STATE ENERGY POLICIES: FEDERAL FUNDS FOR PAPER PROGRAMS

Taking their policy cues from the federal government, the states have done little to effectively deal with energy problems. In fact, their programs could be styled "federal funds for paper programs." inasmuch as the state programs have been written to conform to federal language, but not to attack energy problems in a serious fashion. There is great variation among the states in energy program expenditures, but these are not related to economic or political structures. However, the more urbanized, economically growing, and energy "rich" states spend the most on energy problems.     

Gender,madness and crime: The reproduction of patriarchal and class relations in a psychiatric court clinic

This paper examines how forensic clinicians, particularly psychiatrists, help maintain the “constructed normality” of capitalist, patriarchal relations in contemporary liberal democratic states. The specific focus is a comparison of decision-making about accused women and men at a Canadian pre-trial clinic. Using quantitative and qualitative data, the authors argue that clinicians rarely express overt bias towards “clients”, but their assessments for the courts are shaped by intertwined assumptions about class and gender embodied in familial ideology which condemn most of the assessees to negative outcomes. Thus, forensic psychiatrists make moral judgements about accused persons which are transformed by technocratic, medico-legal discourse into “scientific” ones. In this way, clinicians individualize and depoliticize the deviance of their “clients” and provide the rationale for decisions made by other carceral agents to sanction offenders.     

The role of stress in the commission of subsequent acts of child abuse and neglect

Data from 1874 clients, who were reported to authorities and treated for abuse and neglect, were examined to determine the role of stress in the commission of subsequent acts. Several case, client, and family characteristics were examined. It was hypothesized that the contribution of stressful events in clients' lives would have a greater effect than all other factors assessed. Results indicated that stress, while contributing to the explanation of subsequent acts of child maltreatment, explains only 9% of the variance over that already explained by other factors. In fact, stressful events, along with seriousness of initial assault, contributed significantly to the explanation of the commission of subsequent acts of child maltreatment.     

Dating Violence &; Sexual Harassment Across the Bully-Victim Continuum Among Middle and High School Students

Associations among bullying, peer victimization, sexual harassment, and dating violence were examined among 684 middle and high school students. Cluster analysis of self-report measures revealed four distinct bully-victim subtypes: uninvolved, victims, bully-victims, and bullies. African-American students comprised the bully cluster more than White students, but did not report higher rates of dating violence or peer sexual harassment. Bully-victims reported significantly more physical dating violence victimization than members of all other groups, and more emotional abuse in dating relationships than uninvolved students and victims. Bully-victims and victims also reported the highest amount of peer sexual harassment. Anxiety/depression levels were highest among victims and bully-victims. Sexual harassment and dating violence experiences moderated the association between bully-victim subtype and anxiety/depression. That is, victims with the highest levels of sexual harassment and victims and bully-victims with the highest levels of dating violence reported the highest levels of anxiety/depression. Findings highlight the high-risk nature of the bully-victim group and the importance of assessing multiple forms of victimization affecting youth. Associate Professor, Department of Educational Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL. Research interests include youth aggression, victimization, childhood sexual abuse, and eating disorders. Melissa K. Holt, Research Scientist, Family Research Laboratory, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH. Research interests include multiple victimization experiences, childhood sexual abuse, and contextual influences of victimization. Crimes Against Children     

Perceived Social Support among Bullies,Victims, and Bully-Victims

Research indicates that social support plays a protective role among adolescents, but little research has explicitly evaluated its function among youth involved in bullying. Accordingly, this study examined relations among social support, bully/victim status, and psychological distress in a sample of 784 ethnically diverse youth. We assessed differences in perceived social support across bully/victim subtypes, and evaluated peer and maternal social support as protective factors among victims, bullies, and bully-victims. Youth were classified as uninvolved (61.6%), as bullies (14.3%), as victims (12.5%), and as bully-victims (11.6%). Uninvolved youth reported the most peer and maternal social support and the least anxiety/depression. Multivariate analyses revealed that there was a significant interaction between bully/victim groups and peer social support. Specifically, bullies, victims, and bully-victims who reported moderate peer social support also indicated the least anxiety/depression. Results highlight the importance of encouraging youth to develop and effectively use peer support networks as part of bullying intervention programs.