Justice Data Base Directory

The Justice Data Base Directory was originally published in 1988 with an introduction, 8 chapters describing Alaska justice agencies and their data holdings, and an index. It was published in looseleaf notebook format for easy updating. Four updates were published in 1989–1992, each update consisting of additional chapters, revised table of contents and index, and updates to existing pages to reflect changes such as agency addresses. Five chapters were added in 1989; five in 1990; four in 1991; and five in 1992, for a total of 27 agencies covered by the Justice Data Base Directory in its final form. For archival purposes, this record includes all five versions of the directory. The 1992 edition is the most complete.The Justice Data Base Directory, first published in 1988 with new chapters added annually through 1992, presents information about the primary databases maintained by Alaska justice agencies and the procedures to be followed for access to the data. Its availability should substantially reduce the work required to identify the sources of data for research and policy development in law, law enforcement, courts, and corrections. The 1992 update to the directory adds five chapters, for a total of 27 Alaska agencies whose justice-related data holdings are described: Alaska Court System; Alaska Judicial Council; Alaska Commission on Judicial Conduct; Alaska Department of Law; Alaska Department of Public Safety (DPS) and three agencies under DPS: Alaska Police Standards Council, Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (CDSA), and Violent Crimes Compensation Board; Alaska Department of Corrections (DOC) and Parole Board; four agencies of the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services — Bureau of Vital Statistics (Division of Public Health), Epidemiology Section (Division of Public Health), Division of Family and Youth Services, and Office of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse; Alaska Public Defender Agency; Office of Public Advocacy (OPA); Alaska Bar Association; Alaska Justice Statistical Analysis Unit; Alaska Office of Equal Employment Opportunity (Office of the Governor); Alaska Office of the Ombudsman; Alaska Legal Services Corporation; Alaska Public Offices Commission; Alaska State Commission for Human Rights; Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Board; Legislative Research Agency; Legislative Affairs Agency; State Archives and Records Management Services (Alaska Department of Education). Fully indexed.Funded in part by a grant from the Bureau of Justice Statistics.1. Introduction / 2. Alaska Court System / 3. Alaska Department of Law / 4. Alaska Department of Public Safety / 5. Alaska Department of Corrections / 6. Division of Family and Youth Services, Alaska Department of Health and Social Services / 7. Alaska Bar Association / 8. Alaska Judicial Council / 9. Alaska Justice Statistical Analysis Unit / 10. Bureau of Vital Statistics, Division of Public Health, Alaska Department of Health and Social Services / 11. Alaska Office of Equal Employment Opportunity, Office of the Governor / 12. Office of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, Alaska Department of Health and Social Services / 13. Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, Alaska Department of Public Safety / 14. Epidemiology Section, Division of Public Health, Alaska Department of Health and Social Services / 15. Violent Crimes Compensation Board, Alaska Department of Public Safety / 16. Alaska Police Standards Council, Alaska Department of Public Safety / 17. Alcoholic Beverage Control Board / 18. Alaska Office of the Ombudsman / 19. State Archives and Records Management Services, Alaska Department of Education / 20. Legislative Research Agency / 21. Legislative Affairs Agency / 22. Alaska State Commission for Human Rights / 23. Parole Board, Alaska Department of Corrections / 24. Alaska Public Offices Commission / 25. Alaska Commission on Judicial Conduct / 26. Alaska Legal Services Corporation / 27. Office of Public Advocacy / 28. Alaska Public Defender Agency / 29. Inde

Why Have We Made Neglect So Complicated? Taking A Fresh Look At Noticing And Helping The Neglected Child

The experience of chronic neglect is extremely harmful to children’s physical, emotional, cognitive and behavioural development. As an area of resaerch it has been traditionally described as neglected and as an arena of practice it is viewed as complex and intractable. Over the last few decades, however, there has been a body of evidence building up to help with the understanding of the impact of neglect upon children and to guide intervention. This paper argues that this evidence is not being used to best effect and that curernt protective systems, like those in the UK, are still struggling to provide an effective response to neglected children. The language of neglect has become over-complicated and the systems and processes for assessment, planning and intervention are mired in bureacracy. Some of these complexities are explored in more detail and a model is proposed that would support a more direct and straightforward response to children whose needs are not being met

Improving access for patients – a practice manager questionnaire

BACKGROUND: The administrative and professional consequences of access targets for general practices, as detailed in the new GMS contract, are unknown. This study researched the effect of implementing the access targets of the new GP contract on general practice appointment systems, and practice manager satisfaction in a UK primary health care setting. METHODS: A four-part postal questionnaire was administered. The questionnaire was modified from previously validated questionnaires and the findings compared with data obtained from the Western Health and Social Services Board (WHSSB) in N Ireland. Practice managers from the 59 general practices in the WHSSB responded to the questionnaire. RESULTS: There was a 94.9% response rate. Practice managers were generally satisfied with the introduction of access targets for patients. Some 57.1% of responding practices, most in deprived areas (Odds ratio 3.13 -95% CI 1.01 – 9.80, p = 0.0256) had modified their appointment systems. Less booking flexibility was reported among group practices (p = 0.006), urban practices (p < 0.001) and those with above average patient list sizes (p < 0.001). Receptionists had not received training in patient appointment management in a quarter of practices. Practices with smaller list sizes were more likely than larger ones to utilise nurses in seeing extra patients (p = 0.007) or to undertake triage procedures (p = 0.062). CONCLUSION: The findings demonstrated the ability of general practices within the WHSSB to adjust to a demanding component of the new GP contract. Issues relating to the flexibility of patient appointment booking systems, receptionists' training and the development of the primary care nursing role were highlighted by the study

Differences in the quality of primary medical care for CVD and diabetes across the NHS: evidence from the quality and outcomes framework

Background: Health policy in the UK has rapidly diverged since devolution in 1999. However, there is relatively little comparative data available to examine the impact of this natural experiment in the four UK countries. The Quality and Outcomes Framework of the 2004 General Medical Services Contract provides a new and potentially rich source of comparable clinical quality data through which we compare quality of primary medical care for coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke, hypertension and diabetes across the four UK countries. &lt;p/&gt;Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was undertaken involving 10,064 general practices in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The main outcome measures were prevalence rates for CHD, stroke, hypertension and diabetes. Achievement on 14 simple process, 3 complex process, 9 intermediate outcome and 5 treatment indicators for the four clinical areas. &lt;p/&gt;Results: Prevalence varies by up to 28% between the four UK countries, which is not reflected in resource distribution between countries, and penalises practices in the high prevalence countries (Wales and Scotland). Differences in simple process measures across countries are small. Larger differences are found for complex process, intermediate outcome and treatment measures, most notably for Wales, which has consistently lower quality of care. Scotland has generally higher quality than England and Northern Ireland is most consistently the highest quality. &lt;p/&gt;Conclusion: Previously identified weaknesses in Wales related to waiting times appear to reflect a more general quality problem within NHS Wales. Identifying explanations for the observed differences is limited by the lack of comparable data on practice resources and organisation. Maximising the value of cross-jurisdictional comparisons of the ongoing natural experiment of health policy divergence within the UK requires more detailed examination of resource and organisational differences

What is an "adult protection" issue? Victims, perpetrators and the professional construction of adult protection issues

Drawing on data from a Scottish research study, this paper explores the relationship of professionals&rsquo; perceptions about specific perpetrators and victims to their constructions of &lsquo;adult protection&rsquo; issues in practice. It finds that professionals&rsquo; perceptions of victim distress did not consistently coincide with the construction of adult protection issues, whilst the connection to any assessment of victims&rsquo; heightened vulnerability in specific cases was not clear. With respect to perpetrators, implicit practice rules were evidenced which differed from explicit policy criteria. In particular, there were different rules for relatives, staff and service user perpetrators, whilst harms attributed to institutions were de-emphasized. Explanations of the findings are advanced based on the complex power relations underpinning practice but unacknowledged in policies. More research is recommended to deepen this analysis in a changing policy context, to foreground service user perspectives, and to contextualize harms potentially resolvable through adult support and protection/safeguarding routes with respect to harms better addressed in other ways

A Community Schools Approach to Accessing Services and Improving Neighborhood Outcomes in Manchester, NH

This brief uses data collected by the Manchester Health Department in 2013 and analyzed by the Carsey School of Public Policy in the Bakersville, Beech Street, and Gossler Park neighborhoods in Manchester, New Hampshire, to provide information about how barriers to various dimensions of well-being differ by place and also across race/ethnicity, foreign-born status, and age. Survey data and focus groups also gave residents a voice in the implementation of the Manchester Community Schools Project—a partnership between the Manchester Health Department, city elementary schools, philanthropists, neighborhood residents, and several nonprofit agencies—to improve and enhance educational achievement, economic well-being, access to health care services, healthy behaviors, social connectedness, safety, and living environments. A key element of this project is to make elementary schools in the Bakersville, Beech Street, and Gossler Park neighborhoods centerpieces of community life for all residents, not just those with children. Author Justin Young reports that one-quarter of residents surveyed in 2013 in the Manchester neighborhoods of Bakersville, Beech Street, and Gossler Park say that difficulty in finding services is a major hindrance, especially to economic stability, health, and social connectedness. Focus group data suggest that the city’s foreign-born residents, especially Hispanics, have the most trouble finding and accessing services. Cost is an obstacle to accessing health care services, and older and younger focus group participants, as well as immigrants, say the cost of transportation is a barrier to accessing services. He concludes that the neighborhood in which one lives shapes a variety of outcomes related to well-being, and that a place-based approach like the community schools model can improve outcomes not only for residents of the Bakersville, Beech Street, and Gossler Park areas but for all Manchester residents