Intergenerational connections are interactions and exchanges between individuals from different age groups. Individuals of all ages who experience these connections have been shown to develop a stronger sense of community. For older adults specifically, additional benefits include improved self-esteem, reduced depressive symptoms, decreased loneliness, and increased well-being. Children and young people also benefit from improved mental health and a greater understanding of issues facing older adults. Programs designed to facilitate these connections often involve structured activities that engage both older adults and children, though these programs vary significantly in design and form. Although intergenerational programs are beneficial, some groups of older adults face barriers to accessing them. Despite experiencing a high rate of mental health concerns, older men participate in social programming less than older women. This is likely due to gendered marketing practices and prevailing norms around masculinity. Older men who reside in rural areas face additional barriers, including limited availability of formal support services. The primary purpose of this literature review is to explore programs that foster intergenerational connections and analyze the impacts these relationships have on older adults. This review will discuss the promotion of these connections in various environments, with an emphasis on how programs can better meet the needs of older men, particularly in rural communities. The findings from this review will inform a proposal for fostering intergenerational relationships in Morris.

False confessions are a leading cause of wrongful convictions, often due to coercive police interrogation tactics that lead vulnerable individuals to become confused or compliant during high-pressure questioning (Gudjonsson et al., 2010). However, to date no one has systematically examined real-world cases of false confession to establish the scope of how specific vulnerabilities may increase the risk of false confession and wrongful conviction. To address this gap, our study uses a quantitative approach to analyze data from the National Registry of Exonerations (NRE). Our research aim is to examine the case summaries of all 455 documented NRE false confession cases to seek evidence of vulnerabilities to false confession, such as juvenile status (below the age of 18), minority status, intellectual impairment, language barriers, psychological disorders, and whether a Miranda warning was given. This research emphasizes the need for more collaboration between researchers and law enforcement to implement evidence-based, humane interrogation practices that protect vulnerable suspects and reduce the risk of wrongful convictions.

Although college students are among the most victimized age groups, they are very unlikely to report a crime witnessed on campus to the proper authorities. This is harmful because in order for police and other campus authorities to intervene and help students, they have to be aware of the crime that is occurring. The goal of this project is to explore the relationship between aspects of social disorganization theory and students’ willingness to report crime when presented with hypothetical scenarios. These predictor variables include social cohesion, campus connectedness, peer loyalty, and feelings towards campus police. Social cohesion on a college campus has to do with how much a student feels they belong to the campus community and how much they trust their fellow students. The hypothesis was that the students who felt a higher level of social cohesion and campus belonging would be more likely to report crime witnessed. Although the sign for the correlation was correct, it relationship was not significant. By contrast, both a linear regression and an ANOVA test found that students’ sentiment towards campus police and religiosity is positively correlated with reporting crime. Additionally, the population of one’s hometown is negatively correlated with reporting crime, and the type of crime witnessed also plays a role – the bigger the hometown, the less inclined students are to report crimes. The main finding amplifies the importance of proper training for university police and their ability to interact positively with students in a variety of situations.

Stress is a general psychological response, yet the contexts that shape its intensity and manifestation can differ vastly between social groups. This study examined stress levels among two distinct high-stress populations—law enforcement officers and gang-affiliated individuals—in order to identify similarities and differences in their responses to various stress-inducing situations. Due to a gap in current literature further comparing these distinct groups, the study is hoping to bridge that gap with further findings. Using a mixed-methods design, we administered a custom questionnaire to 75 participants (25 from each group, including a control group of college students), measuring perceived stress from both general life stressors and group-specific scenarios. Participants rated both their own stress and the expected stress levels of the opposing group using Likert-scale responses. We predict that law enforcement officers and gang members will both have higher stress levels than college students. Additionally, law enforcement and gang members will over-estimate each other's stress levels for each scenario. Findings aims to expand upon existing literature by identifying specific stressors that significantly impact each group, while also exploring potential psychological common ground between groups traditionally viewed in opposition. By highlighting shared human experiences of stress, this research seeks to challenge societal stereotypes and foster greater empathy between disparate communities.