This project investigated how alcohol might affect rates of Intimate Partner Aggression (IPA) within Hispanic populations specifically. Hispanics have the highest rates of IPA broadly speaking in the U.S., and I decided that further insight could be gleaned on why this might be by looking into how alcohol consumption might affect these rates. Data were gathered from Project IDEA, the research fellowship which this thesis piggybacked off of. Project IDEA was a survey asking couples about their drinking habits and relationship dynamics for the purpose of collecting more data on the connection between alcohol and IPA. My thesis focused more specifically on the Hispanic members of the sample. Ultimately, I found that Hispanics tend to engage in more heavy episodic drinking (i.e., drinking more in one sitting) than non-Hispanics, that heavy episodic drinking was positively correlated with IPA, and that Hispanics engaged more in all forms of IPA except for psychological perpetration than non-Hispanics. This essentially tells me that heavy episodic drinking might have something to do with the higher rates of IPA in Hispanic populations, but there is no definite causal relationship, and more research has to be done in this area.

This thesis attempts to determine how the food system can contribute to delinquency and criminality, especially in regards to diet and nutritional influences on children’s behavior. The research for this thesis began with the book, Diet, Crime and Delinquency, written Alexander Schauss and published in 1980. This was the first book exploring how food can impact behavior in children and includes various areas of diet and nutrition which can influence children’s behavior and how they may contribute to delinquency. The literature since has identified four main areas of diet and nutrition that have the most evidence regarding their effects on behavior and contributions as risk factors for delinquency. These four contributors to behavioral changes in some children are: sugar/hypoglycemia, food allergies/ intolerances, nutrient/vitamin deficiencies, and exposure to heavy metals. Diet and nutrition are also significantly impacted by the environment, therefore this paper accounts for environmental factors and discusses how food justice is inextricably linked to the criminal justice system. This paper also evaluates correctional gardens in youth detention facilities as well as individualized and family based interventions within schools as possible strategies for addressing behavioral issues and risk factors for delinquency through food. New approaches such as those that involve diet and nutrition can help to explain why individuals within the same environment with the same risk factors may engage or desist from criminal activity. This line of inquiry could further develop an answer to the age-old question in the field of criminology, why do people commit crime or engage in delinquent behavior?

This is what I had for the abstract: Maryvale is the most densely populated neighborhood in Phoenix, Arizona. Originally master-planned for white middle-class families, Maryvale has become a majority-minority neighborhood that is still impacted by socioeconomic problems left from the 1980's white flight, as well as a reputation for being dangerous. Residents share their experiences living in the community and their opinions about its problematic reputation and its impact and current development efforts. Oral history brings a personal perspective to the literal history of Maryvale to create a more accurate and comprehensive story.