Police-citizen encounters: Turk on norm resistance

Turk's theory of norm resistance is discussed and applied to the problem of police-citizen encounters. This theory is examined critically in an effort to generate hypotheses about over conflict between police and citizens in field encounters. Specific hypotheses about deference reversals, culture conflict, congruence between behavior and official norms, and organization and sophistication factors are discussed. The research literature is reviewed. Prior research supports Turk's formulation and provides guidance for measuring his constructs.     

Criminalising encounters: MINUSTAH as a laboratory for armed humanitarian pacification

ABSTRACT

This article assesses the nexus of militarised humanitarian work, governance and violence in the context of the ‘Mission des Nations Unies pour la stabilisation en Haïti’ (MINUSTAH). It draws on empirical fieldwork in Port-au-Prince and Rio de Janeiro. Brazil’s leading role in this UN mission reinforces the country’s ambitions as an emergent economic and political power on a global stage. Brazilian military and civilian actors base their claim of being uniquely qualified for urban ‘pacification’ efforts on a supposedly deeper cultural sensitivity which they assert to have developed in everyday civil–military encounters in the criminalised peripheries of Brazilian cities. By analysing the conflicting narratives in which the military, police and citizens negotiate these encounters, we argue that they allow for a revealing of the contested and often violent forms in which peace enforcement occurs.     

The influence of neighborhood characteristics on police officers' encounters with persons suspected to have a serious mental illness

ObjectivePolice officers' decisions and behaviors are impacted by the neighborhood context in which police encounters occur. For example, officers may use greater force and be more likely to make arrests in disadvantaged neighborhoods. We examined whether neighborhood characteristics influence police encounters with individuals suspected to have a serious mental illness, addictive disorder, or developmental disability.MethodWe obtained data on 916 encounters from 166 officers in six jurisdictions in Georgia, USA and abstracted geographical data pertaining to the location of these encounters from United States Decennial Census data. Encounters were nested within 163 census tracts. Officer-reported data covered general encounter characteristics, the officer's perception of the subject's condition, subject demographics, use of force, and disposition of the encounter (e.g., arrest v. referral or transport to treatment services). Geographical data included 17 variables representing population and housing characteristics of the census tracts, from which three indices pertaining to neighborhood income, stability, and immigration status were derived using factor-analytic techniques. We then examined associations of these indices with various encounter-related variables using multi-level analysis.ResultsEncounters taking place in higher-income and higher-stability census tracts were more likely to be dispatch-initiated and take place in a private home compared to those in lower-income and lower-stability neighborhoods. In higher-income neighborhoods, encounters were more likely to involve a subject suspected to have a mental illness (as opposed to an addictive disorder or developmental disability) and less likely to involve a subject suspected to have alcohol problems. The officer's level of force used was not associated with neighborhood factors. Regarding disposition, although the likelihood of arrest was unrelated to neighborhood characteristics, encounters taking place in higher-immigrant neighborhoods were more likely to result in referral or transport to services than those in lower-immigrant neighborhoods.ConclusionNeighborhood characteristics are important to consider in research on police interactions with individuals with serious mental illnesses, addictive disorders, or developmental disabilities. Such research could inform departmental training policies and procedures based on the needs of the jurisdictions served.     

Evaluating the relative impact of positive and negative encounters with police: a randomized experiment

Objectives

Examines the influence of positive, negative, and neutral police behavior during traffic stops on citizen perceptions of police.

Methods

Participants were randomly assigned to view a video clip of a simulated traffic stop in which the officer communicates with the driver in a positive (procedurally just), negative (procedurally unjust), or neutral manner. After viewing the video, participants completed a survey about their perceptions of police, including their level of trust in police, obligation to obey police orders, and willingness to cooperate with police.

Results

Observing positive interactions with police enhanced people’s self-reported willingness to cooperate with police, obligation to obey police and the law, and trust and confidence in police, whereas observing negative interactions undermined these outcomes. The effects of these interactions were much stronger for encounter-specific outcomes than for more general outcomes.

Conclusions

The results from this randomized experiment confirm that procedural justice can enhance people’s prosocial attitudes toward police, whereas procedural injustice can undermine these attitudes. While positive (procedurally just) interactions tend to have weaker effects than negative (procedurally unjust) interactions, this study finds little support for the notion that only negative experiences shape people’s views about the police.

     

历史视野下的侦查“不立案”研究——以侦查启动的禁止性要件为分析中心

在我国现代侦查领域中，立案程序扮演着侦查启动的重要角色。在中国历史上的封建侦查领域中也存在着“立案”，但它只是启动刑讯的手续。封建社会侦查领域也存在着类似于现行立案程序的过滤机制，通过设立管辖、主体、客体、形式等方面的禁止性要件，使得侦查无从启动，从而达到“不立案”的客观效果。     

The effects of body-worn cameras on police-citizen encounters and police activity: evaluation of a pilot implementation in Philadelphia,PA

Journal of Experimental Criminology - Examine changes in officer behavior, when wearing body-worn cameras, as revealed by pedestrian stops, vehicle stops, arrests, use of force, and citizen...     

Examination of a "velasco" signature on an oil painting

In September 2003, an investor bought an oil painting at auction in Denmark. The painting was signed "José Maria Velasco." The investor attempted to sell the painting in the United States, but found that he needed confirmation that this was an authentic Velasco painting. The provenance of the painting was questionable because it came to Europe from Cuba without appropriate documentation including the date of its entry into the European market. If the signature was determined to be authentic, the painting would have an approximate value of 1 million dollars. Initial research on the life and works of the artist and a literature review resulted in the preparation of an "Art Worksheet." Known signature specimens were obtained from reputable sources. A comparison of the known signatures with the questioned signature concluded the questioned signature was very probably not executed by José Maria Velasco.     

Procedural justice during police-citizen encounters: The effects of process-based policing on citizen compliance and demeanor

Purpose

Theories of procedural justice have facilitated the development of a process-based approach to policing which emphasizes the fairness of the manner in which the police exercise their discretion. The study examines whether procedurally fair behavior by the police affects two types of citizen behavior during encounters: citizen disrespect toward the police and citizen noncompliance with police requests.

Methods

This study uses data from systematic social observations of police-citizen encounters to examine procedural justice factors on citizen behavior. Because of the reciprocal nature of police-citizen interactions, an instrumental variable is used in the statistical analysis to help address the causal relationship between police force and citizen disrespect.

Results

The statistical analyses find limited support for procedural justice factors. Two types of procedurally fair behavior by the police, police demeanor and their consideration of citizen voice, are significant in reducing citizen disrespect and noncompliance, respectively.

Conclusion

Procedural justice factors have limited and inconsistent impacts on the two types of citizen behavior, and future research should address the limitations of this study and evaluate process-based policing with more data from social observations of police-citizen encounters.     

为劳伦斯被嘲笑为“交欢的福音传教士”一辩

性曾因爱情而获得意义,但现代人不相信爱情,在金钱和权力所异化的现实面前,性在制造美感又破坏美感。但在劳伦斯看来,性本身就是价值,是对抗病态的现代文明的唯一健康力量。为着探索这一本质,劳伦斯付诸了全部心血,先写出《儿子与情人》,继而写出《两姊妹》和《查特莱夫人的情人》,终于打捞出欲海沉没中的诗性和抒情性。     

创建中国迈向“发达”的战略高地——21世纪我国经济特区及沿海经济发达地区的战略定位

在过去20年的改革开放过程中,经济特区曾经发挥着极为重要的作用,并带动我国沿海出现了一个较为发达的经济带。在新的历史条件下,经济特区和沿海经济带必须要重新进行自己的战略定位,在积极配合中央政府西部大开发战略的过程中,通过率先基本实现社会主义现代化的目标,在东部建立一个中国全面迈向发达的战略高地和操作平台,为21世纪中华民族的全面复兴做出更大历史贡献。     

The papal allocution on caring for persons in a "vegetative state"

On March 20, 2004, Pope John Paul II issued a statement to the International Conference on "Life Sustaining Treatments and Vegetative State: Scientific and Ethical Dilemmas" on the provision of food and water to patients in a "vegetative state." The purpose of this allocution was to promote and protect the dignity of patients, even when they are in a seriously ill and disabled state. To promote the dignity of these patients, the Pope explicitly stated that "quality of life judgments" were not to be applied to the administration of nutrition and fluids. The Holy Father made it clear that he was avoiding any position that could be construed as tolerating, permitting, or promoting euthanasia by omission. His statement sought to prevent Catholics and Catholic health care facilities from becoming involved in euthanasia by omission that has become a fast-growing threat.     

对《公证程序规则》几个条文的商榷

《公证程序规则》是《公证法》的细化与解释,是公证机构和公证员办理公证所必须依凭和遵循的基本规范。勿庸讳言,根据《公证法》新修订并于2006年7月1日起施行的《公证程序规则》相对于原《规则》而言,是一部结构完整,设计相对完善的公证程序规章,对指导办证实践和规范办证行为     

权利冲突:一个基于"资源-需求"模型的解释

权利的功能在于对纷争的利益主张提供正当性,即通过社会组织的法律制度、道德规范或者习俗规范来维护利益主张,定纷止争.但由于制度本身的不穷尽,社会生活本身的不断发展,权利的界定和实现存在着冲突.这种权利冲突是社会资源稀缺性和人自然属性内在张力的必然结果,制度的抽象与滞后性则是权利冲突的人为原因.权利冲突不能从根本上一劳永逸的解决,但能通过资源总量的增加、制度的完善和实施过程中的技巧、道德修养的提高和社会沟通渠道的拓展予以缓解.     

"Wrongful life" a la francaise

A recent decision of the French supreme court has recognised what has been termed in the common law system, a "wrongful life" action. Intentionally provocative, the decision shows how the desire for equitable or "corrective" justice poses a threat not only to established legal principles on civil liability, but also to the ethical framework in which both the medical and legal professions must operate.     

对一块“禁采矿碑”的法史学追问

我们对在浙江开化县发现的一块"禁采矿碑"订立的原因进行了法史学上的追问,认为当时明政权订立"禁采矿碑"的直接原因是矿工起义,深层次的原因则是官府与民争利,从而导致各种利益集团之间矛盾的激化。因此,在对待一个历史文本时,我们必须对它进行法史学上的拷问,这样得出的结论才能比较接近于历史真实。     

“国家—社会”框架与中国法学——以“国家法与民间法”研究为切入点

中国法学研究中广泛运用"国家—社会"这一分析框架具有重要的意义,中国法学界目前主要是利用这一框架进行范例研究,论者试图通过这种范例的研究对该框架的效力进行证明,并在打通市民社会两个层面的基础上,在渐进的过程中构建起中国的市民社会或者为实现现代化法治进行论证。"国家法与民间法"研究是中国法学运用"国家—社会"框架取得成果颇多的领域。法学界在运用这一框架时并未保持必要的警醒,对该框架的理论前提或预设很少质疑,而对于框架的作用和限度也没有深刻的把握。站在反思和批判的立场对中国法学研究中的"国家—社会"框架的作用和限度以及相关研究进行检视,并对这一框架背后的理念支撑进行分析,这或许是推进相关研究的一种可能的方向。     

电影贴片广告的法律思考--评电影《英雄》的一起消费者诉讼

2003年杭州发生了中国首起有关电影贴片广告的消费者诉讼,通过对案件的分析,认为电影贴片广告本身并不违法,但目前的播放方式以剥夺知情权限制了消费者的自由选择权。同时对经营者应当承担何种法律责任进行了探讨。     

"Overkill" in a case of neonaticide

A 14-year-old girl was found unconscious in a pool of blood by her mother in the family bathroom. A gynecological emergency operation revealed a state after spontaneous delivery. A few days later the corpse of a newborn, smeared with blood, was found by the father of the girl in a laundry basket in the bathroom. The autopsy revealed signs of blunt force against the cranium as well as multiple lesions caused by sharp force in the area of the neck and the thorax. The newborn died of hemorrhagic shock due to severance of the left subclavian artery. The pattern of injuries is presented. In addition, the girl's statement with respect to the course of events is discussed. Finally, this rare manner of committing neonaticide is compared with former reports in the literature.