Assessing Jail Inmates' Proneness to Shame and Guilt: Feeling Bad About the Behavior or the Self?

This study of 550 jail inmates (379 male and 171 female) held on felony charges examines the reliability and validity of the Test of Self Conscious Affect -Socially Deviant Version (TOSCA-SD; Hanson & Tangney, 1996) as a measure of offenders' proneness to shame and proneness to guilt. Discriminant validity (e.g., vis-à-vis self-esteem, negative affect, social desirability/impression management) and convergent validity (e.g., vis-à-vis correlations with empathy, externalization of blame, anger, psychological symptoms, and substance use problems) was supported, paralleling results from community samples. Further, proneness to shame and guilt were differentially related to widely used risk measures from the field of criminal justice (e.g., criminal history, psychopathy, violence risk, antisocial personality). Guilt-proneness appears to be a protective factor, whereas there was no evidence that shame-proneness serves an inhibitory function. Subsequent analyses indicate these findings generalize quite well across gender and race. Implications for intervention and sentencing practices are discussed.     

The Recovery and Persistence of Salivary DNA on Human Skin

Abstract: Salivary DNA is encountered in many crimes, such as sexual assaults and murders. In this study, saliva from three male donors was deposited on the skin of three female recipients. The amount of male salivary DNA remaining on the female skin was measured over a 96‐h period using the Quantifiler? Y Human Male DNA Quantification Kit. In eight of the nine experiments, a full male DNA profile matching the donor was obtained even after 96 h. In addition, the study showed that the concentration of salivary DNA varied from donor to donor and from day to day. The efficiency of two recovery methods, wet and dry swabbing and minitaping, was compared. The results indicate the tapelift method gave higher DNA recovery. This study also examined the secondary transfer of salivary DNA from skin to fabrics. Cotton and polyester give higher DNA transfer than leather.     

US–China Relations: engagement or talking past each other?

China and the United States have been talking past each other on a variety of issues ever since the normalization process began. To some extent, this enables each side to avoid repercussions from domestic critics and facilitate correct diplomatic relations. But on matters that broadly concern trade, the military, and Taiwan, it can cause considerable friction. Many of the more unpleasant episodes between the two nations have arisen as a result of unexpected and unpredictable events. The United States should address what of the trade imbalance is due to internal shortcomings before pressing the Chinese government to make changes in its economic system. While Washington should be mindful of the security dilemma, it would be unwise to ignore the implications of the PRC's continuing military buildup. Statements of peaceful intentions do not necessarily mean that peace is assured. Iterations of unambiguous commitment to the peaceful resolution of the status of Taiwan are important to the maintenance of peace. The United States and China are linked by market forces that Washington encouraged the creation of. America and China can get along without being enamored of each other's social system.     

Suicidal ideation in a United States jail: demographic and psychiatric correlates

Suicidal behavior is a significant problem in United States jails. Suicidal ideation (SI) is an established precursor to suicidal behavior in incarcerated populations. No studies to date have examined the prevalence of SI or its correlates in a mixed-gender U.S. jail sample. The purpose of the present study was to document rates of SI in a mixed-gender jail sample and examine socio-demographic and psychiatric correlates. This study of 511 jail inmates found that approximately 16% of participants reported clinically significant SI upon incarceration. White participants, suicide attempters, and those with a psychiatric diagnosis history endorsed greater SI. Reported SI did not differ by sex and was not correlated with age. Clinically, results indicate that screening for SI in jail samples is necessary to identify high-risk individuals for intervention to prevent suicidal behavior.     

What Was Margaret Thatcher's Legacy for Women?

This article considers the legacy for women of Margaret Thatcher (1925–2013), Britain's first and to date only woman prime minister. It is suggested that although Thatcher had to struggle against many of the sexist prejudices of her day to achieve her political ambitions, she was no feminist. The hard ladder up which she had climbed was drawn up and not extended to other women. Yet for some women, such as the Spice Girls, she was the pioneer of their ideology of girl power. Overall, it is concluded that Thatcher was a polarising figure whose legacy is one of much divisiveness, in which the divisions between women is only one of many strands.     

Yesterday,AIDS and structural violence in South Africa

ABSTRACT

This article is based on a reading of the South African film Yesterday, which deals with the topic of ? AIDS. In the discourse analysis of the film text, the role of signs – verbal, visual and aural – in constructing meaning is examined, as well as the effect of different filming techniques. The film is then related to the broader South African socio-political context. The writer considers how representative Yesterday is of the AIDS situation in South Africa, a question which necessitates going beyond the film text and considering actual events in South Africa, past and present, as well as referring to other relevant examples of AIDS-related discourse.