**Principal Investigator(s):** **Sachini Bandara** Johns Hopkins School of Public Health Email: [sbandar2@jhu.edu][1] Home page: [https://www.jhsph.edu/faculty/directory/profile/3895/sachini-bandara][2] **Sample size**: 4064 **Field period**: 02/14/2018-04/20/2018 **Abstract** Background: Individuals with drug convictions are at heightened risk of poor health, due in part to punitive public policies. This study tests the effects of message frames on: (1) public stigma towards individuals with felony drug convictions and (2) support for four policies in the United States (U.S.) affecting social determinants of health: mandatory minimum sentencing laws, ‘ban-the-box’ employment laws, and restrictions to supple- mental nutrition and public housing programs. Methods: A randomized experiment (n = 3,758) was conducted in April 2018 using a nationally representative online survey panel in the U.S. Participants were randomized to a no-exposure arm or one of nine exposure arms combining: (1) a description of the consequences of incarceration and community reentry framed in one of three ways: a public safety issue, a social justice issue or having an impact on the children of incarcerated individuals, (2) a narrative description of an individual released from prison, and (3) a picture depicting the race of the narrative subject. Logistic regression was used to assess effects of the frames. Results: Social justice and the impact on children framing lowered social distance measures and increased support for ban-the-box laws. Conclusion: These findings can inform the development of communication strategies to reduce stigma and ad- vocacy efforts to support the elimination of punitive polices towards individuals with drug convictions. **Hypotheses** Research Questions: 1) How do consequence frames affect social stigma towards individuals with felony drug convictions and support for less punitive policies? 2) What is the marginal effect of adding a sympathetic narrative to the consequence frames on social stigma and policy support? 3) What is the effect of randomizing the race of the narrative subject on social stigma and policy support? 4) How will these effects be modified by partisan affiliation, personal experience with the criminal justice system and personal experience with drug use disorder? **Experimental Manipulations** We conducted an experiment where respondents are randomly assigned to one of 10 study groups. Group 0 is a no exposure control group. Groups 1-3 viewed a paragraph that provided an overview of the challenges faced by individuals with felony drug convictions using one of the three consequence frames (Public Safety, Social Justice or Impact on Children). Groups 4-6 read the same paragraph followed by a short narrative of a man who has been recently released following incarceration for a felony drug conviction. This narrative was accompanied with a picture depicting the subject of the narrative as a black man. Groups 7-9 read the same overview paragraph in combination with the narrative but received a picture depicting the subject of the narrative as a white man. **Outcomes** We conducted a randomized experiment to test the effects of message frames and a sympathetic narrative of an individual recently released from prison following a felony drug conviction on the following outcomes: 1) social stigma towards individuals with felony drug convictions and 2) public support for mandatory minimum sentencing, ban-the-box policies, and removing restrictions to SNAP and public housing. **Summary of Results** Only 29% of respondents were willing to move next door to someone with a felony drug conviction, but 72% of respondents believed this population were able to return to productive lives in the community following release. Only a minority of the public supported less punitive policies towards individuals with felony drug convictions. Forty-five percent of respondents supported eliminating mandatory minimum sentencing for individuals with felony drug convictions. Forty-one percent of respondents supported removing restrictions to SNAP and 40% supported removing public housing restrictions for this population. Forty-two percent of respondents supported enacting ban-the box-policies applicable to individuals with felony drug convictions. Compared to the control group (29%), participants who read the social justice consequence frame (37%, p=0.04) and the impact on children frame (41%, p<0.01) reported being more willing to live next door to someone convicted of a felony drug crime. The social justice frame was associated with respondents having lower levels of belief in the perceived ability of people with the felony drug convictions to rehabilitate compared to the control group (62% vs 72%, p 0.02). Compared to the control group (45%), the social justice frame was associated with greater policy support for eliminating mandatory minimums (54%, p 0.049). There were no statistically significant differences between the effect of the frames’ on support for eliminating mandatory minimum sentencing laws. Both the social justice (55%, p <0.01) and the impact on children (54%, p <0.01) frames were associated with increased support for enacting ban-the-box policies compared to the control group (42%). There was no effect of the frames on support for removing restrictions to SNAP or public housing. There was no effect of adding the sympathetic narrative across all consequence frames on attitudes or policy support compared to reading only a consequence frame. When we examine the marginal effect of the sympathetic narrative within specific consequence frames, effects were limited.Exposure to a white narrative subject elicited greater perceptions of perceived ability to rehabilitate ( 79% vs. 70%, p 0.04) and support for removing restriction to SNAP (55% vs 43%, p 0.03) compared to exposure to narrative with a black subject. **References** Bandara S, McGinty EE, Barry CL. (2020) Message Framing to Reduce Stigma and Increase Support for Policies to Improve the Wellbeing of People with Prior Drug Convictions. *International Journal of Drug Policy*. Feb(76): 102643. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2019.102643 [1]: mailto:sbandar2@jhu.edu [2]: https://www.jhsph.edu/faculty/directory/profile/3895/sachini-bandara