What works and what's just?

This paper is based on a presentation entitled 'What Works in Probation', delivered to an Invitational Conference for Directors of Probation Services in Europe organised by the Council of Europe, the Conference Permanente Européenne de la Probation and the French Ministry of Justice at the Palais de l'Europe in Strasbourg (26th-28th November, 2008). Drawing on a much more extensive and separately published report about the effectiveness of offender supervision (McNeill, 2009), I try to argue here that, despite the apparently technical nature of questions of effectiveness, in fact any considered and critical analysis of the empirical evidence about desistance, rehabilitation and' what works?' compel us to consider the moral character and context of criminal justice interventions

Stanislavski's directors: Michael Chekhov and the revolution in Lithuanian theatre of the 1930s

Michael Chekhov is considered to be one of the most talented and widely recognised students of Konstantin Stanislavski. After leaving Moscow, Chekhov was invited to share his innovative ideas on actor training with theatre circles in Lithuania. In 1932 he was employed at the then capital’s State Theatre for a year, during which time he taught at the Drama Studio and directed three plays. His work in Kaunas proved to be beneficial for the development of Lithuanian theatre. To this day, the critics there remark on how he influenced some of his students, and how his productions challenged the audience’s views of contemporary theatre. In terms of the English sources, Chekhov’s Lithuanian period is mostly ignored. This discussion will outline how the method he taught in the Kaunas classes informed Chekhov’s theories that are now associated with his name. The analysis of his three productions in Kaunas will shed some light on his early ventures as an independent director. The text will conclude with a summary of the careers of two of Chekhov’s students in order to illustrate his influence on the development of theatre in Lithuania

From Tsarist empire to League of Nations and from USSR to EU: two eras in the construction of Baltic state sovereignty

This thesis examines how the three Baltic countries constructed their internal and external sovereign statehood in the interwar period and the post Cold War era. Twice in one century, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were confronted with strongly divided multiethnic societies, requiring a bold and wide-ranging ethnics policy. In 1918 all three Baltic countries promised their minorities cultural autonomy. Whereas Estonian and Latvian politicians were deeply influenced by the theories of Karl Renner and Otto Bauer, the Lithuanians fell back on the historic Jewish self-government in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Many politicians were convinced that the principle of equality of nationalities was one of the cornerstones of the new international order, embodied by the League of Nations. The minority protection system of the League was, however, not established to serve humanitarian aims. It only sought to ensure international peace. This lack of a general minority protection system was one of many discussion points in the negotiations of the Estonian and Latvian minority declarations. Although Lithuania signed a much more detailed minority declaration, its internal political situation rapidly deteriorated. Estonia, on the other hand, established full cultural autonomy with corporations of public law. Although a wide-ranging school autonomy was already established in 1919, Latvia never established cultural self-government. The Second World War and the subsequent Soviet occupation led to the replacement of the small historically rooted minority groups by large groups of Russian-speaking settlers. The restoration in 1991 of the pre 1940 political community meant that these groups were deprived of political rights. In trying to cope with this situation, Estonia and Latvia focused much more on linguistic integration than on collective rights. Early attempts to pursue a decolonisation policy, as proposed by some leading Estonian and Latvian policymakers, were blocked by the ‘official Europe’ which followed a policy analogous to the League of Nations

Foreign trade developments in Ukraine, Russia, Poland, Lithuania, Belarus & Moldova (1996-2006)

This thesis analyses the key developments in foreign trade for Ukraine, Russia, Poland, Lithuania, Belarus and Moldova on a comparative basis between 1996 and 2006. It examines trade developments and restructuring with the region’s two major trade blocs: the European Union (EU) and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Using dependable trade models pioneered by Béla Belassa and Herbert Grubel and Peter J. Lloyd, the analyses involve revealed comparative advantage (RCA) and intra-industry trade (IIT) to determine the extent to which structural changes have or have not occurred, which domestic industries are becoming more competitive and the degree of differentiation present. The reason for choosing the aforementioned measurement indices is straightforward. On one hand, RCA identifies those industries that have become relatively more competitive, and attempts to assess whether a given industry enjoys a comparative advantage in production by means of measuring exports. On the other hand, IIT supposes the opposite of comparative advantage theory, and affirms that differences between countries are not the only rationale for trade, because of the presence of increasing returns in scale economies. Thus, it examines the simultaneous import and export of identical, similar or differentiated products in the same industry often between similar countries. Although both indices are usually considered alternatives to each other, there is good reason to see them as complementary. The results of both indices, therefore, provide critical information from which to assess the degree of trade restructuring

Fast Track Children's Hearings Pilot : Final Report of the Evaluation of the Pilot

The Scottish Executive decided that a Fast Track approach to the children's hearings system would be introduced in early 2003 on a pilot basis in selected parts of Scotland. The aim was to improve practice and outcomes with respect to the ways that the hearings system and associated services dealt with young people who persistently offend. Particular objectives were to: • reduce the time taken both overall and at each stage of decision-making • promote more comprehensive assessments which include appraisals of offending risk • ensure that all young people who persistently offend and who require an appropriate programme have access to one • reduce re-offending rates as a result of the concerted efforts made in such cases

Aerial Radiometric Survey of Parts of North Wales in July 1989

This report summarises the experience, results and initial conclusions of a brief aerial radiometric survey commissioned by HTV, Cardiff of selected parts of North Wales in 1989. The aim of the work was to demonstrate the use of aerial gamma ray spectrometry in mapping 137Cs and other nuclides in and around parts of the areas subject to livestock movement restrictions since the 1986 nuclear disaster at Chernobyl

Radiometric Flight Trials in the Forth Estuary on 7/8/91

A brief radiometric flight trial was undertaken on 7th August 1991, essentially to prove a new gamma spectrometry installation. A twin engined helicopter operated by Dollar helicopters out of Cumbernauld Airport was used for the exercise. The new equipment under test comprised (i) a spectrometer mounting plate manufactured by Dollar to take SURRC equipment for rapid deployment, (ii) a 19" rack mounted spectrometer incorporating proven SURRC components, but with additional duplex inverter based UPS, and (iii) a Navstar XR4 GPS system with aircraft patch type aerial. The flight trial was conducted in the Forth Estuary area focussing on three small sites of incidental interest