Sexual Assault Training of Law Enforcement Officers

Abstract

The importance of proper response to victims of sexual abuse or assault has been well documented. However, despite their prominence as responders, little research has been conducted on training law enforcement officials to conduct this aspect of their jobs effectively. We describe results of a statewide survey of the adequacy of law enforcement officers' preparation to respond to victims of sexual assault. Results revealed a significant need for greater training on the topic, as well as a number of potential positive impacts of additional training and education, including feelings of better preparation, greater collaboration with external resources, more likelihood of victim participation in investigation, and more cases being brought to prosecution. Based on the results, we present a model of proposed benefits of additional training for police officers in sexual assault.     

Law Enforcement Officers in Schools: An Analysis of Ethical Issues

The use of law enforcement officers in American schools has rapidly expanded since its inception in the 1950s. This growth can in part be attributed to the Safe Schools Act of 1994, the establishment of the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Office, and tragic events that have occurred in our nation's schools. Law enforcement officers in the school environment traditionally have primary roles of protection and enforcement, although many have ancillary roles of educating and mentoring students. However, the use of police in schools has also been associated with the formalization of student discipline and the criminalization of minor misconduct. Specifically, an increase in the number of officers in schools has mirrored an increase in the number of arrests and citations for relatively minor offenses. We argue that officers' socialization and training create role conflict in that the duty to enforce the law competes with other duties to mentor and nurture students. We present several hypothetical dilemmas and then illustrate how the “right thing to do” is determined by the perceived duties of the school safety officer. We conclude by presenting some modest suggestions on how to address the potential role conflict experienced by law enforcement officers working in schools.     

我国《专利法》第四次修正之评析

法律的修正是经济社会发展的必然产物。《专利法》的第四次修正发生在我国从"专利大国"向"专利强国"迈进的关键历史当口。在第六次科技革命方兴未艾、国家科技强国战略布局不断推进、国际竞争格局加速调整这三重因素的客观背景下,此次修法从微观、中观和宏观三个层面以新技术的专利制度保障、创新成果的产业化依托和竞争体系下的国际话语权提升为价值导向对《专利法》予以增补和完善,进而从专利法授权制度的完善、专利法利用机制的优化以及专利法救济规则的深化三个角度阐释和丰富了《专利法》的权利内核。《专利法》规范下专利权利义务的优化配置将成为我国构建知识产权新发展格局中重要的一笔。     

Justice,Context, and Violence: Law Enforcement Officers on Why They Torture

How do police explain their support for torture? Findings from 12 months of fieldwork with police in India complicate previous researchers’ claims that violence workers tend to morally disengage and blame circumstances for their actions. The officers in this study engage in moral reflection on torture, drawing on their beliefs about human nature and justice to explain their support for it. They admit that they use torture more widely than their own conceptions of justice allow, but see this as an imperfect implementation of their principles rather than as a violation of them. Previous research on the spread of human rights norms has focused on how these norms can be adapted to the local beliefs that support them, rather than on understanding the beliefs that conflict with human rights. I argue that illuminating the self‐understanding of state actors who support or engage in torture is crucial to building theory on why such violence occurs, as well as to designing interventions to prevent it.     

搜查与隐私权保护——加拿大宪法与美国宪法第4修正案之比较

<加拿大权利与自由宪章>第8条赋予了公民反对不合理的搜查和扣押的权利.与美国宪法第4修正案的发展历程类似,经由加拿大最高法院的判例解释,<宪章>第8条确立了隐私权的宪法保护.基于对美国宪法判例的批判和借鉴,<宪章>第8条下的隐私权在判断标准、保护范围方面体现了本国特色.第8条下隐私权具备的丰富内涵,不仅得益于加拿大最高法院确立的隐私权旨在促进的诸项基本价值,也与加拿大较为宽泛的非法证据排除规则有关.     

Prevalence and Predictors of Suicidal Ideation Among U.S. Law Enforcement Officers

Police officers have often been reported to experience high rates of suicide compared to the general population. Suicidal ideation (SI) is considered a strong predictor of suicidal acts. However, few studies have examined SI in U.S. law enforcement officers. This study investigated the prevalence of SI and the association between SI and amount of subjective work-related traumatic stress, personal relationship stress, work-related but non-traumatic stress, age, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms, alcohol use, and posttraumatic growth among law enforcement officers (N?=?193) from a Midwestern state. Multiple regression analysis demonstrated that greater depression symptoms significantly predicted greater SI among officers.     

浅析我国《森林法》的修改与林业执法改革

《中华人民共和国森林法》是我国环境保护、生态建设法律体系中的核心法律之一,应将其视为林业管理的基本法律。《中华人民共和国森林法》的修改对于林业执法体制改革、解决林业执法体制中存在的问题是一个巨大的契机。林业执法改革应坚持依法治林、以森林保护优先;完善林业法律体系;改变主体多元化的执法体制;加强行政执法文明建设。     

Perceptions of Law Enforcement Officers in Seeking Mental Health Treatment in a Right-to-Work State

The high stress environment of law enforcement places officers at risk for a variety of mental and physical health problems; however, officers are reluctant to seek out treatment. The purpose of this study was to identify which factors associated with law enforcement officers had predictive value in the level of stigma perceived in seeking mental health treatment by currently employed, certified peace officers in Arizona. The factors included sex, age, race/ethnicity, years employed as an officer, size of the department, current rank/position within the department, the type of government operating the agency, and payment of union dues. The study included 454 participants. Participation included the completion of demographic data, the Self-Stigma of Seeking Psychological Help (SSOSH), and the Perceptions of Stigmatization by Others for Seeking Help (PSOSH). Using standard multiple regression, the most significant finding was the relationship between the size of the department and levels of stigma (p = .014); such that, the size was inversely related to the levels of perceived stigma. As the agency size increased, the perceptions of stigma decreased. Such a finding has several implications for law enforcement agencies related to preparedness and training.     

An Investigation of Biographical Information as a Predictor of Employment Termination among Law Enforcement Officers

An important service that police psychology can offer law enforcement administrators is assistance in the selection of future officers. Police psychologists have traditionally focused on the identification of psychopathology and exclusion of applicants who were found to be mentally ill. The introduction of the Americans with Disabilities Act (1990) has changed what had been considered appropriate exclusion criteria because of the introduction of increased civil rights protections for persons with disabilities. At the same time, increasing civil liability for law enforcement departments in regard to officer misconduct has compelled police psychologist to evaluate potential for future misconduct by non-clinical means. The scientific examination of biographical data may be one method of establishing the relationship between officer candidate variables and future misconduct. This paper examined the predictive validity of biographical information for a sample of 2965 police officer candidates. Results indicated that several biographical variables were significantly correlated with later termination. However, results of regression analyses indicated that biographical variables alone accounted for limited variance in the prediction of police officer termination. The use of biographical information as a sole determinant of police candidate suitability was not supported and the use of additional sources of data would be required for effectual forecasting purposes.     

论执法保障与行政执法能力的提高

依法行政的重心在于行政执法。要完成执法任务,行政执法主体必须具备相应的能力。我国当前行政执法中存在诸多问题的一个重要原因就是由于行政执法缺乏保障而致使行政执法主体的能力欠缺。因而,应加强对行政执法的保障,提高行政执法主体的执法能力。     

评《专利法修正案（草案）》第一条——基于法学方法论的考量

立法目的是具体法条创制的基础，也是司法衡量的重要因素。《专利法修正案（草案）》第一条的立法目的条款既没有简明地描述、概括专利法所要调整的社会关系，也没有充分体现专利法的基本理念和原则，同时还有一些政策性宣示的内容，应当予以适当的修改，     

评析我国婚姻法修正的得与失——寻求婚姻家庭立法发展的新起点

2001年婚姻法的修改对于完善我国婚姻家庭法律制度、保护当事人合法权益具有重要意义。不过,在禁止家庭暴力、禁止有配偶者与他人同居、夫妻应当相互忠实、婚姻无效和可撤销、法定离婚理由等方面还留有不足,应该继续完善。     

Policing Race,Gender, and Sex: A Review of Law Enforcement Policies

Growing attention to the unique ways in which women of color’s bodies are racially profiled and policed has prompted questions concerning gender-specific impacts of law enforcement practices. Arrest statistics, patterns of enforcement, and high-profile cases of police violence against Black women and other women of color suggest that gaps in policy and implementation will disproportionately affect women of color. In the current research, the policies of 36 police departments across the country were examined to ascertain the degree to which they address profiling, police sexual misconduct, and other gendered experiences of policing. The findings reveal considerable divergence in attention to regulating police behavior in the context of interactions with women and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people, exposing important gaps in police policies, and highlight a need for further research and action specifically focused on intersectional factors at play in the context of policing women’s bodies.     

Spanish Language Training for Law Enforcement Officers: Study Aid Use,Motivation, and Need to Use Correlate with Vocabulary Retention

Job-related Spanish courses are available across the country for a variety of professions. Blandino and Rivardo (Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology 21(2):68–82, 2006) assessed the effectiveness of the Officer Safety and Communication Spanish Level I (OSCSLI) (Alentado 1995) course for law enforcement officers, but did not have data beyond 6-months post course and were unable to fully assess potential benefits of study aid use. In a follow-up study, 200 law enforcement officers completed a questionnaire and quiz up to 10 years following course completion. Those who used study aids had higher quiz scores than those who did not. Multiple regression analyses indicated that past need to use Spanish and motivation to learn Spanish were significant predictors of quiz performance, further supporting long term course effectiveness.     

Fatal Injuries of Law Enforcement/Correctional Officers Attacked with Sharp‐Edged Weapons,

According to the National Law Enforcement Memorial Fund, there were 117 law enforcement fatalities in the United States in 2015. Assaults with sharp‐edged weapons have resulted in a total of over 400 fatalities in the United States. The goal of the current research was to examine sharp‐edged weapon assaults against law enforcement and correctional agents that resulted in a fatal outcome. A total of twelve autopsy reports were reviewed from across the United States. Four cases involved law enforcement officers, seven involved correctional officers, and one was an off‐duty border officer. The male‐to‐female ratio was 11:1. A total of 70.2% of the wounds analyzed were stab wounds (n = 85), and 29.8% of the wounds were slash wounds (n = 36). Based on this review, the neck, shoulder, and chest regions were the most vulnerable to single fatal stab/slash wounds. Multiple stab/slash wounds often resulted in exsanguination. The use of body armor was only noted in one case.     

对我国民事申请执行期间制度的初步检讨——以《民事诉讼法》第219条的修改为对象的分析

于2007年10月28日修改后的民诉法第215条将当事人向法院申请执行的期间统一规定为二年,从而摈弃了修改前的民诉法区分不同性质的执行当事人而设不同的申请执行期间之立法范式,但这并不意味着此次修改有实质的进步。这是因为从诉讼法理上讲,申请强制执行乃当事人对代表国家之法院所享有的公法上的请求权,是当事人行使诉权的具体体现,不应有期间的限制。此外,申请执行期间制度之设立客观上亦损害了民事实体法所确立的诉讼时效制度的完整适用,造成了民事程序法与民事实体法之间不必要的冲突。从根本上讲,我国民诉法关于申请执行期间制度的设立实乃基于积淀20余年的错误认识之不正确立法,应予以废除。