On assessing the mood of the public toward the police: Some conceptual issues

The use of attitudinal surveys has become a widely accepted method for the incorporation of public opinion in public policy decisions. Because of the assumption that the interpretation of such surveys is straightforward and clear, little critical attention has been devoted to the methodological and theoretical problems encountered when translating these findings into public policy. A case in point involves the proliferation of surveys aimed at assessing the mood of the public toward the police. A review of the literature reveals that the research findings about the public mood are contradictory and thus lack convergent validity. The findings of this study indicate that this lack of convergent validity in the images of the public toward the police can be explained on both methodological and theoretical grounds. More specifically, the findings indicate that the mood of the public is very different depending on the level of specificity of the items used to tap that mood. Items eliciting evaluations of a general nature show the public as supportive of the police, while items of a specific nature show much less public support. This apparent paradox is explained through the use of a theoretical framework developed by Easton (1965), which emphasizes diffuse and specific support as external influences on institutions.     

The Assignment Convention: how will it affect IP licensors?

The Assignment Convention designed to liberalize the marketfor credit and to increase the ability of businesses to raisecredit on the back of their income flow, may be set to havea negative impact on IP owners/licensors.     

Effects of the dynamite charge on the deliberations of deadlocked mock juries

When juries report that they are deadlocked, judges often deliver the dynamite charge, a supplemental instruction that urges jurors to rethink their views in an effort to reach a unanimous verdict. The present study evaluated the impact of this procedure on 378 subjects who participated in 63 deadlocked mock juries. Results indicated that the dynamite charge caused jurors in the voting minority to feel coerced and change their votes, reduced the pressure felt by those in the majority, and hastened the deliberation process in juries that favored conviction. These findings raise serious questions concerning the use of this controversial charge.     

Roadside detection of impairment under the influence of ketamine--evaluation of ketamine impairment symptoms with reference to its concentration in oral fluid and urine

Although there are many roadside testing devices available for the screening of abused drugs, none of them can be used for the detection of ketamine, a popular abused drug in Hong Kong. In connection to local drug driving legislation, effective roadside detection of ketamine in suspected drug-impaired drivers has to be established. According to the drug evaluation and classification program (DEC), ketamine is classified in the phencyclidine (PCP) category. However, no study has been performed regarding the signs and symptoms exhibited by users under the influence of ketamine. In a study to develop a protocol for effective roadside detection of drug-impaired drivers, 62 volunteers exiting from discos were assessed using field impairment tests (FIT) that included measurements of three vital signs (i.e. body temperature, pulse rate and blood pressure), three eye examinations [pupil size, lack of convergence (LOC) and horizontal gaze nystagmus (HGN)] and four divided attention tests (Romberg, one-leg stand, finger-to-nose and walk-and-turn tests). Subsequent laboratory analysis of oral fluid and urine samples from the participants revealed the presence of common abused drugs in both the urine and oral fluid samples of 55 subjects. The remaining 7 subjects with no drug in their oral fluid samples were used as drug-free subjects. In addition, 10 volunteers from the laboratory who were regarded as drug-free subjects were also assessed using the same FIT. Among the 62 volunteers, 39 of them were detected with ketamine in their oral fluid. Of these ketamine users, 21 of them (54%) with only ketamine found in their oral fluid samples while the rest (18 subjects) of them had other drugs (i.e. MA, MDMA, benzodiazepines and/or THC) in addition to ketamine. Of the 21 ketamine-only users, 15 of them (71%) were successfully identified by FIT. It was found that when salivary ketamine concentrations were greater than 300 ng/mL, signs of impairment became evident, with over 90% detection rate using the FIT. By comparing the FIT observations on the 21 ketamine-only users with the drug-free subjects, the typical signs and symptoms observable for subjects under the influence of ketamine included LOC, HGN, elevated pulse rate and in general, failing the divided attention tests, especially the walk-and-turn and one-leg stand.     

Reelection and Legislative Power: Surprising Results from Brazil

A diverse and growing literature ties legislative professionalization and power to career paths. In particular, higher rates of reelection and longer legislative careers should produce more professional, competent, and high‐quality legislatures. Legislators have more incentives to strengthen their own institution when they intend to remain there for a long career. Using data from the most recent constitutional convention in Brazil, we show that legislators with greater prospects for long careers were actually less likely to support strengthening the legislative branch. We explain this as part of a local equilibrium where career legislators’ short‐term need for pork trumped their long‐term interest in a stronger institution.