CGP Gray is in rare form in this 4 1/2 minute argument in favor of phasing out the penny. He argues, entertainingly, that:
…they cost more to make than they’re worth, they waste peoples’ time, they don’t work as money, and because of inflation they’re less valuable every year making all the other problems worse.
Inspired by our older posts, I decided to check up on the Internets and see if the trend was still alive. Indeed, and alas. The first example I stumbled upon was Vera Wang’s 2012 wedding dress collection. The collection isn’t up on Wang’s website at the time I’m writing, but media outlets are consistently describing the collection as featuring “nude” and “black” dresses. The Huffington Post is one example.
I decided to go with the wedding theme. At Martha Stewart, she suggests a “powder blue and nude palette” for the ceremony and reception. Project Wedding had many examples of nude clothing and other items. Finally, Belle had a collection of “nude” wedding shoes.
The first drug court started in Miami in 1989 as an effort to stop the cycle of drug addiction and crime. The program brought together judges, prosecuting and defense attorneys, addiction counselors, and social workers to collaboratively build an individualized treatment program. Rather than sending people to jail, the drug court program was designed to treat addiction while participants lived in the community. Drug courts have become an increasingly common way for communities to engage with low-level drug offenders.
Seeking to raise awareness and support for drug courts, the National Association of Drug Court Professionals has released a series of PSAs entitled, “All Rise.” Using a mix of celebrities and drug court judges, these commercials assert that 75% of drug court participants are never arrested again.
The promise is clear. Drug courts not only treat addiction, they also treat a number of social problems (“no more families torn apart… no more neglect… no more overdoses”).
Are drug courts really this successful?
The truth is, we still don’t know. The 75% success statistic comes from a study published in 2003. The authors report that only 27.5% of drug court participants had been re-arrested and charged with a serious crime within two years. So, we don’t know what re-arrest rates look like after that two-year period and the data doesn’t include arrests for minor crimes or arrests for serious crimes that did not result in a charge. This is a far cry from the claim made in the video: that 75% of drug court participants are never arrested again.
The claims asserted in the “All Rise” campaign, then, should be treated with caution. That said, drug courts are a significant move away from punitiveness for addicted offenders. Increasing the time to reoffending is a very positive step for the offender, for the community, and for the criminal justice system. Additionally, most recidivism occurs within three years of release, so if the drug court program is helping participants to make it past this milestone it may indeed lead to some graduates leaving criminality altogether.
But before we turn to drug courts as “the” solution, we need more research on the effectiveness of drug courts. Women and Caucasians fare better in the program than men and people of color. And large courts tend to be more effective than small courts. Nevertheless, since the 1990s drug courts have spread across the nation to all major cities and many medium and small-sized cities, some of which have limited resources and less dedication. All Rise’s enthusiasm should be tempered with a critical eye aimed at making these programs work well, and for as many people as possible.
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Kimberly Baker is an assistant professor of Sociology and Women’s Studies at Ithaca College. She teaches classes in crime, deviance, and law. Her research is on drugs, addiction, and U.S. drug policy, including drug courts.
Yikes. In a report designed to prove the feasibility of measuring electrodermal activity on subjects going about their daily life, at least one student showed near brain-death during class.
Am I exaggerating? Yes. But, even so, brain patterns during class matched watching TV closer than any other activity on the list. Studying and homework, lab work, and socializing got more of his attention… sleep was a veritable mental work-out compared to class.
Lisa Wade is celebrating the news that, come Fall, she will be a tenured professor at Occidental College! Now that she’s in the “golden handcuffs,” she can say all the stuff she’s been holding back on Twitter and Facebook. :)
Here’s a neat story that reminds us that beneath “mainstream” culture are rich, unique, and sometimes whimsical sub-cultures:
In 1946 a clown aficionado named Stan Bult began collecting the faces of clowns painted onto blown out chicken eggs. It became a U.K. tradition and, because it is considered a great breach of etiquette to steal another clown’s face, the eggs served as a sort of “registry.” The tradition crossed the pond in 1979 when Leon “Buttons” McBryde began a collection in the U.S. Linda, McBryde’s wife, paints the eggs herself (they use goose) and they’ve now collected over 700 unique clown faces.
Check out this example from the British collection.
U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R, Maine) and Representative Carolyn Maloney (D, New York) have both gone on record claiming that having more women employed in the Secret Service would prevent scandals like the one involving Colombian prostitutes.
In classic Daily Show form, Jon Stewart and his “correspondents” respond (thanks to Dmitriy T.M. for the link!):
Sociological Images encourages people to exercise and develop their sociological imaginations with discussions of compelling visuals that span the breadth of sociological inquiry. Read more…
CGP Gray is in rare form in this 4 1/2 minute argument in favor of phasing out the penny. He argues, entertainingly, that:
