Responding to mental distress in the Third World: Cultural imperialism or the struggle for synthesis?

This paper questions the appropriateness of some of the 'help' that has already been given in mental health in 'developing' countries, particularly Africa, and examines some of the complex ideological issues underlying different cultural understandings of the aetiology and treatment of mental illness. Some personal experiences, illustrating examples of the imposition of culturally inappropriate ideology in the teaching of psychiatry, are described. In conclusion, some principles of good practice are suggested which could form the basis of a synthesis between cultures, and maximise the possibility of Western aid in the field of mental distress being more culturally appropriate.     

The Rise of Digital Justice: Courtroom Technology,Public Participation and Access to Justice

This article addresses a little discussed yet fundamentally important aspect of legal technological transformation: the rise of digital justice in the courtroom. Against the backdrop of the government's current programme of digital court modernisation in England and Wales, it examines the implications of advances in courtroom technology for fair and equitable public participation, and access to justice. The article contends that legal reforms have omitted any detailed consideration of the type and quality of citizen participation in newly digitised court processes which have fundamental implications for the legitimacy and substantive outcomes of court‐based processes; and for enhancing democratic procedure through improved access to justice. It is argued that although digital court tools and systems offer great promise for enhancing efficiency, participation and accessibility, they simultaneously have the potential to amplify the scope for injustice, and to attenuate central principles of the legal system, including somewhat paradoxically, access to justice.     

Revoking consent: A ‘blind spot’ in data protection law?

The flow of personal data throughout the public and private sectors is central to the functioning of modern society. The processing of these data is, however, increasingly being viewed as a major concern, particularly in light of many recent high profile data losses. It is generally assumed that individuals have a right to withdraw, or revoke, their consent to the processing of their personal data by others; however this may not be straightforward in practice, or addressed adequately by the law. Examination of the creation of data protection legislation in Europe and the UK, and its relationship with human rights law, suggests that such a general right to withdraw consent was assumed to be inbuilt, despite the lack of express provisions in both the European Data Protection Directive and UK Data Protection Act. In this article we highlight potential shortcomings in the provisions that most closely relate to this right in the UK Act. These raise questions as to the extent of meaningful rights of revocation, and thus rights of informational privacy, afforded to individuals in a democratic society.     

Coping with bullying: The moderating effects of self-reliance

Student responses to bullying have an effect on subsequent outcomes. Dichotomous theories of coping suggest that self-reliance plays a role in responding to stress. In order to investigate the multidimensional nature of coping with bullying, the authors developed the Coping with Bullying Scale for Children. The current study also examined the relationships between bullying experiences (i.e., victimization and perpetration) and coping with bullying, with self-reliance as a potential moderator. Participants who reported higher rates of victimization or engagement in bullying reported greater use of cognitive distancing, externalizing, and self-blame strategies. Victimization was associated with higher reported rates of constructive coping. Self-reliance moderated the relationship between cognitive distancing and both types of bullying involvement. Self-reliance also moderated the relationship between self-blame and bullying perpetration. Implications for theory, practice, and future research are included.     

Effect of Sterilants on Amplification and Detection of Target DNA from Bacillus cereus Spores

To conceal criminal activity of a bioterrorist or agroterrorist, the site of pathogen generation is often treated with sterilants to kill the organisms and remove evidence. As dead organisms cannot be analyzed by culture, this study examined whether DNA from sterilant‐treated Bacillus cereus spores was viable for amplification. The spores were exposed to five common sterilants: bleach, Sterilox®, oxidizer foam (L‐Gel), a peroxyacid (Actril®), and formaldehyde vapor. The spores were inoculated on typical surfaces found in offices and laboratories to test for environmental effects. It was found that the surface influenced the efficiency of recovery of the organisms. The DNA isolated from the recovered spores was successfully detected using RT‐qPCR for all treatments except for formaldehyde, by amplifying the phosphatidylinositol phospholipase C and sphingomyelinase genes. The results demonstrated that evidence from sites treated with sterilants can still provide information on the uncultured organism, using DNA amplification.     

Sexual offender’s experiences of polygraph testing: a thematic study in three probation trusts*

Post-conviction polygraph testing of sexual offenders is controversial and the use of the polygraph as a means of supporting supervision of sexual offenders has only recently been explored. This study quantitatively examined qualitatively offender managers’ and sexual offenders’ views on the mandatory use of the polygraph in a community-based supervision. Fifteen polygraphed offenders and their 10 offender managers (polygraph group), and 10 non-polygraphed offenders and their ten offender managers (comparison group) were asked about their experiences and perceptions of a mandatory polygraph use. Using thematic analysis, the results provided four main themes: (1) truth detection, (2) perceptions of behaviour change, (3) perceptions of polygraph as part of supervision, and (4) national implementation of polygraph testing. Results suggest several benefits to mandatory polygraph testing as a support for supervision, including offenders making more high-risk disclosures, motivating offender honesty, and aiding offenders’ compliance with licence conditions.     

Methodological and ethical issues in child abuse research

The child abuse literature was surveyed but found lacking in analyses of fundamental ethical and procedural issues. The present paper, supported by a review of the relevant research, explores the problems surrounding the definition of physical child abuse, the gender and recruitment of subjects, the use of informed consent and deception, and the problem of maintaining confidentiality in this area. Greater detail in reporting of methods employed by researchers is recommended as an important first step to expanding discussion of these issues.