“MEET THE DEVIL… HE’LL CHILL YOU TO THE BONE” FEAR, MARGINALIZATION, AND THE COLOUR OF CRIME: A THIRTY-YEAR ANALYSIS OF FOUR CANADIAN NEWSPAPERS

It has been well established that fear of crime is, at least in part, influenced by the media. Past research has shown that escalation of fear in many Western societies has resulted from increased media coverage of crime. Despite the diversity of media outlets, a common discourse emergescriminal behaviour is a product of bad people, from poor neighbourhoods, preying on innocent and undeserving victims. Critical approaches to the study of media show crime reporting as a political act, involving deepening stereotypes and Othering of marginalized people based on their age, race, and gender. Missing from the literature is a detailed portrait of the nature of media representations of crime and how it may shift over time. The goal of my research is to fill this gap by analyzing how differences between offenders and victims’ race, age, and gender as described in newspaper crime reports significantly impact the probability that these articles would contain language promoting a discourse of fear and marginalization. A combination of critical theoriesincluding critical criminology, feminism, postcolonial theory, and critical discourse analysisare used to develop themes related to media representations of gender, race, and language. Because race, gender, and age in the context of crime cannot be extracted from class, discussions of class also appear throughout the thesis. Four newspapersthe Vancouver Sun, Saskatoon Star Phoenix, Winnipeg Free Press, and the Toronto Starwere examined over a span of thirty years through a mixed methods approach combining content and critical discourse analyses. A total of 480 newspapers and 1, 190 crime articles constituted the empirical sample for this research. Two themesfear and marginalizationas well as twelve subthemes emerge from the empirical and theoretical literature. The research results show that differences in language can be observed in Canadian crime reports based on mentions of race, age, and gender of both the offenders and victims. Throughout all thirty years, articles indicated that crimes against white victims used fearful language, while visible minority victims were blamed for their victimization. White offenders were disproportionately criminalized and dehumanized with depictions that frequently undermined their claim to normal membership of their racial group through extraordinary character defect. Visible minority offenders were linked to poverty. Portrayals of female offenders accurately depicted them as generally low risk; both female offenders and female victims were treated in a largely equal manner. Women offenders were dichotomized into sexualized bad girls or malicious black widows. Female victims were either depicted as bad victims (i.e. racialized victims) who were blamed for their circumstances, or good victims who garnered sympathy through negative portrayals of their offenders. Young offenders and victims were often linked to gang activity, and language regarding them contained a mix of both fear and marginalization. The dissertation concludes by providing support to the critical paradigms with which it engages, demonstrating the need to include an analysis of critical criminology, race, gender, and a deconstruction of language. The study directs our attention to the necessity for further research on the benefits of educational programs for both those disseminating the discourse of crime and those consuming it

Psychiatrists’ views on recovery colleges

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide insight into the views and attitudes that psychiatrists have about Recovery Colleges (RCs). Design/methodology/approach: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 psychiatrists from the Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust (NSFT). Findings: Psychiatrists had a strong concept of the RC model, and were broadly positive about it, recognising many benefits. Various challenges were also acknowledged including how the RC model interacts with the medical model. Originality/value: This is the first known study to explore solely psychiatrist’s views of RCs, a group who are likely to be particularly influential within services. The sample was relatively unexposed to RCs, enabling insight into how the RC is perceived by those outside of its functioning as well as the state of wider organisational support, which is important for the success of RCs

Effect of gender on violent and non-violent recidivism : a meta-analysis

A large body of literature has been dedicated to understanding re-offending after release from prison - a phenomenon known as recidivism. Such research is critical both to understanding the determinants of crime and optimizing the correctional system. A meta-analysis was conducted using 49 published studies on actuarial predictors of both violent and non-violent recidivism in men and women. The current analysis resulted in 65 effect sizes between violent recidivists and non-recidivists, and 60 effect sizes between violent recidivists with non-violent recidivists. Several variables (drug/alcohol use, age, and marriage) were predictive of recidivism. Gender differences were also observed. In men, increased violent criminal history was associated with increased violent recidivism. In women, a younger age at first offence and longer sentences were predictive of violent re-offending. Despite limited data on women, pursuing the predictors of recidivism is a rewarding avenue of research which can lead to many possibilities within this field

Cholesteatoma and family history: An international survey

Objective To explore the relative frequency of a family history of cholesteatoma in patients with known cholesteatoma, and whether bilateral disease or earlier diagnosis is more likely in those with a family history. Associations between cleft lip or palate and bilateral disease and age of diagnosis were also explored. Design An online survey of patients with diagnosed cholesteatoma was conducted between October 2017 and April 2019. Participants The sample consisted of patients recruited from two UK clinics and self‐selected respondents recruited internationally via social media. Main outcome measures Side of cholesteatoma, whether respondents had any family history of cholesteatoma, age of diagnosis and personal or family history of cleft lip or palate were recorded. Results Of 857 respondents, 89 (10.4%) reported a positive family history of cholesteatoma. Respondents with a family history of cholesteatoma were more likely to have bilateral cholesteatoma (P = .001, odds ratio (OR) 2.15, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.35‐3.43), but there was no difference in the age of diagnosis (P = .23). Those with a history of cleft lip or palate were not more likely to have bilateral disease (P = .051, OR 2.71, CI 1.00‐7.38), and there was no difference in age of diagnosis (P = .11). Conclusion The relatively high proportion of respondents that reported a family history of cholesteatoma offers supporting evidence of heritability in cholesteatoma. The use of social media to recruit respondents to this survey means that the results cannot be generalised to other populations with cholesteatoma. Further population‐based research is suggested to determine the heritability of cholesteatoma

“Keeping It Together, Keeping Their Heads Above Water”: Western Australian Child Health Nurses’ Understanding Of Resilience In Postpartum Mothers

Assessing the well-being of postpartum mothers is an important aspect of postnatal nursing care. For this reason, Child Health Nurses (CHNs) are charged with the responsibility of identifying postpartum mothers who do/not manifest resilient behavioral qualities. However, little is known about CHNs’ conceptualization of resilience or how they assess resilience in postpartum mothers. This exemplar study addressed this knowledge shortfall by conducting semi-structured interviews with eight practicing CHNs. The study’s findings reveal that although CHNs’ conceptual understanding of resilience is congruent with current theoretical thinking, some variance does exist in the ways in which CHNs assess postpartum resilience, particularly, in relation to CHNs’ use of intuitive assessment techniques to appraise the critical maternal postpartum coping qualities of adaptation, responsiveness, self-confidence, and social connectedness

Predatory impact of the myctophid fish community on zooplankton in the Scotia Sea (Southern Ocean)

Myctophids are the most abundant mesopelagic fishes in the Southern Ocean, although their trophic role within the predominantly krill-based food web in regions south of the Antarctic Polar Front (APF) is poorly resolved. This study therefore examined the diets of 10 species of myctophid fishes: Electrona antarctica, E. carlsbergi, Gymnoscopelus braueri, G. fraseri, G. nicholsi, Krefftichthys anderssoni, Protomyctophum bolini, P. tenisoni, P. choriodon and Nannobrachium achirus, in the Scotia Sea, together with their predatory impact on the underlying zooplankton community. Myctophids and their prey were sampled in different seasons by scientific nets deployed across the Scotia Sea from the sea-ice zone to the APF. Based on the percentage index of relative importance, myctophids had high overlap in their diets, although the data indicate dietary specialisation in some species. There was also a distinct switch in diet, from copepods to euphausiids and amphipods, with increasing myctophid size. Myctophid predation impacted daily copepod production by between 0.01 and 5%, with Calanus simillimus being most impacted. Total annual consumption of copepods was around 1.5 million t (Mt) per year. All myctophids preyed upon the euphausiid Thysanoessa spp., consuming ~12% of its daily productivity and around 4 Mt per year. However, only larger myctophid species preyed upon Antarctic krill Euphausia superba, consuming 2% of its daily productivity, which could amount to as much as 17 Mt per year. Themisto gaudichaudii was also an important dietary component, with 4% of its daily productivity being consumed, amounting to around 2 Mt per year. This study demonstrates that myctophids link secondary productivity to higher predators both through krill-dependent and krill-independent trophic pathways

Comparison of Group-based Outpatient Physiotherapy With Usual Care After Total Knee Replacement: a Feasibility Study For a Randomized Controlled Trial

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of conducting a randomized controlled trial comparing group-based outpatient physiotherapy with usual care in patients following total knee replacement. Design: A feasibility study for a randomized controlled trial. Setting: One secondary-care hospital orthopaedic centre, Bristol, UK. Participants: A total of 46 participants undergoing primary total knee replacement. Interventions: The intervention group were offered six group-based exercise sessions after surgery. The usual care group received standard postoperative care. Participants were not blinded to group allocation. Outcome measures: Feasibility was assessed by recruitment, reasons for non-participation, attendance, and completion rates of study questionnaires that included the Lower Extremity Functional Scale and Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score. Results: Recruitment rate was 37%. Five patients withdrew or were no longer eligible to participate. Intervention attendance was high (73%) and 84% of group participants reported they were ‘very satisfied’ with the exercises. Return of study questionnaires at six months was lower in the usual care (75%) than in the intervention group (100%). Mean (standard deviation) Lower Extremity Functional Scale scores at six months were 45.0 (20.8) in the usual care and 57.8 (15.2) in the intervention groups. Conclusion: Recruitment and retention of participants in this feasibility study was good. Group-based physiotherapy was acceptable to participants. Questionnaire return rates were lower in the usual care group, but might be enhanced by telephone follow-up. The Lower Extremity Functional Scale had high responsiveness and completion rates. Using this outcome measure, 256 participants would be required in a full-scale randomized controlled trial