Study of the correlation between psychiatric and psychological diagnoses in sample offenders

This study deals with the frequency with which expert psychiatrists and psychologists make structural or nosographic diagnoses within the context of expert assessment.Thus, the rates of concordance between psychiatrists and psychologists in both types of diagnoses will be assessed.To do so, the level of inter-observer agreement on diagnoses between 1990 and 2003 was studied retrospectively in France through psychiatric and psychological assessments of 505 male offenders. The assessment of the correlation rates was carried out using the Kappa coefficient.The results show a range of 0.55 to 0.71 in inter-observer (psychiatrists vs psychologists) agreement for structural diagnoses, and 0.51 to 0.89 for nosographic diagnoses.In addition, a marked correlation between psychiatrists and psychologists may be noted regarding abstention in both structural (k = 66) and nosographic (k = 73) diagnoses. In fact, recommendations are made for improvement in the consistency of offender assessment in the psycho-legal French context.     

Craniofacial reconstruction as a prediction problem using a Latent Root Regression model

In this paper, we present a computer-assisted method for facial reconstruction. This method provides an estimation of the facial shape associated with unidentified skeletal remains. Current computer-assisted methods using a statistical framework rely on a common set of extracted points located on the bone and soft-tissue surfaces. Most of the facial reconstruction methods then consist of predicting the position of the soft-tissue surface points, when the positions of the bone surface points are known. We propose to use Latent Root Regression for prediction. The results obtained are then compared to those given by Principal Components Analysis linear models. In conjunction, we have evaluated the influence of the number of skull landmarks used. Anatomical skull landmarks are completed iteratively by points located upon geodesics which link these anatomical landmarks, thus enabling us to artificially increase the number of skull points. Facial points are obtained using a mesh-matching algorithm between a common reference mesh and individual soft-tissue surface meshes. The proposed method is validated in term of accuracy, based on a leave-one-out cross-validation test applied to a homogeneous database. Accuracy measures are obtained by computing the distance between the original face surface and its reconstruction. Finally, these results are discussed referring to current computer-assisted reconstruction facial techniques.     

Analysis of ancient human DNA and primer contamination: one step backward one step forward

The analysis of DNA from archaeological human remains is plagued by a unique set of methodological problems concerning contamination with modern exogenous DNA. Through an original approach, we propose complementary methods to identify all potential sources of contamination and complete guidelines for the validation of ancient human sequences. The study presented was conducted on non-European human samples (Polynesian and Amerindian) which were collected with all precautions during excavation. This permitted us to distinguish without ambiguity authentic and contaminant sequences. The samples' origins and histories were perfectly known, allowing us to trace all potential contamination sources and to determine the efficiency of precautions followed during all steps of the study. The data obtained confirm that precautions taken during sampling effectively prevent contamination. However, we demonstrate that human contamination can also be introduced during genetic analyses even if all precautions are strictly followed. Indeed, numerous human contaminations were detected in template-PCR products and negative controls, resulting in a striking diversity of contaminant mitochondrial DNA sequences. We argue that this contamination partly derives from the primers. To our knowledge, no previous experiment has been performed to investigate primers as a possible source of human contamination despite the fact that this specific type of contamination poses a real problem in terms of validating ancient human DNA studies. Finally, we confirm that the detection of contaminants in negative controls is clearly related to the number of PCR cycles used. This study enhances our understanding of contamination processes and confirms that, in reality, an absolutely contamination-free situation cannot be obtained. As a consequence, we propose improvements to the guidelines usually followed in the field in order to take the highly probable contamination of PCR reagents, including primers, into account.     

Donor conception, secrecy and the search for information

Donor conception has historically been shrouded in secrecy. Such secrecy has been underpinned by social views and legal issues concemrning the adults involved in the process--the donor, the recipient parent(s), and, at times, the doctor. However, there is increasing recognition of the need to focus upon donor-conceived people's interests and rights to have identifying and non-identifying information about their donors. This editorial examines issues raised in relation to information release, while also introducing some of the arguments presented by other authors in this Special Issue of the JLM. It also considers recent Australian federal and State government inquiries that have favoured information release and the former Victorian Infertility Treatment Authority's service model to support people in the process of information access and release. While there has been a clear shift to favouring openness and honesty, legislative action is still required to ensure the balancing and realisation of people's interests.     

Triggers for alcohol‐related violence in young male offenders

Purpose. Improving the effectiveness of offender treatment programmes is important and one approach is to attend to their content. The aim here was to identify triggers to alcohol‐related violence to inform the development of programmes to treat this problem. Method. Information from 149 young male offenders’ accounts of incidents of alcohol‐related violence was studied using thematic analysis. Results. Sixteen triggers for violence were identified and these were organized into six themes: (1) being offended by someone, (2) seeing an opportunity for material gain, (3) seeing others in need of help, (4) perception of threat, (5) distress, and (6) wanting a fight. Discussion. The implications of the results for developing treatments for alcohol‐related violence are presented. First, identifying triggers should be part of the treatment programme and ways of avoiding triggers should be addressed. Second, changing values, specifically hypermasculine and antisocial values, could attenuate the rewards signalled by the triggers. Third, methods of reducing the potency of triggers would be of value and would include addressing issues of need for respect and responses to perceived disrespect. Fourth, non‐violent ways of helping people who are in trouble need to be introduced. Fifth, coping with threat cues through distraction and increasing self‐awareness would reduce the effects of ‘alcohol myopia’. Sixth, seeking fights for excitement could be reduced by examining the costs through motivational procedures. Finally, and self‐evidently, a primary target of treatment programmes to reduce alcohol‐related violence should be to reduce the level and frequency of alcohol intoxication.     

From Conflict to Autonomy: The Making of the South Ossetian Autonomous Region 1918–1922

The article investigates the reasons that led the Bolsheviks to grant autonomous status to South Ossetia in 1922. The conflict between Ossetians and Georgians during the civil war started as a social dispute but rapidly turned into an ethnic confrontation. The Ossetians turned to the Bolsheviks for support, but by 1920 they were defeated and largely expelled from their territory. After the Sovietisation of the region in 1921 the Bolsheviks needed to solve the conflict: the solution adopted was to grant autonomous status. This was not—as is often believed—the result of a divide et impera policy but an attempt at conflict resolution that in the long run satisfied neither side.     

La guerre vue d'Ochollo (Éthiopie méridionale)

La quête pour la reconnaissance de la subjectivité et la dignité est au coeur des mouvements sociaux actuels. Les Africains se battent pour obtenir la reconnaissance depuis l’époque où la traite des esclaves et plus tard la colonisation les ont dépouillés de leurs qualités humaines. Ces combats ont été essentiellement révélés par l’écriture et le monothéisme. L’article actuel suggère aux lecteurs de considérer la construction performative du moi où la subjectivité Africaine / Noire est représentée dans toute son autonomie. L’exemple empirique proposé est celui de l’Afrique centrale.