Behavioral and social sciences.

RAVERS AND THEIR CULTURE OF DRUGS. Jeffrey Lee, Dept. of Criminal Justice, Troy University, Troy, AL 36382. Jessica Cotton and Sarah Connor Dept. of Criminal Justice, Troy University, Troy, AL 36382.

Raves are all-night dance parties that feature frenetic music often accompanied by laser lights and video shows. The rave culture in American society is popular among teens and young adults. Peace, love, unity, and respect are all elements of this culture; however, raves are frequently plagued by illicit drug sales, distribution, and use. This presentation examines the development of the rave subculture while focusing on its birth in Ibiza, an island off the coast of Spain, to its emergence in rural England, to the current rave format in the United States. The presentation will describe rave activities and various aspects of the raver lifestyle. Lastly, it will examine commonly abused drugs at raves and analyze public health concerns associated with these parties.

POLICE UNDERCOVER OPERATIONS: TECHNIQUES FOR DRUG ENFORCEMENT AT RAVES. Jeffrey Lee, Dept. of Criminal Justice, Troy University, Troy, AL 36382. Brent Paterline, Dept. of Criminal Justice, North Georgia College and State University, Dahlonega, GA 30597.

Raves are social events in modern youth culture that involve all night dance parties where the participants experience a sense of community and a heightened state of consciousness through hearing and responding to the music. Furthermore, law enforcement officials view raves as places where drugs such as MDMA, Ketamine, GHB, LSD, and marijuana are warehoused, sold, dispensed, and used. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of methods of operation used by undercover narcotics agents when working raves. Specifically, it will focus on lessons learned during a statewide crackdown on raves and club drug activity called "Operation Heat Rave." The paper describes the rave subculture and its themes of PLUR, vibe, technology, pleasure, and excess. It will discuss the evolution of raves from its European roots to the present day from in North America. Many communities have experienced problems associated with raves. They have responded by passing ordinances prohibiting late night dancing, establishing curfews for minors, and aggressive enforcement of other law violations associated with raves. The paper analyzes law enforcement strategies and responses to rave activity. The researchers identify common challenges and obstacles encountered by undercover officers working raves. Moreover, they offer potential solutions that may be effective responses to illicit drug activity associated with raves.

A CULTURE OF CHEMICALS: PREMATURE DEATH IN WRESTLING. Jason W. Lee, Department of Kinesiology, Troy University, Troy, AL 36082. Jeffrey Lee, Department of Criminal Justice, Troy University, Troy, AL 36082.

Sports are filled with numerous paradoxical issues. One such instance is identified by the potential for sport activity to be healthy, as well as unhealthy. Sports, by nature, are inherently based on athleticism, fitness, strength, and other seemingly healthful benefits. Though such benefits are possible and even commonplace, there is the constant presence where the unhealthy side emerges. Professional wrestling has been wrought with unhealthy and even deadly associations. Perhaps the most troubling of all has been the undeniably high presence of premature deaths. Many of these deaths are either directly or indirectly linked to drug abuse. The purpose of this study is to investigate the alarming rate of premature, drug-related deaths within the subculture of professional wrestling. This qualitative case study examines these drug-related fatalities, which have included some of the most prominent names in modern wrestling history. Through document analysis and interviews, this work is an examination of the dilemma associated with this pseudo-sport's "culture of chemicals." This case study includes an analysis of the prevalence of death including detailed accounts of the characteristics involved in these premature deaths and an examination of commonly abused drugs contributing to these unfortunate deaths. Through examining the abundance of deaths associated with professional wrestling, the researchers seek to identify explanations for the obviously disproportionate rates of mortality and look for related implications in more traditional sports.

STUDENT HAZING: A DANGEROUS SOCIAL BEHAVIOR. Traveis J. Guy, Dept. of Criminal Justice and Social Sciences, Troy Univ., Troy, AL 36081.

Hazing is a social tradition that affects the lives of many college and high school students nationwide. Factors that contribute to the continuance of hazing practices include the social structures that exist within society, the misconception that it is socially acceptable, a lack of adult supervision and willingness of students to participate. This research identifies the social implications that have sustained the tradition of hazing on school campuses, mainly in the area of victim participation. The assessment of data provided by the Bureau of Justice Statistics and Alfred University researchers illustrates the dramatic increase of dangerous hazing incidents that have been reported on college and university campuses in the past decade. Many school administrators have incorporated new campus anti hazing policies to curtail the dilemma, but those efforts fall short as each year thousands of students report occurrences of hazing and sadly, a few loose their lives as a result of the practice. The ramifications of hazing studies have caused government agencies and non profit organizations to designate advocacy programs towards aiding victims, preventative hazing education, and more specific punishments for offenders.

LEAPS: A COLLABORATIVE PROJECT BETWEEN SPORT MANAGEMENT AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE AT TROY UNIVERSITY. Jeffrey Lee, Department of Criminal Justice, Troy University, Troy, AL 36082. Jason W. Lee, Department of Kinesiology, Troy University, Troy, AL 36082.

The researchers have been involved with a series of studies designed to assess the fitness levels of public safety professionals. These assessments consistently describe officers as being "obese" or "overweight," and having "poor" or "very poor" V[O.sub.2]max fitness scores. In 2005 the Sport Management and Criminal Justice departments at Troy University embarked on a project to provide a public service for public safety professionals in Southeast Alabama. The LEAPS (Law Enforcement And Public Safety) softball challenge was created to promote fitness, camaraderie, and positive interdepartmental relationships among public safety agencies. Furthermore, the project provided an opportunity for students to participate in service learning activities that supported the success of the event. Criminal justice students created a database of names and contact information of all law enforcement, fire, corrections, and emergency medical service agencies in the wiregrass area. Students then personally contacted the agencies to promote the event and invite the agencies to participate. Sport management students participated in fundraising projects that included registration and sponsorship, provided first aid, and supervision at the athletic event. In an effort to create an annual event, an evaluation was conducted to identify successes and future considerations. Participant satisfaction and fundraising were identified as successes, while lack of participation and sportsmanship issues were among the challenges. Future considerations may include adding events and forming an advisory board.

SENTENCING TRENDS IN CHILD MOLESTATION CASES. Victoria Mechtly, Sabrina Robinson Dept. of Criminal Justice, Troy University, Troy, AL 36081.

Child molestation is defined as the unwanted sexual attention or abuse of a child. It is a devastating crime, so offensive to society that Florida has passed a new stringent law to protect children from its effects. This law, Jessica's Law, is one of the toughest child molestation laws ever passed by a state legislature and has gained interest from other states, like California, which are drafting similar proposals. Jessica's Law requires a prison term of twenty-five years to life for those convicted of molesting a child under the age of twelve. The perpetual and chronic nature of this type of crime has generated a great deal of action and debate concerning the protection of our children. This paper reviews the current literature concerning child molestation from a criminal justice and a psychological viewpoint. It then follows key cases and legislation that lead up to the enactment of Jessica's Law.

DIFFERENCES IN GENDER FOR GROUP BEHAVIOR IN PUBLIC, April Colley, (Jan Case, Research Advisor), Jacksonville State University, MCIS Department, 700 Pelham Road North, Jacksonville, AL 36265

The purpose of this research was to consider the grouping behavior of adults at three public places: a mall, a cinema, and a restaurant. Data was collected through observation, and subjects were classified according to gender and the number of people in the group.

Hypothesis tests revealed the following. Composition of customers at malls, cinemas and restaurant is dependent upon gender. The proportion of female customers at the mall is significantly higher than the proportion of male customers. Furthermore, same gender groups at the mall are more likely to be female. However, lone shoppers are equally likely to be male or female. In other observations, males tend to travel in smaller groups than females, and in mixed gender groups, females tend to outnumber males. These behavioral patterns will be studied further to determine if differences exist among age groups, over different days of the week, or in urban vs. rural settings.

WRITING ACROSS THE CURRICULUM (WAC) IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE: IT'S A MYSTERY. Victor Ortloff, Department of Criminal Justice and Social Sciences, Troy University, Troy, Alabama 36082 and Saundra Casey, College of Enlisted Professional Military Education, Air University, Montgomery, Alabama 36114

Since its inception in the mid 1970's, Writing Across the Curriculum has found its way into most universities in the United States. The form and format of that program vary by institution and according to the teaching style of the instructor. This presentation describes one such approach used at Troy University initiated during the spring semester of 2005. The process began with a request to view a student's attempt at writing about a rape that she experienced six years prior and ended with the creation of a series of novels involving the active participation of a tenured member of Troy's faculty and six students.

A PRACTITIONER'S VIEW OF THE RELEVANCE OF A HOMELAND SECURITY DEGREE. Victor Ortloff, Department of Criminal Justice and Social Sciences, Troy University, Troy, Alabama 36082 and Saundra Casey, College of Enlisted Professional Military Education, Air University, Montgomery, Alabama 36114

There is no doubt the events of 9/11 triggered many changes in the way we, as a nation, view ourselves, especially as we discovered how vulnerable we were to attack. The response to this threat was multifaceted and included creating a new department within the executive branch called Homeland Security. This presentation explores two practitioner's views on the logic of establishing a degree in homeland security. The presentation reviews briefly, the background for the establishment of the new department and its apparent weaknesses as it faced recent "real world" natural disasters. The presentation flows naturally toward a discussion of the pros and cons of establishing an academic degree discipline to be offered nation wide to prospective college students.

POLICE OFFICER SAFETY AND THE 4TH AMENDMENT. Donald R. Brown, Department of Criminal Justice, Troy University, Troy, AL 36082. Cedric Hollis and Traveis Guy, Troy, University, Troy, AL 36082.

The 4th Amendment of the United States Constitution's protection of privacy has proven to be the cornerstone of Democracy in America. Police officers risk death or injury each time they don their uniform and report for work. Safety is a constant concern and police must often make split second decisions under varying degrees of danger. The United States Supreme Court, in numerous case law decisions, has repeatedly determined that police officer safety is paramount and flexibility of 4th Amendment protections is needed. This presentation will address certain Supreme Court decisions that address 4th Amendment protections and concerns for officer safety while maintaining the integrity of civil liberties.

CELLULAR TELEPHONE USE BEHAVIOR, Richard A. Hudiburg and Psychology Undergraduate Research Team, Department of Psychology, University of North Alabama, Florence AL 35632

The current study, using in a sample of 117 undergraduate students, is an extension of a previous study that found interesting relationships between cell phone use behavior and several psychological measures. The current study was conducted because of substantial changes in cell phone service and the availability of new technology. In 2002, Hudiburg, Jefcoat, and Alred (2002) found that there was a limited available of cell phone service plans. The 2002 study found that differences in cell phone use behavior depended on having more "anytime minutes" which was usually limited to 300 minutes a month. In 2006, the number of "anytime minutes" in cell phone service plans has greatly increased and most plans have "rollover" of minutes. The current study focused more on the effects of cell phone use behavior on interpersonal behaviors. This study investigated the relationship of cell phone use behavior to self-esteem, self-monitoring, need for affiliation, and domains of personality. The current study supported the findings of the earlier 2002 study. Additionally, more extensive assessment of attitudes toward using a cell phone while operating a motor vehicle was investigated. Generally it was found that cell phone users perceive that using a cell phone while driving a car impairs ones ability to safely operate the car but the users still make and receive cell phone calls while driving a car.