The processing of the results of chemical toxicological research using microcalculators

Three programs for computer microcalculators "Elektronika MK-52", "Elektronika MK-54", "Elektronika MK-56", "Elektronika MK-61", and "Elektronika BZ-34" were studied. The first program allows one to calculate degree of substance extraction and rate of its distribution between two liquid unmixing phases; the second program is used for calculations on substance distribution in the organs of laboratory animals; the third program helps to calculate specific and molar rates of light absorption. Programs may be used in mathematical processing of results obtained in scientific research.     

Computer software program to plot locations of death

A BASIC computer software program that plots the occurrence of various types of death on a grid map is described. The capabilities, requirements, and potential uses of the program are discussed.     

电子计算机在非父排除率计算中的应用——中国人Rh型、Gm型和HLA型的非父排除率

本文根据 Ohno(1982)提出的单一位点复共显性基因非父排除率的公式,编制成 BASIC 程序,使用 IBM 个人电脑计算了我国长春等四个地区汉族 Gm 型的非父排除率和我国汉族等十六个民族的 Rh 型非父排除率。同时,根据 Chakravarti(1983)的多位点共显性基因非父排除率计算公式编制一个 BASIC 程序,用以计算了我国6个地区汉族及5个少数民族 HLA 型的非父排除率,其结果可用于亲权鉴定时对血型系统非父排除率的估计。     

Youth violence: an exploratory study of a treatment program in a central Illinois county

A local treatment provider has developed an OPTIONS program to prevent adolescent aggression. The program is designed for youths who displayed threatening or abusive behaviors, particularly toward family members. This study described the characteristics of juveniles and their families who were referred to the program and if the program participation helped reduce the severity of violence and improve the communication skills among program participants. Referrals came from law enforcement, juvenile court services, school resource officers, and parents. Information on 100 juveniles and their families were provided by the counselors of the program. The findings showed that a large percentage of juveniles came from unstable families with a family history of criminal convictions, substance abuse, or mental illness. Program participants showed an improvement in communication skills and reduction in their levels of dangerousness.     

Barriers to evaluating the effectiveness of drug treatment behind bars

The delivery of substance abuse treatment within correctional settings marks one of the criminal justice system's primary opportunities to disrupt the drugs-crime nexus. Federally funded residential substance abuse treatment programs were rapidly introduced across the nation, although implementation problems increased their operational variability. This article examines how implementation barriers interrelate with other types of obstacles and multiply to hinder determinations of program effectiveness. Specific barriers were identified from a case study of process and outcome evaluations of the South Carolina Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) program. A conceptual framework groups barriers by type into four interrelated domains wherein additive effects and reciprocal consequences that can undermine effective program assessment are illustrated.     

Evaluating the Juvenile Breaking the Cycle Program's impact on recidivism

This article presents findings from an evaluation of the Juvenile Breaking the Cycle (JBTC) Program, an intervention that was designed to provide criminal justice system monitoring and individualized treatment and services to substance-using youth who were assessed as high recidivism risks following an initial police encounter. Results from logistic and negative binomial regression models, using repeated data measures, indicated that JBTC participants, relative to baseline and a sample of comparison youth, were significantly less likely to be arrested and had significantly fewer arrests in the six to twelve months after entering the program. The JBTC Program appears to be one that jurisdictions should consider replicating in an effort to address the needs of juveniles who are at risk for delinquency and substance use in their communities.     

A BASIC algorithm for calculating the postmortem interval from arthropod successional data.

A computer algorithm, implemented in the BASIC language, is presented for calculating the postmortem interval (PMI) from arthropod successional data. Entomology-assisted determination of the PMI promises to be a reliable technique in cases of homicide, suicide, accidental death, and unattended death due to natural causes. The program requires, as input, the identity of arthropod taxa recovered from human remains in a death scene investigation and machine-readable data on carrion-associated arthropod taxa and their known successional patterns of activity for the same geographical area. The program performs rapid comparisons of these lists and, on output, calculates an upper and lower estimate of the PMI, identifies the definitive taxa for these limits, and determines if the remaining corpse taxa have known successional patterns that are consistent for this estimate. An alternate output is provided if one or more corpse taxa do not overlap all the others at any single time in the succession. In that event, the user is prompted to recheck the identity of the non-overlapping taxon or taxa or reevaluate the environmental circumstances surrounding the case in question. Results of the analysis are saved to an ASCII file for output to a printer for making paper copies useful for the entomologist's Case Study Final Report. This program may make possible wider use of this technique in law enforcement and medical investigator offices that utilize both forensic entomologist expertise and IBM PCs (or compatible computers).     

Naturally Occurring Social Support in Interventions for Former Prisoners with Substance Use Disorders: Conceptual Framework and Program Model

Purpose

Naturally-occurring social support is underutilized in interventions with former prisoners with substance use disorders. This paper proposes a conceptual framework followed by a program model to inform the development of naturally-occurring social support interventions with former prisoners with substance use disorders.

Methods

We reviewed all published social support interventions designed for former prisoners and people with substance use disorders over a ten year period. Building on the implications of this review, empirical literature, professional experience, and theory, we propose a conceptual framework for naturally-occurring social support programs.

Results

Few published programs exist that actively incorporate social support providers into the program model. Of these, even fewer use naturally-occurring support. Expanding on gaps in theory and program approaches, the conceptual model posits that it is the appropriate match of support needs and provision that reinforces emotions, cognitions, and behaviors, that in turn, promote adaptive outcomes.

Conclusions

With mounting pressure to identify interventions that will reduce high re-incarceration rates, this paper draws attention to a neglected, potentially effective, and low cost resource - naturally-occurring social support. The described program, Support Matters, illustrates how social support interventions can be used with former prisoners to promote reduced relapse to substance misuse and crime.     

Factor Structure and Reliability of the Revised Conflict Tactics Scales for Incarcerated Female Substance Abusers

Incarcerated women with a history of substance abuse often experience intimate partner violence (IPV), both as victims and as perpetrators. The issues surrounding partner violence and substance abuse are complex, and accurate assessment of this population's experience is critical to ensure proper treatment planning and program development. One of the most common instruments with which to measure IPV is the Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS). Unfortunately, very little published data exist on the revised version of the Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS2), and no data could be located in the literature using this scale with incarcerated women. The purpose of this investigation was to examine the underlying factor structure and reliability of the CTS2 for 359 incarcerated women who had voluntarily participated in a 1–year long substance abuse treatment program. Item analysis revealed a high level of reliability for the overall scale as well as for the individual subscales. Additionally, results from the confirmatory multiple group factor analysis support the 5 underlying subscales, and taken together indicate that the scale is acceptable to use with this population.     

Healing Families: An Outcome Evaluation of a Community Family Court

In this paper, a model community family court program that seeks to break the intergenerational cycle of crime and substance abuse by treating families holistically will be presented. This model court seeks to reduce crime and provide safe and permanent homes for children of substance‐abusing parents. In this community family court, the prototypical problem‐solving court has been both focused and expanded. The community family court provides a focused response designed to address the unique combination of problems facing families on a family‐by‐family basis. At the same time, supervision and treatment services have been expanded to include every family member and all open court cases including criminal charges, juvenile delinquency, dependency, and civil cases. An overview of the court's evolution and discussion of integrated services designed to provide a wraparound style intervention will be highlighted as key contributors to the largely positive results of this community family court's evaluation.     

Community In‐Reach Through Jail Reentry: Findings from a Quasi‐Experimental Design

Offenders face a number of significant challenges upon reentry into the community, including securing employment, locating housing, and accessing adequate substance abuse and mental health treatment. These and related issues, if neglected, only bolster rising recidivism rates which have prompted renewed interest in rehabilitation initiatives such as inmate reentry. Many jurisdictions have implemented programs designed to improve offenders' success after prison, but jail reentry programs are far less common. This study examined the effectiveness of one such program, the Auglaize County (OH) Transition (ACT) Program. Using a quasiexperimental design, recidivism was measured a year after release to determine if participation in the ACT Program was predictive of successful reentry. Findings suggest that program participation is strongly related to outcome success as was criminal history. Implications for correctional policy and suggestions for additional jail reentry research are considered.     

The numerical Hatze-model: also qualified for calculations on children?

The aim of this study was to find out whether the Hatze-model, which is specifically designed for adults, is suitable for calculations on children as well. By means of that program it is possible to calculate various parameters of the human body. After the collection of data and analysis of the results according to Hatze it becomes evident that this model provides good results only for the calculation of the total body mass. As regards the body segments, there are significant under- and overestimations. The same applies to the calculation of mean body density. Indeed there is a significant gender dimorphism indicating that girls have a higher fraction of body fat than boys. However, the values are far below those described in the literature. Due to the formula, the values of the centres of gravity are linear and congruent in both sides of the body. Interpretation of the results is difficult, as there are no valid reference values. Furthermore the program is not able to take characteristic shapes and proportions of children into account. For this reason 88% of the children are defined as either pregnant or obese. In summary, the study shows that the present model should not be used to calculate children and the human models have to be designed specifically for children.     

毛细柱气相色谱保留指数法鉴定常见毒物的研究

本文描述了鉴定常见毒物的 Kovǎts 保留指数系统。研究了各种因素(测量时间、柱操作温度,柱前压等)对保留指数值测定的影响,并在三根不同极性柱上,以不同温度,测定了四十种药物的保留指数;提出用 C—R3A 计算保留指数的 BASIC 程序。     

Computer analysis of parentage in relation to maternity and paternity

General formulas for statistical calculations of parentage by means of blood group analysis are presented in relation to those of maternity and paternity. Based on these formulas, a computer program has been devised to calculate plausibilities, exclusion probabilities, and distributions of log (Y/X) of parentage for any blood groups. The program also gives numerical values of these quantities of maternity and paternity. The values of plausibility and exclusion probability are highest for parentage, and decrease in the order of paternity and maternity. Concerning the distribution of log (Y/X) for true families, a simple relation holds for the ratio of the mean value of log (Y/X) in parentage ap, to that in paternity af, and to that in maternity am as, ap: af: am = 1: 0.6: (0.6)2 This relation holds for all 14 blood groups examined.     

Flashpoint: An Innovative Media Literacy Intervention For High‐Risk Adolescents

This paper describes the development and formative evaluation of a media literacy, media based intervention for high‐risk adolescents. The program described, Flashpoint, was developed to (1) moderate the influence of media presentations of violence, substance abuse and prejudice on adolescents; and t (2) teach participants cognitive skills which would enable them to resist impulses to engage in behavior involving violence, substance abuse or prejudice. The evaluation described studied the pilot testing of the program with three groups of adolescents (N=33) involved in the juvenile justice system: adolescents in a diversion program (first time, nonviolent offenders); adolescents on probation; and adolescents in residential custody of the Department of Youth Services. Qualitative findings are reviewed in detail.     

Validating Program Fidelity: Lessons from the Delaware County Second Chance Initiatives

Reentry programming for offenders has increased considerably since the passage of the Second Chance Act in 2008. This study presents findings from the implementation and process phases of a multi-stage program evaluation of two Second Chance Act funded initiatives in Delaware County, Ohio. Two distinct programs, one for offenders diagnosed with co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders and another for substance dependent offenders with minor children, were examined using a mixed-methodological research design incorporating process and outcome phases. Process findings focus on determinations of program fidelity and adherence to evidence-based practices. Discussion centers on the role of process evaluation in assessments of intervention effectiveness and the importance of establishing program fidelity prior to outcome analysis.     

Helping at-risk youth overcome trauma and substance abuse through animal-assisted therapy

Animal-assisted therapy is a goal-oriented adjunct to traditional therapy programs. This type of therapy has benefitted many populations, including children, adolescents, and adults, in their recovery from a wide variety of physical and psychological traumas. Examples include patients who are undergoing rehabilitation related to major surgery, serious illness, or debilitating injury and patients who are receiving treatment to overcome substance abuse, physical abuse, and behavioral problems. The purpose of this article is to show how animal-assisted therapy has been used with at-risk youths who participate in a treatment program for a variety of traumatic experiences, including abuse and neglect, as well as criminality and substance abuse. In the therapy program, the youths work through a structured, goal-oriented curriculum with certified therapy dogs and volunteer handlers. Together they complete progressively advanced tasks in which the youths transfer skills learned about dog handling to understanding and modifying their own behavior. The overall aim is to help the youths develop positive life skills and facilitate positive social interactions to help break the cycle of crime, violence, or substance abuse.     

PENDULUM--a guideline-based approach to the interpretation of STR mixtures

Several years ago, a theory to interpret mixed DNA profiles was proposed that included a consideration of peak area using the method of least squares. This method of mixture interpretation has not been widely adopted because of the complexity of the associated calculations. Most reporting officers (RO) employ an experience and judgement based approach to the interpretation of mixed DNA profiles. Here we present an approach that has formalised the thinking behind this experience and judgement. This has been written into a computer program package called PENDULUM. The program uses a least squares method to estimate the pre-amplification mixture proportion for two potential contributors. It then calculates the heterozygous balance for all of the potential sets of genotypes. A list of "possible" genotypes is generated using a set of heuristic rules. External to the programme the candidate genotypes may then be used to formulate likelihood ratios (LR) that are based on alternative casework propositions. The system does not represent a black box approach; rather it has been integrated into the method currently used by the reporting officers at the Forensic Science Service (FSS). The time saved in automating routine calculations associated with mixtures analysis is significant. In addition, the computer program assists in unifying reporting processes, thereby improving the consistency of reporting.     

Revised equations allowing the estimation of the uncertainty associated with the Total Body Water version of the Widmark equation

Widmark calculations are the most commonly used alcohol calculations to estimate a) the amount of alcohol consumed based on blood alcohol concentration (BAC) and b) BACs at a set time after consumption of a known amount of alcohol. These calculations are vital in forensic casework. Previous work has demonstrated that using general error propagation-based equations the variability associated with alcohol calculations can be estimated, but these equations have only been determined for the volume of distribution version of the Widmark equation. However, recent investigations have shown that the total body water (TBW) version of the Widmark equation is more reliable than the version that utilizes the apparent volume of distribution of ethanol. To date, there is no general error propagation equation to determine the variability associated the TBW version of the Widmark equation. Using previously published studies of 185 individuals in which alcohol elimination rate (β) and ethanol's volume of distribution were determined, we have shown that there is a negative correlation (?0.247) between the alcohol elimination rate (β) and TBW. Using these data, we were able to produce equations allowing the estimation of the variability of the results calculated using the TBW version of the Widmark equation. This will allow forensic practitioners to give the best determination of the variability associated with Widmark calculations currently possible.     

A promising jail reentry program revisited: results from a quasi-experimental design

Prisoner reentry remains a significant challenge for the criminal justice system with millions of offenders returning to society each year from the nation’s prisons and jails. Employment, housing, and access to substance abuse and mental health treatment are common, often unmet, challenges for the returning offender. In response, state and local jurisdictions have implemented reentry programming designed to assist in the transition from incarceration to the community. While most of these programs have targeted offenders in prisons, a growing number of local jurisdictions have implemented reentry initiatives through federal funding. This study examines the second cohort (2011–2013) of the Auglaize County (OH) transition program (ACT), a BJA-designated ‘promising’ reentry program. This evaluation sought to determine if the program maintained its positive impact on participant recidivism. Findings indicate that the treatment group had significantly lower rates of rearrest and probation violations at the bivariate level, but that these results did not hold for rearrest after the inclusion of relevant control variables in the multivariate analysis. Participation remained significantly associated with reduced probation violations at the multivariate level.