THE LANGUAGE OF STIGMATIZATION AND THE MARK OF VIOLENCE: EXPERIMENTAL EVIDENCE ON THE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION AND USE OF CRIMINAL RECORD STIGMA

After years of stagnation, labeling theory has recently gained new empirical support. Simultaneously, new policy initiatives have attempted to restructure criminal record stigma to reduce reintegration barriers, and subsequent recidivism, driven by labeling. For example, in a recent Department of Justice (DOJ) language policy, person‐first terms (e.g., “person with a conviction”) were substituted for crime‐first terms (e.g., “offender”). The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has also issued guidelines to structure how decision‐makers use criminal records. Unfortunately, little is currently known about the social construction and use of criminal record stigma or the potential effects of such policy changes. In the current study, we provide two unique empirical tests. In study 1, we examine the social construction of stigma by testing DOJ's language policy with experimental data from a nationally representative sample of American adults (N = 996). In study 2, we use a separate nationwide experiment (N = 1,540) to examine how the contextualization of criminal records influences social exclusion decisions. Across both studies, we find consistent evidence of a “mark of violence.” The public perceives that individuals with violent convictions are the most likely to commit future crimes, and it is more supportive of excluding these individuals from employment. Crime‐first terms exacerbate perceived recidivism risk for individuals with violent convictions.     

《劳动合同法》的立法背景与立法趋势

劳动合同立法是一次民主立法、科学立法的生动实践,制定《劳动合同法》,是我国调整劳动关系的必然,是建立和发展和谐社会的必然,同样也是中国政治、经济发展的必然。《劳动合同法》适当地提高了劳动标准,结合我国现实问题,解决了劳动领域的诸多问题。     

Self-deception and other-deception among admissions to a maximum security hospital and a medium secure unit

Abstract

Other-deception and self-deception are important variables to consider when conducting a forensic psychological evaluation. The main aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of setting on other-deception and self-deception scores. It was hypothesised that patients at a maximum security hospital (Broadmoor) would score lower on an other-deception questionnaire than similar patients at a medium secure unit (Denis Hill Unit). All the patients completed the other-deception (ODQ) and self-deception (SDQ) questionnaires of Sackeim and Gur (1979) on admission to the two security hospitals. The Broadmoor patients (N = 46) obtained significantly lower ODQ score than the Denis Hill Unit (N = 52) patients, after controlling for differences in ethnic background and diagnosis among the two populations. No significant difference in setting was found for the SDQ score. The ODQ and SDQ scores were significantly associated with the type of diagnosis and the ethnic background of the patient, with patients diagnosed as mentally ill scoring higher than those with a diagnosis of personality disorder, and ethnic minority patients scoring higher than Caucasian patients.     

Partner similarity for self-reported antisocial behaviour among married,cohabiting and dating couples: the Generation R Study

Abstract

From a criminological perspective, romantic relationships are supposed to decrease the risk of antisocial behaviour (Laub, Nagin, & Sampson, American Sociological Review, 63, 225–238, 1998). However, the effects of these relationships probably depend on the romantic partner's behaviour. In the current study we examined partner similarity for antisocial behaviour in an ethnically heterogeneous community sample of 4135 married, cohabiting and dating couples from Rotterdam, the Netherlands, using self-reports. Spousal correlations were consistently positive for antisocial behaviour but differed in strength according to the type of antisocial behaviour. Associations between spouses remained strong after adjusting for age and educational level depending on the type of antisocial behaviour. In addition, antisocial behaviour was positively associated between partners across marital status and ethnicity, but the strength of this association varied to some extent. Results are discussed in light of the phenotypic assortment, the socialization and the social homogamy hypotheses.     

行政主体的义务范畴研究

行政主体的义务范畴是一个非常重要的行政法学理论问题,在现代法治政府之下政府行政系统的责任越来越突出,“责任政府”概念也成了政治学、行政法以及行政法学解释相关问题的基本概念。在责任政府这一现代理论的指导下,行政主体对公民、社会、国家承担义务就自然而然地成了行政法治以及行政法理论的核心问题,与之相对应,行政主体义务的基本范畴就成了近年来各国行政法学关注的热点问题。行政主体应具有推行宪法和法律,接受立法和司法监督,改善社会环境和促进社会发展,使国内事务与国际事务接轨等宪法义务;具有为行政相对人提供利益和保护,为行政行为说明理由和承担赔偿责任等行政法义务。     

REDEMPTION IN THE PRESENCE OF WIDESPREAD CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECKS*

Criminal background checks have now become ubiquitous because of advances in information technology and growing concerns about employer liability. Also, a large number of individual criminal records have accumulated and have been computerized in state repositories and commercial databases. As a result, many ex‐offenders seeking employment could be haunted by a stale record. Recidivism probability declines with time “clean,” so some point in time is reached when a person with a criminal record, who remained free of further contact with the criminal justice system, is of no greater risk than a counterpart of the same age—an indication of redemption from the mark of crime. Very little information exists on this measure of time until redemption and on how its value varies with the crime type and the offender's age at the time of the earlier event. Using data from a state criminal‐history repository, we estimate the declining hazard of rearrest with time clean. We first estimate a point of redemption as the time when the hazard intersects the age–crime curve, which represents the arrest risk for the general population of the same age. We also estimate another similar redemption point when the declining hazard comes “sufficiently close” to the hazard of those who have never been arrested. We estimate both measures of redemption as a function of the age and the crime type of the earlier arrest. These findings aid in the development of guidelines for the users of background checking and in developing regulations to enhance employment opportunities for ex‐offenders.     

Women who kill: a comparison of the psychosocial background of female and male perpetrators

The purpose of this study was to compare the psychosocial background of female and male perpetrators convicted of homicide in Sweden between 1995-2001. All women (n=43) who were convicted for lethal violence during the period and a corresponding number of randomly chosen men (n=43) were examined. In total, information about 86 individuals was collected retrospectively. Areas of interest were psychosocial variables during childhood and at the time of the current crime. Results showed that both female and male perpetrators were psychosocially encumbered already at an early age. Homicidal women had more severe childhood circumstances, but less aggressive childhood behaviour than did their male counterparts. At the time of the crime, women had a more ordered social situation, had more often been exposed to violence and searched for help than had the men. These gender differences suggest that specific actions are needed for preventing women's homicidal behaviour.     

美国市政体制改革:背景、过程与发展趋势

在 1 9世纪末 2 0世纪初的城市化浪潮中 ,美国市政体制由单一的弱市长制逐渐演进为强市长制、委员会制和经理制。这一变化的根本原因在于经济基础的变动。三种新型体制的出现揭开了 2 0世纪初美国市政体制一系列重大调整的序幕 ,从而促进了城市问题的解决 ,同时探寻到一条现代化条件下推进民主政治的道路     

论企业创新的周期模式及其文化背景

企业创新是企业发展的永恒主题。企业创新具有一定的周期性。典型的企业创新周期模式以美国和日本的跃迁式创新周期和连续跃迁式创新周期为代表。它们有着不同的企业文化背景 ,即个体创新文化和群体创新文化。企业创新文化是企业创新的灵魂。我国企业应不断总结自己的创新实践 ,积极培育创新文化 ,使创新发展成为整个企业共同认可的价值观念     

论当代文化背景下倡导经典阅读的意义

当代中国,经典阅读呈衰落之势,其既因现实情势的引导作用,也有历史上印刷文艺发展不充分的传统原因。在目前所有的各种文化———特别是文艺———接受形式中,阅读在调动和强化接受主体的能动性、想象力、创造意识等方面所具有的优势和独特意义,是其他任何形式都不可替代的。阅读对拓展与涵养主体精神世界的特殊意义主要在于:文本特有的表现手段对主体参与再创造的能动性的触导与培养;阅读活动对主体审美心态的特别要求与陶冶;阅读品位对主体精神品格的潜在影响。