James Short helped shape sociology with early study of Chicago street gangs
adriana
Back during the Eisenhower Administration, James Short was studying Chicago street gangs. He became a longtime professor of sociology in 1951.
And though Mr. Short’s Youth Studies Project wrapped up nearly 60 years ago, other sociologists say it remains relevant today.
He found that gang members “want to be respected and be tough,” said Lorine A. Hughes, WSU sociology alumna now at the University of Colorado Denver. “They’re not thinking about broader punishments. They really want to be respected on the street.”
He sought information from potential “juvenile delinquents” themselves, rather than rely on data from police and the courts.
As we celebrate National Travel and Tourism Week, we also take a look at the struggles of a tourism-based economy. Jennifer Sherman is associate professor of sociology at Washington State University. Her research looks at the ways in which job loss, poverty, and economic strain affect families, particularly in rural U.S. communities.
In a US study, about one-third of youths just out of high school admitted to riding with a driver who was under the influence of alcohol or illicit drugs. That raises their already high risk of being in a crash—not just as a passenger, but later as a driver, too, researchers say.
Clayton Mosher, a professor in Washington State University Vancouver’s sociology department who focuses on criminology, said three years of increases in vehicle thefts may be due to the slowing pace at which police services are being expanded in the city.