Fast Tracking Persistent Young Offenders: To What Effect?

The last few years have seen much emphasis being placed on the speed of justice. In particular there has been an emphasis on speeding up youth justice, and this has resulted in quite a few Youth Courts establishing fast tracking schemes for persistent and spree offenders. One of the first of these started two years ago at Sheffield Youth Court. Its progress has been closely monitored by both the court staff and by research carried out at the University of Sheffield. The paper presents some of the results of this research, considering the purpose of fast tracking, what effect it has had on the court process, and the consequences for young offenders themselves. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Irish Potatoes and British Politics: Interests, Ideology, Heresthetic and the Repeal of the Corn Laws

The Repeal of the Corn Laws in 1846 remains one of the most fascinating events in the history of political economy. A parliament securely controlled by the party of agriculture, which was the main beneficiary of protection, abolished protection. Explanations have included the hegemony of Manchester School economics; class conflict; the effectiveness of the Anti-Corn Law League; the personality of Sir Robert Peel; and evangelical religion. We aim to see why the standard ideas from political economy (Chicago and/or Virginia) seem to fit our case so poorly. We use the Aydelotte dataset on rollcalls in the Parliament of 1841–7, augmented from primary sources, and the letters and memoranda of the principal actors.     

Treating International Institutions as Social Environments

Socialization theory is a neglected source of explanations for cooperation in international relations. Neorealism treats socialization (or selection, more properly) as a process by which autistic non-balancers are weeded out of the anarchical international system. Contractual institutionalists ignore or downplay the possibilities of socialization in international institutions in part because of the difficulties in observing changes in interests and preferences. For constructivists socialization is a central concept. But to date it has been undertheorized, or more precisely, the microprocesses of socialization have been generally left unexamined. This article focuses on two basic microprocesses in socialization theory—persuasion and social influence—and develops propositions about the social conditions under which one might expect to observe cooperation in institutions. Socialization theories pose questions for both the structural-functional foundations of contractual institutionalist hypotheses about institutional design and cooperation, and notions of optimal group size for collective action.     

Self-extraction of teeth involving gamma-hydroxybutyric acid

A case involving self-extraction of teeth linked to the abuse of gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) is reported. A 28-year-old woman and her 29-year-old boyfriend were discovered by paramedics following an extensive period of GHB use. The paramedics were alerted by a neighbor who had heard screaming from the house. On presentation to the accident and emergency department, it was noted that the female had 18 fresh extraction sockets visible intra-orally. At the scene, a mirror, a pair of pliers, and a bowl containing human teeth were found. Charges of assault were taken to the courts against the boyfriend who was subsequently acquitted. Odontological evidence centered on whether or not it was possible to self-extract the teeth using the pliers found. This case is the first to describe possible oral self-mutilation under the influence of GHB and odontologists should always consider self-injury as an explanation for intra- and perio-oral injuries of unknown origin.     

The analysis of an intracerebral hematoma for drugs of abuse

Toxicological investigations were performed on an intracerebral hematoma, antemortem blood, and postmortem blood of an individual who was found unresponsive in his home. The hematoma was found to have ethanol at a concentration of 0.05% (w/v), and benzoylecgonine (a cocaine metabolite) was also confirmed at a concentration of 0.43 mg/L by specific analysis using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). These results enabled the pathologist to record the cause of death as intracerebral hemorrhage due to acute cocaine intoxication.     

Contemporary methods of labeling dental prostheses--a review of the literature

Forensic identification (ID) based on an assessment of the dentition is commonplace. However, despite an increase in the oral health of Western populations, there are still many millions of individuals who are edentulous and whom have been treated with completed dentures. In the United Kingdom alone over 300,000 patients are rendered edentulous each year. In order to facilitate the ID of such individuals a number of forensic and governmental organizations have recommended that dentures be labeled. A number of labeling systems exist which can be broadly separated into inclusion systems, marking systems, and novel methods. Each of the commonly described systems are demonstrated with an assessment of their strengths and weaknesses. It is recommended that an inclusion denture marker, preferably metallic, should be used in order to withstand the most common postmortem assaults.     

The barriers to achieving an evidence base for bitemark analysis

Forensic dentistry is the union of two scientific disciplines, both of which are undergoing a renewed scientific rigor. In forensic science the advent of the Daubert ruling has required that judges assess the forensic value of 'expert testimony' ensuring that techniques, methodologies and practices are not only commonly accepted (as was the previous hurdle during the Frye era) but that error rates, assessment of reliability and validation studies are published to support their use. This new degree of judicial scrutiny has been mirrored in the field of dentistry itself, where organisations search and summarise randomised controlled trials in order to recommend best practice and devise clinical care pathways that are firmly grounded in proven scientific research. Despite the obvious drive from both of these professions, forensic dentistry, and in particular the sub-discipline of bitemark analysis, has been remarkably slow to address the obvious deficiencies in the evidence base that underpins this element of forensic science. Reviews of the literature reveal that the vast majority of published works are case reports, and very little primary literature exists. This paper reviews those studies that have assessed aspects of bitemark analysis including the crucial issue of the uniqueness of the human dentition; the application of transparent overlays and the application of statistical probabilities in bitemark conclusions. There are numerous barriers to undertaking high quality research in the field of bitemark analysis, the most important of which is the use of a gold-standard that is acceptable both in terms of diagnostic research but is also forensically relevant. If bitemark analysis is to continue to play a role in the judicial process then there is an urgent need for high quality studies that meet the levels of forensic and scientific scrutiny applied to other disciplines within the criminal justice system. Studies are required to determine not that the human dentition is unique, but how this asserted uniqueness is represented on human skin and other substrates. The error rates associated with the analysis of bitemarks are required on a procedural level as well as an individual practitioner basis and scales and interpretative indices of bitemark severity and forensic significance should be validated and introduced into common use.     

Dental participants in mass disasters--a retrospective study with future implications

Mass casualty incidents continue to require the services of forensic dentists to determine the identity of victims. Across North America and Europe. teams of forensic dentists train, using mock disaster exercises, to prepare for such duties. It is vital that these mock exercises simulate the features of real disaster situations as far as possible. In order to inform those responsible for the design and implementation of mock exercises, a study was undertaken to determine the features of actual disasters that dental personnel had attended. Using a questionnaire, data were solicited from 38 odontologists. The average number of disasters attended by the respondents was eight, with an average casualty number of 94. Aircraft crashes were the most frequent cause of disasters that were attended by the odontologists. The authors conclude that future mock disaster exercises should replicate features of aircraft crashes as closely as possible by using commingled, fragmented, and burned remains. In addition, mock disasters should require the identification of a realistic number of individuals to ensure authenticity and the maximum logistical preparedness of participants.