Supervisory experience and data points: implementation barriers,risk assessment and correctional professionals

Drawing on interviews with 24 correctional practitioners who use risk assessment instruments daily, we examine barriers to the use and implementation of these instruments. Findings reveal that practitioners have confidence in the state of risk assessment generally, but are skeptical about risk assessment on the job due to limited resources. They also point to barriers that inhibit their effectiveness including recognition of population heterogeneity, predictive misspecification due to data lags and overemphasis on stable predictors, and lacking guidance on appropriate use of vast available data. Instruments for measuring risk serve purposes beyond those intended by the social scientists who developed measures. We conclude with lessons for increasing the utility and legitimacy of risk assessments and with a call for incorporating latent uses of assessments into design.     

Barium and antimony distributions on the hands of nonshooters

Barium and antimony levels from selected areas of the left and right hands of 269 nonshooters provide a database for interpretation of gunshot residue swab analysis results. The database represents a variety of activities of individuals sampled by collectors throughout the United States. Nonshooting exposure to barium and antimony can generally be distinguished from firearms-associated exposure by considering the relative levels of the elements, location on the hands, and condition of the swabs. Consistent definition of sampling procedures and accurate analytical results make this database applicable for interpretation of data generated by most gunshot residue swab examiners.     

Book reviews

Electronic Contracting, Publishing, and EDI Law Michael S Baum and Henry H Perritt, Jr Wiley Law Publications 1991. ISBN Q 471 53135 9

The Law of Electronic Commerce: EDI, Fax and E‐Mail Technology, Proof and Liability Benjamin Wright Little, Brown and Company 1991. ISBN Q 316 95632 5 $95

Crime and the Computer Martin Wasik Oxford University Press 1991. ISBN 0 19 825621 3 £35

Broadcasting: the New Law Nicholas Reville Butterworths ISBN 0 406 001375 £16

Regulating the Media Thomas Gibbons Sweet and Maxwell ISBN 0 421 37450 0 £27.50

Legal Protection of Computer Software Ranald Robertson Longman 1991. ISBN 0 851 21684 6 £35

The Computerised Lawyer: a Guide to the Use of Computers in the Legal Profession Philip Leith Springer‐Verlag 1991.

Winning with Computers: Trial Practice in the 21st Century John C Tredennick Jr, Editor ABA Section on Law Practice Management 1991. ISBN 0 89707 658 3 $90

The Age of Information Stephen Saxby Macmillan 1990. ISBN 0 333 54832 9 £25

Computer Security: Hackers Penetrate DOD Computer Systems: Testimony before the Subcommittee on Government Information and Regulation, Committee on Governmental Affairs, United States Senate (A General Accounting Office Report) James Brock, Jr 1991. GAO/T‐IMTEC‐92–5

Computer Contracts Morgan and Stedman (4th Edition) Longman Commercial Series 1991. ISBN 0–85121–6854 £60     

Legal incompetents' need for guardians in Florida

This study assesses the alleged need for guardians in Florida. A survey of the state's 74 public receiving facilities, community mental health centers, and clinics; 30 private receiving facilities; 11 Aging and Adult district offices; Developmental Services institutional and residential placements; and six state mental hospitals revealed that 11,147 persons in Florida reportedly need a legal guardian. The limitations, implications, and possible policy responses to this alleged need are discussed.