An Indepth Actuarial Assessment for Wife Assault Recidivism: The <Emphasis Type="Italic">Domestic Violence Risk Appraisal Guide</Emphasis>

An actuarial tool, the Ontario Domestic Assault Risk Assessment (ODARA), predicts recidivism using only variables readily obtained by frontline police officers. Correctional settings permit more comprehensive assessments. In a subset of ODARA construction and cross-validation cases, 303 men with a police record for wife assault and a correctional system file, the VRAG, SARA, Danger Assessment, and DVSI also predicted recidivism, but the Hare Psychopathy Checklist (PCL-R) best improved prediction of recidivism, occurrence, frequency, severity, injury, and charges. In 346 new cases, ODARA and PCL-R independently predicted recidivism. An algorithm was derived for a combined instrument, the Domestic Violence Risk Appraisal Guide (DVRAG), and an experience table is presented (N=649). Results indicated the importance of antisociality in wife assault.     

Public health policy, legal uncertainty and the standard of care in rural and remote communities

This column examines the historical context in which the standard of health care offered to rural and remote communities has developed to become less than that afforded their metropolitan counterparts. In particular, it looks at the support offered to nurses working within these communities in terms of not only the lack of medical resources, including doctors, in these areas, but also the legal and professional restrictions placed on nurses that leave them feeling vulnerable to complaints of working outside their scope of practice. The column concludes with a discussion of the legal standard of care and ways in which nurses may adequately meet the health needs of their community while working within legal parameters.     

When Do Challengers Succeed? Nongovernmental Actors,Administrative Agencies,and Legal Change: Shifting Rules for Oregon's Private Forests

Regulatory regimes are notoriously resistant to change, so when less powerful actors manage to reshape long‐established rules and gain increased access to a natural resource the interesting question is why? This article investigates relations between different claimant groups and the state in the reshaping of the regulations governing Oregon's private forestlands, how this process was mediated by broader political opportunities and constraints, and the conditions that supported a shift in the legal regime that benefited less advantaged interests. The intent is to deepen our understanding of the circumstances under which well‐established rules of governance are altered. Analysis points to each of the following variables as significant for successful reform: (1) active challengers and their success in reframing issues to support their goals, (2) new political opportunities facilitating wider participation in the rulemaking process, and (3) concurrence between local and national aspirations supporting reform. While each condition is noteworthy, it is insufficient on its own. Rather, my study comparing two contested administrative rules suggests that a clear alignment of all three variables provides the strongest impetus for legislative and administrative rule changes at the state level benefiting less advantaged interests.