This is a composition of information derived from the research conducted to produce each episode of Nefarious. As part of my final thesis project for my undergraduate degrees in criminal justice and forensic psychology, I created a podcast on the topic of true crime with an academic approach titled Nefarious. Each episode of Nefarious examines a particular case in relation to some academic theme learned throughout my educational career at Arizona State University. Episode one examines the life and crimes of Richard Ramirez and different criminological theories that could be used to explain his behavior. Episode two looks at the case of Brock Turner and Chanel Miller and focuses on the larger problem of rape culture in America and sexual assault on college campuses. In episode three the case of the Central Park Five is detailed in relation to false confessions and wrongful convictions within the legal system. Episode four is centered around Kyle Rittenhouse and the use of self-defense as a legal defense in the justice system as well as the political atmosphere surrounding this case. The fifth episode explores three cases of police brutality against racial minorities and the history of police in America. The final episode of Nefarious covers the life and crimes of Jeffrey Dahmer and analyzes such actions from a forensic psychology approach.

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 a composition of information derived from the research conducted to produce each episode of Nefarious. As part of my final thesis project for my undergraduate degrees in criminal justice and forensic psychology, I created a podcast on the topic of true crime with an academic approach titled Nefarious. Each episode of Nefarious examines a particular case in relation to some academic theme learned throughout my educational career at Arizona State University. Episode one examines the life and crimes of Richard Ramirez and different criminological theories that could be used to explain his behavior. Episode two looks at the case of Brock Turner and Chanel Miller and focuses on the larger problem of rape culture in America and sexual assault on college campuses. In episode three the case of the Central Park Five is detailed in relation to false confessions and wrongful convictions within the legal system. Episode four is centered around Kyle Rittenhouse and the use of self-defense as a legal defense in the justice system as well as the political atmosphere surrounding this case. The fifth episode explores three cases of police brutality against racial minorities and the history of police in America. The final episode of Nefarious covers the life and crimes of Jeffrey Dahmer and analyzes such actions from a forensic psychology approach.