A Grass Roots View of Religious Change Amongst Women in an Indigenous Community in Chiapas, Mexico

Abstract — This paper discusses the changing position of women in an indigenous community in Chiapas, Mexico. It argues that women are gaining new agency and an increased pride in their ethnicity as they become members of the various sects that are taking root in the community. Affiliation to a sect provides them with an institution that they can call their own thus satisfying their felt need to be part of the longer-term economic and political changes that are occurring while still being shielded from them.     

The Impact of Model Court Reform in Arizona on the Processing of Child Abuse and Neglect Cases

Arizona juvenile courts have taken a series of steps over the past five years to improve the quality and timeliness of court proceedings in child abuse and neglect matters. These efforts encompass both procedural reforms to front‐load the early hearing process as well as reforms that require a clearly demarcated permanency hearing and permanency determination process. A comparative analysis of the impact of these changes in four selected counties reveals that child abuse and neglect cases are handled in a more timely manner; that children are spending considerably less time in out‐of‐home placements; that courts are becoming more specific in the orders generated at dependency hearings (particularly initial hearings); and that the State and federal governments have realized sizeable savings in placement costs.