Your First Five Crime Studies of April 10

All of today's research relates to stigma

I'm Aaron Jacklin, and this is Explaining Crime, an independent newsletter that helps you explain crime to your audience.

Your First Five is a daily series (M-F) that publishes a curated selection of recent research related to crime and justice. Each post is more a tip sheet than an article and contains links to new studies (each related to a single topic) that I hope will enhance your work explaining crime. The publication schedule is in flux for the moment.

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Photo by engin akyurt on Unsplash

These new studies related to criminology and criminal justice were published recently by journals I monitor.

1. What’s in a Label? Public Use and Perceptions of Labeling Alternatives in Criminology, published in Justice Quarterly.

There are two key takeaways in the current study: 1) positive credentials are more effective at influencing alternative language use than simply exposing people to that language, although 2) evoking other master-statuses through alternative labels (such as “applicant”) might further reduce stigma when compared to person-first language.

2. Drug Use Stigma and Reprisal: Barriers to Prison Needle Exchange in Canada, published in The Prison Journal.

After years of advocacy by a range of civil society groups, supported by scholarly and empirical research, Canada's federal prison service implemented a needle exchange program at select carceral institutions in 2018. Since the program rollout, however, uptake has remained minimal. To understand why, we conducted the first independent and national study of the program, interviewing 30 people who were incarcerated at one of the prisons with a needle exchange.

3. Procedurally just policing and persons in behavioral crises: investigating public perceptions, stigma and emotion, published in Policing: An International Journal.

Officers should note using force on persons in behavioral crisis, even if legally justifiable, seems to decrease PPJ [perceptions of procedural justice]. They should weigh this cost pragmatically, alongside other circumstances, when making discretionary decisions about physically engaging with a person in crisis.

4. Justice-Involvement and Access to Mental Health Care, published in Crime & Delinquency.

Results indicated that justice-involvement, especially in the past year, was related to a higher error rate in perceiving mental health issues. However, JI status was generally related to a lower likelihood of reporting any particular barrier. Recommendations include an emphasis on the system response, including provision of mental health education, legislative reform, and funding community treatment options.

5. Self-stigma of incarceration and its impact on health and community integration, published in Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health.

Our findings add to work on self-stigmatisation in the field of mental health by showing that the concept appears relevant and appears in similar staging among formerly incarcerated individuals and that self-stigmatisation is likely to be important for their community reintegration.

I might cover some of these studies further in Understanding Crime. If one sounds interesting or important, let me know in the comments.