The Israel and Palestine land settlement problem: An analytical history, 4000 B.C.E.–1948 C.E.

This paper traces the history of the modern conflict between Israel and Palestine from 4000 B.C.E. to 1948 C.E.. It shows how Jews and Arabs diverged from a common source to become arch-enemies during the British Mandate over Palestine. It outlines the impact of world war II, the holocaust, treason, and terrorism on the Palestinian problem, and explains why Britain relinquished the Mandate in 1947, leaving the United Nations to resolve the land settlement problem. The paper outlines the manipulation by the USSR and the USA of the United Nations General Assembly vote on Resolution 181, in November 1947. It demonstrates why this corrupted land settlement set the scene for almost 60 years of continuous war and terrorism in the Middle East.     

Depression and suicidal behavior among delinquent females

Depressive symptomatology and suicidal behavior were evaluated in a multiethnic sample of 48 delinquent females through ratings on self-reports and probation officers' reports. Psychological functioning of the subjects was also evaluated through the Diagnostic Interview for Borderlines, the Rorschach, and the WAIS or WISC-R in order to identify delinquent personality patterns. Four personality patterns were identified: the borderline, the antisocial, the neurotic, and the socialized delinquent personalities. A chi-square analysis of the data demonstrated that level of depression and frequency of suicidal behavior were both significantly related to personality patterns. Level of depression was also significantly related to ethnicity, but not to socioeconomic status. The results have implications for assessment and treatment of delinquent females and also raise issues concerning the interaction of personality, cultural factors, and delinquent behavior which should be addressed in future research with larger, socioculturally diverse samples.This research is based on the author's doctoral dissertation and was supported by a Pre-Doctoral National Research Service Fellowship award from the National Institute of Mental Health.Received her Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley in 1980. Major interest is adolescent psychopathology and delinquency.     

Assessing the effectiveness and efficiency of a police service: the analytics of operational reviews

Concerns over rising costs have forced police services to balance increasing fiscal and operational pressures. Discussions of the resources and requirements of police, however, are generally only informed by political expediency and traditional practice. Operational reviews (ORs) can be used to document the demands on police, their capacity to respond, and ways in which they can become more efficient and effective. Drawing on an OR of a major urban Canadian police service, this article provides a broad outline of the components of an OR and the analytics that can be used to answer these key questions.     

The Effect of pH on Electrolyte Detection of Fingermarks on Cartridge Cases and Subsequent Microscopic Examination

Cartridge cases may contain deposited fingermarks when the firearm was loaded ( http://www.nij.gov/pubs-sum/225320.htm , J Forensic Sci, 53 , 2008 and 812). Cartridge cases can be individualized with microscopic examination. However, heat and friction degrades the deposited fingermark on the fired cartridge cases, if any on the surface. Also, unfired and fired cartridge cases are made of metal, which is a nonporous surface that does not retain fingermarks well ( http://www.nij.gov/pubs-sum/225320.htm ). This study tests the effects of pH level on fingermark clarity on brass fired and unfired cartridge cases and microscopic striation examination (MSE). Two trials were performed to determine the optimal pH in fingermark clarity for both types of cartridges. This was performed through immersion in six pH range solutions from dilutions of sulfuric acid and sodium hydroxide for 24 h for the purpose of enhancing the fingermarks on the metal. The use of the optimal neutral pH level is suggested because immersion of the cartridge cases in pH 1–3 and 3–5 affects MSE.     

Emergence of fentanyl-related deaths in Travis County,Texas and surrounding areas: A retrospective review of postmortem fentanyl-related drug toxicities from 2020 to 2022

The opioid epidemic has affected the United States (US) for decades with fentanyl and its analogs accounting for a recent surge in morbidity and mortality. Currently, there is a relative lack of information characterizing fentanyl-related fatalities specifically in the Southern US. A retrospective study was conducted to examine all postmortem fentanyl-related drug toxicities in Travis County, Texas, encompassing Austin (one of the fastest-growing cities in the US), from 2020 to 2022. Fentanyl contributed to 2.6% and 12.2% of deaths submitted for toxicology between 2020 and 2022, respectively, representing a 375% increase in fentanyl-related deaths over this 3-year period (n = 517). Fentanyl-related fatalities primarily occurred in males in their mid-30s. Fentanyl and norfentanyl concentrations ranged from 0.58 to 320 ng/mL and 0.53 to 140 ng/mL with mean (median) concentrations of 17.2 ± 25.0 (11.0) and 5.6 ± 10.9 (2.9) ng/mL, respectively. Polydrug use was present in 88% of cases, with methamphetamine (or other amphetamines) (25%), benzodiazepines (21%), and cocaine (17%) representing the most frequently identified concurrent substances. Co-positivity rates of various drugs and drug classes widely varied over time. Scene investigations reported illicit powder(s) (n = 141) and/or illicit pill(s) (n = 154) in 48% (n = 247) of fentanyl-related deaths. Illicit oxycodone (44%, n = 67) and illicit “Xanax” (38%, n = 59) pills were frequently reported on scene; however, toxicology only identified oxycodone and alprazolam in 2 and 24 of these cases, respectively. The results of this study provide a better understanding of the fentanyl epidemic in this region creating an opportunity to promote increased awareness, shift focus to harm reduction, and aid in minimizing public health risks.     

Assessing effective participation in vulnerable juvenile defendants

Effective participation in trial is outlined under article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights and refers to the ability to understand and engage in trial. Juvenile defendants are often referred to psychologists or psychiatrists by their solicitors to establish ‘effective participation’ capacity. In the USA, key components to participate effectively are defined and standardised assessments available. In the UK, no formal measures exist. A consecutive series of 20 adolescents aged 12–20 years, referred by their solicitors to our service, were assessed using a standardised battery and a semi-structured interview designed to assess effective participation. Fifty-five per cent had at least one neurodevelopmental disorder. Low IQ was common and 50% had age-equivalent language scores below 10 years. Rates of depression, anxiety and PTSD were high. Knowledge about trial was poor. These findings have implications for Criminal Justice System professionals and to ensure fair trials for young defendants.     

Barry Goldwater: insurgent conservatism as constitutive rhetoric

Conservatives are generally held to be biased towards the present state of affairs, but some conservatives see the present state of affairs as so great a threat, they advocate its overthrow. They are insurgent conservatives. Scholars portray a Republican Party in the 1950s and 1960s dominated by a north-east liberal establishment confronting an emerging opposition based on anti-communism, economic liberalism and limited government. Barry Goldwater, deploying ideas developed as a long-standing opponent of the New Deal, from his experiences as a businessman, and his philosophic commitment to individualism, engaged extensively with conservatives from the mid- to late 1950s, becoming the spokesman for the developing conservative movement. Goldwater articulated an alternative, radical interpretation of conservatism. Using constitutive rhetoric, an under-used tool in the study of conservatism, this paper explores the content and message of Goldwater’s insurgent conservatism. Rather than focussing on persuasion, constitutive rhetoric focuses on the relationship between the speaker and the audience in the forging of an identity. Goldwater’s audience was already persuaded; what was needed was a common conservative identity to inspire a political movement. Goldwater did not ‘call conservatism into being,’ but his rhetoric fuelled an insurgency and constituted conservatism in a new configuration.     

Brexit and the British Constitution: a Long View

The Brexit referendum of 2016 brought a new concept to British politics, namely the ‘people’s will’, one that is seemingly at odds with conventional notions of parliamentary sovereignty, even a threat to its very existence. This article argues that although the device of the referendum is relatively new, the kind of popular control over Parliament and the executive that it invokes has long been a part of British politics. Ranging over 200 years, examples are drawn from the recall and deselection of MPs, mass petitioning campaigns, the role of the Speaker, and the flourishing of independent parties.     

The Process is the Punishment: Criminal Libel and Political Speech in Canada

The number of U.S. states with criminal libel laws has been steadily declining since the 1960s, and the offense has been struck down in the United Kingdom and several former British colonies. In Canada, however, criminal libel not only continues to exist, but appears to be enjoying a resurgence, albeit one that has flown beneath the radar of Canadian lawyers, judges, and journalists, who frequently assert that criminal libel prosecutions are rare. The research reported in this article found more than 400 prosecutions since the beginning of the twenty-first century. While many of these cases were brought against people who disseminated sexual slurs against former romantic partners, in a substantial number of cases criminal libel law was used to punish citizens’ political speech, particularly speech critical of police or other justice system officials, a use wholly inconsistent with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.