Sustainability in Fashion

In a world where fashion is constantly changing, clothing constantly being produced, how do we help make the fashion industry a sustainable one? Through my research and multiple classes at the University of Rhode Island on sustainability in the fashion industry, I learned we do have the power to make a change. The fashion industry is one of the leading causes of pollution, so it must be able to have a big reverse impact if efforts are made to reduce this pollution. My project focuses on the dyeing process of fabrics. Many dyes contain harsh chemicals that pollute our oceans and air. Using natural dyes, which I experimented with using berries, can help solve this problem. In doing this project, I also realized that reusing fabrics to make clothing, and making clothing on your own, is an option to help reduce unsustainable practices. I hope my work will demonstrate how small changes can make a big difference, and creating clothing from what you already have is doable. I also researched other ways to create more sustainable practices in the fashion industry, and how we can all help make the clothing industry more environmentally friendly. Sustainability means generations to come can enjoy resources the way we do, and if we want that to be possible, we all need to make small changes now

Comments: When Psychology Answers Constitutional Questions: The Eighth Amendment and Juvenile Sentencing

While weighing whether or not to turn himself in for murder and surrender to prison, a 23-year-old law student questions the high premium placed on imprisonment as a rehabilitative measure. After finally submitting to imprisonment, however, Rodion Raskolnikov comes to understand the value of atoning for his crimes and how his punishment correlates with societal justice. The balance struck between an appropriate amount of suffering and society’s need for justice is at the heart of Raskolnikov’s character development. Despite Raskolnikov’s imprisonment and accompanying character transformation, one important question remains unanswered by Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novel: at what point does a punishment become excessive when compared to the nature of the crime and the culpability of the offender? Although Raskolnikov is ultimately grateful for his imprisonment since it provided him the opportunity to repay his debt to society, his all-consuming fear of a punitively lengthy prison sentence prevented him from confessing for months after committing murder. When considering the modern implications of the novel, some scholars have argued that, if Raskolnikov were alive in the United States today, he would still be imprisoned due to the unforgiving nature of the American penal system. These scholars argue that American prisons have abandoned the concept of rehabilitating offenders, and instead, simply resort to locking up criminals indefinitely

Comments: When Psychology Answers Constitutional Questions: The Eighth Amendment and Juvenile Sentencing

While weighing whether or not to turn himself in for murder and surrender to prison, a 23-year-old law student questions the high premium placed on imprisonment as a rehabilitative measure. After finally submitting to imprisonment, however, Rodion Raskolnikov comes to understand the value of atoning for his crimes and how his punishment correlates with societal justice. The balance struck between an appropriate amount of suffering and society’s need for justice is at the heart of Raskolnikov’s character development. Despite Raskolnikov’s imprisonment and accompanying character transformation, one important question remains unanswered by Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novel: at what point does a punishment become excessive when compared to the nature of the crime and the culpability of the offender? Although Raskolnikov is ultimately grateful for his imprisonment since it provided him the opportunity to repay his debt to society, his all-consuming fear of a punitively lengthy prison sentence prevented him from confessing for months after committing murder. When considering the modern implications of the novel, some scholars have argued that, if Raskolnikov were alive in the United States today, he would still be imprisoned due to the unforgiving nature of the American penal system. These scholars argue that American prisons have abandoned the concept of rehabilitating offenders, and instead, simply resort to locking up criminals indefinitely

Assessing the Relative Effects of State Direct File Waiver Laws on Violent Juvenile Crime: Deterrence or Irrelevance

Juvenile waiver, or transfer, laws allow certain young offenders to be removed from juvenile court jurisdiction and prosecuted in criminal court, where the range of sanctions is presumably greater. In the past several decades, many states have modified their existing transfer statutes in order to streamline the waiver process and make it easier to prosecute juveniles in criminal court. In doing so, states have excluded certain offenses from juvenile court jurisdiction or added concurrent jurisdiction provisions to their existing waiver statutes. Concurrent jurisdiction, or direct file, statutes afford prosecutors the unreviewable discretion to charge certain juveniles in either juvenile or criminal court. Although the increased legislation has generated a considerable amount of evaluations of the various effects of juvenile transfer laws, few studies have examined the deterrent effects of such laws on aggregate juvenile crime. In this study, we assess the general deterrent effects of direct file transfer laws in fourteen states which have such provisions. Findings reveal that direct file laws have little effect on violent juvenile crime

Assessing the Relative Effects of State Direct File Waiver Laws on Violent Juvenile Crime: Deterrence or Irrelevance

Juvenile waiver, or transfer, laws allow certain young offenders to be removed from juvenile court jurisdiction and prosecuted in criminal court, where the range of sanctions is presumably greater. In the past several decades, many states have modified their existing transfer statutes in order to streamline the waiver process and make it easier to prosecute juveniles in criminal court. In doing so, states have excluded certain offenses from juvenile court jurisdiction or added concurrent jurisdiction provisions to their existing waiver statutes. Concurrent jurisdiction, or direct file, statutes afford prosecutors the unreviewable discretion to charge certain juveniles in either juvenile or criminal court. Although the increased legislation has generated a considerable amount of evaluations of the various effects of juvenile transfer laws, few studies have examined the deterrent effects of such laws on aggregate juvenile crime. In this study, we assess the general deterrent effects of direct file transfer laws in fourteen states which have such provisions. Findings reveal that direct file laws have little effect on violent juvenile crime

Case Study: Boulder County Healthy Kids - A Collaborative Community Approach to Public Health Insurance Enrollment for Children and Families

In the past decade, a number of national efforts have endeavored to increase enrollment of eligible children and families in public health insurance programs, but enrolling this population continues to be a struggle due to systemic barriers at the state, county and local levels. In response, foundations like The Colorado Trust have invested in community-based outreach efforts to improve the enrollment, retention and utilization of Medicaid and Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+). This case study highlights the work of one such effort: employing a unique network model of county government and community-based organization coordination, Healthy Kids has successfully bridged the gap between the organizations targeting eligible but not enrolled children and families, the county technicians who process Medicaid or CHP+ applications in the Colorado Benefits Management System, and the health clinics that ultimately serve eligible clients

Formal controls, neighborhood disadvantage, and violent crime in U.S. cities: Examining (un)intended consequences

Purpose This study examines the intended and unintended effects of formal social controls on violent crime within and across U.S. cities. Methods Using data from the National Neighborhood Crime Study, we assess whether greater police arrest activity and jail incarceration risk are associated with lower violent crime rates across cities. We also investigate whether greater use of these formal social controls exacerbates the relationship between extreme neighborhood disadvantage and violent crime. Results Results from multilevel analyses show that some formal controls (jail incarceration risk) reduce violent crime across cities, but other formal controls (police arrest activity) amplify the relationship between extreme neighborhood disadvantage and violent crime within cities. Conclusions Two main conclusions can be drawn from our analyses. First, we found evidence that some formal controls do reduce violent crime, while others do not. Second, our results support scholars\u27 arguments that formal controls have unintended consequences (e.g., Clear, 2007, 2008; Rose & Clear, 1998), specifically, by amplifying the effect of extreme neighborhood disadvantage on violent crime

Examining the Sources of Violent Victimization Among Jail Inmates

This study involves an examination of the individual- and jail-level predictors of violent victimization during short-term incarceration using data from the most recent Survey of Inmates in Local Jails and the corresponding National Jail Census. Findings suggest that individuals whose attributes make them appear more vulnerable or whose attributes antagonize others have a greater risk of violent victimization in jail. In addition, the findings suggest that jails with more stagnant inmate populations and older jails may have higher levels of violent victimization. Overall, the study results add validity to the opportunity framework as a general explanation for victimization risk regardless of the setting in which individuals are placed

The Sources of Violent and Nonviolent Offending among Women in Prison

This study involved an assessment of the relevance of women’s background characteristics for predicting their offending in prison. Data were collected from over 650 women confined in a large prison for women in a Midwestern state, and the relative effects of these factors were examined. Findings revealed that background characteristics reflecting social demographics (e.g. race, sexual orientation) and women’s life experiences (e.g. abuse as a child) were relevant for predicting women’s violent and nonviolent misbehavior in prison