Seasonal Use of Marijuana and Cocaine by Arrestees in Anchorage, Alaska

Previously presented at the Western Society of Criminology, Honolulu, HI, Feb 2005.This paper explores the relation between season (fall, winter, spring and summer) and drug use among arrestees. The analysis examines seasonal differences of proportions of drug tests positive for marijuana or cocaine among recently arrested and booked suspects in Anchorage, Alaska. The study is based on Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (ADAM) data collected in Anchorage during the period between 1999 and the third quarter of 2003.Paper supported in part by Grant No. 2002-BJ-CX-K018 from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice.Abstract / Seasonal Use of Drugs / Data and Methods of Analysis / Seasonality and Marijuana Use / Seasonality and Cocaine Use / Discussion / Reference

Results From the Long-Term Inmate Survey: Focus on Child Abuse Histories

This report of long-term inmates in Alaska correctional facilities attempts to describe the childhood experiences of a sample of long-term inmates, address the "cycle of abuse" issue; and present the correlates of abuse which may impact the pattern of offending or inmate functioning. Over 80 percent of long-term inmates report having been physically abused as children; over 65 percent report having suffered neglect.Alaska Department of CorrectionsResults from the Long Term Inmate Study: Focus on Child Abuse Histories / Incidence of Child Abuse and the Relationship to Criminality / Measuring Child Abuse and Neglect: A Review of Methods / Survey Methods and Administration / An Assessment of Survey Biases / Tables to Support Profile Analysis / Personal Interview Administration and Results / Correlates of Abus

Atlas of Anchorage Community Indicators

The Anchorage Community Indicators (ACI) project is designed to make information (extracted from data) accessible so that conversations about the health and well-being of Anchorage may become more completely informed. Policy makers, social commentators, service delivery systems, and scholars often stake out positions based on anecdotal evidence or hunches when, in many instances, solid, empirical evidence could be compiled to support or challenge these opinions.The Atlas of Anchorage Community Indicators makes empirical information about neighborhoods widely accessible to many different audiences. The initial selection of indicators for presentation in the Atlas was inspired by Peter Blau and his interest in measures of heterogeneity (diversity) and inequality and by the work of the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods. In both cases the measures they developed were well-conceptualized and validated. The Atlas presents community indicators at the census block group level derived from data captured in the 2000 U.S. Census and the 2005 Anchorage Community Survey. All maps in the Atlas are overlaid by Community Council boundaries to facilitate comparisons across maps.Introduction / COMMUNITY COUNCIL BOUNDARY MAPS / Eagle River Community Councils / North Anchorage Community Councils / South Anchorage Community Councils / Girdwood Community Councils / CENSUS-DERIVES INDICATORS AT BLOCK GROUP LEVEL / 1. Concentrated Affluence / 2. Concentrated Disadvantage / 3. Housing Density / 4. Immigrant Concentration / 5. Index of Concentration at Extremes / 6. Industrial Heterogeneity / 7. Multiform Disadvantage / 8. Occupational Heterogeneity / 9. Population Density / 10. Racial Heterogeneity / 11. Ratio of Adults to Children / 12. Residential Stability / 13. Income Inequality // APPENDIX: ACI Technical Report: Initial Measures Derived from Censu

Electrophysiological, cognitive and clinical profiles of at-risk mental state: the longitudinal minds in transition (MinT) study

The onset of schizophrenia is typically preceded by a prodromal period lasting several years during which sub-threshold symptoms may be identified retrospectively. Clinical interviews are currently used to identify individuals who have an ultra-high risk (UHR) of developing a psychotic illness with a view to provision of interventions that prevent, delay or reduce severity of future mental health issues. The utility of bio-markers as an adjunct in the identification of UHR individuals is not yet established. Several event-related potential measures, especially mismatch-negativity (MMN), have been identified as potential biomarkers for schizophrenia. In this 12-month longitudinal study, demographic, clinical and neuropsychological data were acquired from 102 anti-psychotic naive UHR and 61 healthy controls, of whom 80 UHR and 58 controls provided valid EEG data during a passive auditory task at baseline. Despite widespread differences between UHR and controls on demographic, clinical and neuropsychological measures, MMN and P3a did not differ between these groups. Of 67 UHR at the 12-month follow-up, 7 (10%) had transitioned to a psychotic illness. The statistical power to detect differences between those who did or did not transition was limited by the lower than expected transition rate. ERPs did not predict transition, with trends in the opposite direction to that predicted. In exploratory analysis, the strongest predictors of transition were measures of verbal memory and subjective emotional disturbance.Rebbekah J. Atkinson, W. Ross Fulham, Patricia T. Michie, Philip B. Ward, Juanita Todd, Helen Stain ... et al

A descriptive study of a manual therapy intervention within a randomised controlled trial for hamstring and lower limb injury prevention

The journal has been informed by its publisher BioMed Central that contrary to the statement in this article [Wayne Hoskins, Henry Pollard, Chiropractic & Osteopathy 2010, 18:23], they have been advised by the authors' institution Macquarie University, that its Human Research Ethics Committee did not approve this study. Because the study was conducted without institutional ethics committee approval it has been retracted

Applying Sentinel Event Reviews to Policing

A sentinel event review (SER) is a system-based, multistakeholder review of an organizational error. The goal of an SER is to prevent similar errors from recurring in the future rather than identifying and punishing the responsible parties. In this article, we provide a detailed description of one of the first SERs conducted in an American police department—the review of the Lex Street Massacre investigation and prosecution, which resulted in the wrongful incarceration of four innocent men for 18 months. The results of the review suggest that SERs may help identify new systemic reforms for participating police departments and other criminal justice agencies