Young People Getting Arrested

James P. Smith, PhD, Distinguished Chair in Labor Markets and Demographic Studies at the RAND Corporation, a nonprofit research organization led a study that found that Americans under the age of 26 are much more likely to be arrested than Americans born in previous decades. He noted that the increase occurred most rapidly among white Americans and women. He said that the study also found connections between the rising rate of arrests/convictions and lower probabilities of being married, fewer weeks worked, lower hourly wages and lower family incomes during Americans\' adulthood.

A Health Crisis for Veterans

Ramon Hinojosa, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Central Florida warned of a coming public health crisis for veterans. He led a study that found that veterans are more likely to have heart disease at a younger age than nonveterans. He discussed the possible differences between vets who served in Iraq and Afghanistan compared to those who served in previous conflicts. He offered advice for veterans who may have cause for concern.

The benefits of Urban Landscaping

Trees play a surprisingly big role in keeping America’s cities and towns cool. Carly Ziter, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Biology Department at Concordia University in Montrea shared the results of her study that found that the right amount of tree cover can lower summer daytime temperatures by as much as 10 degrees Fahrenheit. She said the effect is quite noticeable from neighborhood to neighborhood, even down to the scale of a single city block. She stressed the importance of urban landscaping and development in making neighborhoods more livable in the future.

James P. Smith

James P. Smith holds the Distinguished Chair in Labor Markets and Demographic Studies at the RAND Corporation. He has studied immigration, the economics of aging, black-white wages and employment, the effects of economic development on labor markets, wealth accumulation and savings behavior, the interrelation of health and economic status, and the effects of attrition and nonresponse in the National Institute on Aging\'s Health and Retirement Study (HRS).



Smith chaired the Panel on Demographic and Economic Impacts of Immigration (1995–1997), the Committee on Population, and the Committee on National Statistics, National Academy of Sciences. He has been an invited speaker before the President\'s Initiative on Race in Phoenix, the Federal Reserve Board of Los Angeles, and the Prime Minister and members of Parliament of New Zealand, among many others. Smith has twice received the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Merit Award, the most distinguished honor NIH grants to a researcher. In 2013, Smith received an honorary degree of Doctor of the University from the University of Stirling, Scotland; in 2011, he was elected to the Institute of Medicine; and in 2009, he received the Ulysses Medal from University College Dublin. Smith received his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Chicago.

The RAND Corporation

Ramon Hinojosa

Dr. Hinojosa’s research interests are in the areas of identities and identity construction, masculinities, men’s health, veterans’ health, and qualitative research methods. His past work has explored masculine identity constructions as individuals transition into and out of various institutional settings, like the family and the military. Recent work with Veterans explores post-deployment reintegration issues; the role of social isolation in Veteran caregiver mental health; and the effects of military service on Veterans’ musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, and mental health. His most recent publication in Armed Forces & Soceity, “Military Service and Physical Capital: Framing Musculoskeletal Disorders among American Military Veterans using Pierre Bourdieu’s Theory of Cultural Capital” examines how the use of the physical body to construct masculine capital can deplete the value of Veterans’ masculine capital, and overall health, over time.

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