WHERE OFFENDERS CHOOSE TO ATTACK: A DISCRETE CHOICE MODEL OF ROBBERIES IN CHICAGO*

Why do robbers choose a particular area to commit an offense? Do they rob close to home? Do they search for areas with suitable and attractive targets? What keeps them away from certain areas? To answer these questions, a model is developed of how robbers choose target areas. The model draws on various theoretical and empirical traditions, which include environmental criminology, journey to crime research, gang research, and social disorganization theory. Testing the model on cleared robbery cases in Chicago in the years 1996–1998, we demonstrate that robbery location choice is related to characteristics of target areas, to areas where offenders live, to joint characteristics of the resident and target areas, and to characteristics of the offenders themselves. The presence of illegal markets and other crime generators and crime attractors make areas attractive for robbers, whereas collective efficacy seems to keep them out. Distance as well as racial and ethnic segregation restrict the mobility of offenders.     

Developing a Spatial-Temporal Method for the Geographic Investigation of Shoeprint Evidence

Abstract:  This article examines the potential of a spatial-temporal method for analysis of forensic shoeprint data. The large volume of shoeprint evidence recovered at crime scenes results in varied success in matching a print to a known shoe type and subsequently linking sets of matched prints to suspected offenders. Unlike DNA and fingerprint data, a major challenge is to reduce the uncertainty in linking sets of matched shoeprints to a suspected serial offender. Shoeprint data for 2004 were imported from the Greater London Metropolitan Area Bigfoot database into a geographic information system, and a spatial-temporal algorithm developed for this project. The results show that by using distance and time constraints interactively, the number of candidate shoeprints that can implicate one or few suspects can be substantially reduced. It concludes that the use of space-time and other ancillary information within a geographic information system can be quite helpful for forensic investigation.     

量刑与定罪互动论:为了量刑公正可变换罪名

现行刑法理论中定罪与量刑的关系被扭曲了,刑法理论把准确定罪置于至高无上的地位,司法机关把大量精力耗费于准确判断罪名,定罪决定量刑、量刑不可能影响罪名成为刑法公理。但是,判断罪名意义上的定罪,并非刑法的目的;对被告人和社会最有意义的是量刑,判断罪名只是为公正量刑服务的;因此,如果常规判断的罪名会使量刑失当,就可以为了公正量刑而适度变换罪名。     

受贿罪立法问题研究

我国刑法关于受贿罪的立法,在立法思想上存在着矛盾,对受贿罪的犯罪对象规定的范围过窄,对受贿罪与行贿罪的关系处理不当,过分强调受贿数额对受贿罪法定刑的影响。这些问题在一定程度上影响了刑法在惩治贿赂犯罪方面功能作用的发挥,有必要从立法层面上研究解决。解决这些问题,既是有效地打击贿赂犯罪的需要,也是我国刑法与《联合国反腐败公约》相衔接的要求。     

中国内地与香港特区侵犯著作权犯罪刑法立法比较研究

本文对中国内地与香港特区侵犯著作权犯罪的立法模式、罪名体系、主观要件、客观要件、法律后果等方面进行了全面的比较和分析,并相应指出其差异及优缺点,以期为两地著作权刑事立法的相互吸收和借鉴以及合作打击跨境侵犯著作权犯罪提供理论上的支持。     

业务过失犯罪处罚问题研究

科学技术的发展在给人类带来巨大的福祉的同时,也使得生产、交通、建筑等高风险领域中过失犯罪的发生率持续上升。为保障社会安全,适应惩治和防范业务过失犯罪的需要,应加重我国刑法对业务过失犯罪的处罚,彻底改变刑法对该类犯罪的处罚轻于普通过失犯罪的普遍现象;适当增加业务过失危险犯;改变多数业务过失犯罪法定刑刑种设置的单一性,增设罚金刑和资格刑。     

涉外腐败犯罪刑事管辖权冲突问题研究——以中国为视角的思考

主权的独立性决定国家的属地管理权具有一定程度的排他性。而各国在长期的司法实践中所形成的诸多刑事管辖原则,在适用于涉外腐败犯罪时又必然会引起管辖冲突。这种刑事管辖的局限和管辖权的冲突,决定各国在追诉涉外腐败犯罪时不得不谋求与其他国家的合作,中国当然也不例外。     

The natural history of extended co-offending

Most criminal acts are committed in very small groups or alone, and are repeated sporadically. But that is not always the case. Co-offending can include larger groups, cooperating sequentially or simultaneously, knowing each other or at least knowing about one another. We may use the term “extended co-offending” to subsume varieties of crime organization, crime networks, gangs, and criminal clusters. Extended co-offending also includes vaguely organized crime repetitions, and is a matter of degree. Criminal cooperation can be extended in time, space, numbers of persons involved, and types of criminal action. The extension process has a very wide span of possibilities. Drawing ideas from Max Weber and others, this paper suggests that the natural history of criminal cooperation progresses in four stages, with steeply decreasing prevalence: (1) primordial clusters of offenders, (2) small-scale charismatic leadership of offenders, (3) a medium-scale patrimonial system of offenders, and (4) and an extended patrimonial system of criminal cooperation. Primordial co-offending occurs on a very local level, with little or no hierarchy or systematic repetition. Extended criminal cooperation usually requires personal trust among offenders, favoring patrimony over formal organization.     

Gambling on compliance with the new 2005 Act: Do organisations fulfil new regulations?

Gambling is not a new phenomenon. Indeed gambling has been seen to be omnipresent throughout history and culture. However gambling has taken a new path. Online gambling is fast becoming a major pastime for many of society. The ease of access and convenience of play has led to an increase in the numbers of people gambling, and not just online. Within the increase of online gambling there has also been an increase in the regulation surrounding this industry. This paper explores the regulatory approach to online gambling within the UK. The researchers explore the Gambling Act 2005 (UK) and provide an empirical analysis of the UK major gambling organisation to determine what regulatory aspects they adopt and what safety measures they have in place to protect minors and to protect against financial crime. The researchers finally looks at policy implications for UK governments when regulating future online gambling.     

犯罪对象概念的批判性考察

我国刑法理论中的犯罪对象概念面临着很多理论困境,这些困境产生的根源在于犯罪对象在犯罪构成中的体系性位置及功能产生了错位。在传统理论中,犯罪对象同时作为犯罪客体的物质承担者和犯罪行为所直接指向、作用的对象而存在。实际上,这两种功能的承担者在某些情况下是分离的。我们应彻底抛弃犯罪对象的概念,以行为对象和社会关系的物质承担者,来分别承担犯罪对象原有的两种功能。