Improving the Comprehensibility of a Canadian Police Caution on the Right to Silence

Modifications to a Canadian police caution on the right to silence were made in an attempt to increase its comprehensibility. University participants were asked to imagine themselves in an arrest and interrogation situation in which they were either innocent or guilty. It was hypothesized that participants who received the modified caution would score significantly higher on measures of comprehension than those who received the standard caution. Results indicated that comprehension was significantly higher among those that received the modified caution and that those with higher comprehension scores were more likely to exercise their right to silence. These findings suggest that clarifying and standardizing how a detainee’s rights are communicated will lead to better comprehension and greater protection against false or coerced confessions.     

The motivation of European Union mediation in civil conflicts

ABSTRACT

Since the EU has expanded its common security focus in the 1990s, this important regional organisation has become the most frequent mediator in low-level civil conflicts worldwide. Under what conditions is the European Union (EU) likely to become involved in mediation in civil conflicts? Is the participation in mediation only explained by the EU's bias toward its near abroad, or is the EU more strategic? Some scholars have suggested that the EU's regional bias for its near abroad is the key explanation for the onset of EU mediation, but we propose that the reality of EU mediation presents a more nuanced story. We posit three explanations based on mediator bias: regional bias, economic bias, and normative bias. Overall, we argue that the EU will mediate in civil conflicts that are in its near abroad, but also where the EU has economic bias and where the EU can exercise its normative power in highly intractable conflicts. We test our hypotheses using statistical analysis of the UCDP low-level civil conflicts data from 1993 to 2004 and Civil War Mediation data from 1974 to 2005. We find strong support for our hypotheses, determining key factors that reveal the EU's strategic onset of mediation.     

The Forensic Implications of Amphetamine Intoxication in Cases of Inflicted Blunt Craniocerebral Trauma

The effects of D‐amphetamine on outcome after blunt craniocerebral trauma are characterized and the potential legal implications discussed. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) was induced under general anesthesia in adult, male Sprague Dawley rats using the impact acceleration model. At 10 min prior to injury, D‐amphetamine (5 mg/kg) or saline vehicle was administered subcutaneously; animals were subsequently assessed over a 7‐day period post‐trauma for motor outcome using a rotarod device. D‐amphetamine treated animals performed significantly better (p < 0.001; ANOVA) than vehicle treated controls on their motor assessment, suggesting that D‐amphetamine exposure prior to injury either is neuroprotective or enhances motor performance. It is possible, therefore, that an individual who has taken amphetamines may function at a better motor level after head trauma than one who has not been exposed to the drug. Future interpretations of the potential effects of amphetamines on TBI should include this possibility.     

Dutch 'Multiculturalism' Beyond the Pillarisation Myth

This article is about the state of multiculturalist politics in the Netherlands. It assesses the popular claim that a paradigmatic change has occurred in the Netherlands due to events such as 9/11 and the murders of Pim Fortuyn and Theo van Gogh. The article argues that although changes are significant, both in discourse and in practice, they must be viewed as part of a process of rethinking the relation between newcomers and the state that goes back as far as the end of the 1980s. Long-standing claims about the exemplary form of multiculturalism in the Netherlands were always ambiguous at least, or even hard to sustain. The article criticises the persistent idea that Dutch accommodating integration policies since the end of the 1970s are an extension of the historical tradition of 'pillarisation'. Only by going beyond this myth can we understand why recent changes are much less of a break with the past, and why multiculturalism was never accepted or practised as fully as has often been suggested in more stereotypical depictions of Dutch integration policy.     

Disposition of citalopram in biological specimens from postmortem cases

Citalopram is a bicyclic phthalate compound approved in 1998 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of depression. It is a highly selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor that appears to have little effect on noradrenaline or dopamine reuptake. Since this drug has only recently been released on the U.S. market, information regarding therapeutic, toxic, and lethal concentrations is sparse. This study reports the detection of citalopram in 22 postmortem cases. Citalopram was identified and quantitated by capillary column gas chromatography with nitrogen phosphorus detection after basic liquid-liquid extraction. Confirmation was achieved by full scan electron impact gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. In the 22 cases studied, heart blood citalopram concentrations ranged from 0.09 to 1.64 mg/L (n = 22, mean +/- SD = 0.51+/-0.43, median = 0.34); femoral blood concentrations ranged from 0.09 to 0.76 mg/L (n = 14, mean +/- SD = 0.34+/-0.23, median = 0.28); and urine concentrations ranged from 0.05 to 276.00 mg/L (n = 13). Liver was analyzed in three cases with citalopram concentrations ranging from 2.22 to 8.08 mg/kg. The average heart blood/femoral blood ratio was 1.26 (range 0.75 to 1.98, n = 14). In each case, the cause of death was not considered to be related to citalopram toxicity. These data may therefore provide a basis for establishing post mortem citalopram concentrations following therapeutic doses.     

Relationships Between Discretionary Time Activities,Emotional Experiences,Delinquency and Depressive Symptoms Among Urban African American Adolescents

Using the Experience Sampling Method (ESM), this cross-sectional study examined mediated and moderated associations between different types of discretionary time activities and depressive symptoms and delinquency among a sample of 246 (107 boys, 139 girls) fifth through eighth grade urban African American adolescents. More time spent in passive unstructured activities was associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms only for adolescents residing in less dangerous neighborhoods, whereas more time spent in active unstructured activities was associated with higher levels of delinquency only if adolescents resided in more dangerous neighborhoods. Alienation was positively associated with depressive symptoms and delinquency, but neither alienation nor positive affect mediated the relationship between activities and adjustment. These findings suggest the importance of considering neighborhood environment issues when determining what types of discretionary time activities are most beneficial for urban African American young adolescents.