The Incarceration Explosion

The United States has experienced a precipitous rise in its state and federal prison population over the last forty years. During that period, the number of individuals incarcerated in our nation has risen from approximately 300,000 to more than 2 million. We now have the highest incarceration rate in the world, with more than 700 out of every 100,000 Americans behind bars. Our nation\u27s incarceration rate is roughly 5 times the international average. By comparison, Germany incarcerates 85 per 100,000; France incarcerates 96 per 100,000; and Canada incarcerates 117 per 100,000. Only Rwanda comes anywhere near the U.S. rate, with 595 per 100,000

The Racial Justice Act—A Simple Matter of Justice

Symposium: Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994: II. The Racial Justice Ac

Effects of a Coordinated Laboratory Classroom Approach to the Teaching of Reading in Grades 3, 4, 5

Educatio

Correction to: The Transition from Hunting–Gathering to Food Production in the Gamo Highlands of Southern Ethiopia

The article The Transition from Hunting–Gathering to Food Production in the Gamo Highlands of Southern Ethiopi

Spotlight on equality of employment opportunities : a qualitative study of job seeking experiences of graduating nurses and physiotherapists from black and minority ethnic backgrounds

There is growing attention in the UK and internationally to the representation of black and minority ethnic groups in healthcare education and the workplace. Although the NHS workforce is very diverse, ethnic minorities are unevenly spread across occupations, and considerably underrepresented in senior positions. Previous research has highlighted that this inequality also exists at junior levels with newly qualified nurses from non-White/British ethnic groups being less likely to get a job at graduation than their White/British colleagues. Although there is better national data on the scale of inequalities in the healthcare workforce, there is a gap in our understanding about the experience of job seeking, and the factors that influence disadvantage in nursing and other professions such as physiotherapy. This qualitative study seeks to fill that gap and explores the experience of student nurses (n=12) and physiotherapists (n=6) throughout their education and during the first 6-months post qualification to identify key experiences and milestones relating to successful employment particularly focusing on the perspectives from different ethnic groups. Participants were purposively sampled from one university to ensure diversity in ethnic group, age and gender. Using a phenomenological approach, in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted at course completion and 6 months later. Two main themes were identified. The 'proactive self' ('It's up to me') theme included perceptions of employment success being due to student proactivity and resilience; qualities valued by employers. The second theme described the need to 'fit in' with organisational culture. Graduates described accommodating strategies where they modified aspects of their identity (clothing, cultural markers) to fit in. At one extreme, rather than fitting in, participants from minority ethnic backgrounds avoided applying to certain hospitals due to perceptions of discriminatory cultures, 'I wouldn't apply there 'cos you know, it's not really an ethnic hospital'. In contrast, some participants recognised that other graduates (usually white) did not need to change and aspects of their identity brought unsolicited rewards 'if your face fits then the barriers are reduced'. The findings indicate that success in getting work is perceived as determined by individual factors, and fitting in is enabled by strategies adopted by the individual rather than the workplace. Demands for change are more acute for graduates from black and minority ethnic backgrounds. This is an issue for healthcare organisations seeking to be inclusive and challenges employers and educators to acknowledge inequalities and take action to address them. BACKGROUND AIM PARTICIPANTS METHODS RESULTS CONCLUSION