Studying Sex to Understand Sexual Assault

This book review explores Sexual Citizens: A Landmark Study of Sex, Power, and Assault on Campus by Jennifer S. Hirsch and Shamus Khan, and describes the complicated nature of sexual experiences as an undergraduate.

Reconsidering Police in Schools

In this article on School Police Officers (SPOs), we showcase the link between SPOs and exacerbated racial disparities in justice involvement and youth being driven deeper into criminal justice systems. Yet SPOs have been linked with increased arrests for non-criminal, youthful behavior, fueling the school-to-prison pipeline. It is important to note that the presence of SPOs is notably higher in schools with higher percentages of Black or Latino youth. Singling out the concerning and ever-widening reach of the justice system, SPOs are frequently given authority to intervene when non-criminal school rules are broken. By engaging mostly in law enforcement tactics, such as arrests, rather than education and mentorship programs that can act as preventative measures to rule-breaking at school, SPO presence often results in overall harsher punishments and increased arrests for youth non-criminal behavior. These policing practices “disproportionately expose children of color to the justice system at a young age [and] are correlated with a higher likelihood of incarceration as an adult”. Given the long term consequences associated with a single arrest—increased likelihood of dropping out and long-term consequences in obtaining adequate employment—we present policy recommendations to help rethink investments toward the types of approaches that are more likely to make schools safe and away from SPO involvement. These include using counselors, social workers and teachers, and alternative and restorative justice practices to address problematic behavior in schools.

Why Two Reviews are Still not Enough

An introduction to a mini symposium on Jennifer Hirsch’s and Shamus Khan’s Sexual Citizens: A Landmark Study of Sex, Power, and Assault on Campus

Diversity Signaling For HBCU Survival

Diversity at HBCUs, Black indigeneity and inequality in mexico, and sports, antiracism efforts, and public opinion. New research from the journals.

Abortion Bans and College Drop-Outs

What seems like a resounding victory for pro-life advocates will have an unintended consequence: derailing the educational plans of millions of Americans—women and men.

Changing Prisons to Help People Change

It is important to consider the conditions of prison life in understanding how individuals rejoin society at the conclusion of their sentence. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is an evidence-based approach that promotes new ways of thinking and behaving for both incarcerated persons and correctional staff that will better prepare returning citizens to be valuable community members. We consider that “since criminal behavior is driven partly by certain thinking patterns that predispose individuals to commit crimes or engage in illegal activities, the widespread implementation of CBT [and immersive cognitive communities] as part of correctional programming could lead to fewer re-arrests and lower likelihood of reincarceration.” This article includes short, intermediate, and long-term policy and practice recommendations to begin implementing this model, beginning with funding to support the implementation of Cognitive Communities, re-branding prisons to focus on rehabilitation, and finally making the reduction of prison-sentencing through shorter prison terms and more reliance on community sanctions a long-term policy goal in the U.S.

Socioeconomic Patterns Among Sexual Minorities

Previous research has often overlooked socioeconomic diversity among LGB people even though socioeconomic status is deeply intertwined with sexual minority status. Research methods that identify sexual minorities by their relationships do not represent the socioeconomically diverse conditions experienced by LGB people. Better identification methods in survey studies can help create more accurate research and policies that more adequately serve the needs of sexual minority populations and promote equality.

Women of Color’s Reproductive Perils Reproduced

Last year, women detained at a Georgia ICE detention center accused a doctor of conducting various hysterectomies that were unwanted or without consent. These allegations echo past sterilization abuses on women of color and challenge us to recall some historical accounts of women's sterilization in Black and Brown communities in America, including eugenics programs targeting poor women of color. When particularly examining the women's reproductive health in the carceral system, there are direct conflicts between providing proper healthcare and human rights protections and the economic interests of privately operated detention centers. This essay reviews these concerns and recommends changes from government and carceral facilities.

The Social Roots of Sexual Violence

In their book, Sexual Citizens: A Landmark Study of Sex, Power, and Assault on Campus, Jennifer S. Hirsch and Shamus Khan seek to understand why campus sexual assault happens and what can be done to prevent it in the future by identifying its social roots. The book approaches sexual assault from an ecological public health perspective, but I think at its core, I think it is also an argument for dismantling power disparities within institutions.

Rethinking Prisoner Reentry

With a focus on reentry after prison, we formulate an evidence-supported action plan for enhancing transitions from prison to society that focuses on increasing independence, reducing racial and ethnic disparities, and achieving public safety. Prisoner re-entry is a critical piece of any racial justice agenda as the lack of education or vocational training within carcer institutions impose barriers to job opportunities that, coupled with societal stigmas, often make reintegration extremely challenging. Noting that changes in policies with significant potential to improve reentry outcomes extend beyond federal agencies traditionally involved in the administration of justice, we include ways to reduce reentry barriers such as housing, education, employment, health, and political rights. The paper is divided into short, medium and long-term recommendations. The short-term recommendations pertain to existing funding streams and discretionary authority regarding administrative rules and regulations, funding decisions, and rule enforcement. Medium-term recommendations involve the creation of new legislation, infrastructure, and funding appropriations. In the long-term, recommendations include changes in laws to achieve fundamental re-orientations of existing policy frameworks, and approaches that require substantial new funding appropriations.