Restorative justice and the right to move on: toward deinstitutionalising the stigma of a criminal conviction

Moves toward restorative justice have tried to reclaim the resolution of conflicts from the exclusive grasp of the state. While much has been achieved in developing new ways of theorising and resolving disputes the consequences of acquiring a criminal record that is retained and deployed by the state have been largely overlooked. In this chapter the authors explore the emergence of the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) in England and Wales and the ways in which the widespread use of criminal records compromises the rights of people to be considered free from the stigma of a criminal conviction. Contemporary developments in legislation and policy regarding the status of criminal convictions are considered and their implications for young people and those who work with them. The authors argue that the principles and practice of restorative justice must address these elements of permanent and increasingly active intrusive scrutiny by the state

The Influence of an Abstinence-Only Intervention on the Risk Behaviors of Urban Middle School Students

In this dissertation, findings on the factors that influence risk-avoidance behaviors among Hispanic and African American middle-school students are presented. The findings were based on a randomized study in which middle-school students were randomly assigned to receive either an abstinence-only curriculum or a comprehensive health curriculum. Initial findings suggest that middle-school students and their attitudes toward sexual activity were closely associated with their relationships with both their parents and peers. The pivotal indicator for student engagement research indicated that the higher the level of engagement between teen and parent, the more likely the teen is to follow the interventions. Should the parent reinforce the school’s intervention (i.e., abstinence-only programing) and show support for the child’s education, the more likely the student was to follow the intervention. Conversely, without engagement between parent and teen, school interventions are less likely to be effective. The key element appears to be a supportive home environment for teens to maintain abstinence in middle school. Research outcomes will aid administrators and school personnel in policy decisions and programming for at-risk students. Research will add to the growing body of evidence, which suggests that abstinence-only interventions are effective within certain parameters but that challenges still exist

The Influence of an Abstinence-Only Intervention on the Risk Behaviors of Urban Middle School Students

In this dissertation, findings on the factors that influence risk-avoidance behaviors among Hispanic and African American middle-school students are presented. The findings were based on a randomized study in which middle-school students were randomly assigned to receive either an abstinence-only curriculum or a comprehensive health curriculum. Initial findings suggest that middle-school students and their attitudes toward sexual activity were closely associated with their relationships with both their parents and peers. The pivotal indicator for student engagement research indicated that the higher the level of engagement between teen and parent, the more likely the teen is to follow the interventions. Should the parent reinforce the school’s intervention (i.e., abstinence-only programing) and show support for the child’s education, the more likely the student was to follow the intervention. Conversely, without engagement between parent and teen, school interventions are less likely to be effective. The key element appears to be a supportive home environment for teens to maintain abstinence in middle school. Research outcomes will aid administrators and school personnel in policy decisions and programming for at-risk students. Research will add to the growing body of evidence, which suggests that abstinence-only interventions are effective within certain parameters but that challenges still exist

Role of Bcl3 in the normal and neoplastic mammary gland

The NF-kB family of transcription factors have previously been shown to be elevated in many malignant diseases including breast cancer. NF-kB activation is strongly associated with signalling downstream of the epidermal growth factor (EGF) family of receptors in both aggressive EGFR-positive and ERBB2-positive breast cancer subtypes. These observations have led to much interest in the use of NF-kB inhibitors to suppress tumour progression in breast cancer patients. However, as NF-kB controls numerous functions in homeostasis there are significant risks associated with sustained global inhibition of NF-kB signalling. This investigation therefore aimed to determine whether inhibition of the NF-kB co-factor, B-Cell Lymphoma 3 (BCL3), would block the pro-tumourigenic function of NF-kB, while allowing it to retain its physiological functions in normal tissues. Deletion of BCL3 had no effect on the gross morphology or function of the mammary gland during the pregnancy cycle, although a subtle BCL3 dose-dependent effect was observed during involution whereby 8c/3+/" mice had increased apoptotic bodies in comparison with both 6c/3+/+ and Bcl3'h mice. Loss of BCL3 in the context of ERBB2-driven murine mammary carcinogenesis resulted in a significant delay in both the initiation and metastatic progression of mammary adenocarcinomas. Further in vitro investigation revealed that Bcl3 suppression by SiRNA in a murine mammary ERBB2- positive cell line reduced both the migratory and invasive capacity of cells, indicating that BCL3 was able, at least in part, to exert a pro-metastatic effect in a cell autonomous manner. In addition, SiRNA suppression of BCL3 reduced both the proliferative and migratory capacity of both ERBB2-positive and EGFR-positive human breast cancer cell lines. Collectively, these results suggest that targeting BCL3 may be an effective therapeutic strategy in the treatment of both ERBB2- and EGFR-positive breast cancers

Confronting the “fraud bottleneck”: private sanctions for fraud and their implications for justice

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the ways in which contemporary organisations are imposing their own private sanctions on fraudsters. Design/methodology/approach – The research draws on primary data from interviews with counter fraud practitioners in the UK, secondary sources and case examples. Findings – Such developments have been stimulated, at least in part, by the broader limitations of the criminal justice system and in particular a “fraud bottleneck”. Alongside criminal sanctions, many examples are provided of organisations employing private prosecutions innovative forms of civil sanction and “pseudo state” sanctions, most commonly civil penalties comparable to fines. Research limitations/implications – Such changes could mark the beginning of the “rebirth of private prosecution” and the further expansion of private punishment. Growing private involvement in state sanctions and the development of private sanctions represents a risk to traditional guarantees of justice. There are differences in which comparable frauds are dealt with by corporate bodies and thus considerable inconsistency in sanctions imposed. In contrast with criminal justice measures, there is no rehabilitative element to private sanctions. More research is needed to assess the extent of such measures, and establish what is happening, the wider social implications, and whether greater state regulation is needed. Practical implications – Private sanctions for fraud are likely to continue to grow, as organisations pursue their own measures rather than relying on increasingly over-stretched criminal justice systems. Their emergence, extent and implications are not fully understood by researchers and therefore need much more research, consideration and debate. These private measures need to be more actively recognised by criminal justice policy-makers and analysts alongside the already substantial formal involvement of the private sector in punishment through prisons, electronic tagging and probation, for example. Such measures lack the checks and balances, and greater degree of consistency as laid out in sentencing guidelines, of the criminal justice system. In light of this, consideration needs to be given to greater state regulation of private sanctions for fraud. More also needs to be done to help fraudsters suffering problems such as debt or addiction to rebuild their lives. There is a strong case for measures beyond the criminal justice system to support such fraudsters to be created and publicly promoted. Originality/value – The findings are of relevance to criminal justice policy-makers, academics and counter fraud practitioners in the public and private sectors

Primary hemiarthroplasty for treatment of proximal humeral fractures

Background: Primary hemiarthroplasty of the shoulder is used to treat complex proximal humeral fractures, although the reported functional results following this method of treatment have varied widely. The aim of this study was to prospectively assess the prosthetic survival and functional outcomes in a large series of patients treated with shoulder hemiarthroplasty for a proximal humeral fracture. By determining the factors that affected the outcome, we also aimed to produce models that could be used clinically to estimate the functional outcome at one year following surgery.Methods: A thirteen-year observational cohort study of 163 consecutive patients treated with hemiarthroplasty for a proximal humeral fracture was performed. Twenty-five patients died or were lost to follow-up in the first year after treatment, leaving 138 patients who had assessment of shoulder function with use of the modified Constant score at one year postinjury.Results: The overall rate of prosthetic survival was 96.9% at one year, 95.3% at five years, and 93.9% at ten years. The overall median modified Constant score was 64 points at one year, with a typically good score for pain relief (median, 15 points) and poorer scores, with a greater scatter of values, for function (median, 12 points), range of motion (median, 24 points), and muscle power (median, 14 points). Of the factors that were assessed immediately after the injury, only patient age, the presence of a neurological deficit, tobacco usage, and alcohol consumption were significantly predictive of the one-year Constant score (p &lt; 0.05). Of the factors that were assessed at six weeks postinjury, those that predicted the one-year Constant score included the age of the patient, the presence of a persistent neurological deficit, the need for an early reoperation, the degree of displacement of the prosthetic head from the central axis of the glenoid seen radiographically, and the degree of displacement of the tuberosities seen radiographically.Conclusions: Primary shoulder hemiarthroplasty performed for the treatment of a proximal humeral fracture in medically fit and cooperative adults is associated with satisfactory prosthetic survival at an average of 6.3 years. Although the shoulder is usually free of pain following this procedure, the overall functional result, in terms of range of motion, function, and power, at one year varies. A good functional outcome can be anticipated for a younger individual who has no preoperative neurological deficit, no postoperative complications, and a satisfactory radiographic appearance of the shoulder at six weeks. The results are poorer in the larger group of elderly patients who undergo this procedure, especially if they have a neurological deficit, a postoperative complication requiring a reoperation, or an eccentrically located prosthesis with retracted tuberosities.<br /