Group Homes for People with Disabilities are Harbors for Abuse
by James DeLano “I don’t feel safe here.” That statement was uttered repeatedly in interviews performed by the Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program (ADAP) with residents of Sequel Courtland, a psychiatric group home for boys in Courtland, AL. The residents of the...
How Stigma Hurts Series: Opium and Chinese Repression
By Eva Pechtl Samuel Walker proposes that America has two crime problems, one affecting most white, middle-class Americans and another affecting mostly people of color in poverty. Racial bias has been expressed in drug policy for centuries and has not ceased to...
Femicides in Mexico
By Abigail Shumate Content warning: This blog contains references to violence and murder. Introduction The femicide crisis in Mexico can be best exemplified in the quote, “What is happening in Mexico is a gigantic tragedy, a humanitarian catastrophe”—a statement made...
Why Car Overreliance is a Human Rights Issue
By Lexie Woolums Sustainability means a lot of things to many different people, and I view that as a positive thing. One part of sustainability that is usually highlighted is the focus on environmental sustainability, given the real-time effects of climate change....
The Unrecognized Effects of the Opioid Crisis on Native Americans
by Abigail Shumate A Brief History of the Opioid Crisis Beginning in the late 20th century, opioid prescription rates skyrocketed in shocking numbers, and in just over ten years, opioid sales quadrupled. With the introduction of OxyContin into everyday life and...
Factors Affecting Poverty in Alabama
by Jordan Price One day, in the cafeteria of my small-town Alabama high school, my friend asked if I could sneak some extra snacks from the cafeteria as I went through the line, “Anything that I can put in my backpack for later.” I wondered why her question was asked...
The Wine Industry: Years of Exploitation and Human Trafficking
by Caitlin Cerillo Have you ever had a glass of wine and wondered how it’s made? Or, pondered what it comes from and how long the wine-making process takes? Who is responsible for making it? Surely, the wine industry has been modernized, where mechanical...
Femicide in Kenya: A Silent Crisis
by Grace Ndanu In recent years, Kenya has witnessed a horrifying increase in cases of femicide. The alarming statistics paint an ugly picture of the state of women’s safety in the country. This issue goes beyond simple statistics as it represents...
Mental Illness in U.S. Prisons and Jails
by James DeLano “I run the biggest mental hospital in the country.” That was Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca in 2005. He was referring to the fact that, in 2005, over 2,000 people in the county jail had been diagnosed with a mental illness. That has not changed....
Rohingya Refugee Crisis Leads to Shifting Tide in Indonesia
by Delisha Valacheril The Rohingya are survivors of atrocities committed by the government of Myanmar. Described as the most persecuted minority in the world by the United Nations, the Rohingya are the world’s largest stateless population. Under Myanmar’s...
