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Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 39, No. 4 (December 2012)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• DATING VIOLENCE POLICY: MAKING THE GRADE - Richard Hoefer, Beverly Black, and Mashooq Salehin
• EXPLICATING THE SOCIAL MECHANISMS LINKING ALCOHOL USE BEHAVIORS AND ECOLOGY TO CHILD MALTREATMENT - Bridget Freisthler and Megan R. Holmes PRIVATE PENSION PROTECTIONS SINCE ERISA: THE EXPANDED ROLE OF THE INDIVIDUAL - Karen A. Zurlo
• RECONCILIATION IN A COMMUNITY-BASED RESTORATIVE JUSTICE INTERVENTION - David K. Androff
• "WHERE ARE MY RIGHTS?" COMPROMISED CITIZENSHIP IN MIXED-STATUS MARRIAGE: A RESEARCH NOTE - April M. Schueths
• FEAR VS. FACTS: EXAMINING THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS IN THE U.S. - David Becerra, David K. Androff, Cecilia Ayón, …

"Where Are My Rights?" Compromised Citizenship In Mixed-Status Marriage A Research Note, April M. Schueths

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Immigration policy has shifted its focus from family reunification to strict enforcement of "illegal" immigration. It has become much more difficult for U.S. citizens to adjust their non-citizen spouses' legal status, especially spouses who are undocumented. This paper examines the vulnerabilities of female U.S. citizens married or partnered with undocumented Mexican men. Findings challenge the simplistic notion that marriage with a U.S. citizen creates automatic legalization for undocumented individuals and highlights the creation of a second class citizenry for native-born partners. This study argues that punitive immigration law and policies have profound negative implications for the lives of U.S. citizens.

Perceived Neighborhood Safety And Psychological Distress: Exploring Protective Factors, Jaime Booth, Stephanie L. Ayers, Flavio F. Marsiglia

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

While a growing body of literature has established a relationship between "disordered" neighborhoods and psychological distress, less is known about the specific mechanisms at work. Using data collected in the 2008 Arizona Health Survey (N = 4,196), hierarchal linear regression was conducted to assess both the independent effect of perception of neighborhood safety on psychological distress, as well as the mediating effects of powerlessness, social isolation and mistrust. The findings suggest that the more safe individuals feel in their neighborhood, the less psychological distress they experience (b = 1.07, SE = .17, p < .001). This relationship appears to be partially mediated by feelings of powerlessness, social isolation and mistrust, indicating potential risk and protective factors.

Dating Violence Policy: Making The Grade, Richard Hoefer, Beverly Black, Mashooq Salehin

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Dating violence rates affect an unacceptably high percentage of youth. This paper tests a model to understand the considerable variation in state dating violence policy comprehensiveness. Independent variables in the model are state political culture, partisan control of political institutions, prevalence of dating violence, and median household income. Bivariate results show partial support for preliminary hypotheses. Regression analysis indicates that strength of Democratic Party control of governmental institutions is the only variable in the model that achieved statistical significance. Implications and recommendations for future research are provided.

Explicating The Social Mechanisms Linking Alcohol Use Behaviors And Ecology To Child Maltreatment, Bridget Freisthler, Megan R. Holmes

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper begins to describe and explicate the specific mechanisms by which alcohol use and the alcohol use environment contribute to specific types of child maltreatment. These mechanisms relating alcohol outlet densities to child maltreatment described here include effects on social disorganization, parent's drinking behaviors, and parental supervision. By investigating potential mechanisms, new information could be obtained on the importance and role of alcohol and its availability in the etiology of child maltreatment. This knowledge can be used to further tailor interventions to those conditions most likely to prevent and reduce maltreatment.

Fear Vs. Facts: Examining The Economic Impact Of Undocumented Immigrants In The U.S., David Becerra, David K. Androff, Cecilia Ayón, Jason T. Castillo

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Undocumented immigration has become a contentious issue in the U.S. over the past decade. Opponents of undocumented immigration have argued that undocumented immigrants are a social and financial burden to the U.S. which has led to the passage of drastic and costly policies. This paper examined existing state and national data and found that undocumented immigrants do contribute to the economies of federal, state, and local governments through taxes and can stimulate job growth, but the cost of providing law enforcement, health care, and education impacts federal, state, and local governments differently. At the federal level, undocumented immigrants tend to …

Private Pension Protections Since Erisa: The Expanded Role Of The Individual, Karen A. Zurlo

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Designed to provide security and equity to defined benefit (DB) pension plans, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) became law in 1974. Since that time, the economy has shifted to a more globalized, non-unionized, service-based environment, where defined contribution (DC) plans replaced DB plans as the dominant type of private pension plan. Today workers and retirees bear the burden of managing their pension plans and the associated risks. To protect Americans against the financial risks they face in retirement and ensure greater economic security in old age, targeted financial education, research, and fundamental pension policy reform are required.

Reconciliation In A Community-Based Restorative Justice Intervention, David K. Androff

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Truth and Reconciliation Commissions (TRCs) are among the primary means for promoting reconciliation in communities recovering from violent conflict. However, there is a lack of consensus about what reconciliation means or how it is best achieved. In a qualitative study of the first TRC in the U.S., this research interviewed victims of racial violence who participated in the Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation Commission (GTRC), a community-based restorative justice intervention. Findings reveal that participants conceptualized reconciliation as a multileveled process, that different concepts of reconciliation influenced assessments of the success and limitations of the GTRC, and indicate how community-based restorative interventions …

Social Ties, Social Support, And Collective Efficacy Among Families From Public Housing In Chicago And Baltimore, Rebecca Joyce Kissane, Susan Clampet-Lundquist

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper explores the social ties and capital of women relocating to low-poverty neighborhoods through the Moving to Opportunity program and a "regular mover" group who did not. Findings suggest the low-poverty movers seldom made close ties in their new neighborhoods; they also had fewer childhood friends and exchanged less support than the regular movers. Many, however, welcomed escaping the constant exchange that characterized their former neighborhoods and moved to areas higher in collective efficacy--experiencing neighborhoods rated high in child supervision, facing less conflictual relations with neighbors, and exhibiting greater trust in others-relative to the regular movers.

Review Of Public Mental Health. William W. Eaton, Ed. Reviewed By David Mechanic., David Mechanic

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of William W. Eaton, Ed., Public Mental Health (2012). Oxford, Oxford University Press. $89.99 (hardcover).

Review Of Casino Women: Courage In Unexpected Places. Susan Chandler And Jill B. Jones. Reviewed By Jennifer Zelnick, Jennifer Zelnick

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Susan Chandler & Jill B. Jones, Casino Women: Courage in Unexpected Places (2011). New York: Cornell University Press. $29.95 (hardcover).

Review Of Racial Beachhead: Diversity And Democracy In A Military Town. Carol Lynn Mckibben. Reviewed By Laura S. Abrams., Laura S. Abrams

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Carol Lynn McKibben, Racial Beachhead: Diversity and Democracy in a Military Town (2012). Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. $24.95 (paperback).

Review Of Great American City: Chicago And The Enduring Neighborhood Effect. Robert Sampson. Reviewed By Gwendolyn Y. Purifoye., Gwendolyn Y. Purifoye

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Robert Sampson, Great American City: Chicago and the Enduring Neighborhood Effect (2012). Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press. $27.50 (hardcover).

Review Of Prisoner Reentry At Work: Adding Business To The Mix. Melvin Delgado. Reviewed By Marguerite G. Rosenthal., Marguerite G. Rosenthal

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Melvin Delgado, Prisoner Reentry at Work: Adding Business to the Mix (2012). Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner Publishers. $58 (hardcover).

Index Of Volume Xxxix, 2012

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare Contents of Volume XXXIX-2012

Long Term Care Insurance Beyond The Class Program, Amy Restorick Roberts, David B. Miller, Merl C. "Terry" Hokenstad Jr.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The Community Living Assistance and Supports (CLASS) program, created under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, established a federally-administered, voluntary insurance program that allows for working adults to purchase insurance to cover the cost of long term support services. The CLASS program is the first step towards moving away from a welfare-based system, improving consumer choice, and creating a stable funding source for long term care needs. Enrollees in the CLASS program who meet benefit eligibility requirements and need care assistance will receive a cash benefit to pay for supportive services such as home health care, adult day services, …

Review Of Whither Opportunity: Rising Inequality, Schools And Children's Life Chances. Greg J. Duncan & Richard Murname, (Eds.). Reviewed By Catherine Kramarczuk Voulgarides., Catherine Kramarczuk Voulgarides

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Greg J. Duncan & Richard Murname, (Eds.). Whither Opportunity: Rising Inequality, Schools and Children's Life Chances (2011). New York & Chicago: Russell Sage & Spencer Foundations. $49.95 (paperback).

Competency And Voters With Psychiatric Disabilities: Considerations For Social Workers, Jennifer K. Davis

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The ability of those with psychiatric disabilities to vote is an important activity impacted by competency issues and potentially overlooked by social workers. The purpose of this article is to assist social workers in making informed decisions about preserving and supporting voter participation among those with psychiatric disabilities. Common issues regarding the voting rights of individuals with psychiatric disabilities within the legal system and other systems of interest to social workers are explored.

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 39, No. 3 (September 2012)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• THE FEMINIZATION OF SOCIAL WELFARE: IMPLICATIONS OF CULTURAL TRADITION VIS-À-VIS MALE VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE - Ronald E. Hall
• A SOCIAL JUSTICE PERSPECTIVE ON MEDICARE PART D IN AN AGE OF REFORM: CRITICAL IMPLICATIONS OF TRENDS IN HEALTH CARE POLICY AND ADVOCACY - Louanne Bakk and Marya R. Sosulski
• COMPETENCY AND VOTERS WITH PSYCHIATRIC DISABILITIES: CONSIDERATIONS FOR SOCIAL WORKERS - Jennifer K. Davis
• ZONES OF EXCLUSION: URBAN SPATIAL POLICIES, SOCIAL JUSTICE, AND SOCIAL SERVICES - Karen H. Bancroft
• LONG TERM CARE INSURANCE BEYOND THE CLASS PROGRAM - Amy Restorick Roberts, David B. Miller, and Merl C. "Terry" …

Employee Benefits And Policies: Do They Make A Difference For Work/Family Conflict?, Dina Banerjee, Carolyn Cummings Perrucci

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper examines both the prevalence of employee benefits and whether the existence of any of numerous work/family policies is related to reduced perceived work/family conflict among a 2002 national sample of U.S. employees. We compare the impact of relatively standard employee benefits with more "controversial" work/family policies regarding flexible work time and child care. We determine whether the impact still remains when typical individual employee characteristics, human capital variables, workplace culture variables, and workplace support variables are controlled statistically in multiple regressions. We find that it is the relatively conventional benefits that are most available to employees. However, it …

Zones Of Exclusion: Urban Spatial Policies, Social Justice, And Social Services, Karen H. Bancroft

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Across the United States homeless persons, prostitutes, and drug and alcohol users are subject to policies that severely limit their freedom of movement. These new policies create spatial exclusion zones that deny these groups the right to inhabit or traverse large areas of their cities, particularly in the downtown cores, where treatment centers, shelters, food banks, soup kitchens, government services, and other social services are typically concentrated. In this paper, I examine these new spatial exclusionary policies (with a focus on Washington State's policies), present a brief historical account of socio-spatial practices, contextualize the current spatial laws, and end with …

The Feminization Of Social Welfare: Implications Of Cultural Tradition Vis-À-Vis Male Victims Of Domestic Violence, Ronald E. Hall

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

As pertains to feminization of social welfare, the inability to acknowledge male victims of domestic violence is attributed less to personal preference and more to cultural traditions of the Western patriarch. Yet, according to scholarly literature, men in the U.S. are equally as likely to be the victims of domestic violence by women as are women by men. Solutions to cultural tradition aimed at eliminating male victims of domestic violence must necessarily begin with acknowledgement of the characteristic warning signs and symptoms. Moving beyond the feminization of social welfare as pertains to domestic violence can be accomplished by the recognition …

A Social Justice Perspective On Medicare Part D In An Age Of Reform: Critical Implications Of Trends In Health Care Policy And Advocacy, Louanne Bakk, Marya R. Sosulski

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article examines the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA) in its current form and explains why a critical perspective is useful when analyzing the policy and reform efforts. Using this approach, we consider the development of the policy and describe ways that gender and racial differences may hinder equal access to medications for some of the most vulnerable older adults. This article explores the implications of gender and racial disparities under the MMA and ramifications of health care reform efforts that could potentially impede, rather than promote, a social justice agenda. Beyond the political advantage …

Capacity Building Legacies: Boards Of The Richmond Male Orphan Asylum For Destitute Boys & The Protestant Episcopal Church Home For Infirm Ladies 1870-1900, F. Ellen Netting, Mary Katherine O'Connor, David P. Fauri

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

What strategies did early boards of managers of charitable human service agencies pursue to build capacity in a way that sustained their efforts for more than a hundred years? Using primary and secondary documents to focus on two organizations- The Male Orphan Asylum (1846) and the Protestant Episcopal Church Home (1875)-three norms emerged: run it like a business, keep it like a house, and base it in the community, along with a host of associated activities. Based on these norms and activities, three strategies were identified: diversification of resources, working boards, and leadership continuity, all of which have implications for …

Patterns Of Residential Mobility Of People With Schizophrenia: Multi-Level Tests Of Downward Geographic Drift, Christopher G. Hudson

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study tests the geographic drift hypothesis that the negative SES-MI correlation results from individuals first developing conditions such as schizophrenia and then moving frequently because of their disability to low income and urban areas, and to neighborhoods with high concentrations of SMI persons. This is a secondary analysis of hospital records of 1,667,956 individuals in Massachusetts, USA, between 1994 and 2000. It employs a longitudinal cohort design and techniques of multi-level modeling. Downward geographic drift of those with schizophrenia was found to be small, but greater than other groups examined. The small level of drift was best explained by …

Review Of Coming Apart: The State Of White America, 1960-2010. Charles Murray. Reviewed By Rebecca Joyce Kissane., Rebecca Joyce Kissane

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Charles Murray, Coming Apart: The State of White America, 1960-2010 (2012). New York, NY: Crown Forum. $27.00 (hardcover).

Review Of Human Rights In The United States: Beyond Exceptionalism. Shareen Hertel & Kathryn Libal, (Eds). Reviewed By Judith Blau., Judith Blau

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Shareen Hertel & Kathryn Libal, (Eds). Human Rights in the United States: Beyond Exceptionalism (2011). Cambridge University Press. $99.00 hardcover; $36.99 paperback.

Review Of Reimagining Equality: Stories Of Gender, Race, And Finding Home. Anita Hill. Reviewed By Wilma Peebles-Wilkins., Wilma Peebles-Wilkins

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Anita Hill. Reimagining Equality: Stories of Gender, Race, and Finding Home (2011). Boston, MA: Beacon Press. $25.95 hardcover.

Review Of Gendered Hate: Exploring Gender In Hate Crime Law. Jessica P. Hodge. Reviewed By Twila L. Perry., Twila L. Perry

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Jessica P. Hodge. Gendered Hate: Exploring Gender in Hate Crime Law (2011). Northeastern University Press. $29.95 (paperback).

Review Of With Liberty And Justice For Some: How The Law Is Used To Destroy Equality And Protect The Powerful. Glenn Greenwald. Reviewed By Marguerite G. Rosenthal., Marguerite Rosenthal

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Glenn Greenwald. With Liberty and Justice for Some: How the Law is Used to Destroy Equality and Protect the Powerful (2011). NY: Henry Holt & Co., Metropolitan Books. $26.00 (hardcover).