Fetal Alcohol Spectrum–The Hidden Epidemic in Our Courts

This article discusses the basics of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol Effects (FAS/E): the history, nature, prevalence, causes, and effects of prenatal exposure to alcohol. Some of the unique features of FAS/E are explored, particularly those that make it so hard to spot and those that predispose people to nonproductive or criminal activity. The presentation of FAS/E in Juvenile Court is discussed and put in the context of the multiplicity of factors pertaining to delinquency; finally, innovative interventions, approaches and resources are laid out. Issues surrounding FAS/E as they appear in Family Court are then explored, with emphasis on the intergenerational transmission of this array of conditions and how we might interrupt such transmission.     

THE IMPACT OF REAPPORTIONMENT ON POLICY EXPENDITURES: A Quasi-Experimental Time-Series Analysis

While there is little question that court-ordered reapportionment has changed the composition of state legislative personnel, it is still unclear whether reapportionment has had any significant impact on public policies. Evidence to date has been both contradictory and methodologically suspect. Using time-series regression in a quasi-experimental design, we examine the effects of reapportionment on expenditures in three policy areas within eight states—four control (states well apportioned before 1964) and four experimental (states egregiously malapportioned before 1964). Contrary to recent time-series analyses on this topic, we find that the implementation of the "one man, one vote" ruling had little significant effect on the distribution of state expenditures believed beneficial to urban interests.     

Reinaldo Arenas' Autobiography Antes Que Anochezca as Confrontational 'Ars Moriendi'

Abstract — This article focuses on the posthumously-published autobiography by Reinaldo Arenas. The main aim is to examine questions of genre, and, specifically, autobiography as ars moriendi , where issues of internal and external exile are explored and a fluid alternative narrative is offered, in contrast to the rigid official narrative on AIDS.