Speakers Series
Speaker: Dr. Elijah Anderson, Sterling Professor, Yale University
Date: October 25, 2024Time: 12:30 - 1:30 pm MDT
The ‘Code of the Street’ Revisited
Abstract: Of all the problems besetting the poor inner-city black community, none is more pressing than that of interpersonal violence and aggression. It wreaks havoc daily with the lives of community residents and increasingly spills over into downtown and residential middle- class areas. Muggings, burglaries, carjackings, and drug-related shootings, all of which may leave their victims or innocent bystanders dead, are now common enough to concern all urban and many suburban residents. The inclination to violence springs from the circumstances of life among the ghetto poor—the lack of jobs that pay a living wage, the stigma of race, the fallout from rampant drug use and drug trafficking, and the resulting alienation and lack of hope for the future
This is a virtual event.
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Speaker: Dr. Heith Copes, Distinguished Professor, The University of Alabama at Birmingham
Date: November 22, 2024Time: 12:30 - 1:30 pm MST
Title: Caught In Between: Masculinity and Methamphetamine Use in Rural Alabama
Abstract: Heith Copes, Distinguished Professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, presents findings from a photo-ethnography with people who use methamphetamine in rural Alabama. Using Chico, a 50-year-old, Hispanic man who has used meth for nearly three decades, as an illustrative case, Copes explores how men who use methamphetamine are often “caught in between” two worlds: the violent world of drug use and the traditional world of the working-class. This alienation contributed to Chico presenting himself in two primary ways: as a rebellious, anti-authority menace to outsiders and as a caring, generous friend to insiders. Chico displayed these identities through visual symbols (on his home, property, and body) and through his stories and actions. Although brief, this glimpse into Chicos life highlights the tension that many living on the margins experience as they seek to live up to social expectations.
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Speaker: Dr. Brielle Bryan, Assistant Professor, Rice University
Date: Friday, January 31, 2025Time: 12:30 - 1:30 pm MST
Title: Locked out of Place: An Experimental Study of How Felony Conviction Shapes Residential Opportunity
Abstract: Abstract: U.S. federal law permits landlords to turn prospective tenants away solely on the basis of their criminal history, but whether landlords use such discretion equally for all types of applicants and whether the use of such practices varies across cities is not well known. This talk will discuss early findings from a 40-city audit study designed to assess how much discrimination individuals with felony convictions face in the rental housing market and how the extent of discrimination varies across individual characteristics (e.g., race, gender, marital status), neighborhoods, and U.S. cities.
Abstract: Abstract: U.S. federal law permits landlords to turn prospective tenants away solely on the basis of their criminal history, but whether landlords use such discretion equally for all types of applicants and whether the use of such practices varies across cities is not well known. This talk will discuss early findings from a 40-city audit study designed to assess how much discrimination individuals with felony convictions face in the rental housing market and how the extent of discrimination varies across individual characteristics (e.g., race, gender, marital status), neighborhoods, and U.S. cities.
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Speaker: Dr. Justin Pickett, Professor, University at Albany (State University of New York)
Date: Friday, February 28, 2025Time: 12:30 - 1:30 pm MST
Title: Personal and Altruistic Fear of the Police in the United States
Abstract: How afraid are Americans of the Police? Are there racial divides in policing-related fear? Are civiliamns afraid for themselves—that is, are they fearful that they will fall victim to police mistreatment—or are they worried that others who they care about, such as family members and friends, will be hurt by officers? What explains policing-related fear? What policies might help to reduce Americans’ fear of the police? In this presentation, I will draw on data from national surveys and experiments to provide answers to each of the above questions.
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Speaker: Dr. Evan McCush, Simon Fraser University
Date: Friday, March 28, 2025Time: 12:00 - 1:00 pm MDT followed by lunch at 1:00 at the CCR (HM 1-62)
Title: Challenges in studying the relationship between incarceration and reoffending in British Columbia
Abstract: Recidivism sentencing premiums and similar criminal legal system policies are based on the theoretical idea that increasing the amount of time a person spends in custody compared to their prior sentence will result in that person reducing their level of offending following community reentry. Empirically investigating the merit of these policies is crucial given concerns about incarceration and its effectiveness, cost, politicalization, infringement on freedoms, and reported impact on health and social well-being. However, understanding whether incarceration reduces a person’s level of offending following community reentry is a methodologically challenging question to address due to selection bias. There are five goals to this talk: (1) describe different generations of research on incarceration and reoffending (2) explain how and why within-individual analytic strategies help address issues with selection bias, (3) describe results from a recent paper that examined the relationship between incarceration and reoffending among a sample of persons formerly incarcerated during a period of adolescence (n = 1,719), (4) situate these research findings in the context of the nature of the sample and the state of incarceration practices in British Columbia, and (5) share challenges in reporting on findings that have the potential to be politicized or used to promote the increased use of incarceration.
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Speaker: Dr. Christopher Dum, Associate Professor, Kent State University
Date: Friday, April 25, 2025Time: 12:30 - 1:30 pm MST
Title: “It was a risk, but it was one I was willing to take.” The experiences of moving to be closer to an incarcerated loved one
Abstract: Mass incarceration affects not only the imprisoned, but their families as well. Unfortunately, incarcerated individuals may be placed hundreds or even thousands of miles away from their loved ones. These distances can make visitation sporadic or even impossible, thus negatively impacting social ties and the benefits that come with it.
Some family members attempt to remedy the situation by moving closer to loved ones in prison. While there has been discussion of this phenomenon in larger studies of incarceration, no studies have focused exclusively on relocation. This presentation uses interviews with 9 family members to understand the experience of moving closer to a loved one in prison. By unpacking the journeys, this presentation offers a unique perspective into what incarceration takes away, and what family members will go through to get it back.
Abstract: Mass incarceration affects not only the imprisoned, but their families as well. Unfortunately, incarcerated individuals may be placed hundreds or even thousands of miles away from their loved ones. These distances can make visitation sporadic or even impossible, thus negatively impacting social ties and the benefits that come with it.
Some family members attempt to remedy the situation by moving closer to loved ones in prison. While there has been discussion of this phenomenon in larger studies of incarceration, no studies have focused exclusively on relocation. This presentation uses interviews with 9 family members to understand the experience of moving closer to a loved one in prison. By unpacking the journeys, this presentation offers a unique perspective into what incarceration takes away, and what family members will go through to get it back.
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