This dissertation consists of three essays that each explore the United States criminal justice system. In the first chapter I evaluate the impact of "Ban the Box" Laws on rates of criminal recidivism. Despite their goal of increasing ex-offender employment and reducing recidivism, several recent studies of "Ban the Box" (BTB) policies have cast doubt on BTB's efficacy at improving ex-offender employment outcomes. Evidence of BTB's effect on criminal recidivism, however, remains limited. Using administrative prison data, this chapter examines the direct effect of BTB policies on rates of criminal recidivism. I find that, while BTB policies don't appear to reduce criminal recidivism in the aggregate, they may be exacerbating racial disparities. In particular, I show that being released into a labor market with a BTB policy is associated with higher rates of recidivism for black ex-offenders, with young black ex-offenders being particularly affected. In contrast, older white ex-offenders seem to benefit from the policies. In the second chapter I estimate the effect of electoral pressure on the sentencing behavior of prosecutors in California. Prosecutors in the United States wield immense discretionary power over the outcome of criminal cases. Despite this, there has been relatively little research concerning the effect that electoral cycles might have on their sentencing behavior. Conventional wisdom dictates that prosecutors will likely pursue harsher sentences on average, in an attempt to appear "tough on crime". To test this, I construct a novel dataset of California prosecutors and electoral outcomes. Using criminal sentencing data, I then estimate the impact of electoral pressure, as measured by electoral proximity and competition, on criminal sentencing. I find that electoral pressure is associated with a decrease in the average severity of criminal sentences for serious violent crimes. Then, using data from the San Francisco District Attorney's Office, I provide evidence that this effect can be explained, in part, by prosecutors engaging in charge bargaining. Finally, in the third chapter I estimate the impact of changes in local television broadcast news on criminal sentencing. The local television broadcasting industry in the United States has undergone significant consolidation over the past two decades, leading to the rise of large national media conglomerates. It is unclear, however, what impact consolidation will have on the quantity, quality, and content of local news broadcasts. This chapter uses the rapid expansion of one of the largest media conglomerates, Sinclair Broadcast Group, on the sentencing behavior of local criminal justice officials. I find that Sinclair's entrance into a media market is associated with 2.55% decrease in the average sentence length for serious violent crimes. Heterogeneity analyses show that this effect is concentrated among black defendants, and is primarily driven by sentences for robberies and aggravated assaults. Similarly, I show that this effect is almost entirely driven by counties that select their judges via elections rather than appointments. Taken together, these results suggest that a reduction in local crime coverage associated with Sinclair's acquisition limits voter information concerning local judges, reducing their incentive to appeal to voters by imposing harsher sentences.

During transcription in the nucleus, messenger RNA (mRNA) is endowed withmodifications that serve as important markers for its regulation in the cell. This includes the addition of a 7-methylguanosine cap (m7G) at the 5’ end, which is important for nuclear export, translation, and degradation of transcripts. Numerous mRNA quality control pathways end in the degradation of transcripts and pathogens can degrade RNA during infection to favor their survival. Removal of the cap structure, or decapping, commits mRNA to degradation and is a highly controlled step in post-transcriptional regulation. The conserved eukaryotic decapping complex Dcp1/Dcp2 is regulated through an intricate network of protein-protein interactions that can inhibit and accelerate decapping. While many of the interfaces required for these interactions have been studied, a mechanistic understanding of their consequences have not been well-characterized. This work describes a mechanism for autoinhibition of decapping and how the protein cofactors Edc3 and Edc1 relieve this autoinhibition to activate decapping through conformational changes in the Dcp2 active site. Furthermore, these regulatory mechanisms contribute to in vitro phase separation that causes localized sites of repressed and accelerated mRNA decapping. Together, these findings demonstrate how regulation at the ångstrom scale is coupled to microscopic behavior to enhance the catalytic power of decapping, which ensures mRNA degradation occurs only when specific conditions are met.

Much of the early research on sexual minority (SM) mental health emphasized the

importance of “coming out” or disclosing one’s sexual orientation in developing a positive

sense of self. While some research indicates that disclosure is beneficial, other work has

failed to find such well-being benefits. Drawing on self-determination theory (Ryan & Deci,

2000) the present work addresses the inconsistency in this relation between coming out and

well-being. Study 1 indicates that negative reactions to disclosure exert a lasting impact on

well-being outcomes and that this influence was exerted via the thwarting of autonomy.

Study 2 results suggest that perceiving autonomy support from one’s social contexts was

associated with greater disclosure and well-being, especially among those with high levels

of internalized stigma. Study 3 indicates that recalling disclosure experiences impacts wellbeing

in the short-term as well, with positive experiences associated with greater well-being

than negative experiences. Cardiovascular results from Study 3 suggest that the relating

both positive and negative coming out experiences is associated with increased blood

pressure. Taken together, results highlight the stress associated with disclosure and the

importance of supportive social relationships and environments in promoting disclosure and

well-being among SM individuals especially among high risk individuals. These findings

suggest that interventions designed to increase the provision of autonomy support may be

particularly effective in promoting well-being among SM individuals.

The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) concluded a study in 2001 of the condition of Oregon bridges nearing the end of their design life—those built in the late 1940’s to the early 1960’s. Funded under the first two phases of the Oregon Transportation Investment Act (OTIA I and II), this study found varying degrees of shear (diagonal cracking) in a large number of the state’s bridges. In July 2003, Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski signed legislation authorizing OTIA III, a $2.5 billion transportation package, including $1.3 billion to repair or replace over 400 bridges under the OTIA III State Bridge Delivery Program (Bridge Program) over the next 10 years. Timely completion of environmental regulatory permitting was critical to meet the Bridge Program’s aggressive construction schedule. To facilitate this, ODOT and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) began working with a number of federal and state regulatory and resource agencies in late 2002 to develop permitting strategies that would meet the dual goals of timely review of individual permitting and protection and enhancement of fish and wildlife habitat. In addition to coverage under the Federal Endangered Species Act (ESA), the preferred regulatory compliance approach needed to ensure compliance with other state and federal statutes designed to protect fish, wildlife, and plant species and their habitat, including the Oregon ESA, Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA), Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA), and Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act. As a contractor to ODOT, Mason, Bruce & Girard, Inc. (MB&G) worked closely with ODOT and other state and federal agencies from 2003 through 2004 to prepare a programmatic Biological Assessment (BA) for the Bridge Program. Critical to the BA was the development of a set of environmental performance standards designed to minimize and avoid impacts to ESA listed species. In addition, a fluvial performance standard was developed to ensure that bridges replaced under the OTIA III Program would enhance, not simply maintain, geomorphological features at the bridge site. The BA was submitted to the regulatory agencies in March 2004. In June 2004, ODOT received a joint Biological Opinion from NMFS and the USFWS addressing 73 threatened, endangered, proposed, and selected sensitive species and their designated or proposed critical habitat. In addition to listed fish, wildlife, and plants, the BA also satisfied the requirements of the MMPA, MBTA, FWCA, and MSA. ODOT expects that 85 to 90 percent of the bridges under the OTIA III Bridge Program will be permitted using the programmatic approach, resulting in significant time and cost savings. ODOT anticipates that the programmatic approach to environmental compliance will, program-wide, result in time and cost savings of two years and $54 million over the 10-year program, exclusive of time saved on the part of state and federal resource agencies. Bridge design using the environmental performance standards developed for the program is now underway.

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