Social Work Commons^™

A Qualitative Study Of Letters To President Kennedy From Persons With Mental Illness And Their Families: Using The Research Poem In Policy Oriented Research, Rich Furman, Allison Shukraft

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Using the research poem as a tool of data representation, this paper presentsfindingsfrom an analysis of letters sent to President John F. Kennedy regarding the formulation of mental health policy during the early 1960s. The article presents the experiences of consumers of mental health services and their families-shapers and receivers of mentalhealthprovisionsth atareinfrequentlygivenv oice. Traditional thematic analysis was conducted, and data subsequently were represented in three poetic forms:free verse, the pantoum, and the tanka.

A Critique Of The Global Trafficking Discourse And U.S. Policy, Moshoula Capous Desyllas

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article examines the dominant discourse on trafficking in persons and the implementation of international and U.S. policy to address trafficking globally. Features of the United Nations Protocol and the Trafficking in Victims Protection Act demonstrate how trafficking frameworks currently in place contain underlying fears of migration and female sexuality. The implications of policy on the construction of third world women as "victims to be saved" through governments, National Government Organizations, feminists and the media will show how these misrespresentations only reinforce racism and dualistic simplifications of a complex issue. An emphasis is placed on the importance of women's agency …

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 34, No. 4 (December 2007)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• TWO DECADES AFTER MCMARTIN: A FOLLOW-UP OF 22 CONVICTED DAY CARE EMPLOYEES - Mary deYoung
• NEGOTIATING 'PROFESSIONAL AGENCY': SOCIAL WORK AND DECISION-MAKING WITHIN THE ONTARIO CHILD WELFARE SYSTEM - Henry Parada, Lisa Barnoff, and Brienne Coleman
• A CRITIQUE OF THE GLOBAL TRAFFICKING DISCOURSE AND U.S. POLICY - Moshoula Capous Desyllas
• A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF LETTERS TO PRESIDENT KENNEDY FROM PERSONS WITH MENTAL ILLNESS AND THEIR FAMILIES:USING THE RESEARCH POEM IN POLICY ORIENTED RESEARCH - Rich Furman and Allison Shukraft
• THE RESEARCH PRACTICES AND NEEDS OF NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS IN AN URBAN CENTER - Randy Stoecker
• PUBLIC AND PRIVATE …

The Research Practices And Needs Of Non-Profit Organizations In An Urban Center, Randy Stoecker

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

How do nonprofit organizations use data and research? What challenges do they face in conducting research and managing data? In spring of 2004, 80 nonprofit organizations in Toledo, Ohio returned a survey on their research and data needs and practices. The survey found that nonprofits collect data on a wide variety of topics, but do not use much of the data that they collect, and do not collect much data that could be useful for other groups, particularly neighborhood organizations. The average nonprofit in the survey has five employees and four volunteers who, together, spend 56 hours per week collecting, …

Social Functioning: A Sociological Common Base For Social Work Practice, Thomas J. Blakely, Gregory M. Dziadosz

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article describes the experience of a social work mental health agency with Social Role Theory (SRT), that is an organizing concept for the delivery of its assessment and treatment program. SRT has been called the process variable of the program, meaning how services are delivered. Social functioning, a concept taken from SRT, is a treatment outcome. The overall purposes of the article are to describe the contribution of sociology to social work practice, and to advance the argument that social functioning is a common base for social work practice generally.

Advice And Help-Seeking Intentions Among Youth In Israel: Ethnic And Gender Differences, Moshe Sherer

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study addresses intentions to seek advice and help among Jewish and Arab youths in Israel. The sample included 805 Jewish, 159 Moslem, 42 Christian, and 43 Druze youths. Two instruments were used: a demographic questionnaire and a questionnaire on help-seeking intentions. Results indicated that members of the ethnic groups preferred using different sources for advice and help. Compared to Moslem and Druze youths, Jewish youths preferred to turn to fathers, siblings, school counselors, and social workers; Compared to Arab youths, Jewish youths expressed less intention to seek assistancef rom their mothers; and compared to Moslem youths, Jewish youths expressed …

Interpersonal Violence And Animals: Mandated Cross-Sector Reporting, Dennis D. Long, Joan H. Long, Shanti J. Kulkarni

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Research indicates an association between interpersonal violence and animal cruelty. This article examine the virtues and limitations of creating statutory authority requiring professionals to report substantiated abuse, neglect, and cruelty across service delivery systems (e.g. child and adult protect services and humane societies). Such a legislative approach authorizes and legitimizes "mandated crosssector reporting." The probative and research value of this type of initiative is examined as well as ethical and political considerations.

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 34, No. 3 (September 2007)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATIONS AND PUBLIC PARTICIPATION: LESSONS FROM A CASE STUDY IN THE ARKANSAS DELTA - Valerie H. Hunt
• THE ROLE OF INFORMAL SOCIAL NETWORKS IN MICRO-SAVINGS MOBILIZATION - Margaret Lombe and Fred M. Ssewamala
• ADVICE AND HELP-SEEKING INTENTIONS AMONG YOUTH IN ISRAEL: ETHNIC AND GENDER DIFFERENCES - Moshe Sherer
• INCARCERATION AND UNWED FATHERS IN FRAGILE FAMILIES - Charles E. Lewis, Jr., Irwin Garfinkel and Qin Gao
• GREEK-LETTER MEMBERSHIP AND COLLEGE GRADUATION: DOES RACE MATTER? - Ronald E. Severtis, Jr. and C. Andrg Christie-Mizell
• FROM FINANCIAL LITERACY TO FINANCIAL CAPABILITY AMONG YOUTH - Elizabeth Johnson and Margaret …

Incarceration And Unwed Fathers In Fragile Families, Charles E. Lewis Jr., Irwin Garfinkel, Qin Gao

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Criminal justice policies have resulted in millions of Americans being incarcerated over the past three decades in systems that provide little or no rehabilitation. This study uses a new dataset-The Fragile Families Study-to document poor labor market outcomes that are associated with incarceration. We find that fathers who had been incarcerated earned 28 percent less annually thanfathers who were never incarceratedT hese previously incarceratedfa thers worked less weeks per year, less hours per week and were less likely to be working during the week prior to their interview. We also found that fathers who had been incarcerated were more likely …

The Role Of Informal Social Networks In Micro-Savings Mobilization, Margaret Lombe, Fred M. Ssewamala

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The influence of informal institutions on economic outcomes for low income individuals and households has received little attention in the United States. Yet, drawing on social capital theory and existing studies from developing countries where informal institutions have been widely used in promoting economic opportunities offamilies in poverty, one would expect these institutions to have positive effects on the economic outcomes of low income individuals in the context of an IDA program. Using a sample of 840 respondents who were enrolled in a community action program, this study assesses the effects of informal networks of social support on performance in …

Community Development Corporations And Public Participation: Lessons From A Case Study In The Arkansas Delta, Valerie H. Hunt

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

In this paper, I focus on the role of community development corporations (CDCs) in fostering public participation in the local political process. Using survey and interview data gathered from CDCs operating in the Mississippi Delta region of Arkansas, I show that the CDC is an important intermediary between the citizens and the local political arena. While, according to this study's findings, the CDCs' long-term goal is to develop a lasting sense of efficacy among CDC participants, leading to direct political participation by citizens, the nature of CDC funding does not fully support these efforts. As a result, these critical activities …

Greek-Letter Membership And College Graduation: Does Race Matter?, Ronald E. Severtis Jr., C. Andre Christie-Mizell

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Research, utilizing a nationally representative sample of 3,712 Americans, revealed that Greek-letter membership increases the probability of college graduation more for African Americans than for European Americans. Conversely, father's education is a more robust predictor of educational outcomes for European Americans compared to their African American counterparts

Color-Blind Individualism, Intercountry Adoption And Public Policy, Pamela Anne Quiroz

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

A prevailing ideology of color-blindness has resulted in privatizing the discourse on adoption. Color-blind individualism, the adoption arena's version of color-blind discourse, argues that race should not matter in adoption; racism can be eradicated through transracial adoption; and individual rights should be exercised without interference of the state. As privatization has increasingly dominated our world and disparities between countries have grown, so too has intercountry adoption. This paper examines the colonial aspects of intercountry adoption and implications for conceptualizing global human rights from our current emphasis on individual rights, as the real issue continues to be which children are desired …

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 34, No. 2 (June 2007)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• SPECIAL ISSUE ON GLOBALIZATION, SOCIAL JUSTICE & SOCIAL WELFARE
• INTRODUCTION TO THE SPECIAL ISSUE - Frederick (Fritz) MacDonald and James Midgley, Special Editors
• PERSPECTIVES ON GLOBALIZATION, SOCIAL JUSTICE AND WELFARE - James Midgley
• GLOBALIZATION AND DRUG AND ALCOHOL USE IN RURAL COMMUNITIES IN NIGERIA: A CASE STUDY - Charles Fiki
• COLOR-BLIND INDIVIDUALISM, INTERCOUNTRY ADOPTION AND PUBLIC POLICY - Pamela Anne Quiroz
• THE CHALLENGE OF COMMUNITY WORK IN A GLOBAL ECONOMY - Howard Karger, Christian Iyiani and Pat Shannon
• GLOBALIZATION, IMMIGRATION AND THE WELFARE STATE: A CROSS-NATIONAL COMPARISON - Qingwen Xu
• GLOBALIZATION AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING - Loring Jones, …

Social Theory & Its Relation To Social Problems: An Essay About Theory And Research With Social Justice In Mind, Richard K. Caputo

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This essay examines the relationship between social theory and social problems, the truth-value of theories, and the importance of theorizing about the role of the state, i.e., national government, in the resolution of social problems and the achievement of social justice. The author argues that much contemporary social theory has lost its moorings in regard to amelioration ofsocial problems, that Popper's criterion offalsification is a requisitefor more meaningfully applied social theory, and that the state should be part of any social theory meant to address social problems. Moral and political philosophy is used to provide criteria to justify a positive …

Sex Panic And The Welfare State, Benjamin Shepard

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

2006 marked the tenth anniversary of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act. The 1996 law was the culmination of decades of erosion in backing for basic provisions of the U.S. social safety net. The following reviews the political campaign that undermined thefoundationfor this vital component of the New Deal/Great Society income supports. A series of panics diminished approval for the welfare state, leading to the 1996 "reform." Panic discourse increasingly accompanies policy debate. Examples of anti welfare, anti outsider panic discourses are explored.

Undermining Progress In Early 20th Century North Carolina: General Attitudes Towards Delinquent African American Girls, Tanya Smith Brice

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article examines efforts made to challenge progress towards adequate service provision for delinquent African American girls in early 20th century North Carolina. This article seeks to explore the nuances of aid, from the African American community and by progressive whites, as it relates to legislative efforts, economic backing and public health issues. It also seeks to examine motivations for engaging in undermining activities.

Outsiders-Within: Critical Race Theory, Graduate Education And Barriers To Professionalization, Carolann Daniel

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article uses the lens of critical race theory to examine the experiences of minority students in and outside of the social work education classroom. Research has not critically analyzed the structures, policies and practices of graduate education programs and how they influence the socialization experiences of students. Qualitative interviews with 15 African American and Latino students reveal that their experiences are often characterized by marginalization and conflict. They suggest that certain aspects of the professionalization process create and support forces that reproduce stratified social relations. These problematic relations have a negative impact on minority students threatening their persistence and …

Controlling The Levers Of Power: How Advocacy Organizations Affect The Regulation Writing Process, Richard Hoefer, Kristin Ferguson

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The Federal regulation-writing process is vital to understanding how laws are translated into policy. This paper re-examines data on human services interest groups active in lobbying the executive branch to determine what factors influence their effectiveness. Building on findings from Hoefer (2000), structural equation modeling is used to re-analyze the original regression model of interest group effectiveness (IGE) on a sample of 127 Washington D.C.-based interest groups. Results indicate that some of the previous findings are not supported and an alternative model is proposed. A group's position, context and access to information and policymakers emerge as significant determinants of IGE. …

Domestic Violence And Human Rights: Local Challenges To A Universal Framework, Karen Morgaine

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Over the past 15-20 years there has been a dramatic increase in transnational social movements including the movement to eradicate violence against women. This paper examines the development of the transnational women's movement and the prioritizing of violence against women (VAW) as a universal women's agenda using the United Nations (U.N.) human rights conferences as a focal point. As one form of VAW, domestic violence (DV) has been placed into the human rights context by many organizations globally. The implications and possible limitations of universalizing a framework for DV are explored using salient examples from various areas of the world. …

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 34, No. 1 (March 2007)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Letters to the Editor
• James Midgley, Harry and Riva Specht Professor, University of California, Berkeley
• Harris Chaiklin, Professor, emeritus, School of Social Work, University of Maryland
• Wilma Peebles-Wilkins. Dean Emerita, Boston University, Former Editor, NASW Children and Schools
• Jeanne Marsh, Former Editor, Social Work, Michael Sherraden, Editor, Social Development Issues
• Howard Karger, Professor, Graduate College of Social Work, University of Houston,
• Cheryl A. Hyde, Temple University, Past Editor, Journal of Progressive Human Services
• David Stoesz, Professor, Virginia Commonwealth University, Executive Director, policyAmerica
• OUTSIDERS-WITHIN: CRITICAL RACE THEORY, GRADUATE EDUCATION AND BARRIERS TO PROFESSIONALIZATION - CarolAnn Daniel
• SOCIAL …