Professor Jimmy Wilson Presents Joint Student-Faculty Research

At the East Lakes Division of the Association of American Geographers Annual Meetings, Dr. Wilson presented two papers that he worked on with HPJ students Kevin Cieplowski, BA 2009 and Samantha Licata, BA 2010.

Wilson presented a paper that he worked on with Cieplowski, titled "Spatial Analysis of Sexual Offenders Charged with Gross Sexual Imposition in Cuyahoga County, Ohio." The abstract of their research states:

Police departments in the suburbs of many metropolitan areas have witnessed increases in property crimes since the recent global economic downturn began a few years ago. Residential foreclosures have also increased dramatically during recent years, especially in certain large cities in the United States, such as Cleveland, Ohio. These phenomena have helped stimulate discussion regarding the relationship between property crime, residential foreclosures and other socio-economic variables. The current research focuses on spatial analysis of these variables in Garfield Heights, a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio, 2004-2009. Our findings lead us to conclude that any correlation that currently exists between property crime and foreclosure is coincidental in nature. While certain criminal activity is localized in specific areas within Garfield Heights, foreclosures continue to be a problem throughout this community.

He presented a paper that he worked on with Licata, titled "Spatial Analysis of Sexual Offenders Charged with Gross Imposition in Cuyahoga County, OH." The abstract for this paper reads:

Spatial research pertaining to sexual offenders has increased in recent years, thanks in large part to local and state legislation requiring offenders to report their locations, and also to state agencies that disseminate their information to the public. However not much emphasis has been given to examining the neighborhood environments of those charged with particular sexual offenses. This research examines social and economic variables associated with the environment of individuals charged with Tier 3 gross sexual imposition as of April, 2008 in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. Among other findings, we illuminate a geographic trend associated with these locations and general quality of life.

Cieplowski remains at ONU, working for the Saudi Prison Management Program, and Licata is pursuing her Masters Degree in Psychology at Spalding University.

Working with students on research projects such as these has been an emphasis of the department, and gives us a chance to publicize the good work that our students are doing.