The “STICKINESS” of stigma: Guilt by association after a friend's arrest

Prior research has examined the consequences of one's police contact, but the consequences of vicarious police contact are not as well known. This study expands on labeling theory and the concept of “stickiness” by assessing whether a friend's arrest increases the likelihood of one's police contact. Using a sample of rural youth (N = 13,170), I find that a friend's arrest is associated with an increase in the likelihood of one's first arrest the next year after accounting for other predictors of police contact. Based on my theoretical framework, I interpret this finding as “guilt by association.” In addition, ending relationships with friends who have been arrested does not significantly impact this relationship. This study concludes that police contact may be harmful for a youth's social network and builds on the concept of stickiness by suggesting that stigma not only sticks from one individual to another but may also stay despite efforts to end one's association with the arrested individual. The study expands on preexisting research on the consequences of adolescent police contact by introducing a friend's police contact as a way in which an individual may be more likely to become involved in the justice system.     

农村留守妇女问题研究述评

本文对国内学者在留守妇女的产生原因、经济与社会地位的变化、婚姻状况以及生存状况方面的研究进行系统梳理,在此基础上提出可以进一步研究制度背景下的留守妇女为何没有形成集体认同感、留守妇女如何打破"符号暴力"等问题.     

Employer aversion to criminal records: An experimental study of mechanisms

The mark of a criminal record is clearly harmful for employment. The reasons for employer aversion, however, are not well established even though legal, policy, and scholarly responses rely on particular explanations. We propose that explanations for aversion often fit under a repetition risk framework in which employers use records as neutral sources of information about prior illegal activity and make decisions to minimize risk of similar future conduct. A second explanation is stigma, in which the records themselves, independent of conduct, trigger stereotypes, status loss, and discrimination. Using an experimental employer survey, we find that employers evaluate applicants with records more negatively than they do applicants with similar behavior signaled through non-criminal-justice sources (e.g., social media); this effect remains after accounting for predictions about future conduct. It is also most apparent among higher status jobs rather than among manual labor jobs, and it persists after adjusting for firm-level and legal constraints. We conclude that aversion reflects not only repetition risk but also the stigma of criminal justice contact. Insofar as criminal record screening is not exclusively a form of rational risk management, this finding may lead to altered assessments of the benefits of screening relative to the costs of perpetuating inequality produced by the criminal justice system.     

Exploring Language Dominance,English Literacy and Life Satisfaction Among Dominican Children of Immigrant Parents

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this pilot study was to explore language dominance and English language literacy, and examine the effects of an intervention focused on facilitating English language acquisition among Dominican children. Eighteen first and second generation Dominican children, ages 7–11, participated in a school based after school literacy language immersion program. Following participation in the literacy language immersion intervention, participants demonstrated an increase in school satisfaction and improvements in English literacy levels. This article makes recommendations for the provision of school-based programs that focus on the specific needs of Latino students associated with Spanish language dominance.     

Managing communication surrounding tungiasis stigma in Kenya

ABSTRACT

Tungiasis is a neglected parasitic skin disease widespread in resource-poor communities in sub-Saharan Africa, South America and the Caribbean. Stigmatisation of tungiasis sufferers has been identified as a key reason why tungiasis frequently progresses untreated in many parts of the world, however little research has investigated the specifics of tungiasis stigma or the communication strategies sufferers use to manage stigmatization. This article reports results of focus group and in-depth interviews regarding strategies used to manage tungiasis stigma from the perspective of persons living with tungiasis in Murang'a County, Kenya. Most frequently mentioned were withdrawal tactics. Participants also engaged in refutation strategies to deny responsibility for their condition. Implications for stigma management communication theory are discussed.     

Brokering Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity: Chilean Lawyers and Public Interest Litigation Strategies

Rights gains for members of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) populations in Chile have been highly contentious since democratisation, indicative of the stigmatisation directed towards non‐normative gender and sexual identities. This article addresses the role of activist lawyers pursuing LGBTI rights cases through the courts, and draws on McAdam and colleagues' (2001) concept of a ‘broker’ to examine the lawyers' roles in linking previously unconnected sites within the judiciary and further afield. The analysis draws these processes together through interactionist perspectives of meaning‐making and how they relate to stigma, deviancy and identity.     

The unintended consequences of campaigns designed to challenge stigmatising representations of mental illness in the media

The media is widely recognised as contributing to stigma associated with mental illness by portraying it in connection with violence and/or undesirable traits. In response, campaigns directed at policing language use, imagery and story content in the media have been implemented. But these interventions can themselves perpetuate stereotypes and assumptions that ultimately run counter to the original intent of challenging stigma. By way of illustration this paper analyses an Australian campaign that I argue invites people to see stigma in innocuous uses of ordinary language and imagery, effectively associating mental illness with that which it seeks to challenge. The grounds for its criticism and praise of stories about mental illness are also often tenuous and based on a limited approach to determining the impact of story content. The pitfalls of this type of campaign can be avoided by taking heed of the shifts in thinking advocated by postpsychiatry and the deconstructionist strategies employed by activists in the mental health field.     

Stigma and discrimination in mentally disordered offender patients – a comparison with a non-forensic population

High levels of stigma and discrimination are reported by individuals with mental health problems. Aim: To assess self-reported levels of stigma and discrimination in forensic psychiatric patients, with psychotic illness, compared with general adult psychiatric patients with psychosis. Hypothesis: Individuals with a history of violent offending, as well as severe mental illness, report more stigma and discrimination, than non offender patients, as a result of them being perceived as dangerous and unpredictable. Method: Experiences of stigma and discrimination were compared in 32 forensic and 32 non-forensic general psychiatric patients, with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, using the Stigma and Discrimination Scale (DISC). Results: Stigma and discrimination were widely reported by all patients, particularly affecting relationships with family, intimate relationships and friendships. No significant difference emerged between the forensic and non-forensic patients, in experienced or anticipated stigma. Conclusions: We suggest that the lower level of psycho pathology, longer inpatient stays and intensive rehabilitation for forensic patients may reduce the extent to which these patients experience stigma and discrimination.