When Opportunity Matters: Comparing the Risk‐Taking Attitudes of Prisoners and Recently Released Ex‐Prisoners

Risk‐taking tendencies and environmental opportunities to commit crime are two key features in understanding criminal behavior. Upon release from prison, ex‐prisoners have a much greater opportunity to engage in risky activity and to commit criminal acts. We hypothesized that ex‐prisoners would exhibit greater risk‐taking tendencies compared to prisoners who have fewer opportunities to engage in risky activity and who are monitored constantly by prison authorities. Using cumulative prospect theory to compare the risky choices of prisoners and ex‐prisoners our study revealed that ex‐prisoners who were within 16 weeks of their prison release made riskier choices than prisoners. Our data indicate that previous studies comparing prisoners behind bars with nonoffenders may have underestimated the risk‐taking tendencies of offenders. The present findings emphasize the central role played by risk‐taking attitudes in criminal offending and highlight a need to examine offenders after release from prison.     

“Getting pregnant might make me seem more normal to them”: Attitudes,experiences, and gendered nuances regarding pregnancy and parenting among youths experiencing homelessness

Homelessness among youths exacerbates an array of challenging life experiences, notable examples of which are pregnancy and parenting. Research is lacking on young men’s attitudes and experiences, and also the influences which homeless youths’ gender identities and sexualities may have on their pregnancy and parenting outcomes and trajectories. This study qualitatively explores gender differentials, including youths’ gender identities and sexual orientations, with regard to their attitudes and experiences of pregnancy and parenting while homeless. Qualitative data were obtained from interviews with a diverse sample of 30 female, male, and transgender homeless youths, ages 18 to 21. Findings revealed that topics of pregnancy and parenting represent a wide range of complexities, different standards, and threats for homeless youths. Although pregnancy is often viewed positively within this community, it is received and experienced differently for each gender and sexuality. Results demonstrate that youths’ unimpeded access to and knowledge of all available reproductive and sexual health care services is essential. These services must be designed and delivered for youths of all gender identities and sexual orientations. Interventions and resources on parenting and co-parenting, particularly models that more inclusively engage a greater diversity of young parents’ involvement, are also urgently needed.     

International Migration: Virtue or Vice? Perspectives from Cameroon

This article argues that both global and national power differences play a crucial role in shaping local imaginaries of international migration among youths in two Cameroonian cities—Bamenda and Yaoundé. While Yaoundé is the national capital, Bamenda is the headquarters of the Anglophone north-west, an area generally opposed to the ruling regime and claiming historical as well as contemporary political marginalisation. Physical mobility has long been associated with social mobility and viewed rather positively. In both areas more critical perspectives on international migration are emerging. This is reflected in differences in envisioned destinations as well as in terminologies and concepts. Thus, in Yaoundé ‘the dangers of illegal migration’ have become the topic of the day—a theme publicised by international organisations in collaboration with local NGOs. Conversely, youths in Bamenda consciously compare their conceptualisations of the advantages and disadvantages of life abroad on the basis of imparted experiences of migrant family members and friends. These discourses influence not only youths' perception of different forms of migrancy but also their assessment of their future in Cameroon. International migration is thus viewed in a broad discursive spectrum from virtue to vice, and perceptions are shaped by regional, national and international political discourse.     

Understanding the Relationship between Income and Health: How Much Can be Gleaned from Cross‐sectional Data?

The aim of this paper is to develop a better understanding of the relationship between income and health using a cross-sectional survey of the general British population. It is divided into two parts. First, it examines a number of methodological inconsistencies in the existing literature and assesses their consequences for the inferences that can be drawn about the income–health association. These issues include: the measurement of income and its functional form; health selection; and the role of confounders. Second, it explores the relative strength of the income–health association in contrast to that of other socioeconomic measures. The relationship between income and health is complex. However, having taken into account a range of methodological problems, income is still significantly associated with health. The association appears to be non-linear and is attenuated but not removed by controlling for health selection effects. The inclusion of a wide range of confounders into models of income and health reduces the association between them, but does not make it insignificant. In comparison to other socioeconomic measures, income appears to be a better discriminator of health status than education or occupation. However, tenure and car ownership seem to be at least as good if not better than current income.     

Prevention in integrated children's services: the impact of sure start on referrals to social services and child protection registrations

Every Child Matters, the English government's plans for integrated children's services, proposed that preventative approaches such as those developed through Sure Start should be able to reduce the numbers of children requiring more intensive support from children's social services and, by implication, the numbers of children on the child protection register. This study examined the impact of Sure Start local programmes (SSLPs) on four local authorities with social services responsibilities in the northeast of England. The researchers analysed routinely collected statistical data concerning over 10,000 referrals of children under four years and over 1,600 child protection registrations (CPRs) in an eight‐year period before and after the introduction of 19 SSLPs. They also analysed interviews with 36 key informants in eight case study SSLP areas. Contrary to expectations, the quantitative data revealed no discernable short‐term effect on the numbers of referrals, or on CPRs. Interview data showed broad agreement on the potential impact of preventative work undertaken by SSLPs and many respondents believed that it was too early to draw conclusions. Alternatively, the universal approach to prevention within the Sure Start areas and the attempts to provide non‐stigmatising and non‐intrusive community‐based services may be ineffective in reducing the need for intensive support for ‘at risk’ families. The findings are discussed in relation to ‘targeted’ prevention programmes and government policy intentions. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Dimensionality and Gender Differential Item Functioning of the Mini Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (MiniAQLQ)

The present study investigated the factorstructure and item analysis of the Mini AsthmaQuality of Life Questionnaire (MiniAQLQ) in asample of 258 community-dwelling asthmaticadults between the ages of 16 and 87 years. The mean age was 56 years for males (N = 99) and50 years for females (N = 159). This studycompared the fit of three factor solutionsusing a maximum likelihood confirmatory factoranalysis. Based on the fit indices, supportwas found for a hierarchical factor structurewith a second-order factor of quality of lifeand four first-order factors of symptoms,activity limitation, emotional function andenvironmental stimuli. Given that the data fitan essentially unidimensional model, genderdifferential item functioning (DIF) wasexplored using Zumbo's (1999) ordinal logisticregression method with corresponding logisticregression effect size estimators. Aftermatching males and females on the underlyingvariable of quality of life, gender DIF wasfound on the cigarette smoke and weather or air pollution items. Thesefindings indicate that gender influences how anindividual endorses these particular items onthe MiniAQLQ.     

The Empowering Potential of Reformist Urban Activism in Czech Cities

Since the late 2000s, activists involved in conflicts over urban space and municipal budgets in a number of Czech cities have had an increasing tendency to enter the formal political realm in order to disrupt non-transparent ties between politicians and private business, and to narrow the gap between public administration and citizens. According to critical urban theorists, similar reformist strategies tend to end up co-opted by the status quo and are ineffective in ending neoliberal urbanization. This paper shows that in a context affected by the communist past and a long tradition of non-participatory political culture, the transformative potential of radical approaches may be diminished, whereas reformist strategies, such as increasing government transparency and institutionalizing participatory practices, can be more productive in terms of taming haphazard development and the extraction of municipal assets, and even the potential to reduce the democratic deficit within their cities.     

Offenders’ Risk‐Taking Attitude Inside and Outside the Prison Walls

It has long been assumed that risk taking is closely associated with criminal behavior. One reason for placing criminals behind bars—aside from punishment and protecting the public—is to prevent them from engaging in further risky criminal activities. Limited attention has been paid to whether being inside or outside prison affects offenders’ risk‐taking behaviors and attitudes. We compared risk‐taking behaviors and attitudes in five risk domains (ethical, financial, health/safety, recreational, social) among 75 incarcerated offenders (i.e., offenders who are currently in prison) and 45 ex‐offenders (i.e., offenders who have just been released from prison). Ex‐offenders reported higher likelihood of engaging in risky behavior, driven largely by a willingness to take more risks in the recreational and ethical domains. Benefits attributed to risk taking as well as risk perception did not differ between incarcerated and ex‐offenders, indicating that the opportunity to take risks might underlie behavioral risk intentions. Our results also indicate that risk‐taking activities are better predicted by the expected benefits rather than by risk perception, aside from the health/safety domain. These results highlight the importance of studying the person and the environment and examining risk taking in a number of content domains.