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Janani Umamaheswar

@jananiu

Sociologist. Associate Professor, Department of Criminology, Law and Society, George Mason University. Kenyan-Indian-Canadian-American. Views my own.

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11.11.2024
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Latest posts by Janani Umamaheswar @jananiu

Thank you so much to @jananiu.bsky.social for her talk in our lab meeting yesterday! Lots of in-depth qual data on the harms of imprisonment, including for the families of incarcerated people, and related topics like homelessness. Very much appreciate the chance to think together.

02.08.2025 16:33 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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πŸ“’ Coming in January, the #International Handbook in #Sensory #Criminology published with Routledge, and edited with fantastic colleagues @warrcrim.bsky.social @jananiu.bsky.social and @kanupriya.bsky.social. We'll be posting taster pieces nearer the drop at www.sensorycriminology.com

28.07.2025 11:37 πŸ‘ 12 πŸ” 3 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 1
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Really proud of the team effort on this new article. We argue that, well before a conviction, people with pending charges are transformed into β€œincipient carceral citizens” who must reckon with uncertainty and a constricted social and legal landscape. doi.org/10.1177/1462...

24.04.2025 17:21 πŸ‘ 6 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 1
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If anybody ever accuses me of not being American again, I will tell them about the time I went to the Bahamas during spring break. @catherinetan.bsky.social and I were invited to questionable, adults-only events. We read books and went to bed early instead.

13.03.2025 14:42 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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How Trump’s Immigration Crackdown Could Fuel a Prison Labor Boom Lacking an available pool of migrant labor, the United Stated has historically turned to another vulnerable groupβ€”incarcerated people.

β€œThe shift from forced labor… laid the groundwork for the contemporary reliance on incarcerated people to fill labor shortages, not just in prisons but in industries like agriculture”

7 in 10 US farmworkers are foreign born; 40+% are undocumented

The Trump deportations will be BIG for prison labor

01.03.2025 21:35 πŸ‘ 770 πŸ” 386 πŸ’¬ 83 πŸ“Œ 60
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Families of people in prison: towards a sociological understanding of stigma Families of people in prison: towards a sociological understanding of stigma Editor: Anna Kotova Context: Stigma is a well-documented phenomenon within research on families of people in prison. ...

Criminology people with interest in experiences of families of people in prison!

I am keen to finally get this idea moving: an edited collection of chapters on stigma. Quite a lot to explore and lots of policy interest. Get in touch and pls share!

docs.google.com/document/u/1...

27.02.2025 17:15 πŸ‘ 8 πŸ” 11 πŸ’¬ 3 πŸ“Œ 1
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Educators Sue to Challenge Trump Administration's Efforts to Weaponize Civil Rights Laws, Attack Educational Programs and Student Opportunities - Democracy Forward

The ASA, American Federation of Teachers @AFT, and AFT-Maryland, facilitated by @DemocracyForward, have filed a complaint today in federal court in Maryland challenging the β€œDear Colleague Letter” published by the Department of Education Office for Civil Rights.

25.02.2025 22:54 πŸ‘ 308 πŸ” 123 πŸ’¬ 4 πŸ“Œ 10

β€œChaos” and β€œchaotic times” doing a lot of euphemistic heavy lifting in my emails.

23.02.2025 22:31 πŸ‘ 11 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Look, to fire all non-white people, they have to first be able to tell us apart. We can win this.

14.02.2025 23:42 πŸ‘ 11 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Dead. People probably out there worried he’s about to proselytize them into Christianity πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚.

31.01.2025 18:31 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

Here's my hot take of the day re: city-led innovations in non-police alternative responses/responders -- they're important bc they reduce CRIMINALIZATION not just whether or not they reduce "crime." Reducing police contact, reducing arrests for low-level offenses is a win.

30.01.2025 20:31 πŸ‘ 84 πŸ” 19 πŸ’¬ 3 πŸ“Œ 1

Now more than ever, as the world falls apart, we need to listen to the experts. Read @catherinetan.bsky.social’s new op-ed on what happens when the healthcare system fails us.

28.01.2025 17:47 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
NIJ webpage notice that all open grant opportunities have been cancelled.

NIJ webpage notice that all open grant opportunities have been cancelled.

Well that's not fucking good.
NIJ has cancelled all open grant opportunities.

27.01.2025 16:03 πŸ‘ 28 πŸ” 16 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 3

I think people’s minds short-circuit so badly when they see β€œethnic” names that they forget to cite these scholars. (Absolutely, 100% not talking about me, obviously.)

27.01.2025 15:31 πŸ‘ 13 πŸ” 3 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Tomorrow is the first day of Spring semester. Once again, in my "Introduction to Sociology," I am sharing one of my favorite slides. Even though we are covering a lot of the classics, sociologists are no longer a bunch of old white dudes with beards.

22.01.2025 16:36 πŸ‘ 16 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

I am the FIFTH reviewer for an article, brought in post-R&R after 4 people had already reviewed it once. Poor author. Poor reviewers, whose labor I am about to replicate. Poor me, who had no idea I would be reviewer #5 when I said yes to more work.

20.01.2025 17:21 πŸ‘ 11 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 1

Reading about how nearly 90% of editorial boards across all Criminology journals are white. And we could probably list most of the other 10% by name if we tried because there are so few possibilities πŸ˜‚. Brutal.

15.01.2025 13:55 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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The History of California's Inmate Firefighter Program The initiative, which finds prisoners working as first responders and rescuers, dates back to the 1940s

Incarcerated people make up a third of CA’s firefighting force, earning β€œbetween $2.90 and $5 a day … slightly more when actively fighting a fire.”

When compared to professionals: 4x more likely to be injured. 8x more likely to suffer from smoke inhalation.

www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-...

08.01.2025 12:51 πŸ‘ 459 πŸ” 243 πŸ’¬ 11 πŸ“Œ 23

People must realize that promises of early January deadlines were made in December, when I thought January was 50 years away.

06.01.2025 18:25 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

So. Many. Pine needles. They’ll be there until next Christmas no matter what.

05.01.2025 23:05 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Yes, because incarceration has always been about practicality in America, right? Super practical to systematically destroy entire families and communities. Very sensible.

04.01.2025 01:03 πŸ‘ 41 πŸ” 12 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 1

I didn't publish as much as I hoped to in 2024 (what else is new?) but this one was fun to write and I think the best thing I've written in a while.

02.01.2025 17:53 πŸ‘ 161 πŸ” 40 πŸ’¬ 14 πŸ“Œ 5

Shout out to all the local Pakistani and Chinese restaurants and their staff who will be working Christmas.

As the manager at Royal Kabob told me, "Brother, we're always open. Even on the Day of Judgement, we'll be open."

Respect.

24.12.2024 23:09 πŸ‘ 13615 πŸ” 1322 πŸ’¬ 237 πŸ“Œ 54

personally i think it's very cool that when you are poor and suspected of a crime you get thrown in jail while they figure out if you did it, while if you're rich and powerful you get to keep your job, get nominated to AG and make $ on cameo while people decide whether to publicly accuse you or not

23.12.2024 13:29 πŸ‘ 792 πŸ” 258 πŸ’¬ 3 πŸ“Œ 9

I can’t seem to DM you, but happy to send a copy via email!

23.12.2024 15:24 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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Ending the year with a new article! I explore how family members of men who have engaged in violence draw on narrative techniques found in fictional literature to make sense of their loved ones’ actions. Criminologists, the humanities have so much to offer us!

doi.org/10.1177/1741...

23.12.2024 15:18 πŸ‘ 8 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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Why People Believe Debunked Claims about Vaccines and Autism Vaccines do not cause autism, however many Americans believe they do. Now, Trump and RFK Jr. are perpetuating the myth.

My new piece in @time.com on why people still believe in the disproven vaccine-autism link.

Vaccine β€œinjury” suggests autism β€œrecovery” is possible. It’s misinformation that gives families hope.

The real problem: being disabled in the US fucking sucks.
time.com/7203351/trum...

20.12.2024 14:32 πŸ‘ 46 πŸ” 12 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 1

Nobody can beat the jokes out of us. Mine will be on full display in my office at my healthier, happier job where, I might add, I have not picked up any new stalkers.

08.12.2024 01:20 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0