Population genetic studies: is there an emerging legal obligation to share benefits?

It appears that large-scale population genetic studies are the necessary next step in genomics research. Such studies promise to provide correlative data to permit researchers to understand the etiology of a vast array of complex human diseases. Simultaneously, such studies are increasingly seen as yet another mechanism for the developed world to benefit at the expense of the developing world. In fact, a recent World Health Organization Report suggests that "without explicit attention at the international level, the initial technological fruits of genomics are likely to consist primarily of therapeutic and diagnostic applications for conditions affecting large populations in rich countries." (World Health Organization, Genomics and World Health, 2002). In developed and developing countries alike, there are concerns that the pharmaceutical industry stands to gain at the expense of the population(s) from which population genetic data are derived. In light of the current interest concerning ongoing population genetic studies and an increasing interest by many countries, Canada included, in embarking on large-scale population genetic research, it is appropriate to consider the concept of benefit-sharing as a potential mechanism to assuage these concerns. It is the author's position that by virtue of common law equitable principles and developing norms in international law, including the Human Genome Organization Statement on Benefit-Sharing, that there are principled legal and ethical reasons to compel the sharing of benefits that accrue from the commercialization of the resulting data. Using the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity and the Bonn Guidelines as a model, I suggest that appropriate benefit-sharing mechanisms have been considered in the context of non-human biological materials and that these same mechanisms may be applicable in the context of international and intra-national population genetic studies.     

第三方警务与保险——以市场为基准的犯罪预防案例研判（上）

本文试图探讨一种新的发展趋势。即以市场为基准展开的犯罪预防。保险公司是该种新型犯罪预防模式的代表机构。尽管保险的传统关注点在于犯罪或其他灾难发生后所遭受的损失，我们在此将揭示保险业从反应型犯罪管理模式向主动型管理模式的转变。该种趋势是更广义上的“去中心化警务”（decentralization of policing）的一部分，即警务从国家控制的管理机构向以社区和市场为基准的第三方的转移。新的意识形态支持这种转变，包括针对犯罪的保险统计理念的更新和对谨慎之人看法的转变。     

Campbell Collaboration systematic reviews and the Journal of Experimental Criminology: Reflections on the last 20 years

Journal of Experimental Criminology -     

Complaints of group-stalking (‘gang-stalking’): an exploratory study of their nature and impact on complainants

Stalking primarily concerns the actions of individuals. However, some victims report stalking by organised groups, this being known as ‘group-’ or ‘gang-stalking’. This phenomenon has not been subject to systematic study. An anonymous questionnaire was completed online by self-defined victims of stalking. One thousand and forty respondents met research definitions for stalking, of which 128 (12.3%) reported group-stalking. One hundred and twenty-eight individually stalked cases were randomly selected as a comparison group. All cases of reported group-stalking were found likely to be delusional, compared with 3.9% of individually stalked cases. There were highly significant differences between the two groups on most parameters examined. The group-stalked scored more highly on depressive symptoms, post-traumatic symptomatology and adverse impact on social and occupational functioning. Group-stalking appears to be delusional in basis, but complainants suffer marked psychological and practical sequelae. This is important in assessment of risk in stalking cases, early referral to psychiatric services and allocation of police resources.