This qualitative study explores the reorientation of masculine identities of formerly incarcerated Black men. Analysis is based on 20 in-depth interviews with 17 former inmates from the Louisiana prison system. This research investigates the impact of incarceration on the construction of masculinity. I explore the processes by which formerly imprisoned African American men construct, negotiate, and experience masculinity. My findings present how the way these men define masculinity and see themselves post-incarceration is influenced by not only their prison experience, but also by the reentry programs that they are affiliated. These mens identities have been reformulated post-incarceration and are profoundly shaped by social scripts embedded within the American culture, as well as the social landscape of the reentry circumstances that they find themselves. The worlds that they navigate post-imprisonment are met with inequality, limitations resulting from structural boundaries, as well as assumptions and a general mistrust of criminals. Black mens masculinity are present-day manifestations of a history saturated with discrimination, misrepresentation, and self-limiting internalized beliefs of deficiencies as men. However, the remnants of such a horrific past are quickly changing and so are the ways they view themselves as men. Although, their discourses on masculinity are created within a context that privileges White men, the men I interviewed describe how they negotiate masculinity, navigate a social context filled with inequality and a mistrust of former inmates, as well as how they have, and continue to reposition themselves as men with the limited resources available to them. These men have shifted their concepts of masculinity from a focus on toxic hypermasculine elements of masculinity toward positive, more-life sustaining conceptualizations of masculinity. My interviews highlight that personal senses of self, guide our everyday performances and become so commonplace that they begin to feel natural and self-initiated, even with outside influences. My findings provide support for reorganizing reentry programs to reorient positive understandings of masculinity in male inmates and former inmates, which will help reduce recidivism.

Research on social movement consequences has overwhelmingly focused on social movement-induced political or policy change. In this paper, I draw on data from interviews with LGBT activists at a Christian university to illustrate the possibility of social movement-induced religious change, both at the level of biography and culture. I also examine the role of bridge groups, organizations that bring together two or more groups for the purpose of fostering dialogue and promoting change within their wider communities, in facilitating religious change. The findings point to new directions for the study of biographical and cultural consequences of social movements, as well as for understanding the process of bridging work or bridge building in social movements.

In 2010 the State of Montana Department of Corrections (DOC) licensed the Correctional Assessment and Intervention System (CAIS) to address the high rate of recidivism among Co-occurring and Native American offenders. Montana DOC reported a significantly lower rate of revocation among the offenders assessed by the CAIS. Quantitative and Qualitative analyses were conducted to determine what aspects of the program facilitated the lower rates of revocation. Results of this analysis determined that several factors acting in concert contributed to the lower rates of revocation with the most meaningful contribution being that of rapport built between the probation officer and offender.

This dissertation integrates the civic community perspective and structuralist and individualist perspectives of poverty to assess the relationships between civic community structures and family poverty outcomes. The key contribution of this project to the larger bodies of civic community and poverty research is the use of a multilevel framework that accounts for both community context and family characteristics in shaping family poverty outcomes. This objective is carried out through a series of multilevel analyses wherein religious and economic civic community structures are examined in relation to various conceptualizations of family-level poverty. The first analysis examines the associations between religious-based measures of civic community and family poverty experiences. Results indicate that the ecological context of religion within places is significant in understanding the poverty experiences of families. Specifically, multilevel models demonstrate the negative effect of Mainline Protestant and Catholic adherents on family poverty. Conversely, it is shown that Mainline Protestant and Catholic congregations have a positive effect on family poverty. The second analysis examines the influence of economic-based measures of civic community on family poverty outcomes. Results indicate that the economic climate of places is significant in understanding the poverty experiences of families. Specifically, multilevel regressions demonstrate negative relationships between small business establishments and family poverty outcomes. Conversely, regression results show that self-employed business persons share positive relationships with family poverty outcomes. Supplementary analyses highlight the significant moderating effect of aggregate socioeconomic status on the relationships between economic climate measures and specific family poverty outcomes. The third and final analysis combines both religious and economic indicators of civic community in the examination of family poverty outcomes. Results indicate that the presence of civic community structures within places is significantly related to family poverty. Specifically, multilevel regressions demonstrate that Mainline Protestant adherents and small business establishments are associated with less family poverty. However, Mainline Protestant congregations and economically independent business persons are associated with more family poverty. Again, additional analyses highlight significant interaction effects between aggregate socioeconomic status and economic climate measures on specific family poverty outcomes.

Findings from numerous studies indicate that individuals living in more unequal societies are at greater risk for a variety of health problems. However, questions remain about the possible pathways that link health outcomes and income inequality. In general, the debate about how income inequality affects individual health centers around two issues: 1) whether the relationship is representative of the level of social cohesion within a given area, and/or 2) whether it is more indicative of the level of local investment in public health infrastructure. Each of these theories, then, represents a potential mediating mechanism through which income inequality impacts individual health. The purpose of this dissertation is to examine the social cohesion and local investment mechanisms through which income inequality may impact individual-level health outcomes. By examining variation in levels of social welfare spending and civic engagement, I investigate which of these competing variables has a stronger mediating effect in the relationship between income inequality and individual health outcomes. To address this research question, I use data from the Integrated Health Interview Series (IHIS)a collection of microdata based on the public use files of the U.S National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) which is linked to the National Death Index (NDI). Using multi-level modeling techniques, I simultaneously examine the role of environmental-level effects (i.e. degree of local investment/social cohesion) and individual-level effects (e.g. income) on the likelihood of individual mortality in metropolitan areas. The findings presented in this dissertation contradict previous claims about the Income Inequality Hypothesis, which suggests that income inequality is detrimental to individual health. In addition, findings do not support the Social Cohesion or Local Investment Mechanisms as mediating pathways through which income inequality impacts individual health. These results raise questions about the causal effects of income inequality, and the sensitivity of this relationship to level of aggregation and to what factors research choose to control.

The purpose of this research is to provide a comprehensive description of the trucking subculture. In addition to detailing the material and nonmaterial aspects of and the process of being socialized into the trucking subculture, this thesis provides a profile of the contemporary American truck driver including demographics, work activities, attitudes, opinions and illegal activities.

The purpose of this research was to find the differences in the use of medical care between black males and white males and between young black males and older black males. A combination of the conflict perspective, formal-rationality, sick roles, and social learning perspective was used to understand what black males think about using medical care. Secondary analysis was performed on data from the 1992 National Health Interview Survey. ANOVA, t tests, correlation analyses, and multiple regressions were performed to determine the differences in the use of medical care and what factors influenced visiting a doctor. Results indicate no difference in the number of doctor visits per year for black and white males. Differences in the number of doctor visits were found to be associated with place of residency and age. Education, employment, and number of conditions were the three factors that had the most influence on the number of doctor visits.

The present study uses data from the 2004 Monitoring the Future Survey (MTF) to evaluate how twelfth grader's educational aspirations and religiosity influenced their desire to marry. Previous research indicates that education attained and increased religiosity increases the probability of marriage (Bumpass, Sweet, and Cherlin 1991; Goldstein and Kenney 2001; Sweeney 2002; Thornton, Axinn, and Teachman 1995). Exchange theory explains that higher levels of education increase one's odds in the marriage market, and the actual act of marriage is perceived as a "reward" to highly religious individuals (Becker 1973; Blau 1964; Edwards 1969; Friedman and Hechter 1988; Homans 1974). Results from this research indicate that as the level of educational aspirations increase so does the odds of desiring marriage. In addition, increased religiosity significantly increases the odds or desiring marriage. Furthermore, religiosity does not moderate the relationship between educational aspirations and the desire to marry.

The value that individuals attribute to their social ties with other residents can have an impact on the amount of crime that occurs within their own neighborhood. While previous criminological research has identified a negative relationship between the levels of social capital and victimization within neighborhoods, these studies often used different conceptualizations of social capital. This study seeks to extend previous research by examining the multiple dimensions of social capital within each classical approach and to assess each dimension's influence on self-reported violent victimization and property crime victimization in Chicago neighborhoods using data from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods (PHDCN). Multivariate regression analyses measure the effects of these social capital dimensions individually. The results primarily assess which dimension(s) of social capital lead to significantly lower self-reported accounts of violent victimization and property crimes in Chicago Neighborhoods. Findings suggest that the dimensions of social cohesion and trust and informal social control are important indicators in predicting violent victimization and that Coleman's model of social capital is consistently related to lower violent and property crime in Chicago neighborhoods, when compared to the other models.

The purpose of this research is to determine whether the public has an elevated amount of trust in the industry of the mass media. The data for the research come from the 2005 Eurobarometer 64.2. The participants consist of the population of the respective countries of the European Union Member States. The participants are all more than 15 years of age. The results of this study show that certain groups of people have an elevated amount of trust in the media, but overall the dependent variables used explain little with regard to trust in the mass media.