WHAT PREDICTS RELIGIOUS PARTICIPATION AND GIVING? IMPLICATIONS FOR RELIGION IN THE UNITED STATES

In this article, we test whether or not positive/negative sanctioning increases religious behavior. Using data from the 1998 congregational module of the General Social Survey we find that, net of other predictors, immediate positive sanctions (receiving help from the congregation) and immediate negative sanctions (receiving criticism from the congregation) significantly increase the amount of money given by respondents to religious organizations. Our results also indicate that sanctions promised in the future (belief in Heaven and belief in Hell) have little to no effect on religious giving. Furthermore, we find that immediate positive and negative sanctions as well as future negative sanctions predict greater participation in religious organizations, while future positive sanctions show no such effects. The results are discussed in the context of the emerging trend of waning religious involvement in the contemporary United States.     

THE SOUTHERN CULTURE OF HONOR AND VIOLENT ATTITUDES

ABSTRACT

Research on subcultures of violence has mostly focused on the existence of a Southern subculture of violence or a black subculture of violence. Recent theorizing on this topic has addressed many of the deficiencies in this literature and has reframed the issue by developing the notion of a Culture of Honor. Specifically, this perspective argues that if there is a subculture of violence in the U.S., it is most prevalent among Southern white males from rural areas. This study is designed to partially explore the veracity of these claims. Our analysis of GSS data reveals that Southern white males from rural areas are more approving of violence only under certain conditions, some of which may be construed as defensive in nature, and all of which have moderate to low approval ratings to begin with. In other words, when given scenarios in which the overall approval rate from the American public is high, this group is indistinguishable. But when given scenarios where overall approval is moderate to low, this group is more inclined to approve of the use of violence—a finding which we interpret as partially supportive of a subcultural explanation.     

PERCEPTIONS OF SEX OFFENDER REGISTRATION: COLLATERAL CONSEQUENCES AND COMMUNITY EXPERIENCES

ABSTRACT

In the mid-1990s, the Jacob Wetterling Act and Megan's Law were passed, respectively, formalizing the practice of registering sex offenders in publicly accessible, state-wide databases. The laws were passed in an effort to prevent recidivism of sex offenders and to promote community awareness of convicted sex offenders living in communities. However, the creation of these registries have led to numerous unforeseen collateral consequences for offenders. In qualitative in-depth interviews with registered sex offenders in Jefferson County, Kentucky, respondents reported experiencing difficulties with employment and relationships, instances of harassment, stigmatization, and persistent feelings of vulnerability, all of which they believed were attributable to their status as registered sex offenders. The collateral consequences reported by sex offenders are consistent with those reported for felons in past research. However, the extent to which sex offenders experienced these consequences appears to be greater and more intense.     

Agenda building during activist shareholder campaigns

Guided by agenda–building theory, the relationships among corporate information subsidies and financial media coverage in the 25 largest activist shareholder campaigns in the U.S. stock market over a five-year period (2005–2009) were examined. The results indicate that the issue priorities displayed in both news releases and shareholder letters were generally linked with news content. The results of cross-lag analyses suggest that mutual two-way influence—rather than a unidirectional influence of information subsidies on the news—was the norm during these contests. Agenda building appears to be a contributing factor in successful campaign outcomes.     

Who Enrolls in Teen Parent Education Programs? An Emphasis on Personal and Familial Characteristics and Services Received

This study describes personal and familial characteristics of 58 teenage mothers enrolled in Mama Club, a free community-based teen parent education program. It also identifies types of services and support participants received and program elements perceived to be important for attending Mama Club. Most participants were raised single-parent households (55.0 %), reported having mothers who were teenage parents (64.8 %), were impoverished (86.0 %), not enrolled in school (54.5 %), and unemployed (81.8 %). Participants primarily received assistance from Medicaid (86.5 %), Food Stamps (67.3 %), and family members (40.0 %); only 5.5 % received money from their child’s father. Teen parent education programs should educate parenting teenagers about available assistance programs and involve diverse community partners to establish a seamless referral system.     

Associations among trauma,depression, and alcohol use profiles and treatment motivation and engagement in college students

ABSTRACT

Objective: This study examined how profiles of alcohol use and symptoms of common mental health disorders (depression and posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD]) influenced the perceived need for and actual seeking of different types of treatment (for alcohol versus psychological distress) in college student drinkers. Participants: Undergraduate students (n = 164) were assessed between September 2009 and August 2015. Methods: We classified students into different symptom profiles using model-based clustering and compared these profiles on a variety of variables. Results: The cluster model yielded three profiles: Low Risk (n = 66), Concomitant (n = 35), and Heavy Drinking (n = 63). Students in these profiles significantly differed in alcohol consumption, alcohol-related cognitions and problems, and perceptions of need and prior engagement in treatment. Conclusion: A variety of strategies can be used to engage students experiencing heavy drinking and/or mental health problems into treatment on campus.     

A Paradox of Bias: Racial Differences in Forensic Psychiatric Diagnosis and Determinations of Criminal Responsibility

Although there is substantial evidence that African Americans receive unequal treatment in both the healthcare and criminal justice systems, less research has investigated the role of race when these two systems converge. Here, we examine the influence of race on patterns of forensic psychiatric diagnosis and determinations of criminal responsibility in pre-trial correctional facilities (e.g., forensic psychiatric hospitals). Data are from a medical chart review of 129 randomly selected competency evaluations that occurred in a pre-trial correctional psychiatric facility. Consistent with previous research, findings indicate that African Americans are disproportionately diagnosed with highly stigmatized psychotic spectrum disorders relative to whites. In addition, they unexpectedly indicate that African Americans are significantly more likely than whites to be found not criminally responsible by the court-appointed evaluating mental health professional, controlling for sociodemographic characteristics, number of violent and non-violent charges, and other potential confounding variables. Mediation analysis reveals the important and previously undocumented finding that the effect of race on criminal responsibility determinations is fully mediated by differential diagnosis. This suggests that patterns of racial inequality and potential bias in the diagnostic process may confer medical resources and other benefits for African Americans in the context of the criminal justice system.     

自由与法制——兼评“法制与理想自由之间存在内在联系”

文章围绕消极自由概念,厘清了相对于积极自由的消极自由、相对于共和主义自由的消极自由以及道义自由与人身自由的区分;在此基础上,分析了尼格.西蒙自由概念的不足之处,以及他关于法律与理想自由之间存在内在联系这一自然法主张的缺陷。