Lawyers,law schools and social change – defining the challenges of academic legal education in the late modernity

This article argues that due to their position and task in society, legal professionals are confronted with specific difficulties connected to contemporary circumstances. To outline these circumstances, this article draws on the work of Ulrich Beck and Zygmunt Bauman and places both theories within the late modernity. Lawyers need to be able to deal with the difficulties late modernity poses and are therefore in need of appropriate knowledge and skills. Law schools should offer relevant schooling so that their students are equipped to deal with the difficulties confronting them in late modernity’s society. This article offers a first inquiry into the challenges that lawyers currently face, alongside anticipating alteration of academic law school programs by clarifying the challenges caused by two societal processes in late modernity, namely (1) the increase of technological possibilities and, simultaneously, the demystification of science; and (2) globalization. These processes lead to a complex society ruled by uncertainty that faces the challenge of allocating responsibility. In addition, some initial suggestions are presented regarding the conceivable adjustments to academic legal education in late modernity.     

The relationship between childhood traumatic events,social support,and mental health problems in prisoners

This study examined the prevalence of childhood traumatic events (CTE), social support levels as well as mental health problems (MHP), to test for differences between traumatized and non-traumatized individuals, and to investigate the relationship among the aforementioned parameters in a sample of 49 prisoners in Switzerland. This cross-sectional study used standardized self-report measurements. In line with expectations, prisoners reported a high rate of traumatic events. Furthermore, results indicated that those traumatized differed from those non-traumatized regarding the level of social support, interpersonal sensitivity, and depression. However, no relationship between CTE and social support as well as MHP was found. This points to specific therapeutic needs of those traumatized, and to the necessity of a trauma-informed correctional care. Moreover, these study results are a further step into more integrated models of criminal behavior.     

Abschaffung aller "Sonderbehörden"

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Do Russia and China promote autocracy in Central Asia?

The purpose of our paper is to contribute to the literature on autocracy promotion by analyzing Central Asia as the most-likely case, considering both Russia and China as relevant external actors. We develop a concept for our analysis based on the different strategies of Russia and China towards the region and present the results of a qualitative study of the main dimensions of autocracy promotion (regional organizations, economic cooperation, and interference and threat). Based on this qualitative study, we define variables measuring the potential for autocracy promotion and test our hypotheses using panel data for 24 post-communist countries. The somewhat surprising result of our analysis is that, in contrast to Russia's dominance mode of operation, China's doing-business approach towards its neighbors in Central Asia may have—although unintentionally—even positive effects in terms of improving governance and undermining autocratic structures.