The tradition about the mons Caelius

This essay offers three arguments concerning the ancient tradition about the mons Caelius. (1) Tacitus’ digression on the name of the mons Caelius at Annals 4.65 provides a useful framework for interpreting the complexity of the tradition: Caeles Vibenna should be regarded as a constant feature, his chronological context as an unstable feature that was recognised as such. (2) Claudius’ report of Etruscan auctores on the naming of the mons Caelius in his speech of A.D. 48 about the Gauls, correctly emended, offers a unique etymology that cannot be reconciled with Roman accounts. (3) The presence of appellitare in Tacitus’ digression and Claudius’ speech is normally assumed to prove Tacitus’ debt to Claudius, but this assumption cannot be sustained in the face of their fundamentally irreconcilable treatments of Caeles Vibenna. Tacitus used appellitare independently of Claudius, who was not a source of Ann. 4.65

Discursive Detours in the Route to Justice for Women

There has been much activity within the criminal justice system in Scotland aimed at securing an approach to women in prison that is ‘radical and ambitious’; a call that was made by the Cabinet Secretary for Justice, Michael Matheson when he announced a halt to the development of a 300-bed prison for women at Inverclyde. Following his announcement, much activity was instigated as the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) and Scottish Government reviewed their plans for women, with meetings convened across the country to discuss what should happen next. There has been an admirable determination across all agencies to maintain momentum for change

Building a Secure Fence and a Well-Functioning Ambulance Reforming New Zealand's Natural Disaster Insurance Scheme

This article proposes reform to New Zealand's natural disaster insurance scheme in anticipation of The New Zealand Treasury's (Treasury) 2021 review of the Earthquake Commission Act 1993. The Canterbury Earthquake Sequence of 2010–2011 revealed many shortcomings in New Zealand's dual-insurance model, outlined in the March 2020 Public Inquiry into the Earthquake Commission. Recent changes in the private insurance market have aggravated these problems, notably, increasing premiums and a move to sum-insured policies. This article explores the lesser known background to the unique EQC system and examines the fundamental reasons for this public system. It aims to establish the most effective natural disaster insurance scheme for New Zealand, holding that retaining the dual-model approach is preferable. However, fresh reforms are necessary. Five reforms are proposed: ensuring the scheme's universality; increasing the EQC cap; implementing differentiated pricing; incorporating incentives for mitigation; including a purpose statement within the Act. Implementing these reforms will best ensure the scheme meets the objective of allowing homeowners to build their secure fence at the top of the cliff, while still ensuring there is a well-functioning ambulance at the bottom

Justice for Women: A Penal Utopia?

For more than two decades, there has been an ongoing critique of penal responses to women in the criminal justice system.  Calls to reduce the female prison population have been many, and attempts at reform have been ongoing. In Scotland, a recent decision to halt the building of a new 300-350 bed prison for women was widely welcomed, although in the aftermath of this decision, the potential of ‘alternative’ resources appears to be creating something of a conundrum. Despite all the academic, policy and activist research over these decades, the options for radical responses seem vague and contested.  This paper reflects upon utopian traces, existing in the present and drawn from the past, to consider what a radical ‘alternative’ for women requires in practice and, what could be implemented to address ‘social harm’ in this gendered context. Looking outside the criminal justice system, the impulses of critical feminist theory are examined to consider what is required for a ‘just society’ for women

A Comparative Analysis of Manpower Strategies Adopted by Firms in the Cleveland Area: 1980-86

The thesis attempts to answer three questions about the connections between manpower strategy and organisation strategy through a study of the experiences of 22 organisations located in Cleveland between 1980 and 1986. The firms included in the study were engaged in chemicals, steel, engineering, brewing, banking, local government, education, health and retailing. The questions are: 1. How are manpower systems adapted by managers to cope with a radically altered environment? 2. What competitive strategies are deployed by organisations? 3. What manpower strategies are adopted to implement the chosen competitive strategy

The Imprisonment of Women in Scotland: Restructure, Reform or Abolish?

The use of imprisonment and non-custodial alternatives for women in Scotland has remained a focus of attention in the 10 years since the publication of the Corston report. However, events in Scotland have been influenced to a greater extent by the Commission on Women Offenders (2012) which called, among other things, for the closure of HMP and YOI Cornton Vale, Scotland's national prison for women. The Commission's recommendations focused considerable attention on the structural organisation of the prison system in relation to women, a commitment to new forms of custody and more effective use of 'punishment in the community'. However, the 'fragmented landscape' of community provisions remains a focus of concern for penal reformers and as this paper will argue, the potential for radical change in Scotland – as in England and Wales – requires a more critical analysis of 'justice' for women