Swedish correctional facilities are under heavy pressure; overcrowding and its difficulties are threatening security. The purpose of this study is to increase understanding of correctional officers' reflections on risk, concerns, consequences of overcrowding and risk minimizing measures existing in custody. Three research questions are asked: How do employees reflect their concerns in relation to work-related risk, and how can ontological security be disturbed? What risks and concerns do employees reflect on in relation to prevailing overcrowding? And how do correctional officers reflect on which risk management the authorities taken to minimize risks for the employees? Little previous research has focused on custody. Nevertheless, research in custody service showed, influencing factors on staff regarding psychosocial factors, exposure to violence and the consequences of overcrowding. This study is based on qualitative interviews where correctional officers reflected over the before mentioned research questions. The result showed a sociologically interesting and social problem that several risks and concerns in relation to how employee’s workplace effects private life. For example, education was found to be a risk prevention measure in order to minimize risks and increase risk awareness among correctional officers. Furthermore, it showed how the phenomena of overcrowding has an impact on and increases solitary work. / Kriminalvården i Sverige är under hård belastning och överbeläggningens placeringssvårigheter hotar säkerheten. Syftet med denna studie är att erhålla empirisk kunskap om häktesanställdas erfarenheter av risk, orosmoment, synliggöra konsekvenser av överbeläggning samt hanteringsåtgärder myndigheten vidtagit i syfte att minimera risker. Vidare ställs tre frågeställningar: Vilka orosmoment reflekterar häktesanställda över i relation till arbetets risker samt hur kan den ontologiska skyddshinnan rubbas? Vilka risker och orosmoment reflekterar häktesanställda över i relation till rådande överbeläggning? Vilka säkerhets- och riskhanteringsåtgärder reflekterar häktesanställda över att myndigheten vidtagit i syfte att minimera risker för de anställda? Tidigare forskning relaterat till häkten är relativt outforskad. Forskning inom kriminalvård belyser bland annat, psykosociala faktorer, våldsutsatthet och överbeläggningens konsekvenser. Denna studie är baserad på kvalitativa intervjuer där häktesanställda reflekterade över tidigare nämnda frågeställningar. Resultatet visar ett sociologiskt- och ett socialt intressant problem, då flertalet risker och orosmoment påträffades i relation till häktesanställdas arbetsplats och hur arbetssituationen påverkar privatlivet. Grundutbildning påträffades vara en säkerhetsåtgärd, vilken syftar till att minimera risker och öka riskmedvetenheten bland häktesanställda. Slutligen påvisade resultatet att utförandet av ensamarbete ökar och påverkas av fenomenet överbeläggning.

Registered nurse (RN) insufficiency is both a major contributor to and effect of emergency department overcrowding (EDOC) in the United States and is implicated in increased patient mortality, ED wait times, and general congestion of the healthcare system. Licensed paramedics represent a viable solution to this crisis given their extensive training in emergency care by serving as RN adjuncts and alternatives in the ED setting. Paramedics utilize high-level clinical judgment and patient assessment skills to form detailed clinical impressions and employ a wide range of therapies to initiate treatment. Although they less frequently possess a college degree than their RN counterparts, paramedics complete a comparable study of medical science principles, patient assessment, and pathophysiology, and devote significantly more time to critical care and emergency medicine than RNs. Implementation of paramedics in U.S. EDs in the 1980s and 1990s highlighted their manual and technical skill prowess as well as their ability to rapidly assess emergency situations, including their unexpectedly widespread use in pediatric EDs. Modern implementation includes expansion of the psychomotor skills available to ED-based paramedics, with emphasis on medication administration and emergency procedures, but there is a significant lack of research into paramedic assessment and triage skills in the ED. Barriers to further implementation of ED paramedics include resistance from nursing advocacy organizations, regulatory and legal challenges, and public opinion and attitudes of nurses and paramedics. Nursing advocacy groups have historically opposed paramedic integration, fearing job encroachment and increased autonomy for non-nursing healthcare professionals. Regulatory challenges involve certification vs licensure discrepancies, limitations on paramedic scope of practice, and the wide-reaching effects of state Nurse Practice Acts. Societal resistance, cultural factors, and attitudes within the nursing and paramedic communities also impede further ED paramedic implementation. Practice recommendations are proposed, including the development of standardized ED orientation programs for paramedics, and redefining the minimum education for paramedics at the associate degree level. Legislative recommendations involve eliminating statutory restrictions on paramedic practice, reevaluating language in state Nurse Practice Acts, and clarifying the legal relationship between RNs and ED paramedics. The limitations of this literature-based thesis include a lack of large-scale studies, regional variability, and the absence of empirical examination of paramedic integration in reducing ED overcrowding. Future suggestions for study include randomized controlled trials comparing ED patient outcomes between RNs and paramedics, interrater reliability studies on assessment and triage skills, and comparisons of scope of practice and education between paramedics in different countries.

Botswana has been experiencing high rates of recidivism and prison overcrowding, but the causes of these problems have not been explored. Thus, this qualitative study was conducted to investigate whether the denial of legal representation to criminal defendants tried in the customary courts is one of the causes of high rates of recidivism, prison overcrowding, or both. The main research question addressed a possible relationship between these factors and the denial of legal representation, and the study was guided by the punctuated equilibrium theory and the policy feedback theory. Data were collected through semi structured interviews with 10 released first offender prison inmates, 10 released recidivist prison inmates, and 10 professional participants from disciplines in the criminal justice system in addition to reviewing statistics and scholarly research. Data were analyzed through detailed description, categorical aggregation, direct interpretation, which led to naturalistic generalizations and patterns. The results indicated that the denial of legal representation to criminal defendants tried by customary courts appeared to contribute to both recidivism and prison overcrowding, which may undermine public safety and security. The implications of the study for positive social change include informing policy-makers of the need to reform the policy on legal representation to ensure that criminal defendants tried in the customary courts receive fair trials. The additional implications for positive social change include impacting rates of recidivism and prison overcrowding and enhancing community safety and security.

<p>The research comprises an exploratory study of the challenges that offenders face upon release and which contribute to recidivism in the Department of Correctional Services (DCS). The West Coast Medium &lsquo / A&rsquo / Correctional Centre in the Western Cape has been selected as the case study area. Although offenders attend various rehabilitation programmes inside the prison, it has become apparent that upon their release this rehabilitation is not sustained. The qualitative methodology used for this research included semi-structured interviews in order to gather information on the challenges that contribute to recidivism. Offenders, parolees, family members, the Head of Social Reintegration, a social worker, a representative of NICRO, the Chairperson of the Atlantis Community Police Forum, and a spokesperson for SAPS Atlantis were interviewed in order to gather the relevant information. The general findings of the research demonstrate that the adverse socio-economic conditions confronting the offenders after their release from prison are the main barriers to their successful rehabilitation and reintegration into society. The problem is further compounded by the high incidence of criminal activities within the community environment, the influence of gangsterism, peer pressure and substance abuse. Together, these conditions lead to the re-committing of crime, the re-incarceration of former offenders and, ultimately, to a pattern of recidivism.</p>

Although efficient use of stock is an important issue of housing economics and policies, there is very little research on the subject in Turkey. This study aims to investigate the stock efficiency in Turkey by measuring the degree to which the housing stock matches household size. Distributions between dwelling units and the households in terms of their size are investigated for this purpose. The stock is studied within three zones of occupational density: comfort, overcrowding and underoccupation, according to international occupancy standards. The findings reveal that the rapid rise in underoccupation in the stock is the dominant character of housing in Turkey, which is a result of housing system producing larger and larger dwellings despite the declining average household size in the country. The analyses in the province center level show that there are great differences between the western and eastern parts of the country. Reasons of overcrowding and underoccupation are also investigated by means of regression analysis. Tenure, income level and proportion of gecekondu emerge as the most effective variables in explaining the differentiation of overcrowding and underoccupation across province centers.

Abstract Background: Emergency department (ED) overcrowding has become a significant problem throughout the large medical centers, leading to possible threatened medical quality, causing raised stress levels among staff and patients in EDs, and most importantly, adversely affecting patient outcomes. Due to its complexity, a large concerted group effort will be needed to increase awareness, implement proposed solutions, and make a change. ED overcrowding is a multifaceted problem that will require a multifaceted solution. Methods: We set up the "Input-Throughput-Output" model provides a structure for examining the factors that affect ED access, quality and outcomes. Using this model, we clarify the issues of ED overcrowding into three stages, propose ways to obtain needed information in each stage, test the strategies and then evaluate their outcomes. We utilized the analytic hierarchy process (APH) method to measure the weights of the physician¡¦s stress and arrange more efficacious and flexible duties accordingly. Results: This is a prospective study investigating ED overcrowding at this medical center from January 2008 through December 2009. Hospitals developed and implemented a number of best practices revolved around patient flow initiatives, specifically looking to improve input, throughput, and output. Conclusion: This study suggests that a decrease in ED overcrowding can be achieved through ongoing collaboration of the indicators and the implementation of best practices via the Input-Throughput-Output model.

No description available.

<p>The research comprises an exploratory study of the challenges that offenders face upon release and which contribute to recidivism in the Department of Correctional Services (DCS). The West Coast Medium &lsquo / A&rsquo / Correctional Centre in the Western Cape has been selected as the case study area. Although offenders attend various rehabilitation programmes inside the prison, it has become apparent that upon their release this rehabilitation is not sustained. The qualitative methodology used for this research included semi-structured interviews in order to gather information on the challenges that contribute to recidivism. Offenders, parolees, family members, the Head of Social Reintegration, a social worker, a representative of NICRO, the Chairperson of the Atlantis Community Police Forum, and a spokesperson for SAPS Atlantis were interviewed in order to gather the relevant information. The general findings of the research demonstrate that the adverse socio-economic conditions confronting the offenders after their release from prison are the main barriers to their successful rehabilitation and reintegration into society. The problem is further compounded by the high incidence of criminal activities within the community environment, the influence of gangsterism, peer pressure and substance abuse. Together, these conditions lead to the re-committing of crime, the re-incarceration of former offenders and, ultimately, to a pattern of recidivism.</p>

Emergency department (ED) overcrowding is a challenge faced by many hospitals. One approach to mitigate overcrowding is to anticipate high levels of overcrowding. The purpose of this study was to forecast a measure of ED overcrowding four hours in advance to allow clinicians to prepare for high levels of overcrowding. The chosen measure of ED overcrowding was ED length of stay compliance measures set by the Ontario government. A feed-forward artificial neural network (ANN) was designed to perform a time series forecast on the number of patients that were non-compliant. Using the ANN compared to historical averages, a 70% reduction in the root mean squared error was observed as well as good discriminatory ability of the ANN model with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.804. Therefore, using ANNs to forecast ED overcrowding gives clinicians an opportunity to be proactive, rather than reactive, in ED overcrowding crises.

Emergency department (ED) overcrowding is a challenge faced by many hospitals. One approach to mitigate overcrowding is to anticipate high levels of overcrowding. The purpose of this study was to forecast a measure of ED overcrowding four hours in advance to allow clinicians to prepare for high levels of overcrowding. The chosen measure of ED overcrowding was ED length of stay compliance measures set by the Ontario government. A feed-forward artificial neural network (ANN) was designed to perform a time series forecast on the number of patients that were non-compliant. Using the ANN compared to historical averages, a 70% reduction in the root mean squared error was observed as well as good discriminatory ability of the ANN model with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.804. Therefore, using ANNs to forecast ED overcrowding gives clinicians an opportunity to be proactive, rather than reactive, in ED overcrowding crises.