Poverty in America

According to the 2010 U.S. Census, 46.2 million Americans (15.1%) are living in poverty, the largest number since the U.S. government began calculating poverty figures in 1959. The U.S. poverty rate is the third worst among the developed nations tracked by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). More than 1 in 5 children under age 18 and 1 in 6 Americans is living under the federal poverty line.

As the number of available jobs shrinks and the number of low-paying or part-time jobs with no benefits increases, the number of people unemployed or under-employed is rising. Low-wage jobs do not cover basic necessities such as food, shelter, clothing, transportation, and health care. Fueling this situation, health care costs are rising and crippling families. Currently, nearly 1 in 6 Americans has no health insurance (49.9 million), nearly 10% of whom (7.3 million) are children. Between 2009 and 2010, the poverty rate among seniors rose from 9% to 15.9% due to medical expenses. More than 45% of Americans are doubling-up, living with their parents or friends because they have incomes below the poverty level.

Rising inflation, falling job rates, unlivable wages, rising health care expenses and mounting debts are leading the middle- and lower- classes into poverty.

Where is poverty worst?
The South has been hit hardest by current economic conditions, with 18.8 million people living in poverty in 2010, 1.2 million more than in 2009. Next worst off was the West, with 10.9 million people living below the poverty line. The Northeast and the Midwest were doing relatively better, with 6.92 million and 9.49 million people, respectively, slipping or remaining under the poverty line. Twenty-two states had poverty rates greater than the national rate of 15.1% in 2010. Mississippi was the worst off, with almost one-quarter of its population (22.4%) living in poverty, followed by New Mexico, Kentucky, and Alabama where 1 in every 5 individuals is stricken by poverty. Among the 28 states that had poverty rates lower than the national rate, New Hampshire ranked the best (8.3%), followed by Alaska and Maryland (9.9%), Connecticut (10.1%), New Jersey (10.3%), and Hawaii (10.7%). Illinois wasn’t spared by the recession. It had 17.1 million (13.8%) individuals living below the federal poverty line — the 28th worst state in the nation.

Today’s Youth: Race, Violence, Juvenile Justice, and Research

Handcuffs, Omagh. Google Images.

At a moment when the country is facing one of the most controversial cases of violence against young black men and women in recent history—Trayvon Martin and his death being the most heated topic among several recent violent killings, including that of Rekia Boyd and the  Tulsa shooting—scholars, social scientists, and the wider public find themselves grappling with complicated questions about the state of the criminal justice system and its relationship to youth delinquency, detention, violence, and justice.

The past two months have produced a slew of news reports, articles, Facebook statuses, tweets, and formal and informal conversations in which Trayvon Martin’s death has served as a symbol of outrage and vehemence concerning racism, racial profiling, and the criminal justice system. At this momentous juncture—a time when youth of color are repeatedly depicted on nightly crime reports as the perpetrators or victims of violence—I’m particularly interested in examining some of these issues with empirical research and hard data to expand the dialogue now engrossing many of us. In moments like this social scientists turn to sound empirical research to help frame the discussion, provide a more meaningful and nuanced understanding of the situation, ground arguments in substantiated claims, and take the opportunity to either mitigate or amplify this fervor—for justifiable reasons, of course.

The haves and the have-nots

Most Americans are unaware of how unequally wealth is distributed in this country. As of 2007, the top 1% of Americans had a net worth of 34.6% (more than $12 trillion) and held 49.7% of all the investment assets according to sociologist William Domhoff and the IRS. These wealth-holders take home almost one-quarter of the national income (24%). More than 1.3 million of them are men, 0.97 million are women; 21.3% are under 50 years of age; 50% are married.

The same data indicate that in 2007, California had the most residents with a net worth of at least $2 million, followed by New York, Florida, New Mexico, and Texas. Illinois ranked sixth. However, if you consider the concentration of wealth alongside the population of each state, Wyoming ranks first followed by Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont, California, South Dakota, Florida, New Jersey, New York, and Massachusetts.

Where is The Middle Ground between Mandatory and Discretionary Domestic Violence Legislation?

Image credit: Sodahead.com

Years ago when I was living in Boulder, Colorado, I volunteered as a legal advocate with the Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Nonviolence (SPAN) and learned about catastrophic cases of domestic violence. As part of my training to become a legal advocate, I became familiar with the federal and state-specific legislation covering domestic violence. Colorado is one of 22 states that apply mandatory or preferred arrest in cases of domestic violence. When they enacted the mandatory arrest law in 1994, legislation fostered by the federal Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), policymakers had the best of intentions to protect former and potential victims from repeated intimate partner violence.

Mandatory arrest laws were enacted to protect women from experiences like that of Tracey Thurman, a Connecticut woman who was left for dead in the driveway by her husband who had beaten and stabbed her multiple times in 1984. Against all odds, Tracey not only survived her husband’s attack, but successfully sued the City of Torrington, Connecticut for failing to protect her after she had repeatedly reported her husband’s violent episodes to authorities. Unsurprisingly, after Thurman’s case, domestic violence advocates nationwide pushed legislators to pass mandatory and pro-arrest laws that transfer the decision to press charges from women to law enforcement officers.

However, empirical evidence in the last decade has caused some researchers and practitioners to raise their eyebrows.

Healthy Research?

Photo by Patrick Mannion

Just in case you haven’t already heard, DePaul University is ranked among the most sexually unhealthy universities in the United States. In fact, it is ranked the most sexually unhealthy university. Trojan (yes the condom company) produces an annual Sexual Health Report Card ranking colleges and universities across the nation on the sexual health resources and services that they provide to their campus communities. According to the 2011 Sexual Health Report Card, DePaul University is ranked 141 out of 141 schools. It appears that Trojan is not only interested in selling their brand—although they do market Trojan BareSkin to viewers of their latest report card—but they are also interested in students’ access to adequate resources and education on sexual health and safe sex.