Suspect burial excavation procedure: A cautionary tale

Geographic location, time of reporting and need for rapid evaluation contributed to a lack of intelligence concerning a suspect burial site in scrub woodland (～15 km from the last known location of a missing person) in Northern Ireland. Police received reports of a subsiding ‘grave’, which was evaluated positively using GPR and victim recovery dogs (VRD). After 24 h work, archaeological excavation showed a vertical-sided, stepped excavation on undisturbed clay with no inhumation. Subsequent research showed the feature to be an engineering trial pit. The GPR response was a water table and rocks, VRD were possibly reacting to disturbed ground. The work serves as a demonstration of good archaeological practice in suspect burial excavation, following a lack of landscape evaluation and poor overall intelligence.     

Procedural Justice and Affect Intensity: Understanding Reactions to Regulatory Authorities

Why is it that some people respond in a more negative way to procedural injustice than do others, and why is it that some people go on to defy authority while others in the same situation do not? Personality theorists suggest that the psychological effect of a situation depends on how a person interprets the situation and that such differences in interpretation can vary as a function of individual difference factors. For example, affect intensity—one’s predisposition to react more or less emotionally to an event—is one such individual difference factor that has been shown to influence people’s reactions to events. Cross-sectional survey data collected from (a) 652 tax offenders who have been through a serious law enforcement experience (Study 1), and (b) 672 citizens with recent personal contact with a police officer (Study 2), showed that individual differences in ‘affect intensity’ moderate the effect of procedural justice on both affective reactions and compliance behavior. Specifically, perceptions of procedural justice had a greater effect in reducing anger and reports of non-compliance among those lower in affect intensity than those higher in affect intensity. Both methodological and theoretical explanations are offered to explain the results, including the suggestion that emotions of shame may play a role in the observed interaction.     

Motor accidents and blood samples in New South Wales

In the 12 months to June 2007, more than 26,000 people were injured in motor accidents on New South Wales roads. More than 400 people were killed. Alcohol was an important factor in a significant number of these accidents. The Road Transport (Safety and Traffic Management) Act 1999 (NSW) contains provisions for the mandatory taking of blood samples from drivers who have caused death while driving and who are suspected of having driven under the influence of drugs or alcohol. This article considers the law regarding the requirement of hospital staff to collect blood samples from drivers involved in motor vehicle accidents in New South Wales.     

Anger disturbances among perpetrators of intimate partner violence: clinical characteristics and outcomes of court-mandated treatment

In the present study, the authors clustered a pretreatment sample of 190 perpetrators of intimate partner violence (IPV) mandated to attend group counseling based on State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory scores and examined whether these profiles were associated with differential outcomes 1 year postadjudication. Cluster analysis revealed 3 groups: (a) high anger-expressive (HA-E, n = 56), (b) moderate anger-inexpressive (MA-IE; n = 13), and (c) low anger (LA; n = 118). HA-E men perpetrated more IPV, reported experiencing and witnessing more abuse during childhood, scored higher on psychopathology measures, and reported more substance problems. HA-E and MA-IE males had higher program attrition and rearrest rates; MA-IE males were more likely to be arrested for assault-related offenses. Thus, although the majority of partner-abusive men do not present with anger-related disturbances, the presence of anger problems may be a marker for an array of traits that may complicate the treatment process.     

Making Tradeoffs in Federal Block Grant Programs: Understanding the Interplay Between SSBG and TANF

Welfare reform gave states the option of transferring up to10 percent of their annual federal Temporary Assistance forNeedy Families (TANF) award to the Social Services Block Grant(SSBG). Drawing on administrative data, we consider the impactof TANF transfers on SSBG. We find evidence suggesting thatmore innovative states, states that experienced larger TANFcaseload declines, and states that transferred a higher percentageof TANF funds to the Child Care Development Fund (CCDF) havetransferred higher portions of their TANF allocations to SSBG,all else equal. Preliminary analysis of changes in SSBG expenditurepatterns from FY 1995 to FY 2000 indicates that states are transferringsignificant sums to SSBG, but that TANF transfers do not appearto have a consistent effect on SSBG spending priorities acrossstates.     

Death in the desert. The sabotage-derailment of "The City of San Francisco"

The completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1869 was a milestone in American history. Seventy years later in August 1939, the westbound, new Southern Pacific Railroad streamlined passenger train "City of San Francisco," was intentionally derailed at high speed in northern Nevada by saboteurs who had moved a rail out of alignment. This resulted in a spectacular wreck, claiming the lives of 24 passengers and crew. Despite the finding of physical and trace evidence; and lengthy, exhaustive investigations by railroad police, the FBI, and forensic scientists, the perpetrators were never brought to justice. Deaths resulting from vandalism and sabotage are among the least common of railroad-related deaths; however, acts of vandalism and violence including train derailment are increasingly frequent in this country. Law enforcement officers and forensic scientists must be able to place these incidents in their proper perspective and to successfully investigate and solve them by employing all means at their disposal.     

Homicidal death following blunt trauma in a vulnerable host, with secondary infections including local tetanus

An uncommon type of homicide resulted from complications of an ordinarily nonfatal injury after a 59-year-old obese, hypertensive, diabetic man was struck in the face with a two-by-four, sustaining a grossly contaminated laceration. It was cleaned and sutured primarily, and a tetanus booster was given. On the fourth hospital day there was evidence of anerobic wound cellulitis, including Clostridium tetani. The wound was surgically debrided, but 2 days later the patient developed local tetanus. Only then was it discovered that he had never been immunized against tetanus. He did not develop systemic tetanus, but 2 days later he died with bronchopneumonia and sepsis. The assailant was indicted for involuntary manslaughter, but after a contentious trial he pleaded "no contest" to a reduced charge. The decedent was a vulnerable host, his contaminated facial laceration initiating an unbroken course of events that led to his death.