Mentoring in Relation to Violent Extremism: A Study of Role,Purpose, and Outcomes

This article presents the key findings of an evaluation of a mentoring scheme being implemented for individuals deemed vulnerable to violent extremism in the West Midlands region in the United Kingdom. The key findings of this study are, firstly, that mentoring around violent extremism carries distinctive features, and can be distinguished from mentoring in other areas of criminal behavior or in drug/alcohol use. Secondly, there is ongoing debate around what the purposes of mentoring are; crystallizing around the key question of whether mentoring in the area of violent extremism is about changing beliefs or changing behavior, or both; therefore, how to measure success? The article examines the different theoretical fields in relation to de-radicalization, disengagement, desistance, and debiasing in order to situate the article's findings in a broader body of work. This article also links individual mentoring to the notion of community, for it is important to consider the individual who is being mentored in relation to the broader set of communities that they belong to or associate with. Here, it is stressed that in the United Kingdom there are significant tensions between approaches that emphasize community cohesion, and those that emphasze liberal freedoms associated with liberal democracy, particularly in relation to Al Qaeda–linked extremism.     

Book Reviews

The Way the Modern World Works: World Hegemony to World Impasse. Peter J. Taylor, 1996. Chichester and London: John Wiley. 276 pp.; £18.99 paperback. ISBN 0 471 96586 3

Imagineering Atlanta: The Politics of Place in the City of Dreams. C. Rutheiser, 1996. London: Verso. 324 pp.; £14.00 paperback. ISBN 1 85984 800 1

Represénter la ville, coll.. A. Bailly, C. Baumont, J. Huriot and A. Sallez, 1995. Paris: Economica. 112 pp.; £7.00 paperback. ISBN 2 7178 2956 3

Continental Trading Blocs: The Growth of Regionalism in the World Economy. R. Gibb and W. Michalak (Eds), 1994. Chichester: John Wiley. 302 pp.; £45.00 hardback. ISBN: 4719 49 094

Mapping Desire. D. Bell and G C. Valentine (Eds), 1995. London: Routledge. 370 pp.; £15.99 paperback. ISBN 0 415 1164 1     

Contested Engagements: Youth and the Politics of Citizenship

In this paper, a framework is presented for exploring how youth perform their citizenship through political engagements. The framework provides a way to explore the agency of youthful citizens as imagined by different agents and the ways that youth understand their performances as citizenship. Using interviews with university students and administrators at six universities in Manchester and Glasgow, a distinction is highlighted between agency and the performance of political acts in the production of citizenship, and the implications of this distinction for the development of autonomous citizens.     

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning and Death in a Large Enclosed Ventilated Area

A 55‐year‐old man with a medical history of tobacco use suddenly collapsed while power washing an empty indoor pool in a hotel. The decedent was transported to the local hospital where he was pronounced. A postmortem examination revealed atherosclerotic heart disease and bilateral pulmonary edema and congestion. A postmortem blood carbon monoxide (CO) level was 27% saturation, and a CO performed on hospital admission blood was 49% saturation. CO poisoning is a common cause of toxicological morbidity and mortality in the United States. The circumstances most often occur in an enclosed environment and may be intentional or unintentional. CO poisoning has been reported in open, well‐ventilated spaces, but rarely results in death. A warning label was present on the engine clearly stating the dangers of CO emission. However, there was a false sense of security due to the large size of the pool room and the presence of industrial blowers that were being used for ventilation.     

Virtual forensic anthropology: Novel applications of anthropometry and technology in a child death case

Full-body 3D virtual reconstructions were generated using 3D technology and anthropometry following the death of a young girl, allegedly from severe malnutrition as a result of abuse and neglect. Close range laser scanning, in conjunction with full colour digital texture photography, was used to document the child's condition shortly after death in order to demonstrate the number and pattern of injuries and to be able to demonstrate her condition forensically. Full-body digital reconstructions were undertaken to illustrate the extent of the malnutrition by comparing the processed post mortem scans with reconstructed images at normal weight for height and age. This is the first known instance of such an investigative tool.     

A life sentence really? The resettlement of ex-prisoners with convictions for sexual offences

About a year ago I was due to carry out in-depth research interviews with men who had committed sexual offences and who, having served their prison sentence, had been released into the community. When I spoke about this upcoming work with others the usual response was a version of ‘rather you than me’, or inquisitiveness about the arrangements for speaking with this group. As one friend said, ‘You'll be talking to them from behind some glass won't you?’.     

Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma of the Trachea Resulting in Fatal Asphyxia

Primary malignant tumors of the trachea are uncommon. The authors report a case of a 72‐year‐old female who died from asphyxia due to an undiagnosed obstructing adenoid cystic carcinoma of the trachea. The decedent became unresponsive while eating cereal and was pronounced upon arrival at the local hospital. The autopsy revealed a near occlusive tumor mass just superior to the bifurcation of the distal trachea. There was no evidence of aspiration. The death was the result of asphyxia due to obstruction of the trachea by an adenoid cystic carcinoma. This case demonstrates that an obstructive tumor mass may remain undiagnosed until an obstructive episode results in a sudden death.     

Distributing State Children's Health Insurance Program funds: a critical review of the design and implementation of the funding formula

The development of formulas to distribute federal funds to states based on demographic data continues to challenge data and policy analysts. Analysts must forward the best objective statistical analysis and data inputs to formula specifications while acknowledging the politics of the legislative process that authorizes federal funding formulas. This article evaluates the federal funding formula for the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) using key formula components of need, effort, capacity, and performance. We also examine the operationalization and measure of the target population in the SCHIP funding formula. Legislative decisions on formulas are, by nature, based on compromises that balance competing policy objectives. The analyst's role is to continually review current research standards, data quality, and relevant formula inputs and make recommendations to refine federal funding formulas to better target resources to their intended populations.