'Reclaiming the criminal' : the role and training of prison officers in England, 1877-1914

This article examines the role and training of prison officers in England, between 1877 and 1914. It is concerned with the changing penal philosophies and practices of this period and how these were implemented in local prisons, and the duties of the prison officer. More broadly, this article argues that the role of the prison officer and their training (from 1896) reflect wider ambiguities in prison policy and practice during this period

The impact of the Great Exhibition of 1851 on the development of technical education during the second half of the nineteenth century

This paper examines the contribution made by the mechanics’ institute movement in Britain just prior to, and following, the opening of the Great Exhibition of 1851 in London. It argues that far from making little contribution to education, as often portrayed by historians, the movement was ideally positioned to respond to the findings of the Exhibition, which were that foreign goods on display were often more advanced than those produced in Britain. The paper highlights, through a regional study, how well suited mechanics’ institutes were in organising their own exhibitions, providing the idea of this first international exhibition. Subsequently, many offered nationally recognised technical subject examinations through relevant education as well as informing government commissions, prior to the passing of the Technical Instruction Acts in 1889 and the Local Taxation Act of 1890. These acts effectively put mechanics’ institutes into state ownership as the first step in developing further education for all in Britai

Algebraic characteristic classes for idempotent matrices

This paper contains the algebraic analog for idempotent matrices of the Chern-Weil theory of characteristic classes. This is used to show, algebraically, that the canonical line bundle on the complex projective space is not stably trivial. Also a theorem is proved saying that for any smooth manifold there is a canonical epimorphism from the even dimensional algebraic de Rham cohomology of its algebra of smooth functions onto the standard even dimensional de Rham cohomology of the manifold

Ethnic differences in blood lipids and dietary intake between UK children of black African, black Caribbean, South Asian, and white European origin: the Child Heart and Health Study in England (CHASE).

BACKGROUND: Ischemic heart disease (IHD) rates are lower in UK black Africans and black Caribbeans and higher in South Asians when compared with white Europeans. Ethnic differences in lipid concentrations may play a part in these differences. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to investigate blood lipid and dietary patterns in UK children from different ethnic groups. DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional study in 2026 UK children (including 285 black Africans, 188 black Caribbeans, 534 South Asians, and 512 white Europeans) attending primary schools in London, Birmingham, and Leicester. We measured fasting blood lipid concentrations and collected 24-h dietary recalls. RESULTS: In comparison with white Europeans, black African children had lower total cholesterol (-0.14 mmol/L; 95% CI: -0.25, -0.04 mmol/L), LDL-cholesterol (-0.10 mmol/L; 95% CI: -0.20, -0.01 mmol/L), and triglyceride concentrations (proportional difference: -0.11 mmol/L; 95% CI: -0.16, -0.06 mmol/L); HDL-cholesterol concentrations were similar. Lower saturated fat intakes (-1.4%; 95% CI: -1.9%, -0.9%) explained the differences between total and LDL cholesterol. Black Caribbean children had total, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, and triglyceride concentrations similar to those for white Europeans, with slightly lower saturated fat intakes. South Asian children had total and LDL-cholesterol concentrations similar to those for white Europeans, lower HDL-cholesterol concentrations (-0.7 mmol/L; 95% CI: -0.11, -0.03 mmol/L), and elevated triglyceride concentrations (proportional difference: 0.14 mmol/L; 95% CI: 0.09, 0.20 mmol/L); higher polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat intakes did not explain these lipid differences. CONCLUSIONS: Only black African children had a blood lipid profile and associated dietary pattern likely to protect against future IHD. The loss of historically lower LDL-cholesterol concentrations among UK black Caribbeans and South Asians may have important adverse consequences for future IHD risk in these groups

The ‘Great Decarceration’: Historical Trends and Future Possibilities

During the 19th Century, hundreds of thousands of people were caught up in what Foucault famously referred to as the ‘great confinement’, or ‘great incarceration’, spanning reformatories, prisons, asylums, and more. Levels of institutional incarceration increased dramatically across many parts of Europe and the wider world through the expansion of provision for those defined as socially marginal, deviant, or destitute. While this trend has been the focus of many historical studies, much less attention has been paid to the dynamics of ‘the great decarceration’ that followed for much of the early‐ to mid‐20th Century. This article opens with an overview of these early decarceration trends in the English adult and youth justice systems and suggests why these came to an end from the 1940s onwards. It then explores parallels with marked decarceration trends today, notably in youth justice, and suggests how these might be expedited, extended, and protected

Racism and hate speech – A critique of Scanlon’s Contractual Theory

The First Amendment is an important value in American liberal polity. Under this value, racism, hate speech and offensive speech are protected speech. This article scrutinizes one of the clear representatives of the American liberal polity - Thomas Scanlon. The paper tracks the developments in his theory over the years. It is argued that Scanlon’s arguments downplay tangible harm that speech might inflict on its target victim audience. Scanlon’s distinction between participant interests, audience interests, and the interests of bystanders is put under close scrutiny. The article criticizes viewpoint neutrality and suggests a balancing approach, further arguing that democracy is required to develop protective mechanisms against harm-facilitating speech as well as profound offences. Both should be taken most seriously