Hit, Hurt, and Distressed: How Violence and Trauma Put Women at Risk of Incarceration

Feminist pathways theorists argue that women and girls have different risk factors then men for entry into the criminal justice system. In particular, there is growing recognition that incarcerated women experience high rates of interpersonal violence (IPV) and that their exposure is often repeated and includes multiple forms of violence.

Shackling Pregnant Women Poses Risks to Mother and Fetus

By Danielle Dallaire, PhD (Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the College of William and Mary) and Rebecca Shlafer, PhD (Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics (Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Health) at the University of Minnesota) Since 1990, the number of women incarcerated in the United States has more than doubled. Although much has […]

In Case You Missed It

In Case You Missed It – June 8, 2015 – Virginia addresses campus sexual violence, APA ACT program in prisons

In this week’s In Case You Missed It (a roundup of articles touching on psychology, health, mental health and social justice issues that we collate from multiple news and commentary websites), we cover how transgender people choose their new names, Virginia’s approach to campus sexual assault, the expansion of APA’s ACT Raising Safe Kids program into prisons and more. […]

In Case You Missed It

In Case You Missed It – May 29, 2015 – Mental illness’ impact on the poor, psychologist to head Cook County Jail

In this week’s In Case You Missed It (a roundup of articles related to psychology, health, mental health and social justice collated from multiple news and commentary websites) we examine the disproportionate impact of mental illness on the poor, the appointment of a clinical psychologist as head of the nation’s second largest jail, Ireland’s historic legalization of same-sex […]

In Case You Missed It

In Case You Missed It – May 15, 2015 – Black girls matter, abuse of mentally ill prisoners, 40 years of bullying research

In this week’s In Case You Missed It (a roundup of articles related to psychology, health, mental health and social justice collated from multiple news and commentary websites) we cover the impact of race and poverty on black girls, the routine physical abuse experienced by mentally ill inmates, the link between chronic depression and risk of stroke […]

In Case You Missed It

In Case You Missed It – News Roundup – March 27, 2015

Welcome to In Case You Missed It, our weekly roundup of articles related to psychology, health and mental health, social justice and the public interest. This week, our stories include what the Germanwings crash tells us about mental health screening of pilots, controversial anti-gay legislation signed by the Indiana Governor, the emotional impact of college admissions […]

Cruel and (Un)usual Punishment: The Treatment of Transgender Prisoners

By Sabrina Cox, MA, LMSW Zahara Green is a 25-year-old transgender woman who was placed in an all-male prison in May 2012. According to Green, she was targeted by another inmate, Darryl Ricard, immediately upon entering general population at Rogers State Prison in Georgia. Ricard was serving a life sentence for aggravated child molestation, rape, […]

Homeless man sleeping on the sidewalk

How to End the Criminalization of Poverty

This post continues our new blog series on poverty. As our nation reflects on its progress in fighting poverty over the last 50 years, this blog series will highlight how psychology can contribute further to this discussion. By Dionne Jones, PhD (Member, APA Committee on Socioeconomic Status) A New York Times article once stated, “It’s too bad […]