Fitness for trial constitutes the most frequent referral to forensic assessment services. Several approaches to this evaluation exist in Canada, including the Fitness Interview Test and Basic Fitness for Trial Test. The following article presents a review of the issues and a method for basic fitness for trial evaluation.

Discusses a national review of pretrial diversion programs for drug-related cases; emphasizes the importance of social work involvement; and discusses the need for systematic design, development, and evaluation on these alternatives to incarceration for drug-involved offenders. (JPS)

Describes each of 20 cases briefly to show the pattern of killers who committed their crime in order to be executed. Concludes that the death penalty itself can serve as an invitation to murder, and asserts that legislators should vote against the implementation of the death penalty in order to save lives. (JPS)

Examines the current strategy to combat illegal drug use and its effect on corrections. Reviews three schools of thought on drug-control policy and explores the assumptions offered by the public-health generalists, the legalists, and the cost-benefit specialists. Concentrates on issues of race, class, and alternatives to correctional warehousing.…