Blunt force cranial trauma in the Cambodian killing fields

In this paper we present a unique pattern of blunt force cranial trauma that was observed in 10 of a sample of 85 crania from a Cambodian skeletal collection comprised of Khmer Rouge victims. Initial examination of the trauma, which presents as substantial damage to the occipital with fractures extending to the cranial base, suggested the pattern was classifiable as a basilar or ring fracture. However, further investigation, including trauma analysis and historical research, revealed that this fracture type is distinctive from basilar and ring fractures. Historical data indicate that a particular execution method was the likely source of the trauma. Recognition of this trauma pattern is significant because it exemplifies the distinct fracture configuration resulting from an apparently categorical and methodical execution technique. Identification of this fracture type could potentially assist forensic investigators in the recognition of specific methods of murder or execution.     

Work Choices and the Radical Revision of the Public Realm of Australian Statutory Labour Law

Australia’s statutory labour law has undergone very significantamendment following the enactment of the Workplace RelationsAmendment (Work Choices) Act 2005 (the Work Choices Act). Thisarticle argues that the new law radically revises the publicrealm of labour law established through the century-old systemof conciliation and arbitration. The Act seeks to strip backthe influence of trade unions and the traditional regulator,the Australian Industrial Relations Commission. It generatesa realm of private employer power, augmented where necessarywith direct intervention by Executive government to ensure thatthe old system does not re-emerge. The Work Choices Act is remarkablein its use of statutory language to obscure and defer meaning.The processes of its making were also marked by a reluctanceof the government to explain or even acknowledge the importof the law. It is tentatively concluded that the Act is a productof the mix of ideological, pragmatic and psychological motivationsunderlying its creation.     

Congressional rationality and spatial voting

It is very difficult to demonstrate that representatives employ sophisticated cost-benefit calculations in evaluating constituent benefits when making many legislative decisions. This is because most modern American legislation is ambiguous about which constituencies will receive particularized benefits. This paper examines a series of locational rollcall votes in which the benefits going to constituents were obvious. In such cases representatives balance increases in voter support within their congressional districts and potential increases in their political power within Congress to be gained by vote trading. If constituency benefits are great, representatives overwhelmingly support legislation to provide such benefits. As the benefits decline, vote trading increases.     

Policy Diffusion and Program Scope: Research Directions

A major omission in diffusion research is the scope of changein program adoptions. Diffusion studies focus almost exclusivelyon the rate of change, thus ignoring possible variance in thecontent of programs selected by leaders, followers, and laggards.States may adopt new programs in one area, such as state-mandatedstudent testing. While most states now have a testing policy,these policies vary in terms of the number of students subjectto examinations. Thus, the amount of program change dependson the content of each state's policy. An interstate diffusionstudy of the pattern of program adoptions ignores this variance.It is also possible that policy scope is influenced by certainaspects of the diffusion process. One possibility is that programinnovators generally select more extensive programs than followers.Similarities or differences in policy scope among adopters mayalso be related to innovation attributes (e.g., whether a newprogram is symbolic, redistributive, or administratively complex).Finally, the number of years required for interstate diffusionmay result in similarities or differences in policy content.     

Hostage-Taking in the Context of Domestic Violence: Some Case Examples

Initial reports of domestic violence are generally made to law enforcement officers who must respond and intervene. A subset of these episodes involves cases in which the victim, and, in many instances her child(ren), have been taken hostage by her husband or partner. Moreover, there are indications that the number of such incidents is growing. The purpose of this project was twofold: (1) to provide one of the first reports on the prevalence and characteristics of these events, and (2) to more closely analyze domestic crisis (hostage) situations using actual case examples. All information was obtained from the Hostage Barricade Database System (HOBAS) of the FBIs Crisis Negotiation Unit. HOBAS is a postincident information collection tool which stores historical data from law enforcement agencies across the nation on hostage/barricade incidents. An examination of this database yielded different types of domestic hostage-taking acts and outcomes (e.g., tactical vs. negotiated resolutions, survival vs. death/injury of perpetrator and/or victim[s]). Implications of the findings, for future crisis negotiation efforts directed toward nonviolent resolution of these high-risk critical incidents, are discussed.     

Testing a Theoretical Model of the Relationship Between Impulsivity,Mediating Variables,and Husband Violence

The present study involved a multimethod assessment of impulsivity among 86 men. Using two questionnaires and four performance-based measures of impulsivity, the factor structure of the impulsivity data was examined. Four constructs that theoretically mediate the relationship between impulsivity and husband violence (i.e., substance abuse, anger/hostility, marital dissatisfaction, and psychological abuse) were assessed to examine a mediational model predictive of husband violence. Substance abuse and marital dissatisfaction mediated the relationship between impulsivity and psychological abuse. Psychological abuse mediated the relationship between substance abuse and marital dissatisfaction and husband violence. Although anger/hostility was not a mediator, there were bivariate associations between anger/hostility and impulsivity, psychological abuse, and husband violence. The results of the regression analyses were virtually identical when controlling for the effect of intelligence on the model variables. The implications of the findings for the assessment of impulsivity and for future husband violence research are discussed.