(Press-News.org) EAST LANSING, Mich. --- As the female prison population grows, a new study funded partly by the National Science Foundation says more should be done to help women probationers and parolees in poor urban areas remain crime-free.
A team of Michigan State University criminologists found black women on probation and parole feel they have little choice but to isolate themselves in their homes or risk getting caught up in the type of criminal activity that got them in trouble in the first place.
Probation and parole officers, case managers and others should help the women find housing in safer areas and provide access to resources to help them stay clean, sober and stable. That could be something as simple as transportation to a mental health or substance abuse treatment meeting, said Jennifer Cobbina, lead author on the study and assistant professor of criminal justice.
On a larger scale, it means reinvesting in low-income communities and confronting discriminatory housing policies and other barriers to living in positive environments faced by racial minorities, she said.
"Women offenders living in communities where they are socially isolated and economically disadvantaged face incredible difficulties in staying clean, sober and crime-free," Cobbina said.
The female prison population in the United States spiked 646 percent from 1980 to 2010, driven largely by drug offenses. By 2010, there were 112,000 women in state and federal prison, which represented 7 percent of the prison population – up from 4 percent in 1980.
Blacks are six times more likely than whites to return to prison and seven times more likely to return to custody for breaking parole, Cobbina said.
The researchers surveyed more than 400 women on probation and parole for felony convictions in Michigan. They found black women were more likely to live in crime-ridden urban areas and as a result isolate themselves to the point of avoiding relatives.
"They wanted to stay away from everyone because they felt like if they let their guard down and associated with others, it increased their likelihood of getting in trouble with the law," Cobbina said.
But isolation limits the women's ability to participate fully in public life and decreases the chances they can engage in positive relationships and networks, Cobbina said.
INFORMATION:
Cobbina's co-authors for the study, which appears in the research journal Race and Justice, are Merry Morash, professor of criminal justice; Deborah Kashy, professor of psychology; and Sandi Smith, professor of communication.
The study is also funded partly by the MSU Foundation.
More should be done for female parolees
2014-04-15
[Attachments] See images for this press release:
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
When identity marketing backfires: Consumers don't like to be told what they like
2014-04-15
When choosy moms choose Jif peanut butter and sports fans who call themselves sports fans subscribe to DirecTV, identity marketing is hard at work. But what happens when this type of advertising misses the mark? According to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research, when a person's sense of ownership and freedom is threatened they are less likely to respond positively to identity marketing campaigns.
"While people may be drawn to brands that fit their identity, they are also more likely to desire a sense of ownership and freedom in how they express that identity. ...
Sibling cooperation in earwig families gives clues to early evolution of social behavior
2014-04-15
Looking at the question of how social behavior has developed over the course of evolution, scientists from the universities in Mainz and Basel have gained new insights from the study of earwigs. "Young earwig offspring don't simply compete for food. Rather the siblings share what is available amongst themselves, especially when the mother is absent," explained Dr. Joël Meunier of the Evolutionary Biology section of the Institute of Zoology at Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz (JGU). The team of biologists from Mainz University and the University of Basel investigated ...
Charitable donation discrepancies: Why are some countries more generous than others?
2014-04-15
When it comes to charitable giving, some countries open their collective wallets more than others. According to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research, people who live in countries that promote equality in power and wealth are more likely to donate money than those who live in societies that expect and accept inequality.
"Our research examines whether cultural values can explain the different levels of charitable giving between different countries," write authors Karen Page Winterich (Pennsylvania State University) and Yinlong Zhang (University of Texas, San ...
Chew on this: How does food texture impact its perceived calorie content?
2014-04-15
Food is an intimately personal thing; we savor some tastes and despise others. But how does the way we chew and eat our food impact our overall consumption? According to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research, people perceive foods that are either hard or have a rough texture to have fewer calories.
"We studied the link between how a food feels in your mouth and the amount we eat, the types of food we choose, and how many calories we think we are consuming," write authors Dipayan Biswas, Courtney Szocs (both University of South Florida), Aradhna Krishna (University ...
Consumer predictions: Do categories matter when predicting the lottery or stock market?
2014-04-15
From sports to the stock market and even winning the lottery, it's in our nature to predict who or what will come out on top. But, sometimes we can't see the forest for the trees. According to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research, people are more likely to make a prediction about something when it is grouped in a large category of similar items.
"One factor that can contribute to a person's flawed judgment is categorization," write authors Mathew S. Isaac (Seattle University) and Aaron R. Brough (Utah State University). "When making a prediction, we can become ...
Can refined categorization improve prediction of patient survival in RECIST 1.1
2014-04-15
In a recent analysis by the RECIST Working Group published in the European Journal of Cancer, EORTC researchers had explored whether a more refined categorization of tumor response or various aspects of progression could improve prediction of overall survival in the RECIST database. They found that modeling target lesion tumor growth did not improve the prediction of overall survival above and beyond that of the other components of progression. The RECIST Working Group includes the EORTC, the United States National Cancer Institute, and the National Cancer Institute of ...
New method isolates immune cells for researchers to study how they ward off oral diseases
2014-04-15
Case Western Reserve University dental researchers have found a less invasive way to extract single rare immune cells from the mouth to study how the mouth's natural defenses ward off infection and inflammation.
By isolating some specialized immune cells (white blood cells known as "leukocytes") to study how they fight diseases in the mouth—or reject foreign tissues, such as in failed organ transplants—researchers hope to learn more about treating and preventing such health issues as oral cancers, cardiovascular disease, AIDS and other infectious diseases.
To this point, ...
Study: Deforestation could intensify climate change in Congo Basin by half
2014-04-15
By 2050, deforestation could cause temperatures in the Congo Basin to increase by 0.7 °C. The increase would intensify warming caused by greenhouse gases by half, according to a study by researchers at the University of Leuven, Belgium.
Explosive population growth and inefficient agricultural practices are causing large-scale destruction of tropical rainforests in Central Africa. A team of researchers from the University of Leuven examined how these practices will affect longer-term temperatures in the region. Using a sophisticated computer model, they forecasted Congo ...
Saturn's rings reveal how to make a moon
2014-04-15
Disturbances in the icy rings of Saturn have given scientists an insight into how moons are made.
Writing in the journal Icarus this week, Professor Carl Murray from Queen Mary's Astronomy Unit reports that recently discovered disturbances at the very edge of Saturn's outer bright A ring result from a small icy object that formed within the ring and which may be in the process of migrating out of it. They have nicknamed the object, 'Peggy'.
"We hadn't seen anything like this before," explained Professor Murray. "We may be looking at the act of birth, where this object ...
A screening process for early identification of infants at risk of autism
2014-04-15
The aim of this study was to develop a screening tool to identify infants prior to 12 months at risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and developmental learning delay (DLD) and provide immediate determination of risk for autism spectrum disorder. The importance of early detection and treatment for children with ASD has been well documented. Since 2006, the American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended routine screening measures for toddlers at risk for ASD at 18 and 24 months of age, however the authors of this study were not aware of any screening questionnaires available ...