Police authorities, accountability, and citizenship

Policing has recently attracted a great deal of controversy set against the recent wave of student disturbances and the use of paramilitary tactics to disperse, contain, and kettle protestors. Moreover, the controversial application of stop and search powers under the Terrorism Act 2000 has raised further questions about the accountability of the police. The responsibility of holding the police to account currently falls to the 43 police authorities operating across England and Wales. This article draws on ground-breaking research on police authorities using questionnaire and in-depth interview data to outline just how it is that police authority members approach their duties and responsibilities. It outlines the role and potential of police authorities to influence police policy and operations and discusses how the work of police authorities has impacted on participation by local citizens. Our starting position is that citizen participation is a prerequisite for the effective delivery of accountable policing. This has serious consequences for the proposed Police and Crime Commissioners, which are intended to replace police authorities in November 2012

Policing and accountability: the working of Police Authorities

In recent times policing has attracted a good deal of controversy, such as the paramilitary tactics employed at demonstrations, the use of stop and search powers under the Terrorism Act 2000, and the manner in which police officers are deployed on day-to-day duties. This paper outlines the role and potential of police authorities to influence police policy and operations and also highlights the need to seek greater citizen participation in holding the police to account. The major part of the paper draws on ground-breaking research on police authorities using questionnaire and in-depth interview data to outline just how it is that police authority members approach their duties

Impact of supported employment on service costs and income of people with mental health needs

Background: A 12-month study of UK supported employment providers found that 77 (54.6%) of the participants in the study remained unemployed, 32 (22.7%) got jobs and 32 (22.7%) retained the jobs they held at the outset. Aims: To explore the impact of moving into employment on service use, earnings, benefits and tax allowances claimed. Methods: Service use and frequency were measured at baseline and 12 months. Comparisons paid particular attention to the differences between people entering work and those who remained unemployed. Costs were analysed from a government perspective (excluding earnings) and a societal perspective (excluding welfare benefits and taxes). Results: People who entered work reduced their consumption of mental health services (p<0.001). However, use of supported employment increased (p=0.04), in contrast to falling use by people who remained unemployed (p<0.001) and those who had been working for more than one year (p=0.002). The increase in earnings for those entering work (p=0.02) was not offset by a similar reduction in benefits. Conclusion: This indicates that mental health services may make savings as a result of their clients engaging in paid work. It raises questions about the optimal nature and organization of employment support for this service user group

A climate-yield-nitrogen computer program to evaluate wheat fertilizer strategies for optimal nitrogen application for winter wheat production in North Central Oregon

The dryland cereal producer in the lower Columbia Basin makes many critical soil and crop management decisions each season. These decisions are made more difficult because of the highly variable climatic conditions that exist in the region. A particularly difficult crop management decision facing the cereal grower is the determination of the amount and the timing of nitrogen application given the uncertain climatic future. In the following, a user-friendly computer program entitled 11 Wheat Fertilizer Strategies for Optimal Nitrogen Application11 (WFSONA) is described. Its purpose is to assist farmers improve their nitrogen fertilizer decision making for dryland winter wheat production in North Central Oregon. Field research trials and long-term climatic data from the Sherman Experiment Station and wheat growers in and around Moro, Oregon were utilized to develop the program. The program accurately predicts yield and fertilizer requirements for farms in the 10-15 inch precipitation zones of the lower Columbia Basin. The program description is presented in three major sections. The first section after the Introduction, Section II, contains an explanation of the field research and climatic data upon which the computer model is based. Section III describes the determination of the individual farmers productivity index. The user is instructed in how to use the computer program in Section IV.Published August 1987. Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalo

Mental health service users' experiences of returning to paid employment

Research into mental health and employment has focused largely on people who are unemployed. This paper reports the experiences of 20 clients of employment support agencies who had succeeded in returning to work. A number of barriers to getting back to work were identified, but receiving employment support could enable people to overcome them. There was consistency with previous studies of factors associated with high and low levels of job satisfaction. Even those participants who were less satisfied with their jobs identified benefits and none described any negative effects. The quality of the employment support provided was important, including advice and counselling during the job search, enabling informed choice about disclosure and support in work. Job retention targets are required for funding programmes in addition to placement targets. Further research into the timing and processes of disclosure and into occupational health screening processes would be helpful

Group art therapy as an adjunctive treatment for people with schizophrenia: multicentre pragmatic randomised trial

Objectives To evaluate the clinical effectiveness of group art therapy for people with schizophrenia and to test whether any benefits exceed those of an active control treatment

Service users' perceptions of the effective ingredients in supported employment

Background: The UK government is advocating the use of supported employment to help people on incapacity benefits back to work, with an emphasis on Individual Placement and Support (IPS) models. However there is little UK-based evidence on the key ingredients of effective support. Aim: To ascertain service users' views of what they found helpful about supported employment. Method: Interviews were carried out with 182 people with severe and enduring mental health problems who were actively engaged with one of the six supported employment agencies included in the study. Results: Three themes emerged: emotional support, practical assistance and a client-centred approach. Conclusion: The findings highlight the importance of the quality of support, particularly through interpersonal dynamics, which go beyond the organizational features emphasized in the IPS model

Actionable Patient Safety Solutions (APSS) #6: Hand-off Communications

Hand-off communications, or hand-off processes, involve the transition of care as well as the transfer of patient-specific information by one healthcare professional to another with the purpose of providing a patient with safe, continuous care. A successful hand-off can only be achieved by effective communication

Science and technology requirements to explore caves in our Solar System

Research on planetary caves requires cross-planetary-body investigations spanning multiple disciplines, including geology, climatology, astrobiology, robotics, human exploration and operations. The community determined that a roadmap was needed to establish a common framework for planetary cave research. This white paper is our initial conception

Expressions 1982

This fifth edition of EXPRESSIONS is the culmination of student efforts in the 1982 Creative Writing Contest, Campus Chronicle Photography Contest, Art and Commercial Art courses at Des Moines Area Community College. Journalism students did the design, typography and lay-out work necessary to bring these efforts together in this 1982 edition of EXPRESSIONS.https://openspace.dmacc.edu/expressions/1004/thumbnail.jp