“Yardsticks” for Victim Sensitive Process: Principle-Based Standards for Gauging the Integrity of Restorative Justice Process

For almost two decades restorative justice practices have demonstrated positive impacts on crime victim satisfaction when compared to court and other adversarial processes. Although restorative justice practice has by no means addressed the myriad needs of the majority of crime victims, researchers and policy makers have puzzled about how to interpret these generally positive findings. We suggest that remaining difficulties in interpretation and application of findings are due largely to (1) the lack of clear standards for gauging the integrity, or “restorativeness,” of interventions and (2) the failure to articulate logical mechanisms (i.e., intervention theories) that connect practices to immediate and intermediate outcomes, and these outcomes to long term changes in the well-being of victims, offenders, and communities. This article focuses primarily on the first problem, defining the “independent variable” in restorative practices aimed at having an impact on crime victims. Using qualitative data from a national case study, a principle-based approach to evaluation with implications for intervention theory and both input and outcome measures in future research is proposed and briefly illustrated.     

An assessment of native American economic development: Putting culture and sovereignty back in the models

Economic indicators in the United States document the poor economic straits in which Native Americans find themselves. Historically, scholars have explained delayed economic development using Linear Stage, Structural-Change, Dependency and Neoclassical Counter Revolution Models. All of these, however, are unable to fully explain the Native American case. We discuss the deficiencies of these models and point out the effects of constantly changing United States policies on Native American economic well-being. We present data from a survey of tribal government respondents about preferred business arrangements on the reservation to support greater attention to cultural identity in economic development studies. A model that incorporates cultural and sovereignty variables is presented. Diane Duffy, Ph.D., is assistant professor of political science at Iowa State University. She combines the study of political psychology and public policy by examining citizen perceptions of political issues. Currently she is examining Native American perceptions of “patriotism.” Jerry Stubben, Ph.D., is an Extension State Communities Specialist and adjunct associate professor in the Professional Studies Department at Iowa State University. He descends from the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska and served as Chair of the American Indian Studies Program at ISU from 1990–1995. Presently, he serves as co-investigator on a National Institute on Drug Abuse funded project to develop, implement, and evaluate a tribally based, family oriented substance abuse prevention program on the Mille Lacs reservation in Minnesota and Lac du Flambeau reservation in Wisconsin.     

Content and Access Agreements: An Analysis of Some of the Legal Issues Arising from Linking and Framing

This paper examines the subject of content and access agreements with a detailed analysis of the legal issues that arise from linking and framing. The law is examined from a UK perspective with a detailed study of significant developments in the USA. The main focus of the discussion is on copyright and contract, but the subject of trespass is also considered to cover those situations where contract and copyright remedies may not be available. The copyright analysis reveals uncertainty in the extent of the protection offered and this has had the effect of encouraging the use of contractual licences. Detailed consideration is given to the use and enforceability of such contractual licences and to the actual and potential problems of their increasing use. The paper shows that there are advantages and disadvantages associated with both copyright and contract and certain conceptual difficulties in the use of trespass are discussed. Nevertheless the factors identified and the expected continuation of existing trends show that the use of licences and formal agreements relating to linking and access will increase, especially where commercial actors have perceived strong interests to protect.     

Factors associated with patterns of dating violence toward college women

This study hypothesized that female victims of force in dating relationships are erroneously considered a homogeneous group. Various patterns of dating violence, along the lines of frequency and severity, were hypothesized to be related to attitudinal and behavioral factors of the women in the dating relationship. Analyses of 48 female victims at a university campus revealed a number of differences between women with only one incident of force and women who were recipients of ongoing force. Females with ongoing violence were more likely to allow controlling behaviors by a male, had more controlling behaviors occur toward them generally in dating relationships, reported higher levels of commitment and love toward a romantic partner, and experienced a higher frequency of controlling behaviors in the actual relationship where physical force occurred. Females with ongoing violence in which the abuse lasted for a longer period of time were less likely to end the relationship due to the occurrence of abuse. Earlier onset of the first physical incident in a dating relationship was related to more traditional attitudes toward women's roles, more likelihood of using justifications for abuse, romanticizing relationships, and a likelihood of endorsing stronger attitudes of love in these female victims than when onset occurred later for other women. Women who ended the relationship because of physical force experienced more controlling behaviors by the male in the relationship than women who did not end the relationship for that reason. Further research needs to investigate the decision-making processes and interpretations of the females involved regarding the presence of abuse in the dating relationships.