Category: Research Brief

Research Brief / Sociology of Law, Crime and Deviance

Solid Foundations? Towards a Historical Sociology of Prison Building Programmes in England and Wales, 1959–2015

Between 1959 and 2015 the UK government embarked upon five major phases of prison building in England and Wales. Drawing upon detailed archival research, this article offers a historical sociology of prison building programmes. It traces the evolution of prison building as a public policy concern and documents how this key site of penal policy making was interpreted, and contested, by policy actors who were themselves embedded within deep institutional structures of power and meaning. It argues that prison building...

Research Brief / Social Psychology & Lifecourse / Social Welfare / Sociology of Children / Sociology of Health & Illness

Effects of trauma‐informed approaches in schools: A systematic review

This is a Plain Language Summary of an Open Access Systematic Review published in Campbell Systematic Reviews originally published on 17 July 2019 The review in brief Despite growing support and increased rate of which trauma‐informed approaches are being promoted and implemented in schools, evidence to support this approach is lacking. What is this review about? Exposure to different types of trauma have been associated with varying types and complexity of adverse outcomes, including adverse effects on cognitive functioning, attention,...

Research Brief / Social Welfare

Individualized funding interventions to improve health and social care outcomes for people with a disability: A mixed‐methods systematic review

This is a plain language summary of an Open Access Systematic Review published in Campbell Systematic Reviews. It is also available as a PDF in English and Spanish on The Campbell Collaboration website. What is the aim of this review? This Campbell systematic review examines the effects of individualized funding on a range of health and social care outcomes. It also presents evidence on the experiences of people with a disability, their paid and unpaid supports and implementation successes and...

Research Brief / Science & Technology / Sociology of Law, Crime and Deviance

Prisoners and Chronic Health Conditions: A Look at the Research

Chronic conditions are health conditions that have lasted or are expected to last twelve or more months and result in functional limitations and/or the need for continuous medical care (Hwang et al. 2001). In a recent study using data from the 2005 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, Paez, Zhao, and Hwang (2009) found that 43.8 percent of non-institutionalized civilians in the U.S. live with one or more chronic conditions. Among adults, it was found that hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes are the...

Race & Ethnicity Studies / Research Brief / Social Movements / Social Change / Sociology of Culture

Recent Trends in Latino Immigration: A Look at Current Research on Contemporary Latino Immigrants and “Mixed Status” Families.

A lot has changed since the U.S. government signed the IRCA Act of 1986, a policy that changed the face of immigration reform and affected many immigrants. In many ways, this policy coincides with my own personal history of immigration, subsequently influencing the research trajectory I have taken as a sociologist. Among other provisions, the IRCA Act of 1986 gave undocumented individuals who resided in the U.S. since 1982 the opportunity to become legalized. Due to the IRCA Act of 1986,...