Search Results (4)

Sex workers and formerly incarcerated people with a cervix face significant structural, interpersonal, and emotional barriers to cervical cancer screening, despite being at elevated risk for HPV infection. HPV self-sampling (HPV-SS) is a validated, user-directed method that has the potential to address these barriers, yet it remains excluded from Ontario’s organized screening program. This qualitative study explored the lived experiences of structurally marginalized individuals with a cervix who were offered HPV-SS as part of a mixed-methods pilot in the Greater Toronto Area. Five virtual focus groups were conducted with 34 participants, including both those who used the HPV-SS kit and those who declined it. Using inductive thematic analysis, we identified barriers to traditional screening including fear, stigma, mistrust of healthcare providers, logistical constraints, and a lack of accessible information. HPV-SS was widely described as more acceptable, empowering, and emotionally manageable, offering participants autonomy, privacy, and control over their care. Concerns included swab design, uncertainty about correct use, and unclear follow-up after positive results. Participants offered concrete, community-informed recommendations to improve HPV-SS implementation, including opt-in distribution models, gender-affirming language, and trauma-informed educational materials. The findings highlight the urgent need to integrate HPV-SS into organized screening programs to advance equitable access to cervical cancer prevention for marginalized populations. Full article

Given the housing issues that people who have been in prison face, this article examines the permitting process to operate a vocational and life skills training program for the formerly incarcerated in Salt Lake City, UT, called The Other Side Academy (TOSA). This article employs participant observation, personal and public meeting conversations, planning division staff reports, public comments, and newspaper articles to answer the following question: How was TOSA described in the public input process for a conditional use permit? The author examines how TOSA neighbors first opposed the project and then came to support it. But even with community support, planning staff struggled to find a zoning code that would allow TOSA operations. In the end, the final decision to approve the conditional use permit came to the hearing officer, who sided in favor of TOSA. In this case, planners can learn about the zoning obstacles that reentry housing faces and how those obstacles can be overcome. Finally, academia and planning divisions need to better educate planners involved in administrative process into understanding the intent of the code to achieve just outcomes. Full article

Economic inequality is a significant and growing issue in the U.S., particularly within Black communities. Improving Black entrepreneurship is critical to addressing the economic gaps. In this paper, we discuss a unique, newly established educational program focused on cannabis education at Medgar Evers College (MEC) in New York. One of the goals of the new program is to increase Black entrepreneurship in the rapidly growing cannabis industry. For decades, cannabis use and distribution were criminal offenses that led to the disproportionate incarceration of Black individuals compared to White individuals. As it is being decriminalized across the country, and medical and recreational use spreads, the tool formerly used for Black incarceration can now become a tool for advancing Black entrepreneurship. To work and/or operate a venture in the cannabis industry requires students to understand a range of issues and build a strong foundation of broad knowledge. We discuss the emerging curricula and illustrate some of the elements that will help spur successful new venture creation led by Black and minority entrepreneurs in this exciting new field. Some early successes and lessons learned are discussed, which can help other educational institutions looking to create or improve their own cannabis-related curricula. Full article

Although research about the unintended consequences of paternal incarceration for family well-being has grown in recent years, there has been minimal exploration of food insecurity. Using qualitative methods, we aimed to understand the relationships between paternal incarceration and family food insecurity in Canada. An ethnographic study (24 months) was conducted that included naturalistic observation and in-depth interviews with formerly incarcerated fathers, their partners, and societal reintegration-focused stakeholders (n = 63). Interpretive thematic analysis based on family impact and intersectional theories, indicated that family food insecurity was elucidated by pre-incarceration, economic, social, health, and relationship factors; stigma and social/structural constraints; and intersections among individual, correctional system, community, and macro-level (i.e., economic, social, policy, physical contexts) factors. Participatory approaches and collaborative action among diverse stakeholders that include practitioners, policy makers, researchers, as well as health, social, and criminal justice agencies can guide best practices in creating supportive food environments for families impacted by adversities of incarceration. In particular, interventions aimed at prescriptive ethics, social justice, and meaningful rehabilitation show promise at mitigating the collateral consequences of incarceration-related food insecurity. Full article