Preliminary Exploration of Risk Assessment Predictors : Can Probationers who Re-Offend be Identified?

A retrospective study of 243 male probationers who had been on community based orders in Western Australia for a mean time of 15 months, was undertaken to explore differences between re-offenders and non re-offenders. Discriminant function analyses were employed in a series of designs where the mediating effects of geographic location and Aboriginality and non Aboriginality were investigated. The analyses revealed that the best static predictor item for distinguishing between non re-offenders and re-offenders in the entire sample was offence type (Wilks Lambda, .88, chi-square 25.589, df = 6, p \u3c .0005) and the best criminogenic need item was employment (Wilks Lambda, .96, chi-square 7.566, df = 2, p \u3c .05). In regional areas, drug use was !he primary predictor contributing to a function which significantly discriminated between and re-offenders and non re-offenders (Wilks Lambda, .78, chi-square 12.557, df = 4, p \u3c .05). The classification accuracy was 68% for grouped cases. This result was unexpected, as previous studies have consistently found static predictors to be primary predictors of risk. Analysis of the metropolitan area sub-sample produced results more consistent with previous findings. Offence type and number of breached orders loaded highly on a statistically significant function which satisfactorily discriminated between outcomes (Wilks Lambda, .81, chi-square 31.226, df= 6, p \u3c .0005). The analysis of race produced similar results. The variables which had tile highest loadings on the derived functions for both sub-samples were al11 static predictors of risk. Based on meta-analytic research outcomes of Andrews et al. (1990), it was also hypothesised that a chi-square analysis of court sanctioned probation conditions would reveal differences across re-offending outcome and the nature of the probation conditions. The results were consistent with the finding that general correctional service combined with a judicial alternative produced greater reductions in recidivism than a judicial alternative alone. The outcomes related to geographic location and race reinforced the importance of assessing risk of recidivism on the basis of population-specific attributes. Despite several limitations associated with the research design, the exploration provided future directions for the development of risk models and the use of judicial alternatives to reduce recidivism

An exploratory study to identify the predictors of sexual reoffending by male sexual offenders in Western Australia

As the prediction of the risk of sexual reoffending behaviour has become more important in the corrections setting, so has the development of instruments to assist practitioners in doing risk evaluations. International research underpins most of the instruments used in Western Australia (WA), and in Australia for that matter. The present study explored the predictive accuracy of instruments developed internationally and locally as a function of ethnicity (Indigenous and non Indigenous) and nature of offending (non violent sexual and violent sexual). The Rapid Risk Assessment for Sexual Recidivism (RRASOR) and the Static 99 were the international instruments, for the prediction of sexual reoffending, that were evaluated. Two WA instruments were investigated. Firstly, the Violent Offender Treatment Program Risk Assessment Scale (VOTP RAS), also called the Level of Service Need Inventory (LOSNI), an instrument that was developed to predict violent reoffending. Secondly, the 3-Predictor model that was previously developed by Allan and Dawson (2002) to predict sexual reoffending of Indigenous sexual offenders. Available data suggested that the locally developed 3-Predictor model was the most accurate of all these instruments

Retention of Low Income Children in Three Dental Studies Investigating Early Childhood Caries

Background: To our knowledge no dental studies have looked closely at subject retention, which is crucial to better understand oral health disparities. In this paper, we report retention rates and review and attempt to assess which retention strategies utilized in 3 dental research studies investigating ECC were effective for retaining WIC-enrolled children. The purpose of this paper is to discuss challenges that were encountered when working with these populations, describe characteristics of those not retained, and summarize some recommendations for future dental studies working at WIC sites. Methods: Three dental studies were conducted at WIC clinics in Iowa. Retention strategies focused on maintenance of contact over time, persistence in rescheduling appointments, utilization of incentives, high recruitment, and frequent communication with parents and program staff. Results: Retention rates in the studies ranged from 60 to 75 percent at the final research interventions. Studies were challenged by frequent moves of subjects, missed appointments, disconnected phones, busy schedules of parents, transportation problems, loss of child custody, family illness, and lack of interest. Those not retained in the studies were more likely to be younger, single, and less educated, with a lower household income and a non-Caucasian child. Lower retention was also associated with the presence of carious lesions. Conclusions: Despite many challenges, studies had good retention rates and benefited from the retention strategies. Future dental studies at WIC clinics may also benefit from arranging transportation, obtaining a free, 800 callback number, and offering after-hours appointments for working parents

How do differential explanations of voice-hearing influence attributions and behavioural intentions towards voice-hearers?

Explanations regarding the etiology of mental health difficulties have been found to affect public attitudes towards those who experience such difficulties. Utilizing a large, randomized parallel-groups design (N=1,004), we examined how standardized differential explanations of voice-hearing influence public attitudes, attributions, and behavioral intentions towards voice-hearers. Additionally, we incorporated a behavioral outcome measure to examine whether reported behavioral intentions towards voice-hearers were related to responses towards an individual with a history of voice-hearing. Consistent with attribution theory, mediated pathways between attributions and intentions were identified: broadly, viewing the voice-hearer's behavior as dangerous, within their personal responsibility, and global was associated with more coercive intentions – and these were mediated by feelings of fear, anger, and pity. Reported behavioral intentions demonstrated small-to-moderate associations with our behavioral outcome measure. The findings suggest that explanations regarding the etiology of mental health difficulties that seek to reduce public attributions of dangerousness, personal responsibility, and globality may facilitate more helpful responses towards voice-hearers

Characterization of Mauritius parakeet (Psittacula eques) microsatellite loci and their cross-utility in other parrots (Psittacidae, Aves).

We characterized 21 polymorphic microsatellite loci in the endangered Mauritius parakeet (Psittacula eques). Loci were isolated from a Mauritius parakeet genomic library that had been enriched separately for eight different repeat motifs. Loci were characterized in up to 43 putatively unrelated Mauritius parakeets from a single population inhabiting the Black River Gorges National Park, Mauritius. Each locus displayed between three and nine alleles, with the observed heterozygosity ranging between 0.39 and 0.96. All loci were tested in 10 other parrot species. Despite testing few individuals, between seven and 21 loci were polymorphic in each of seven species tested

Instant messaging: a novel means of facilitating the participation of hard-to-reach groups in sensitive topic research

As society becomes ever more reliant on internet technology for everyday communications, this paper explores the use of Instant Messaging (IM) in qualitative research. Discussed within the context of sensitive topic research with potentially hidden and hard-to-reach groups, the purpose of this paper is to discuss the value of adaptive and contemporary research approaches which facilitate participation on the terms of the participant.Reflecting on the data collection process from the primary authors PhD research, this paper critically considers some of the issues raised by IM facilitated semi-structured interviews, using a telephone interview completed as part of the same date collection process as a point of comparison.This paper raises a number of issues, including how the perceived depth of participant response is influenced by their brevity, resultant of the space between parties which allows for considered and concise communication. This disconnect, created by the use of technology, also has implications for the power relations between researcher and participant, and the ability to identify the non-verbal cues which communicate emotion and sentiment.This paper highlights that whilst limited in some respects, an IM facilitated interview provides a unique platform through which hidden and hard to reach groups may be empowered to participate in research, which they may usually avoid

Genetic and phenotypic divergence in an island bird: isolation by distance, by colonization or by adaptation?

Discerning the relative roles of adaptive and nonadaptive processes in generating differences among populations and species, as well as how these processes interact, is a fundamental aim in biology. Both genetic and phenotypic divergence across populations can be the product of limited dispersal and gradual genetic drift across populations (isolation by distance), of colonization history and founder effects (isolation by colonization) or of adaptation to different environments preventing migration between populations (isolation by adaptation). Here, we attempt to differentiate between these processes using island populations of Berthelot's pipit (Anthus berthelotii), a passerine bird endemic to three Atlantic archipelagos. Using microsatellite markers and approximate Bayesian computation, we reveal that the northward colonization of this species ca. 8500years ago resulted in genetic bottlenecks in the colonized archipelagos. We then show that high levels of genetic structure exist across archipelagos and that these are consistent with a pattern of isolation by colonization, but not with isolation by distance or adaptation. Finally, we show that substantial morphological divergence also exists and that this is strongly concordant with patterns of genetic structure and bottleneck history, but not with environmental differences or geographic distance. Overall, our data suggest that founder effects are responsible for both genetic and phenotypic changes across archipelagos. Our findings provide a rare example of how founder effects can persist over evolutionary timescales and suggest that they may play an important role in the early stages of speciation

Experiences with the Streptococcus mutans in Lakota Sioux (SMILeS) Study: Risk Factors for Caries in American Indian Children 0-3 Years

Severe Early Childhood Caries (S-ECC) is a terribly aggressive and devastating disease that is all too common in lower socio-economic children, but none more so that what is encountered in American Indian Tribes. Nationwide, approximately 27% of 2-5 year olds have decay while 62% percent of American Indian/Alaska Native children in the same age group have a history of decay (IHS 2010, NHANES 1999-2002). We have conducted a study of children from birth to 36 months of age on Pine Reservation to gain a better understanding of the variables that come into play in the development of this disease, from transmission and acquisition of Streptococcus mutans genotypes from mother to child to multiple dietary and behavioral components. This article describes how we established a direct partnership with the Tribe and the many opportunities and challenges we faced in performing this 5-year field study