A comparison of corrections' management from a Scandinavian and an African perspective with the emphasis on release policies

In recent South African correctional history the release of inmates has become the topic of much debate. The researcher investigated the phenomenon in a number of different countries. Release practices in Scandinavia were investigated, with the emphasis on Denmark, where reintegration of inmates back into society after release has proven to be successful. In addition, noteworthy release practices in Africa were also investigated. Included in the discussion is the extra-mural labour practice from Botswana and how the perpetrators of genocide are dealt with in Rwanda. The research is rounded off with discussions about the release of inmates in South Africa

Contemporary corrections in South Africa after more than a decade of transformation

South Africa entered its second decade as a democracy. During this period the State was obliged to transform in various areas of Government. The process of transformation was eagerly implemented and executed in the Department of Correctional Services. This Department is a major role-player in the criminal justice system. Responsibilities span over a large front and include the management of persons awaiting trial, sentenced offenders who are imprisoned, those sentenced to community corrections, and offenders who were released on parole. This article investigates that process of transformation. Particular areas of investigation include, inter alia, the reasons for transformation, Constitutional and other legal influences, personnel issues, prison crowding, management philosophies, privatisation of State assets, and dealing with HIV/AIDS. The investigation highlights successes in transformation, but also deals with areas where transformation could have been more successful. The discussion is regarded important for understanding progress and obstacles experienced by societies in transition.Penolog

The Stock Market and the Steppe: the challenges faced by stock-market financed, Nordic farming ventures in Russia and Ukraine

Situated in the global discussion on large-scale land acquisitions, this paper examines the poor performance of Nordic owned, publicly traded, very large-scale farms (agroholdings) in Russia and Ukraine. In depth study of concrete examples of this emerging farm organization is still rare. This paper investigates the impact of the financialization of agriculture on the performance, agricultural and otherwise, of such farm companies, which is also an emerging field of inquiry. In other words, this paper seeks to go beyond discussion of “land-grabbing” and return to an older question concerning large-scale farming in developing country settings: is it even successful? In unique, exploratory research, the authors have gone “inside” these companies through interviews and attending shareholder meetings. Also, the authors have examined the discourse found in press accounts and corporate documents, the latter an underutilized source in research on corporate mega-farms. We find that finance, usually asserted as an advantage for such large-scale farms, proved in important respects to be incompatible with farming in the investigated companies, as it led to the initial prioritization of short-term speculative strategies over longer-termproduction-oriented strategies. We further find that investors initially failed to appreciate the unique climatic and other local challenges presented by agriculture, compared to other economic endeavors. Finally we note that these corporations are struggling to demonstrate economies of scale. Our results suggest that, unless conditions change, stock market financed large-scale farming companies are unlikely to play an important role in future direct food production in the region

Imaging in the aftermath of COVID-19: what to expect.

No abstract availabl

Moms Behind Bars: Motherhood in Eshowe Correctional Center

Motherhood represents a integral part of human life. In South Africa particularly, mothers are primarily responsible for caring for their families, often with little or no help from a male partner. But what happens to the notion of motherhood when women find themselves separated from their children or raising children in a restrictive and harsh environment? This study looks at the construction of motherhood within Eshowe Correctional Facility for Women. I conducted research as an attachment to Phoenix Zululand, an organization that provides rehabilitation services to inmates in the prisons of Zululand. For two weeks, I lead Phoenix\u27s program “Starting with Us” with a group of incarcerated mothers, focusing on and expanding the sessions that dealt with parenting. The results indicate that incarcerated mothers face myriad difficulties within the prison system. Central to this is there understanding of themselves as mothers. I find that these women are unable to reconcile their imprisonment with their identity as mothers, leaving them with feelings of guilt and inadequacy. I also look at the presence of a mother and child unit within Eshowe Correctional Center and provide suggestions for improvement based on the needs and recommendations of the mothers in prison

Editorial: Procalcitonin direct antibiotic therapy in immunocompromised patients

No Abstrac

Diversity in gender and visual representation: an introduction

This Special Issue builds upon key arguments that emerged during the course of an interdisciplinary conference that was hosted by the Centre for Gender Studies (University of Winchester, UK) in September 2012. The conference, themed ‘Gender and Visual Representation’, aimed to encourage and develop understanding concerning the social category of gender, the concept of visual representation and their relationship. In doing so, it hoped not only to bring people together with an interest in this field, but also to stimulate discussion within and between disciplines, research paradigms and methods. An added emphasis on ‘real world’ issues sought to inspire and contribute towards broader feminist activism

Creating a Chronocline of the Diet of Theropithecus From Low-magnification Stereomicroscopy: How Has the Diet of Theropithecus Changed Over Time?

The primate genus Theropithecus is represented at various Plio-Pleistocene sites including the Pliocene site of Makapansgat (2.9 mya), the early Pleistocene cave of Swartkrans (1.8 mya), the late Pleistocene deposits from Elandsfontein (700,000 ka) and by extant gelada baboons from Ethiopia. To examine how diet has changed over time in this genus, dental microwear features of Theropithecus darti (n=2), Theropithecus danieli (n=8), Theropithecus gelada (n=2) Theropithecus oswaldi (n=1) Parapapio whitei (n=14), Papio robinsoni (n=16) and Papio ursinus (n=13) were examined under low-magnification (35x) using light refractive technology. Although there is a significant relationship between small pits and fine scratches, Analysis of Variance followed by Tukey’s post-hoc tests failed to demonstrate significant groupings. However, bivariate analyses suggest that as scratch count increases, pit count decreases. The results suggest that there is much dietary variation in modern and extinct gelada baboons, but that extant Theropithecus relies somewhat more on grassland resources than did their extinct counterparts