An Implementation of Remote Alcohol Monitoring in Alaska

The Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitoring (SCRAM) system is an ankle bracelet monitoring device implemented for use in 2003–2005 in Anchorage, Palmer, Fairbanks, Bethel, and Kotzebue. The SCRAM devices monitor the wearers' consumption of alcohol through transdermal analysis. By July 2005 there were 130 units in operation in Alaska, with 202 clients participating in the program in 2003 and 2004, and 176 clients in the first half of 2005, when this evaluation took place. Results showed that the devices functioned effectively in Alaska, including in rural areas (using the Alaska satellite telecommunications network), in extreme cold, and under other inclement conditions.National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center National Institute of Justice, United States Department of JusticeSummary / Introduction / Implementation / Findings / Technolog

Drugs and Crime in Anchorage, Alaska: A Note

Also published in Alaska Justice Forum 22(1): 7 (Spring 2005).This research note examines the relationship between drug use and offense charged through data collected in 2003 from 259 recent arrestees in Anchorage, Alaska using the Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (ADAM) protocol. The analysis is restricted to examining those ADAM participants who tested positive for marijuana and cocaine use.Research note supported in part by Grant No. 2002-BJ-CX-K018 from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice

Seasonal Use of Marijuana and Cocaine by Arrestees in Anchorage, Alaska

Previously presented at the Western Society of Criminology, Honolulu, HI, Feb 2005.This paper explores the relation between season (fall, winter, spring and summer) and drug use among arrestees. The analysis examines seasonal differences of proportions of drug tests positive for marijuana or cocaine among recently arrested and booked suspects in Anchorage, Alaska. The study is based on Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (ADAM) data collected in Anchorage during the period between 1999 and the third quarter of 2003.Paper supported in part by Grant No. 2002-BJ-CX-K018 from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice.Abstract / Seasonal Use of Drugs / Data and Methods of Analysis / Seasonality and Marijuana Use / Seasonality and Cocaine Use / Discussion / Reference

Asset specificity and behavioral uncertainty as moderators of the sales growth: Employment growth relationship in emerging ventures

Sales growth and employment growth are the two most widely used growth indicators for new ventures; yet, sales growth and employment growth are not interchangeable measures of new venture growth. Rather, they are related, but somewhat independent constructs that respond differently to a variety of criteria. Most of the literature treats this as a methodological technicality. However, sales growth with or without accompanying employment growth has very different implications for managers and policy makers. A better understanding of what drives these different growth metrics has the potential to lead to better decision making. To improve that understanding we apply transaction cost economics reasoning to predict when sales growth will be or will not be accompanied by employment growth. Our results indicate that our predictions are borne out consistently in resource-constrained contexts but not in resource-munificent contexts.</p

Prisoners of War Camps in Rochester - Were they humane?

In lieu of an abstract, below is the first paragraph of the paper. After the American involvement in the Second World War, labor issues became more prevalent because so many workers from Rochester either enlisted or were drafted into the ranks of the US Army. Also, many farmers realized they could make more money off of high wage paying industrial jobs in the cities. In order to provide a sufficient amount of produce and other harvested good, prisoners of war were used for the first time as laborers to help the war effort. It was a bitter irony, being a captured soldier and forced to help the enemy win the war by supplying them with enough food to be well fed. The captured soldiers staying in Rochester Prisoner of War camps were some of the first to be used as innovative laborers and were treated more humanely and therefore, better than American Prisoners of War were treated. Also, Rochester treated their Prisoners of War much better than most of America did

Beyond Woodlands: Legal Ableism and the Post-Institutional Dialogue

The Woodlands class action suit and settlement of 2009, which addressed the systemic abuse that many survivors experienced while institutionalized, is a complex moment in the legal histories of BC. The settlement and ongoing struggles for adequate provincial restitution have raised concerns regarding medico-legal conceptualizations of developmental and intellectual (dis)abilities. Using the conceptual frameworks of critical legal theory, critical disability studies, and feminist methodologies, this study draws upon three interviews with community members, discussing their insights into the history of the Woodlands school, the class action suit and the settlement process. The interviews provide alternative accounts of tort litigation within the provincial system of care. This paper examines bio-political discourses regarding ‘mental capacity,’ embedded in exchanges that take place at the everyday, legislative, and judicial levels that affect people with (dis)abilities. Practices of self-advocacy and service provision are complicated by past asylum knowledges and by the ontological hegemony of neoliberal polities of today. For the informants, the conditions of justice resulting from the Woodlands case remain indeterminate, inviting further investigations into anti-institutional narratives and diverse responses to ‘legal ableism.’ Le recours collectif et l’entente de Woodlands de 2009 qui traitaient des abus systématiques vécus par de nombreux survivants alors qu’ils étaient institutionnalisés, représente un moment complexe de l'histoire juridique de la Colombie-Britannique. L’entente et les luttes ininterrompues pour une restitution adéquate ont soulevé des questions concernant les conceptualisations médico-légales des handicaps intellectuels et du développement.  En utilisant des concepts provenant de la théorie juridique critique, des études critiques dans le champ de l'incapacités, et des études féministes, cet article tente d'analyser les résultats de trois entretiens qui ont eu lieu avec des membres de la communauté afin de discuter leur regard sur l’histoire de Woodlands, du recours collectif et du processus pour arriver à une entente. Les entretiens représentent des récits alternatifs du litige civile au sein du système des soins. Le présent article examine les discours biopolitiques concernant ‘la capacité mentale’ qui sont enchâssés dans les échanges quotidiens qui ont lieu au niveau juridique et législatif, et qui affectent les personnes ayant des (in)capacités. Les activités de l'auto-défense et de l’approvisionnement des services sont compliqués par le savoir des asiles du passé et par l'hégémonie ontologique des régimes politiques néolibéraux actuels. Pour les informateurs, les conditions de justice résultant du cas de Woodlands reste indéterminées. L’invitation est lancée pour d’autres recherches sur les récits anti-institutionnels et les réponses possibles au capacitisme juridique

The Rarity of Star Formation in Brightest Cluster Galaxies as Measured by WISE

We present the mid-infrared (IR) star formation rates of 245 X-ray selected, nearby (z<0.1) brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs). A homogeneous and volume limited sample of BCGs was created by X-ray selecting clusters with L_x > 1x10^44 erg/s. The Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) AllWISE Data Release provides the first measurement of the 12 micron star formation indicator for all BCGs in the nearby Universe. Perseus A and Cygnus A are the only galaxies in our sample to have star formation rates of > 40 M_sol/yr, indicating that these two galaxies are highly unusual at current times. Stellar populations of 99 +/- 0.6 % of local BCGs are (approximately) passively evolving, with star formation rates of <10 M_sol/yr. We find that in general, star formation produces only modest BCG growth at the current epoch.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA