Perpetrator programmes for partner violence: Are they based on ideology or evidence?

Purpose. The ideologically based view of intimate partner violence has traditionally influenced policy and practice in modern western nations and dominated cross‐national research and practice. This review considers the validity of the position statement of a British organization responsible for accrediting many male perpetrator programmes in the statutory, voluntary, and private sector as an example of this ideological influence. Method. The position statement, informed by the patriarchal view of partner violence, is evaluated using empirical evidence from various branches of the social sciences, including psychology, that have not been guided by the patriarchal view. Results. Overwhelming empirical evidence is presented, which refutes ideologically driven assumptions that have been put forward to guide current practice and evaluation of it. Conclusions. This review highlights the need to investigate intimate partner violence from a scientific and gender‐inclusive perspective. The implications for psychological practice are discussed.     

Social climate within an adolescent medium-secure facility

The objectives of the study were to investigate the social climate of two different types of units (open vs. secure) contained within the same South London adolescent medium-secure facility. Two hypotheses were generated: (a) adolescents would rate the social climate of the whole facility in a more negative direction than staff and (b) adolescents and staff would rate the social climate of the open units in a more positive direction than the social climate of the secure units. 43 adolescents and 49 staff members from the open units and the secure units were recruited and completed the Correctional Institutions Environment Scale (CIES), a measure of social climate. Overall, adolescents tended to rate the facility in a more negative direction. All participants rated the open units in a more positive direction than secure units. However, on selected subscales there were differences. The findings of this study suggest that adolescents and staff may perceive their shared social climate differently. This may have implications for those attempting to develop positive social climates within secure services.     

Possible applications of Y chromosome STRs in examination of abortion tissue

By application of Y-chromosomal STRs, DNA analysis of abortion material can be considerably facilitated since great excess of maternal DNA is tolerated without disturbing the Y-STR amplification. If paternity can't be excluded on the basis of the Y-STR haplotype, further examinations must follow, e.g. autosomal STR analysis. For this purpose, histological preparation of the abortion tissue might still be necessary. Different Y-chromosomal haplotypes of embryo and putative father usually lead to an exclusion from paternity. Based on four case examples, the feasibility of this method is discussed.     

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