Serious Youth Violence and Innovative Prevention: On the Emerging Link Between Public Health and Criminology

It was not so long ago that scholarly writings pointed to the vast chasm that existed between criminal justice and public health approaches to understanding and controlling interpersonal violence. Other scholarship of the day examined how criminal justice and criminology could benefit from adopting elements of the public health approach. For sure, there still exist many differences in how the two disciplines approach the violence problem, but over the years there have been some promising developments at the intersection of public health and criminology. This paper surveys the evolving link between public health and criminology, with a special focus on serious youth violence. It is concerned with both research and practice and how these efforts—across primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention strategies—are contributing to improved public health-criminology collaborations or public health-influenced programs that have a discernable impact on youth violence.     

Recidivism and the Availability of Health Care Organizations

Incarceration has been identified as a cause of poor health in current and formerly incarcerated individuals. Given the high likelihood of being in poor health when exiting prison, it is plausible that health impacts recidivism. Furthermore, ex-prisoners cluster in disadvantaged neighborhoods that are unlikely to have decent health services. Currently, there is insufficient research to examine this relationship at an ecological level. In this study, we investigate the relationship between the availability of health care organizations (HCOs) and their changes over time with neighborhood level recidivism, and how these relationships may be moderated by neighborhood disadvantage. We determine that the effect of HCOs on recidivism is indeed moderated through disadvantage: as disadvantage increases, the negative effect of losing significant amounts of HCOs on recidivism accelerates. Our results suggest that while increasing HCOs in disadvantaged neighborhoods is important, keeping HCOs in place is equally important for moderating negative neighborhood level outcomes.     

Forensic examination of security features of the CDC-issued COVID-19 vaccination card and suggested improvements to minimize counterfeiting

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States released the CDC-issued vaccination card to document the status of immunizations. It eventually was used as a verification system to allow patrons to safely access public venues. This is/was apparently a simple printed piece of paper with minimal security features which made it an easy target for counterfeiters with little expertise required. Those unvaccinated who wished to enter areas that required proof of the COVID-19 vaccine were soon finding alternative illegal methods to do so which led to public health concerns. This research was divided into two parts. Part A aimed to forensically identify the security features with a video spectral comparator and a stereomicroscope. Ten “known” blank cards were collected directly from dispensaries that administered the vaccine and 68 “unknowns” from individuals who received the COVID-19 vaccine. Part B aimed to evaluate the authentication systems employed by countries outside the United States to propose a model on how the vaccination card could be improved and what security features should be included for future instances requiring proof of immunization. The results revealed the CDC document was produced with minimal security features making the document prone to counterfeiting. Furthermore, based on the information collected from other countries' vaccination certificates, it is recommended to develop a dual authentication system, with digital and printable aspects, that contains a QR code linked to a database. Other security features may include a non-optical brightener substrate, security fibers, a watermarked logo, offset printing, and a geographical color-coded system.     

Applying an ecological model to orphans and vulnerable children programming

Research has shown that programmes that take a holistic approach to addressing the challenges of orphans and other vulnerable children (OVC) are more likely to achieve sustainable outcomes. However, OVC programme staff can feel overwhelmed by the challenge of designing holistic approaches due to realities on the ground. The paper introduces an adaptation of Bronfenbrenner's ecological model of development. The framework is designed specifically to assist programme staff in constructing more holistic and integrated OVC responses by translating an established theoretical background into an approachable way to better conceptualise and support OVC intervention(s) across multiple systems and multiple sectors.     

Using art and everyday objects to fight HIV/AIDS in Uganda

This paper argues for the importance of enabling dialogue between women and men about taboo subjects of sex and sexuality in HIV/AIDS prevention. It reports the findings of a project that sought to use art (specifically sculpture) for creating dialogue between women and men in rural Uganda. It then provides suggestions for HIV/AIDS practitioners on how to use everyday objects to stimulate similar discussion about sex and disease prevention between women and men. We argue for the utility of art and everyday objects where literacy rates are low, or where modes of communication and information-sharing are predominantly orate.     

Mental Capacity in Patients Involuntarily or Voluntarily Receiving Psychiatric Treatment for an Acute Mental Disorder

Despite the growing amount of data, much information is needed on patients' mental capacity to consent to psychiatric treatment for acute mental disorders. The present study was undertaken to compare differences in capacity to consent to psychiatric treatment in patients treated voluntarily and involuntarily and to investigate the role of psychiatric symptoms, competency, and cognitive functioning in determining voluntariness of hospital admission. Involuntary patients were interviewed with the MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool for Treatment (MacCAT‐T), the 24‐item Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices, and their data were compared with those for age‐ and sex‐matched voluntary patients. Involuntary patients performed worse in all MacCAT‐T subscales. Capacity to consent to treatment varied widely within each group. Overall, involuntary patients have worse consent‐related mental capacity than those treated voluntarily, despite capacity to consent to treatment showing a significant variability in both groups.     

全民健康保险与公立医院的公益性:加拿大经验对中国新医改的启示

在很多中国人的心目中,只有政府增加补贴,公立医院才能保持公益性。这一理念具有误导性。加拿大的经验启示我们,推进全民健康保险,提高医保的支付水平,让医保支付成为医疗机构收入的主要来源,才是医疗事业实现公益性的可行之路。对于医疗机构提升服务能力所需的资本投入,政府有责任给予补贴;但公共资源毕竟有限,鼓励社会资本进入医疗服务领域,促进多元化办医,也是值得追求的公共政策目标。     

基于风险控制的职业健康和安全管制权力配置研究

职业健康和安全管制本质上属于社会性管制的范畴,其管制过程受到经济市场个体理性与政治市场制度选择的双重影响,这两个要素之间也存在着相互影响、相互制约的关系。权力配置作为外生性制度环境的要素基础,对内生性的经济市场理性具有调节作用,并决定着管制风险的发生概率和管制均衡的实现程度。论文从风险控制与效率优化的角度分析了职业健康和安全管制权力配置的边界、形态及其对权力协作、管制均衡所产生的影响。论文以此为分析框架,分析了不同时期中国职业健康和安全管制的权力配置形态、效率状况及风险控制等问题。论文认为,中国职业健康和安全管制的权力配置应实现由多元分散式协调管理模式向一元单向式综合管理模式的转变。     

The Arts,Social Health,and the Development of Cultural Indicators

Abstract

This paper explores the relationship between the arts and the growing research literature on social indicators in the United States. Building upon research and theory that identifies the need for indicators of “social health” that are broader than traditional measures of economic well‐being, this paper suggests that the arts are particularly useful terrain for conceptually extending quality of life research. After illustrating the broad range of thinkers who have argued that arts benefit society, the paper provides an overview of the various forms of arts data that are currently collected. Focusing on recent efforts to evaluate the quality of life within local communities and recent research on arts education, the paper suggests that scholars need to focus on building a clearer framework that connects arts data with the broader arguments about the social contribution of the arts. The paper concludes by identifying diversity, creativity, community, and participation as examples of concepts that can link existing arts data with the widespread belief in the democratic value of the arts, and argues that quality of life research needs to incorporate key community “assets”, including participation and practice in a vibrant arts world, into both the methodological and normative framework for defining social health.     

Linking Leader Social Skills and Organisational Health to Positive Work Relationships in Local Governments

This study examines the links between leaders' social skills, organisational health (decline) and positive work relationships. In particular it tests whether leaders' social skills are more strongly associated to work relationships when the organisation's fiscal health is more precarious. Using data from both surveys and annual financial statements of 103 public sector organisations, the results indicate that a leader's social skills and organisational fiscal health are positively related to work relationships. However, the interactive effect of leaders' social skills and organisational fiscal health on positive work relationships was not significant.