A severe case of multiple metal poisoning in a child treated with a traditional medicine

A child who had been treated orally with a traditional medicine was admitted to hospital with diarrhoea, vomiting and severe metabolic acidosis. Following treatment for renal failure and supportive therapy, the child was discharged well. Analysis of the traditional remedy, a black powder, using inductively coupled plasma-optical emission revealed very high concentrations of iron and manganese. Other metals were also present at lesser, but still high concentrations. The composition suggested that this was a sample obtained from a surface fracture in Transvaal dolomite.Metal poisoning is not uncommon following the use of non-herbal traditional remedies in South Africa, but in this case the mixture appears to have been a combination of many metals and salts.     

Dialogues of the War on Drugs: towards restorative reentry initiatives

The injustices of mass incarceration and the ‘War on Drugs’ are a much debated topic in the United States. My project engages this thematic field by examining how formerly incarcerated people discuss the War on Drugs and mass incarceration. I analyze the narratives of 17 formerly incarcerated men who volunteered to participate in: (1) life story interviews, (2) focus groups and (3) semi-structured interviews. Both restorative justice and reentry have been criticized for failing to consider the social, structural, and historical inequalities for marginalized groups. I contend that my subjects’ engagement with historical and autobiographical narratives contributes to an innovative practice borrowing from restorative justice in the context of reentry. The preliminary results confirm that for those who were on the frontline of the War on Drugs, narrating their life story was a cathartic experience and discussing collective memories of slavery and Jim Crow in a group setting became an educational moment and reaffirmed the need to rethink this history. I found the older generation believes the past should be remembered and racism still exists, while the younger generation subscribes to a colorblind view of society and wants to move on.     

“Ask Me About My Goals!” Challenging Pervasive Assumptions of Gang Members’ Fatalism by Exploring Gay Gang Members’ Goals

Critical Criminology - Research on gangs and urban communities has often focused on gang members’ alleged fatalism and corresponding lack of aspirations for the future. Relatedly, theories...     

Continuities in the Prediction of Human Trafficking: A Research Note

The stated purposes of this paper are twofold: 1) to build upon Bales’ (2007) earlier paper regarding the factors that predict human trafficking by adding transit countries to the analysis, which included origin and destination countries; and, 2) to demonstrate the efficacy of using the Global Programme Against Trafficking (GPAT) database sponsored by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in ongoing trafficking research, especially when the country is the unit of analysis. Bales (2007) and this research used different sets of measures, with some overlap. So it was not surprising that the results were mixed. Both Bales (2007) and this study identified governmental corruption and the percentage of the population under fourteen years of age as the two top predictors of trafficking from a country. This study identified the percentage of the population under fourteen as the primary predictor of trafficking through transit countries, a category Bales did not include in his study. Bales reported that the proportion of the country's population over 60 years old and corruption were the two strongest predictors of trafficking to a destination country. By way of contrast, this study found that the Human Development Index and the total population measure were the strongest predictors of trafficking to a destination country. Overall this study suggested the need to conduct more research with the data currently available in sources like the GPAT before making global policy recommendations.     

Meeting in the Middle: A Review of Joint JD/PhD Programs

In recent years there has been a vigorous debate in the discipline of criminology and criminal justice, concerning the role of faculty members in Criminology and Criminal Justice departments who hold a Juris Doctorate (JD), but lack a PhD. Some argue that faculty members with a JD possess sufficient credentials to be tenure-track faculty members within a department; however, others believe that a tenure-track faculty member within a department should hold a PhD. Two primary arguments in the debate concern the discrepancies in the hour requirements for degree certification, as well as the dissertation requirement for completion of a PhD. Although it seems both sides are entrenched in their respective beliefs, one plausible method of attempting to bridge this gap is to encourage interested students to enroll in joint JD/PhD programs. These programs are designed to overlap degree requirements and allow students to concurrently earn both degrees in a shorter period of time than if both degrees were earned separately. To analyze JD/PhD programs, a survey of the 201 American Bar Association (ABA) accredited law schools with joint degree programs within criminology and criminal justice (as well as other academic disciplines) was conducted. Of specific interest was the process of program integration and combined curriculum requirements.     

Prevalence and Predictors of Suicidal Ideation Among U.S. Law Enforcement Officers

Police officers have often been reported to experience high rates of suicide compared to the general population. Suicidal ideation (SI) is considered a strong predictor of suicidal acts. However, few studies have examined SI in U.S. law enforcement officers. This study investigated the prevalence of SI and the association between SI and amount of subjective work-related traumatic stress, personal relationship stress, work-related but non-traumatic stress, age, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms, alcohol use, and posttraumatic growth among law enforcement officers (N?=?193) from a Midwestern state. Multiple regression analysis demonstrated that greater depression symptoms significantly predicted greater SI among officers.