Background
As stated so elegantly by Oscar Handlin: “Once I thought to write a history of the immigrants in America. Then I discovered that the immigrants were American history.” At the peak of immigration in 1910, nearly 15% of the total population of the United States was foreign-born. Today, once again immigration and the issues surrounding it are changing the way we think about diversity in the United States. In large part due to shifts in US immigration policy precipitated by the Immigration Act of 1964, the predominant face of diversity in the US is not European but of immigrants from Asia and Latin America. In 2005, US foreign-born residents represented 12.5% of the population—the closest we have been to the historic 15% in 1910. While today’s immigrants come from different regions of the world and represent different racial and ethnic identities than the immigrants of 1910, like their predecessors, they are again challenging what it means to be American.
Study
We are examining three specific types of immigrants (and their children): 1) immigrants who are working (as opposed to students), 2) immigrants who are married to U.S. citizens and 3) parents who have adopted children from other countries (or transnational adoptees if they are adults). These three types of immigrants represent the largest groups of immigrants coming to Utah. Currently, many immigrant workers, predominately from Mexico, work in service jobs such as construction in Utah. Utah also has a substantial number of international marriages, especially given the international students at Brigham Young University and ESL schools, combined with a large number of LDS missionaries who have served all over the world. Finally, transnational adoptions, especially from China, represent a significant number of newcomers. Unlike the other two groups above, these children will grow up in non-immigrant families and will thus face unique circumstances. All three groups represent different waves of immigrants coming to Utah County. The goal of this research is to better understand the issues that each of these groups face and how they deal with them as part of their assimilation into the United States, such as issues of language use, education, work, identity, and integration.
Student and Faculty Involvement
We have many faculty and students involved in this project and encourage others to get involved.
Contact
Charlie Morgan, Sociology (charlie.morgan@byu.edu)
Purpose
While the number of cross-racial adoptions has increased substantially over the past couple decades, little is known about how successful parents feel they are in these adoptions, and little is known about identity formation among transracially adopted children. In this research we want to know your experience in:
The study will be looking at the level of success adoptive parents feel (or don't) in transracial adoption and the formation of identity in the children, as reported by adoptive parents and transracial adoptees.
Be Involved
Real Victory: Evaluating a Program to Help Offenders Succeed at Probationer and Parole
Currently there are almost 7 million individuals under correctional supervision (incarcerated, on probation, or on parole) or 3.1 percent of the adult population. About 1.4 million persons are in the federal and state prisons in the United States. Two-thirds of parolees are rearrested within three years and forty percent of those are re-incarcerated (Langan & Levin, 2002). There is a great need to study and understand why some people desist from crime while others do not. The purpose of this study is to determine whether the cognitive class and the cell phone behavior change tool can create pro-social change in an offender’s attitudes and behaviors.
Reality Model Class
The reality model is an attitude change intervention that is centered on the idea that beliefs drive behavior. The model was designed to help individuals examine their principles and beliefs more clearly, understand how their beliefs are driving their behaviors, and make certain that the results of their behavior are aligned with their basic needs. The Reality Model has been used successfully by Carl Reddick, an Oregon parole officer, based on approximately six years of clinical experience.
Victory Seeker Program
The Victory Seeker Program is a behavioral change intervention that focuses directly on changing behavior and is centered on the idea that behavior drives beliefs. This program consists of giving parolees their own personal cell phone and using the phones to monitor and influence their behavior. Each parolee receives phone calls at pre-established times according to a timetable that is established at the beginning of their parole. These calls may be as often as every two or three hours depending on the background and history of each person. The questions asked in the phone calls are also tailored to each person’s challenges and personal situation. The responses of the parolees can be monitored for accuracy regarding their location, their associates, and their activities, which allows for immediate intervention when needed. Pre-recorded messages of support and encouragement by friends, mentors, or even the parolee can be played to reinforce good behavior.
Research Methodology
Currently we have collected data in three sites from individuals randomly assigned to a control condition, the class, the cell phone, or both the class and cell phone:
The effectiveness of the two change programs will be evaluated by examining recidivism—how many are re-arrested and number of months without being arrested.
Results
Preliminary indicate that those who participate in these programs have improved their attitudes and employment. Findings have been presented at the Pacific Sociological Association, Society for Prevention Research, and American Probation and Parole Association. Data collection continues and three major papers which report the findings are in preparation. Recidivism data will be available soon.
Student and Faculty Involvement
During the past two year 25 students have been involved in the project. They have helped review literature, develop questionnaires and interview schedules, interviews subjects, track subjects, code data, analyze data, and write reports.
Investigators on the Project
Bert O. Burraston, Sociology
Stephen J. Bahr, Sociology
David J. Cherrington, Marriott School
Stephen W. Liddle, Marriott School
Bruce Bennett, Star
James Bennett, The Bennett Group