National Character and Governance Styles: A Comparison between Parliamentary and Presidential Styles of Government with Reference to Walter Bagehot (1826–1877)

Walter Bagehot's nineteenth century comparison between the American presidential system and the English parliamentary system gives good insight into how political regimes may be the result of the specific character of their nations. Both nations had fought to create a government based on the main features of their national temperaments: egalitarianism on the one hand and deference on the other. This insight leads in turn to what Bagehot believed were two distinct definitions of liberty and democracy. His original sociopolitical theory enables us to consider the steps developing countries should take in order to evolve peacefully.     

The value of life in death: Multiple regression and event history analyses of homicide clearance in Los Angeles County

While clearance rates of homicides have declined over the last three decades, there still remains limited research on the topic. In recent studies, scholars had argued that legal factors best explained homicide clearance. They stated that extralegal variables that had proven to be important and significant for explaining other processes in the criminal justice system were not as helpful in explaining homicide clearance. This article challenges those findings. Utilizing multiple regression and event history analysis techniques, this article shows that extralegal variables such as the gender and race or ethnicity of the victim affect the likelihood of clearance and time needed for solving the murder. The research examined all homicides committed in Los Angeles County from 1990 through 1994. Findings demonstrated that some victims “received more law,” as Donald Black argued, and that not all victims' lives were equally valued.     

Regulation of Legal Service Plans

Legal service plans, widely regarded as the key to better availability of legal services for Americans of moderate incomes, have not yet found their proper place in the legal and regulatory framework. Uncertainty about regulatory requirements threatens to hold up progress. This article presents the results of a three-year study of alternative approaches to the regulation of legal service plans. It analyzes the inherent dangers of various types of plans and suggests ways of providing adequate protection for consumers while preserving maximum freedom and flexibility for experimentation with new delivery systems. Specifically, the authors recommend the existing and time-tested system of insurance regulation as the most suitable model for plans having a significant risk-carrying element, subject, however, to appropriate amendments to accommodate the unique features of some kinds of plans, such as bar-sponsored nonprofit organizations, and with special procedures to ensure close cooperation with disciplinary authorities as far as the conduct of lawyers is concerned.
A volume containing all the principal and background papers prepared in this study, including a modified version of the present article, will be published by the American Bar Foundation as Legal Service Plans: Approaches to Regulation .     

An unusual autoerotic death: asphyxia with an abdominal ligature

A case of accidental death resulting from an autoerotic episode involving a high abdominal ligature is reported. Pathologic findings, physical evidence, and the psychological investigation are discussed.