New policy on methadone maintenance treatment in prisons established in Alberta

The right of a prisoner to access methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) while incarcerated in a correctional institution has recently been raised and examined in the Alberta Court of Queen's Bench case of Milton Cardinal v The Director of the Edmonton Remand Centre and the Director of the Fort Saskatchewan Correctional Centre. This is a significant, precedent-setting case. For the first time, a Canadian court has ordered that a prisoner be provided with MMT during his or her period of incarceration. As a result of the case, and just before it was to proceed to trial, Alberta changed its policy and is now providing MMT to its provincial prisoners--at least when they had been receiving MMT prior to their incarceration.     

Asset protection and staying in control: wealth planning with Swiss insurance

Trusts continue to play an important role in asset protectionplanning. But annuities and life insurance, and in particularSwiss annuities, are a viable alternative in many cases. Furthermore,the combination of both structures, in most cases can resultin benefits that go beyond that of a pure trust structure ora sole annuity. The mechanics of these advantages are examinedin this article.     

The Court-martial of Corporal Payne and Others and the Future Landscape of International Criminal Justice

The court-martial of Corporal Payne and others involved thefirst charges brought under the International Criminal Court(ICC) Act in the United Kingdom, and led to the first Britishsoldier ever to be convicted for a war crime under internationallaw. But the significance of the case extends far beyond itsnational implications; it represents an important illustrationof the national-level accountability heralded by the ICC regime.This article critically examines the court-martial of CorporalPayne and others, and uses this analysis as the basis of a broaderexploration of the contrast between domestic courts-martialand international courts as fora for trying international crimes.The final part of the article explores the potential significanceof that dichotomy for the future landscape of internationalcriminal justice.     

Student privacy rights involving strip searches

The Fourth Amendment to the US Constitution provides protection of all citizens against unreasonable search and seizure. The US Supreme Court has affirmed that the basic purpose of the Fourth Amendment is to safeguard the privacy and security of individuals against unreasonable intrusive searches by governmental officials. Since students possess constitutional rights and public school officials are considered governmental officials for Fourth Amendment purposes, privacy protection is afforded students in public schools within reasonable limits. A reasonable search is one that clearly does not violate the constitutional rights of students. What is reasonable, however, depends on the context within which a search occurs. Strip searches involving students in public schools are the most intrusive form of all searches. Extreme caution should be exercised by school officials regarding these types of searches.     

“We Weren’t Ready”: Provider Perspectives on Addressing Intimate Partner Violence Among Refugees and Immigrants in The United States

This study examined organizational factors influencing the availability and accessibility of IPV services for refugee and other vulnerable immigrant women in the U.S. from the perspectives of social service providers. This qualitative study used a purposive sampling approach to recruit 57 social service providers. Researchers analyzed data generated from individual interviews and focus group discussions using a thematic approach. The analysis generated four themes reflective of structural and systemic factors shaping the availability and accessibility of IPV services for immigrant and refugee women in the U.S.: (1) We weren’t ready, (2) No place to go, (3) Time is not on our side, and (4) Can’t do it alone. The analysis illuminated the extent to which service demands outweighed organizational capacities and the rigidity of service timelines that failed to meet needs. A pervasive thread of ethical dilemmas emerged, affecting the availability and accessibility of services. Overall, the findings form a compelling argument for structural shifts in policy and funding, and for fostering strong inter-sectoral coordination to combat barriers to services. The study reiterates the importance of addressing inter-agency collaboration in IPV research, policy, and practice.

     

INTEGRATIVE SOCIAL CONTRACTS THEORY: ETHICAL IMPLICATIONS OF MARKETING CREDIT CARDS TO U.S. COLLEGE STUDENTS

It may be said that to take advantage of a man's credulity, to exploit his misapprehensions, to capitalize on his ignorance is morally reprehensible—and this may well be the case I do not know.—Nicholas Samstag in The Engineering of Consent ¹     

A MODEL FOR TELEPHONE MEDIATION

A unique mediation service using the telephone to help parents resolve conflicts over visitation ("access") is described. The program presented special advantages of low cost and high responsiveness to parents and their children and was designed to particularly benefit families that lacked the mobility or financial resources to participate in traditional face-to-face mediation. Because the service featured highly educated and experienced mediators and a child-focused, principle-based mediation approach, family members received reframing, refocusing, informative, and empathic assistance in understanding and dealing with their parenting disputes. Some 700 families and nearly 900 mediation cases were handled during the service's 19 months of operation, and some features of the families and the cases are described. Recommendations and directions for future research are included.