One Size Fits All? Ghanaian Perceptions of Law Enforcement and the Importation of American Community Policing

The purpose of this presentation was to introduce a research project that the authors have ongoing with the Ghana National Police Service (Accra, Ghana, Africa). This focus of this project is to assist the Ghanaian police in the development and implementation of a “community policing” program. In 2008, a new Director of Community Policing had been hired, although she expressed that she and the officers had absolutely no training or education in theories and practices related to community policing. This presentation showcased the authors’ initial efforts to help solve that problem. Three major aspects are covered in this presentation, 1) an overview of the Ghana National Police Service’s para-militaristic philosophy and how they will face unique challenges as they move towards a more community centered approach, 2) a brief overview of a survey of officers perceptions conducted by the authors, and 3) an over off the barriers and facilitators of this endeavor with a special emphasis on how culture and prior experience may negatively impact future initiatives

Researching Crime, Justice, and Social Control in Ghana: Evolving Issues in a Developing African Country

The purpose of this presentation is to discuss a recent research project which seeks to offer an examination of the unique relationship between the traditional Ghanaian indigenous justice system and the established state-administered justice system. This is an overview of the interesting blend of indigenous practices (rooted in religious practices and strongly associated with spirituality and mysticism) and state (formal justice and governmental systems) in the Ghanaian justice system. In addition the topics of the treatment of women and children within these systems and the use of alternative dispute resolution, restorative justice, and conflict resolution strategies inherent within the two justice systems (indigenous and state-administered) are discussed

Legend Tripping as Field Research: Investigating the Connection of “Satanic Tourism” to Juvenile Delinquency

Gary Alan Fine and Jeffrey Victor (1994) defined “legend trips” as inherently delinquent juvenile activities at geographic sites associated with some tragic event, rumored to be supernatural or related to the occult. “Satanic tourism” is a type of legend trip characterized by juvenile involvement in pseudo-Satanic/occult behavior, such as drawing pentagrams, writing epithets, and burning candles. A juvenile may visit a geographic location such as an abandoned church, historic graveyard, or reputedly “haunted” site, and engage in mischievous, destructive, or “ritualistic” behaviors as “rites of passage.” These activities, which often are relatively harmless and conducted primarily for juvenile thrills, may be perceived by law enforcement and the larger community as threatening and dangerous. This presentation will consist of student research, conducted as part of the requirements of CJ 390: Special Topics: Goth and Occult Influence on Juvenile Violence (Spring 2007), and will include photos and stories of legend trip sites and associated juvenile delinquency in Topeka, Kansas and the surrounding region

Legend Tripping as Field Research: Investigating the Connection of “Satanic Tourism” to Juvenile Delinquency

Gary Alan Fine and Jeffrey Victor (1994) defined “legend trips” as inherently delinquent juvenile activities at geographic sites associated with some tragic event, rumored to be supernatural or related to the occult. “Satanic tourism” is a type of legend trip characterized by juvenile involvement in pseudo-Satanic/occult behavior, such as drawing pentagrams, writing epithets, and burning candles. A juvenile may visit a geographic location such as an abandoned church, historic graveyard, or reputedly “haunted” site, and engage in mischievous, destructive, or “ritualistic” behaviors as “rites of passage.” These activities, which often are relatively harmless and conducted primarily for juvenile thrills, may be perceived by law enforcement and the larger community as threatening and dangerous. This presentation will consist of student research, conducted as part of the requirements of CJ 390: Special Topics: Goth and Occult Influence on Juvenile Violence (Spring 2007), and will include photos and stories of legend trip sites and associated juvenile delinquency in Topeka, Kansas and the surrounding region

A Conserved Role for Atlastin GTPases in Regulating Lipid Droplet Size

Lipid droplets (LDs) are the major fat storage organelles in eukaryotic cells, but how their size is regulatedis unknown. Using genetic screens in C.elegans for LD morphology defects in intestinal cells, we found that mutations in atlastin, a GTPase required for homotypic fusion of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membranes, cause not only ER morphology defects, but also a reduction in LD size. Similar results were obtained after depletion of atlastin or expression of a dominant-negative mutant, whereas overexpression of atlastin had the opposite effect. Atlastin depletion in Drosophila fat bodies also reduced LD size and decreased triglycerides in whole animals, sensitizing them to starvation. In mammalian cells, co-overexpression of atlastin-1 and REEP1, a paralog of the ER tubule-shaping protein DP1/REEP5, generates large LDs. The effect of atlastin-1 on LD size correlates with its activity to promote membrane fusion invitro. Our results indicate that atlastin-mediated fusion of ER membranes is important for LD size regulation. © 2013 The Authors