Maternal cigarette smoking during pregnancy and criminal/deviant behavior: a meta-analysis

A growing body of empirical literature has emerged examining the somewhat inconsistent relationship between maternal cigarette smoking (MCS) during pregnancy and children's subsequent antisocial behavior. To systematically assess what existing studies reveal regarding MCS as a criminogenic risk factor for offspring, the authors subjected this body of literature to a meta-analysis. The analysis reveals a statistically significant--yet rather small--overall mean "effect size" of the relationship between MCS and the likelihood children will engage in deviant/criminal behavior. In addition to being rather moderate in size, the MCS-crime/deviance relationship is sensitive to a number of methodological specifications across empirical studies--particularly those associated with sample characteristics. The implications of this modest, and somewhat unstable, relationship are discussed in terms of guidelines for future research on this subject and how existing theoretical perspectives may be integrated to explain the MCS-crime/deviance link.     

Mandatory reporting by nurses of child abuse and neglect

Most Australian jurisdictions have mandatory reporting legislation to compel members of selected professional groups, including nurses, to report suspicions that a child has been or is likely to be subjected to abuse or neglect. This article details the legal obligations of nurses in each jurisdiction, and highlights differences between jurisdictions. Problematic features of the laws are identified, including the use of ambiguous concepts like "reasonable" suspicion and "significant" harm. Literature is reviewed to identify what is known about nurses' legal knowledge, actual reporting practice, and the practical problems that arise for nurses in this context. It is concluded that empirical research needs to be conducted, because it is not known if the laws are practically effective, whether nurses have sufficient training in, and knowledge of, their reporting duties, or what factors influence sound reporting. Such research can inform both the development of sound training systems and recommendations for legal reform.     

Can a party punish its faithful supporters? The Parti Québécois and public sector employees

Abstract: The paper examines the electoral consequences of the Parti Québécois' decision in the fall of 1982 to reduce expenditures by drastically cutting wages in the public sector. In so doing, the Parti Québécois was attacking a group which was part of its core clientele. The episode offers the possibility of testing the proposition that a party which ignores its faithful supporters is doomed to perish. The analysis shows that the measure cost the Parti Québécois a loss of seven percentage points among public sector employees; that the latter reacted as a group, their voting behaviour not being influenced by whether or not they were personally affected by the measure; and that the total net loss to the Parti Québécois was 1.5 percentage points. The paper argues that the measure was less costly than the theoretical literature might have suggested and that the move could have been a successful one had the whole policy been handled more shrewdly by the government. Sommaire: L'article examine les conséquences électorates de la décision prise à l'automne 1982 par le gouvernement du Parti québécois de réduire les dépenses en procédant à des coupes sévères dans les salaires du personnel du secteur public. Le Parti québécois s'attaquait ainsi à un groupe qui lui était traditionnellement acquis. Cet épisode de la vie politique permet de vérifier l'assertion suivant laquelle un parti qui néglige ses fidèles partisans est vouéà la disparition. L'analyse montre que cette mesure a coûté au Parti québécois une perte de 7 points de pourcentage dans le vote des employés du secteur public; que ces derniers ont réagi en tant que groupe, leur comportement au moment du vote étant le même qu'ils soient ou non personnellement affectés par la mesure; et que la perte nette totale du Parti québécois a été de 1,5 point. L'article indique que la mesure a été moins coûteuse que ce qu'aurait pu laisser penser la théorie et qu'elle aurait pu être un succès si le gouvernement avait géré toute la politique de façon plus astucieuse.     

Representation and voter participation

Abstract This paper presents results from a study of turnout in the 1994 European Parliament elections which inserted several new questions into the post–election Eurobarometer, including some open–ended questions. It distinguishes between circumstantial and voluntary abstention and shows how each type varies depending on the institutional arrangements for the election. Using both the subjective reasons given for abstention and a range of more objective measures of attitudes, it makes the case that conventional views as to the impact of Sunday–voting and the proportionality of the electoral system and as to the non–impact of attitudes to the European Union need to be modified. It concludes by identifying some practical institutional and political measures that could encourage higher levels of participation.     

An attempt to reduce guessing behavior in children's and adults' eyewitness identifications

The effects of age of witness, gender of witness, lineup presentation, and practice on eyewitness testimony were investigated. Ninety-six elementary-school children and 96 college students viewed a slide sequence of a crime, followed by target-present or target-absent photo identification in sequentially or simultaneously presented lineups. Prior to photo identification, half the subjects received a practice lineup. Children had a higher rate of choosing than adults, resulting in more foil identification errors in both target-present and target-absent lineups. Without prior practice, sequential presentation as compared to simultaneous presentation reduced errors in target-absent lineups for adult witnesses and showed a similar but nonsignificant reduction for child witnesses. With prior practice, sequential presentation lost the advantage over simultaneous presentation in target-absent error reduction. Practice reduced target-absent errors in simultaneous-presentation lineups for both age groups.