International Evidence Review of Conditional (Suspended) Sentences: Final Report

This report reviews international use of conditional sentences, specifically understood to mean a criminal sentence of imprisonment which is suspended pending a person's satisfaction of specific criteria. These sentences are being considered in jurisdictions seeking ways of managing prison population growth. The laws and any information about use of such sentences among selected countries is considered in the first part. The second part reviews research on perceptions of such sentences, and community-based sentences generally. This research was requested by and submitted to the Scottish Government

Professional decision making and women offenders : containing the chaos?

This article draws on the findings from research undertaken in south-east Scotland in 2008 which sought to identify the characteristics of female offenders and to document the views of policy makers and practitioners regarding the experiences of women involved in the Scottish criminal justice system. Despite Scotland having retained a stronger 'welfare' focus than elsewhere in the UK (e.g. McAra, 2008), this is not reflected in the treatment of women who offend, with the rate of female imprisonment having almost doubled in the last ten years and community based disposals falling short of a welfare-oriented system. This article explores why the treatment that women offenders receive in the criminal justice system may be harsh and disproportionate both in relation to their offending and in relation to the treatment of men. It is argued that interventions with women need to be initiated earlier in their cycle of offending and at an earlier stage in the criminal justice process but also that the wide-ranging health, welfare, financial and behavioural needs of women who offend cannot be met solely within an increasingly risk-averse and punitive criminal justice environment

Signatures of axion-like particles in the spectra of TeV gamma-ray sources

One interpretation of the unexplained signature observed in the PVLAS experiment invokes a new axion-like particle (ALP) with a two-photon vertex, allowing for photon-ALP oscillations in the presence of magnetic fields. In the range of masses and couplings suggested by PVLAS, the same effect would lead to a peculiar dimming of high-energy photon sources. For typical parameters of the turbulent magnetic field in the galaxy, the effect sets in at E_gamma >~ 10 TeV, providing an ALP signature in the spectra of TeV gamma sources that can be probed with Cherenkov telescopes. A dedicated search will be strongly motivated if the ongoing photon regeneration experiments confirm the PVLAS particle interpretation.Comment: 8 pages, 1 eps figure; typos corrected, matches published versio

Listening and learning : the reciprocal relationship between worker and client

The relationship between worker and client has for the best part of 100 years been the mainstay of probation, and yet has recently been eroded by an increased emphasis on punishment, blame and managerialism. The views of offenders are in direct contradiction to these developments within the criminal justice system and this article argues that only by taking account of the views of those at the 'coal face' will criminologists, policy makers and practitioners be able to effect real change in crime rates. The article thus focuses on the views of a sample of previously persistent offenders in Scotland about offending, desistance and how the system can help them. It explores not only their need for friendship and support in youth but also the close association between relationships and the likelihood of offending. It also demonstrates the views of offenders themselves about the importance of the working relationship with supervising officers in helping them desist from crime. The article concludes that the most effective way of reducing offending is to re-engage with the message of the Probation Act of 100 years ago, namely, to 'advise, assist and befriend' offenders rather than to 'confront, challenge and change' offending behaviour

Fast track children's hearing pilot: final report of the evaluation of the pilot

This report presents key findings of the evaluation of the Fast Track children’s hearings pilot in Scotland1. The research was undertaken by staff at the Universities of Glasgow, Stirling and Strathclyde between February 2003 and January 2005

Enforcement and compliance: critical practices for community rehabilitation companies and the new NPS?

Efforts to secure compliance have always been a core element of probation practice,although compliance has been constructed in diverse ways and promoted through different means throughout its history. This article takes a brief historical perspective and reviews recent research on enforcement practices and developing understandings of compliance. These guide a critical discussion of the practices that might develop as responsibilities for enforcement are divided between the new National Probation Service (NPS) and Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) under the Transforming Rehabilitation agenda, highlighting inevitable tensions and challenges, and anticipating how inter-agency practices might shape the ongoing construction of compliance. Charging more than one agency with responsibilities in relation to enforcement is tricky and creates risks in terms of legitimacy, credibility and justice. On the whole, future prospects seem difficult, but not hopeless and, in particular, there are examples of positive practices in probation and youth justice for the NPS and CRCs to draw upon as they develop their inter-agency structures and processes. Elsewhere, initiatives in problem-solving courts, focused, for example, on drug users, may also give indicators of constructive ways forwar

Magnetic cycles of the planet-hosting star Tau Bootis: II. a second magnetic polarity reversal

In this paper, we present new spectropolarimetric observations of the planet-hosting star Tau Bootis, using ESPaDOnS and Narval spectropolarimeters at Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) and Telescope Bernard Lyot (TBL), respectively. We detected the magnetic field of the star at three epochs in 2008. It is a weak magnetic field of only a few Gauss, oscillating between a predominant toroidal component in January and a dominant poloidal component in June and July. A magnetic polarity reversal was observed relative to the magnetic topology in June 2007. This is the second such reversal observed in two years on this star, suggesting that Tau Boo has a magnetic cycle of about 2 years. This is the first detection of a magnetic cycle for a star other than the Sun. The role of the close-in massive planet in the short activity cycle of the star is questioned. Tau Boo has strong differential rotation, a common trend for stars with shallow convective envelope. At latitude 40 deg., the surface layer of the star rotates in 3.31 d, equal to the orbital period. Synchronization suggests that the tidal effects induced by the planet may be strong enough to force at least the thin convective envelope into corotation. Tau Boo shows variability in the Ca H & K and Halpha throughout the night and on a night to night time scale. We do not detect enhancement in the activity of the star that may be related to the conjunction of the planet. Further data is needed to conclude about the activity enhancement due to the planet.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures, 3 tables Accepted to MNRA

Spectropolarimetric observations of the transiting planetary system of the K dwarf HD 189733

With a Jupiter-mass planet orbiting at a distance of only 0.031 AU, the active K2 dwarf HD 189733 is a potential candidate in which to study the magnetospheric interactions of a cool star with its recently-discovered close-orbiting giant planet. We decided to explore the strength and topology of the large-scale magnetosphere of HD 189733, as a future benchmark for quantitative studies for models of the star/planet magnetic interactions. To this end, we used ESPaDOnS, the new generation spectropolarimeter at the Canada-France-Hawaii 3.6m telescope, to look for Zeeman circular polarisation signatures in the line profiles of HD 189733 in 2006 June and August. Zeeman signatures in the line profiles of HD 189733 are clearly detected in all spectra, demonstrating that a field is indeed present at the surface of the star. The Zeeman signatures are not modulated with the planet's orbital period but apparently vary with the stellar rotation cycle. The reconstructed large-scale magnetic field, whose strength reaches a few tens of G, is significantly more complex than that of the Sun; it involves in particular a significant toroidal component and contributions from magnetic multipoles of order up to 5. The CaII H & K lines clearly feature core emission, whose intensity is apparently varying mostly with rotation phase. Our data suggest that the photosphere and magnetic field of HD 189733 are sheared by a significant amount of differential rotation. Our initial study confirms that HD 189733 is an optimal target for investigating activity enhancements induced by closely orbiting planets. More data are needed, densely covering both the orbital and rotation cycles, to investigate whether and how much the planet contributes to the overall activity level of HD 189733.Comment: Accepted in Astronomy and Astrophysics, 12 page

Distribution and Abundance of Plant Species in Pastures and Rangelands

The competition-stress-disturbance (CSD) model of Grime (Plant strategies and vegetation processes, New York, John Wiley 1979) is used as the basis for discussing the forces that influence the distribution and abundan.ce. of plant species. Characteristics of plant strategies (competitive, ruderal and stress-tolerator) in both the established and regenerative phases are summarised. Pasture management can be viewed as the manipulation of competition, stress and disturbance. A number of pasture situations ( disturbance-diversity relationships, pasture degradation, weed invasion, management of abandoned farm land, species conservation) are analysed in ecological terms and the consequences for pasture management are outlined. The CSD model can be used to explain different situations and should be useftJI for- initial predictions in situations where there is insufficient knowledge of species to design detailed management strategies. When applying the model to agricultural situations, consideration must be given to production as well as plant fitness, survival and adaptation, and also to changes occurring because the vegetation may not be at CSD equilibrium

Female-perpetrated sexual abuse: a review of victim and professional perspectives

Professional attitudes towards female-perpetrated sexual abuse (FPSA) reportedly reflect he gender-role expectations found in broader society, which cast males almost exclusively as sexual aggressors or willing sexual recipients, females as sexually non-coercive or victims and male-perpetrated sexual abuse as particularly significant or injurious. Such views, however, appear to stand in contrast to the perspectives of individuals who have experienced FPSA. This paper details a systematic review of peer-reviewed quantitative and qualitative literature examining these different (professional and victim) perspectives. Although the methodological shortcomings of primary papers limit the conclusions that can be drawn, the findings suggest that victim and professional perspectives of FPSA remain discrepant; professionals generally considered FPSA as less serious, less harmful and less deserving of investigation than male-perpetrated abuse; while victims of FPSA felt their experiences influenced significantly their psychological wellbeing and abilities to form and maintain interpersonal relationships. These findings are discussed in relation to professional practice and suggestions for future research