The trivialisation of Mary Wollstonecraft a personal and professional career re-vindicated

This paper primarily addresses three points in relation to the distortion of the image of Mary Wollstonecraft and the distortion of her ideas: firstly there is the argument that there has been a sustained and systematic marginalisation and devaluation of Mary Wollstonecraft with the result that her work is neutralised, secondly that this originated with her husband, William Godwin and thirdly that Godwin's distortion have since been perpetuated by all biographers despite the fact that contrary testimony is available.     

Are Fish Wild?

Liverpool Law Review - As the global biodiversity crisis continues, it is important to examine the legislative protection that is in place for species around the world. Such legislation not only...     

Truth,Reconciliation, and “Double Settler Denial”: Gendering the Canada-South Africa Analogy

Appeals to the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) haunt most post-1990s institutional attempts to address historical injustice. Comparing Canada and South Africa, Nagy (2012) notes that “loose analogizing” has hampered the application of important lessons from the South African to the Canadian TRC—namely, the discovery that “narrow approaches to truth collude with superficial views of reconciliation that deny continuities of violence.” Taking up her important specification of the Canada-South Africa analogy, we expand Nagy’s recent findings by gendering the continuum of settler colonial violence in both locations and by outlining the implications of these TRCs for Indigenous and Black women in particular. In both the Canadian attempt to grapple with the legacy of residential schools and the South African effort to deal with a history of apartheid, institutional approaches to truth have been both narrow and androcentric. The simultaneous historical bounding and social consolidation of Indigenous experiences of abuse and injustice has thus produced a “double settler denial.”     

Portrait of the Accused as a Young Man: New Zealand’s Harsh Treatment of Young People who Commit Serious Crimes

Abstract

This article argues that although New Zealand’s unique youth justice system generally considers the whole picture of a young offender and responds holistically to the offending, in the case of those accused of serious crimes, the system draws a limited picture that depicts the young offender as a ‘young adult’. These young people are sentenced in adult courts, where their youth, inexperience and potential for rehabilitation are far less influential than they are in a youth court. The result is harsh treatment of some extremely vulnerable young people, which breaches New Zealand’s international obligations. That harsh treatment is particularly problematic, given its hugely disproportionate effect on Māori youth.     

The use of DNA stabilizing solution to enable room temperature storage and transportation of buccal and trace sample swabs

It is proposed that a DNA stabilizing solution (DNA Genotek Inc.) designed to preserve DNA in saliva samples at room temperature can be extrapolated to the storage of swab heads. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the solution for the preservation of reference swabs (buccal) and trace samples (facial swabs). To this end, the solution was used during a twin-site DNA transfer project assessing background levels of carer DNA present in children. Tubes containing 400 μl of solution were used to store and transport swab heads. At the laboratory, samples were extracted using the QIAamp DNA Mini Kit (Qiagen), quantified using the Quantifiler Duo Kit and profiled using the AmpF?STR^® SGM Plus^® PCR Amplification Kit (both Applied Biosystems). Twenty-eight PCR cycles were applied to all samples. Thirty-four cycles or a longer electrophoresis injection time was applied to trace samples where necessary. All Reference swabs produced high quantities of DNA and full DNA profiles after 28 cycles. Profile morphology indicated good quality DNA with no degradation. Of the trace samples, sufficient profiles were achieved to study the transfer of carer DNA making the solution fit for continued use in this project. DNA stabilizing solution enables the storage and transportation of swabs without freezing. This is convenient, reduces transportation costs and enables instant analysis of samples upon arrival at the laboratory. This is a useful alternative for a multi-site research project as well as a reliable storage tool for use in remote areas.     

Co-design or top-down welfare conditionality? An analysis of the impact of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander submissions to six parliamentary inquiries into the Cashless Debit Card

The former Coalition Commonwealth Government consistently asserted that representative Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (hereafter Indigenous) organisations supported the introduction of the Cashless Debit Card (CDC) in multiple trial sites. Consequently, they depicted the CDC policy as an alleged exemplar of a co-designed policy model based on partnership with Indigenous community groups. This article examines the validity of this argument by analysing the views expressed by Indigenous organisations via written and oral submissions to the six parliamentary inquiries into the CDC from 2015 to 2020. Our findings suggest that with the exception of the first inquiry, most Indigenous submissions opposed the introduction or the expansion of the CDC. Yet, these critical views received only limited acknowledgement in the inquiry reports, and seem to have little or no impact on government policy concerning the CDC. It appears that the CDC policy is more accurately identified as a top-down policy imposed by government on local Aboriginal communities which, with some exceptions, neither requested nor consented to the policy.     

Legal Outcomes of Suspected Maltreatment Cases Evaluated by a Child Abuse Pediatrician as Part of a Multidisciplinary Team Investigation

Child abuse pediatricians often carry the stigma that their sole role is to diagnose maltreatment. In reality, child abuse pediatricians use their clinical experience and current evidence-based medicine to make the best medical diagnoses for the children they evaluate. To better understand the legal conclusion of suspected maltreatment cases with medical examinations, this study sought to: (i) evaluate the percentage of children seen for suspected maltreatment that led to a clinical diagnosis of maltreatment, (ii) determine the number and type of criminal charges associated, and (iii) analyze the legal outcomes of cases as they proceeded through the judicial system. This study retrospectively reviewed the legal outcomes of 1698 children medically evaluated in 2013–2014 as part of an investigation by a multidisciplinary team at a children’s advocacy center in a mid-sized city in Oklahoma. Data were collected from electronic medical records, the district attorney’s office, and a public court docket. Of the original cohort, 477 (28.09%) children yielded a medical diagnosis of at least one type of maltreatment. Further analysis yielded 115 unique court cases involving 138 defendants and 151 children. A total of 286 charges were filed resulting in 190 convictions. While maltreatment allegations yield a high number of children that must be evaluated, a comprehensive medical evaluation helps determine which cases do not have sufficient medical findings for a diagnosis of maltreatment. The findings in this study indicate that a majority of suspected maltreatment cases seen by child abuse pediatricians did not result in criminal court outcomes.