Book review

Veronica Doubleday, Three Women of Herat. London: Jonathan Cape, 1988, ix + 222 pp., glossary, illustrative chapter headings, colour photographs; L12.95. ISBN 0–224–02440‐X.     

Society as emergent and more than rational: An essay on the inappropriateness of program evaluation

In considering the efficacy of program evaluation researchers have not put language in proper perspective. They have not acknowledged that information gained from applied research is partly determined by situational factors, that language is selective and goal-oriented, justifying activity as often as it describes it, or that some important action cannot be expressed. The importance of language distinguishes applied social assessment from the natural science models of research from which it was derived. Examples from a wide range of applied situations are used to illustrate that, as an anticedent-consequent model of objective quantified assessment, evaluation is also inconsistent with the complex, resourceful, emergent social processes it is intended to measure. Three alternatives to quantification are discussed to illustrate interventions that may be made when the disadvantages of program evaluation outweigh the advantages.Preparation of the paper was supported by National Institute of Mental Health post-doctoral training grant 5T222-MH00180. Comments and requests for reprints should be sent to Nancy Cochran, Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities, State of Illinois, 160 N. LaSalle Street, Chicago. Illinois 6061.     

The dragon breathes fire: Chinese organized crime in New York City

Although it is widely acknowledged that Chinese businesses are victims of extortion by Asian youth gangs, there is no reliable information to examine the patterns and social processes of the problem. This paper explores the structure of extortion and other forms of victimization based on surveys of (N=603) Chinese-owned businesses in three Chinatown neighborhoods in New York City. It focuses on the nature of Chinese crime groups, social contexts of gang extortion, social processes of victimization, and merchants' compliance or resistance to gang demands. Finally, the paper discusses the problems and prospects of Chinese criminality in America.Support for this research was provided by Grant 89-IJ-CX-0021 from the National Institute of Justice. The opinions are those of the authors and do not reflect the policies or views of the U.S. Department of Justice.     

A meta-analytic review of the weapon focus effect

This meta-analytic review examined 19 tests of the weapon focus effect—the hypothesis that the presence of a weapon during commission of a crime will negatively affect an eyewitness's ability to later identify the perpetrator. A significant overall difference between weapon-present and weaponabsent conditions was demonstrated, with weapon presence leading to reduced identification accuracy. Overall, the size of the effect was small (.13) for the dependent measure of lineup identification and moderate (.55) for feature accuracy. Discussion focuses on those factors that appear to mediate and facilitate the weapon focus effect. This research was supported by a grant from the Bush Foundation through Augsburg College.     

Evaluation of the 190H analogues of prostaglandins E1, E2, F1 alpha and F2 alpha as specific markers for the identification of human semen in body fluid mixtures

The specificity of antisera raised against each of the prostaglandin series 190H E1/E2 and 190H F1 alpha/F2 alpha, produced in males, was evaluated by radioimmunoassay. Further, the ability of these antisera to detect semen specific prostaglandins in mixtures of body fluids was examined. Antisera directed against the 190H E1/E2 series cross-reacted with prostaglandin E1 and marginally with E2. Antisera raised to the 190H F1 alpha/F2 alpha series were, however, highly specific to the semen specific prostaglandins 190H F1 alpha/F2 alpha and 190H E1/E2. It was possible to detect picogramme quantities of contaminating 190H F1 alpha/F2 alpha on vaginal swabs taken up to 72 h after intercourse and on vaginal swabs stored at room temperature for up to 2 years. These prostaglandins were not detected on semen free vaginal swabs, in faecal material, saliva, urine or in a sample of human milk (stain). A limited study of casework material is also described. Detection of the 190H F series, as a group, has considerable potential in the identification of human semen at picogramme levels, eliminating the need for alternative chemical tests and extensive microscopic examination.