Semantics and pragmatics of normative qualification statements

The present paper has been presented in the seminar San Giuseppe (Bologna, March 7th 1989) and during the IASL Annual Meeting (Edinburgh, August 15th 1989). The author thanks the participants for many valuable comments, and especially to P. van den Hoven, who was the commentator during the IASL conference.     

Disentangling the Role of Psychopathic Traits and Externalizing Behaviour in Predicting Conduct Problems from Childhood to Adolescence

Child and youth conduct problems are known to be a heterogeneous category that implies different factors and processes. The current study aims to analyze whether the early manifestation of psychopathic traits designates a group of children with severe, pervasive and persistent conduct problems. To this end, cluster analysis was conducted in a sample of 138 children (27.6?% female), aged 6–11 at the first wave of the study (T1) and 12–17 in a follow-up carried out 6?years later (T2). Results allowed the identification of four distinctive clusters: Primarily externalizing, Externalizing-psychopathic, Primarily psychopathic and Non-problematic. As was expected, the Externalizing-psychopathic cluster showed the most severe and persistent pattern of behavioral, temperamental and social disruptions across the 6?years of the study. Early psychopathic traits seemed also to be relevant in predicting higher levels of conduct problems in T2, even when conduct disorders had not manifested in T1. These results highlight the role of psychopathic traits in predicting adolescent psychosocial disorders and the relevance to analyze them at early developmental stages.     

Out-of-Home Care Programs in Argentina: Contradictions Between Effective Protection and Long-Term Permanency

According to UNICEF, in 2011 nearly 14,700 children lacking parental care were attended by public protection measures, such as out-of-home care devices. The aim of this work is to account for the operating conditions of such interventions in Buenos Aires province. Our approach agrees with methodological perspectives guiding current interventions aimed at childhood, which consider children as subject-bearing rights and request all social institutions watch their well-being. The analysis exploits documentary and primary sources of information based on interviews with actors involved in public special protection devices. Our focus is directed towards the analysis of suggested and effective conditions of permanence in special protective measures and, therefore, in exiting from such devices. One of the main conclusions is that bureaucratic requirements aimed to establish an explicit time horizon for public cash transfers face conflicts with more general guidelines that should guide interventions with childhood.     

Suicidal hanging within an automobile.

Accidental asphyxia related to cars has been described in different reports, but suicidal hanging in an automobile is very unusual. Two cases of suicidal hanging inside an automobile are described, illustrating an unusual form of hanging. In one case, the deceased used his belt as a ligature, and the point of attachment was the window of the car. The second victim used the safety belt of the passenger seat. In both cases, the automobile engine was turned off, all the windows were closed, and the door locks were blocked. The medicolegal cause of hanging was based on the scene of the investigation, police and witness reports, social history, autopsy findings, and toxicologic examinations.     

The Effect of Coercion on Aggression and Mental Health Among Reciprocally Violent Couples

Researchers have not investigated mental health outcomes among couples who are reciprocally violent towards each other. The present study investigated differences in partner violence (psychological, physical, and sexual) and mental health symptoms (depression, anxiety, hostility, and somatic) between two types of reciprocally violent couples: situational couple violence (SCV) and mutual control violence (MVC). SCV couples use violence to address stressful family conflicts, while MVC couples use violence as a tool to control each other. Participants (N = 609) completed surveys that contained several instruments that measured past violence, coercive behaviors, physical injuries, and mental health symptoms. Results revealed that MVC reported significantly higher levels of violent perpetration and worse physical and mental health than SCV. These findings have implications for understanding the role of coercion in partner violence and mental health, which can be used for the development of appropriate mental health services for couples who are mutually violent towards each other.     

The Case of Weak Will and Wayward Desire

In this article, I confront Garvey’s argument that a weak-willed individual deserves partial excuse for trying to resist a strong desire that pushes him toward commission of a criminal act even though in the end he unreasonably abandons his resistance and commits the crime. I attempt to refute Garvey’s argument on two counts: one, I question whether the law should indeed provide mitigation to such an offender; and two, I argue that, even if it should, this mitigation may not come in the form of a partial defense. Defenses, even partial, are desert based, and there is nothing in Garvey’s offender’s circumstances that makes him less blameworthy for the crime he committed. A court may choose to treat such an offender more leniently but it should not be mandated to do so.