Social Work Commons^™

Review Of Doing Time Together: Love And Family In The Shadow Of The Prison. Megan Comfort. Reviewed By Jonah A. Siegel., Jonah A. Siegel

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Megan Comfort, Doing Time Together: Love and Family in the Shadow of the Prison. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2009. $55.00 hardcover, $22.00 paperback.

Development Of The Trauma Informed System Change Instrument: Evaluation Of Factorial Validity And Implications For Use, Margaret M. Richardson

Dissertations

This paper outlines the process of developing and evaluating an instrument measuring the extent to which a complex community system has changed as a result of a community initiative, and for purposes of this research, doing this within the content area of developing local trauma informed child welfare systems in specific communities in Michigan. The instrument was designed for the Southwest Michigan Children's Trauma Assessment Center's (CTAC) SAMHSA-funded initiative to bring a trauma informed perspective to professionals working with children in child welfare. Because there is not a standard set to define what constitutes trauma informed treatment of children in …

Defining A Foster Care Placement Move: The Perspective Of Adults Who Formerly Lived In Multiple Out-Of-Home Placements, Yvonne Unrau

Social Work Faculty Publications

Several studies have demonstrated that children who experience multiple placements are more likely to experience behavioral problems and are less likely to achieve reunification. However, little is known about how move transitions— from one foster home to another, from foster care to birth family home, or between family placements and group care facilities—are perceived or experienced by children in foster care, or those formerly in foster care. This qualitative study examines the definition of foster care placement moves from the perspective of adults formerly in foster care. Participants identify both physical and psychological shifts as key dimensions of the placement …

Work Characteristics And Family Routines In Low-Wage Families, Amanda Sheely

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The maintenance of routines is linked to positive outcomes in children and families. Role theory asserts that resources and constraints found in family and work environments will shape a parent's ability to successfully fulfill both roles. To date, there is scant research examining the maintenance of routines in lowincome families whose work environments are often characterized by temporary work, non-traditional shifts, and irregular hours. This study seeks to understand the relationship between employment characteristics on the maintenance of family routines in a sample of low-wage families. The results of this study support the findings of other researchers that low-wage families …

Review Of How It Works: Recovering Citizens In Post-Welfare Philadelphia. Robert P. Fairbanks, Ii. Reviewed By Jennifer R. Zelnick., Jennifer R. Zelnick

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Robert P. Fairbanks, II, How it Works: Recovering Citizens in Post-Welfare Philadelphia. University of Chicago Press, 2009. $70.00 hardcover, $27.50 papercover.

Review Of Negotiating Justice: Progressive Lawyering, Low Income Clients, And The Quest For Social Change. Corey S. Shdaimah. Reviewed By Lolita Buckner Inniss., Lolita Buckner Inniss

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Corey S. Shdaimah, Negotiating Justice: Progressive Lawyering, Low Income Clients, and the Quest for Social Change. New York University Press, 2009. $45.00 hardcover.

Jim Midgley Retires As Book Review Editor, Robert D. Leighninger Jr.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

For the last dozen years our Book Review section has been piloted by James Midgley, now Dean Emeritus at the University of California-Berkeley. We didn't always have book reviews. Our first Book Review Editor was Paul Adams, who began in 1983, a full ten years after our founding. He served for two years and was succeeded by Shimon Gottshalk in collaboration with Bruce Thyer until late 1987. Shimon carried on alone until 1992. Soliciting books to review, persuading scholars to review them, and riding herd on the reviewers is hard work. Neither the book review editors nor the reviewers get …

Dereliction Of Duty: Training Schools For Delinquent Parents In The 1940s, Sarah K. S. Shannon

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Parental culpability for juvenile delinquency has permeated social welfare thought and practice throughout U.S. history. This article presents a case study of one Midwestern municipality's efforts to create a training school for parents as a remedy for delinquency in the 1940s. The case study illustrates how city leaders attempted to put theory about delinquency causation into practice by forging a collaborative intervention strategy among various community partners including public schools, social welfare agencies, and law enforcement. In light of the case study, this article examines historical and contemporary efforts to punish parents of juvenile delinquents.

Volunteer Patterns Of Mid- And Later Life American Couples, Deborah B. Smith

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The expectation for older people to volunteer has increased, and married Americans are more likely to volunteer. Drawing on life course and couple decision-making theories, this research examines mid- and later life American couples' volunteer patterns. Ninety-five (95) couples are analyzed to determine characteristics of three groups of couples-both volunteer, neither volunteer, or only one spouse volunteers. Multinomial logistic regression comparing all couples simultaneously finds significant diferences. Couples with no volunteers are more likely to report lower joint marital satisfaction and at least one spouse out of the labor force than couples where one spouse volunteers. Couples who have both …

Bringing The Organization Back In: The Role Of Bureaucratic Churning In Early Tanf Caseload Declines In Illinois, Chad Broughton

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Welfare reform legislation in the late 1990s lead to rapid declines in state welfare caseloads. In contrast to prevailing accounts that emphasize rapid job creation and those that pin caseload declines on successful work incentives and behavioral sanctions, this article argues that organizational rationing mechanisms explain a large portion of the sharp initial declines in Illinois. The article first highlights how street-level bureaucratic practices oriented toward caseload reduction arose in TANF implementing bodies from a reordered and narrow set of organizational incentives that had little to do with the symbolic goals of welfare reform. Based on an analysis of state-level …

Review Of Reforming Child Welfare. Olivia Golden. Reviewed By Leroy H. Pelton., Leroy H. Pelton

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Olivia Golden, Reforming Child Welfare. Washington, DC: The Urban Institute Press, 2009. $29.50 papercover.

Review Of Contemporary Chinese America: Immigration, Ethnicity, And Community Transformation. Min Zhou. Reviewed By Shehong Chen., Shehong Chen

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Min Zhou. Contemporary Chinese America: Immigration, Ethnicity, and Community Transformation. Temple University Press, 2009. $89.50 hardcover, $28.95 papercover.

Life History And Narrative Analysis: Feminist Methodologies Contextualizing Black Women's Experiences With Severe Mental Illness, Marya R. Sosulski, Nicole T. Buchanan, Chandra M. Donnell

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper discusses a methodological approach to research that enhances critical analysis by contextualizing qualitative research findings within participants' individual experiences. We demonstrate the combined use of life history methods and feminist narrative analysis to explore Black women's everyday experiences with mental illness, from their perspectives. These interpretive methods reach beyond pathologized conceptions of identity and adjustment that often narrowly characterize mental illness among Black women. Instead, these methods holistically describe a participant's experiences and strategies she uses to pursue goals and enhance her life. The use of the methods is illustrated with examples from the life narrative of "Maria," …

"Everything Has Changed": Narratives Of The Vietnamese American Community In Post-Katrina Mississippi, Yoosun Park, Joshua Miller, Bao Chau Van

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

In this qualitative study of the Vietnamese American community of Biloxi, Mississippi, conducted three years after Katrina, we attended not only to individual experiences but to the relationship of individuals to their collective and social worlds. The interlocked relationship of individual and collective loss and recovery are clearly demonstrated in respondents' narratives. The neighborhood and community of Little Saigon was significant not only as a symbolic source of identity but as a protected and familiar space of residence, livelihood, and social connections. The post-Katrina changes in the neighborhood are, in multiple ways, changing participants' experience of and relationship to their …

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 37, No. 3 (September 2010)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• JIM MIDGLEY RETIRES AS BOOK REVIEW EDITOR - Robert D. Leighninger, Jr., Editor
• DERELICTION OF DUTY TRAINING SCHOOLS FOR DELINQUENT PARENTS IN THE 1940s Sarah K. S. Shannon
• LIFE HISTORY AND NARRATIVE ANALYSIS: FEMINIST METHODOLOGIES CONTEXTUALIZING BLACK WOMEN'S EXPERIENCES WITH SEVERE MENTAL ILLNESS - Marya R. Sosulski, Nicole T. Buchanan, and Chandra M. Donnell
• WORK CHARACTERISTICS AND FAMILY ROUTINES IN LOW-WAGE FAMILIES - Amanda Sheely
• "EVERYTHING HAS CHANGED": NARRATIVES OF THE VIETNAMESE AMERICAN COMMUNITY IN POST-KATRINA MISSISSIPPI - Yoosun Park, Joshua Miller, and Bao Chau Van
• SOCIAL WORK AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT: THE POLITICAL PARTICIPATION OF PROFESSIONAL SOCIAL …

Social Work And Civic Engagement: The Political Participation Of Professional Social Workers, Sunny Harris Rome, Susan Hoechstetter

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article examines the involvement of practicing social workers in one type of civic engagement: the use of political processes to promote the public good. Based on a survey of 1,274 randomly selected members of NASW, this is the largest study to date examining the involvement of social workers in political action and policy advocacy. Findings suggest that approximately half of social workers demonstrate high levels of participation in the policy process. The authors analyze the frequency with which respondents engage in specific political and policy-related activities, and compare these results to those of other studies. They also examine respondents'attitudes …

Review Of Lineages Of Despotism And Development: British Colonialism And State Power. Matthew Lange. Reviewed By James Midgley., James Midgley

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Matthew Lange, Lineages of Despotism and Development: British Colonialism and State Power. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2009. $45.00 hardcover.

Review Of Rebuild America: Solving The Economic Crisis Through Civic Works. Scott Myers-Lipton. Reviewed By Frank Stricker., Frank Stricker

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Scott Myers-Lipton, Rebuild America: Solving the Economic Crisis Through Civic Works, Paradigm Publishers, 2009. $82.00 hardcover, $17.95 papercover.

Review Of More Than Just Race: Being Black And Poor In The Inner City. William Julius Wilson. Reviewed By Marguerite G. Rosenthal., Marguerite G. Rosenthal

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of William Julius Wilson, More than Just Race: Being Black and Poor in the Inner City (Issues of Our Time). W. W. Norton and Co., 2009. $24.95 hardcover, $15.95 papercover.

Review Of Remembering Our Childhood: How Memory Betrays Us. Karl Sabbagh. Reviewed By Susan P. Robbins., Susan P. Robbins

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Karl Sabbagh, Remembering Our Childhood: How Memory Betrays Us. Oxford University Press, 2009. $29.95 hardcover.

Review Of Why David Sometimes Wins. Marshall Ganz. Reviewed By Ed Marakovitz., Ed Marakovitz

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Marshall Ganz. Why David Sometimes Wins. Oxford University Press, Inc., 2009. $34.95 hardcover.

Review Of Longing And Belonging: Parents, Children, And Consumer Culture. Allison J. Pugh. Reviewed By Cheryl Najarian Souza., Cheryl Najarian Souza

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Allison J. Pugh, Longing and Belonging: Parents, Children, and Consumer Culture. University of California Press, 2009. $55.00 hardcover, $21.95 papercover.

Review Of Essential Skills Of Social Work Practice: Assessment, Intervention, And Evaluation. Thomas O'Hare. Reviewed By Karen M. Vandeusen., Karen M. Vandeusen

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Thomas O'Hare, Essential Skills of Social Work Practice: Assessment, Intervention, and Evaluation. Chicago, IL: Lyceum Books, Inc., 2009. $39.95 paperback.

Skew Selection Theory Applied To The Wealth And Welfare Of Nations, Susan F. Allen, Deby L. Cassill

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

According to skew selection theory, working citizens who build wealth and, at the same time, share portions of their wealth with those in need are more likely to survive economic downturns than citizens who hoard wealth. In this article, skew selection is employed as a theoreticalframework to support governmental efforts to develop social policies that protect the income of working citizens and, at the same time, provide for vulnerable, non-working children and elders. To illustrate its applicability, the social policies of Japan, Sweden and the United States-all of which are challenged by decaying ratios of working to non-working citizens-are compared …

Preventing Violence In Low-Income Communities: Facilitating Residents' Ability To Intervene In Neighborhood Problems, Mary L. Ohmer, Barbara D. Warner, Elizabeth Beck

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The violence found in low-income communities, including areas of concentrated poverty, is often extensive and can involve illegal drugs, juvenile delinquency, and even homicide. A large body of research has emerged which points to the positive effects of informal social control and social capital in preventing violence in lowincome communities, including neighbors taking leadership roles by intervening themselves. This article contains a description of an exploratory study ofa pilot training program the authors developed to facilitate residents' ability to intervene in neighborhood problems in a low-income community in Atlanta, Georgia. The training incorporated concepts from restorative justice, peacemaking criminology, and …

Liminal Living At An Extended Stay Hotel: Feeling "Stuck" In A Housing Solution, Terri Wingate-Lewinson, June Gary Hopps, Patricia Reeves

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

As a result of unaffordable housing, many of America's working poor are forced to seek shelter in hotels to avoid homelessness. The concept of liminality has been used in discussions of place to describe the subjective experience of feeling in-between two states of being. Research is scant on the liminal experiences of low-income hotel residents, who are culturally invisible in society. This paper draws from data qualitatively collected via semi-structured interviews from ten low-income residents living in an extended-stay hotel. Descriptions of these residential experiences are presented along with recommendations for social workers practicing with families in this liminal situation.

Review Of Towards Positive Youth Development: Transforming Schools And Community Programs. Marybeth Shinn And Hirokazu Yoshikawa (Eds.). Reviewed By Amy D. Benton., Amy D. Benton

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Marybeth Shinn and Hirokazu Yoshikawa (Eds.), Towards Positive Youth Development: Transforming Schools and Community Programs. New York: Oxford University Press, 2008. $49.95 hardcover.

Review Of The Politics Of Exclusion: The Failure Of Race-Neutral Policies In Urban America. Leland T. Saito. Reviewed By Jaehee Yi., Jaehee Yi

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Leland T. Saito, The Politics of Exclusion: The Failure of Race- Neutral Policies in Urban America. Stanford, California: Stanford, 2009. $60.00 hardcover; $22.95 paperback.

Review Of Women's Health And Social Change. Ellen Annandale. Reviewed By Marcia Russell., Marcia Russell

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Ellen Annandale, Women's Health and Social Change. New York: Routledge, 2009. $45.95 papercover.

Review Of Homelessness In America (3 Volumes). Robert Hartman Mcnamara. Reviewed By John Q. Hodges., John Q. Hodges

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Robert Hartman McNamara, Homelessness in America (3 Volumes). Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers, 2008. $300.00 hardcover.