When a corporation rapes: perceptions of rape in civil court for corporate defendants

In recent years, the coupling of poor outcomes for rape victims in criminal court and the widening scope of legal responsibility for sexual assault has prompted plaintiffs to file civil suits for rape against corporations. Unfortunately, we know little about juror perception of civilly litigated rape against corporate defendants and most jury research involving corporate defendants concerns non-sexual injury cases (e.g. premises liability, automobile accidents). With the increasing number of corporations being sued civilly for rape, we need to understand how civil juries perceive these cases. The present study investigated mock jurors’ perceptions of a fictional civil rape trial against a hotel. Community members (N?=?155) read one of three trial summaries: Civil rape trial against the alleged perpetrator, civil rape trial against a hotel, or criminal rape trial. Results indicate females have higher pro-plaintiff judgments than males in civil court, perceptions of greed typically associated with civil litigation apply to rape, and favorable plaintiff decisions are most likely against a corporate defendant. Also, mental models suggest mock jurors conceptualize criminal and civil rape cases against an individual similarly. We discuss our results in terms of psychological, legal and practical expectations when suing for rape.     

Who graduates from drug courts? Correlates of client success

Drug courts combine punishment and treatment to provide an intermediate sanction for offenders. This paper contains an analysis of drug court case files for 196 participants in one mid-Atlantic jurisdiction. Logistic regression reveals that employment status before and during the program, race, education, and referral time are significant predictors of successful completion. Policy implications and suggestions about participant screening and program administration are offered. The authors would like to thank the editor and the anonymous reviewers for their very helpful comments and suggestions.     

Der "gläserne" Abgeordnete? Transparenzregeln für Parlamentarier und ihre Folgen

Der vorliegende Beitrag analysiert – unter Bezugnahme auf eine ländervergleichende empirische Studie derselben Autoren – die Verhaltensregeln für Parlamentarier und die daraus resultierenden Konsequenzen. Dabei wird zunächst auf die Frage eingegangen, was unter Transparenzpflichten verstanden wird. Im Anschluss daran werden Hypothesen über den Zusammenhang von schärferen Transparenzpflichten und diversen Variablen dargelegt, gefolgt von einer kurzen Analyse der Implikationen für die verfassungsrechtlichen Argumente in Deutschland unter Berücksichtigung auch der österreichischen Regelungen.     

An oxcarbazepine-related fatality with an overview of 26 oxcarbazepine postmortem cases

We present an oxcarbazepine-related fatality together with an overview of 26 postmortem cases involving oxcarbazepine observed during the period 2001-2006. The fatality case concerned a 27-year-old woman with epilepsy, who was found dead in her bed. Oxcarbazepine and its active metabolite, 10-hydroxycarbazepine, were the only compounds detected. The concentrations of oxcarbazepine were as follows: femoral blood, 2.9mg/kg; muscle, 1.8mg/kg; liver, 0.9mg/kg; gastric content (300ml), 860mg/kg; and vitreous humour, not detected. The concentrations of 10-hydroxycarbazepine were as follows: femoral blood, 66mg/kg; muscle, 40mg/kg; liver, 62mg/kg; gastric content, 27mg/kg; and vitreous humour, 25mg/kg. The analyses were performed by HPLC-DAD after liquid-liquid extraction. Oxcarbazepine intoxication was regarded as a possible cause of death. For the other 26 cases, the 10-hydroxycarbazepine concentrations ranged from 2.2 to 48mg/kg with a median of 25mg/kg.     

Effect of integrated treatment on the use of coercive measures in first-episode schizophrenia-spectrum disorder. A randomized clinical trial

The effect of integrated treatment on the use of coercive measures in first-episode schizophrenia-spectrum disorder in Denmark is not known. A total of 328 patients were randomly assigned to integrated treatment (167 patients) or standard treatment (161 patients). Integrated treatment consisted of assertive community treatment, psycho-educational multi-family groups, and social skills training. Data on coercion were extracted from the register from the National Board of Health, and data on continuity from medical records. Even though the level of continuity seemed higher in integrated treatment, this did not reduce the use of coercive measures compared to the use in standard treatment.     

An apple a day does not always keep the doctor away...

The authors describe a case of suicide in the workplace. A 45-year-old man employed by a fruit and vegetable packing company was found dead in a room containing a modified atmosphere for the packaging of fruits and vegetables. The rescue team measured the carbon monoxide (CO) concentration of the ambient air with a digital CO tester and found a level higher than 600 particles per million. Analysis of an arterial blood sample taken with an airtight syringe revealed the absence of CO but high levels of carbon dioxide (CO(2)). Autopsy revealed no significant injury and police investigators found a handwritten note of intent, describing a recent personal crisis. The authors concluded that the cause of death was suicide by asphyxiation secondary to CO(2) intoxication and notably oxygen (O(2)) depletion. This manner of suicide is rare and most cases previously described in the literature were accidental intoxications. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of suicide by CO(2) intoxication and O(2) depletion in a room with a modified atmosphere.     

Political involvement among Toung women: a qualitative analysis

The depoliticization and non‐participation of young people in city life is often a topic of discussion. Given this context, how and why do young people then become activist? This is the main question addressed by a sociological research project on the way young women in Quebec practise political involvement and on the meaning that involvement has for them. The question of why young women get involved has to do with their biographical history, their life trajectories, and the influence of family and friends. How they get involved has to do with what involvement and activism mean to them. One of the principal findings is that the young female activists who participated in this study all have an active conception of citizenship that is not restricted to political involvement. Some of our respondents said that involvement is a way of being, a lifestyle that requires them to act consistently in all aspects of daily life and thus implies living in accordance with one's ideals. In other words, the involvement practised and conceptualized by these young activists corresponds to what can be called a ‘search for ethical consistency’, which aims ‘to give meaning to the values we hold as individuals and as a collectivity’.     

UK Initiatives on Forced Marriage: Regulation, Dialogue and Exit

The literature on feminism and multiculturalism has identified potential conflicts between the recognition of cultural diversity and securing women's equality. Three broad approaches to this dilemma have emerged in the practices of contemporary states: regulation, working with the communities, and exit. Each of these is apparent in current initiatives regarding forced marriage, but the overwhelming emphasis in the UK has been on enabling individuals to exit from the threat or reality of a forced marriage. In assessing these initiatives, this paper highlights the limitations of exit and the danger of moving towards immigration regulation as the preferred solution.