A D Garza
Biographic Data
| ID | 6030807 |
|---|---|
| NAME | A D Garza |
| GIVEN NAMES | A D |
| FAMILY NAME | Garza |
| SIGNATURE | GARZA A D |
| AFFILIATIONS | Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX, USA |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-2197-5662 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 12 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 6 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 12 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2020 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Through the survivor’s lens
Sexual violence remains one of the most underreported crimes, with survivors often facing disbelief, blame, and systemic barriers when considering disclosure to formal authorities. While focal concerns theory (FCT) has been widely applied to understand legal actors' decision-making, little is known about how survivors themselves perceive these focal concerns and how such perceptions shape reporting decisions. This study addresses this gap by exam…
Intimate Partner Violence Victimization
A growing body of research has applied Felson’s social interactionist theory to understand violent victimization. The theory claims that individuals experiencing stressful life events or negative affective states behave in an aversive demeanor and this behavior motivates others to attack them. Since its inception, however, this framework has not been applied extensively to intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization. Using data collected from t…
Supporting Victims of Sexual Assault
Police undertake a range of decisions following a sexual assault disclosure. Research has not examined the decision to provide service referral information or engage a victim advocate during the formal response. This study used a purposive sample of 436 sexual assault police case files from a large, urban agency to understand how “real rape” mythology and “worthy victim” schemata affected these decisions. Three multivariate binary logistic regres…
Evaluating the impact of sexual assault training on police officers
Police Decisions in a Rape Scenario
This study examined the direct effect of "classic rape" characteristics, and how they were moderated by rape myth endorsement, on the likelihood of arrest, perceived district attorney charge acceptance, and perceived suspect conviction using a formal rape disclosure among a sample of 468 police participants from a sizeable municipal law enforcement agency in one of the fifth largest and most diverse U.S. cities. A randomly assigned, between-subje…
Focal Concerns and Intimate Partner Violence Case Processing
Focal concerns has utility for explaining criminal justice decisions, including among police. At present, there is no research that has examined focal concerns and arrest decisions in non-sexual, intimate partner violence (IPV) cases. This study used a stratified random sample of 776 IPV incidents from an urban police department in one of the five largest and most diverse US cities to assess the effect of focal concerns on arrest. A multivariate …
Providing Support to Victims
Limited research has investigated police service provision and advocate involvement in domestic violence (DV) incidents. This study used a stratified random sample of 368 cases from an urban police department to assess police officers’ decisions to provide service provision and to involve an advocate in formally-reported DV incidents. Multivariate binary logistic regression models revealed decreased suspect age and presence of physical abuse sign…
Latinas in the Criminal Justice System
Situating Institutional Responses to Latina Intimate Partner Violence Victims
Existing critical theoretical frameworks have been useful for understanding institutional responses to intimate partner violence (IPV) among victims of Color. The present theoretical paper extends upon these earlier approaches by using a LatCrit theory and praxis lens to situate institutional responses to Latina IPV victims specifically. Through a LatCrit lens, this essay addresses three interrelated themes that address challenges for Latina IPV …
The Nexus Between Intimate Partner Violence and Stalking
The present study used a stratified random sample of 332 case files from a sizable, urban police department located in one of the five largest and most diverse U.S. cities to examine the effect of previous stalking on arrest decisions among intimate partner violence (IPV) cases. Relevant extralegal and legal case factors were estimated in a multivariate binary logistic regression model to determine correlates of arrest. Findings revealed that pre…
Perceptions of Victim Advocates and Predictors of Service Referral Among Law Enforcement Personnel
Limited research exists on police officers’ service provision for sexual and domestic violence survivors after they formally report. This study used surveys from 452 commissioned officers at an urban police department in one of the five largest and most diverse U.S. cities to examine police perceptions of victim advocates, self-reported frequency of referral, and predictors of service referral among police. Findings revealed officers were relativ…
The Effect of Rape Myth Endorsement on Police Response to Sexual Assault Survivors
The current study used a purposive sample of 517 surveys administered to police officers at one of the five largest and most diverse U.S. cities to assess police adherence to rape myths, while considering demographic, occupational, and neurocognitive predictors. This study also examined rape myth endorsement and self-reported levels of preparedness in responding to sexual assault calls for service. Officer sex and impulsivity were significant pre…
The Effect of Rape Myth Endorsement on Police Response to Sexual Assault Survivors
The current study used a purposive sample of 517 surveys administered to police officers at one of the five largest and most diverse U.S. cities to assess police adherence to rape myths, while considering demographic, occupational, and neurocognitive predictors. This study also examined rape myth endorsement and self-reported levels of preparedness in responding to sexual assault calls for service. Officer sex and impulsivity were significant pre…
Perceptions of Victim Advocates and Predictors of Service Referral Among Law Enforcement Personnel
Limited research exists on police officers’ service provision for sexual and domestic violence survivors after they formally report. This study used surveys from 452 commissioned officers at an urban police department in one of the five largest and most diverse U.S. cities to examine police perceptions of victim advocates, self-reported frequency of referral, and predictors of service referral among police. Findings revealed officers were relativ…
The Nexus Between Intimate Partner Violence and Stalking
The present study used a stratified random sample of 332 case files from a sizable, urban police department located in one of the five largest and most diverse U.S. cities to examine the effect of previous stalking on arrest decisions among intimate partner violence (IPV) cases. Relevant extralegal and legal case factors were estimated in a multivariate binary logistic regression model to determine correlates of arrest. Findings revealed that pre…
Perceptions of Victim Advocates and Predictors of Service Referral Among Law Enforcement Personnel
Limited research exists on police officers’ service provision for sexual and domestic violence survivors after they formally report. This study used surveys from 452 commissioned officers at an urban police department in one of the five largest and most diverse U.S. cities to examine police perceptions of victim advocates, self-reported frequency of referral, and predictors of service referral among police. Findings revealed officers were relativ…
The Effect of Rape Myth Endorsement on Police Response to Sexual Assault Survivors
The current study used a purposive sample of 517 surveys administered to police officers at one of the five largest and most diverse U.S. cities to assess police adherence to rape myths, while considering demographic, occupational, and neurocognitive predictors. This study also examined rape myth endorsement and self-reported levels of preparedness in responding to sexual assault calls for service. Officer sex and impulsivity were significant pre…
Situating Institutional Responses to Latina Intimate Partner Violence Victims
Existing critical theoretical frameworks have been useful for understanding institutional responses to intimate partner violence (IPV) among victims of Color. The present theoretical paper extends upon these earlier approaches by using a LatCrit theory and praxis lens to situate institutional responses to Latina IPV victims specifically. Through a LatCrit lens, this essay addresses three interrelated themes that address challenges for Latina IPV …
Focal Concerns and Intimate Partner Violence Case Processing
Focal concerns has utility for explaining criminal justice decisions, including among police. At present, there is no research that has examined focal concerns and arrest decisions in non-sexual, intimate partner violence (IPV) cases. This study used a stratified random sample of 776 IPV incidents from an urban police department in one of the five largest and most diverse US cities to assess the effect of focal concerns on arrest. A multivariate …
Providing Support to Victims
Limited research has investigated police service provision and advocate involvement in domestic violence (DV) incidents. This study used a stratified random sample of 368 cases from an urban police department to assess police officers’ decisions to provide service provision and to involve an advocate in formally-reported DV incidents. Multivariate binary logistic regression models revealed decreased suspect age and presence of physical abuse sign…
Latinas in the Criminal Justice System
Police Decisions in a Rape Scenario
This study examined the direct effect of "classic rape" characteristics, and how they were moderated by rape myth endorsement, on the likelihood of arrest, perceived district attorney charge acceptance, and perceived suspect conviction using a formal rape disclosure among a sample of 468 police participants from a sizeable municipal law enforcement agency in one of the fifth largest and most diverse U.S. cities. A randomly assigned, between-subje…
Supporting Victims of Sexual Assault
Police undertake a range of decisions following a sexual assault disclosure. Research has not examined the decision to provide service referral information or engage a victim advocate during the formal response. This study used a purposive sample of 436 sexual assault police case files from a large, urban agency to understand how “real rape” mythology and “worthy victim” schemata affected these decisions. Three multivariate binary logistic regres…
Evaluating the impact of sexual assault training on police officers
Intimate Partner Violence Victimization
A growing body of research has applied Felson’s social interactionist theory to understand violent victimization. The theory claims that individuals experiencing stressful life events or negative affective states behave in an aversive demeanor and this behavior motivates others to attack them. Since its inception, however, this framework has not been applied extensively to intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization. Using data collected from t…
Through the survivor’s lens
Sexual violence remains one of the most underreported crimes, with survivors often facing disbelief, blame, and systemic barriers when considering disclosure to formal authorities. While focal concerns theory (FCT) has been widely applied to understand legal actors' decision-making, little is known about how survivors themselves perceive these focal concerns and how such perceptions shape reporting decisions. This study addresses this gap by exam…
Poison control (10 works) · Psychology (10 works) · Criminology (9 works) · Medicine (8 works) · Intimate Partner and Family Violence (7 works) · Medical emergency (7 works) · Suicide prevention (7 works) · Sexual Assault and Victimization Studies (6 works) · Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis (5 works) · Domestic violence (5 works)