Suicidology: a victimology perspective

In this brief essay, I have tried to show that the discipline of victimology, when applied to suicidal behavior, suggests new questions for researchers to address, including survivor surveys to identify who the survivors really are and what is the role of the survivor in the suicide-survivor interpersonal dynamic.     

When Money is not Enough: Reggae,Dancehall, and Policy in Jamaica

This study highlights another disjuncture in the internationalization of the creative industries policy discourse, a postcolonial disjuncture. Despite reggae’s global popularity and the Jamaican government’s adoption of creative industries discourse, policies supporting the music industry remain lacking. This article demonstrates that economic value alone is not always enough to make a creative sector worthy of policy support, even after adoption of creative industries discourse. The sociocultural history and position of the creative sector are equally important. This article, by highlighting the social and cultural embeddedness of creative sectors, questions the social inclusion benefit assumed of creative industries-led development.     

Mental illness in the eyes of the law: examining perceptions of stigma among judges and attorneys

In response to the increasing numbers of mentally ill persons placed under the care of correctional institutions, community-based diversion programs have been established to address the unique needs and challenges of this vulnerable population. Given that legal personnel may serve as gatekeepers in placement decisions, and the lack of existing research examining their attitudes toward offenders with mental illness, the present study aimed to evaluate perceptions of dangerousness and treatment need among a sample of judges, prosecutors, and public defenders across the state of Mississippi. While controlling for age, results of a factorial MANCOVA revealed that public defenders, relative to both judges and prosecutors, endorsed more compassionate attitudes about defendants with mental illnesses. Furthermore, political ideology did not significantly influence attitudes toward mentally ill offenders. While judges and prosecutors endorsed more negative stereotypes about mental illness and perceived mentally ill defendants as a greater risk to the community, mean scores across groups suggested moderately positive attitudes overall. Study limitations, implications for correctional mental health providers, and directions for future research are discussed.