The war on street ‘terror’. Why tackle anti-social behaviour?

This article examines the rationales of Dutch politicians for tackling the perceived pressing problem of ‘anti-social behaviour’ (ASB) and the question did they copy the British approach? The first part will describe in short the concept of policy transfer and the recent British fight against ASB. The focus will be on the introduction of the Anti-social Behaviour Order. The second part is an empirical study into the Dutch retreat from ‘condoning’ ASB, consisting of interviews with Dutch politicians focusing on their ideas for tackling ASB. Those are compared with the British’s rationales. This kind of comparative elite ethnography is not common in criminology, but this article aims at providing evidence of its benefits. By answering the research question an insight into the origins of policy in the sphere of criminal justice can be obtained.     

Queering the ‘straight’ line: men’s talk on paying for sex

This paper presents a qualitative analysis of interviews conducted with eight men who identified as clients of women sex workers, but who also spoke about paying to secretly explore their sexual desires for trans women and men. I draw on queer theory to approach the question of how, and to what extent, men’s paid sexual encounters functioned as sites where they could resist the constraints of compulsory heterosexuality and navigate more fluid sexual identities. Highlighting the complex nature and meanings of paying for sex, I argue that the secrecy of the paid sexual encounter provided a space for ‘breaking out’ of the confines of heterosexuality whilst simultaneously being the very thing that allowed men to stay ‘in line’ with what was expected of them within the heteronormative realities of their everyday lives.     

Dating Violence, Bullying, and Sexual Harassment: Longitudinal Profiles and Transitions Over Time

Although there is growing recognition of the problem of dating violence, little is known about how it unfolds among young adolescents who are just beginning to date. This study examined classes (subgroups) and transitions between classes over three time points based on dating violence, bullying, and sexual harassment perpetration and victimization experienced by youth. The sample was ethnically diverse, consisting of 795 seventh-grade students from schools that were part of a multi-site, longitudinal evaluation of a dating violence initiative (50 % female; 27 % White, 32 % African American, 25 % Latino, 16 % other or multiple races). Results from latent transition analyses revealed five classes of students with distinct behavioral profiles: multi-problem (victimization and perpetration), bullying and sexual harassment (victimization and perpetration), bullying (victimization and perpetration) and sexual harassment (victimization only), bullying (victimization and perpetration), and a least problem group. The majority of classes were characterized by reports of both perpetration and victimization for at least one behavior. Girls were more likely to be in the less problematic classes. Class membership was fairly stable across the three time points. When students transitioned to a different class, the shift was most often from a more problematic to a less problematic class, particularly for girls. The findings support understanding dating violence within a dynamic, developmental process that recognizes related behaviors within and across individuals. Overall, the findings highlight the utility of person-oriented approaches to enhance our understanding of longitudinal profiles and transitions over time for dating violence and related behaviors.     

Analysis of drugs of abuse in hair: evaluation of the immunochemical method VMA-T vs. LC-MS/MS or GC-MS

Hair analysis is an elaborate and time-consuming multi-step process. The immunometric test VMA-T from Comedical has been evaluated as screening assay for hair analysis. From routine work, authentic samples were selected that were positive for opiates, cocaine, MDMA-type drugs, amphetamines, methadone or THC. These hair samples were investigated by LC-MS or GC-MS and the VMA-T procedure, respectively. Using the cut-off values recommended by the Society of Hair Testing, the VMA-T method discriminates with good sensitivity between negative and positive hair samples and is an expedient screening method for drugs in keratinized matrices such as hair. In order to save time and resources, the residue of the VMA-T extraction solution can be reused for confirmation analysis by LC-MS except for cocaine.     

Clinical Trials of Xenotransplantation: Waiver of the Right to Withdraw from a Clinical Trial Should Be Required

Xenotransplantation pits clinical research ethics against public health needs because recipients must undergo long-term, perhaps life-long, surveillance for infectious diseases. This surveillance requirement is effectively an abrogation of the right to withdraw from a clinical trial. Ulysses contracts, which are advance directives for future care, may be an ethical mechanism by which to balance public health needs against limitation of individual rights.     

Women and the judiciary in Syria: appointments process,training and career paths

This article describes the recruitment, training and career paths of women judges and public prosecutors in Syria over a period of 30 years (1975–2005). It analyses both quantitative and qualitative data drawn from official statistics and interviews conducted with 67 women judges and public prosecutors in Syria's largest cities, Damascus and Aleppo. The paper focuses on how training of the judiciary has changed since the founding of the new Institute of Judicial Studies and the effect this change has had on women's career paths. The entry of women to the judiciary in 1975 and the restructuring of the training system in 2002 are the two most important events in the recent history of the judiciary in Syria.     

Does Television Exposure Affect Emerging Adults' Attitudes and Assumptions About Sexual Relationships? Correlational and Experimental Confirmation

Because concern is frequently raised that TV's abundant yet stereotypical portrayals of sexual relationships may mislead young viewers, this study examined the effects of both regular viewing habits and experimental exposure on students' conceptions about sexual relationships. A multiethnic sample of 259 undergraduates aged 18–22 was assigned to view a set of clips depicting either 1 of 3 sexual stereotypes or neutral, nonsexual content. Participants then completed measures assessing their attitudes about sexual roles and relationships, their assumptions about the sexual experiences of their peers, and their regular viewing habits. Both correlational and experimental connections emerged between TV viewing and students' sexual attitudes and assumptions. More frequent and more involved viewing were repeatedly associated with students' support of the sexual stereotypes surveyed. Similarly, women exposed to clips representing a particular sexual stereotype were more likely to endorse that notion than were women exposed to nonsexual content. Finally, both experimental exposure and aspects of regular viewing significantly predicted students' sexual attitudes and assumptions, even with demographics and previous sexual experiences controlled.     

Lay perspectives on legal conundrums

Criminal law remains divided on the question of whether objectivity or subjectivity should be its dominant basis. Does liability begin with an objective act or harm, or with, subjective intent? In the first experiment, dealing with the conundrum of impossible act cases, the question is, Will respondents convict on subjective grounds (where intent to murder is clear), even when amanifest criminal act andharmful consequences are absent? The results show that they do convict, though their subjective preference moderates and even reverses with certain types of mistakes, or when thepotential harm, though not the actual harm, is perceived as high. In the second experiment, dealing with mistaken act and self-defense cases, the question is, Will subjectivity be determinative, or will respondents weigh objectivity more as the mistake gets more unreasonable? The results show that objectivity is weighed heavily, as fears of a plunge into subjective waters prove groundless Without legal guidelines, respondents navigate these conundrums by shifting their objective vs. subjective balance point, guided by good common sense.