Women and community sentences

Despite the increasing numbers of women given community sentences in the UK and in other jurisdictions in recent years, there has been relatively little research into women’s experiences of these disposals. This is particularly surprising given what is known about the distinctive characteristics of women in conflict with the law and the gendered nature of pathways to crime. This article draws upon the experiences of women made subject to a range of community sentences to identify recurring themes including the complexity of women’s problems, the significance of stigma, trauma and abuse, the importance to women of their supervisory relationships, the relevance of self-efficacy and the nature of barriers to compliance. The article considers the consequences of the discourses of ‘penality’ when underpinned by ideological assumptions and expectations based on gender relations. The implications for the supervision of women in the community are considered, while acknowledging that community sanctions are unlikely in themselves to be capable of addressing broader issues that bring women into and retain them in the criminal justice system

Evaluation of the 218 Centre.

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Measuring early life adversity: a dimensional approach

Exposure to adversity in childhood is associated with elevations in numerous physical and mental health outcomes across the life course. The biological embedding of early experience during periods of developmental plasticity is one pathway that contributes to these associations. Dimensional models specify mechanistic pathways linking different dimensions of adversity to health and well-being outcomes later in life. While findings from existing studies testing these dimensions have provided promising preliminary support for these models, less agreement exists about how to measure the experiences that comprise each dimension. Here, we review existing approaches to measuring two dimensions of adversity: threat and deprivation. We recommend specific measures for measuring these constructs and, when possible, document when the same measure can be used by different reporters and across the lifespan to maximize the utility with which these recommendations can be applied. Through this approach, we hope to stimulate progress in understanding how particular dimensions of early environmental experience contribute to lifelong health

Evaluating gene-disease relationships in motile ciliopathies: an international ClinGen and BEAT-PCD ERS CRC collaboration.

International audienceGenetic diagnosis of motile ciliopathies is conducted by healthcare, commercial and private laboratories. 88 genes have been implicated in motile ciliopathies (PCD, male infertility and associated disorders). Gene-disease relationships are uncertain where evidence is limited, risking inaccurate reporting and diagnosis. The ClinGen Motile Ciliopathy Gene Curation Expert Panel (GCEP) was set up collaboratively with BEAT-PCD ERS CRC in 2021. The GCEP comprises geneticists, pulmonologists and biocurators (Canada, France, Germany, Norway, Poland, Spain, Tunisia, UK, USA) tasked with classifying clinical validity of gene-disease relationships in motile ciliopathies to aid interpretation of genetic results. As an early step, the GCEP drew up guidelines to capturethe critical details of motile ciliopathy cases and to score genetic and experimental evidence conservatively and consistently. The GCEP meets monthly and so far has curated 33 gene-disease relationships (https://clinicalgenome.org/affiliation/40102/). 22 curations have reached a definitive classification as the role of the gene in disease has been repeatedly demonstrated and upheld over time, 4 were disputed.Classification PCD Infertility PCD InfertilityDefinitive CCDC39 CCDC40 CCDC103 CCNO CFAP43 DNAH1 DNAH17 CFAP300 DNAAF3 DNAH11 DNAH5 DNAI1 DNAI2 HYDIN MCIDAS ODAD1 ODAD2 ODAD4 RSPH1 RSPH4A SPAG1 ZMYND10Strong FOXJ1 DNAH8Limited CFAP57 DNAH1 DNAL1 GAS2L2 CFAP47These efforts provide a basis for future classifications of gene-disease relationships. The goal of the GCEP is to leverage emerging research to enhance the reliability of genetic testing for improved clinical detection and diagnosis of motile ciliopathies