Protecting a Celebrity’s Child from Harassment: Is California’s Amendment Penal Code § 11414 Too Vague to be Constitutional?

This Note will describe a brief history of the legal attempts to restrict the paparazzi and the legislative history behind A.B. 3592 and its amendment, S.B. 606. The bills are controversial and have received a significant amount of criticism, due to the fact that they restrict speech by essentially prohibiting paparazzi, known for their harassing behavior, from taking pictures of the children of celebrities. The Note will conclude with an analysis utilizing the void-for-vagueness doctrine of whether the bill is in violation of the First Amendment

Repeat Victimisation, Retraumatisation and Victim Vulnerability

Abstract: This study explores the contribution that traumatic experiences and psychological post-traumatic stress symptoms make to predicting subsequent revictimisation in a sample of violent crime victims. In addition, the timing of first trauma exposure was also explored. Fifty-four adult victims (27 male and 27 female) of police recorded violent crime were interviewed and their traumatic exposure history, trauma symptomology, age at first trauma exposure as well as psychological and psychosocial functioning were assessed. These victims were followed longitudinally and subsequent revictimisation between six and twelve months post index victimisation measured. A greater number of types of trauma exposure was related lower emotional stability, higher trauma symptomology and revictimisation. Those victims with childhood traumatic exposure reported more trauma symptomology exposure than those without prior exposure. The implications for law enforcement and victim services are discussed

Assessing victim risk in cases of violent crime

Purpose: There is a body of evidence that suggests a range of psychosocial characteristics demarcate certain adults to be at an elevated risk for victimisation. To this end, the aim of the current study was to examine consistency between one police force, and a corresponding victim support service based in England, in their assessment of level of risk faced by victims of violent crime. Methodology: This study explored matched data on 869 adult victims of violent crime gathered from these two key services in Preston, namely Lancashire Constabulary and Victim Support, from which a sub-group of comparable ‘domestic violence’ cases (n=211) were selected for further examination. Findings: Data analyses revealed methodological inconsistencies in the assessment of victimisation resulting in discrepancies for recorded levels of risk in domestic violence cases across these two agencies. Practical implications: These findings provide a compelling argument for developing a more uniformed approach to victim assessment and indicate a significant training need. Value: This paper highlights areas of good practice and forwards several recommendations for improved practice that emphasises the integration of empirical research conducted by psychologists to boost the validity and reliability of risk assessment approaches and tools used

Insecurity in the Southern Highlands: the nature, triggers and consequences of violence in Hela region

"Violence is widely perceived to be a serious problem in Papua New Guinea (PNG), but there is substantial geographical variation and data is limited on the nature and causes of violence. There is some evidence to suggest that violent trauma is a leading cause of injury and death in PNG, and in some parts of the Highlands provinces, trauma is the leading cause of death amongst adults and a large proportion of injuries are intentionally inflicted ..." - page 1AusAI

Trauma characteristics and posttraumatic growth: The mediating role of avoidance coping, intrusive thoughts and social support

Objective: Previous research suggests trauma characteristics can impact on posttraumatic growth (PTG). The current study considers whether previously identified predictors of PTG may produce different outcomes dependent on the characteristics of the trauma experienced. Method: Active coping, avoidant coping, emotional coping, intrusive thoughts, social support and spirituality were examined as potential mediators of relationships between trauma characteristics (interpersonal trauma, number of trauma types and childhood trauma) and PTG. The responses of 268 adults exposed to multiple and wide-ranging stressors were used to generate three multiple mediation models. Results: Intrusive thoughts and social support exerted small but significant indirect effects in all three multiple mediation models. Avoidant coping mediated associations between the number of trauma types and PTG, and the relationship between childhood trauma to PTG. Conclusion: Relationships between trauma characteristics and PTG appear to be explained through the presence of avoidant coping strategies, intrusive thoughts and the individual’s social environment, which could be the focus of intervention efforts to promote positive change

Meningococcal disease in children in Merseyside, England:a 31 year descriptive study

Meningococcal disease (MCD) is the leading infectious cause of death in early childhood in the United Kingdom, making it a public health priority. MCD most commonly presents as meningococcal meningitis (MM), septicaemia (MS), or as a combination of the two syndromes (MM/MS). We describe the changing epidemiology and clinical presentation of MCD, and explore associations with socioeconomic status and other risk factors. A hospital-based study of children admitted to a tertiary children's centre, Alder Hey Children's Foundation Trust, with MCD, was undertaken between 1977 to 2007 (n = 1157). Demographics, clinical presentations, microbiological confirmation and measures of deprivation were described. The majority of cases occurred in the 1-4 year age group and there was a dramatic fall in serogroup C cases observed with the introduction of the meningococcal C conjugate (MCC) vaccine. The proportion of MS cases increased over the study period, from 11% in the first quarter to 35% in the final quarter. Presentation with MS (compared to MM) and serogroup C disease (compared to serogroup B) were demonstrated to be independent risk factors for mortality, with odds ratios of 3.5 (95% CI 1.18 to 10.08) and 2.18 (95% CI 1.26 to 3.80) respectively. Cases admitted to Alder Hey were from a relatively more deprived population (mean Townsend score 1.25, 95% CI 1.09 to 1.41) than the Merseyside reference population. Our findings represent one of the largest single-centre studies of MCD. The presentation of MS is confirmed to be a risk factor of mortality from MCD. Our study supports the association between social deprivation and MCD

Microstructural and geometric effects on the piezoelectric performance of PZT MEMS

The performance of a piezoelectric membrane in MEMS was evaluated for use inpower generation. An investigation was conducted to examine geometric and materialproperties that influence the ability to strain a piezoelectric membrane. The amount ofstrain and electrical energy produced by mechanically actuating the membrane revealedinsight to improve the amount of power produced by the piezoelectric element within themembrane. The amount of deflection was the key influence to create biaxial strains of up to approximately 0.2%, above which membrane fracture tends to occur. This level ofstrain was found to limit the coupling coefficient to 3% and the amount of RMS powerproduced during dynamic operation to approximately 20 μW in an 8 mm membrane. Inorder to achieve desired amounts of power for PZT MEMS device applications, theoperating conditions, piezoelectric membrane properties, and membrane geometry can be tailored. Each of these aspects are included in the developed predictive expressions for output power and the coupling coefficient, which are verified with experiment anddiscussed in this dissertation

What Is Good For One Is Good For All: Using Co-teaching As A Model To Service Students With Disabilities Within Inclusive General Education Classrooms

Co-teaching is one of the most used service delivery models for students with disabilities within general education classrooms. In co-taught classrooms, a general education teacher and a special education teacher work together to provide instruction to both general education students and special education students. This allows students with disabilities to learn alongside their same-age peers, as they can access the general education curriculum while also receiving the supports and services of a special education teacher. The purpose of this study was to examine how co-teachers at Washington Junior High (WJH; a pseudonym) felt about co-teaching and the co-teaching program. Twelve teachers were interviewed and asked a variety of questions pertaining to their co-teaching experiences and their thoughts, reflections, and suggestions. The results were compared to the academic literature and research already published on co-teaching to make suggestions for improvements to the co-teaching program at WJH, as well as policy recommendations. The primary research question related to how to improve co-teaching at WJH to service students with disabilities within inclusive settings and the secondary question related to whether schools should offer co-taught classes in other core content areas, such as science and social studies. The findings of the research with co-teachers at WJH showed co-taught classrooms are beneficial to students with disabilities. Results also yielded additional insights into a need for more common plan time, increased professional development around co-teaching models, and an understanding of roles and expectations among co-teachers. Additionally, there is a need for change in policy to increase the course offerings of co-taught classes to include all core academic subject areas: language arts, math, social studies, and science. Last, there needs to be a general adoption of the philosophy that what is good for one student is good for all students as a way to support all students and normalize the use of learning supports