Age estimation from the structure of adult human teeth: review of the literature.

The literature on age estimation from the structure of adult human teeth is reviewed. Several anatomic changes of teeth have been shown to be valuable in age determination, but there is still controversy concerning the accuracy of cemental annulation. It is believed that improvements in age estimation can be made using direct measurement rather than scoring systems.     

Thymus of abused/neglected children.

Forty-six cases of child abuse/neglect autopsied during the period of 1967 to 1990 were investigated. The weight and histological findings of the thymus were compared with those of control children. In most abused and/or neglected children, the weight of the thymus decreased conspicuously. Involution correlated well to the degree and period of maltreatment. In cases without weight loss of the thymus, i.e. spasmodic abuse by a mentally deranged parent or foster parent, a short history of maltreatment was noted. On the other hand, marked involution was observed in cases of prolonged physical abuse and/or neglect. Microscopically, a decrease in the number and pyknosis of lymphocytes were observed in the involuted thymus. Atrophy of the thymus was more conspicuous in the cortex than in medulla. Immunohistochemically, CD-1a positive cells (immature thymocytes) decreased in cases with thymic involution. This involution appears to be an important index of the degree and duration of child abuse/neglect. Furthermore, thymic involution in the early stage of childhood may also be related to insufficiency of the immune system.     

The irresistible force of freedom of speech meets the immovable object: trade mark law in South Africa

Legal context. The right of freedom of expression is a fundamentalright entrenched in the Bill of Rights incorporated in the SouthAfrican Constitution. While intellectual property rights donot enjoy this status, they are internationally recognised rightsgranted by a law of general application and may thus in termsof the Constitution limit the fundamental rights protected inthe Bill of Rights, and more particularly the right of freedomof expression. Where the enforcement of trade mark rights comes into conflictwith the right of freedom of expression, the two rights mustbe weighed up against one another and the competing interestsof the owner of the trade mark against the claim of expressionof a user without permission must be considered. The departurepoint of the weighing up process is that neither right is superiorto the other. Key points. This article discusses an action brought by SabmarkInternational, which claimed that Laugh It Off Promotions CCinfringed its registered trade mark BLACK LABEL in respect ofbeer by using a corruption of this mark with strong politicalundertones as ornamentation on T-shirts sold by it. It was claimedthat the offending use diluted Sabmark's registered trade mark.In an appeal, the Constitutional Court rejected the claim onthe basis that Sabmark had not shown that the offending usewas likely to cause economic damage to it. Practical significance. The case in effect equated trade markrights with rights enshrined in the Bill of Rights and thusgave important recognition to intellectual property rights.It created a precedent in intellectual property law, if notin South African law in general, in that the constitutionalcourt overruled a decision of the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA)and in effect ruled that the SCA had not interpreted the relevantprovision of the Trade Marks Act correctly.     

STATE POLITICAL CULTURE AND SENTENCE SEVERITY IN FEDERAL DISTRICT COURTS

Previous studies have established a strong relationship between state politics and policies and have documented the role of state politics in the recruitment of federal judges. This study uses indicators of the political. policy, and socioeconomic characteristics of the American states to explain variance in the severity of sentences rendered in 1970 cases involving violation of the Selective Service Act. The findings reveal that a substantial proportion of the sentencing variation in these cases is associated with the political, policy, and socioeconomic environments of the state in which the case is adjudicated. Consistent with mast of the literature on state policy variance, it is found that the socioeconomic environment is a more effective predictor than either state politics or policy.     

The first three years in Charterland

Abstract: An examination of judicial decisions in the first three years of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms indicates that the Charter has fulfilled neither the worst fears of its critics nor the high hopes of its supporters. Jt has produced a flood of litigation in the lower courts which has gradually bubbled up to the Supreme Court of Canada and put that institution under a good deal of stress. Undoubtedly the Charter has resulted in the transference of some political activity from the political to the judicial arena. Although Canadian judges have shown themselves to be far more prepared to give effect to the constitutional Charter than they were to the statutory Bill of Rights, Charter decisions in these first three years have not seriously eroded the power of elected legislators. Most cases have involved challenges to procedural aspects of criminal justice. Few of the successful challenges have adversely affected policy interests of contemporary governments. The coming into force of the equality clause at the end of this three-year period could dramatically change this picture. In the meantime, the impact of the Charter on popular attitudes which many of the Charter's proponents said would be its most important effect remains unexplored.     

CRIMES,CRIME RATES,ARRESTS, AND ARREST RATIOS: IMPLICATIONS FOR DETERRENCE THEORY*

The relationship between crimes and arrests is one of the central issues in deterrence theory. There are several conceptual difficulties in attempting to assess whether arrests deter crimes or the number of crimes determine the number of arrests. These problems are compounded when rates are used to measure both variables. The issue is whether criminals respond to arrests or the police respond to changes in crime. The present analysis compares regression results when the variables are measured both as rates and raw numbers for three offenses: homicide, robbery, and burglary. The results indicate that arrests follow crimes. This suggests the need to reexamine some studies that argue that criminals’perceptions of arrest rates are an indication of deterrence.