Emphasis on winning, instead of sportsmanship, and a surge in spectator demand for brute force are factors used to explain why sports are becoming increasingly violent. Legal questions are identified related to sports violence that have emerged from criminal and civil court cases. (SR)

Current developments in both the civil and criminal law as they relate to the hobby of film collecting are analyzed. The first-sale doctrine, court cases involving copyrights of films, and the role of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in confiscating films on behalf of the Film Security Office of the Motion Picture Association of America are…

Many athletes are filing court suits alleging that schools have exploited their athletic abilities and ignored their educational needs. The National Collegiate Athletic Association solution to the problem of exploitation is higher academic standards. (SR)

A panel of seven international jurists and lawyers has found a pattern of human and legal rights violations against Native Americans and other minorities in the United States. Their three-week investigation focused on political prisoners and discovered abuses of both the activists and the criminal process. (Author/DS)

Summarizes highlights of a discussion by eight leaders in the field of child sexual abuse on the impact of child sexual abuse examinations on the dependency and criminal systems. (DB)

Discusses three aspects of trial simulations used to study juror responses: (1) individuals used as jurors, especially college students; (2) the amount of information provided for jurors; and (3) the presence or absence of jury deliberation. Suggests three methodological caveats for legal communication research employing trial simulations. (PD)

Reviews previous research on the sociolegal impact of medical evaluations for child sexual abuse; offers a recommended menu of research questions, concerning process and outcomes of these evaluations, interviewing techniques, the use of medical evidence in prosecution, and knowledge level of professionals in the criminal and dependency systems.…

This commentary on an article (EC 619 279) about research issues at the interface of medicine and law concerning medical evaluation for child sexual abuse focuses on empirically testable questions: (1) the medical history--its accuracy, interviewing issues, and elicitation and preservation of verbal evidence of abuse; and, (2) expert testimony.…

Presents the opinions of nine professionals serving the justice system on the issue of providing representation in criminal and civil cases for those unable to pay for lawyers. Includes questions about the obligations of lawyers to provide counsel and the differences between legal representation in civil and criminal cases. (CFR)

The impact of state funding of higher education and corrections on African American men was studied by analyzing the National Association of State Budget Officers' annual state expenditure reports for the 15-year period from 1985 to 2000. To ensure proper scale, all 1985 figures were converted to 2000-year dollars by using the Bureau of Labor…