We conducted a simulated trial study to investigate the effectiveness of a “gay-panic” provocation defense as a function of jurors’ political orientation. Mock jurors read about a murder case in which a male defendant claimed a victim provoked the killing by starting a fight, which either included or did not include the male victim making an unwanted sexual advance that triggered a state of panic in the defendant. Conservative jurors were significantly less punitive when the defendant claimed to have acted out of gay panic as compared to when this element was not part of the defense. In contrast, liberal jurors were unaffected by the gay-panic manipulation. The effect of the gay-panic defense on punitiveness was mediated by conservatives’ decreased moral outrage toward the defendant. Implications for psychological theory and the legal system are discussed.

The Woodrock Youth Development Project (YDP) aims to reduce alcohol tobacco, and drug (ATOD) use among adolescents. The YDP targets riskfactors thatpredispose youth to substance abuse, such as low self-esteem, unhealthy attitudes toward substance abuse, and lack of knowledge about drug effects. The YDP aims to improve problem-solving and coping skills, to raise awareness about the dangers of substance abuse, and to improve self-perception through increasing academic achievement as well as fostering a sense of cultural pride. Participation in the YDP was shown to reduce the incidence of drug use. Among younger (6 through 9 years of age) participants, the program improved interracial relations and marginally boosted self-esteem and knowledge about ATOD use. Furtherresearch is needed, however, to determine why the programfailed toproduce improvements m these latter atitudinal risk factors among older (10 through 14 years of age) respondents.

The results of this study of the activity of certain organic sulfur compounds as peroxide decomposers provides considerable insight to the mechanisms by which they function as preventive antioxidants. First, it is clearly evident that sulfides, disulfides, and their initial oxidation products are not the actual preventive antioxidants but rather the source from which the active materials are obtained. Thus, the sulfoxides and thiolsulfinates, formed in the initial reactions of sulfides and disulfides with hydroperoxides, serve as sources of sulfenic acid and thiosulfoxylic acid, which, together with their reaction products, are the real peroxide decomposers. It has also been demonstrated that sulfenic acid is the most effective peroxide decomposer, and that the acidic product of the initial reaction with hydroperoxide is also an effective peroxide decomposer. This product and the thiosulfoxylic acid from thiolsulfinate react with hydroperoxide by a catalytic mechanism which destroys many moles of hydroperoxide per mole of sulfur compound. The polar acidic character of these reactions was demonstrated by the effect of base. The catalytic decompositions were both effectively stopped by addition of CaCO3, and the thiosulfoxylic-acid-induced peroxide decomposition was stopped by complexing the acid with a sulfoxide.

The purpose of this study was to examine police officers' general knowledge, experience and training in the area of same-sex domestic violence. A survey was administered to 91 police officers from 5 towns in Illinois. The study revealed that a majority of officers had encountered at least one same-sex domestic violence call within the last six months. In contrast, officers reported very little training in their departments regarding this issue. While previous research studies suggest that same-sex domestic violence and opposite-sex domestic violence have a roughly equivalent frequency rate, the current study finds that police officers are encountering same-sex domestic violence on a regular basis. However, a lack of training may render cases of same-sex violence more difficult for officers, as training in same-sex violence is not as readily available as is training for opposite-sex violence.