Impacts of Incarceration on Health Focusing on Minority Males: Considerations for COVID-19 and Future Pandemics

Long-standing health and social inequalities associated with minorities have increased their risk for infection, hospitalization, and death related to COVID-19. This disparity is further exacerbated with incarcerated individuals, yet little attention, both prepandemic and presently, has been devoted to collecting up-to-date data. This study uses the 2004 Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities (SISCF), the most recent data, to explore the general offender population and self-reported chronic and medical health conditions to highlight how COVID-19 will impact marginalized populations. Results from the four binary regression models found that minority males are more likely to have chronic illnesses which increase in probability with longer sentences, number of incarcerations, and advancement in age. Our findings advocate for the development of recent data sets on inmate health, particularly minority individuals, as well as the construction of more precise health measures to address these health disparities, including COVID-19.

Minority Males and Graduate Education: Confronting Microaggressions in Counsellor Education Programs

Microaggressions are intentional or unintentional exchanges that communicate hostile, derogatory, negative slights and insults to people of colour. Microaggressions are prevalent on college campuses across the United States. This article explores the impact of microaggressions on minority male graduate students in counsellor education programs. The article further discusses how institutions and counsellor education programs must address racial stereotypes through cultural competency training and hiring diverse faculty and staff. A quantitative design was employed to understand minority males’ perceptions of microaggressions. The sample of the study consisted of (n=99) participants comprised of Asian (n=30), Hispanic (n=33), and Black (n=36) male degree recipients from counsellor education programs. The data were collected using the Racial and Ethnic Microaggressions Scale (REMS) while a one-way ANOVA was used to examine the impact of microaggressions. The study revealed a difference in perceived microaggressions between Asian, Hispanic, and Black students in counsellor education programs.