Whether the capital sentencing statute in Texas provides a vehicle for jurors to give effect to mitigation evidence has been a critical factor when the United States Supreme Court has sought to determine its constitutionality. Unlike the majority of other American jurisdictions which maintain capital punishment as a penalty, Texas utilizes a particularly unique scheme which places an assessment of the defendant’s dangerousness at the center of the sentencing decision. Using data gathered from personally conducted interviews with forty-six former capital jurors and trial transcripts from each trial in which they served, this thesis demonstrates how the current sentencing scheme in Texas fails to provide jurors with an adequate vehicle for considering mitigation evidence. Beginning with an analysis of the process of jury selection this study examines the various ways in which the sentencing scheme is explained to potential jurors by the judge, prosecution, and defense attorneys. Of crucial importance is how the mitigation instruction is reconstituted by trial judges and prosecutors into an extension of the defendant’s potential future dangerousness. Emerging from this analysis is the central role that the interpretation of the sentencing statute by legal actors play in determining how jurors view the evidence presented throughout the trial, as well as what factors they believe they are legally permitted to consider in sentencing. The findings of this study strongly suggest that the focus of the sentencing scheme on the defendant’s dangerousness inhibits jurors’ ability to view mitigation evidence unrelated to the crime as mitigating. Thus, the Texas capital sentencing statute in its application appears to prevent jurors from giving effect to personal mitigation, an essential element of a constitutionally satisfactory death penalty statute.

The study analyzed a convenience sample of published accounts of death penalty cases and life without parole cases. The objective of the study was to explore factors that influence the selection of cases for coverage in books, think tank reports (e.g., Heritage Foundation), and periodicals and factors related to coverage of homicides resulting in a death penalty sentence or a life without parole sentence (often termed “America’s other death penalty”). Since this study was exploratory, hypotheses were not offered. However, prior research on the death penalty and on life without parole offered several clues. For example, since black offender/white victim homicides were more likely to result in a death penalty sentence, it was expected that such homicides would more likely to be covered. Since conservatives were more likely to favor the death penalty and liberals were likely to oppose it, it was expected that coverage would vary by how conservative or liberal the coverage source. For example, how the Heritage Foundation covered cases was expected to be different from coverage by Human Rights Watch. In summary, my study revealed opposite results of previous research studies. The results of my study are probably skewed because of the small sample size. A bigger sample size would more than likely resulted in more accurate and reliable results.

Syftet med denna kvalitativa studie var att undersöka hur avhopparverksamheter arbetar med avhoppare med fokus på behandlingsarbete samt återintegrering. Vidare ville vi även undersöka vilka faktorer som ansågs vara väsentliga i beslutet att vilja lämna gängkriminalitet. Studiens teoretiska referensram baserades på tre huvudteorier: Exitprocessen, teorin om differentiella associationer samt stämplingsteorin. Studiens empiri är framtagen genom fyra separata intervjuer med socialarbetare där samtliga är verksamma inom avhopparverksamheter. Studiens resultat indikerar på att familjebildande, traumatiska händelser eller utmattning av livsstilen är betydande faktorer i beslutet att lämna gängkriminalitet. Vidare framkom det att behandlingsarbetet inte skiljer sig markant mellan de olika avhopparverksamheterna då majoriteten av behandlingen syftar till att skapa en beteendeförändring hos individerna i fråga. Detta innebär att förändra tidigare destruktiva beteenden som etablerats hos individen som en konsekvens av kriminalitet. Respondenterna anser enat att det finns stora svårigheter med återintegreringsarbetet gällande avhoppare. Svårigheterna visade sig grundas i att hitta sysselsättning, bostad och andra vägar in i samhället. / Criminal groupings are a diverse social problem that affects the society both economically and on an individual level. The aim of this qualitative study was to examine how defector support programmes work with defectors, especially focused on treatment work and reintegration. Furthermore, the aim was to explore which factors were considered significant in the decision to leave a criminal group. The study's theoretical frame was based on three main theories: exit-process, the theory of differential associations and the labeling theory. The empirical study was produced through four separate interviews with social workers, all of whom are professionals active in defector supporting programmes. The results of the study indicate that starting a family, traumatic events or exhaustion as a consequence of the lifestyle are significant factors in the decision to leave criminal groups. In addition, it emerged that the treatment work does not differ significantly between the various defector supporting programmes as the majority of the treatment aims to create a behavioral change. The respondents unanimously believe that there are major difficulties with the reintegration work regarding defectors. Difficulties were found in getting an employment, finding residence and other ways to reintegrate.

Submitted by Franciele Moreira (francielemoreyra@gmail.com) on 2017-11-21T17:24:03Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Tese - Max Weyler Nery - 2013.pdf: 3823648 bytes, checksum: 45da627ca3fc33274b6ed62abbaf86f2 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2017-11-22T10:12:26Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Tese - Max Weyler Nery - 2013.pdf: 3823648 bytes, checksum: 45da627ca3fc33274b6ed62abbaf86f2 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-11-22T10:12:26Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Tese - Max Weyler Nery - 2013.pdf: 3823648 bytes, checksum: 45da627ca3fc33274b6ed62abbaf86f2 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-05-16 / Conselho Nacional de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico - CNPq / A highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has significantly reduced the morbidity and mortality of HIV infection. The greatest survival, chronic inflammation and metabolic changes resulting from HAART are associated with increased cardiovascular disease (CVD). Objectives: To evaluate the correlation between CVD risk scores; estimate the frequency of evaluating the metabolic and obtaining lipid targets in HIV-positive patients. Method: Cohort of seropositive individuals recruited at a referral center for HIV, in Goiás, 2009-2011. 294 participants aged >19 years were followed with clinical and laboratory evaluations performed at baseline, after 3 and 6 months. We analyzed the correlation between Framingham with and without aggravating factors; PROCAM and DAD (Kappa). We estimated the frequency of metabolic changes and obtaining lipid targets, post-intervention, according to Guidelines of the Brazilian Society of Cardiology. According to clinical and laboratory criteria, patients received rosuvastina and/or ciprofibrate. The level of significance was set at p<5%. SPSS 18.0 software was used. Results: predominantly male population (76.9%); with a mean age of 36.8 years (SD=10.3); 66.3% on HAART, of whom 50.0% for less than two years. High risk of CVD ranged from 0.4 to 5.7%. Intermediate risk for CVD was seen in 3.2, according to the Framingham score and 39.9% of the participants, considering the presence of aggravating factors. At baseline, 72.8% of participants had some type of dyslipidemia. There was a significant reduction in the percentage of individuals with mixed dyslipidemia and low HDL, post-deployment lipid targets (p<0.05). Conclusions: Framingham with aggravating factors seems to overestimate cardiovascular risk in HIV positive patients. One third of patients with dyslipidemia reached lipid treatment targets in six months. Further studies are needed to assess the predictive power of different risk scores, as well as to assess the benefits of medium and long-term use of statins in this population. / A terapia antirretroviral (TARV) potente reduziu de forma significativa a morbidade e a mortalidade da infecção pelo HIV. A maior sobrevida, o processo inflamatório crônico e as alterações metabólicas decorrentes da TARV estão associados a um aumento de doenças cardiovasculares (DCV). Objetivos: Avaliar a concordância entre escores de risco para DCV; estimar a frequência de alterações metabólicas e avaliar a obtenção de metas lipídicas, em pacientes HIV positivos. Método: Coorte de indivíduos soropositivos recrutados em centro de referência para HIV, em Goiás, de 2009 a 2011. Foram acompanhados 294 participantes com idade > 19 anos, sendo realizadas avaliações clínicas e laboratoriais na admissão, após 3 e 6 meses. Analisou-se a concordância entre: Framingham, com e sem fatores agravantes; PROCAM e DAD (Kappa). Estimou-se a frequência de alterações metabólicas e de obtenção de metas lipídicas, pós-intervenção, segundo a IV Diretriz da Sociedade Brasileira de Cardiologia. De acordo com critérios clínicos e laboratoriais, os pacientes receberam rosuvastina e/ou ciprofibrato. O nível de significância foi estabelecido em p<5%. Utilizou-se o programa SPSS 18.0. Resultados: População predominantemente masculina (76,9%); com média de idade de 36,8 anos (desvio padrão=10,3); 66,3% em uso de TARV, dos quais 50,0% há menos de dois anos. Alto risco para DCV variou de 0,4 a 5,7%. Risco intermediário para DCV foi evidenciado em 3,2, segundo o escore de Framingham e em 39,9% dos participantes, considerando a presença de fatores agravantes. Na avaliação inicial, 72,8% dos participantes apresentavam algum tipo de dislipidemia. Observou-se uma redução significativa do percentual de indivíduos com dislipidemias mistas e com HDL-baixo, pós-implantação de metas lipídicas (p<0,05). Conclusões: Framingham com fatores agravantes parece superestimar o risco cardiovascular em pacientes HIV positivos. Um terço dos pacientes com dislipidemias alcançou as metas terapêuticas lipídicas, em seis meses. Novos estudos são necessários para avaliar o poder de predição dos diferentes escores de risco, bem como para avaliar os benefícios à médio e longo prazo do uso de hipolipemiantes, nessa população.