Years In Office Research Articles

About the need to return to the educational and caring nature of guardianship in enforcement proceedings

The role of the probation officer in enforcement proceedings is crucial because the lawassigns them with tasks in virtually all institutions involved in the enforcement of penaltiesand punitive measures against criminals. Thus, the probation officer has a significantimpact on the effectiveness of the execution of penalties and punitive measures. Unfortunately,in the current legal situation, in enforcement proceedings, the probationofficer primarily performs control and information functions, and to a very limitedextent they perform care and social rehabilitation functions. Therefore, there is a needto create mechanisms thanks to which the probation officer dealing with adult perpetratorsof crimes will focus to a greater extent on care and educational activities.Shifting the emphasis to the educational nature of the probation officer's work withthe convict is important because the evolution of criminal policy is aimed at expandingthe importance of the probation officer's year in enforcement proceedings by expandingthe catalogue of his tasks.

The Freemasons' Sword of State Presented by Thomas, 8th Duke of Norfolk, to Mark His Year of Offi ce as 13th Grand Master of Grand Lodge, 1730, Signed 'Frater G. Moody, Fecit', now at Freemasons' Hall, London

The Freemasons' Sword of State presented by Thomas, 8th Duke of Norfolk in 1730, a token made by the royal sword-cutler, freemason and swordbearer, George Moody, is described and illustrated. The sword's presentation is discussed, the gift is placed into its historical context, its iconography is assessed and the life of the manufacturer is examined. Two other relevant swords at Freemasons' Hall, London are also discussed.

Zimbabwe's Human Rights Record During the 25th Anniversary of the Mugabe Regime

During 2005, Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe celebrated his 25th year in offi ce as President of Zimbabwe. This evaluation describes the current human rights crisis in Zimbabwe, and the response by the international community. The two particular instances of severe human rights violations that have raised international concern are the Zimbabwean government’s land policy aimed at seizing land owned by white farmers, and the policy of clearing urban squatters from their settlements. Zimbabwe’s government introduced a land redistribution programme whereby most of Zimbabwe’s white commercial farmers were removed from their farms to make way for landless blacks. The land redistribution policy has had serious implications concerning human rights in Zimbabwe. It has also infl uenced the Zimbabwean economy, contributing to an already precarious economic situation. The land redistribution programme has been an incremental one, beginning in 1979 and gradually increasing in coverage. This has discouraged long-term investments by farmers, culminating in the implications it has had for agricultural productivity. Given that agriculture is the mainstay of the Zimbabwean economy, the consequences of land seizures have thus gone beyond just shortages of food. The crisis in the Zimbabwean economy is refl ected in the runaway infl ation, the decline in the value of the Zimbabwe currency and the failure of Zimbabwe to meet its obligations to the International Monetary Fund.

Privatization in the city: successes, failures, lessons

In Privatization in the City, E. S. Savas comprehensively examines the evolution and implementation of former New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani's aggressive privatization program in the face of a city council generally hostile to privatization. Savas identifies, examines, evaluates, and documents all forms of privatization employed, including contracting, competitive sourcing, divestment, leases, vouchers, franchises, default, withdrawal, and voluntarism. He contrasts these efforts in New York with privatization in several other cities across the country, ranging from Indianapolis to Phoenix. After analyzing the costs and benefits--both quantitative and qualitative--of New York's privatization program, Savas concludes that significant savings were achieved during Giuliani's eight years in office.