Despite its emergence as a key player in igniting policy change, very little work has been done to understand the Supreme Court’s agenda in terms of policy content. Scholars have tended to describe the Court mostly in terms of the direction (liberal/conservative) of justices’ decisions and the significance of particular cases. As a result, I ask if the Supreme Court allocates a disproportionate share of its docket to particular policy areas and if over attention to issue areas can be explained in terms of ideological shifts on the Court. This paper utilizes a new dataset, which includes a sample of 4591 certiorari denied cases and all 7014 cases granted certiorari from 1948 to 1990. Each case is coded for policy content according to the Policy Agendas Project coding scheme. By comparing the policy content of certiorari granted and certiorari denied cases over time, I show that judicial attention to policy areas waxes and wanes and court eras can be differentiated according to which issues occupied a disproportionate share of the Court’s attention. Additionally, I demonstrate that disproportionate attention to a subset of issue areas varies with changes in the ideological makeup of the Court. / text

Problem gambling currently affects between 5-7% of youth ages 12-18 (Hardooon & Derevensky, 2002); however, rates of problem gambling among youth who are involved with the Juvenile Justice System are more than twice that of school sample rates (Lieberman & Cuadrado, 2002). Furthermore, disordered gambling often co-occurs with substance use and criminal activity (Huang & Boyer, 2007), issues that are compounded in the Juvenile Justice population. The current study assessed gambling behaviors and risk factors of 145 youth involved in juvenile, juvenile drug, and family courts. Results indicated that nearly 13% of these youth are currently problem gamblers, and that males and African-Americans had higher problem gambling rates than female and Caucasian youth. Furthermore, gambling-related crime, substance use, scope of gambling activities, and time in detention facilities were all predictive of problem gambling severity, while suicidal ideation, urban environment, and lottery sales per capita were not. Finally, having a parent with a gambling problem also emerged as a risk factor;however, the risk was greater for males than for females. These results present a distinct need for youth to be screened for gambling problems upon entering and exiting the Juvenile Justice System, and for prevention and intervention services to be offered within juvenile and family court settings. Furthermore, communities need to take an active role in preventing youth gambling problems through increasing public awareness and insuring that appropriate and accurate messages reflecting gambling opportunities and outcomes are presented.

The cognitive and/or behavioural problems associated with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) place this population at increased risk of involvement in the justice system. Although FASD poses challenges at each stage of the justice system, legal discussion and commentary have pinpointed the sentencing stage as the phase in which the issue of FASD is most commonly raised and considered. The purpose of this study is to examine if (and how) FASD is being taking into consideration at sentencing. To this end, a comparative analysis of 87 sentencing judgments (42 FASD offenders and 45 non-FASD offenders) reported in Quicklaw was conducted. Cases were matched on most serious offence (assault, robbery and sexual assault) and jurisdiction (Yukon, British Columbia and Ontario). Descriptions of FASD and non-FASD offenders as reported by judges were found to differ in a number of significant ways. Similarly, sentencing purposes applied to each offender group emerged as distinct. Despite these distinctions, no differences were found in the type and length of sentence handed down (even after controlling for criminal record and breaches). These findings indicate a need for further research and possible policy changes.

Aboriginal youth are overrepresented at Vancouver Island’s Youth Forensic Psychiatric Services (YFPS) clinics. Despite this, research on Aboriginal young offenders is very limited. Information of the unique needs of Aboriginal young offenders is needed to enhance culturally appropriate forensic services. The goal of this study was to identify psychosocial characteristics associated with delinquent behaviour that distinguish Aboriginal young offenders from non-Aboriginal young offenders. Utilizing data of 638 reports (168 Aboriginal young offenders and 470 non-Aboriginal young offenders) from the YFPS databank, logistic regression models were used to predict being an Aboriginal young offender, from 24 psychosocial characteristics. Aboriginal young offenders were differentiated based on 12 significant factors. Key findings were: Aboriginal youth were almost 5 times more likely to report alcohol use, 3 times more likely to be incarcerated and 3 times more likely to have lived with a step-parent, a non-parent and to be removed from their families for 1-2 months, than non-Aboriginal youth. The results are preliminary; significant amounts of unknown data was found for both ethnic groups in the YFPS databank. This study is an important first step in laying the foundation for empirical research on Aboriginal young offenders necessary for culturally appropriate treatment services. / Graduate

Foucault's 'governmentality approach' developed the notion of 'dividing practices' (1991; see Seddon 2007) which recognises that how individuals and groups are categorised determines how they are governed. This thesis draws on critical disability studies and criminological literature on 'doing justice to difference' to develop a disability perspective in criminology, in order to analyse the governance of offenders with autism. It argues that there is descriptive and normative value in proactively categorising these groups as 'disabled' under the 'social model' of disability. The social model of disability is helpful in enabling us to distinguish between impairment and disablement. It allows us to comprehend the 'psy' literature, which explores the link between the 'symptomatology' of autism and criminality (the 'impairment branch' of the distinction) in combination with the 'interconnecting variables' (Browning and Caulfield, 2011) which lead offenders with autism into the criminal justice system and their inequitable experiences (the 'disablement branch' of the distinction). This is timely given the entrenchment of this model in the Equality Act 2010 and the inception of the Autism Act 2009, Statutory Guidance (DOH, 2010; 2015) and related policy. Using cross-method triangulation of qualitative data collected through interviews with elites and practitioners, textual analysis and court observation of eight adult defendants with autism through their court process, this thesis investigates why the status of this group as disabled under the Equality Act 2010 has been overlooked in criminal justice policy and criminal court decision-making. It examines the extent to which policy-makers and criminal justice decision-makers consider the defendant's autism in their decision-making about the defendant's case in the courts. Finally, it examines the impact of 'collateral' effects of the criminal justice process on family members who supported these defendants.

Japan has been seen as a safe country in the world. Previous studies that show societal and cultural characteristics have contributed to the comparative low crime rates. Also, the roles of criminal justice system are critical. Today, Japanese society favors a more punitive approach towards offenders. The present study examined which variables of economic factors, socio-structural factors, and deterrence factors affected Japanese crime rates (i.e., homicide, robbery, and larceny), testing for Institutional anomie theory (IAT) and deterrence theory. I conducted visual examination of co-variation with Z-scores and an ARIMA (autoregressive integrated moving average), with Japanese governmental data from 1955 to 2012. The results indicated homicide rates were explained by neither IAT nor deterrence variables. Robbery rates were significantly related with unemployment rates and divorce rates, supporting IAT. Larceny rates were strongly associated with clearance rates, giving support to deterrence theory. Based on the results, practical implications and limitations were discussed.

A evolução da digitalização e virtualização dos processos judiciais, aliado ao crescente investimento na área de tecnologia da informação (TI), permitiu ao sistema de justiça criar e armanezar uma vasta quantidade de informações. Porém, apesar de todo investimento realizado em TI e o reconhecido avanço na normatização da estrutura do ambiente informacional, as informações jurídicas não tem gerado o esperado valor à atividade jurisdicional do sistema de justiça, que muitas vezes ainda recorrem a buscas manuais, incorrendo em informações sem a qualidade necessária, com maior demora para acessar informações com a utilidade desejada. O objetivo da pesquisa é analisar como a Governança da Informação se relaciona com os desafios da atividade jurisdicional no modelo de governança judicial do sistema de justiça, considerando que a Governança da Informação surge para preencher esse espaço não atendido pela governança da Tecnologia da Informação (TI), primeiro recolocando a informação como o recurso essencial e, segundo, demonstrando que o uso da informação, e não apenas a sua produção e armazenamento, deve ser considerado no processo de governança. Sendo assim, a Governança da Informação é um instrumento para reduzir problemas entre os agentes interessados na informação, baseando-se na teoria da agência, aliando sua estrutura à governança corporativa. Para atingir o objetivo foi utilizado o método de estudo de caso único, em unidades do sistema de justiça localizadas no estado do Acre: Tribunal de Justiça, Ministério Público e Defensoria Pública. Como contribuições dessa pesquisa estão a análise dos fatores e elementos que se espera contribuir para os desafios do ambiente informacional das empresas no diagnóstico e eventual adoção de programas de Governança da Informação, provendo um modelo particularmente associado à gestão mais célere, ética e estratégica das informações no ambiente das organizações do sistema de justiça. / The evolution of the digitalization and virtualization of judicial processes, together with the increasing investment in the area of information technology (IT), allowed the justice system to create and armanezar a vast amount of information. However, despite all the investment made in IT and the acknowledged advance in the normalization of the structure of the information environment, legal information has not generated the expected value of the judicial activity of the justice system, which often still resort to manual searches, incurring information without the necessary quality, with more delay to access information with the desired utility. The objective of the research is to analyze how Information Governance relates to the challenges of judicial activity in the justice system model of judicial system, considering that Information Governance arises to fill this space not served by the governance of Information Technology ), first by replacing information as the essential resource and secondly by demonstrating that the use of information, not just its production and storage, should be considered in the governance process. Thus, Information Governance is an instrument to reduce problems among agents interested in information, relying on agency theory, combining its structure with corporate governance. In order to reach the objective, the single case study method was used in units of the justice system located in the state of Acre: Court of Justice, Public Prosecutor's Office and Public Defender's Office. As contributions of this research are the analysis of the factors and elements that are expected to contribute to the challenges of the informational environment of companies in the diagnosis and eventual adoption of Information Governance programs, providing a model particularly associated with the faster, ethical and strategic management of information in the environment of justice system organizations.

A evolução da digitalização e virtualização dos processos judiciais, aliado ao crescente investimento na área de tecnologia da informação (TI), permitiu ao sistema de justiça criar e armanezar uma vasta quantidade de informações. Porém, apesar de todo investimento realizado em TI e o reconhecido avanço na normatização da estrutura do ambiente informacional, as informações jurídicas não tem gerado o esperado valor à atividade jurisdicional do sistema de justiça, que muitas vezes ainda recorrem a buscas manuais, incorrendo em informações sem a qualidade necessária, com maior demora para acessar informações com a utilidade desejada. O objetivo da pesquisa é analisar como a Governança da Informação se relaciona com os desafios da atividade jurisdicional no modelo de governança judicial do sistema de justiça, considerando que a Governança da Informação surge para preencher esse espaço não atendido pela governança da Tecnologia da Informação (TI), primeiro recolocando a informação como o recurso essencial e, segundo, demonstrando que o uso da informação, e não apenas a sua produção e armazenamento, deve ser considerado no processo de governança. Sendo assim, a Governança da Informação é um instrumento para reduzir problemas entre os agentes interessados na informação, baseando-se na teoria da agência, aliando sua estrutura à governança corporativa. Para atingir o objetivo foi utilizado o método de estudo de caso único, em unidades do sistema de justiça localizadas no estado do Acre: Tribunal de Justiça, Ministério Público e Defensoria Pública. Como contribuições dessa pesquisa estão a análise dos fatores e elementos que se espera contribuir para os desafios do ambiente informacional das empresas no diagnóstico e eventual adoção de programas de Governança da Informação, provendo um modelo particularmente associado à gestão mais célere, ética e estratégica das informações no ambiente das organizações do sistema de justiça. / The evolution of the digitalization and virtualization of judicial processes, together with the increasing investment in the area of information technology (IT), allowed the justice system to create and armanezar a vast amount of information. However, despite all the investment made in IT and the acknowledged advance in the normalization of the structure of the information environment, legal information has not generated the expected value of the judicial activity of the justice system, which often still resort to manual searches, incurring information without the necessary quality, with more delay to access information with the desired utility. The objective of the research is to analyze how Information Governance relates to the challenges of judicial activity in the justice system model of judicial system, considering that Information Governance arises to fill this space not served by the governance of Information Technology ), first by replacing information as the essential resource and secondly by demonstrating that the use of information, not just its production and storage, should be considered in the governance process. Thus, Information Governance is an instrument to reduce problems among agents interested in information, relying on agency theory, combining its structure with corporate governance. In order to reach the objective, the single case study method was used in units of the justice system located in the state of Acre: Court of Justice, Public Prosecutor's Office and Public Defender's Office. As contributions of this research are the analysis of the factors and elements that are expected to contribute to the challenges of the informational environment of companies in the diagnosis and eventual adoption of Information Governance programs, providing a model particularly associated with the faster, ethical and strategic management of information in the environment of justice system organizations.

Essa dissertação trata da relação entre o saber pedagógico e o governo dos adolescen-tes infratores. A partir da filosofia de Michel Foucault se investigará em um conjunto de arti-gos acadêmicos e opinativos- e de documentos governamentais quais são as novas práticas e concepções pedagógicas que surgiram na última década. Sabe-se que nos últimos anos o sis-tema de justiça juvenil brasileiro tem passado por grandes transformações, tanto no plano prá-tico quanto no teórico. O objetivo do trabalho é saber o que se passou durante esse período de reforma da instituição de responsabilização juvenil e se esse processo tornou o atendimento aos adolescentes infratores mais eficaz do ponto de vista da gestão da criminalidade juvenil. Inicialmente expõem-se alguns debates teóricos importantes para a justiça especial dispostas no Estatuto da Criança e do Adolescente. Trata-se então, da relação entre direito e poder a partir da análise dos argumentos expostos no debate acerca da redução da maioridade penal. Apresentam-se na sequência as diversas forças que habitam as instituições socioeducativas. Em seguida, vê-se como as práticas jurídicas e processuais tendem a limitar a ação governa-mental, proscrevendo-lhe regras de não intervenção. Por fim expor-se-á as práticas de atendi-mento, ressaltando terapêuticas e as práticas limitativas. Conclui-se que é o modelo de justiça penal mínima que melhor desenvolveu as aspirações educativas do ECA. Que, apesar de ter alcançado bons resultados, esse modelo concorre com muitas das forças reminiscentes do mo-delo anterior. / This essay studies the relationship between education knowledge and the juvenile justice sys-tem in Brazil. Based on the work of Michael Foucault, a selection of articles, government papers and academic publications is investigated in order to acknowledge the education prac-tices and techniques that arouse in the last decade. Brazilian juvenile justice system went through major transformations in recent years, both in the theoretical and practical fields. The goal of this research is to recognize the key transformations that took place in this period and learn if the process did or did not improve government\'s assistance towards young offenders. It starts with some theoretical debates relevant for the juvenile justice system, followed by the analysis of the relationship between law and power contained in the arguments exposed in the reduction of criminal age\'s debate. Numerous forces dwelling the country\'s juvenile justice institutions are presented. The following part analysis how legal and procedural practices tend to limit government interference, prescribing it rules of non intervention. It\'s understood that the criminal justice model of minimal intervention is the one that better developed ECA\'s ed-ucational aspirations. Despite achieving satisfactory results, this model still competes with many reminiscent forces of it\'s predecessor model.

In this paper, we try to understand the high prevalence rates of domestic violence in the United States. Using the history behind domestic violence, the psychology behind male batterers and batterer intervention programs we discover solutions to help reduce battery recidivism rates. An analysis of the criminal justice system regarding police intervention and Family Court result in future policy implications. In addition, the proposed solutions are creating lasting impact in either batterer intervention programs or policies. Lastly, policy and future implications are discussed without reducing batterer responsibility.