The Mark of a Criminal Record
Prior research has found that men coming out of prison face poor employment prospects relative to their non-incarcerated peers. The question that remains is, would these men's employment opportunities have been any better in the absence of incarceration? Certainly many of the men who wind up in prison had few job skills to begin with, and their post-prison work patterns may therefore merely reflect preexisting characteristics. Pager seeks to investigate whether the stigma of incarceration itself limits future employment opportunities. Using matched pairs of young black and white men to apply for real entry-level jobs, her work demonstrates that a criminal record indeed presents a serious barrier to employment among equally qualified applicants, particularly among young black job seekers. Her findings have troubling implications for the future: With over two million individuals currently incarcerated, and over half a million being released each year, the consequences for new forms of labor market inequalities are potentially profound.
The Mark of Race
Among the findings from Pager's field experiments, one of the most troubling relates to the impact of race on employment outcomes. According to these results, a black applicant with a clean record fares no better in employment searches than a white man just released from prison. This result clearly illustrates to the continuing significance of race in shaping opportunities. Though politicians and the general public are increasingly likely to believe that direct discrimination is a thing of the past, these results suggest that such a conclusion is premature.
Ethnic Differentiation, Economic Instability, and the French Criminal Justice System
In recent years, worsening economic conditions in France have led to growing tensions between native-born French and a rising tide of immigrants, largely from North Africa and other parts of the developing world. The French criminal justice system has responded to perceived levels of social disorder and delinquency in these ethnic neighborhoods by increasing police surveillance, widening court jurisdiction, and imposing harsher penalties for offenders. As a result, France's foreign and immigrant residents, who comprise only about 6% of the population overall, now represent nearly 30% of the French prison population. In this work, Pager investigates whether the rise of ethnic differentiation and economic instability in France is associated with a more punitive approach to managing social disorder. In the process, she aims to untangle the relationships between immigrant status, national origin, and economic standing as they relate to trends in law enforcement and criminal justice.
Sociology 101: The Sociological Perspective
Description
Sociology is the study of society, and of individuals in their
social contexts. Sociologists examine the interactions among social
institutions, cultures, groups, and individuals, investigating how
the social world shapes individual lives. This course seeks to
introduce key debates and ideas from the sociological perspective,
including topics such as: social theory, social science methods,
social interaction, networks, race, class, gender, crime and
punishment, families, education, urban life, and social inequality.
Sample readings
- Introduction to Sociology, by Giddens, Duneier, and Appelbaum
- The Sociological Imagination, C.Wright Mills
- Unequal Childhoods, by Annette Lareau
Sociology 222 (also SOC567): The Sociology of Crime and Punishment
Description
This course seeks to provide a sociological account of crime and
punishment. Why do people commit crime? How should we respond to
crime? How has crime policy changed over the past several decades?
What are the consequences of recent crime policy? By reading
classic and contemporary sociological research, policy analysis, and
media coverage, we will explore the themes of crime and punishment
in contemporary society.
Sample readings
- The Culture of Control, by David Garland
- Making Crime Pay, by Katherine Beckett
- Punishment and Inequality, by Bruce Western
- Broken Windows, by Wilson and Kelling
Sociology 510c: The Sociology of Race and Ethnicity
Description
This course is a graduate-level introduction to the study of race
and ethnicity. The readings for each week seek to orient and engage
students with the major debates in the research literature,
including issues of assimilation, identify formation and change,
urban segregation, class differentiation, labor market experiences
among racial and ethnic groups, and international comparisons of
racial/ethnic divisions. A central question this course will engage
concerns the persistence of race and ethnicity as an organizing
construct, over time and across national contexts. Are racial/ethnic
divisions declining in significance, or will race and ethnicity
continue to shape the identities and trajectories of social groups
well into the future?
Sample readings
- The Declining Significance of Race, by William Julius Wilson Race in Another America, by Edward Telles
- How the Other Half Works, by Waldinger and Lichter
- Black Wealth, White Wealth, by Oliver and Shapiro
- American Apartheid, by Massey and Denton
