英国儿童虐待干预机制考察及其启示

英国儿童保护法律体系较为完备,其《儿童法》及其相关细则明确规定了儿童虐待的概念、干预原则、程序和相关举措,这些规定为儿童虐待干预提供了充分的法律依据。相比之下,我国儿童保护法律体系滞后,为了防治儿童虐待,保护儿童合法利益,促进儿童健康成长,应当借鉴英国的立法经验,制定专门的儿童虐待防治法。     

律师见证制度中的两大悖论

律师见证是指律师接受双方当事人的委托，以律师事务所的名义对民事法律行为的真实性、合法性进行证明和监督的一项活动。它旨在实现法律正义，然而，笔者发现该制度在设计与实际运行中存在两大悖论，即主观与客观的悖论和初衷与实效的悖论，致使该制度带有不客观、不公正的天性，并陡增处理民事官司的复杂性。因此，笔者认为封这一制度的期待应是“到此为止”。     

试论社会工作介入社区矫正的方式和途径

社区矫正工作开展6年多来,社会工作介入社区矫正的积极作用正在逐步显现。各地通过加强专业队伍建设和专业机构建设,在以司法人员为主导、社会工作专业人员积极参与的模式下,运用社会工作专业理念和方法开展了多种多样的矫正活动,收到了预期的效果。随着社区矫正实践的不断深入,在开放的社区环境和多元的文化环境下,如何继续有效地做好社区矫正工作,需要做进一步探讨。     

经济法“国家干预”法律机制的探讨

为应对席卷全球的金融危机,世界各国政府对市场经济采取了各式各样的干预手段,使国家干预成为当今最热门的话题,其重要性勿庸质疑。经济法作为国家干预市场经济的法律规范,应具有其固有的法律价值和规范模式。文章通过对经济法语境下＂国家干预＂内涵的分析,从经济法律规范的逻辑设计和规范结构剖析经济法对＂国家干预＂的规范模式。     

International cooperation in exchange‐rate management: Coordination of U.S. and Japanese intervention, 1977–1990

What are the determinants of international cooperation in exchange‐rate management? To answer this question, coordination of foreign exchange intervention by the United States and Japan from 1977 to 1990 is analyzed. An examination of the data raises two empirical puzzles: (1) Why do the periods of active intervention and high cooperation coincide?; (2) Why does Japan intervene unilaterally more often than the United States? Some hypotheses drawn from various theories of cooperation are tested, but none of them receive strong support. Instead, intervention volume and learning by U.S. administrations account for the variance in coordination. These findings resolve the two puzzles: (1) The periods of active intervention are the time of high need for cooperation; (2) Japan is obliged to intervene unilaterally while the United States is learning to cooperate.     

Defining Gender-Responsive Services in a Juvenile Court Setting

Scholars have documented the importance of developing gender-responsive services for girls in order to address their unique needs and reasons for entering the juvenile justice system. Although researchers have made progress in efforts to develop gender-responsive services, the research and policy literature does not provide a clear definition of what constitutes a gender-responsive approach. This study examined qualitative interviews with juvenile court staff (N?=?39). Court staff lacked familiarity with gender-responsivity and most used the term interchangeably with gender-specificity. However, multiple court staff expressed a need for programming for girls and more research on the effectiveness of gender-responsive services.     

Working with Korean Immigrant Alcohol Abusing Clients

Abstract

As cultural and ethnic diversity increases in American society, it becomes crucial for professionals working with alcohol abusing clients to gain cultural sensitivity. This article seeks to aid the clinician in culturally sensitive treatment with Korean immigrant alcohol abusers. As an aid to providing effective treatment for this population, the following areas are discussed: the pattern of Korean immigration to the United States; the prevalence of alcohol abuse among Korean Americans; the influence of sociocultural, psychological, and physiological factors on Korean American alcohol use; and intervention strategies for working with this population.     

Strengthening Intergenerational/InterculturalTies in Immigrant Families (SITIF)

Abstract

Intergenerational/intercultural conflict is a significant stressor in immigrant families that occurs because of differential acculturation between migrant parents and their children. In spite of its negative mental health consequences, few empirically tested interventions address this problem. Strengthening Intergenerational/Intercultural Ties in Immigrant Families (SITIF) is a culturally-sensitive, community based intervention that aims to strengthen the intergenerational relationship. It promotes immigrant parents' emotional awareness and empathy for their children's experiences, cognitive knowledge and understanding of differences between their native and American cultures, and teaches behavioral parenting skills with the objective of enhancing intergenerational intimacy. SITIF was tested with a group of 16 middle class and 14 working class immigrant Chinese parents. Using objective and subjective assessment tools, the findings provide empirical support for SFTiF's effectiveness in enhancing parenting skills and strengthening the inter-generational relationship in immigrant Chinese American families.     

Experimental Effects of a Call-Center Disclaimer Regarding Confidentiality on Callers’ Willingness to Make Disclosures Related to Terrorism

ABSTRACT

Utilizing a sample drawn to represent the general U.S. population, the present study experimentally tested whether a call-center’s disclaimer regarding limits to caller confidentiality (i.e., that operators would be required to refer calls to law enforcement if callers were to discuss anyone who was a danger to themselves or others) affected disclosures related to a third party’s involvement with terrorist groups, gangs, or such party’s commission of assault and/or non-violent crimes.

Disclaimer type did not significantly affect the number of terrorism-related disclosures. Furthermore, it did not significantly affect either the number of gang-related disclosures or reports of assault. However, the law enforcement referral disclaimer/condition reduced the number of disclosures of non-violent crimes that were not directly related to terrorism, gangs, or assault, though its effect accounted for less than one percent of the variance between conditions. Additionally, disclaimer type did not significantly affect willingness to recommend the call-center, nor did that effect vary significantly by age or sex. Implications for the call-center’s role in addressing ideologically motivated violence (terrorism, violent extremism), as a form of secondary/targeted prevention, are discussed.     

The Russian case for military intervention in Georgia: international law,norms and political calculation

Abstract

The Russian military intervention in Georgia in August 2008 has raised significant questions about Russian thinking and practice on the legitimate use of military force abroad, especially in relation to neighbour states. The arguments advanced by Russia to justify this campaign show how Russian interpretations of customary international law as well as norms related to the use of force have served as an instrument of state policy, rather than being rooted in any broader international consensus. The Russian discourse in this context about sovereignty, self-determination and the legitimacy of recognising South Ossetia and Abkhazia as states appears similarly to be strongly influenced by political self-interest and Russian views about its entitlement within the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) region. Among Russian claims, Moscow's commitment to support its ‘citizens’ abroad has been particularly controversial. This article examines these issues and also the possibility that, through its justifications for waging war against Georgia, Russia is more broadly contesting the interpretation of certain international norms, that it regards as essentially constructed by Western states. Some potential implications of these legal and normative arguments for future Russian policy in the CIS region, including Ukraine, are also examined.