Westminster Women: the Politics of Presence

The entry of the 1997 cohort of Labour women into public life offers a test case of whether, and under what conditions, women politicians have the capacity to 'make a substantive difference'. We outlines the theory of the politics of presence and discuss how to operationalise this in a testable model. We, use the British Representation Study survey of 1,000 national politicians (including parliamentary candidates and elected Members of Parliament) conducted in the 2001 general election. The analysis centres on the impact of gender on five scales measuring attitudes and values on issues that commonly divide British party politics.
Once we control for party, there are no significant differences among women and men politicians across the value scales concerning the free market economy, Europe, and moral traditionalism. Yet on the values most directly related to women's interests – namely the affirmative action and the gender equality scales – women and men politicians differ significantly within each party, even after controlling for other common social background variables that explain attitudes, such as their age, education, and income. The conclusion considers why these findings matter for the composition of parliament, the public policy agenda and for women's roles as political leaders.     

An estimation of the post-mortem interval in human skeletal remains: a radionuclide and trace element approach

Estimation of the post-mortem interval remains a contentious issue, with forensic pathologists often relying upon the recognition of morphological changes.A radionuclide approach has often been suggested in the literature, although limitations have prevented its application, most notably those of diagenesis. Within this pilot study, we show for the first time that there is a correlation between certain radionuclide content and time since death.A larger study is proposed to confirm these findings and possibly provide a calibration against which bones uncovered can be dated.     

The Feedback Effects of Controversial Police Use of Force

Political Behavior - Controversial cases of police use of force against minority civilians have become a ubiquitous feature of news headlines, and videos of these interactions between citizens and...     

The Intensification and Bifurcation of Surveillance in British Criminal Justice Policy

This paper explores the relevance and applicability of recent theoretical developments in surveillance studies in the context of contemporary British criminal justice policy. It will be argued that surveillance now occupies a privileged position in official policy. In a raft of new policy initiatives undertaken either as part the general project to modernise the criminal justice system or in response to particular crises, the surveillant solution occupies the central stage. Thus, whether it be in response to anxieties over sex offenders, failures of social services in protecting children at risk, or the management of the prison population, for example, the policy response has been to increase the surveillance capacity of the state. In particular, in line with the new penology thesis we are witnessing an expansion of the generalised surveillance capacity, in relation to all citizens, which may be characterised as passive and reactive. Simultaneously, vestiges of the old criminology remain as an officially designated ‘hard core’ of persistent or problematic offenders subject to the full panoply of surveillance techniques, which are proactive, extensive and intrusive. Thus, we are witnessing both an intensification and a bifurcation of surveillance practice. This paper was prepared for the European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research special edition on Fear vs. Freedom post 9/11-The European Perspective.     

Rape-myth congruent beliefs in women resulting from exposure to violent pornography: effects of alcohol and sexual arousal

Previous research findings indicate that women suffer a variety of detrimental effects from exposure to violent pornography. This study used an experimental paradigm to examine the effects of a moderate alcohol dose and alcohol expectancies on women's acute reactions to a violent pornographic stimulus. A community sample of female social drinkers (N = 134) read an eroticized rape depiction after completing an alcohol administration protocol. As predicted, intoxicated participants were less likely to label the depicted events as rape than their sober counterparts. A path analytic model illustrated that participants' self-reported sexual arousal to the stimulus, as influenced by alcohol consumption and expectancies, resulted in increased rape myth congruent perceptions of the victim and decreased labeling of the incident as rape. Findings suggest that acute alcohol intoxication during violent pornography exposure may ultimately result in women developing more calloused attitudes toward rape and rape victims.     

Book notices

LAW AT WORK SERIES. General Editor, Paul O'Higgins. [Sweet &; Maxwell. 1980. £1.95 each.]

GOING TO LAW, by John McIlroy

TRADE UNIONS, by Richard Kidner

UNION MEMBERS, by Gillian Morris

SAFETY REPRESENTATIVES, by Roger Benedictus

EMPLOYMENT CONTRACTS, by Ian Smith

WAGES AND SALARIES, by Gerry Rubin

LAW OF EMPLOYMENT. Third Edition. By N. M. Selwyn. [Butterworths. 1980. 388 pp. (inc. appendices). £8.95.]

MODERN EMPLOYMENT LAW. Third Edition. By M. Whincup. [Heinemann. 1980. 305 pp. (inc. appendix). £8.50.]

NATHAN AND MARSHALL ‐ CASES AND COMMENTARY ON THE LAW OF TRUSTS. Seventh Edition. By D. J. Hayton. [Stevens. 1980. xxxix and 736 pp. (inc. index). £16.50.]

LAW OF TRUSTS. Second Edition. By L. B. Curzon. [Macdonald and Evans. 1980. xxxi and 316 pp. (inc. index). £4.50.]

CEDRIC D. BELL.

LAW AND ACCOUNTS OF EXECUTORS, ADMINISTRATORS AND TRUSTEES. Twentieth Edition. By B. G. Vickery. [Cassell. 1980. 371 pp. including glossary and answers to exercises, plus 6 pp. tables. £8.95.]

PROBATE PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE. By A. K. Biggs and A. P. Rogers. [Fourmat Publishing. 1980. 157 pp. inc. 35 pp. precedents, 7 pp. index and 8 pp. contents. £6.95.]

CONVEYANCING OF FREEHOLD PROPERTY. By Phyllis E. Newman. [Fourmat Publishing. 1980. 53 pp. inc. list of forms and index, plus 7 pp. tables, etc. £3.95.]

CONVEYANCING LAW. By P. H. Kenny and C. M. Bevan. [Macdonald &; Evans. 1980. 284 pp. inc. glossary, bibliography, note on examination technique, and index, plus 14 pp. tables, etc. £3.50.]

FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT FOR SOLICITORS. David S. Porter with Sir Desmond Heap. [Waterlow Cassettes. 1980. One hour running time, available only from publishers. £7.50 plus VAT and p&;p.]

REMEDIES FOR BREACH OF CONTRACT. By Hugh Beale. [Sweet &; Maxwell. 1980. xxiv and 248 pp. (inc. index). £10.85 (hardback); £7.40 (paperback).]

CONSUMER LAW. By M. J. Leder. [Macdonald and Evans. 1980. xxiv and 208 pp. (inc. index). £2.50.]

THE LAW AND PRACTICE OF COMPROMISE. By David Foskett. [Sweet &; Maxwell. 1980. 198 pp. inc. 19 pp. precedents and 6 pp. index, plus 22 pp. tables, etc. £18.50.]

CONSTITUTIONAL FUNDAMENTALS. By H. W. R. Wade. [Stevens &; Sons. 1980. x and 83 pp. (inc. index). £3.35.]

CONSTITUTIONAL LAW. By Lynda Banks. [Sweet &; Maxwell. 1980. vii and 84 pp. (inc. index). £1.50.]

DE SMITH'S JUDICIAL REVIEW OF ADMINISTRATIVE ACTION. Fourth Edition. By J. M. Evans. [Stevens, lxviii and 626 pp. (inc. index). £24.00.]

LAW AND SOCIETY IN ENGLAND. By B. Roshier and H. Teff. [Tavistock Publications Ltd. 247 pp. (inc. index). £4.95.]

JUSTICE AND WELFARE IN DIVORCE. By M. Murch. [Sweet &; Maxwell. 1980. viii and 307 pp. (inc. index). £10.75.]

SWEET &; MAXWELL'S SOCIAL WORK STATUTES. Edited by Richard M. Jones. [Sweet &; MaxwelL vii and 168 pp. (inc. index). £4.60.]

COMPANIES ACTS. Editor Maurice Kay. [Sweet &; Maxwell. 1980. 561 pp. (inc. index). £10.50.]

COMPANY LAW HANDBOOK. Editor Keith Walmsley. [Butterworths. Second edition. 1980. ix and 705 pp. (plus index). £11.96.]

HARRAP'S GERMAN AND ENGLISH GLOSSARY OF TERMS IN INTERNATIONAL LAW. By G. Gilbertson. [Harrap Books. 1981. xi and 355 pp. £25.00.]