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Defendants’ experiences: video hearings from prison(s) to courts(s)
No full textThe focus of this article is the experiences defendants – both represented and unrepresented[1] - have when appearing via video link(s) from prison(s) to court(s), in England and Wales. This exploration is based on second-hand accounts. In this study, 20 interviews were conducted with a range of courts actors, and 403 court hearings at 2 magistrates’ courts were observed. The findings demonstrate that whilst video hearings were initially introduced to promote managerialism values (i.e., increase efficiency and reduce costs), due process rights have in some instances been undermined. It will be argued that although appearing via video has advantages for defendants and can enhance their ability to effectively participate in the process, challenges also arise in relation to this. This is due to managerialism values generally being prioritised over participation concerns
Dry stone Walling. Rural Artisan Enterprise in the Urban Economy
Get PDFUsually, dry stone walls are a feature of rural locations but this paper presents a case story of how two experienced dry stone Wallers were commissioned to build a dry stone wall in an urban location. Through narrative story telling using photographs, this work charts the progress of the construction of the Wall from the commissioning process in December 2021 from visiting stone quarries to search for appropriate stone in January 2022, to the building of the wall itself in May-June 2022.
The paper demonstrates how engaging in simple artisanal tasks, such as building a dry stone wall, is a source of fascination to the observer and also a process of discovery. Methodologically, it uses a Dramaturgical lens (Goffman, 1959) to capture the experience of both the construction of the wall itself and the lenses which the casual observer uses to understand the process of walling.
The paper explores the significance of what are perceived to be ‘rural’ ‘creative enterprise’ and artisanship but transported to an urban environment. It expands an earlier work of a case study of two dry stone wallers, based in North Yorkshire, a region of the UK (McElwee, 2022).
By so doing, it demonstrates how creative enterprise skills in the rural economy can be transported into the urban environment. By this simple process the paradox is that more actors are able to enjoy and appreciate a rural skill, than they would in a more ‘traditional’ environment. One further consequence of this is that urban-based actors are able to appreciate at first hand, the beauty of a well-constructed dry stone wall.
Importantly it points to the significance of the dry stone wall for the continued sustainability of rural regions. In the UK, the dry stone wall is perceived to be a ‘Public good’. Indeed, the UK Domestic Agricultural Policy (DAP) is centred around the idea of ‘public money for public goods’, which incentivises farmers for providing services that the public can benefit from i.e., countryside access, sustainable farming practices and increasing biodiversity (Defra, 2021)
“Illegal Rural Enterprise – Developing a framework to help identify and investigate shadow infrastructures and illicit criminal networks.”
Get PDFPurpose: This study builds on the extant research of the authors on Illegal Rural Enterprise [IRE]. However, instead of taking a single or micro case approach within specific sections of the farming and food industries we examine the concept holistically from a macro case perspective. Many IRE crimes simply could not be committed without insider knowledge and complicity, making it essential to appreciate this when researching or investigating such crimes.
Design/methodology/approach: Using data from published studies, we introduce the theoretical concept of ‘Shadow infrastructure’ to analyse and explain the prevalence and
endurance of such criminal enterprises. Using a multiple case approach, we examine data across the cases to provide an analysis of several industry wide crimes - the illicit halal meat trade; the theft of sheep; the theft of tractors and plant; and the supply of illicit veterinary medicines.
Findings: We examine IRE crimes across various sectors to identify commonalities in practice and in relation to business models drawing from a multidisciplinary literature
spanning business and criminology. Such enterprises can be are inter-linked. We also provide suggestions on investigating such structures.
Academic and practical implications: We identify academic and practical implications in relation to the investigation of IRE crime and from an academic perspective in relation to
researching the phenomenon.
Social and policy implications: Include setting up a multi-agency intelligence hub to provide expert knowledge to the numerous agencies involved in investigating such crime.
What is the value of paper: Combining data from numerous individual studies from a macro perspective to provide practical solutions to a multi-faceted problem.
Key Words: Criminal Entrepreneurship, Illegal Rural Enterprise, Illicit Trade, Rural Policing, Shadow Infrastructures
Predictors of spiritual wellbeing in The Episcopal Church during the COVID-19 pandemic
Get PDFThe COVID-19 pandemic seems to have caused both declines in psychological wellbeing and increases in spirituality and religious coping. This paper explores the relationships of spiritual and psychological wellbeing in a sample of 3,403 Anglicans from the Episcopal Church (USA) who completed an online survey in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Spiritual wellbeing improved more among women than among men, among older than younger people, among Black or African Americans than among other ethnicities, among those who lived alone, and among clergy than among lay people. Positive change in spiritual wellbeing was also associated with psychological type preferences for extraversion, intuition, and feeling. Emotional volatility was associated with more negative changes in spiritual wellbeing. Multiple regression suggested that spiritual wellbeing was more closely associated with positive, rather than negative, psychological affect
Online Group Supervision as Pedagogy: A Qualitative Inquiry of Student Mental Health Nurses’ Discourses and Participation
Get PDFThis study explored online group clinical supervision participation, as a component of pre-registration education following mental health nursing students’ clinical placements. Clinical supervision has historically been valued as a supportive strategy by healthcare professionals to develop practice and competence and prevent burnout. As many student nurses do not have access to clinical supervision via practice areas as a standardised process, their experiences of engaging in or benefitting from clinical supervision are wide-ranging. In view of this, we are identifying a theory-practice gap between theoretical knowledge and practice experience. This study incorporated a qualitative inquiry using reflexive thematic analysis and applying poststructural theoretical perspectives. Online group clinical supervision was delivered to student mental health nurses whereby focus groups followed to discuss their views, understandings and experiences of online group clinical supervision. This was against a back drop of Covid-19 lockdown restrictions. Thematic synthesis identified two main areas for improving participation and pedagogy comprising; Improving Confidence and Trust in (Online) Participation and The Need for Familiarity in CS Participation and Understanding. Thematic and poststructural analysis demonstrated participants’ positive outlooks on the values of clinical supervision, whilst also identifying the finer nuances of the differences in accessing group clinical supervision through an online format. This study adds to the literature on using group clinical supervision within the student mental health nurse population by identifying the benefits of group clinical supervision for student nurses. It has additionally found that the silences and inhibitions surrounding online participation are important areas for further research
The asymmetric effect of all-inclusive holiday service quality attributes on tourist satisfaction
Get PDFAll-inclusive holidays have regained popularity among budget-conscious holidaymakers amidst inflation and living cost crisis. Following the pandemic, tourists are now staying at the hotel more and venture out less, which further makes all-inclusive holidays more popular than ever. With the increasing popularity of all-inclusive holidays, knowledge expansion of this tourism segment is necessary. This study extends the under-developed all-inclusive holiday literature by exploring service quality attributes of all-inclusive holidays and evaluating their asymmetric effect on tourist satisfaction. Suggestions on prioritizing service quality attributes for improvement are expected to support industry practitioners in managing service quality and satisfaction strategically
A duoethnographic exploration of Relational Psychotraumatology: research, training, and practice considerations
Get PDFIntroduction
Using a duoethnological approach, supported by relational trauma theories, this paper synthesises idiosyncratic formulations and perspectives of working with relational trauma.
Aim
Initially, focus is centred on reflecting on the authors' research with different and diverse groups. These include in-reach rehabilitation and recovery services for people with profound and enduring mental health needs, as well as experiences of trauma, loss, grief and post-traumatic growth of sanctuary seekers.
Method
Duoethnography, which is a collaborative research methodology that promotes introspection and critical reflexivity in researchers, was followed for over a year, and this provided rich data, which were analysed.
Results
Duoethnological dialogue offered rich data, which was conceptualised into four themes, which are presented and elaborated on: (i) the importance of the therapists acknowledging and witnessing meaning-making with those who present with relational trauma and engaging with the evolving process of remembering, repeating and working through their trauma; (ii) the importance of therapists clarifying the aim or function of therapy from their modality; (iii) the importance of the idiosyncratic experiencing and processing of relational trauma; and (iv) the importance of the dynamic process and diversity of possible stages in working through relational trauma.
Discussion
These themes support an argument for a praxis of relational trauma and exploration of different approaches that may be helpful in therapeutic practice, training and psychotraumatology research.
Conclusions
The paper concludes with reflections on how a human rights trauma-informed approach entails facilitating hope in trauma work and offers recommendations for psychotraumatology therapeutic practice and trauma-informed training
Visiting urban green space as a climate-change adaptation strategy: Exploring push factors in a push–pull framework
Get PDFUrban green space (UGS) offers users multiple ecosystem services and amenities. This study investigated whether residents used UGS visitation in summer as a sustainable measure to tackle hot weather and associated climate-change impacts in humid-subtropical Hong Kong. Attributes of the indoor residential environment, seldom examined in park-visitation studies, were evaluated as push factors to visit UGS through a push–pull theoretical framework. A questionnaire survey of 483 respondents targeted urban park users. The results indicated that UGS visit frequency and stay duration were relatively low in hot summer. Ordinal multiple regression showed that indoor living conditions, residence location, living routine, and habit and personal health impacts were significantly correlated with UGS visits. Interdependence between push and pull factors was detected, demonstrating that intrinsic UGS environmental conditions could constrain UGS visits despite the motivations of push factors. The results indicated the need to improve the microclimate-regulating function in UGS. It could be achieved mainly by optimizing the nature-based design to promote UGS as an adaptive measure to combat the thermal stress brought by climate change. The findings yielded hints to shape visiting habits and suggestions to improve UGS management
Physical activity in adult users of inpatient mental health services: a scoping review
Get PDFPeople with severe mental illness engage in considerably less physical activity than those without. They also experience premature mortality of around 10–25 years. A large proportion of these premature deaths are attributed to modifiable behaviours, including physical activity. The inpatient environment provides an opportunity to support people to become more physically active; however, there is limited evidence on which interventions are most successful and what contextual factors affect their delivery. A scoping review was conducted to help understand the extent and type of evidence in this area and identify research gaps. We included studies of physical activity correlates and interventions in adult inpatient mental health services published in peer-reviewed journals. Reviews, meta-analyses, and papers focusing on eating disorder populations were excluded. We searched the MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, ASSIA and Web of Science databases for relevant studies published in English. We extracted data on study design, participant characteristics, intervention and control conditions, key findings, and research recommendations. We used a descriptive analytical approach and results are presented in tables and figures. Of 27,286 unique records screened, 210 reports from 182 studies were included. Sixty-one studies reported on correlates of physical activity, and 139 studies reported on physical activity interventions. Most intervention studies used a single-group, pre-post design (40%) and included fewer than 100 participants (86%). Ninety percent of interventions delivered physical activity directly to participants, and 50% included group-based sessions. The duration, type, frequency and intensity of sessions varied. Mental health was the most commonly reported outcome (64%), whereas physical activity was rarely an outcome (13%). Overall, there is a modest but growing body of research on physical activity in adult users of inpatient mental health services. More high-quality trials are needed to advance the field, and future research should target neglected intervention types, outcomes, populations and settings
The rise of the remote metropolitan branch campus – Definitions, motivations and models
Get PDFThis paper explores the concept of the university remote metropolitan branch campus (RMBC). Drawing on approaches used to frame international branch campuses, it proposes a first definition for an RMBC, distinguishing it from a wider group of domestic ‘Satellite Campuses’ that includes multi‐campus universities within regions. Using interviews with 10 RMBC directors in London, it explores motivations for their creation and approaches used to organise and resource these ventures, as well as to attract and teach students. It concludes that the dominant reasons for creating RMBCs relate to financial diversification, reputation, reach and business engagement, but that in some cases the repositioning of an RMBC has been strategically reactive in response to external changes in its operating environment. Whilst there is evidence for a range of organisational models amongst London‐based RMBCs, there are key commonalities around the students attracted, the programmes offered and approaches to teaching and learning. RMBCs in London are growing and thriving, but face challenges from market entrants and uncertain future UK Government policy