Interobserver variation of selected postcranial skeletal measurements

Osteometric data are of great importance for analytical purposes in the field of forensic anthropology, and it is critical that interobserver concordance is high in order for the results of these analyses to be reliable. Significant interobserver variation of skeletal measurements is cause for concern since it may result in conflicting conclusions. The range of interobserver variation of selected postcranial measurements is addressed. Thirteen standard measurements familiar to most forensic anthropologists were examined, as well as nine nonstandard measurements that were unfamiliar to most participants in the study. Sixty-eight individuals participated in the study, the majority of whom considered themselves to be forensic anthropologists with various levels of experience. In general, interobserver variation of the tested standard postcranial measurements was found to be minimal, with the exception of pubis length and subtrochanteric femur measurements. The difficulties that can lead to measurement error are discussed and possible solutions are recommended.     

Testing Legal Assumptions Regarding the Effects of Dancer Nudity and Proximity to Patron on Erotic Expression

A field experiment was conducted in order to test the assumptions by the Supreme Court in Barnes v. Glen Theatre, Inc. (1991) and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in Colacurcio v. City of Kent (1999) that government restrictions on dancer nudity and dancer–patron proximity do not affect the content of messages conveyed by erotic dancers. A field experiment was conducted in which dancer nudity (nude vs. partial clothing) and dancer–patron proximity (4 feet; 6 in.; 6 in. plus touch) were manipulated under controlled conditions in an adult night club. After male patrons viewed the dances, they completed questionnaires assessing affective states and reception of erotic, relational intimacy, and social messages. Contrary to the assumptions of the courts, the results showed that the content of messages conveyed by the dancers was significantly altered by restrictions placed on dancer nudity and dancer–patron proximity. These findings are interpreted in terms of social psychological responses to nudity and communication theories of nonverbal behavior. The legal implications of rejecting the assumptions made by the courts in light of the findings of this study are discussed. Finally, suggestions are made for future research.     

Do Australian public sector employees have the type of culture they want in the era of new public management?

New public management theory proposes that public sector organisations should be managed more like private sector organisations. It is therefore expected that public sector managers will have preferences for an organisational culture that will reflect the culture of private sector organisations, with an external rather than internal orientation. The current research investigated the idea that managers' perceptions of ideal organisational culture would be different to the bureaucratic model of culture (internally oriented), which has traditionally been associated with public sector organisations. Responses to a competing values culture inventory were received from 925 public sector employees. Results indicated that the bureaucratic model is still pervasive; however, managers prefer a culture that is more external, and less control focussed, as expected. Lower level employees expressed a desire for a culture that emphasised human relations values.     

Unanswered Questions about Public Service Motivation: Designing Research to Address Key Issues of Emergence and Effects

As public service motivation research gains momentum, important questions emerge regarding its origins and consequences that are not addressed by existing research. The authors identify some fundamental public service motivation assumptions, including critical gaps in our current understanding of its basic tenets. The authors then discuss specific research studies that, by virtue of their findings and designs, may fill in and inform such apparent gaps. Their aim is to chart new concrete directions for scholarship that complements and advances existing public service motivation research.     

Sociological, social psychological, and psychopathological correlates of substance use disorders in the U.S. jail population

The objective of this study was to examine sociological, social psychological, and psychopathological correlates of substance abuse disorders in a nationally representative sample of jail inmates. Criminal history and clinical factors most strongly differentiated convicted inmates with and without substance use disorders regardless of current index offense. Policy implications are discussed in terms of targeting antisocial attitudes and peer associations and more effective clinical treatments for substance use disorders among the inmate population. High rates of co-occurring depression symptoms and anger dyscontrol found among inmates with substance use disorders in this study underscore the need for assessment and evaluation of specialized programs for co-occurring disorders and anger management programs among U.S. inmates.     

Patterns of prior offending by child abductors: A comparison of fatal and non-fatal outcomes

Our study examines the prior offending of 750 individuals who are known to be responsible for the abduction of a child under the age of 18 years. The first group comprised of 311 offenders (42%) who had abducted a child that was later located alive (found alive, referred to as FA). The second group was comprised of 439 offenders (58%) who had abducted a child that was either found murdered or was still missing and presumed dead (found murdered, referred to as FM). While males perpetrated the majority of the abductions, women perpetrated 31 (10%) of the offenses in the FA group and 10 (2%) of the offenses in the FM group. The average number of prior offenses as reflected in the NCIC criminal history of each offender was seven with these occurring over an average of 12 years. Seventy-five percent of the offenders had prior arrests for an assortment of different crimes while 25% had no known criminal history, a finding that was consistent across both the FA and FM groups. Of those with a criminal history, 41% had been arrested for assault, 40% for larceny, 35% for burglary/breaking and entering, 33% for forcible sex offenses, 25% for drug/narcotic offenses, 21% for weapons law violations, 17% for motor vehicle thefts, 15% for robbery, and 14% for kidnapping. Our findings are congruent with the theme of criminal diversity among child abductors and argue against the specificity in offending that is often assumed with this type of sexual offender. This information is relevant to our understanding of the progression in criminal offending that is manifested by offenders who abduct children and will hopefully be used by law enforcement in helping to direct and focus their investigations.     

An evaluation of Kentucky’s sexual assault investigator training: results from a randomized three-group experiment

Journal of Experimental Criminology - This study evaluated a 40-h statewide sexual assault investigations training program implemented in Kentucky in 2017. The study examined short- and long-term...     

EVALUATION UNDER CONTRACT: GOVERNMENT PRESSURE AND THE PRODUCTION OF POLICY RESEARCH

Do governments lean on researchers who evaluate their policies to try to get them to produce politically useful results? Do researchers buckle under such pressure? This article, based on a survey of 205 academics who have recently completed commissioned research for government, looks at the degree to which British government departments seek to produce research that is designed to provide ‘political ammunition’, above all making them ‘look good’ or minimizing criticism of their policies. Looking at different stages in the research process – from deciding which policies to evaluate, shaping the nature and conduct of inquiry, and writing the results – the article finds evidence of government sponsors making significant efforts to produce politically congenial results. For the most part, researchers appear to resist these efforts, though the evidence base (researchers' own accounts of their work) suggests that this conclusion be treated with some caution.     

Unaccompanied Homeless Youth: Intersections of Homelessness,School Experiences and Educational Policy

School districts are faced with the challenge of how best to serve the needs of a growing homeless student population. As the numbers of homeless children and youth continue to rise, it is imperative for educators and others to understand the experiences of unaccompanied homeless youth. A qualitative research project was undertaken to obtain the perspectives of six high school students experiencing homelessness. These perspectives illuminate the various and multiple factors intersecting with student's educational lives. Their narratives uncovered the following themes: (a) Homelessness as a misnomer, (b) Homelessness is not a choice, (c) Caring adults, and (d) Student agency. Their counternarratives challenge adults working with unaccompanied homeless youth to rethink and reimagine the manner in which homelessness is understood and framed; this is especially critical in educational spaces. Schools often are the primary contexts in which youth spend their time and can be instrumental to providing youth experiencing homelessness with the support and resources they identify as being critical to their educational engagement and success.