Satanism: Myth and reality in a contemporary moral panic

In the last decade, there have been many allegations about the prevalence of occult or Satanic criminality, which is believed to be involved in many offenses ranging from vandalism to child abuse and serial murder. Some have advocated the creation of specialized police units to combat the supposed threat. On the other hand, most of the alleged evils are very poorly substantiated, and highly questionable statements have been widely circulated. In fact, the current concern about the occult appears to have all the hallmarks of a classic moral panic, where a peripheral issue is suddenly perceived as a major social menace. This paper discusses the limited foundation of truth underlying the present crime-wave; and suggests that the panic reflects the moral and political agenda of extremists from the fundamentalist religious Right. *** DIRECT SUPPORT *** AW502017 00005     

Views of public health leaders in English local authorities – changing perspectives following the transfer of responsibilities from the National Health Service to local government

This paper reports on the findings of a research project that examined the changes to the public health system in England introduced in 2013. Drawing on case study research and two national surveys the findings explore the impact of organisational change on the composition and role of public health teams. Views and experiences were obtained from public health leaders involved in the transfer of staff and functions from the National Health Service in England to local authorities. National surveys at two points in time aimed to compare and contrast views on the evolving changes. The new organisational and managerial arrangements had enabled public health professionals to widen their work and influence, and public health skills and budgets were welcomed by those in local government. Initially, in some areas, directors of public health were less certain of the benefits of the transfer to local government compared to high levels of confidence expressed by elected members, but perspectives changed over time and moved closer together. National headline figures were found to mask high levels of turbulence and churn being experienced by individual authorities identified in the case study research, and the trend of reducing capacity through cuts to staff, budget and services was a cause for serious concern.     

Social Capital and Bystander Behavior in Bullying: Internalizing Problems as a Barrier to Prosocial Intervention

Theory and research suggests that individuals with greater social capital (i.e., resources and benefits gained from relationships, experiences, and social interactions) may be more likely to be active, prosocial bystanders in bullying situations. Therefore, the goal of the current study was to examine the association of social capital (social support and social skills) with prosocial bystander behavior, and the role of internalizing problems as a potential barrier to this relation among 299 students (45.8% girls, 95% White) in sixth, seventh, and eighth grades. Results indicate a positive relation between social capital and prosocial bystander behavior. In addition, internalizing problems were a significant risk factor that may hinder youth—particularly girls—from engaging in defending behavior. Prosocial bystanders are an essential component to prevent and reduce bullying and further research is needed to better understand how to foster prosocial behavior in bullying situations, perhaps by utilizing social capital, related to school bullying.     

Identification of a female murder victim found in Burgenland,Austria in 1993

In 1993, the skeletal remains of a female corpse were found in Burgenland, Austria. Initial identification of the approximately 25–35-year-old female appeared impossible, but the case was reopened 23 years later. By applying biogeochemical isotope methods to her body tissues, the geographical origin of the unknown corpse could be predicted. The results of the C, N, S, H, Sr, and Pb isotope analyses suggested that the female did not originate from Europe and most likely spent her youth in the northern Caribbean. Using these findings, the police were able to identify the woman within 2 weeks. The female came from the Dominican Republic and resided in Austria for only a short period before she was murdered. This case shows that isotope biogeochemistry investigations can provide the police with crucial information that enables unknown persons to be identified.

Keypoints

• C-N-S-H and Sr-Pb isotope analyses were applied to human remains associated with a cold case.
• It was possible to determine the region of origin of the unknown deceased individual as the northern Caribbean.
• After 23 years, the murder victim was successfully identified.

     

The interpretation of cocaine and benzoylecgonine concentrations in postmortem cases.

This study examined cocaine and benzoylecgonine concentrations in 100 consecutive deaths where either compound was identified in blood or urine specimens to determine whether any relationship between these concentrations and cause of death can be found. Forty-seven of the 100 cases were deaths attributed to cocaine, narcotic or combined cocaine and narcotic intoxication. There were 13 cases of cocaine intoxication where no psychoactive substance other than ethanol was detected. The mean cocaine concentration in these deaths was 908 ng/ml; three cases had cocaine concentrations greater than 2000 ng/ml, while the other ten cases had cocaine concentrations less than or equal to 700 ng/ml. The mean cocaine concentration in non-cocaine deaths where no psychoactive substance other than ethanol was detected was 146 ng/ml. This difference was not statistically significant. However, the average blood benzoylecgonine concentration in the 13 cocaine deaths was significantly higher than in the 19 non-cocaine deaths. A review of combined cocaine and narcotic deaths suggest that the narcotic is the main causative agent in these deaths.     

A Bridge Too Far? Examining Bridging Assumptions in Common-Space Estimations

While most common-space estimations rely upon members who served in both the House and Senate as “bridges” to scale the remaining members, this assumes that these “bridge members” do not change their preferences when they change chambers. Such an assumption conflicts with standard notions of representation, that is, that legislators’ votes reflect (at least to some degree) the wishes of their constituents. We examine the constancy of this common-space voting assumption by focusing on a subset of House members who move to the Senate: those who come from statewide House districts. Using these members as the bridge actors—and thus bridging by constituency explicitly—in a one-dimensional item response theory model, we find that the standard assumption of chamber switchers in common-space estimations is technically, but immaterially, false. While there are statistically distinguishable differences in House and Senate voting records for chamber switchers, they are not sufficiently large to meaningfully undermine bridging.