The New Asylums
Many of those incarcerated in the nation’s prisons have a diagnosable mental illness. This program goes inside an Ohio correctional facility that is making an effort to address the mental health needs of prisoners.

The Released
This program is a follow-up to The New Asylums (see above). Filmed five years after the original program it examines how mentally ill ex-convicts fare after release.

Questions to Consider:

1. Explain what you see in these programs in terms of the three elements of deviance?
2. How do power and labeling play into the situations presented in these programs? Is deviance depoliticized in this context?
3. Explain how these situations fit into either, or both, of the models of criminalization or medicalization?

Amy Winehouse Dead: Why Did No One Help Her?
News segment from the day following the death of soul singer Amy Winehouse. The clip contains footage from the makeshift memorial that fans created outside of her house as well as a recap of her brief career.

Questions to Consider:

1. Consider the statement made in the clip about the relationship of art to substance abuse: “The flipside of genius is addiction.” Do such statements encourage us to expect highly creative people to abuse drugs and alcohol? How might this be an example of a “self-fulfilling prophecy”?
2. Winehouse was said to have had a “disease.” What is the term sociologists use to describe this way of thinking?

Celebrity Rehab 5: Intake (Full episode)
Episode from the VH1 reality show Celebrity Rehab. B-list celebrities who are addicted to drugs and/or alcohol “check-in” to a rehabilitation facility. This episode introduces the celebrities and shows the admissions process.

Questions to Consider:

1. Reality television claims to offer viewers an “inside” look at the lives of individuals. On this particular program the information that individuals are sharing with viewers is highly personal and, perhaps, of an embarrassing nature. (Recall Lohan’s statement: “I do not want my family to see this.”) During taping, are the individuals on “front stage” or “back stage”? Use concepts from Goffman’s dramaturgy to consider how “real” the episodes are.
2. During the intake interviews. Dr. Drew asks the patients about their drug/alcohol use and, based on their responses, suggests “reasons” for their addictions. Are these “individualistic” or “social”? Give specific examples.
3. Use the sociological imagination to formulate alternative explanations for why those who are in entertainment industries or frequently in the spotlight might become dependent on alcohol and/or drugs.

Sex Offender Village
The stigma attached to the label “sex-offender” is strong and this makes it difficult for those who have been convicted of sexual crimes to reenter society following incarceration. In fact many communities have rules in place that prevent sex-offenders from living in certain areas—within so many miles of a school, for example. Miracle Village was established to address the problem of sex-offender reentry. This video offers a tour of the village that houses up to 100 offenders.

Questions to Consider:

1. What is the importance of the label “sex offender”? Is it always helpful?
2. How does this relate to stigma?
3. Why was this place was started?
4. Who is not accepted into this community?
5. What was your reaction to learning that there is a place like Miracle Village?