Mark-resighting analysis of a California gull population

California gulls ( Larus californicus ) of known age and sex were censused on their breeding colony in 1979, 1980 and 1984 through 1993. Ages of 235 males and 196 females ranged from 4 to 27 years. Age classes used in the analysis were limited to 17, 4 through 19, and 20 or more as a final age category because data on gulls over 20 were sparse. Survival declined with age in a way that was parsimoniously modelled with a quadratic function. Other factors, sex and time, did not explain any variation in survival. Resighting depended on age, sex and time. Younger adults skipped breeding more frequently than did older adults, and females skipped breeding more frequently than did males. There was also good evidence for time dependence in resighting probability, but its inclusion in the model occurred at the expense of interpretability and precision. In a data set such as this, resighting probability may assume more importance than a mere 'nuisance parameter'. In this study, resighting history measured attendance at the breeding ground. In turn, attendance rates may be a manifestation of reproductive strategy, which can also have consequences for survival. In this situation, there may be heterogeneity in both survival and resighting probability that is unexplained by the model. While such complexity may well be a nuisance to deal with, it can also point to important biological questions.     

‘A murderous ‘underclass’? the press reporting of sexually motivated murder

The 'underclass' is widely held by commentators of the Right to be responsible for a host of social problems, including violent crime. This paper shows how in the reporting of sexually motivated murder in a sample of nine British newspapers for one complete year (1992), the image constructed is one where unemployed and other marginalised men are portrayed as the main perpetrators of sexual violence. This, the authors argue, hampers our understanding of sexual violence, for it suggests that it is only men of a 'low' socio-economic background who are a potential threat to women and children. It is also suggested that the 'symbolic environment' of the press reporting of sexual murder provides a context in which a more authoritarian benefit regime and greater control of poor communities can be spuriously justified.     

Powerless Children—Powerful Systems

This article looks at the needs of children and families now that there is increasing inter-agency conflict. The situation is considered from the perspective of one agency, educational psychology and it is suggested that the pressures on one agency are common to all agencies. It is argued that the impact of the changes imposed upon agencies conspires to enhance the power of systems and diminish opportunities for children and families to be in control. Examples of effective inter-agency support and a model of working that facilitates positive outcomes for children and their families are discussed.     

Children in separated families: A group-based intervention strategy

The effects of divorce and separation on children can be traumatic and long lasting. Any intervention has to be aware of, and sensitive to, the aims of custodial parents. A group-based intervention aimed at helping children to be less vulnerable to both emotional problems and future abuse is described. The results of such groups suggest that future intervention needs to treat the panacea of increasing child-parent communication with some caution, and should instead recognize that children make their own choices about when to speak out and what to say within their own family situation. Intervention should instead be geared towards helping children to sort out their own feelings and letting them decide how they want to express them.