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In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the conceptualization of the predatory stalker came to the forefront of the criminal concerns imagined by the American public. With this growing public concern and the associated media coverage, legislation designed to enhance punishments against those who might stalk became a political asset and a significant plank for reelection campaigns. Adequate definition for the phenomena, however, has yet to be established, and idiosyncratic application of the law at the policing level remains a problem. This study works toward providing a better definition of the problem from the public's perspective. Variables significant to the definition of the problem were identified and used in survey work to assess their importance in the individual's interpretation of the stalking label. Several of these variables are significantly tied to the individual's willingness to ascribe a stalking label to a given behavioral transaction. (Contains 3 tables.)

Regular participants in gaming subcultures do not seem as bound to conventional time and space anchors as other regulars (e.g., barroom habitues). This different type of regular status involves the assumption of identification in a more ethereal subculture, in the context of more rarified time and space anchors. This article examines a specific gaining culture, 'Magic: The Gathering,' as an emergent and structured sequence of accomplishments in which individual participants and competitors cooperate to create and maintain specialized forms of competition, interaction, and commerce. One coauthor, assuming the identity of Playa', observed the assumption and creation of regular identities that provided a foundation for the ongoing competitive and cooperative sequences and accomplishments. Keywords: ethereal subculture; regular identities; negotiating status

This article explores the solidary relationships constructed between urban drivers as they take risks and experience dangers associated with pizza delivery. After one of the authors completed working as a [...]

Surveys were administered to assess policymaker perceptions on the effectiveness and consequences of, and their commitment to 'tough' criminal legislation in California. In relation to this, policymaker reaction to California's 1982 DUI laws was assessed. Results suggest that the populations surveyed recognized that problems were created by 'tough' laws, specifically jail crowding. Differences existed, however, between the various populations on the perceptions of the effectiveness of such law changes and their commitment to them. Policy implications drawn from this research are discussed., Research on the impact of legal reform has proliferated in recent years. Whereas in the early nineteen-seventies these 'implementation' studies were viewed as political threats,(1) they are now routinely carried [...]

We re-examine science fiction films of the 1950s (made during the cold war), and their remakes in the 1970s and 1980s (made in the post-sixties, after Vietnam and Watergate) in conjunction with stories told by social scientists during the same eras. In this light, we provide a subversive reading of social scientific data sets and science fiction films, and pay special attention to both versions of The Thing (1951, 1982) as relevant examples of cold war and post-sixties statements. Social scientific and film productions of the 1950s correlate with optimistic public sentiments of the cold war era in regard to the abilities of the military, government, and medicine to solve social problems. The more recent reproductions conjure images of a much more pessimistic view of institutions. We suggest by way of a conclusion that readings of social scientific products, science fiction films, and their remakes can inform social theories in general and postmodern social theories in particular.

We collected California data by county involving total criminal justice system budgets, law enforcement budgets, court budgets, and the total number of criminal justice system personnel for the years 1976 through 1986. Rates of change for each county variable were calculated and compared to determine: (1) which criminal justice agency benefited the most from increases in funding at the system level, and (2) which branch of the court system had the greatest rate of increase in productivity due to increases in operating budget. We found that law enforcement received the greatest share of increases in the criminal justice system budgets, and lower courts produced the greatest increases in productivity due to increases in budget. We concluded that the court system, and specifically the superior court system represent a bureaucratized institution, and state legislature attempts to improve the functioning of the court system by allocating additional funds, most often produce little positive change in operations.

This article provides a sociological reading of cult films, in particular, The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Cult films are secular documents, celebrated as sacred texts by audiences and used as shared foci to collectively create rituals and belief systems. They differ from popular re-releases, fad films, films with cult qualities, and critical cult films in that they involve typical people in atypical situations, sympathetic deviance, challenges to traditional authority, reflections of societal strains, and paradoxical and interpretable resolutions. Examination of the Rocky Horror text and the cult activities that occur during its viewing, reveal it as a paradoxical indictment and validation of traditional societal arrangements.

The amount of Internet spam has grown exponentially over the last decade. While much of this unsolicited email is harmless advertising, a growing proportion of it is insidious in nature and fraudulent in intent. The current research assesses the nature of this type of criminal approach. Two email accounts captured a total of 476 unsolicited emails identified as suspect in intent over a three month period. The researchers analyzed the nature of the solicitation, the nature of the solicitor, and the information asked of the target. Initial findings suggest relationship-building social engineering methods are preferred over direct inquiry of sensitive information. A descriptive analysis is provided and policy implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assesses the perceptions of policymakers on the utility and the consequences of `get tough' criminal legislation. The `unintended' consequences related to these policies; California's 1982 DUI legislation and its consequences; Findings.

Discusses how the laws that California instituted in 1982 to severely sanction persons convicted of drunk driving are not working and have had a negative impact on the state's courts and jails. Authors report on research into the effects the tough DUI laws have had on probation in Calif.; Differing experiences of specific counties in the state; More.

Three age groups of male Swiss albino CD-1 mice (2-3 mo, 6-7 mo, and 14-15 mo) were treated with a 120 mg/kg dose of the protein synthesis inhibitor anisomycin or with an equal volume of saline at various times before and after training (20 min pretraining, 0, 10, 30, or 180 min posttraining) in a shock motivated passive-avoidance task. Young (2-3 mo) and intermediate-aged (6-7 mo) mice treated with anisomycin before or immediately after training demonstrated impaired retention at a 7 day test, but retention was normal for mice injected 10, 30 or 180 min posttraining. The older mice (14-15 mo) showed similar results, with one exception: those older mice injected with anisomycin 10 min posttraining were significantly impaired in retention as compared to older saline controls and to identically treated young or intermediate-age mice. The prolonged gradient of retrograde amnesia demonstrated by older mice could not be accounted for by impaired acquisition, impaired short-term memory, altered spontaneous locomotor activity, or differential inhibition of brain protein synthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]