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Social workers have long been active in social and political organizing to ensure a living wage. Yet recent social work research largely neglects efforts to raise wages and effective means for organizing to do so. This paper draws on in-depth interviews from a longitudinal study of low-wage hospital workers who formed a union and negotiated annual, incremental wage increases to achieve a $15 minimum wage floor to understand their perceptions of the effects of the initial wage increase. Results show workers have a wide spectrum of perceptions, with many feeling no effect or even a negative effect due to losses in public benefits. A visualization used to aid interpretation of results identifies race and family structure as salient factors, pointing to the role of structural discrimination in experiences and perceptions of wage increases. Given that this workplace, like many other employers and localities, has implemented a $15 minimum wage through incremental raises across time, it is important that social workers be aware of the experiences of workers at each stage of this process. This study examines the impact of the first raise, establishing a framework from which future research can examine how individuals' perceptions and experiences develop over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Legal socialization is the process through which young people develop beliefs in the legitimacy of the law and legal system. Research has examined how perceptions of interactions with authority figures influence beliefs regarding the legitimacy of laws and legal system, thereby shaping compliance with the law (Fagan and Tyler in "Soc Justice Res" 18:217-242, 2005). Child welfare caseworkers play an integral role in children and youths' experiences in the child welfare system. However, limited research exists examining the relationship between youths' perceptions of caseworkers and outcomes such as delinquency. Objective: The goal of this study is to address how perceptions of a youth's child welfare caseworker influence legal socialization and whether it is related to self-reports of delinquency. Methods: The sample (n = 113) is from youth in two juvenile justice residential facilities. Least trimmed square regressions examine the relationship between perceptions of child welfare caseworkers and legal socialization as a composite measure and its components. The overall measure and individual components are then regressed on self-reports of delinquency. Results: Results indicate youth with more negative perceptions of caseworkers view the legal system as less legitimate and exhibit lower overall legal socialization. Legal socialization is significantly related to delinquency. Conclusion: Findings suggest that, similar to other authority figures, perceptions of child welfare caseworkers are linked to young people's legal socialization and that legal socialization is related to delinquent behavior. Thus, professionals should be aware of the important role of their relationships when working with children and youth.

Recent legislative enactments have altered the boundary between US juvenile and criminal justice systems. Youth that were previously adjudicated as juveniles are increasingly being labeled "adults" and tried in the criminal court. This article begins with a review of policy and practice changes in the transfer of children to the criminal court. Through a discussion of relevant social and political discourses, the author examines the meanings of these changes for constructions of childhood and the contestation of childhood that they represent. The article concludes with a framework for analyzing and reconfiguring the trying of children as adults.

This study examines whether and how wage increases are associated with hardships experienced by low-wage workers and their strategies to manage these hardships. Data are drawn from a survey of 166 hospital service, clerical, and technical workers at a large hospital in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Following an initial wage increase, workers experienced fewer hardships and used fewer strategies to make ends meet, such as financial support from family and public benefits programs. Hardships decreased more for workers making above $15 an hour. These results suggest that raising the wages of low-wage workers can help reduce the hardships they experience and the need to use a variety of strategies to make ends meet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2007.05.008 Byline: Jeffrey J. Shook (a), Rosemary C. Sarri (b) Keywords: Juvenile; Structured decision making; Juvenile court; Juvenile justice Abstract: Legal actors in juvenile courts are required to make numerous decisions about the intake, processing, and disposition of juvenile offenders within limited time frames and with limited information. Structured decision making (SDM), a formal and standardized procedure for guiding decision makers that defines the criteria they must use in their deliberations and decisions, has the potential to make decision making more fair and effective. However, this study of 12 courts in four states reveals that SDM is not systematically implemented in juvenile justice case processing and its use is inhibited by a lack of training, appropriate instruments, and service options. Judges and probation officers reported overriding SDM recommendations in a significant portion of their caseloads due to their own disagreement with the recommendations or due to external constraints. Although judges and probation officers agreed with general goals for the implementation of SDM, they generally did not believe that SDM was achieving these goals in their courts. While the extent to which judges and probation officers valued different SDM components (risk assessment, needs assessment, and security classification) and found them useful at different decision-making points varied, the results of this study indicate a positive relationship between perceptions of value and frequency of use. These results indicate a need for attention not only to the development of appropriate instruments to aid in decision making but also to the implementation of these instruments in case processing. Author Affiliation: (a) University of Pittsburgh, 2117 Cathedral of Learning, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, United States (b) University of Michigan, United States Article History: Received 27 March 2007; Revised 2 May 2007; Accepted 9 May 2007

Many service, clerical, and technical hospital workers deemed essential during the pandemic have wages that do not reflect the essential nature of their work and do not earn enough income to cover basic expenses. Thus, many experience material hardships related to food, housing, and medical care. Previous studies have shown strong relationships between material hardships and health; however, they do not fully explain the role of stress as an intervening mechanism. This cross-sectional study analyzes an online survey with 257 lower-wage hospital workers to examine the relationships between hardships and health, and how perceived stress mediates these relationships. Path analysis revealed that financial and food hardships were related to mental health through perceived stress, while medical hardship was directly associated with physical health. These findings add to the evidence that workers' hardships either directly or indirectly contribute to negative mental and physical health outcomes through perceived stress. Future investigations should further examine relationships among material hardships, stress, and health, and advocacy efforts should focus on raising wages for essential hospital workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]