Social Justice Attitudes and Their Demographic Correlates Among a Nationally Representative Sample of U.S. Adolescents

Compared to extant studies, this study uses more rigorous analyses to describe social justice attitudes and their correlates among a nationally representative sample of 2,811 U.S. ninth-graders. Females and adolescents with more educated mothers tended to express more support for social justice. Strikingly, about 90 % of adolescents believed that equal opportunity to obtain a good education exists in the U.S. Adolescents were also more likely to support abstract social justice principles rather than solutions that promote social justice: about 80 % agreed that all races and genders should have equal opportunities, but only 55 % reported that government should be responsible for individuals’ economic needs. Differences between U.S. adolescents’ and adults’ attitudes are noted, and implications for future research are presented.     

Elder neglect and the pathophysiology of aging

Elder neglect, one of the 6 forms of elder maltreatment, is difficult to diagnose and is underreported both in the scientific literature and to law enforcement. Recognizing fatal neglect is even more challenging especially with concurrent organic disease. Many entities can mimic elder neglect, and many age-related changes can result in pathology that may be confused with maltreatment. We retrospectively reviewed all forensic cases of individuals age sixty-five years and older which were referred for autopsy. Cases of fatal neglect were analyzed as to age, sex, race, cause of death, location of incident, perpetrator, victim-to-perpetrator relationship, and autopsy and ancillary findings. The cases studies totaled 8. The age range was 74 to 94 years. Two were white, 6 black, one male, and 7 female. The causes of death were sepsis due to severe decubitus ulcers and severe dehydration. Five cases occurred in the victim's home, and 3 occurred in an institution (nursing home/care facility). In 5 cases, the perpetrators were family members. The pathophysiology of aging with respect to elder maltreatment is reviewed.     

Effect of electron beam irradiation on forensic evidence. 2. Analysis of writing inks on porous surfaces

The effect of electron beam irradiation on a series of different writing inks is described. As the anthrax-tainted letters were discovered in October 2001, the U.S. government began to experiment with the use of the electron beam irradiation process for destroying such biological agents. Plans initially considered a large-scale countrywide use of this technology. However, over time the scope of this plan as well as the radiation dosage were reduced, especially when some adverse consequences to mailed items subjected to this process were observed. Little data existed at the time to characterize what level of damage might be expected to occur with common items sent through the mail. This was especially important to museums and other institutions that routinely ship valuable and historic items through the mail. Although the Smithsonian Institution initiated some studies of the effect of electron beam irradiation on archived materials, little data existed on the effect that this process would have on forensic evidence. Approximately 97 different black, blue, red, green, and yellow writing inks were selected. Writing ink types included ballpoint, gel, plastic/felt tip, and rollerball. All noncontrol samples were subjected to standard mail irradiation conditions used by the U.S. Postal Service at the time this experiment was performed. A video spectral comparator and thin-layer chromatography (TLC) analysis were used to evaluate both the control and the irradiated samples. Some published studies reported changes in the presence/absence of dye bands in the chromatograms of irradiated writing inks. Some of these studies report the formation of additional dye bands on the chromatogram while others report missing dye bands. However, using standard testing guidelines and procedures, none of the 97 irradiated inks tested were found to show any significant optical or chemical differences from the control samples. In addition, random testing of some of the ink samples using a second solvent system did not reveal any changes. However, one control ink did show some minor changes in optical properties and dye characteristics over time (but not TLC) while the irradiated sample remained stable. Significant changes in the ultraviolet fluorescence characteristics of the irradiated paper samples themselves (not inks) were also observed.     

Neuroimaging in Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

Neuroimaging in mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is reviewed. While computed tomography remains the acute standard for neuroimaging of mTBI, it is only sensitive to gross abnormalities and is typically performed as a measure to rule out more serious and life-threatening injury. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), especially at field strength of 3.0 T, is the follow-up neuroimaging standard for assessing potential underlying structural injury to the brain. Several MRI sequences are particularly sensitive to subtle hemorrhagic lesions and signal abnormalities in white matter, sensitive enough to detect pathology when present in mTBI. Clinical correlation of neuropsychological outcome with neuroimaging findings is discussed along with the future potential for functional neuroimaging in evaluating the mTBI patient.     

To Test or Not To Test?: The Value of Toxicology in a Delayed Overdose Death

A case demonstrating the necessity of thorough death investigation processes where toxicology plays an active role is presented. A 33‐year‐old white man presented to the emergency room in respiratory distress after an overdose episode where he was revived on the scene by fire rescue. His condition continued to deteriorate and he expired 6 days after the initial incident. No admission specimens were available for testing; however, there were specimens drawn 4 and 5 days after the incident. Drug paraphernalia from the scene was obtained by the laboratory through collaboration with local law enforcement. Drug paraphernalia was initially tested in the laboratory and after obtaining the results, the antemortem and postmortem specimens were tested identifying mitragynine and U‐47700, among other drugs. These results indicate the value in obtaining and testing drug paraphernalia, and the value of testing antemortem specimens even in the event of a delay.     

Average Probability that a "Cold Hit" in a DNA Database Search Results in an Erroneous Attribution

Abstract:  We consider a hypothetical series of cases in which the DNA profile of a crime-scene sample is found to match a known profile in a DNA database (i.e., a "cold hit"), resulting in the identification of a suspect based only on genetic evidence. We show that the average probability that there is another person in the population whose profile matches the crime-scene sample but who is not in the database is approximately 2( N  −  d ) p _A , where N is the number of individuals in the population, d is the number of profiles in the database, and p _A is the average match probability (AMP) for the population. The AMP is estimated by computing the average of the probabilities that two individuals in the population have the same profile. We show further that if a priori each individual in the population is equally likely to have left the crime-scene sample, then the average probability that the database search attributes the crime-scene sample to a wrong person is ( N  −  d ) p _A .     

From Apathy to Action: Promoting Active Citizenship and Global Responsibility amongst Populations in the Global North

Efforts to address social and global problems such as poverty, mass hunger and mass-atrocity crimes are hindered significantly by apathy and low levels of active civil and political engagement amongst populations in developed countries. Social change non-government organisations (NGOs), such as Oxfam Australia, Oxfam Hong Kong and Médecins Sans Frontières, have recently employed innovative, creative, experience-based strategies in their efforts to promote active citizenship and greater global responsibility amongst populations in the Global North. These techniques are based on two key assumptions: that experiences change attitudes and that changes in behaviour will follow changes in attitudes. Yet the effectiveness of these newer techniques and the accuracy of the assumptions on which they are based remain largely untested. This article explores these assumptions and discusses the innovative, creative techniques that they have generated in NGO public education efforts. The article examines the theoretical literature on the problem of apathy and on the use of creative techniques to overcome apathy. It further discusses the practical application of these techniques through an examination of Oxfam Australia's “Refugee Realities” project. This discussion is based on preliminary evaluation research conducted by Oxfam Australia and the author's own experiences as an actor/volunteer on the project. The article suggests that creative, experience-based public education strategies are effective in challenging and confronting public attitudes towards issues of global injustice. Further research is needed, however, to determine whether these encounters result in long-term changes in attitudes and whether they contribute to moving individuals and communities from apathy to action.     

Youth Pathways to Placement: The Influence of Gender, Mental Health Need and Trauma on Confinement in the Juvenile Justice System

Although the juvenile crime rate has generally declined, the involvement of girls in the juvenile justice system has been increasing. Possible explanations for this gender difference include the impact of exposure to trauma and mental health needs on developmental pathways and the resulting influence of youth’s involvement in the justice system. This study examined the influence of gender, mental health needs and trauma on the risk of out-of-home placement for juvenile offenders. The sample included youth referred to three urban juvenile probation departments in Texas between January 1, 2007 and December 31, 2008 and who received state-mandated mental health screening (N = 34,222; 30.1 % female). The analysis revealed that, for both genders, elevated scores on the seven factor-analytically derived subscales of a mental health screening instrument (Alcohol and Drug Use, Depressed-Anxious, Somatic Complaints, Suicidal Ideation, Thought Disturbance, and Traumatic Experiences), especially related to past traumatic experiences, influenced how deeply juveniles penetrated the system. The findings suggest that additional research is needed to determine the effectiveness of trauma interventions and the implementation of trauma informed systems for youth involved with the juvenile justice system.     

In Brief

Margaret Cavendish, The Convent of Pleasure and Other Plays, edited by Anne Shaver (Baltimore and London: The Johns Hopkins UP, 1999).

Rising Star: Dandyism, Gender, and Performance in the Fin de Siècle, by Rhonda Garelick (Princeton: Princeton U P, 1998).

Television, History, and American Culture: Feminist Critical Essays, edited by Mary Beth Haralovich, and Lauren Rabinovitz (Durham and London: Duke UP, 1999).

Soft Canons: American Women Writers and Masculine Traditions, edited by Karen L. Kilcup (Iowa City: U of Iowa P, 1999).

The Suppression of Salt of the Earth: How Hollywood, Big Labor, and Politicians Blacklisted A Movie in Cold War America, by James J. Lorence (Albuquerque: U of New Mexico P, 1999).

Working Hard and Making Do: Surviving in Small Town America, by Margaret K. Nelson, and Joan Smith (Berkeley: U of California P, 1999).

Women's Reading in Britain: A Dangerous Recreation, by Jacqueline. Pearson (Cambridge: Cambridge U P, 1999).

Regine Pernoud, and Marie‐Veronique Clin, Joan of Arc: Her Story, revised and trans, by Jeremy duQuesnay Adams (New York: St. Martin's P, 1999).

Design and Feminism: Re‐Visioning Spaces, Places, and Everyday Things, edited by Joan Rothschild (New Brunswick: Rutgers U P, 1999).

Feminism and Cultural Studies, edited by Morag Schiach (Oxford: Oxford U P, 1999).

Southern Mothers: Fact and Fictions in Southern Women's Writing, edited by Nagueyalti Warren, and Sally Wolff (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State UP, 1999).