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Objective: When wrongfully convicted individuals are released from prison, at first glance, it is a triumph; however, anecdotal evidence from exonerees suggests that obtaining housing postrelease is often challenging. We empirically examined whether race (Study 1) or type of criminal offense (Study 2) influenced landlords' willingness to rent to exonerees compared to releasees (i.e., rightfully convicted individuals released from prison) and control (i.e., members of the public). Hypotheses: We hypothesized that: (a) exonerees and releasees would receive fewer replies and fewer "yes" available responses compared to control, (b) Indigenous and Black renters would receive fewer replies and fewer "yes" available responses compared to White renters, and (c) individuals convicted of murder would receive fewer replies and fewer "yes" available responses compared to individuals convicted of robbery. Method: The authors responded to online apartment listings across Canada (Study 1) and in Toronto (Study 2) inquiring about unit availability. All rental inquiries were identical with the exception of criminal status and race (Study 1), and criminal status and criminal offense (Study 2). Results: Results demonstrated that landlords were significantly less likely to respond (Study 1:

Research has frequently found that students use their information and communication technologies—such as smartphones and laptops—for non-academic uses in the classroom. These uses include sending messages as well as checking email and social media accounts. This study aimed to examine students’ in-class information and communication technology use, their motivations for it, and perceptions of it, as well as their attitudes toward restriction and integration of information and communication technologies in the classroom. It was found that students most frequently engage in non-academic information and communication technology use when they feel that they would not miss any new class content, or when they feel disengaged. Students perceived that their non-academic information and communication technology use had costs, especially distraction. However, students also reported negative attitudes toward policies that would restrict their information and communication technology use in the classroom but had positive perceptions of attempts to integrate information and communication technology use. We propose that information and communication technology integration can be an effective method of increasing student engagement—and therefore decreasing non-academic information and communication technology use.

The Massachusetts Youth Screening Inventory-Second Version (MAYSI-2) has been widely adopted by juvenile justice agencies to identify adolescents in the juvenile justice system who have a mental disorder. Despite this, evidence of the ability of the MAYSI-2 to generalize across different ethnic groups is limited. Because Latinos are overrepresented in the juvenile justice system, we examined the psychometric properties of each subscale in a sample of 472 Latino juvenile offenders using confirmatory factor analyses (CFA), Pearson’s correlation coefficients, and simple linear regressions. The CFA models suggest adequate fit for Latino youth, and the correlations and regressions show strong convergent validity with the K-SADS-PL for a number of MAYSI-2 subscales, lending support to the generalizability of the MAYSI-2 to Latino adolescents. These results may be particularly beneficial for juvenile justice system administrators who render mental health treatment recommendations for youth offenders of different ethnicities.

Research suggests that formerly incarcerated individuals, and individuals belonging to racial minority groups, experience stigma and housing discrimination. The current study explored landlords’ attitudes and differential communications toward formerly incarcerated individuals – particularly wrongfully convicted individuals – of varying races. Using data from an experimental audit study, we examined the content of landlords’ email responses to rental inquiries from fictitious convicted and wrongfully convicted individuals, and members of the general public (i.e., control), who were either Black, Indigenous, or White. A content analysis revealed three main themes: 1) responding with courtesy; 2) probing for additional information; and 3) willingness to set up a viewing. Logistic regressions revealed that landlords were more likely to justify the rental’s unavailability, inquire about the renter’s financial stability and references, and to say they would follow up later when corresponding with convicted and wrongfully convicted individuals compared to control. Landlords were also more likely to ask White renters about their criminal history compared to Black and Indigenous renters. Surprisingly, individuals belonging to racial minority groups were not disadvantaged further in this data. The findings are discussed in the context of post-incarceration support.

Researchers often rely on undergraduate students to participate in psychological studies and so ethical guidelines state that there must be educational value to their participation. In previous studies that have asked undergraduates whether they felt they learned something new from participating in research, students have generally said yes. However, we know relatively little about what specifically they are learning. The current study aimed to extend previous research by asking undergraduate participants ( N = 479), who had all taken part in at least one psychology study, to indicate whether and what they learned about the research process, themselves, or other people as a result of their participation. Participants were also asked to recommend ways to make participating in studies more educational. Our findings suggest that the majority of participants are learning from their participation, most often about the design or process of research but also sometimes about their own psychology or that of other people. Based on students’ feedback, we provide specific recommendations for further improving the educational potential of studies.

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SummaryWith the emergence of “electronic courtrooms” in North America, lawyers are increasingly using PowerPoint® to assist with their presentation of case evidence. The current study examined whether evidence complexity and presentation modality influenced participants' comprehension of case evidence and verdict decisions. Participants read a trial transcript from a criminal case that contained DNA evidence, which varied by complexity (simple or complex) and presentation modality (written or PowerPoint®). Participants completed comprehension questions to assess their understanding of the case evidence and rendered a verdict. Results demonstrated that neither the complexity nor the modality of the presented evidence influenced participants' comprehension of the evidence; however, participants who viewed evidence within a PowerPoint® were significantly more likely to render guilty verdicts than those who viewed written evidence. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of these findings and propose suggestions for future research on the use of digital technology in the courtroom.