Interpreting the Threshold Criteria under section 31(2) of the Children Act 1989 – the House of Lords decision in Re B1

The casenote considers the decision in Re B which confirms the threshold criteria in establishing the likelihood of future harm under section 31(2) of the Children Act 1989 and clarifies the civil standard of proof.     

The Scots Statute Style and Substance

New or renewed legislatures afford opportunities for reassessingold legislatures, and introducing new and improved forms oflegislative composition. Thus the North American experience,derived from the breakaway Colonies, came down heavily againstreferential legislation, the Australian and New Zealand experienceimplemented many Benthamite reforms ahead of the Old Country,and the tabula rasa afforded generally by Colonial and Commonwealthlegislation at first enabled, and eventually enforced on itsparent legislature, an explicit and consistently adhered tosystem of textual amendment. In view of the opportunities affordedby Scottish Devolution, what innovations may we expect of thenew Scottish statute? Thanks to the earlier work of Coode,¹to the continuing surveillance of the Statute Law Society,²to the committed enthusiasm of parliamentary counsel such asDriedger,³ Dale,⁴ and Bennion,⁵ and especially to the seminalwork of linguistic analysts such as Plowden,⁶ Mellinkoff,⁷ Frye,⁸and Bowers,⁹ new theories, practices, forms, and precedentsabound as never before for statute law. Nevertheless, thereare also questions of tradition, culture, and national identityat issue—especially for a restored or reborn legislaturesuch as the present Scottish Parliament.¹⁰ This paper examinessome of the issues, both in terms of legislative style and legislativesubstance, which pertain to the new Scottish statute.     

The gap between law student career aspirations and employment opportunities

Most law students in the UK embark upon their degrees hoping to become solicitors or barristers and yet the current legal landscape is in a state of flux. Students are incurring significant costs to try and break into an increasingly competitive market and are concerned that they do not have the skills and experience that many employers expect. With this in mind, Plymouth Law School tracked the aspirations and destinations of its LLB students and graduates over a number of years, exploring factors that encouraged or inhibited them along the path to their careers. This article evaluates the data from our students and considers its relevance to the employability issues highlighted by the LETR.     

Green Criminology and Crimes of the Economy: Theory, Research and Praxis

This paper describes several key developments and dimensions in the field of ‘green criminology’ and discusses some of the relevant debates and controversies arising. It then outlines overlaps and connections with other areas of work within critical criminology. The central focus of the paper is on crimes of the economy as they affect the environment and a substantive, illustrative case study is provided on environmental crimes and harms associated with the oil industry. The paper concludes with some critical observations on where directions in theory, policy and practice may need to turn in a post-growth world.     

MPs and their e-Newsletters: Winning Votes by Promoting Constituency Service

Commentators are divided on the electoral effect of constituency service, whether it provides unfair advantage or has limited electoral impact. The arrival of the Internet has added to this debate. This research note considers how pioneering MPs are using e-newsletters effectively to communicate their constituency service. A web-hosted survey of subscribers to two MPs' e-newsletters, with over 1,100 respondents, was conducted. The data suggest that receiving an MP's e-newsletter did have an effect on subscribers' voting behaviour at the 2005 General Election. Rather than something to fear, this vote-winning capacity of an e-newsletter may actually encourage MPs to have more dialogue between MPs and constituents.     

Deaths Involving Methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) in Upper East Tennessee

Two deaths involving 3, 4‐methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) are reported. MDPV is a synthetic cathinone stimulant found in “bath salts” with neurological and cardiovascular toxicity. Biological specimens were analyzed for MDPV by GC/MS and LC/MS. A White man was found dead with signs of nausea and vomiting after repeatedly abusing bath salts during a weekend binge. Femoral venous blood and urine had MDPV concentrations of 39 ng/mL and 760 ng/mL. The second fatality was a White man with a history of drug and bath salt abuse found dead at a scene in total disarray after exhibiting fits of anger and psychotic behavior. Femoral venous blood and urine had MDPV concentrations of 130 ng/mL and 3800 ng/mL. The blood and urine MDPV concentrations are within the reported recreational concentration ranges (blood 24–241 ng/mL and urine 34–3900 ng/mL). Both decedents’ deaths were attributed to relevant natural causes in a setting of MDPV abuse.