Prevalence of injecting drug use and associated risk behavior among regular ecstasy users in Australia

Background: The aim of the study was to investigate the prevalence of injecting drug use and associated risk behaviour among a sentinel sample of ecstasy users. Methods: Cross-sectional surveys were conducted with regular ecstasy users as part of an annual monitoring study of ecstasy and related drug markets in all Australian capital cities. Results: Twenty-three percent of the sample reported having ever injected a drug and 15% reported injecting in the 6 months preceding interview. Independent predictors of lifetime injection were older age, unemployment and having ever been in prison. Completion of secondary school and identifying as heterosexual was associated with a lower likelihood of having ever injected. Participants who had recently injected typically did so infrequently; only 9% reported daily injecting. Methamphetamine was the most commonly injected drug. Prevalence of needle sharing was low (6%), although half (47%) reported sharing other injecting equipment in the preceding 6 months. Conclusions: Ecstasy users who report having injected a drug at some time appear to be demographically different to ecstasy users who have not injected although neither are they typical of other drug injectors. The current investigation suggests that ongoing monitoring of injecting among regular ecstasy users is warranted. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Maximum security: 'Being in the belly of the beast'

Very little information or research is available about the operation of Maximum Security Units (MSUs) in Queensland prisons. These units were developed within existing prisons in the early 1980s to deal with the incarceration of prisoners considered to be the worst and highest risk. Drawing on a number of interviews with prison visitors and on published documents and cases, this article examines the purpose and possible shortcomings of MSUs in Queensland in light of the Standard Guidelines for Corrections in Australia (1996).

I-Spi: innovative shared practical ideas: a support guide for literacy and numeracy in the early years of schooling, for home tutor/supervisors in distance education

Innovative Shared Practical Ideas (I-Spi) is a guide to help you and your children learn together. It is designed to affirm, support and strengthen your role as home tutor/supervisors in your daily learning sessions with your children. In this guide particular emphasis is given to the value of talk, formal and informal early literacy and numeracy practices (including ideas from distance school lessons, from home tutor/supervisors, research, and beyond), assessment of these practices together with informal assessment ideas for gauging your children’s literacy and numeracy progress, and stepping in and building on strategies

EIS QUE LIVRAREI DA PRISÃO O MEU POVO ISRAEL E JUDÁ : AS PALAVRAS DE SALVAÇÃO EM JR 30-31 COMO PROJETO DE RETRIBALIZAÇÃO

A presente tese propõe uma interpretação exegética da profecia de Jr 30-31 na perspectiva social. Jr 30-31 forma uma unidade literária no livro de Jeremias, composta por subunidades que podem ser designadas de perícopes. Grande parte das expectativas salvíficas deste trecho literário devem ser atribuídas à literatura originária do livro, e provém das articulações sociais engendradas por Jeremias no fim do século 7 e início do século 6 a.C. em prol dos empobrecidos da antiga sociedade palestina Israel/Norte e de Judá/Sul. Os primeiros ditos salvíficos de Jr 30-31 surgiram na época de Josias (Jr 30,10-11.18-21; 31,2-5). Nessa época, originaram-se as expectativas de salvação dirigidas para as populações israelitas do Norte. Outro intenso surgimento das expectativas salvíficas aconteceu nos anos imediatamente posteriores à queda de Judá, em 587 a.C., quando Jeremias novamente direcionou uma palavra de esperança aos pobres do Israel/Norte, e incluiu também em sua mensagem aqueles que permaneceram na terra de Judá/Sul depois do saque babilônico. Nesse cenário podem ser localizadas as seguintes perícopes: 30,3.5-7.12-17; 31,15.16-20.21-22.27-28.31-34. A presente tese supõe que, de modo geral, Jr 30-31 seja uma reconfirmação da desmilitarização e da desurbanização de Jerusalém ocorridas naquele período, já que esse novo cenário político e econômico favoreceu os desprestigiados da Palestina. O tribalismo é o moto das expectativas salvíficas da literatura jeremiana original. No engendramento de uma nova sociedade, retribalizada, livre do jugo monárquico e dos imperialismos, Jr 30-31 defendem a posse da terra aos camponeses que sofreram espoliações do império assírio e dos reis judaítas. Com a queda do Estado de Judá, os empobrecidos poderiam retomar suas vidas e possuir a terra como meio de produção e subsistência. A relação entre as palavras de salvação e o tribalismo também pode ser notado em outros trechos do livro de Jeremias. A estruturação verbal proponente de destruição e reconstrução de 31,28 pode ser encontrada em Jr 1,10; 18,7.9; 24,6; 42,10 e 45,4. As promessas de salvação contidas em Jr 1,10, 31,27-28 e 42,10 anunciam a continuidade da vida na terra de Judá depois da catástrofe de 587 a.C. Essa ideia também pode ser percebida em Jr 23,5-6, 30,8-9. Em Jr 24,6, por sua vez, lê-se uma promessa para os exilados de Judá, que viviam na Babilônia sob o sistema tribal. Em Jr 3,6-13.19-25; 4,1-2, as expectativas salvíficas de Jeremias apresentam o caminho para a reorganização social através da conversão para Javé.

AS RELIGIÕES NAS CELAS: UM ESTUDO DAS OPÇÕES RELIGIOSAS DAS MULHERES AFRO-DESCENDENTES NOS PRESÍDIOS FEMININOS DA CAPITAL PAULISTA

Esta pesquisa estuda como se dá a escolha e a participação das mulheres afrodescendentes nas religiões inseridas nos presídios. Nos concentramos na instituição total denominada prisão. Nesta pesquisa buscamos estudar a religião em dois presídios da capital paulista. Levando em consideração o depoimento das presas, pretendemos estudar como as mulheres afro-descendentes (presas) optam por determinadas religiões. Passamos pela verificação teórica sobre a temática, e confirmamos no campo a situação das mulheres afrodescendentes. Em relação às religiões nesse contexto discutiremos o que a religião significa para as mulheres afro-descendentes, como elas optam, praticam e participam da religião nesses espaços, e qual o sentido da religião escolhida na vida cotidiana no presídio.

The internet:a discussion of some new and emerging threats to young people

The Internet poses a number of threats to the safety of young people. Using numerous examples, this article discusses a wide range of such threats, including: cyberstalking; the 'grooming' of potential victims of sexual abuse; a new 'wish list' scene (where teenagers encourage contact with potential abusers); the creation and distribution of child pornography; and the emergence of services that create child pornography to order. It is suggested that the latter has provided individuals with the ability to inflict sexual abuse on young people from a distance, an act the authors have termed virtual sex tourism. The final section of the article suggests that paedophiles and pornographers have been quick to adopt new technology as a means of concealing their activities. The article concludes by warning of the danger of overestimating or underestimating the threats described.

Cyberstalking:genuine problem or public hysteria?

Case studies which provide evidence of growing problem of cyberstalking and illustrate different ways in which victims suffer, and consideration of whether media has exaggerated problem of cyberstalking.

The relative influence of social support, rehabilitation program participation, and inmate preincarceration characteristics on incarcerated substance abusers' perceptions of adjustment to community reintegration

This dissertation identifies, examines, and assesses the relative influence of identified empirically and conceptually relevant variables on incarcerated substance abusers' expectations of postrelease adjustment. A purposive sampling procedure was used to recruit 101 male and female substance-abusing offenders participating in prison- and jail-based drug treatment programs in south Florida. A 92-item survey questionnaire was used to collect basic demographic data; measure inmate preincarceration characteristics, social support, and rehabilitation program participation; and record archival data. Regression equations were developed utilizing ten different measures of the participants' expectations of their postrelease adjustment. Two equations yielded statistically significant F ratios; maintaining a stable living and maintaining abstinence. Twenty-two percent of the variance in respondents' expectations of maintaining a stable living was explained by preincarceration characteristics, social support, and rehabilitation program participation (F = 1.89; df = 13,87; p $<$.05). The only significant predictor variable was perception of social support (b = $-$.05; t = $-$3.6; p $<$.001). Twenty-three percent of the variance in respondents' expectations of maintaining abstinence from substances was explained by preincarceration characteristics, social support, and rehabilitation program participation (F = 2; df = 13,87; p $<$.05). Once again, the only significant predictor variable was perception of social support. The results of the analyses indicate that social support was the only important variable for understanding these respondents' efficacy expectations of postrelease abstinence and stable living. The results of this investigation demonstrate the complexity of the social support variable for prisoners, and identify social support as a potential rehabilitative resource for substance-abusing inmates. The results of this investigation underscore the importance of continued, detailed empirical study in order to understand and clarify how social support, efficacy expectations, and actual postrelease performance interrelate for this population of offenders.

The effects of a creative movement program on long-term incarcerated women

The Multicultural Communication Bridge Program, an ongoing project at the Broward Correctional Institution, utilizes creative movement, writing, and drawing as treatment modalities with long-term incarcerated women. This type of programming is new in the prison system thus literature and research supporting the outcomes with this population are lacking. Therefore, a qualitative study was conducted to determine the efficacy of the program. Nine inmates, who have been involved in the program for at least one year, were interviewed to gather information about their personal experiences as a result of their participation. Common themes that were noted include an increase in trust, the expression of emotions, an increase in self esteem, and an improvement in interactions with others. These attributes are believed to be beneficial to these women to ensure a successful community reintegration upon their release from prison. ^

The role of death qualification in venirepersons' evaluations of aggravating and mitigating circumstances in capital trials

Death qualification is a part of voir dire that is unique to capital trials. Unlike all other litigation, capital jurors must affirm their willingness to impose both legal standards (either life in prison or the death penalty). Jurors who assert they are able to do so are deemed “death-qualified” and are eligible for capital jury service: jurors who assert that they are unable to do so are deemed “excludable” or “scrupled” and are barred from hearing a death penalty case. During the penalty phase in capital trials, death-qualified jurors weigh the aggravators (i.e., arguments for death) against the mitigators (i.e., arguments for life) in order to determine the sentence. If the aggravating circumstances outweigh the mitigating circumstances, then the jury is to recommend death; if the mitigating circumstances outweigh the aggravating circumstances, then the jury is to recommend life. The jury is free to weigh each aggravating and mitigating circumstance in any matter they see fit. Previous research has found that death qualification impacts jurors' receptiveness to aggravating and mitigating circumstances (e.g., Luginbuhl & Middendorf, 1988). However, these studies utilized the now-defunct Witherspoon rule and did not include a case scenario for participants to reference. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether death qualification affects jurors' endorsements of aggravating and mitigating circumstances when Witt, rather than Witherspoon, is the legal standard for death qualification. Four hundred and fifty venirepersons from the 11 th Judicial Circuit in Miami, Florida completed a booklet of stimulus materials that contained the following: two death qualification questions; a case scenario that included a summary of the guilt and penalty phases of a capital case; a 26-item measure that required participants to endorse aggravators, nonstatutory mitigators, and statutory mitigators on a 6-point Likert scale; and standard demographic questions. Results indicated that death-qualified venirepersons, when compared to excludables, were more likely to endorse aggravating circumstances. Excludable participants, when compared to death-qualified venirepersons, were more likely to endorse nonstatutory mitigators. There was no significant difference between death-qualified and excludable venirepersons with respect to their endorsement of 6 out of 7 statutory mitigators. It would appear that the Furman v. Georgia (1972) decision to declare the death penalty unconstitutional is frustrated by the Lockhart v. McCree (1986) affirmation of death qualification. ^

Disciplining democracy: United Nations peacekeeping, international security and democratization in the post -Cold War era

After the end of the Cold War, democratization and good governance became the organizing concepts for activities of the United Nations, regional organizations and states in the fields of peace, development and security. How can this increasing interest in democratization and its connection with international security be explained? This dissertation applies the theoretical tools developed by Michel Foucault in his discussions of disciplinarity and government to the analysis of the United Nations debate on democracy in the 1990s, and of two United Nations pro-democracy peacekeeping operations and their aftermath: the United Nations interventions in Haiti and Croatia. It probes “how” certain techniques of power came into being and describes their effects, using as data the texts that elaborate the United Nations understanding of democracy and the texts that constitute peacekeeping. ^ In the face of the proliferation of unpredictable threats in the last decades of the twentieth century a new form of international power emerged. Order in the international arena increasingly was maintained through activities aimed at reducing risk and increasing predictability through the normalization of “rogue” states. The dissertation shows that in the context of these activities, which included but were not limited to UN peacekeeping, normality was identified with democracy, non-democratic regimes with international threats, and democratization with international security. “Good governance” doctrines translated the political debate on democracy into the technical language of functioning state institutions. International organizations adopted good governance as the framework that made democratization a universal task within the reach of their expertise. In Haiti, the United Nations engaged in efforts to transform punishment institutions (the judiciary, police and the prison) into disciplined and disciplinary machines. In Croatia, agreements signed in the context of peacekeeping established in detail the rules of functioning of administrations and the monitoring mechanisms for their implementation. However, in Haiti, the institutions promoted were not sustainable. And in Croatia reforms are stalled by lack of consensus. ^ This dissertation puts efforts to bring about democracy through peacekeeping in the context of a specific modality of power and suggests caution in engaging in universal normalizing endeavors. ^

Forgotten Women: Incarceration and Health Concerns of Minority Women

Paper Presentation

A graduate piano accompanying recital

The extended program notes include historical background on the composers and pieces being performed, as well as the analytical form regarding the works. Chapter One includes Piano and Violin Sonata in B flat Major, K 454 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, Opus 28 by Camille Saint-Saens, Nocturne by Aaron Copland, Violin Concerto No. 2 in D minor, Opus 22 by Henryk Wieniawski. Chapter Two includes selected songs from Die Schone Mullerin D. 759 by Franz Schubert, La Regata Veneziana by Gioacchino Rossini, selected songs by Henri Duparc, Cowboy Songs by Libby Larsen, Poema enforma de canciones by Joaquin Turina.