Red-teaming the panopticon* (mobilising adaptive change in secure and forensic settings)

In England and Wales, secure and forensic psychiatric institutions provide a high-cost, low-volume service that imposes significant restrictions upon detainees. Patients may be detained under the Mental Health Act in such settings for several years or even life, as they are deemed to present a significant risk to themselves or the public. Patients under s37/41 require the Home Office to approve any increase in their freedom. Best practice requires reoffending risk to be assessed before a patient is discharged. Evaluation of risk is an inexact actuarial science operating in a political arena, and research has indicated risk assessment tools have little positive predictive validity. There is concern amongst the wider psychiatric and judicial communities about the ethics of current practice. We examine these issues and consider means of improving risk assessment through red-teaming, increased collaboration between clinician and patient and a paradigm shift towards greater emphasis on patient self-agency.     

Highly polymorphic minisatellite DNA probes. Further evaluation for individual identification and paternity testing

Reliable and reproducible protocols have been developed for the routine DNA fingerprinting of individuals using the highly polymorphic minisatellite DNA probes 33.15 and 33.6. Comparison of DNA fingerprinting from 50 individuals has generated further data on the level of band sharing in the DNA fingerprints of unrelated individuals, as well as the number of bands scorable in individuals. These results are consistent with previous studies. The occurrence of mutant bands in offspring has been examined in over 100 families. Further support is presented for the Mendelian inheritance of minisatellite loci and for lack of significant allelism and linkage between different variable DNA fragments detected in a human DNA fingerprint.     

Highly polymorphic minisatellite sequences: allele frequencies and mutation rates for five locus-specific probes in a Caucasian population

Six human minisatellite sequences (MS1, MS8, MS29, MS31, MS43, g3) have been subcloned into a stable host/vector system. Allele frequencies at the hypervariable loci detected by five of these probes were determined in a Caucasian population (200 individuals). Mendelian inheritance has been demonstrated in 5 large multi-generation pedigrees. The mutation rate has been determined in 59 families. The highest mutation rate was observed with MS1, as might be predicted from the observed high heterozygosity and in agreement with previous direct measurement of germ line mutation rates. The data presented on allele frequencies and mutation rates provide preliminary data supporting the use of these probes in paternity analysis and forensic investigations.     

Drug and alcohol use as determinants of New York City homicide trends from 1990 to 1998

In this population-level study, we analyzed how well changes in drug and alcohol use among homicide victims explained declining homicide rates in New York City between 1990 and 1998. Victim demographics, cause of death, and toxicology were obtained for all homicide (N = 12573) and accidental death victims (N = 6351) between 1990 and 1998 from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of New York (OCME). The proportion of homicide and accident decedents positive for cocaine fell between 1990 and 1998 (13% and 9% respectively); the proportion of homicide and accident decedents positive for opiates and/or alcohol did not change significantly. Changing patterns of drug and alcohol use by homicide victims were comparable to changing patterns of drug and alcohol use in accident victims, suggesting that changes in drug and alcohol use among homicide victims between 1990 and 1998 cannot solely explain the decline in NYC homicide rates.