines Ranch and juveniles in Riverside County who completed probation , Djuan Maria Smith

Birth and the magistrate: The influence of pregnancy on judicial decisions , Kristi Dawne Waits

Theses/Dissertations from 1997 1997

Child abuse and juvenile delinquency: A review of the literature , Charlotte Center Anthony

Resistance and perceptions of punitiveness as a function of voluntary and involuntary participation in domestic violence treatment programs , Aimee Kristine Cassidy

Drug court: Using diversion to supervise and treat an escalating drug offender population , Laura Davis

Sanctioning DUI offenders: The effect of extralegal factors on sentence severity , Beverly K. Rios

Theses/Dissertations from 1996 1996

Survey on the seriousness of crime: A comparison of three police departments , Terry J. Comnick

Quality of services at community correction facilities , Funmi Stella Tofowomo

Theses/Dissertations from 1995 1995

Attitudes toward hiring and working with homosexuals in Southern California law enforcement agencies , James Frederick Doyle

The Marine Corps subculture , David Herman Marshall

The continuing evolution of policing: community oriented policing in the civilian sector and its applicability in the military environment , Ralph George Schindler

Death sentence experience: The impact on family members of condemned inmates , Catherine Anne Vallejo

Self-perceptions of women who kill , Maria Guadalupe Venegas

Theses/Dissertations from 1994 1994

Trust in courtroom participants: A question of bias in prospective jurors , Robin Leslie Adrian

A study of employee theft in hospitals , Elena Castillo-Pekarcik

The comparison of victim-offender mediation programs between China and America , Yang Fang

Mentoring with youthful offenders: An implementation evaluation , R. Steve Lowe

Comparisons of inmate offense severity ratings and attitudes toward rehabilitation , Henry William Provencher

Theses/Dissertations from 1993 1993

Law enforcement officers killed and assaulted, 1960-1987: A descriptive analysis , Thomas Edward Singer

Theses/Dissertations from 1992 1992

An analysis of plea bargaining , Gabriela Aceves

Empirical analysis and evaluation of the California Department of Youth Authority's post parole substance abuse treatment program: El Centro, California , Don Allen Josi

Theses/Dissertations from 1991 1991

The re-emergence of public support for rehabilitative treatment in prisons , Victoria Lynn Penley

Theses/Dissertations from 1990 1990

Claims making in the case study of missing children: A case study , James Leonard Griggs

The ignored victim: An examination of male rape in a general population , Thomas Williams

Advanced Search

• Notify me via email or RSS
• Department, Program, or Office
• Disciplines

Author Corner

• Criminal Justice Department Homepage

A service of the John M. Pfau Library

Home | About | FAQ | My Account | Accessibility Statement

Privacy Copyright Acrobat Reader

• Northeastern University
• College of Social Sciences and Humanities
• School of Criminology and Criminal Justice
• Criminology and Criminal Justice Theses and Dissertations
• Criminology and Criminal Justice Dissertations

Criminology and Criminal Justice Dissertations Collection

http://hdl.handle.net/2047/D20233343

Affording a meaningful opportunity of release: legal representation of juvenile lifers.

Assessing deterrence in the FBI's Safe Streets gang initiative: a social network approach.

Autistic and at-risk: the public and personal safety of children with autism spectrum disorders.

Background justice: the political context of adolescent legal socialization.

Bureaucracy and law: a study of Chinese criminal courts and social media.

Clearances, cameras, and community violence: police outcomes in an organizational and community context.

College students and the illicit use of prescription drugs: a test of general strain theory.

A comparison of the individual-, county-, and state-level correlates of homicide and mass murder

Contextualizing the political economy of juvenile court decision-making

Crime, place, and networks in the age of the internet: the case of online-promoted illicit massage businesses.

HLS Dissertations, Theses, and JD Papers

S.j.d. dissertations, ll.m. papers, ll.m. theses, j.d. papers, submitting your paper to an online collection, other sources for student papers beyond harvard, getting help, introduction.

This is a guide to finding Harvard Law School (“HLS”) student-authored works held by the Library and in online collections. This guide covers HLS S.J.D Dissertations, LL.M. papers, J.D. third-year papers, seminar papers, and prize papers.

There have been changes in the HLS degree requirements for written work. The library’s collection practices and catalog descriptions for these works has varied. Please note that there are gaps in the library’s collection and for J.D. papers, few of these works are being collected any longer.

If we have an S.J.D. dissertation or LL.M. thesis, we have two copies. One is kept in the general collection and one in the Red Set, an archival collection of works authored by HLS affiliates. If we have a J.D. paper, we have only one copy, kept in the Red Set. Red Set copies are last resort copies available only by advance appointment in Historical and Special Collections .

Some papers have not been processed by library staff. If HOLLIS indicates a paper is “ordered-received” please use this form to have library processing completed.

The HLS Doctor of Juridical Science (“S.J.D.”) program began in 1910.  The library collection of these works is not comprehensive. Exceptions are usually due to scholars’ requests to withhold Library deposit. 

• HLS S.J.D. Dissertations in HOLLIS To refine these search results by topic or faculty advisor, or limit by date, click Add a New Line.
• Hein’s Legal Theses and Dissertations Microfiche Mic K556.H45x Drawers 947-949 This microfiche set includes legal theses and dissertations from HLS and other premier law schools. It currently includes about 300 HLS dissertations and theses.
• Hein's Legal Theses and Dissertations Contents List This content list is in order by school only, not by date, subject or author. It references microfiche numbers within the set housed in the Microforms room on the entry level of the library, drawers 947-949. The fiche are a different color for each institution.
• ProQuest Dissertations and Theses @ Harvard University (Harvard login) Copy this search syntax: dg(S.J.D.) You will find about 130 SJD Dissertations dated from 1972 to 2004. They are not available in full text.
• DASH Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard Sponsored by Harvard University’s Office for Scholarly Communication, DASH is an open repository for research papers by members of the Harvard community. There are currently about 600 HLS student papers included. Unfortunately it is not possible to search by type of paper or degree awarded.

The Master of Laws (“LL.M.”) degree has been awarded since 1923. Originally, the degree required completion of a major research paper, akin to a thesis. Since 1993, most students have the option of writing the LL.M. "short paper."  This is a 25-page (or longer) paper advised by a faculty supervisor or completed in conjunction with a seminar.  Fewer LL.M. candidates continue to write the more extensive "long-paper." LL.M. candidates holding J.D.s from the U.S. must write the long paper.

• HLS Written Work Requirements for LL.M. Degree The current explanation of the LL.M. written work requirement for the master of laws.

The library generally holds HLS LL.M. long papers and short papers. In recent years, we require author release in order to do so. In HOLLIS, no distinction is made between types of written work created in satisfaction of the LL.M. degree; all are described as LL.M. thesis. Though we describe them as thesis, the law school refers to them solely as papers or in earlier years, essays. HOLLIS records indicate the number of pages, so at the record level, it is possible to distinguish long papers.

• HLS LL.M. Papers in HOLLIS To refine these search results by topic, faculty advisor, seminar or date, click Add a New Line.

HLS LL.M. Papers are sometimes available in DASH and Hein's Legal Dissertations and Theses. See descriptions above .

The HLS J.D. written work requirement has changed over time. The degree formerly required a substantial research paper comparable in scope to a law review article written under faculty supervision, the "third year paper." Since 2008, J.D. students have the option of using two shorter works instead.

Of all those written, the library holds relatively few third-year papers. They were not actively collected but accepted by submission from faculty advisors who deemed a paper worthy of institutional retention. The papers are described in HOLLIS as third year papers, seminar papers, and student papers. Sometimes this distinction was valid, but not always. The faculty deposit tradition more or less ended in 2006, though the possibility of deposit still exists. 

• J.D. Written Work Requirement
• Faculty Deposit of Student Papers with the Library

HLS Third Year Papers in HOLLIS

To refine these search results by topic, faculty advisor, seminar or date, click Add a New Line.

• HLS Student Papers Some third-year papers and LL.M. papers were described in HOLLIS simply as student papers. To refine these search results, click "Add a New Line" and add topic, faculty advisor, or course title.
• HLS Seminar Papers Note that these include legal research pathfinders produced for the Advanced Legal Research course when taught by Virginia Wise.

Prize Papers

HLS has many endowed prizes for student papers and essays. There are currently 16 different writing prizes. See this complete descriptive list with links to lists of winners from 2009 to present. Note that there is not always a winner each year for each award. Prize winners are announced each year in the commencement pamphlet.

The Library has not specifically collected prize papers over the years but has added copies when possible. The HOLLIS record for the paper will usually indicate its status as a prize paper. The most recent prize paper was added to the collection in 2006.

Addison Brown Prize Animal Law & Policy Program Writing Prize Victor Brudney Prize Davis Polk Legal Profession Paper Prize Roger Fisher and Frank E.A. Sander Prize Yong K. Kim ’95 Memorial Prize Islamic Legal Studies Program Prize on Islamic Law Laylin Prize LGBTQ Writing Prize Mancini Prize Irving Oberman Memorial Awards John M. Olin Prize in Law and Economics Project on the Foundations of Private Law Prize Sidney I. Roberts Prize Fund Klemens von Klemperer Prize Stephen L. Werner Prize

• Harvard Law School Prize Essays (1850-1868) A historical collection of handwritten prize essays covering the range of topics covered at that time. See this finding aid for a collection description.

The following information about online repositories is not a recommendation or endorsement to participate.

• ProQuest Dissertations and Theses HLS is not an institutional participant to this collection. If you are interested in submitting your work, refer to these instructions and note that there is a fee required, which varies depending on the format of submission.
• EBSCO Open Dissertations Relatively new, this is an open repository of metadata for dissertations. It is an outgrowth of the index American Doctoral Dissertations. The aim is to cover 1933 to present and, for modern works, to link to full text available in institutional repositories. Harvard is not one of the institutional participants.
• DASH Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard

Sponsored by Harvard University’s Office for Scholarly Communication, this is an open repository for research papers by members of the Harvard community. See more information about the project. 

Some HLS students have submitted their degree paper to DASH.  If you would like to submit your paper, you may use this authorization form  or contact June Casey , Librarian for Open Access Initiatives and Scholarly Communication at Harvard Law School.

• ProQuest Dissertations and Theses (Harvard Login) Covers dissertations and masters' theses from North American graduate schools and many worldwide. Provides full text for many since the 1990s and has descriptive data for older works.
• NDLTD Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations Union Catalog Worldwide in scope, NDLTD contains millions of records of electronic theses and dissertations from the early 1900s to the present.
• Law Commons of the Digital Commons Network The Law Commons has dissertations and theses, as well as many other types of scholarly research such as book chapters and conference proceedings. They aim to collect free, full-text scholarly work from hundreds of academic institutions worldwide.
• EBSCO Open Dissertations Doctoral dissertations from many institutions. Free, open repository.
• Dissertations from Center for Research Libraries Dissertations found in this resource are available to the Harvard University Community through Interlibrary Loan.
• British Library EThOS Dissertation source from the British Library listing doctoral theses awarded in the UK. Some available for immediate download and some others may be requested for scanning.
• BASE from Bielefeld University Library Index of the open repositoris of most academic institutions. Includes many types of documents including doctoral and masters theses.

Contact Us!

  Ask Us!  Submit a question or search our knowledge base.

Chat with us!  Chat   with a librarian (HLS only)

Email: [email protected]

 Contact Historical & Special Collections at [email protected]

  Meet with Us   Schedule an online consult with a Librarian

Hours  Library Hours

Classes  View  Training Calendar  or  Request an Insta-Class

 Text  Ask a Librarian, 617-702-2728

 Call  Reference & Research Services, 617-495-4516

• Last Updated: Sep 12, 2023 10:46 AM
• URL: https://guides.library.harvard.edu/studentpapers

Harvard University Digital Accessibility Policy

CUNY Academic Works

Home > Dissertations, Theses & Capstones Projects by Program > Criminal Justice Dissertations

Criminal Justice Dissertations

Dissertations from 2024 2024.

The Construction of Victimhood in Human Trafficking Intervention Courts , Lauren Moton

Chipping the Blue Wall: The Effect of Dogs on Police Officer Receptivity to an Employee Assistance Program , Kenneth M. Quick

Online Communities and Offline Criminal Justice: The Digital Fallout of Major Criminal Incidents , Jacqueline M. Scott

Dissertations from 2023 2023

Unlocking Potential: The School-to-Prison Pipeline for Students with Disabilities , Navena F. Chaitoo

Quality Management and Oversight of Texas Forensic Science Service Providers , Sarah P. Chu

Investigating Key Risk Factors Across Violent and Non-violent Extremists in the United States , Leevia Dillon

Extremism in America: Explaining Variations in Ideologically Motivated Fatal Violence , Celinet Duran

The Punitive Laboratory of Neoliberalism: A Cross-national Examination , Beth A. Fera

Bearer Negotiable Instruments: Addressing a Financial Intelligence Gap and Identifying Criminogenic Weaknesses , Hollis B. Kegg

Understanding Victim-Offender Overlap Among Youth in Custody in the United States and Taiwan , Tzu-Ying Lo

Police Academy Attrition Rates: A Long-Term Analysis of Female Candidates in California, Texas, Wisconsin, Arizona, and New Jersey , Shamus W. Smith

A Multifaceted, Non-Militarized Approach to Security Dynamics in Protected Areas: From Foot Patrols, to Tourism, and Local Communities , Monique Sosnowski

Evaluating the Effect of CCTV on Crime Occurrence and Case Clearances in Fayetteville, North Carolina: A Microsynthetic Control Quasi-Experiment , Amanda L. Thomas

Typologies of Battering: Uncovering Patterns of Coercive Tactics Used by Abusive Men in a Mixed Methods Study , Abbie L. Tuller

Dissertations from 2022 2022

Mitigating the Harm of Public Mass Shooting Incidents Through Situational Crime Prevention , Emily Greene-Colozzi

A Study of the Punishment of Crimes by US Federal Legislators from 1798 to 2016 , Kenneth J. Grossberger

Where Gunshots Turn Fatal: A Geographic Examination of the Spatial Patterning of Gun Violence , David Hatten

Fatal and Non-Fatal Police Shootings in the United States, 2015: An Examination of Open-Source Data , Yuchen Hou

Blurring the "Bright Line": Examining Age-Related Differences in Jail Incarceration Outcomes Using a Resources-Challenges Model of Emerging Adulthood , Olive F. Lu

Santa Bruta—Home of El Indio Muerto: The Colonial–Carceral City’s Attempt to Eliminate the “Mexican Problem” , Amy A. Martinez

The Application of Electron Backscatter Diffraction to the Forensic Analysis of Minerals , Tiffany J. Millett

Scientific Development of an Integrated Workflow for Latent Print, Questioned Document, and DNA Processing of Paper Evidence , Ashley Morgan

Tablets as a Vehicle for Imprisoned People’s Digital Connection with Loved Ones , Andrea Mufarreh

Aging on Parole: An Empirical Analysis of Reentry, Reintegration, and Life Satisfaction , Angela Silletti Murolo

LGBTQIA+ Individuals’ Encounters with Police: Contextual Factors, Help-Seeking, and Service Needs , Max Osborn

The Microscopical Evidence Traces Analysis of Household Dust and Its Statistical Significance as a Definitive Identification Technique , Stephanie Polifroni

Credible Messengers: An Exploratory Analysis of What Makes Them "Credible" , Jason Szkola

The Economic and Demographic Dynamics of Pretrial Justice , Christopher Thomas

Elements of Social Disorganization and Environmental Criminology: A Spatial Analysis of Homicides in Villa Nueva, Guatemala , David J. Topel

CPTED and the City: The Impact of Privately Owned Public Spaces on Crime in Manhattan , Julia von Ferber

Dissertations from 2021 2021

Exploring the Overlap, Saliency, and Consistency of Environmental Predictors in Crime Hot Spots: A Remote Systematic Social Observation and Case-Control Examination , Nathan T. Connealy

Evaluation of the Potential of Automated SEM-EDS Analysis for the Discrimination of Inorganic Soil Particles , Anna S. Duggar

The Different Components of Active Shooter Incidents: Examining the Co-occurrence of Offender and Incident Characteristics , Jeffery R. Osborne

From Rulay to Rules: Perceptions of Prison Life and Reforms in the Dominican Republic’s Traditional and New Prisons , Jennifer Peirce

Redlining, Neighborhood Decline, and Violence: How Discriminatory Government Policies Created Violent American Inner Cities , Richard Powell

The Victims’ Voices: A Routine Activity Approach to Jail and Prison Victimization , Victor St. John

Examining Probation and Judicial Adherence to the NYC Disposition Matrix , Susruta Sudula

Dissertations from 2020 2020

Living in a World of “Stop, Question and Frisk” and “Trespass Enforcement”: Black and Latinx Youth Engaging in Police Reform in New York City , Jeanene Lee Barrett

Spheres of Identity: Theorizing Social Categorization and the Legitimacy of Criminal Justice Officials , Kwan-Lamar Blount-Hill

Collective Healing: A Restorative Justice-Based Response to Sexual Abuse , Delene Bromirski

Examining Racial and Ethnic Disparity in Prosecutor’s Bail Requests and Downstream Decision Making , Connor Concannon

Thrown off Course: School Suspension and Its Consequences for Students’ Educational Trajectories and Outcomes , Celina Cuevas

Doing Discipline Different: Evaluating the Implementation of Restorative Justice as An Alternative to Punitive Discipline in New York City Public Schools , Virginia Diaz-Mendoza

A Study of Police Officers with Military Service Backgrounds Compared to Police Officers without Military Service: Can Military Veterans Interact and Properly Engage the Public? , John F. Hussey

Investigations of Fraud, Waste, Abuse, and Corruption in the Public Sector: A Survey of Organizational and Software-Based Aids and Obstructions , Lawrence Kom

Development and Validation of a Multidimensional Scale for Measuring Public Confidence in the Criminal Justice System , Jimin Pyo

Examining the Contextual Effects of Racial Profiling, and the Long-Term Consequences of Punitive Interventions: Testing Labeling Theory with the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health Data , Margrét Valdimarsdóttir

Dissertations from 2019 2019

Employment Duration and Attrition of Federal and State Inspectors General in the United States , Frank Chen

Challenges in Measuring Firearm Prevalence: A Test of Cook's Index Across The Rural–Urban Continuum , Noah R. Cypher

A Study of Factors Influencing Hiring Decisions in the Context of Ban the Box Policies , Ronald F. Day

A Study of the Impact of the Physical Properties of Blood on the Interpretation of Bloodstain Patterns in Forensic Investigations , Ira S. DuBey

Neighborhood Ecology and Recidivism: A Case Study in NYC , Sarah Picard Fritsche

Behavioral Effects of Restrictive Housing on Prisoners , Mijin Kim

The Ferguson Effect in Contemporary Policing: Assessing Police Officer Willingness to Engage the Public , Christopher Mercado

Municipal Police Under Federal Control: A Mixed-Methods Analysis of Title 42 U.S.C. Section 14141 Negotiated Settlements , Jason W. Ostrowe

Identity Shifts Among Cis- and Trans- Females Who Sell Sex on the Streets of New York City , Amalia S. Paladino

The Evolution of Mara Salvatrucha 13 and Barrio 18 : Violence, Extortion, and Drug Trafficking in the Northern Triangle of Central America , Pamela Ruiz

A Media Distortion Analysis of Mass Shootings , Jason R. Silva

Police Officers and College Education: The Association of Police Officer College Education and the Level of Force Used by a Police Officer in Gaining Compliance in Arrest Situations , John Vespucci

Exploring the Structural Effects on the Lethal Violence at the U.S. Counties under the Situational Action Theory: An Application of Multivariable Spatial Regression Model , Yunho Yeom

Dissertations from 2018 2018

Contemporary Archaeological Looting: A Criminological Analysis of Italian Tomb Robbers , Marc Balcells Magrans

The Social Construction of Protest: Print Media Coverage of the 2004 Republican National Convention and the 2011 Occupy Wall Street Protests in New York City , Kirsten Christiansen

Forensic Analysis of Fiber Dyes via Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy , Mircea A. Comanescu

Against Criminalization and Pathology: The Making of a Black Achievement Praxis , Charles M. Green Sr.

Moral Mode Switching: From Punishment to Public Health , Stephen Koppel

Assessing the Outcomes of a Jail-Based Substance Abuse Treatment Program: A Quasi-Experimental Approach , Laura Lutgen

An Analysis of Successful and Unsuccessful Terrorist Assassinations: Informing Counterterrorism Through Situational Crime Prevention , Marissa Mandala

Process Evaluation of Terrorism Amnesty and Reintegration Program, and Perceptions of the Program within Kenya Police , Resila Onyango

The Phenomenon of Match-Fixing in Soccer: A Plague Without a Cure? , Nikolaos Petropoulos

Gender and Terrorism: A Homeland Security Perspective , Diana Rosa Rodriguez-Spahia

An Examination of the Relationships Between Stressors, Correctional Burnout, and Job Outcomes , Erin Rogers

Global Pretrial Detention Use: A Cross-National Analysis , Martin Schönteich

Dissertations from 2017 2017

Prescription Opioid Misuse: Initiation, Sources of Supply, and the Role of Medical Providers , Alexandra Harocopos

Investigating the Risk Factors of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) Among Korean Immigrant Women in America , Chunrye Kim

Seaport Vulnerability to Criminal Networks: A Mixed Method Approach to Measuring Criminological Vulnerability in the Top 30 U.S. Container Ports , Leonid Lantsman

The Advanced Spectroscopic Analysis of Organic Gunshot Residue and Explosives , Jennifer M. Leonard

The Fear Factor: Exploring the Impact of the Vulnerability to Deportation on Immigrants' Lives , Shirley P. Leyro

Hatred Simmering in the Melting Pot: Hate Crime in New York City, 1995-2010 , Colleen E. Mills

Genealogy of the Concept of "Hate Crime": The Cultural Implications of Legal Innovation and Social Change , Roslyn Myers

Masculinity and Disproportionate Risk of Contact with the Criminal Justice System: Findings from a Select Sample of Low-Income Black Males in New York City , Michael G. Pass

Procedural Justice for Youth: Discrepancies in the Provision of Defense Counsel for Youth in the Juvenile Justice System , Emily K. Pelletier

Individual Levels of Bias and Immigration Policies in the United States: A Test and Extension of the Dual Processing Model of Bias , Lorraine Phillips

Patriarchy and Varieties of Violence Against Women: A Contextual Analysis , Margaret Schmuhl

The Financial Crisis and White-Collar Crime: An Examination of Brokerage-Failure and Its Link to Ponzi Schemes , Marie Springer

Local Immigration Enforcement Entrepreneurship in the Punishment Marketplace , Daniel L. Stageman

Understanding Resilience Strategies Among Minor-Attracted Individuals , Allyson Walker

Should We Talk?: Examining Individual and Aggregate Level Predictors of Mediation Selection at the New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board , Cynthia-Lee Williams

Dissertations from 2016 2016

Calling Campus Police: A Test of Procedural Justice and Unresponsive Bystander Models , Michael Francis Aiello

Looking Upstream: A Sociological Investigation of Mass Public Shootings , Joel A. Capellan

Examining Victimization in South Korea 1993-2010: A Comparative Application of Ecological Theories of Crime , Jisun Choi

Mandated Anger Management from the Perspective of Violent Offenders , Cory M. Feldman

Gender Roles, Social Control and Digital Piracy: A Longitudinal Analysis of Gender Differences in Software Piracy Among Korean Adolescents , Riccardo Ferraresso

Traumatic Stress, World Assumptions, and Law Enforcement Officers , Douglas William Green

Cops in Court: Assessing the Criminal Prosecutions of Police in Six Major Scandals in the New York City Police Department from 1894 to 1994 , Kevin E. McCarthy

Selling National Security: Journalism, Political Actors, and the Marketing of Counterterrorism Policy , Nicole M. Napolitano

Help-Seeking Latina Victims of Domestic Violence and the Programs That Serve Them in New York City , Yolanda Ortiz-Rodriguez

Bullying Prevention in New York City Public Schools: School Safety Agents' Perceptions of Their Roles , Gabriel R. Paez

Characteristics of Newly-hired Members of the New York City Police Department as Predictors of Subsequent Job Performance , Francis E. Spangenberg

Sex Differences in Stress, Burnout and Coping in Emergency Medical Service Providers , Celia R. Sporer

When Human-Leopard Conflict Turns Deadly: A Cross-Country Situational Analysis , Julie S. Viollaz

• Colleges, Schools, Centers
• Disciplines

Advanced Search

• Notify me via email or RSS

Author Corner

• Criminal Justice Program

Home | About | FAQ | My Account | Accessibility Statement

Privacy Copyright

Edinburgh Research Archive

•   ERA Home
• Law, School of

Law thesis and dissertation collection

By Issue Date Authors Titles Subjects Publication Type Sponsor Supervisors

Search within this Collection:

Presented here is a selection of theses and dissertations from the School of Law. Please note that this is not a complete record of all degrees awarded by the School.

This material is presented to ensure timely dissemination of scholarly and technical work. Copyright and all rights therein are retained by authors or by other copyright holders. All persons copying this information are expected to adhere to the terms and constraints invoked by each author's copyright. In most cases, these works may not be reposted without the explicit permission of the copyright holder.

Recent Submissions

Out of place and out of time: older prisoners in chile , mind the gap: an empirical study of terrorism offences, law-making, and discretion , challenges and limitations of granting legal personality to distributed/decentralized autonomous organizations , development of international shipping standards under the auspices of the imo and their implementation in practice: a case study of thailand , adequacy of the ex post armed attack framework of the jus ad bellum in relation to the evolving means and methods of warfare , governing disputed maritime areas , what we say when we criminalise: a metanormative inquiry , testamentary law in england, c. 1450-1540 , sovereign immunity from execution of foreign arbitral awards in the 21st century , conceptualizations of addiction in harm reduction strategies for effective and ethical uk drug policy , liminality and the lived experience of law in medicine: the legal consciousness of physicians in encounters with people living as undocumented migrants , contested citizenship and statelessness in question: an anlysis of cases of overseas taiwanese people and tibetan exiles in taiwan , eternity and the constitution: the promise and limits of eternity clauses , hate speech in the british press: a theoretical and practical assessment of the case for broader regulation , liberty versus security under illiberal constitutionalism: the legality of criminalising humanitarian assistance in hungary and greece , operationalising ‘publicness’ in data-intensive health research regulation: an examination of the public interest as a regulatory device , worldmaking powers of law and performance: queer politics beyond/against neoliberal legalism , development of law of the sea by unclos dispute settlement procedures: towards a coherent jurisprudence , evaluating the european union's response to online misinformation and disinformation: how to address harm while maximising freedom of expression , reconciling reverse burdens of proof with the presumption of innocence: a new approach .

Legal Dissertation: Research and Writing Guide

About this guide, video on choosing a topic, tools on westlaw, lexis and bloomberg, circuit splits, research methodologies, additional methodology resources, conducting a literature review, beginning research, writing style guides, citation guides, ask a librarian.

Ask a librarian:

Reference Hours:

Monday - Friday: 9am-5pm

(812) 855-2938

Q&A Form

About This Page

Choosing a topic can be one of the most challenging aspects of writing an extensive paper. This page has resources to help you find topics and inspiration, before you get started on the in-depth research process.

Related Guides

Citation and Writing Resources

Legal Research Tutorials

Secondary Sources for Legal Research

Methods of Finding Cases

Methods of Finding Statutes

Current Awareness and Alerting Resources

Compiling State Legislative Histories

Locating International and Foreign Law Journals

This guide contains resources to help students researching and writing a legal dissertation or other upper-level writing project. Some of the resources in this guide are directed at researching and writing in general, not specifically on legal topics, but the strategies and tips can still be applied.

The Law Library maintains a number of other guides on related skills and topics that may be of interest:

The Wells Library also maintains guides. A few that may be helpful for managing research can be found here:

Choosing a Topic

This video discusses tips and strategies for choosing a dissertation topic.

Note: this video is not specific to legal dissertation topics, but it may still be of interest as an overview generally.

The Bloomberg/BNA publication United States Law Week can be a helpful resource for tracking down the major legal stories of the day.  Log into Bloomberg Law, in the big search box, start typing United States Law Week and the title will appear in the drop down menu beneath the box. This publication provides coverage of top legal news stories, and in-depth "insight" features.

If you have a general idea of the area of law you wish to write about, check out the Practice Centers on Bloomberg. From the homepage, click the Browse link in the top left-hand corner. Then select Practice Centers and look for your area of law. Practice Centers are helpful because they gather cases, statutes, administrative proceedings, news, and more on the selected legal area.

Bloomberg has other news sources available as well. From the homepage, click the Browse link in the top left-hand corner. Then select News and Analysis, then select News or Analysis, and browse the available topics.

If you know what area of law you'd like to write about, you may find the Browse Topics feature in Lexis Advance helpful for narrowing down your topic. 

Log into Lexis Advance, click the Browse Topics tab, and select a topic.  If you don't see your topic listed, try using the provided search bar to see whether your topic is categorized as a sub-topic within this list. 

Once you click on a topic, a box pops up with several options.  If you click on Get Topic Document, you'll see results listed in a number of categories, including Cases, Legislation, and more.  The News and Legal News categories at the right end of the list may help you identify current developments of interest for your note.  Don't forget about the filtering options on the left that will allow you to search within your results, narrow your jurisdiction, and more.

Similar to Lexis Advance, Westlaw Edge has a Topics tab that may be helpful if you know what area of law you'd like to write about.

Log onto Westlaw Edge, and click on the Topics tab.  This time, you won't be able to search within this list, so if you're area is not listed, you should either run a regular search from the main search bar at the top or try out some of the topics listed under this tab - once you click on a topic, you can search within its contents.

What is great about the Topics in Westlaw Edge is the Practitioner Insights page you access by clicking on a topic.  This is an information portal that allows you quick access to cases, legislation, top news, and more on your selected topic.

In United States federal courts, a circuit split occurs whenever two or more circuit courts of appeals issue conflicting rulings on the same legal question. Circuit splits are ripe for legal analysis and commentary because they present a situation in which federal law is being applied in different ways in different parts of the country, even if the underlying litigants themselves are otherwise similarly situated. The Supreme Court also frequently accepts cases on appeal that involve these types of conflicted rulings from various sister circuits.

To find a circuit split on a topic of interest to you, try searching on Lexis and Westlaw using this method:

in the search box, enter the following: (circuit or court w/s split) AND [insert terms or phrases to narrow the search]

You can also browse for circuit splits on Bloomberg. On the Bloomberg homepage, in the "Law School Success" box, Circuit Splits Charts appear listed under Secondary Sources.

Other sources for circuit splits are American Law Reports (ALR) and American Jurisprudence (AmJur). These publications provide summaries of the law, point out circuit splits, and provide references for further research.

"Blawgs" or law-related blogs are often written by scholars or practitioners in the legal field.  Ordinarily covering current events and developments in law, these posts can provide inspiration for note topics.  To help you find blawgs on a specific topic, consider perusing the ABA's Blawg Directory or Justia's Blawg Search .

Research Methodology

Types of research methodologies.

There are different types of research methodologies. Methodology refers to the strategy employed in conducting research. The following methodologies are some of the most commonly used in legal and social science research.

Doctrinal legal research methodology, also called "black letter" methodology, focuses on the letter of the law rather than the law in action. Using this method, a researcher composes a descriptive and detailed analysis of legal rules found in primary sources (cases, statutes, or regulations). The purpose of this method is to gather, organize, and describe the law; provide commentary on the sources used; then, identify and describe the underlying theme or system and how each source of law is connected.

Doctrinal methodology is good for areas of law that are largely black letter law, such as contract or property law. Under this approach, the researcher conducts a critical, qualitative analysis of legal materials to support a hypothesis. The researcher must identify specific legal rules, then discuss the legal meaning of the rule, its underlying principles, and decision-making under the rule (whether cases interpreting the rule fit together in a coherent system or not). The researcher must also identify ambiguities and criticisms of the law, and offer solutions. Sources of data in doctrinal research include the rule itself, cases generated under the rule, legislative history where applicable, and commentaries and literature on the rule.

This approach is beneficial by providing a solid structure for crafting a thesis, organizing the paper, and enabling a thorough definition and explanation of the rule. The drawbacks of this approach are that it may be too formalistic, and may lead to oversimplifying the legal doctrine.

Comparative

Comparative legal research methodology involves critical analysis of different bodies of law to examine how the outcome of a legal issue could be different under each set of laws. Comparisons could be made between different jurisdictions, such as comparing analysis of a legal issue under American law and the laws of another country, or researchers may conduct historical comparisons.

When using a comparative approach be sure to define the reasons for choosing this approach, and identify the benefits of comparing laws from different jurisdictions or time periods, such as finding common ground or determining best practices and solutions. The comparative method can be used by a researcher to better understand their home jurisdiction by analyzing how other jurisdictions handle the same issue. This method can also be used as a critical analytical tool to distinguish particular features of a law. The drawback of this method is that it can be difficult to find material from other jurisdictions. Also, researchers should be sure that the comparisons are relevant to the thesis and not just used for description.

This type of research uses data analysis to study legal systems. A detailed guide on empirical methods can be found here . The process of empirical research involves four steps: design the project, collect and code the data, analyze the data, determine best method of presenting the results. The first step, designing the project, is when researchers define their hypothesis and concepts in concrete terms that can be observed. Next, researchers must collect and code the data by determining the possible sources of information and available collection methods, and then putting the data into a format that can be analyzed. When researchers analyze the data, they are comparing the data to their hypothesis. If the overlap between the two is significant, then their hypothesis is confirmed, but if there is little to no overlap, then their hypothesis is incorrect. Analysis involves summarizing the data and drawing inferences. There are two types of statistical inference in empirical research, descriptive and causal. Descriptive inference is close to summary, but the researcher uses the known data from the sample to draw conclusions about the whole population. Causal inference is the difference between two descriptive inferences.

Two main types of empirical legal research are qualitative and quantitative.

Quantitative, or numerical, empirical legal research involves taking information about cases and courts, translating that information into numbers, and then analyzing those numbers with statistical tools.

Qualitative, or non-numerical, empirical legal research involves extracting  information from the text of court documents, then interpreting and organizing the text into categories, and using that information to identify patterns.

Drafting The Methodology Section

This is the part of your paper that describes the research methodology, or methodologies if you used more than one. This section will contain a detailed description of how the research was conducted and why it was conducted in that way. First, draft an outline of what you must include in this section and gather the information needed.

Generally, a methodology section will contain the following:

• Statement of research objectives
• Reasons for the research methodology used
• Description and rationale of the data collection tools, sampling techniques, and data sources used, including a description of how the data collection tools were administered
• Discussion of the limitations
• Discussion of the data analysis tools used

Be sure that you have clearly defined the reasoning behind the chosen methodology and sources.

• Legal Reasoning, Research, and Writing for International Graduate Students Nadia E. Nedzel Aspen (2004) A guide to American legal research and the federal system, written for international students. Includes information on the research process, and tips for writing. Located in the Law Library, 3rd Floor: KF 240 .N43 2004.
• Methodologies of Legal Research: Which Kind of Method for What Kind of Discipline? Mark van Hoecke Oxford (2013) This book examines different methods of legal research including doctrinal, comparative, and interdisciplinary. Located at Lilly Law Library, Indianapolis, 2nd Floor: K 235 .M476 2013. IU students may request item via IUCAT.
• An Introduction to Empirical Legal Research Lee Epstein and Andrew D. Martin Oxford University Press (2014) This book includes information on designing research, collecting and coding data, analyzing data, and drafting the final paper. Located at Lilly Law Library, Indianapolis, 2nd Floor: K 85 .E678 2014. IU students may request item via IUCAT.
• Emplirical Legal Studies Blog The ELS blog was created by several law professors, and focuses on using empirical methods in legal research, theory, and scholarship. Search or browse the blog to find entries on methodology, data sources, software, and other tips and techniques.

Literature Review

The literature review provides an examination of existing pieces of research, and serves as a foundation for further research. It allows the researcher to critically evaluate existing scholarship and research practices, and puts the new thesis in context. When conducting a literature review, one should consider the following: who are the leading scholars in the subject area; what has been published on the subject; what factors or subtopics have these scholars identified as important for further examination; what research methods have others used; what were the pros and cons of using those methods; what other theories have been explored.

The literature review should include a description of coverage. The researcher should describe what material was selected and why, and how those selections are relevant to the thesis. Discuss what has been written on the topic and where the thesis fits in the context of existing scholarship. The researcher should evaluate the sources and methodologies used by other researchers, and describe how the thesis different.

The following video gives an overview of conducting a literature review.

Note: this video is not specific to legal literature, however it may be helpful as a general overview.

Not sure where to start? Here are a few suggestions for digging into sources once you have selected a topic.

Research Guides

Research guides are discovery tools, or gateways of information. They pull together lists of sources on a topic. Some guides even offer brief overviews and additional research steps specifically for that topic. Many law libraries offer guides on a variety of subjects. You can locate guides by visiting library websites, such as this Library's site , the Law Library of Congress , or other schools like Georgetown . Some organizations also compile research guides, such as the American Society of International Law . Utilizing a research guide on your topic to generate an introductory source list can save you valuable time.

Secondary Sources

It is often a good idea to begin research with secondary sources. These resources summarize, explain, and analyze the law. They also provide references to primary sources and other secondary sources. This saves you time and effort, and can help you quickly identify major themes under your topic and help you place your thesis in context.

Encyclopedias provide broad coverage of all areas of the law, but do not go in-depth on narrow topics, or discuss differences by jurisdiction, or  include all of the pertinent cases. American Jurisprudence ( AmJur ) and Corpus Juris Secundum ( CJS ) have nationwide coverage, while the Indiana Law Encyclopedia focuses on Indiana state law. A number of other states also have their own state-specific encyclopedias.

American Law Reports ( ALR ) are annotations that synopsize various cases on narrow legal topics. Each annotation covers a different topic, and provides a leading or typical case on the topic, plus cases from different jurisdictions that follow different rules, or cases where different facts applying the same rule led to different outcomes. The annotations also refer to other secondary sources.  

Legal periodicals include several different types of publications such as law reviews from academic institutions or organizations, bar journals, and commercial journals/newspapers/newsletters. Legal periodicals feature articles that describe the current state of the law and often explore underlying policies. They also critique laws, court decisions, and policies, and often advocate for changes. Articles also discuss emerging issues and notify the profession of new developments. Law reviews can be useful for in-depth coverage on narrow topics, and references to primary and other secondary sources. However, content can become outdated and researchers must be mindful of biases in articles. 

Treatises/Hornbooks/Practice Guides are a type of secondary source that provides comprehensive coverage of a legal subject. It could be broad, such as a treatise covering all of contract law, or very narrow such as a treatise focused only on search and seizure cases. These sources are good when you have some general background on the topic, but you need more in-depth coverage of the legal rules and policies. Treatises are generally well organized, and provide you with finding aids (index, table of contents, etc.) and extensive footnotes or endnotes that will lead you to primary sources like cases, statutes, and regulations. They may also include appendices with supporting material like forms. However, treatises may not be updated as frequently as other sources and may not cover your specific issue or jurisdiction.

Citation and Writing Style

• Legal Writing in Plain English Bryan A. Garner University of Chicago Press, 2001. Call # KF 250 .G373 2001 Location: Law Library, 3rd Floor Provides lawyers, judges, paralegals, law students, and legal scholars with sound advice and practical tools for improving their written work. The leading guide to clear writing in the field, this book offers valuable insights into the writing process: how to organize ideas, create and refine prose, and improve editing skills. This guide uses real-life writing samples that Garner has gathered through decades of teaching experience. Includes sets of basic, intermediate, and advanced exercises in each section.
• The Elements of Legal Style Bryan A. Garner Oxford University Press, 2002. Call # KF 250 .G37 2002 Location: Law Library, 1st Floor, Reference This book explains the full range of what legal writers need to know: mechanics, word choice, structure, and rhetoric, as well as all the special conventions that legal writers should follow in using headings, defined terms, quotations, and many other devices. Garner also provides examples from highly regarded legal writers, including Oliver Wendell Holmes, Clarence Darrow, Frank Easterbrook, and Antonin Scalia.
• Grammarly Blog Blog featuring helpful information about quirks of the English language, for example when to use "affect" or "effect" and other tips. Use the search feature to locate an article relevant to your grammar query.
• Plain English for Lawyers Richard C. Wydick Carolina Academic Press, 2005. Call # KF 250 .W9 2005 Location: Law Library, 3rd Floor Award-winning book that contains guidance to improve the writing of lawyers and law students and to promote the modern trend toward a clear, plain style of legal writing. Includes exercises at the end of each chapter.
• The Chicago Manual of Style University of Chicago Press, 2010. Call # Z 253 .U69 2010 Location: Law Library, 2nd Floor While not addressing legal writing specifically, The Chicago Manual of Style is one of the most widely used and respected style guides in the United States. It focuses on American English and deals with aspects of editorial practice, including grammar and usage, as well as document preparation and formatting.
• The Chicago Manual of Style (Online) Bryan A. Garner and William S. Strong The University of Chicago Press, 2017. Online edition: use the link above to view record in IUCAT, then click the Access link (for IU students only).
• The Bluebook Compiled by the editors of the Columbia Law Review, the Harvard Law Review, the University of Pennsylvania Law Review, and the Yale Law Journal. Harvard Law Review Association, 2015. Call # KF245 .B58 2015 Location: Law Library, 1st Floor, Circulation Desk The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation is a style guide that prescribes the most widely used legal citation system in the United States. The Bluebook is taught and used at a majority of U.S. law schools, law reviews and journals, and used in a majority of U.S. federal courts.
• User's Guide to the Bluebook Alan L. Dworsky William S. Hein & Co., Inc., 2015. Call # KF 245 .D853 2015 Location: Law Library, Circulation Desk "This User's Guide is written for practitioners (law students, law clerks, lawyers, legal secretaries and paralegals), and is designed to make the task of mastering citation form as easy and painless as possible. To help alleviate the obstacles faced when using proper citation form, this text is set up as a how-to manual with a step-by-step approach to learning the basic skills of citation and includes the numbers of the relevant Bluebook rules under most chapter subheadings for easy reference when more information is needed"--Provided by the publisher.
• Legal Citation in a Nutshell Larry L. Teply West Academic Publishing, 2016. Call # KF 245 .T47 2016 Location: Law Library, 1st Floor, Circulation Desk This book is designed to ease the task of learning legal citation. It initially focuses on conventions that underlie all accepted forms and systems of legal citation. Building on that understanding and an explanation of the “process” of using citations in legal writing, the book then discusses and illustrates the basic rules.
• Introduction to Basic Legal Citation (Online) Peter W. Martin Cornell Legal Information Institute, 2017. Free online resource. Includes a thorough review of the relevant rules of appellate practice of federal and state courts. It takes account of the latest edition of The Bluebook, published in 2015, and provides a correlation table between this free online citation guide and the Bluebook.
• Last Updated: Oct 24, 2019 11:00 AM
• URL: https://law.indiana.libguides.com/dissertationguide

• How it works

Useful Links

How much will your dissertation cost?

Have an expert academic write your dissertation paper!

Dissertation Services

Get unlimited topic ideas and a dissertation plan for just £45.00

Order topics and plan

Get 1 free topic in your area of study with aim and justification

Yes I want the free topic

Law Dissertation Topics

Published by Owen Ingram at January 9th, 2023 , Revised On April 26, 2024

Law dissertations can be demanding because of the need to find relevant regulations, cases, and data to address the research problem successfully. It is of utmost importance to critically examine facts before framing the  research questions .

Selection of the most appropriate legal terms and legal authorities, whether online or in print, can be challenging especially if you have not tackled a law dissertation project before.

To help you select an intriguing law  dissertation  topic,  our expert writers have suggested some issues in various areas of law, including trust law, EU law, family law, employment and equality law, public law, tort law, intellectual property rights, commercial law, evidence, and criminal law, and human rights and immigration law.

These topics have been developed by PhD-qualified writers of our team , so you can trust to use these topics for drafting your dissertation.

Review step by step guide on how to write your own dissertation  here.

You may also want to start your dissertation by requesting  a brief research proposal  from our writers on any of these topics, which includes an  introduction  to the topic,  research question , aim and objectives ,  literature review  along with the proposed  methodology  of research to be conducted.  Let us know  if you need any help in getting started.

Check our  dissertation examples to get an idea of  how to structure your dissertation .

Review the full list of dissertation topics for 2024 here.

2024 Law Dissertation Topics

Topic 1: the role of international criminal laws in reducing global genocide.

Research Aim: This study aims to find the role of international criminal laws in reducing global genocide. It will be an exploratory study identifying the explicit and implicit effects of international criminal laws on the worldwide genocide. It will analyse different incidents of international genocide and find out how international criminal laws played a positive role to reduce these incidents. Lastly, it will recommend possible changes in the international criminal laws to effectively mitigate global genocide. And it will be done by comparing criminal laws of world-leading powers to reduce genocide.

Topic 2: Impact of Anti-Racism Employment Laws on Organisational Culture- A Comparative Study on the Anti-Racism Employment Laws in the US and Canada

Research Aim: This research aims to find the impact of anti-racism employment laws on the organisational culture in the US and Canada in a comparative analysis. It will identify the change in employees’ behaviour after implementing anti-racism laws. Moreover, it will find whether employees gleefully welcomed these laws or showed resistance. And how do these laws affect the organisations’ performance that strictly implemented them?

Topic 3: Globalization, international business transactions, and commercial law- A perspective from literature.

Research Aim: Students and practitioners can find the law of international business transactions as a subfield within a broader field of international commercial law to be somewhat amorphous.

This study will explain the impact of globalization on international business transactions and commercial law by establishing some necessary links between the study of transnational business law and related fields of international studies. This study also aims to address theories about foreign business regulation, such as the idea that it is free of power politics. For the collection of data existing literature will be studied. And the methodology of this research will rely on existing previous literature.

Topic 4: Investigating the impact of competition law on the businesses in the UK- Post Brexit

Research Aim: This study aims to investigate the impact of competition laws on businesses in the Post-Brexit UK. The proposed study will not only analyze the performance of the businesses with the current competition laws. But also analyze the impact of possible changes in competition laws on the businesses in the post-Brexit UK. And it will also incorporate the possible difference of changes in competition laws in deal, no-deal, hard deal, and soft deal scenarios. This way of individually analyzing the difference of competition laws due to the status of the UK’s deal with the EU will give better insights into how businesses will be affected by these laws in the post-Brexit UK.

Topic 5: A comparison between Islamic and contemporary laws against rape. Which law is the most effective in preventing this horrific crime?

Research Aim: Since several years, marital and non-marital relations in Muslim majority countries have been a source of controversy. Under Islamic law, it is strictly forbidden for a Muslim, or even non-Muslim to engage in illicit sexual relations with the opposite gender under any situation. The current study will help us understand the concepts presented in Islamic laws about rape cases. In this context, a comparative analysis of Islamic and contemporary law will be explained. It will also identify efficient and effective strategies to prevent this horrific crime.

Law Dissertation Topics For Covid Crisis

Topic 1: the legal implications of the covid-19 pandemic on canadian immigration and the way forward..

Research Aim: This study will focus on how the Canadian government benefits from resources accrued from immigration, the impact of COVID-19 on Canadian Immigration, the current legislation on immigration, the effects of COVID-19 on the immigration law, the possible amendments that could help cushion the impact and the way forward.

Topic 2: Effect of COVID-19 on the United States Immigration policies; an assessment of International Legal agreements governing pandemic disease control and the way forward.

Research Aim: This research will focus on the pandemic’s effect on immigration policies in the United States. It also suggests the required steps based on the laws that regulate government acts during an outbreak of a pandemic.

Topic 3: Creating legal policies in preparedness for the global pandemic; lessons from COVID-19 on Canadian immigration policies.

Research Aim: This research will focus on how the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world and how most countries seemed unprepared. Historical background of the flu pandemic can also be made to assess how the world overcame the pandemic. And the need for the Canadian government or any other country you wish to choose can prepare for a global pandemic by creating legal policies that could help prepare ahead for such a period, such as policies on scientific research and funding.

Topic 4: The need for uniformity of competition law and policy in Gulf Cooperation Council Countries; An approach to the European Union standard.

Research Aim: This research will focus on the Gulf Cooperation Countries and their current legislation on competition law and its implications. Countries under the European Union’s competition law, the legal implications, and the need to consider such a part.

Topic 5: The need for competition law and policy enforcement; An analysis of the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries.

Research Aim: This research focuses on the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries’ competition laws and their enforceability. It analyses the benefits of enforcing the competition law and looks at the European Union uniformed laws and its benefits. It looks into the various countries, how the competition law currently works, and how it can affect each country’s economy in a better way or adequately enforced.

Topic 6: Provisions of the law on rape, the need to expand its coverage on the misuse of its provisions, and false accusations.

Research Aim: This research will focus on the law’s present provisions on rape and rape victims and the recent false accusations.

Topic 7: Summary dismissal of workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, the legal implications under the labour law, and the way forward. The case study of Nigeria

Research Aim: This research will focus on the statistics of people who were summarily dismissed during the COVID-19 pandemic based on natural occurrences, provisions of the law against summary dismissal, and its enforcement, and how this can be cushioned against future events. The need to expand the labour law to cover similar situations for the protection of workers.

Topic 8: A legal assessment of the settlement of international disputes through the peaceful process and its effectiveness

Research Aim: This research focuses on the mode of dispute settlement in the international community, assessment of international laws and treaties on peaceful settlement of conflicts among countries of member states, the methods of dispute settlements, its strengths and weaknesses, and the need to improve the current mechanisms of peaceful settlement in the international community.

Topic 9: The protection of minority shareholders and the majority shareholders' power in Companies, a critical analysis of the Nigerian Companies and Allied Matters Act provisions.

Research Aim: This research will focus on the law’s provisions on protecting minority shareholders in companies and the majority shareholders’ power. How effective are these provisions in protecting the minorities against the management of the majority shareholders and the way forward

More Law Dissertation Topics 2024

Topic 1: world bank developmental projects and greater accountability.

Research Aim: Examine communities impacted by development operations under the World Bank Development project schemes using the project law model to understand the lack of participation and successful influence of these communities to improve accountability and good governance.

Topic 2: The right to bear arms: Rethinking the second amendment

Research Aim: Gun control and the right to bear arms has been an ever-evolving web discourse in the United States. The research aims at analysing how gun control laws have changed in the USA since specifically focusing on the 2nd Amendment and its original framework.

Topic 3: Rethinking the international legal framework protecting journalists in war and conflict zones.

Research Question: Is the current legal framework still appropriate for protecting journalists in today’s conflict zones? Research Aim: The primary body of law that is set out to protect journalists includes the Geneva Conventions and their additional Protocols. However, since the time they have been drafted and decades after, there have been conspicuous changes to the way warfare is conducted. It is imperative to examine this body of law in order to improve it as journalists have now become prime targets in war zones and conflict areas because of their profession.

Topic 4: A critical analysis of employment law of disabled individuals in the UK and what new policies can be integrated to increase its efficiency.

Research Aim: Employment or labour law has always been under the limelight. Many critiques and researchers have proposed different amendments to the existing law pertaining to labour and employee. The main aim of the research is to critically analyse the employment law of disabled individuals in the UK along with effective recommendations that need to be made in order to make the existing law more efficient and effective.

Topic 5: A critical evaluation of racial discrimination laws in developed countries and how it impacts the workplace environment

Research Aim: Racial discrimination has always been a controversial issue in almost every part of the World. However, many developed countries (companies) face severe racial discrimination issues that directly impact their name and brand value. Therefore, this research provides a critical evaluation of the racial discrimination laws, particularly in developed countries. Moreover, the research will be focusing on how racial discrimination laws are impacting the workplace environment.

Topic 6: A comparative analysis of legislation, policy, and guidelines of domestic abuse between UK and USA.

Research Aim: Domestic laws basically deal with and provide criminal rules for punishing individuals who have physically or emotionally harmed their own family members. It has been found out that many domestic cases of abuse are not reported to the concerned authority. Due to this reason, the main focus of the research is to conduct a comparative analysis of legislation, policy, and guidelines of domestic abuse between the UK and the USA and how effective both the countries have been to minimise domestic abuse.

Topic 7: Analyzing the negative impact of technology in protecting the intellectual property rights of corporations.

Research Aim: Intellectual property has gained significant importance after the emergence of counterfeit products coming from different parts of the world. It has been found out that many factors have motivated the sale of counterfeit products. Therefore, this research aims at analysing the negative impact of technology in protecting the intellectual property rights of products and corporations.

Topic 8: A critical assessment of the terrorism act of 2010 and its impact on Muslims living around the globe.

Research Aim: Since the incident of 9/11, the entire world has been under the pressure of terrorism activities, especially Muslims living around the world. Therefore, this research intends to critically assess the terrorism act of 2010 and its impact on Muslims living around the globe.

Trust Law Dissertation Topics

The trust law requires the settler to meet the three certainties, including the object, intention, and subject matter. As posted to a moral obligation or mere gift, confidence of choice can be best described as clarity of purpose. Some interesting dissertation topics in the field of trust law  are listed below:

• To investigate the attitude of the courts to trusts supporting political agendas.
• To identify and discuss principles on which half-secret and full secret trusts are enforced? Does a literature review highlight circumstances where it is essential to consider whether such beliefs are constructive and express?
• The role and impact of trust law as asset portioning and fiduciary governance
• From law to faith: Letting go of secret trusts
• Critical analysis of the statement “Traditionally, equity and the law of trusts have been concerned with providing justice to balance out the rigour of the common law” regarding modern equity development/operation.
• Should the assumption of resulting trusts and progression be abolished in this modern age? A critical review of the literature
• A critical examination of the courts’ concern of financial reward in the context of “trustee powers of investment”
• Does the doctrine of cypress do justice to the intentions of the testator?
• The impact of the decision of Harrison v Gibson on the law of the clarity of intention?
• The approval of trustees in the Zimbabwean law of trusts

Want more?   Read this.

How Can ResearchProspect Help?

ResearchProspect writers can send several custom topic ideas to your email address. Once you have chosen a topic that suits your needs and interests, you can order for our dissertation outline service which will include a brief introduction to the topic, research questions , literature review , methodology , expected results , and conclusion . The dissertation outline will enable you to review the quality of our work before placing the order for our full dissertation writing service!

European Law Dissertation Topics

European law has recently attracted wide attention from the academic world, thanks to the growing influence of European Law on administrative law in EU members. It should be noted that every aspect of life in European states is significantly affected by European law, and therefore this area of research has gained tremendous popularity. Some exciting and specific research areas are given below:

• A critical review of the European anti-discrimination Law
• To investigate the economics and history of European Law.
• An investigation of the European human rights law
• Investigating the impact of “Freedom of Speech” on the German economy
• Investigating the impact of immigration laws on the German economy
• How the French parliamentary sovereignty has been affected by the European Union
• Uniform interpretation of European patent law with a unique view on the creation of a standard patent court
• The impact of European consensus in the jurisprudence of the European court of human rights
• The impact of the European convention on human rights on the international human rights law
• A critical analysis of the tensions between European trade and social policy
• To investigate the European Union’s enforcement actions and policies against member countries.
• European Laws amidst the Brexit process

Read this Article.

Family Law Dissertation Topics

A wide range of topics are covered under the field of family law and the law of children. Essentially, this area of law takes into consideration the registration of marriages, statutory rights concerning marriage, the effects of a decree, void and voidable marriages, the impact of the Human Rights Act, the legal stature of unmarried and married individuals, and the case for reform of UK family law . Other research areas include enforcing financial responsibilities in the Magistrates court, enforcing the arrears of maintenance payments, the award of maintenance, enforcing financial obligations to children or a child, financial orders for children, and the Child Support Act. An extremely intriguing area of law that has gained tremendous popularity in the modern era, some specific  dissertation topics  in this area of law studies are listed below:

• Investigating therapeutic and theoretical approaches to deal with spouse abuse in light of the UK government’s latest research on domestic violence
• Unmarried fathers’ access to parental responsibility – Does the current law enforce rights and responsibilities towards children?
• To study the criminal justice process involving a child witness.
• The children’s right to participation – Rhetoric or Reality? – A critical review of literature from the past two decades
• To study the position of unmarried fathers in the UK.
• Does the UK Family law need a major reform?
• A critical review of the rights of married women in real estate
• Child welfare and the role of local authorities
• To study the legal and social foundations of parenting, civil partnership, and marriage.
• To examine whether the Child Support Act has positively influenced child maintenance?

“Complete this short online form and provide as much information as possible to receive instant quotes from our writers specialising in your area of research.”

Employment Law Dissertation Topics

Employment and equality law governs the relationship between the government, trade unions, employers, and employees.  Employment and equality law in the UK is a body of law that prevents bias and negative attitudes towards someone based on their ethnicity or race rather than work skills and experience. Some interesting dissertation topics  in this area of law are below:

• A critical investigation of the right to fair labor practices in the United Kingdom
• To determine the job’s inherent requirements as a defence to unfair discrimination or a claim – A comparison between the United Kingdom and Canada.
• The role of the South African Labour Relations Act in providing unhappy staff sufficient protection against unfair dismissals and discrimination at the workplace
• To investigate the impact of HIV/AIDS on employees’ lives with a focus on unfair dismissal and discrimination.
• To assess ethnic discrimination in the European Union: Derogations from the ban on discrimination – Sexual harassment – Equal pay for equal value work.
• To study the international employment contract – Regulation, perception, and reality.
• To identify and discuss challenges associated with equality at work.
• A study of the legal aspects of the relationship between employer and employee
• How influential is the role of trade unions in English employment law?
• A critical review of discrimination policies in the UK

Order a Proposal

Worried about your dissertation proposal? Not sure where to start?

• Choose any deadline
• Plagiarism free
• Unlimited free amendments
• Free anti-plagiarism report
• Completed to match exact requirements

Commercial Law Dissertation Topics

Commercial law, also known as business law, is the whole body of substantive jurisprudence applicable to the conduct, relations, and rights of sales, trade, merchandising, and businesses and persons associated with commerce. Important issues of law covered by commercial law include real estate, secured transactions, credit transactions, bankruptcy, banking, and contracts. An intriguing area of law within the UK, specific topics for your law dissertation are listed below:

• The impact of legislation for the regulation of investments services with EU economic area on the EU financial services market
• Handling regulatory involvement incorporates organisational structure and strategy.
• A study of convergence and complementarities concerning international corporate governance
• How drafting and diffusion of uniform norms can help to harmonise the law of international commercial arbitration?
• Convergence and adaption in corporate governance to transnational standards in India
• A critical review of the international commercial arbitration system
• Analysing the international commercial law on risk transfer
• The role of the tripartite financial system in the UK on economic development
• A comparative analysis of European contract law, international commercial contracts law, and English commercial contracts law
• Is the European contracts law meeting the needs of the commercial community?
• A critical review of anti-corruption legislation in the UK
• The problems of director accountability in the UK and the impact of soft and hard law on corporate governance

Criminal and Evidence Law Dissertation Topics

Criminal law  can be defined as a system of law dealing with the punishment of criminals. Criminal evidence, on the other hand, concerns evidence/testimony presented in relation to criminal charges. Evidence can be presented in various forms in order to prove and establish crimes. A wide array of topics can be covered in this subject area. To help you narrow down your research focus, some  interesting topics  are suggested below:

• The politics of criminal law reform with a focus on lower-court decision making
• To understand and establish the historical relationship between human rights and Islamic criminal law
• Investigating the rights of victims in internal criminal courts
• The efficacy of the law of rape in order to prevent misuse by bogus victims and to protect rightful victims
• To assess the criminal law’s approach to Omissions
• To investigate the issues associated with the identification of the distribution, extent, and nature of the crime
• A critical review of the Bad Samaritan laws and the law of omissions liability
• How international criminal law has been significant influenced by the “war on terrors”?
• The efficacy of modern approaches to the definition of intention in International criminal law
• The efficacy of the law of corporate manslaughter

Company Law Dissertation Topics

Company law, also known as the  law of business associations , is the body of law that deals with business organisations and their formation, registration, incorporation, governance, dissolution, and administration. Some suggestions for company law dissertation topics are listed below:

• Developing equity markets in growing economies and the importance of corporate law
• A critical review of English company law and its effects on member workers and creditors
• To investigate the essential aspects of corporate law.
• To study business responsibilities for human rights.
• Identifying disparities in corporate governance – Theories and Realities
• The external relations of company groups in Zambian Corporate law
• To study corporate governance practices concerning the minority stakeholders.
• Establishing and evaluating arguments for and against “stakeholder theory.”
• The importance of non-executive directors in the British corporate legal system
• Investigating the regulation of the UK public company

Hire an Expert Writer

Orders completed by our expert writers are

• Formally drafted in academic style
• Free Amendments and 100% Plagiarism Free – or your money back!
• 100% Confidential and Timely Delivery!
• Appreciated by thousands of clients. Check client reviews

Intellectual Property and Tort Law Dissertation topics

All forms of legal injury are dealt with under the subject area of tort law. Essentially, tort law helps to establish the circumstances whereby a person may be held responsible for another person’s injury caused by either accident on intentional acts. On the other hand, intellectual property covers areas of law such as copyright, patents, and trademark. Trademark dissertation topics trademarks directive, trademarks act, infringement of trademarks such as revocation, invalidity, and the use of similar marks. Some interesting dissertation ideas and topics  of tort law and intellectual property are suggested below to help your law studies.

• The efficacy of intellectual property rights in the UK under influence of European Law
• The efficacy of UK copyright law concerning the needs of rights users and holders
• The impact of intellectual property right on economic development
• To investigate the right of confidence in the UK
• Does the trademark law ensure sufficient protection in England?
• The impact of European Law on intellectual property rights in the UK
• The end of the road for loss of a chance?
• To assess the success ratio of psychiatric injury claims in the UK
• Should a no-fault system be implemented into UK law or should the law of negligence apply to personal injury claims?
• A critical review of economic loss in 21 st century tort law

Human Rights and Immigration Law

The primary objective of human rights and immigration law is to ensure and protect human rights at domestic, regional, and international levels. With the world becoming a global village, human rights and immigration laws have attracted significant attention from academicians and policymakers. Some interesting law dissertation topics in this subject area are suggested below:

• To assess the efficacy of the common European Asylum system in terms of immigration detention.
• A historical analysis of Britain’s immigration and asylum policies
• A critical analysis of immigration policy in Britain since 1990
• A critical analysis of the right of the police and the public right to protest under PACE 1984
• The right of prisoners to vote under the European law of human rights
• Arguments for and against the death penalty in English Law with a focus on human rights treatise
• A critical analysis of the right to private life and family for failed asylum seekers
• The impact of UK immigration policies on the current education industry
• How beneficial the points system has really been in regards to create a cap in the British immigration system
• To study the impact of privatisation on immigration detention and related functions in the UK.

More Human Rights Law Dissertation Topics

Pandemic Law Dissertation Topics

Coronavirus, also known as the Covid-19, has become the most trending topic in the world since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic that started in China. Here are some interesting Corona Virus or Covid 19 Pandemic Law topics that you can consider for your law dissertation.

• Co-parenting in the coronavirus pandemic: A family law scholar’s advice
• How San Diego law enforcement operated amid Coronavirus pandemic
• Pandemic preparedness in the workplace and the British with disabilities act
• Why In a pandemic, rumors of martial Law fly despite reassurances
• Investigating About the ADA, the Rehabilitation Act, and COVID-19
• Resources to support workers in the UK during the Coronavirus pandemic
• Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic:
• A legal perspective
• Navigating the Coronavirus Pandemic
• Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19) and employment laws in the UK going forward
• Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19) and employment laws in the US going forward
• Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19) and employment laws in Australia going forward

More Law Dissertation Topics

• A critical analysis of the employment law of disabled individuals in the UK and what new policies can be integrated to increase its efficiency
• A critical evaluation of racial discrimination laws in developed countries and how it impacts the workplace environment
• A comparative analysis of domestic abuse with the legislation, policy, and domestic abuse guidelines between the UK and USA.
• Analysing the negative impact of technology in protecting the intellectual property rights of corporations.
• A critical assessment of the terrorism act of 2010 and its impact on Muslims living around the Globe.

Hire an Expert Plagiriasm Checker

Uk’s best academic support services. how would you know until you try, important notes:.

As a law dissertation student looking to get good grades, it is essential to develop new ideas and experiment with existing law dissertation theories – i.e., to add value and interest in the topic of your research.

The field of law dissertation is vast and interrelated to many other academic disciplines like civil engineering ,  construction ,  project management , engineering management , healthcare , mental health , artificial intelligence , tourism , physiotherapy , sociology , management , project management , and nursing . That is why it is imperative to create a project management dissertation topic that is articular, sound, and actually solves a practical problem that may be rampant in the field.

We can’t stress how important it is to develop a logical research topic based on your fundamental research. There are several significant downfalls to getting your case wrong; your supervisor may not be interested in working on it, the topic has no academic creditability, the research may not make logical sense, and there is a possibility that the study is not viable.

This impacts your time and efforts in writing your dissertation as you may end up in the cycle of rejection at the initial stage of the dissertation. That is why we recommend reviewing existing research to develop a topic, taking advice from your supervisor, and even asking for help in this particular stage of your dissertation.

While developing a research topic, keeping our advice in mind will allow you to pick one of the best law dissertation topics that fulfill your requirement of writing a research paper and add to the body of knowledge.

Therefore, it is recommended that when finalising your dissertation topic, you read recently published literature to identify gaps in the research that you may help fill.

Remember- dissertation topics need to be unique, solve an identified problem, be logical, and be practically implemented. Please look at some of our sample law dissertation topics to get an idea for your dissertation.

How to Structure your Law Dissertation

A well-structured dissertation can help students to achieve a high overall academic grade.

• A Title Page
• Acknowledgements
• Declaration
• Abstract: A summary of the research completed
• Table of Contents
• Introduction : This chapter includes project rationale, research background, key research aims and objectives, and the research problems. An outline of the structure of a dissertation can also be added to this chapter.
• Literature Review : This chapter presents relevant theories and frameworks by analysing published and unpublished literature available on the chosen research topic to address research questions . The purpose is to highlight and discuss the selected research area’s relative weaknesses and strengths while identifying any research gaps. Break down the topic, and binding terms can positively impact your dissertation and your tutor.
• Methodology : The data collection and analysis methods and techniques employed by the researcher are presented in the Methodology chapter which usually includes research design , research philosophy, research limitations, code of conduct, ethical consideration, data collection methods and data analysis strategy .
• Findings and Analysis : Findings of the research are analysed in detail under the Findings and Analysis chapter. All key findings/results are outlined in this chapter without interpreting the data or drawing any conclusions. It can be useful to include graphs, charts and tables in this chapter to identify meaningful trends and relationships.
• Discussion and Conclusion : The researcher presents his interpretation of the results in this chapter, and states whether the research hypothesis has been verified or not. An essential aspect of this section is establishing the link between the products and evidence from the literature. Recommendations with regards to implications of the findings and directions for future may also be provided. Finally, a summary of the overall research, along with final judgments, opinions, and comments, must be included in the form of suggestions for improvement.
• References : Make sure to complete this by your University’s requirements
• Bibliography
• Appendices : Any additional information, diagrams, and graphs used to complete the dissertation but not part of the dissertation should be included in the Appendices chapter. Essentially, the purpose is to expand the information/data.

About ResearchProspect Ltd

ResearchProspect is the world’s most trusted academic writing service that provides help with Dissertation Proposal Writing , PhD Proposal Writing , Dissertation Writing , Dissertation Editing, and Improvement .

Our team of writers is highly qualified. They are experts in their respective fields. They have been working for us for a long time. Thus, they are well aware of the issues and the trends of the subject they specialise in.

Free Dissertation Topic

Phone Number

Academic Level Select Academic Level Undergraduate Graduate PHD

Academic Subject

Area of Research

Frequently Asked Questions

How to find law dissertation topics.

To find law dissertation topics:

• Research recent legal developments.
• Explore unresolved issues or debates.
• Analyze gaps in existing literature.
• Consider societal or technological influences.
• Consult professors and peers.
• Select a topic aligning with your passion and career aspirations.

You May Also Like

Family law dissertation topics are included in a section of UK law. This topic is more of a minor category in terms of your broader research. Family law dissertations are challenging.

There have been midwives around for decades now. The role of midwives has not changed much with the advent of modern medicine, but their core function remains the same – to provide care and comfort to pregnant women during childbirth.

Medical law becomes increasingly important as healthcare dominates as a social issue. Graduate students must select a thesis subject as part of their programs. The subject you choose must have sufficient data to support your thesis.

USEFUL LINKS

LEARNING RESOURCES

COMPANY DETAILS

• How It Works

Academia.edu no longer supports Internet Explorer.

To browse Academia.edu and the wider internet faster and more securely, please take a few seconds to  upgrade your browser .

Enter the email address you signed up with and we'll email you a reset link.

• We're Hiring!
• Help Center

DISSERTATION THE ROLE OF THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT IN ENFORCING HUMAN RIGHTS LAW

Related Papers

African Journal of Legal Studies

Mba Chidi Nmaju

E. Di Paolo

Professor Sascha-Dominik Dov Bachmann

Teresa Quadt

An analysis of the never-ending codification process and the endorsement of an extended application

Beatrice Bellelli

Mafruza Sultana

Brian Musota

International Journal of Law and Legal Jurisprudence Studies

Gitanjali Ghosh

Anastase Nabahire

ABSTRACT This research work analyzes whether the International Criminal Court (ICC) has lawfully issued and circulated an arrest warrant against the sitting Head of State of Sudan, Omar Hassan Ahmad Al Bashir, and whether its request to the States parties to the Rome Statute (particularly Malawi) to arrest and surrender him is in conformity with the provisions of the Statute. In this work, the argument is made that the rules of customary international law on personal immunities of sitting Heads of State do not apply in the case of the exercise of criminal jurisdiction by an international criminal court; therefore they do not bar the exercise of the jurisdiction of the ICC with respect to an incumbent Head of State, even if this individual comes from a state not party to the Rome Statute like Sudan, especially when the case is referred to it by the UN Security Council under chapter VII of the UN Charter. However, one thing is to assert that the ICC can ‘lawfully’ issue and circulate an arrest warrant against individuals entitled to personal immunity before national courts, and quite another to say that States can ‘lawfully’ disregard the personal immunity of these same individuals, and surrender them to the requesting international court. This research work conclude that while the ICC arrest warrant is a lawful coercive act against a sitting Head of State, the ICC request to States parties to surrender President Al Bashir is contrary to Article 98(1) of the Rome Statute. Therefore, States parties are not obliged to comply with this request, as far as the Republic of Sudan will not waive personal immunity entitled to Omar Hassan Ahmad Al Bashir.

RELATED TOPICS

•   We're Hiring!
•   Help Center
• Find new research papers in:
• Health Sciences
• Earth Sciences
• Cognitive Science
• Mathematics
• Computer Science
• Academia ©2024

30,000+ students realised their study abroad dream with us. Take the first step today

Here’s your new year gift, one app for all your, study abroad needs, start your journey, track your progress, grow with the community and so much more.

Verification Code

An OTP has been sent to your registered mobile no. Please verify

Thanks for your comment !

Our team will review it before it's shown to our readers.

Dissertation Topics in Law for LLM Students

• Updated on  
• May 9, 2023

The last academic challenge before the completion of your postgraduate degree is a dissertation or thesis. Many students pursuing LLM are often confused while deciding the correct topic for the dissertation as it requires a lot of research. To help you with the dissertation this blog contains ideal law dissertation topics for LLM in India. Keep reading to know more!

This Blog Includes:

How to choose the best dissertation topic, advantages of choosing a good dissertation topic, criminal law dissertation topics, international law dissertation topics, family law dissertation topics, employment law dissertation topics, international commercial law dissertation topics, law dissertation topics india, intellectual property law topics in dissertation, constitutional law topics in dissertation, sports law topics in dissertation, medical law topics in dissertation, commercial law dissertation topics, company law dissertation topics, tort law dissertation topics, eu law dissertation topics, the english legal system and constitutional and administrative law dissertation topics.

A lot of research and hard work is required to decide what is a correct and valuable topic for the dissertation or thesis. It is seen in various students that before graduation the dissertation is the last hurdle in the way. It is advised to pursue a topic after valuable research and most importantly that goes with the student’s interests.

Also Read: Dissertation Topics

There are an array of benefits when you choose a good and valuable dissertation topic. These advantages include:

• This helps you in the analysis of the topic and deep research.
• Present you with a program to enhance your investigative skills.
• In explaining your subject option, you should be prepared to show how your previous research experiences ended up with great knowledge. 
• You can find a degree of education useful for postgraduate research.

Also Read: Law Entrance Exams: India & Abroad

Criminal law is the body of law regulating crime and criminal activities in India. This proves to be an important topic and is interesting as well. Some of the criminal law dissertation topics are:

• A Significant Study of Struggle against Girls in India
• Case Debate on business trial in India
• An Analysis on Terrorism and Lawlessness Against Infants in India
• A survey on Legislation against private terrorism in India
• Significant Evaluation Of Death Cost In India
• An Analysis of Juvenile Justice System and Order in India
• The appearance of the group is in the criminal law process
• The Root Elements of the Infant Mergers
• White-Collar Crime Law in India
• Criminology and Criminal Justice

Also Read: How to Write a Dissertation?

International law dissertation is another amazing topic where you can add your relevant thoughts. Some of the unique international law dissertation topics are:

• What are the significant aspects of collective civil obligations in now’s global order?
• What are the causes that cause application of foreign order at the state standard also complex?
• Figure out the very important issues encountered by establishing universal rules.
• What are the effects of accelerated market restraints on people? Can such a thing be explained?
• What are global challenges encountered by international businessmen, when installing service projects in third group societies?
• What are the effects of letting offenders continue to their native land for action?
• How seeing abuse as a foreign war case will change the position of African people?
• What are the important challenges encountered by companies that are coming in the global travel industry from the ocean.
• What universal rules regulate copy? How should this case be corrected?
• Which governmental law of the UK is sufficiently sufficient to be carried out universally?

Also Read: What is a Dissertation? Meaning, Projects, Report Work

Some of the most important and unique family law dissertation topics are:

• Separation case for father and female representatives of the group, makes it favour any particular gender or is it merely a sense
• Matrimonial Act and how it affects women who join without their permission. What is the attitude of decisions about made mergers and how can one explain it in the court of decision
• Residential part by stepmothers and offspring, how goes on the case provide everybody has their got right and place
• Youth insurance problems in the unified kingdom, which of the state shows to have very trouble with such arguments and why is it so
• Adolescent abuse-is it important to discipline your children and youths? What is the perimeter between youth abuse and correcting your children for setting their limits
• Internal disorder and its effect on the boy and female representatives personally, which of them picks up a greater claim in the mind of order and how can we get rid of that biasness
• Protection problems for separated mothers, how goes on it go and what goes on the statute have to do about the protection of the child for each mother
• How looks at the proper form thing if a man is incapable to provide and provide his house owing to lack or scarcity of means
• Long-distance communications and their fair significance cut off from the spiritual and artistic attitudes
• Minor job- what are we looking at to abolish it and how goes on our constitutional process set limits and provide that they are found

Employment law dissertation enables you to craft perfect research on your thesis or dissertation. Some of the employment law dissertation topics are:

• The link between trade and morality in the UK. An academic context.
• A study of the relationship between sports departments and their service contracts.
• The effect of variation in the business decisions of the UK after starting the EU.
• The task of infant employment regulations in the UK. How does the judiciary remain fighting developing youth employment?
• The influence of civil responsibility service in UK regulations.
• A study of the market association in the UK study of the business requirements and principles.
• A provisional review of business decisions in the station waggon part of the UK and EU. Who gets the first job benefit and rights insurance systems?
• An in-depth study of justice fees in the validities of UK legislation.

Some of the international commercial law dissertations you can choose from are:

• An assessment of the enemy-pollution bill in the UK. Its origins and effects on the state leaders.
• A strategic study of the joint cloak and how the decision can pass through it.
• The performance of UK legislation in affecting joint difficulties while preserving major human rights.
• A symposium on the differences enveloping the purview of field 33 groups do 2006 in the UK
• The effects of setting reasonable requirements for the principal’s needs. How does the organisation do well under this?
• An in-depth assessment of economic regulation programs at attending institutions in the UK.
• The effect of UNCITRAL’s performance on the unification of universal economic legislation in the UK.

Also Read: How to Write Acknowledgement for Dissertation?

Some of the Indian legal topics you can choose for your dissertation are:

• Handgun Case in India: Provision of a Different Structure
•  Animal investigation: Order in India
• Wire advertising and constitutional structure
•  Joint Civil Power and change
• Moral Orders and Cases in producing societies
• Men Investigations and Indian constitutional practice
•  Improvement of infants and proper conflict

Some of the catchy and interesting dissertation topics that you can choose as a dissertation topic for law assignment:

• Scientific advances and present IP rule in India
• IP rules and the safety of/on Internet
•  New patent statutes and digitalisation

Also Read: University of Law: Eligibility, Application, Courses & More

Here are some of the finest dissertation or thesis topics for constitutional law dissertation topics are:

• Accident plans in India: A study
• Legal exploitation and its interest: An assessment
• Application of International Cases in Indian Legal Structure
• Able expression in virtual life and Indian Custom

Also Read: Dissertation vs Thesis

A constantly fascinating subject, sports provides a large range of fields and issues to judge from to create your analysis report. It can deal with universal order, national order, carrying out parties, power, and often better.

Here are some of the finest dissertation (thesis)points on Sports law:

• Doping and Sports: National and International fair innuendo
• Legalisation of speculating in India: Law and Cons
• Handling sports organisations and their constitutional ramifications
• Transgender animals and Indian Custom

Medical law dissertation is another great topic you can choose from, some of the medical law dissertation topics are:

• Member retention: Fair experts and cons
• Miscarriage in India: A global review
• Made fertilisation: Provision of primary training to find out these matters
• Supported suicide: Fair, honest and therapeutic ethics
• Animal torture: A fair claim research

Also Read: Law Courses

Commercial Law is one such topic where a wide area of study is to be covered because it cannot be described within a single legal jurisdiction. A commercial law dissertation often involves comparisons with other countries. Listed below are some topics for Commercial Law Dissertation:

• A critical assessment of the international commercial arbitration system as a cost-effective and efficient means to administer justice in commercial disputes
• An assessment of security over personal property when it comes to the matter of possessory and non-possessory forms of security and other legal devices
• An investigation of the emergence of new manifestations of international commercial law
• A critical assessment of the passing of risk in the commercial law in England and Wales
• A critical assessment of the Future of consumer protection in England and Wales in the post-Brexit era

There is a great scope of producing an effective Company Law Dissertation as it provides you with potential sources. From the Companies Act 2006 to corporate governance, you have a lot of options to choose from. Listed below are some great Company Law Dissertation Topics:

• A critical analysis of the shareholder versus stakeholder basis of corporate governance
• Arguments for and against ‘stakeholder theory’ and to what extent are they still valid?
• Should the OECD’s Model Tax Convention on Income and on Capital 2010 be ratified into UK Law?
• To what extent has Environmental Law merged together Vicarious and Corporate Liability
• Is the English maintenance of the “internal management” model failing to bring company law in the 21st Century?

The word Tort comes from the Latin term torture which means “Wrong”. In simple terms, Tort Law is supposed to address the civil wrongs done to a person, accidentally or incidentally. The victim/injured/aggrieved party is provided with compensation for the damages.

This area of law is one of the most important aspects of law study as it demonstrates the circumstances through which an individual is held accountable for another party’s injury either done intentionally or omissions or even by accident. Listed below are some topics for a Tort Law Dissertation to make it easier for you to draft an effective dissertation:

• Importance of foreseeability and policy in establishing a duty of care
• Analysis of the rules regarding the recovery of economic losses in tortious actions
• When it comes to matters of occupiers’ liability under the Occupiers Liability Acts of 1957 and 1984 respectively, when is a trespasser, not a trespasser?
• Wrongful Restraint of a man’s Liberty: Meaning, Defense and Remedy
• Why might the duty of care afforded to children be considered to be a step too far regarding the recognition of tortious liability?

Also Read: All About PhD Thesis

EU Law is considered as an expandable area of academic interest, particularly due to the UK’s recent Brexit from the Union. There is a wide range of dissertation topics you can consider for an EU Law Dissertation, from UK’s Brexit to the superiority of EU Law. Listed below are some great dissertation topics to start with your EU Law Dissertation:

• Critical Analysis of the UK’s Separation from the EU.
• Brexit and EU economy: How the UK’s decision has affected EU trade.
• An argument: Is EU Law actually superior?
• Importance of the enforcement actions against EU Member States as part of the European law-making process.
• How has the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms of 1950 contributed to the recognition of human rights internationally?

The English Legal System and Constitutional and Administrative Law may be classified into 3 key areas-

• The nature of the Constitution may be considered in areas including, but not limited to, the recognition and application of conventions and the rule of law. 
• Evaluation of the roles of the legislature, executive and parliament in the context of the recognition of the separation of powers, which could include legislation’s passage through Parliament, the delegation of legislation, the relationship between Parliament, the crown and the Royal Prerogative, and the executive, legislative and judiciary’s relationship.
• Judicial Review includes the basis for intervention, such as ultra vires and illegality, procedural irregularity, irrationality, proportionality, and the nemo judex rule.

A number of areas can be covered in this dissertation as the English Legal System and Constitutional and Administrative Law is quite different from other legal systems as the role of the judge differs in an adversarial system. The major difference is in how a trial is pursued. Some topics for an English Legal System and Constitutional and Administrative Law Dissertation are as mentioned below:

• The Role of natural justice  in the UK Constitution
• Are conventions still a valid part of the UK Constitution?
• Is the Royal Prerogative an essential part of the British Constitution?
• Are the current models of statutory interpretation fit for purpose, especially as the jurisprudence of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) and European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) infer a more active approach for judges?
• In what ways will the relationship between constitutional and administrative law in England and Wales be affected by Brexit?

The following are the popular law universities in the world: Harvard University Columbia University Stanford University

Here are some of the finest dissertation or thesis topics for constitutional law dissertation topics are: Accident plans in India: A study Legal exploitation and its interest: An assessment Application of International Cases in the Indian Legal Structure Able expression in virtual life and Indian Custom

The average salary of a lawyer in India is 3.5 Lakh per year.

Grab the expert assistance of Leverage Edu student counsellors to kickstart your admission and application process to study in the UK in 2023 Call us immediately at 1800 57 2000 for a free 30-minute therapy consultation. 

Team Leverage Edu

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Contact no. *

Leaving already?

8 Universities with higher ROI than IITs and IIMs

Grab this one-time opportunity to download this ebook

Connect With Us

30,000+ students realised their study abroad dream with us. take the first step today..

Resend OTP in

Need help with?

Study abroad.

UK, Canada, US & More

IELTS, GRE, GMAT & More

Scholarship, Loans & Forex

Country Preference

New Zealand

Which English test are you planning to take?

Which academic test are you planning to take.

Not Sure yet

When are you planning to take the exam?

Already booked my exam slot

Within 2 Months

Want to learn about the test

Which Degree do you wish to pursue?

When do you want to start studying abroad.

September 2024

January 2025

What is your budget to study abroad?

How would you describe this article ?

Please rate this article

We would like to hear more.

Ohio State navigation bar

• BuckeyeLink
• Search Ohio State
• Areas of Study
• Application
• Application Materials
• Early Decision Option
• Dual Degree Programs
• Accepting Financial Aid Packages
• Appealing the Student Budget
• Establishing Ohio Residency
• Loan Assistance
• Scholarships & Grants
• Tuition & Student Budget
• JD Transfer Admissions
• Academic Information
• Experiential Learning
• Financial Information & Scholarships
• How to Apply to the LLM Program
• LLM-JD Transfer Program
• LLM Student's Experience
• Foundations of U.S. Law & Practice Summer Program
• Admissions Requirements
• MSL Program Tuition and Financial Aid
• Online Certificate Program on US Law and Practice
• Visiting Research Scholars Program
• Plan a Visit
• Civil Law Clinic
• Criminal Defense Clinic
• Criminal Prosecution Clinic
• Entrepreneurial Business Law Clinic
• Immigration Clinic
• Justice for Children Clinic
• Legislation Clinic
• Mediation Clinic
• Clinic Information Sessions
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Externships Overview
• Judicial Externships
• Public Interest Externship
• Special Programs
• Health & Wellness
• Student Groups
• Student Mentoring
• Divided Community Project
• Research and Grants
• Drugs on the Docket Podcast
• Faculty, Staff, Experts, and Affiliates
• Election Law at Ohio State
• Law, Finance and Governance
• Program on Data and Governance Engagement
• Program on Data and Governance
• Program Highlights
• Data Points Lecture Series
• Distinguished Lecture on Big Data Law and Policy
• Program on Data and Governance Events
• Program on Data and Governance Faculty and Staff
• Research Publications
• Certificate in Dispute Resolution
• Dispute Resolution Scholarship Highlights
• Externship Opportunities - ADR
• Lawrence Lecture on Dispute Resolution
• Program on Dispute Resolution Events
• Schwartz Lecture on Dispute Resolution
• Student Scholarship - ADR
• Career Opportunities
• Program on Dispute Resolution Faculty
• Public Resources
• Publications
• Leadership Courses
• Law and Leadership Event Descriptions
• Scholarships
• Partnerships and Collaboration
• Founding Advisory Board and Student Advisory Board
• Lawyers as Leaders
• Judicial Clerkships
• Employment Information
• Corporate Fellowship Program
• Public Service Fellows Program
• Board Fellows Program
• Public Service Law Center
• Reciprocity
• Alumni and Career Development
• About the Library
• Collections
• Law Library Staff
• Law Library Accessibility Resources
• Administration
• ABA Required Disclosures
• Columbus, Ohio
• Inclusive Excellence Team
• Ohio State University Diversity
• Legal Pipeline
• The Kirwan Institute
• Moritz College of Law
• Make a Gift
• Amici Briefs

Ohio State Journal of Criminal Law

Public confidence in the criminal justice system is its lifeblood. In order for there to be public confidence in criminal sentences, the public must be able to believe that a criminal sentence issued by a judge will be fair, consistent, and proportional to the crime involved in accordance with the rule of law. Public confidence is threatened when a large portion of our citizens believe that sentencing outcomes are not so much determined by the rule of law as by the individual proclivities of the judge who is randomly assigned to preside over a case. The stark reality of sentencing in Ohio includes the strong possibility that two judges would impose two different sentences for the same crime. This difference can encompass the vast range between probation and life imprisonment. This article will attempt to describe the systemic flaws which exist within the present system that allow such profound...

Helaman Hansen is an unsavory character, and no one denies it. For almost four years, from October 2012 to September 2016, he ran a scam targeting migrants and prospective migrants. Attracted to their willingness to pay hundreds and even thousands of dollars in exchange for hope, Hansen sold almost 500 people on the possibility of U.S. citizenship through a legal option of his own invention: adult adoption, he called it. Paying as much as $10,000 per person, the hopeful people who sought Hansen’s help appear to have known little about U.S. citizenship law...

Before taking the Ohio Common Pleas bench in 2013, I served as an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney in Butler County, Ohio for more than fifteen years. I spent the majority of my time prosecuting felony crimes against children. Child abuse cases present unique issues for the trial court. One of those issues is a child’s delayed disclosure of abuse, particularly in sexual abuse cases. It is not uncommon for a child victim to come forward with allegations of abuse many years after the abuse occurred. Reasons for delayed disclosure may include waiting until the child is safe from the perpetrator, fear of not being believed, and the need to be relieved of the burden that carrying such a secret may place upon a victim. Many times, children delay disclosure of abuse into adulthood...

Much of the rhetoric about criminal justice reform posits that trials are good and pleas are bad. Trials provide full, public adversarial process, while plea bargaining is secretive, coercive, and unfair. As such, a thread of reform has emerged calling for more trials and fewer pleas. As this Article argues, underlying these reform efforts is an unspoken ambivalence about trials among the very reformers who clamor for more of them. This ambivalence stems from the often unacknowledged reality that many of the common harms associated with plea bargaining are frequently benefits when viewed through the lens of trial avoidance. This ambivalence is not new. Indeed, in its plea bargaining jurisprudence the Supreme Court has long demonstrated its own ambivalence about the American trial system, even while romanticizing the trial. Modern-day criminal justice reformers often wax poetically about trials, while simultaneously resisting efforts to actually require more trials. The ambivalence unearthed here demonstrates how little legal stakeholders— lawyers, judges and reformers—trust the American jury process to produce just results. As long as the romantic narrative of trials persists in tandem with this ambivalence, reform efforts may actually more deeply entrench plea bargaining. ...

Angela Beck was serving a sentence for convictions of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Ms. Beck was 47 years old and had served roughly half of her sentence when, in the fall of 2017, she noticed a lump in her left breast. With a family history of breast cancer, she immediately sought medical attention. The doctor at the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) recommended imaging and consultation with a surgeon. It took two months for those appointments. By the time imaging was conducted, it revealed a high likelihood of cancer...

This article is a personal retrospective of my journey as an information technology professor of twenty-two years, to understand how judges in Ohio fashion a sentence in a criminal case, how that sentence is documented, and how that documentation is shared to inform the continuous improvement of Ohio’s criminal justice ecosystem. This opportunity presented itself as part of a project with the Ohio Criminal Sentencing Commission (Commission) to develop a solution that assists judges with their journal entries based on uniform templates...

Adult felony sentencing is one of the most serious responsibilities of  government. Philosophies on sentencing have changed through the decades, from Three Strikes You’re Out in California in the early ‘90s, to Truth in Sentencing in the late ‘90s and early 2000s, to today’s era of criminal justice reform efforts. Regardless of the philosophy, each philosophy and the subsequent law was based on some type of data collection. Legislators at the time thought the data was accurate and comprehensive, but it has long been missed by such policymakers that sentencing data cannot be accurate and comprehensive because it is often missing an important piece—the victims...

Guilty pleas and plea bargaining dominate the criminal justice system. When the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed the constitutionality of plea bargaining in 1971, 1 fewer than 20% of convictions were the result of a trial.2 Today—a half century later—that number has shrunk to less than 3%, 3 leading the modern Supreme Court to recognize “the reality that criminal justice today is for the most part a system of pleas, not a system of trials."...

In United States v. Jackson, the Supreme Court recognized the importance of protecting an individual's jury trial rights in capital plea bargaining. With the subsequent Brady trilogy, however, the Court’s plea bargaining doctrine migrated away from Jackson and accepted pleas in capital cases as long as the defendant had counsel....

The practice of assessing and adjudicating competence for criminal adjudication in the United States developed largely without assistance from the U.S. Supreme Court or other state and federal courts of appeal for most of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. However, the need for appellate guidance became evident in the 1980s, especially regarding the significance of mental or emotional conditions that can impair capacity for rational decision-making of persons accused of criminal behavior. During the past thirty years, some governing principles have come into view, but important issues remain unresolved. After a brief review...

In Maricopa County, Arizona—the fourth largest county in the U.S. and home to the nation’s third largest prosecuting agency, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office (“MCAO”)—a third of all felony cases are routed through the Early Disposition Court (“EDC”) system. The purpose of the EDC system is speed, not justice. Indeed, MCAO’s stated goal on its website is to use the EDC system to “prevent a backlog” of criminal prosecutions by “resolving them as quickly as possible.”1 While many negative aspects of the criminal legal system—pretrial detention, charge stacking, mandatory minimum sentencing, etc.—exert pressure on the accused to waive their constitutional right to a trial and accept a plea offer as quickly as possible, the primary tool MCAO employs to achieve fast and cheap guilty pleas in the EDC is to threaten those they charge with a crime that if they demand a preliminary hearing—a right under Arizona law—or reject a plea offer in favor of trial—a right under the United States and Arizona constitutions—the next plea offer will be “presumptively harsher” or even “substantially harsher.”2 In other words...

Centuries of accumulated wisdom tell us that the decision whether to convict someone of a crime should be made by ordinary citizens rather than government officials. That wisdom is embodied in our state and federal constitutions, and it is significant that nearly half the Bill of Rights concerns the adjudication of criminal charges by citizen juries. And yet juries play a negligible role in today’s criminal justice system, having been mostly displaced by so-called “plea bargaining.” As of 2021, 98.3% of all convictions in federal court were obtained through guilty pleas,1 and the states are not far behind at around 94%.2 As the Supreme Court itself candidly acknowledged more than a decade ago, “criminal justice today is for the most part a system of pleas, not a system of trials.” The problems...