Effects of moral reconation therapy upon moral reasoning, life purpose, and recidivism among drug and alcohol offenders

40 incarcerated DWI offenders and 62 drug offenders who were treated with Moral Reconation Therapy were assessed with respect to levels of moral reasoning, their perceived purpose in life, and subsequent recidivism. Analysis showed that, as clients progress in the program, levels of moral reasoning and purpose in life increase significantly. Level of moral reasoning appears to increase with clients' completion of therapeutic steps. Preliminary recidivism data on 103 male and female inmate-clients who have participated in an aftercare program using the therapy appear encouraging.     

Handgun Ownership and the Religion Factor

This article addresses the relationship between religious affiliation and a very specific form of firearms ownership, that is, handgun ownership. Literature is reviewed relative to explanations of gun ownership. A test of the hypothesized relationship between religious affiliation and handgun ownership demonstrated a statistically significant ( p < 0.03) association. Protestants were found to have a disproportionately high level of handgun ownership compared to other religious groups. Speculation for this finding is reviewed relative to other recent research on this topic.     

Inclusion: Considerations from social validity and Functional Outcome Analysis

Inclusion and particularly full inclusion has become a hotly debated topic. While proponents of inclusion believe that social, behavioral, academic, and developmental benefits occur for children with disabilities as well as for other, nondisabled, children in the classroom, research into inclusion provides equivocal results. This paper (a) describes inclusion, highlighting the inconsistencies in definitions and research; (b) discusses the importance of social validity in making inclusion decisions; and (c) presents an approach to inclusion using Functional Outcome Analysis (Noell & Gresham, 1993). While inclusion may be philosophically desirable, the research does not support its application as an all-inclusive approach. Inclusion decisions must be made on a case-by-case basis after a functional analysis of the student's behavior has been conducted.     

Procreative liberty, biological connections, and motherhood.

Given the complex and dramatic array of issues currently facing us in reproductive ethics, bioethicists working on the topic might be forgiven feelings of trepidation when they cast their minds toward the next century. Currently, technologies such as artificial insemination by donor (AID), once the source of intense controversy, are used on a routine basis; mainstream newspapers carry advertisements offering "excellent compensation" to ova "donors;" courts are arguing whether women who serve as gestational or "surrogate" mothers have any parental rights; and proposals resurface to jail pregnant women who take street drugs. Sorting out which developments are to be welcomed and which are to be resisted -- and why -- will require us not only to clarify some of our most basic value commitments, but also to reflect on our understanding of concepts, such as motherhood, that we previously had the luxury of thinking obvious. Let me highlight two issues I think we will be forced to confront as we try to navigate the ethics of reproduction into the twenty-first century -- namely, the value of biological connection and the meaning of motherhood.