Psychiatric aspects of arsonists.

Arson is a major source of property damage, injury and death in the United States. Many people who commit arson have extensive psychiatric histories and symptoms at the time of their fire-setting. However, traditionally the law enforcement community and the mental health community have not shared information about the characteristics of people who set fires. This study examined mental health records and/or prison files from 283 arsonists. 90% of arsonists had recorded mental health histories, and of those 36% had the major mental illness of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. 64% were abusing alcohol or drugs at the time of their firesetting. Pyromania was only diagnosed in three of the 283 cases. Different motives for setting fires are discussed; many patients were both angry and delusional. A survey instrument, which captures both psychiatric and legal data, is included. Suggestions are made for gathering future "profiling" information. A matrix approach to coding diagnosis and behavior is presented.     

A comparison of partner and solo arsonists

Data on 225 adult arsonists arrested in a metropolitan county over a four-year period were systematically gathered. In each case 83 variables related to the arsonist and the arson were examined. The presence or absence of a partner in crime clearly differentiated two groups of arsonists . Partner and solo arsonists are characterized by a different level of social functioning and a different burden of mental impairment and criminal history. By focusing on the partner variable, it also becomes clear that the characteristics of the offense are related to those of the offender.     

Female arsonists: a clinical study

This paper is a detailed study of a sample of 15 female arsonists. A review of the literature suggests that arson is seen more frequently in males with female firesetters usually comprising 10 to 18% of the samples of firesetters studied. As a result, female arsonists have been studied less often, and only a few authors have reported on their clinical features. This retrospective study demonstrates that female arsonists do not fall in any particular age group and are mostly either single or separated. Some psychosexual aspects of their behavior also appear to be clinically relevant. In contrast to previous studies, they were more often diagnosed as personality disordered and an association with suicidal behavior was found. Their motivations for the firesetting behavior were also considered. Finally, this paper compares some demographic, clinical, and other differences between male and female arsonists. The study also suggests that poor impulse control may be a prerequisite to this type of criminal behavior. The identification of psychopathic traits in the arsonist has important medico-legal implications.     

船舶登记制度的国际统一性问题研究

分析船舶登记制度有关国际公约存在的主要问题，认为《1986年联合国船舶登记条件公约》并不合时宜，有必要重新考虑达成新的船舶登记公约。探讨船舶登记制度国际统一性的主要问题，指出在全球海运服务贸易一体化的背景下，在UNTAD框架内。达成可望生效的新公约是可行的。     

Motives of reward among men who rape

Perceptual deterrence research attempts to measure the effect of perceived certainty and severity of punishment in preventing criminal behavior, while considering the rewards (from the perception of the offender) of committing the crime. Many studies in the area of perceptual deterrence are lacking any measure of reward, resulting in an incomplete model. This study will examine the goals of men who commit rape to better understand what compels the rapist. Respondents for this study were drawn from the population of rapists in the maximum security state penitentiaries located in two Southern states. All were surveyed concerning the rewards that would lead them to commit rape, while considering two levels of risk of apprehension. The results reveal that those who rape often have a specific motive in mind and have calculated the risks involved in committing the offense.     

Rosemary west: Motives and meanings

Abstract

This article originally appeared in Trouble and Strife (Winter 1996/97, pp 44-52) and is reproduced, by kind permission of the original publishers, as Deborah Cameron's thought-provoking analysis of the Rosemary West case is felt to deserve a wider audience.

In the article, Deborah Cameron reports that feminists were mostly silent about the Rosemary West case in spite of having an analysis of sex crime, because female perpetrators of sexual murder seemingly did not fit that analysis. She argues, however, that female sexual murderers can be understood within a feminist framework. Identifying Rosemary West as one of only a handful of female sexual murderers, Cameron theorises that Rosemary and Fred West, like other sexual murderers, were constructing a form of identity based on sexual transgression and existential transcendence, perhaps as a strategy for dealing with their own history of abuse. What Cameron also provides us with is an explanation for why sexual murderers are overwhelmingly male, an analysis based on an understanding of the context of patriarchy.     

Violence during Pregnancy: Investigating Infanticidal Motives

This study aimed to investigate whether potentially infanticidal violence by men toward their pregnant partners’ is motivated by jealousy, and hence paternity uncertainty. It was predicted that men who used potentially infanticidal violence (directing their physical aggression towards their pregnant partners’ abdominal region) would have younger partners as this is associated with greater reproductive value; would be in relationships of shorter duration as this may indicate less stable relationships; and would be more jealous and restrictive of their partner’s movements and friendships than violent men who directed their aggression to other regions of their pregnant partners’ body. Relationship behaviors were provided from 43 women in domestic violence shelters (n?=?43), using measures of the following: (1) partner physical aggression (2) victim fear and injury, (3) areas of bodily assault (when pregnant and when not pregnant), (4) controlling behaviors, and (5) topics of disagreement. Violence directed towards the fetus was associated with shorter relationships where both partners were younger. In such relationships, there was more physical aggression from the male partner, he used more controlling behaviors to isolate his partner, and the partners had more disagreements arising from his jealousy, compared with when physical aggression was not directed towards the fetus. These findings are consistent with an infanticidal motive for men’s aggression directed towards their pregnant partners. If paternity uncertainty is a primary cause of this dangerous form of domestic violence, it should form an important element in any screening instrument.     

Interventions with arsonists and young fire setters: A survey of the national picture in England and Wales

Objectives . Arson is a serious problem that has high costs in both financial and non‐financial terms. It is important that effective provision to intervene with arsonists and young fire setters is available. Method . A national survey was conducted of organizations delivering interventions to arsonists and young fire setters. This survey included fire and rescue services, probation areas, youth offending services, forensic mental health units, several government departments, and the National Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders. The survey was followed by site visits to eight organizations to conduct interviews with relevant staff. Results . The majority of interventions for children and adolescents were provided by fire and rescue services, often in conjunction with local youth offending services. Some forensic mental health units provided interventions, but no specialist provision for arsonists appeared to be available in either the prison or probation services. The site visits and interviews revealed areas of good practice across the organizations visited, and highlighted areas where developments might be made to improve services. Conclusions . The findings are discussed in light of the available literature, and recommendations made for future practice.     

《伤逝》创作动因新探

鲁迅与许羡苏交往共十余年，在写作《伤逝》时已相交五年，鲁迅对许羡苏一直有好感，而许羡苏对鲁迅则是敬中有爱，但始终缺乏使埂关系飞升到恋爱层面的契机，许羡苏的婚事因此被耽搁。在鲁迅与许广平确立恋爱关系并准备向新的生活迈进时，他在有意无意之间感到有愧于许羡苏，因此就虚拟自己若果真与她结合了，其结局必然会像涓生与子君那样，以悲剧告终，既然如此，还不如不结合。这样，鲁迅悬着的心终可平衡了。     

Incapacitation and Just Deserts as Motives for Punishment

Law and Human Behavior - What motivates a person's desire to punish actors who commit intentional, counternormative harms? Two possible answers are a just deserts motive or a desire to...     

论船舶所有人的识别

结合船舶所有人具有不同形态的特点,在分析了人们对船舶所有人识别存在问题的基础上,提出了对船舶所有人的识别应当考虑登记在不同船舶所有权变动模式中的作用以及由此对船舶所有人识别的影响,并提出了相应的立法建议。     

The observation of mental disorder and dangerousness in arsonists: a contemporary appraisal of changes in Dutch forensic mental health cases

In the Netherlands pre-trial forensic mental health assessments are conducted to examine whether a mental disorder was present at the time of the offence that affected the free will of a person, in which case criminal accountability is considered diminished or absent. This study aims to investigate societal changes over time in forensic mental health recommendations in arson cases. Seventy-two reports of male arsonists assessed in 1950–2010 were included in this study, 36 arsonists were assessed in the first time period (1950–1979) and 36 in the second period (1980–2010). Results show an association between DSM classification and the conclusion on criminal accountability only in the first period and an association between recidivism risk and the forensic mental health recommendation only in the later period. It is concluded that mental disorder was of greater influence on the conclusion on accountability in the first time period, whilst dangerousness played a more important role on the forensic mental health recommendation in the later time period. Our findings reflect a shift from paternalistic principles to principles of risk control and show that societal changes influence the field of forensic mental health.     

The Motives Underlying Stereotype-Based Discrimination Against Members of Stigmatized Groups

We argue that the motivations that underlie stereotype-based discrimination against racial minorities and other stigmatized groups often fail to meet standard criteria for rational judgments. Stereotyping of such groups is often driven by threats to one’s self-esteem and a desire to rationalize inequality, and declines when the perceiver is motivated to be accurate. Also, Bayesian racism—the belief that it is rational to discriminate against individuals based on stereotypes about their racial group—correlates highly with negative feelings toward minorities and the desire to keep low-status groups in their place, and correlates negatively with indices of rational thinking. The motives that drive social judgments call into question whether people engage in stereotype-based discrimination for rational reasons.     

Understanding and Measuring Consumption Motives in the Performing Arts

Currently, there is no common understanding of categorizing, conceptualizing, and measuring consumption motives in the performing arts. Study one presents the results of forty-seven semi-structured, in-depth interviews and deepens the understanding of consumption motives. A new framework consisting of cultural and social motives is introduced. This framework is tested in the second study. Here, a quantitative instrument is developed. The results of the principal components analysis refine the framework and demonstrate the following consumption motives: cultural aesthetics (with two dimensions: artistic value and enjoyment of beauty), cultural relaxation, cultural stimulation, social bonding, social attraction, social distinction, and social duty.     

论船舶碰撞的定义、概念、责任

通过对英国法律、相关国际公约和中国法律条文的分析，论证中国法律对于“船舶碰撞”应有的定义与概念，认为只有在船与船之间有接触的情况下才构成船舶碰撞，排除了可能与碰撞相关的一切非接触性的事件，法律准用规则是借用而不是界定；‘最高法院关于审理船舶碰撞和触碰案件财产损害赔偿的规定）第16条的规定，扩大解释了法律对船舶碰撞界定的定义与概念，应予修订。指出船舶保险的碰撞责任，保险人不承担所谓的“间接碰撞”引起的赔偿责任。     

船舶油污损害数额的诉讼认定

船舶油污损害数额的认定存在困难,对此可以损害额酌定制度来解决.从比较法的视角并结合中国现行相关立法、制度及司法实践,对损害额酌定制度如何应用于船舶油污损害赔偿诉讼做了探讨.认为:损害额酌定兼具证明标准降低和自由裁量双重性质,能适用于诸多船舶油污损害赔偿请求权;法院在酌定损害数额时应当综合考虑所排放油类的数量及品质、受污染的海域范围及其污染程度、油污事故与损害之间的因果关系、责任人的偿付能力等因素,并注意规约法院的诉讼行为和切实保障当事人的程序利益,以使酌定的损害数额尽量客观化、合理化.