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

South African Correctional Centres and the need to rethink approaches to HIV/AIDS

HIV/AIDS treatment inside South African correctional centres recently dominated headline discussions. Every country should take measures to ensure good health for all citizens. The right to health is a Constitutional right in South Africa. Although certain Constitutional rights may be limited, the right to health should not be exposed to limitations when the interest of society as a whole becomes affected. Therefore, there could be little doubt that the management of HIV/AIDS in correctional settings is more important today than ever before. During 2003 South African prison authorities admitted that HIV/AIDS in correctional centres is an enormous problem and that the rate of prevalence and growth is unknown. The seriousness of the issue was compounded by overcrowding, poor health facilities and violence. In this article the position of South Africa concerning HIV/AIDS as a particular health care phenomenon is investigated against the background of developments and actions inside the correctional centres of the country. Emphasis is be placed on the undeniable link between prison health and public health, which underpins the need to rethink approaches to HIV/AIDS in correctional centresPenolog

Facsimile of southern half of spherical map with Aethiopia (ie Africa) in centre

(Southern Ocean) 1554 (facsimile c 1895) This is a facsimile of the southern half of a spherical map with Aethiopia (ie Africa) in centre. In bottom border legend: 'Julius de Musis Venet in Aes incidit MDLIIII'. Map shows in centre the Aethipia Interior. Also shows Mountains of the Moon and sources of the Nile, Mombaca, Zanziber, Sinus Barbaricus (Horn of Africa), Mozambique, Caput Bonae Spei (Cape of Good Hope), and numerous rivers and capes. The map shows Madagascar sive D. Laurenti; insula. other islands, Tristan da Cuegna (Tristan da Cunha), and S. Helena (St Helena). On the west side part of South America, on eastern top edge 'Taprobane'. The Tropic of Capricorn runs through Africa. Some distance south of Africa is a strip of land, much indented, showing rivers, mountains and inland waters or marshes and 'Terra Australis adhue inexplorata'. The Antarctic circle is within this and below is the 'Oceanus Antacticus glacialis'. (Reproductions of Geographical Maps ed. Frederik Muller & Co. Amsterdam). Royal Society Map Collection RS.Mp

Unit management in prisons

Research into unit management in prisons was necessitated by a need to change the way in which South Africa deals with prisoners. The lack of respect for human dignity, poor control in prisons before and after demilitarisation and the need to reduce crime in South Africa are some of the reasons why the study became important. Topics addressed include the role of architecture in corrections, direct supervision to enhance active custody, renewed emphasis on individuals by means of case management and decentralised delivery of development and treatment programmes. Apart from the aspects mentioned above, the philosophy of unit management is spelled out. Imprisonment in countries such as Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, South Africa and the United States of America is discussed against the background of the unit management philosophy. During any process of incarceration, documentation forms an integral part of the process. In this study, the researcher discussed those documents that could play an important role in unit management. The importance of unit management in prisons cannot be overemphasised. The investigation contributes largely to scientific knowledge in that the importance of sentence planning for each individual within the Criminal Justice System is emphasised. Individual case plans, active involvement from both the inmate and the correctional official and the positive role of prison design are aspects that should form part of all new generation prison systems.PenologyD.Litt. et Phil. (Penology

Harm reduction in correctional centres: a South African perspective based on studies in Gauteng Correctional Centres

Harm reduction in the South African correctional system has never been adopted as a policy. What is exercised, however, is a health policy that includes certain elements of harm reduction. Despite some expensive inclusions in the health policy approach, for example HIV testing and provision of antiretroviral medication, basic and inexpensive measures to reduce harm are still excluded. One example is the provision of sterilising facilities for tattooing equipment. Another exclusion is the denial of injection drug use inside correctional centres, contrary to evidence that this practice occurs. More complicated exclusions would include the blatant denial of rape, in particular male rape. These matters are dealt with under the umbrella of sexual assault, despite the existence of legislation that clearly makes provision for (male) rape behind bars. Although the Department of Correctional Services has a positive, commendable approach to many aspects of harm reduction, an encompassing harm reduction strategy is urgently needed. As long as matters of harm are dealt with as if they are merely matters of health, no strategy will be sufficient to address the risk inmates are exposed to. This article investigates harm reduction in the South African correctional system. The Gauteng Province (with the largest number of inmates in the country) serves as basis for the study, while national statistics are used to contextualise various harm reduction aspects. Deficiencies in reducing harm are also pointed outCorrections Managemen

Comparing modeling strategies combining changes in multiple serum tumor biomarkers for early prediction of immunotherapy non-response in non-small cell lung cancer

BACKGROUND: Patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) are at risk of adverse events (AEs) even though not all patients will benefit. Serum tumor markers (STMs) are known to reflect tumor activity and might therefore be useful to predict response, guide treatment decisions and thereby prevent AEs.OBJECTIVE: This study aims to compare a range of prediction methods to predict non-response using multiple sequentially measured STMs.METHODS: Nine prediction models were compared to predict treatment non-response at 6-months (n = 412) using bi-weekly CYFRA, CEA, CA-125, NSE, and SCC measurements determined in the first 6-weeks of therapy. All methods were applied to six different biomarker combinations including two to five STMs. Model performance was assessed based on sensitivity, while model training aimed at 95% specificity to ensure a low false-positive rate.RESULTS: In the validation cohort, boosting provided the highest sensitivity at a fixed specificity across most STM combinations (12.9% -59.4%). Boosting applied to CYFRA and CEA achieved the highest sensitivity on the validation data while maintaining a specificity &gt;95%.CONCLUSIONS: Non-response in NSCLC patients treated with ICIs can be predicted with a specificity &gt;95% by combining multiple sequentially measured STMs in a prediction model. Clinical use is subject to further external validation.</p

Short-Term Effect of Feedstock and Pyrolysis Temperature on Biochar Characteristics, Soil and Crop Response in Temperate Soils

At present, there is limited understanding of how biochar application to soil could be beneficial to crop growth in temperate regions and which biochar types are most suitable. Biochar’s (two feedstocks: willow, pine; three pyrolysis temperatures: 450 °C, 550 °C, 650 °C) effect on nitrogen (N) availability, N use efficiency and crop yield was studied in northwestern European soils using a combined approach of process-based and agronomic experiments. Biochar labile carbon (C) fractions were determined and a phytotoxicity test, sorption experiment, N incubation experiment and two pot trials were conducted. Generally, biochar caused decreased soil NO3− availability and N use efficiency, and reduced biomass yields compared to a control soil. Soil NO3− concentrations were more reduced in the willow compared to the pine biochar treatments and the reduction increased with increasing pyrolysis temperatures, which was also reflected in the biomass yields. Woody biochar types can cause short-term reductions in biomass production due to reduced N availability. This effect is biochar feedstock and pyrolysis temperature dependent. Reduced mineral N availability was not caused by labile biochar C nor electrostatic NH4+/NO3− sorption. Hence, the addition of fresh biochar might in some cases require increased fertilizer N application to avoid short-term crop growth retardation

Paroxetine reduces crying in young women watching emotional movies

Rationale: Crying is a unique human emotional reaction that has not received much attention from researchers. Little is known about its underlying neurobiological mechanisms, although there is some indirect evidence suggesting the involvement of central serotonin. Objectives: We examined the acute effects of the administration of 20 mg paroxetine on the crying of young, healthy females in response to emotional movies. Methods: We applied a double-blind, crossover randomised design with 25 healthy young females as study participants. On separate days, they received either paroxetine or placebo and were exposed to one of two emotional movies: 'Once Were Warriors' and 'Brian's Song'. Crying was assessed by self-report. In addition, the reactions to emotional International Affective Picture System (IAPS) pictures and mood were measured. Results: Paroxetine had a significant inhibitory effect on crying. During both films, the paroxetine group cried significantly less than the placebo group. In contrast, no effects on mood and only minor effects on the reaction to the IAPS pictures were observed. Conclusions: A single dose of paroxetine inhibits emotional crying significantly. It is not sure what the underlying mechanism is. However, since there was no effect on mood and only minor effects on the response to emotional pictures, we postulate that paroxetine mainly acts on the physiological processes involved in the crying response

Retreatment of hepatitis C non-responsive to Interferon. A placebo controlled randomized trial of Ribavirin monotherapy versus combination therapy with Ribavirin and Interferon in 121 patients in the Benelux [ISRCTN53821378]

BACKGROUND: Evidence based medicine depends on unbiased selection of completed randomized controlled trials. For completeness it is important to publish all trials. This report describes the first large randomised controlled trial where combination therapy was compared to placebo therapy and to ribavirin monotherapy, which has not been published untill now. METHODS: One hundred and twenty one patients with chronic hepatitis C and elevated transaminases who did not respond to previous treatment with standard interferon monotherapy, were included from 16 centers in Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg between 1992 and 1996. Patient poor-response characteristics were: genotype 1 (69%), HCV RNA above 2 × 10(6 )copies/ml (55%) and cirrhosis (38%). Patients were randomized to 6 months combination therapy with interferon alpha-2b (3 MU tiw) and ribavirin (1000–1200 mg / day), 6 months ribavirin monotherapy (1000–1200 mg / day) or 6 months ribavirin placebo. The study was double blinded for the ribavirin / placebo component. One patient did not fit the entry criteria, and 3 did not start. All 117 patients who received at least one dose of treatment were included in the intention to treat analysis. RESULTS: At the end of treatment, HCV RNA was undetectable in 35% of patients on combination therapy and in none of the patients treated with ribavirin monotherapy or placebo. The sustained virological response rate at 6 months after therapy was 15% for patients treated with interferon and ribavirin. During the 6 months treatment period 13% of patients on interferon ribavirin combination therapy, 13% of patients on ribavirin monotherapy and 11% of patients on placebo withdrew due to side effects or noncompliance. At 24 weeks of treatment the mean Hb level was 85% of the baseline value, which means a mean decrease from 9.1 mmol/l to 7.8 mmol/l. The Hb levels at the end of treatment were not significantly different from patients treated with ribavirin monotherapy (p = 0.76). End of treatment WBC was significantly lower in patients treated with combination therapy, compared to ribavirin (p < 0.01) as well as for patients treated with ribavirin monotherapy compared to placebo (p < 0.01). DISCUSSION: This belated report on the only placebo controlled study of interferon ribavirin combination therapy in non responders to standard doses of interferon monotherapy documents the effectiveness, be it limited, of this approach as well as the dynamics of the effects on blood counts