TWGDAM validation of AmpFlSTR PCR amplification kits for forensic DNA casework

Laboratory procedures used in short tandem repeat (STR) analysis were subjected to various scenarios that assessed reliability and identified potential limitations. These validation studies were designed as recommended by the Technical Working Group on DNA Analysis Methods (TWGDAM) and the DNA Advisory Board (DAB) (17,18). Various DNA samples were amplified by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using AmpFlSTR PCR Amplification Kits (i.e., AmpFlSTR Green I, Profiler, Profiler Plus, and COfiler kits), detected with ABI Prism instrumentation, and analyzed using GeneScan and Genotyper software. Data acquired in these studies reinforced an existing body of knowledge and expertise regarding application and interpretation of STR typing in the forensic science community. Consistent STR genotypes were detected in various body tissues and fluids. Inter-laboratory comparisons produced concordant genotype results. Quantitative interpretational aids for DNA mixtures were characterized. Ability of the typing systems to type potentially compromised samples reliably was evaluated. Nonprobative case evidentiary DNA was successfully amplified, genotyped, and interpreted. Potential limitations or cautionary factors in the interpretation of minimal fluorescence intensity were demonstrated. Differential amplification between loci was observed when PCR was inhibited; preferential amplification typically was not. Single AmpFlSTR locus amplification did not offer consistent benefit over AmpFlSTR multiplexing, even in cases of DNA degradation or PCR inhibition. During rigorous evaluation, AmpFlSTR PCR Amplification Kits reproducibly yielded sensitive and locus-specific results, as required in routine forensic analyses.     

Predictors of recidivism among halfway house residents

This study concerns client success or failure while residing in a halfway house for adult offenders. As with some other studies, failure or recidivism is defined in this analysis as behavior that results in removal from the facility and subsequent incarceration. This quantitative case study of one treatment facility in Tennessee utilized case records on the population of clients from 1981 through 1987 (N = 75). A number of hypotheses were developed and tested with both bh/ariate and multivariate methods. Results indicated that, at least in this halfway house, those residents who had experienced two or more prison terms and who had most recently been convicted for a violent crime were most likely to recidivate while in the facility. Other substantively significant factors were alcohol use, religious attendance, and the experience of mental health counseling. Programmatic implications of these results are discussed.     

From Uniformity to Diversity? Reinventing Public Sector Industrial Relations in New Zealand

Since 1988 industrial relations in New Zealand's public sector have changed significantly. This paper discusses the changing roles of the State Services Commission and chief executives in bargaining with public sector employees, and how these changing roles have affected union representation and wage rates. While the Employment Contracts Act, 1991 resulted in changes to bargaining, generally its effect was minimal in the public sector with respect to bargaining outcomes. However, one of the more significant changes as a result of the Employment Contracts Act has been a move to direct employer — employee negotiations. Bargaining in New Zealand's public sector has moved, in the last nine years, from uniformity to diversity, but to what extent?     

Characterisation of variant alleles at the HumD21S11 locus implies unique Australasian genotypes and re-classification of nomenclature guidelines

Several variant alleles of the HumD21S11 locus have only been reported in Australasian population samples. Fifteen such alleles were observed in Caucasian and Australian Aborigine sub-population databases compiled from residents of the state of Western Australia. Each variant was sequenced to authenticate the allelic designation and determine the structural conformation. Nine novel structural variants are described. The structure of the repeat region of these rare alleles combined with the STR designation brings aspects of the HumD21S11 nomenclature guidelines into question, in particular the designation of common incomplete repeats (or "0.2's"). The conformation of the sequences provides evidence in support of a genetic relationship between the Australian Aborigine and the Papuan people.     

Keeping Abortion Clinics Open: The Importance of Ragsdale v. Turnock in the Post-Casey Era

In 1973, Roe v. Wade constitutionalized a woman's right to an abortion. But, while Roe removed most legal obstacles to abortion, it did not address the limited availability of abortion services in the nation. The case examined here, Ragsdale v. Turnock, revolved around an Illinois statute that imposed far-reaching restrictions on abortion clinics, the site of most U.S. abortions since Roe. The crucial role of clinics in providing abortion services explains why the dispute represented by Ragsdale had the potential for an enormous impact on legalized abortion in the United States. Because of the number of women affected, the Ragsdale litigation could have led to the most significant judicial ruling since Roe. The suit resulted in a settlement in which plaintiffs secured the right to a legal clinic abortion during the first 18 weeks of pregnancy. Although the case was settled to the satisfaction of pro-choice advocates, a similar law today might well survive constitutional scrutiny.     

What's the Use of a Hashtag? A Case Study

Although there are now sophisticated techniques for the analysis of social media, socio‐legal studies has yet to draw on them fully. In this article, we demonstrate how Twitter can produce insights about protest, law, and legality, through a case study of protests against the ‘bedroom tax’. The first involved challenging a policy in the courts using a test case or cases. We discuss the litigation strategies and the mess they created and counterpose those strategies with those of four prolific ‘tweeps’ who participated in our study. We argue that, despite the small number of participants, these people have, in their own way, been enormously influential and made things happen. Our position is not evaluative of the different strategies – but, rather, one that recognizes that legality is mobilized in different ways.     

Service evaluation of electronic monitoring (GPS tracking) in a medium secure forensic psychiatry setting

In 2010, following a series of high-profile absconding incidents, electronic monitoring (EM) using Global Positioning System technology for patients on leave was trialled as part of a comprehensive protocol for risk management and recovery. We conducted a preliminary evaluation of effect on leave and leave violation. The total number of leave episodes and leave violations over a four-month period prior to the introduction of EM was compared with the totals in two corresponding follow-up periods in the two years after the introduction. Total episodes of leave increased by almost 60%. There was a significant association between year and type of leave episode, with leave episodes after the introduction of EM more likely to be unescorted. Episodes of leave violation reduced in each of the two follow-up periods after introduction of EM. These findings suggest potential benefits for speed of patient recovery, reduced length of stay, reduced costs and public safety.     

Examining 19 years of officially reported child abduction incidents (1995–2013): employing a four category typology of abduction

Child abduction has generated extensive media attention due to deep-seated fear elicited by infamous incidents. Perceptions of an abduction epidemic during the 1970s and 80s entrenched a perception of ‘stranger danger’. Limited research on child abduction overemphasizes stranger abductions, which account for fewer than half of all abductions. As a result, less is known about the victim/abductor relationship across other abduction types. Prior work has emphasized simplistic stranger vs. family dichotomies, and similar trichotomies. This study, drawing on officially reported child abductions employing NIBRS datasets (N = 29,293), emphasizes differences across abductors/victims in a four category relationship-based typology, including a newer category – ‘intimate partner abductions’. Findings contribute baseline knowledge about child abductions by countering misplaced media driven fears and placing empirical findings in a more accurate context. Findings also reveal that intimate partner abductions have a unique victim/offender/incident profile and are the most serious and most consequential to adolescent female victims.