Examining the relationship between religiosity and self-control as predictors of prison deviance

The relationship between religiosity and crime has been the subject of much empirical debate and testing over the past 40 years. Some investigators have argued that observed relationships between religion and crime may be spurious because of self-control, arousal, or social control factors. The present study offers the first investigation of religiosity, self-control, and deviant behavior in the prison context. We use survey data from a sample of 208 recently paroled male inmates to test the impact of religiosity and self-control on prison deviance. The results indicate that two of the three measures of religiosity may be spurious predictors of prison deviance after accounting for self-control. Participation in religious services is the only measure of religiosity to significantly reduce the incidence of prison deviance when controlling for demographic factors, criminal history, and self-control. We conclude with implications for future studies of religiosity, self-control, and deviance in the prison context.     

Minimum velocity necessary for nonconventional projectiles to penetrate the eye: an experimental study using pig eyes

To satisfy the Criminal Code of Canada's definition of a firearm, a barreled weapon must be capable of causing serious bodily injury or death to a person. Canadian courts have accepted the forensically established criteria of "penetration or rupture of an eye" as serious bodily injury. The minimal velocity of nonconventional ammunition required to penetrate the eye including airsoft projectiles has yet to be established. To establish minimal threshold requirements for eye penetration, empirical tests were conducted using a variety of airsoft projectiles. Using the data obtained from these tests, and previous research using "air gun" projectiles, an "energy density" parameter was calculated for the minimum penetration threshold of an eye. Airsoft guns capable of achieving velocities in excess of 99 m/s (325 ft/s) using conventional 6-mm airsoft ammunition will satisfy the forensically established criteria of "serious bodily injury." The energy density parameter for typical 6-mm plastic airsoft projectiles is 4.3 to 4.8 J/cm2. This calculation also encompasses 4.5-mm steel BBs.     

Guidelines for the identification of unknown samples for laboratories performing forensic analyses for chemical terrorism

Since the early 1990s, the FBI Laboratory has sponsored Scientific Working Groups to improve discipline practices and build consensus among the forensic community. The Scientific Working Group on the Forensic Analysis of Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Terrorism developed guidance, contained in this document, on issues forensic laboratories encounter when accepting and analyzing unknown samples associated with chemical terrorism, including laboratory capabilities and analytical testing plans. In the context of forensic analysis of chemical terrorism, this guidance defines an unknown sample and addresses what constitutes definitive and tentative identification. Laboratory safety, reporting issues, and postreporting considerations are also discussed. Utilization of these guidelines, as part of planning for forensic analysis related to a chemical terrorism incident, may help avoid unfortunate consequences not only to the public but also to the laboratory personnel.     

Creating an art therapy anger management protocol for male inmates through a collaborative relationship

A training partnership was established with the Florida Department of Corrections in 2003, and over the ensuing years, art therapy graduate student interns from Florida State University's Graduate Art Therapy Program have been placed in local prisons at different times. Recently, the art therapy interns worked closely with the supervising psychologist in one prison to alleviate and redirect aggression by integrating cognitive-behavioral techniques with art therapy directives. The art therapy interns and the psychologist developed a curriculum using a combination of workbook exercises and art tasks to develop and increase the participants' anger management skills, the Art Therapy Anger Management Protocol. This article provides an overview of art therapy in prison, the cognitive-behavioral approach to anger management with prison inmates, and how art therapy was used to support this approach. Examples of completed art tasks designed to correspond with the workbook curriculum are presented. Overall, this article presents the successful collaboration between the psychologist and art therapists and demonstrates how they facilitated improvement in the participants' anger management skills through this program.     

公共服务跨界合作:碎片化服务的整合

现代社会日益动态化、多元化和异质化的公共需求迫切要求政府部门不断创新公共服务供给机制以提高服务品质和回应性。公共服务的跨界合作通过部门间协同构建多样化服务供给框架,将碎片化的服务整合到连续统一体之中;通过权力共享构建竞争性公共服务供给网络,优化社会资源配置效率;通过动态的公共服务传输机制寻求和扩大公共服务供给的公平性和可及性。北京市信息化城市管理系统的成功案例佐证了这种以完备的框架结构、共享的组织关系和弹性的传输机制为核心的公共服务跨界合作是公共服务供给的有效备选机制之一。     

政府层级管理体制改革的实践与思考

改革开放以来,我国进行了政府层级管理体制改革,方式多种多样,如行政建制调整,扩权强县(镇)与省直管县,设置开放城市、开发区与经济特区,作为国家战略的区域规划及其各类试验区等。中心是减少管理层级,提高行政效率。目前要进一步加大改革力度,注意改革的关联性、系统性、连贯性,加大利益统筹协调的力度,把区域、局部的改革上升为整体改革,地方各级也要在率先试验方面积极拓展体制创新的空间。     

董事会:公立高校治理结构的改革

在高等教育体制改革背景下,我国公立高校董事会逐渐发展起来。然而其角色定位至今仍存在争议。从国外经验和我国实际出发,公立高校董事会应定位于决策机构。为此,应当从树立高校董事的非营利观念、改革高校董事的选任机制、建立高校董事的退出机制等方面入手,不断改善公立高校董事会的内部环境,推动高校法人治理结构的完善。     

澳大利亚政府绩效评价实践的最新进展

澳大利亚政府绩效评价工作开展较早,发展至今积累了大量的有益经验。现行的评价体系结构宏大,内涵丰富,真正有效地促进了澳大利亚政府公共服务的质量提升。本文介绍了由澳大利亚公共服务委员会以及生产力委员会主导的政府绩效评价模式,总结其特点并对我国政府绩效评价的发展提出了建议。     

Parental influences on deviant behavior in early adolescence: A logistic response analysis of age- and gender-differentiated effects

We used data from a 601-family longitudinal study to estimate the separate and combined effects of three risk factors—parental psychiatric disorders (principally depression and substance abuse), supportive parent-child communications, and household income—on the development of deviant behavior in boys and girls aged 11–14. Using logistic response models, we concluded that having fewer than two supportive parents generally increases the risk of deviant behavior, but more so for boys than for girls. This effect is amplified when one or more parent(s) has a chronic mental disorder, but thecombination of fewer than two supportive parentsand one psychiatrically impaired parent has a particularly marked effect on girls. Moreover, older children's behavior is affected more dramatically by parental mental disorders, especially among girls; 13 to 14-year-old girls with both parental risk factors are virtually as deviant as male agemates with both risks. Each one of these effects is present regardless of family income level; however, net of these risks, household income is negatively associated with deviant behavior—a 10% increase in income is associated with a 1.3% decrease in adolescent deviance.