Joint custody: a comprehensive review

This article presents a comprehensive overview of joint custody. The history and legislative implications are discussed, as are pertinent issues relative to the reported advantages and disadvantages of joint custody. Finally, the role of the mental health professional in assisting with counseling divorced families either before, during, or after a custody decision is discussed.     

A comparison of methods used in the UK and Ireland for the extraction and detection of semen on swabs and cloth samples

The recent formation of a United Kingdom and Irish working group, the Body Fluids Forum (BFF), highlighted the need to investigate different working practices prior to any inter-laboratory comparison work and identification of best practice. Various dilutions of semen were seeded onto swabs and cloth samples for each BFF member laboratory to test using their standard techniques. The results showed that the detection of acid phosphatase on swabs is best achieved using direct testing rather than on an extract from the swab. Extraction methods for spermatozoa require a balance to be achieved between using a sufficient volume of water to ensure optimal release and minimal volume to ensure a concentrated extract. PSA tests were investigated and found to be more sensitive than Choline. DNA profiles were obtained from samples in which no spermatozoa had been detected during microscopic examination.     

Institutionalizing ambiguity: the management review group and the reshaping of the defence policy process in Canada

Abstract: The Department of National Defence (dnd) and the Canadian Armed Forces (CF) have been the subject of many studies intended to elicit a better return from defence efforts. None of these studies have been at all comprehensive. The 1971 white paper, Defence in the 70s, introduced a new study aimed at “ensuring maximum effectiveness” in DND. The 1972 Management Review Group (MRC) report changed the entire administrative structure of DND and the CF, introduced new concepts for management, and shifted the power structure of the central bureaucracy. By the end of 1972, DND and the CF had a new set of principal actors, a new administrative structure, and a new policy process. To some the changes were more significant than previous unification reforms. The mrc report stands in sharp contrast to other studies because it has not been available to officials, scholars, or the public. Yet an awareness of die concepts that underlie the recommendations of the MRG is fundamental to understanding why the National Defence Headquarters exists and functions as it does today and why some issues are advanced over others. Sommaire: Le ministére de la Défense nationale (MDN) et les Forces armées cana-diennes (FC) ont fait l'objet de nombreuses “études” visant à accroître le rendement des efforts faits dans le domaine de la défense. Aucune de ces études n'est exhaustive. Le livre blanc de 1971, s'intitulant La défense dans les années 70, présentait une nouvelle étude dont l'objectif était “d'assurer une efficacité maximale” au sein du MDN. Le rapport de 1972 du Management Review Group (MRG) a modifyé toute la structure administrative du MDN et des FC, a introduit de nouveaux concepts de gestion et a entraîné un déplacement des pouvoirs de la bureaucratie centrale. Vers la fin de 1972, le MDN et les FC étaient dotés de nouveaux acteurs principaux, d'une nouvelle structure administrative et de nouvelles méthodes d'établissement de politique. Pour certains, ces changements ont été plus importants que les précédentes réformes d'unification. Contrairement aux autres études, le rapport du MRG n'a pas été mis à la disposition des responsables, des intellectuels ou du public. II est pourtant essentiel de con-naître les concepts sur lesquels s'appuient les recommandations du MRG si Ton veut comprendre pourquoi le Quartier général de la Défense nationale est ce qu'il est aujourd'hui, son mode de fonctionnement et les raisons pour lesquelles certaines questions ont pris le pas sur d'autres.     

Implications of trombiculid mite bites: report of a case and submission of evidence in a murder trial

Bites of Trombiculid mites implicated a suspect during a homicide investigation. Clinical documentation of the bites, correlation with entomological studies, and submission of evidence at trial are reported. Insects that have a discrete geographic distribution and leave bites of a characteristic nature may have important forensic science implications.     

Military combat, posttraumatic stress disorder, and criminal behavior in Vietnam veterans

Although data are inconclusive, popular perception has linked military combat, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and criminal behavior. This paper discusses the multifactorial elements of this association that include both conscious and unconscious parameters of psychologic functioning. Testimony on combat-related PTSD has been presented in the courtroom to support veterans' claims of not guilty by reason of insanity (NGRI) and diminished capacity and for consideration during judicial sentencing. Because there is a known connection between the degree of combat involvement and PTSD, verification through collateral sources of the veteran's report of combat experiences is an important component of forensic assessment. The DSM-III-defined diagnosis of PTSD and the presence of a dissociative state have particular relevance in NGRI determinations. In other aspects of the judicial process demonstration of the absolute presence or absence of PTSD is often irrelevant and should be replaced by efforts to establish plausible links between provable combat experiences and the circumstances of the crime.     

Public satisfaction with the South Korean Police: The effect of residential location in a rapidly industrializing nation

Recent years have witnessed growing research interest in citizen perceptions of the police. This was likely the result of the community policing movement, which sought to strengthen ties between citizens and the police, as well as to concerns about the legitimacy of the police. Most of this research focused on police agencies in the United States, and little research had been conducted on citizen perceptions of the police in Asian countries. This study sought to fill this void through an analysis of citizen perceptions of the police in South Korea. To address these issues, telephone interview survey data gathered from 11,500 randomly selected citizens were obtained in the rapidly industrializing country, South Korea. Several sets of multiple-regression models were estimated to assess the effect of urbanization, demographics, evaluations of police services, and perceived corruption on citizen satisfaction with police. The results suggested that citizens in small to mid-sized cities and large urban cities were less satisfied with police than were residents of rural areas. In addition, age, evaluations of police service, and perceptions of corruption were related to citizen satisfaction. The results were discussed in comparison to previous research in Asia and the United States and other Western countries.