Glucksberg, the putative right to adequate pain relief, and death with dignity

This Article focuses on the legality of the aggressive use of analgesics and deep sedation for terminally ill patients. The author analyzes the 1997 Supreme Court decisions on physician-assisted suicide, examines the tension between controversial palliative care practices and the traditional legal framework, and explores the contours of an emerging constitutional right to avoid suffering at the end of life. In addition, the author argues that deep sedation together with withholding of artificial nutrition and hydration should be an option for dying patients suffering from severe physical or emotional pain.     

Psychological profiling of sexual murders: an empirical model

Psychological profiling represents the investigative technique of analyzing crime behaviors for the identification of probable offender characteristics. Profiling has progressively been incorporated into police procedures despite a surprising lack of empirical research to support its validity. Indeed, in the study of sexual murder for the purpose of profiling, very few quantitative, academically reviewed studies exist. This article reports on the results of a 4-year study into Australian sexual murders for the development of psychological profiling. The study involved 85 cases of sexual murder sampled from all Australian police jurisdictions. The statistical procedure of multidimensional scaling was employed. This analysis produced a five-cluster model of sexual murder behavior. First, a central cluster of behaviors was identified that represents common behaviors to all patterns of sexual murder. Next, four distinct outlying patterns--predator, fury, perversion, and rape--were identified that each demonstrated distinct offense styles. Further analysis of these patterns also identified distinct offender characteristics that allow for the use of empirically robust offender profiles in future sexual murder investigations.     

Technical expertise and risk conflict: An institutional study of the British compulsory seat belt debate

Controversy and public conflict seem to be inevitable features of contemporary risk debates. In the face of such disputes, one common response has been to characterise disagreement as a disparity between expert analyses of ‘actual’ risk, and emotional ‘perceptions’ of hazard. This paper uses the example of the British policy debate over compulsory seat belt wear in order to argue that these characterisations are inaccurate and obstructive. Instead, an ‘institutional’ perspective on such issues is advocated - this perspective considers the effect of political and organisational factors in shaping the direction of public debate. The analysis here focuses particularly on expert disagreement over the likely effectiveness of seat belt laws - the debate over ‘risk compensation’ is reviewed both before and after the introduction of seat belt laws as an ‘experimental’ measure.     

Reconsideration of the agricultural transfer model

The cooperative extension system in American agriculture is widely viewed as the paradigmatic public sector technology transfer system. Empirical evidence supports the view that research and extension are complementary inputs in increasing agricultural productivity. Cooperative extension, however, does not perceive itself as a technology transfer system; but as an informal education system. Many participants at the federal, landgrant university, or county levels in cooperative extension would not recognize their work within a technology transfer framework. Moreover, many would object to such a characterization of their work. The differences in perspective is accounted for, in part, by the fact that agricultural extension is part of the larger system of cooperative extension. This system, which encompasses agriculture, home economics, 4-H and community and rural development, requires a more encompassing framework than technology transfer to provide an integrated rationals for its program elements. Within the technology transfer framework, the roles of the different components of the system across the states are both highly variable and changing. Based on site interviews in nine states, analysis is presented of the current and prospective roles of extension specialists and county agents.