Infanticide

The 1922 and 1938 Infanticide Acts ameliorated the judicial process with regard to women who kill their babies. It allowed both a charge other than murder and a less severe disposal than would be normally warranted by the offence, in cases where there was a mental imbalance attributable to the birth. It is shown that in recent years convictions for infanticide have been falling, and that this is true even when the decreasing birth rate is taken into account. This finding is discussed in the context of all infant homicides where the principal suspect is the mother. An examination of recent legislative proposals demonstrates the illogicality pertaining to the offence of infanticide and it is noted that there is no explanation given as to why mental disturbance related to childbirth should have different legal consequences from mental disturbance brought about by any other cause.The opinions expressed in this paper are those of the authors and are not to be construed as necessarily reflecting the views of the Department of Health & Social Security or of the Home Office. We would like to thank the Home Office Statistical Department for their much valued help in providing the statistics of homicide victims.     

A complete general theory of planning is impossible

The essay defines the domain of planning theory and proposes two criteria—brevity and neutrality — for a prime table displaying the basic propositions of a complete general theory. I argue—on sociological rather than on formal epistemological grounds—that these two criteria cannot be met simultaneously. Even the most aggressive development of the policy sciences is not likely, therefore, to culminate in a complete general theory of planning.     

Delayed ethanol analysis of breath specimens: long-term field experience with commercial silica gel tubes and breathalyzer collection

Delayed ethanol analysis was performed on breath specimens collected with commercial silica gel tubes using multiple Breathalyzer instruments. Eleven hundred and nine results were obtained from an ethanol testing program over a five-year period. Only 2.5% of the specimens had apparent collection errors. For the valid specimens, the most frequent result was 0.11 g/210 L and the mean result was 0.14 g/210 L. For 642 specimens, delayed results were compared with direct results. Direct results were greater than delayed results for 55%, less than for 27%, and equal to for 18% of the pairs. When fixed tolerance limits of +/- 0.03 were used, 81% of the direct results were confirmed. The confirmation percentage was best in the critical range of direct results, 0.05 to 0.15 g/210 L. The collection tubes showed no substantial variability in retaining ethanol during storage and releasing ethanol for analysis.     

Drug related deaths in the Strathclyde region of Scotland, 1995-1998

The misuse of drugs, both illicit and prescribed has increased dramatically in the west of Scotland over the last few decades. Consequently, the number of drug related deaths has risen as a direct result. Since, discrepancies exist between data collected by the Department of Forensic Medicine and Science, University of Glasgow and official statistics, this project, was funded to investigate all known drug related deaths that occurred within the Strathclyde region of Scotland in an effort to improve the accuracy of statistics and the dissemination of information pertaining to them. Changes in medical treatment, legislation and patterns of drug taking were noted and the effects of these on the year-by-year death tolls evaluated.     

Monitoring doctors' clinical competence: a Queensland focus

The medical profession is held accountable in numerous ways, many of which are concerned with clinical competence. However, while Australia's State medical boards are statutorily charged with protecting the public from incompetent practice, they have never instituted programs aimed at maintaining the standards of all practitioners. The article describes recent legislative changes and developments in undergraduate medical education, which aim to increase physicians' accountability in relation to competence, and compares developments in Queensland and other States with those in the United Kingdom, Quebec and New Zealand. The investigation of clinical incompetence as currently undertaken by the Medical Board of Queensland should, and will, be adopted in other States. However, responding to incompetence is necessarily piecemeal, and the article further argues that the States should develop inclusive revalidation strategies. Both the community and leading voices within the profession are demanding greater commitment to a self-regulation culture that is more transparent and has sharper teeth.     

Violence and Sexual Coercion in High School Students' Dating Relationships

A review of the dating violence literature reveals a limited number of studies with high school students and few studies that investigate the contextual issues of violence, such as meaning, motivation, and consequences. The present study sought to investigate the extent of dating violence victimization in a New Zealand sample of senior high school students (aged 16 to 18 years) and the perceived reasons for the violence, emotional effects, disclosure of the violence, and relationship consequences. A questionnaire that contained both open-ended and forced-choice items pertaining to experiences of violence and its consequences was developed using material gathered from focus group discussions with high school students. Findings showed gender similarity in the extent of violence and a number of significant gender differences in the aftermath of violence, particularly in the area of sexual coercion. These findings are discussed in the context of future research and prevention of dating violence.