Browsing by Author "Tucker Edmonds, Joseph"

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
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    An Ethnographic Study of Black Teenagers, Gun Violence, and the Youth Control Complex in Indianapolis
    (2025-05) Luthe, Allison Leigh; Tucker Edmonds, Joseph; Hyatt, Susan; Silva, Lahny; Vogt, Wendy
    The violent gun-related death of teenager David Lowery in 2020, alongside troubling statistical trends, catalyzed this research on teen gun violence in Indianapolis. While Black teenagers are not inherently more violent than their white counterparts, they often live in racially segregated neighborhoods that foster isolation, economic hardship, and higher crime rates. Structural inequities, combined with historical disinvestment, leave these communities vulnerable to cycles of violence. This study employs community-based participatory research (CBPR) principles and multi-modal ethnography, centering teenage voices—including a teenage co-researcher and video producer—to explore the lived realities of youth impacted by gun-related offenses. Data collection began with semi-structured interviews of ten young people charged with gun-related crimes as teenagers by the Marion County Prosecutor's Office. These youth described peer influence, social media portrayals, and fear as motivations for carrying firearms. To address gun violence, teenagers recommended increased community activities, mentoring, and counseling, alongside improvements to their neighborhoods, such as repairing abandoned homes and fostering deeper relationships with youth. Many expressed feelings of entrapment within their environments, highlighting the need for safe spaces that instill hope and provide tangible opportunities for change. The research team created a short film based on interview data and screened it with youth workers and stakeholders within the youth control complex to gather feedback and spur discourse. The significance of incorporating a teenage co-researcher is amplified through storytelling, demonstrating how participatory approaches shift narratives around expertise and youth agency. This project revealed four critical recommendations: (1) Reconsider who is an expert as research is designed and carried out: (2) Dismantle the youth control complex and focus resources no developing relationship sand connections with families; (3) Foster discussion and conversation for an educated civil society; (4) Critique the failure of local elected officials and public policy to support families and build thriving neighborhoods. This study contributes to conversations on violence prevention, racial justice, and youth advocacy, emphasizing how rethinking expertise and prioritizing youth-led initiatives can generate systemic solutions to gun violence rather than merely treating symptoms.
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    Cultural Trauma Scale (CuTS): Psychometric evaluation of Black men's beliefs, emotions, and coping
    (2023-11) Gregory Jr., Virgil Lee; Tucker Edmonds, Joseph
    Racism and gender-based prejudice produce a synergistic and toxic effect that necessitates analysis. There is a need to conduct more research with Black men as their experiences with race-based trauma may differ, given their concurrent disproportionate exposure to other forms of violence. Objective: The study’s purpose was to develop items for and evaluate the factor structure and internal consistency of the Cultural Trauma Scale (CuTS) in an exclusive sample of Black men. Method: Using the Yale Center for Clinical Investigation, Community Alliance for Research Engagement principles, the study was conducted in a context of community engaged research. Data were collected from individual interviews and focus groups, subject matter experts, and a sample of 150 adult Black men. Principal axis factoring (PAF) was used to determine the factor structure of the scale items. Results: Via PAF the final factor structure included five constructs addressing: American & Its Justice System: Cognitive- Emotional Responses (Cronbach’s Alpha = .88), Cognitive-Behavioral Coping (Cronbach’s Alpha = .77), Willingness to Seek Cultural Trauma Treatment (Cronbach’s Alpha = .88), Tripartite Police Fear (Cronbach’s Alpha = .81), and Resilience (Cronbach’s Alpha = .61). Conclusion: The CuTS represents psychometric advancement in the measurement of Black male social justice and healing from cultural trauma. Keywords: Cognitive-Behavioral, Cultural Trauma, Black, Men, Psychometric Clinical Impact Statement: The measurement properties of the Cultural Trauma Scale (CuTS) were examined in an exclusive adult Black male sample. The data suggest the CuTS measures trauma regarding Black structural, cognitive, emotional, familial, and professional health seeking concepts. This study provides a tool for measuring constructs within a Black male demographic that are frequently encountered in Black clinical research and practice.
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    Economic Impacts of Mass Incarceration on African American Families
    (Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2016-04-08) Egunyomi, Ayobami; Tucker Edmonds, Joseph
    Mass incarceration refers to the high and growing rate of imprisonment amongst a particular population of people. The problem of mass incarceration is common among African Americans and has greatly affected their economic position and wealth accumulation over time. In light of this, the main objective of this study is to identify the economic impacts of mass incarceration on the families of the incarcerated. This research explores these impacts from two major perspectives: the direct impact on the family and children of the incarcerated and the impact on the incarcerated vis-à-vis the labor and education market. The primary method of research was through analyzing federal and state statistical information while referring to scholarly articles and literature. This study aims at fully assessing the economic impact of mass incarceration and identifying the best practices to lessen the negative impact. The goal of this research is to influence subsequent decisions and policies of the key players in the American Criminal Justice System on issues concerning incarceration of African Americans.
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    Review of Richard Kent Evans's MOVE: An American Religion
    (Indiana University Press, 2023) Tucker Edmonds, Joseph
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