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theses

This dissertation employs a case study methodology to examine the Massachusetts Police Pay Incentive Program (Quinn Bill) and the effect recent commitments under the Quinn Bill to improve criminal justice education have had on that education. Focusing on how policy is developed, Barbara Ann Stolz’s study (2002) on federal roles and processes in the making of criminal justice policy were applied to criminal justice educational policy at the state level. More specifically, to tell the Massachusetts story, four policy analysis perspectives—symbolic politics, interest groups, political culture, and implementation—were applied to four somewhat distinct stages of the policy development process that eventually produced the Massachusetts Quinn Bill in its current form: the passage of the Quinn Bill and its early implementation, the conflicts and concerns that arose after implementation of the program, the intensification of the conflict that ultimately produced an amendment to the policy, and the current picture. According to the Massachusetts Office of Student Financial Assistance (n.d.), the Quinn Bill contains two stated objectives: to encourage police officers in participating municipalities to earn degrees in law enforcement and criminal justice and to provide educational incentives through salary increases. Assuming these goals were accomplished, the following questions are addressed by this study: What was the effect of the Quinn Bill on criminal justice higher education policy in Massachusetts? What happened and why? Did criminal justice programs in the state of Massachusetts change under the Quinn Bill? If so, how and why? Secondary data analysis and semi-structured personal interviews were used to explore these questions. Interview participants were identified using purposive sampling and responses were organized into topics, themes, and issues, with data analyzed relative to the research questions. Criminal justice education programs were found to have eventually changed under the Quinn Bill. The story surrounding that change in light of the assumptions of the benefits of an educated police officer is discussed. The case study concludes with an examination of the Quinn Bill’s relevance to the national scene on quality in criminal justice education.

ETD_6274

Ph.D.

Includes bibliographical references

by Patricia W. Gavin

doi:10.7282/T3VT1TZ0

ETD doctoral

The author owns the copyright to this work.