Household structure as a response to economic adjustments: evidence from urban Mexico in the 1980s

"This paper presents the results of exploratory efforts to examine the determinants of the structure of households in urban areas of Mexico, focusing on those of women with young children.... The empirical analysis uses two cross-sectional national surveys of Mexico, the 'Encuesta Nacional Demografica' 1982 and the 'Encuesta Nacional de Fecundidad y Salud' 1987...." (SUMMARY IN ENG)     

Federal crime legislation through the eyes of Alexis de Tocquiville

The political process entailed in the passage of federal crime legislation in 1994 and the revisions of it being considered in 1995 are analyzed as a manifestation of three central themes about American politics articulated by Alexis de Tocqueville inDemocracy in America published in 1835. It is argued that crackdown measures of dubious value in fighting crime are the result of majoritarianism, a national consensus favoring very conservative crime policies. A second factor at work is pluralism, the strong role played by interest groups in American politics. Thirdly, the racial politics which De Tocqueville thought were destined to plague the United States indefinitely are shown to form a backdrop to the formulation of crime control measures. The article concludes with a discussion of a strategy for the development of more enlightened crime policies in the face of stark realities about the nature of the policy-making process.A version of this article was delivered at the 1994 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Criminology, Hyatt Regency Hotel, Miami, Florida, November 9–12, 1994.     

The interpretation of cocaine and benzoylecgonine concentrations in postmortem cases.

This study examined cocaine and benzoylecgonine concentrations in 100 consecutive deaths where either compound was identified in blood or urine specimens to determine whether any relationship between these concentrations and cause of death can be found. Forty-seven of the 100 cases were deaths attributed to cocaine, narcotic or combined cocaine and narcotic intoxication. There were 13 cases of cocaine intoxication where no psychoactive substance other than ethanol was detected. The mean cocaine concentration in these deaths was 908 ng/ml; three cases had cocaine concentrations greater than 2000 ng/ml, while the other ten cases had cocaine concentrations less than or equal to 700 ng/ml. The mean cocaine concentration in non-cocaine deaths where no psychoactive substance other than ethanol was detected was 146 ng/ml. This difference was not statistically significant. However, the average blood benzoylecgonine concentration in the 13 cocaine deaths was significantly higher than in the 19 non-cocaine deaths. A review of combined cocaine and narcotic deaths suggest that the narcotic is the main causative agent in these deaths.     

Suicidal behaviour in prisons: learning from Australian and international experiences

This article explores what progress researchers and policy makers have made towards understanding and responding to the problem of suicidal behaviour in custody over the last 15 years. It examines current program initiatives and strategies for minimising this behaviour. This has become an imperative issue for the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) as they are in the process of developing their first prison (due to open mid 2008). The authors of this article were asked to prepare a report as part of the development of the prison. In developing a prison the ACT Government wanted to learn from the experiences of other jurisdictions including international 'best practice'. Australian prison system agenda has been dominated since the 1990s by the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody which made 339 recommendations. These recommendations have been important for developing programs for intervention and prevention of suicidal behaviour for all inmates. This article examines the experiences of Australian jurisdictions over the last 15 years since the Royal Commission report was published. For the ACT Government learning from both international and domestic experiences is essential in developing a new prison.     

Relationship between type of trauma exposure and posttraumatic stress disorder among urban children and adolescents

This study examines the association between trauma exposure and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among 157 help-seeking children (aged 8-17). Structured clinical interviews are carried out, and linear and logistic regression analyses are conducted to examine the relationship between PTSD and type of trauma exposure controlling for age, gender, and ethnicity. Confrontation with traumatic news, witnessing domestic violence, physical abuse, and sexual abuse are each significantly associated with PTSD. Witnessing a crime, being the victim of a crime, and exposure to accidents, fire, or disaster are not associated with PTSD. These findings underscore the association between interpersonal violence and childhood PTSD.     

Bystander reaction to women fighting: developing a theory of intervention

This article explores accounts of bystanders to female-on-female public violence. Group interviews with participants in the night-time economy are carried out. Whereas men tend to respond to the discussion topic of female-on-female violence with laughter, this laughter reveals ambivalence and discomfort as much as amusement. Men seem to negotiate the tension between the expectation that they should intervene in emergencies and a catalogue of costs that attend intervention. Female bystanders appear to have a different set of concerns. They talk about feelings of shame at the interpersonal and the group level. Women cite the public spectacle, and the opportunity for men to demean or sexualize women, as reasons for intervention. The article concludes with some recommendations about the importance of exploring female violence in its own terms, beginning with a series of identified moral and social dilemmas incurred within possible third-party intervention.