An epidemiological assessment of problematic contacts to members of Congress

In order to assess the nature of threat assessment activity pertaining to members of Congress, 4387 cases involving threatening and other problematic contact were analyzed. The cases were studied regarding subject characteristics, articulated motives, as well as several aspects of contact behavior in relation to approach behavior. Approachers were significantly less likely to have articulated threat language prior to or during their contacts and were also less likely to have stated a policy grievance (foreign or domestic) as the source of their concern. Further, approachers were substantially more likely to have expressed help seeking requests as part of their prior and approach-related contacts and were less likely to have had racial or sexualized content within their contacts. Approachers were also significantly more likely to have had a criminal record as well as displayed symptoms suggestive of major mental illness. Subjects engaging in approach behavior were also less likely to have used an alias, were less likely to be a direct constituent of the target and were more likely to have contacted multiple congressional targets. The implications for threat assessment activity are discussed.     

Peculiarities of the stab and cut wounds caused by blades of combat cold weapons

Design philosophy of blades of Russia-made combat cold arms and of inflicted-by-them stab-and-cut wounds were characterized on the basis of a comparative-and-evaluation study. Stereomicroscopy, histology examinations as well as X-ray-spectral and fluorescence analyses were made use of while investigating the wounds with subsequent processing of the results by discriminative analysis. Form, skewness and a graze type of the wound tubber as well as presence of "edge cuts" and of central graze wound were found to be the main distinctive wound signs. The study results ensure a full-value differential diagnosis of a type of the used cold-arm sample.     

The potential of children as eyewitnesses

This study examined children's capabilities in an eyewitness task. Subjects aged five to twenty-two years viewed a confederate interacting with the experimenter and later were asked to tell what had happened, to answer objective questions (including a leading question), and to identify the confederate from 6 photos. The results indicated that although young children were unable to freely narrate what they had observed as thoroughly as adults, they were as accurate as adults in answering objective questions and in identifying the confederate from 6 photos. Additionally, there were no age differences in susceptibility to leading questions.     

Parental alienation (syndrome) in child custody cases: survivors’ experiences and the logic of psychosocial and legal services in Italy

ABSTRACT

Parental alienation (syndrome) is a controversial issue, criticized by experts in different fields. However, this concept is often used by professionals and is frequently cited in courtrooms. This qualitative study focuses on parental alienation and explores women’s experiences as well as legal and social services’ practices in child custody cases. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with separated mothers who were victims of intimate partner violence, and with social workers and psychologists/psychiatrists designated by courts to evaluate parenting skills. Expert reports, psychological assessments and legal documents were also analysed. Results show that professionals endorsed parental alienation and considered it a ‘feminine problem’. Women were often blamed and labeled as ‘engaging in parental alienation’ when they were trying to ensure their children’s safety. Children’s accounts were interpreted as being a result of their mothers’ manipulation. In contrast, fathers were treated as victims of vindictive women who want to keep children to themselves. Men’s violent behaviours were not considered, and their role as fathers was seen as ‘inviolable’. These practices seem to reflect the ‘good-enough father’ approach, according to which the presence of the father is essential for children’s development, regardless of his violent behaviours.     

Mediators of male violence toward female intimates

The purpose of this study was to compare perceived life stressors, alcohol usage, and perceived quality of the intimate relationship of a group of males who have abused their female intimate with a group who have no history of abuse toward their partner. Interviews were conducted with 42 men who were defined as violent and 50 men who were defined as nonviolent. Interviews consisted of various demographic and health questions as well as standardized instrumentation (Michigan Alcoholism Screen Test, Autonomy/Relatedness Scale, Life Experiences Survey, and Conflict-Tactics Scale). Student's t tests indicated that the two groups differed as a function of perceived life Stressors, perceived quality of the intimate relationship, race, and depression. Stepwise logistic regression indicated that higher perceived quality of the intimate relationship, black race, and greater depression were significant predictors of male violence toward female intimates.     

"Life expectancy" of "ecstasy" tablets in Israel in the years 2001-2003

3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) tablets known as "ecstasy" became a very popular drug amongst Israeli youth in the last decade. The ecstasy tablets have a simple design impressed on them (logos) making it relatively easy to distinguish between various logos. The life expectancy of ecstasy tablet logos, defined as the period between the first seizure by the police of a certain logo until the last seizure of the same logo, was monitored during the years 2001-2003. During this time interval, 58 different tablet logos were seized. A total of 26 logos, defined as common logos with at least 10 independent seizures, were observed. At any given time interval during this period, 8-10 common logos were found with an average life expectancy of approximately 9 months. Five of the observed 26 common logos were defined as the most common logos that appeared in at least 200 independent seizures each. Plots of the number of seizures and number of tablets seized as a function of time are presented and discussed as well as explanations for the high turnover rate of any given logo.     

Atypical "body packing syndrome"--a case report

A case of ingested cocaine is reported in which death must be classified as body packer syndrome although both the temporal relationship and the number of packets were atypical. The deceased, a consumer of hard drugs who smuggled for his own use, was found in his flat. He was resuscitated and survived for another four days in hospital. Only four intact drug packages were found in the upper gastro-intestinal tract. The concentrations of cocaine in blood and organs were relatively low but in a potentially lethal range. The case is presented, and its particularities as well as the option of induced vomiting as a way of preventing the fatal outcome are discussed.     

DELINQUENCY,IDENTITY, AND WOMEN'S INVOLVEMENT IN RELATIONSHIP VIOLENCE*

This study focuses on factors associated with women's self-reports of relationship violence “perpetration.” We analyzed data derived from personal interviews with 942 respondents who were originally contacted when they were adolescents and then 10 years later as young adults (N=721). Level of delinquency in adolescence was a signicant predictor of adult reports of involvement in relationship violence, for both male and female respondents. In addition, women's scores on the Conflict Tactics scale were related to adolescent and adult identities-higher scores were found among women who reported that they had been viewed as troublemakers as adolescents and who endorsed statements indexing an angry self-concept in adulthood. Although male perpetration represents a much more serious social and public health problem, these data do suggest that there may be a social learning basis for female as well as male expressions of violence.     

A Comparison of Enhancement Techniques for Footwear Impressions on Dark and Patterned Fabrics,

The use of chemical enhancement techniques on porous substrates, such as fabrics, poses several challenges predominantly due to the occurrence of background staining and diffusion as well as visualization difficulties. A range of readily available chemical and lighting techniques were utilized to enhance footwear impressions made in blood, soil, and urine on dark and patterned fabrics. Footwear impressions were all prepared at a set force using a specifically built footwear rig. In most cases, results demonstrated that fluorescent chemical techniques were required for visualization as nonfluorescent techniques provided little or no contrast with the background. Occasionally, this contrast was improved by oblique lighting. Successful results were obtained for the enhancement of footwear impressions in blood; however, the enhancement of footwear impressions in urine and soil on dark and patterned fabrics was much more limited. The results demonstrate that visualization and fluorescent enhancement on porous substrates such as fabrics is possible.     

Gambling, substance use, and other problem behaviors among youth: A test of general deviance models

Understanding the relationships between youthful gambling, substance use, and other problem behaviors is of interest to researchers studying deviance and to policymakers developing improved prevention strategies. This study used first-order and second-order factor models to test the hypothesis that gambling, alcohol misuse, other drug use, and delinquency were manifestations of a single general deviance construct. Respondents were seventeen to twenty-one year-old youth who were interviewed in two separate general population studies. Contrary to the hypothesis, the second-order model with a single deviance construct did not fit as well as a model specifying only correlations among all first-order factors. A single latent variable representing general deviant behavior did not explain deviance as well as distinct types of problem behaviors. This was true for overall samples and for gender-specific subgroups. Thus, while problem behaviors were related, there also must be uncorrelated antecedents predicting distinct types of youthful problem behaviors.     

Drug Views

Abstract

Substance abuse is a significant social problem and political issue. Students at a Midwestern university were surveyed on their drug views. The findings suggest that race is a statistically significant factor on students' views toward drugs. White students were more likely than non-Whites to view drugs as a pressing social issue, to consider drug use as a character weakness, and to support a punitive response to drug use. In contrast, non-Whites were more likely than Whites to view drug abuse as an illness, to support treatment as a response, to be tolerant of marijuana use, and to support legalization of marijuana. Both groups of students considered alcohol a dangerous drug. Differences associated with race remained statistically significant in multivariate analysis after controlling for age, academic standing, political affiliation, and religiosity.     

尿中地西泮及其代谢物的气相色谱电子捕获检测法分析

目的　建立尿中地西泮及其代谢物替马西泮、去甲西泮和奥沙西泮的GC/ECD分析方法。方法　尿样经β 葡萄糖醛酸酶水解后 ,用有机溶剂提取 ,再以N ,O 双三甲硅烷基三氟乙酰胺进行衍生化 ,衍生物用GC/ECD法分析。结果　检材中分析物的回收率 70 %以上 ,检出限 5ng/ml以下。结论　本法可进行口服地西泮 10mg人体 48h内尿液中地西泮代谢物的分析。     

DNA typing in a cattle stealing case.

DNA profiling was used as probative evidence in a cattle stealing case. The carcasses of the dead animals were found from a report and a farmer recognized the remains as those corresponding to the stolen animals by the farm mark on the coat. Those remains were collected as reference samples. Meat pieces were sequestered from a butchery and then sent to our Laboratory by the Justice Department of Buenos Aires (Argentine) to perform a DNA comparative analysis with the reference. Matches were found between the evidences and the references, supporting the hypothesis that the meat pieces had been obtained from the stolen animals. The butcher was suspected of stealing animals but no direct incrimination had been made yet.     

First report from the Swedish National Forensic Psychiatric Register (SNFPR)

To the best of our knowledge, the present register is the only nationwide forensic psychiatric patient register in the world. The aim of this article is to describe the content of the Swedish National Forensic Psychiatric Register (SNFPR) for Swedish forensic patients for the year 2010. The subjects are individuals who, in connection with prosecution due to criminal acts, have been sentenced to compulsory forensic psychiatric treatment in Sweden. The results show that in 2010, 1476 Swedish forensic patients were assessed in the SNFPR; 1251 (85%) were males and 225 (15%) were females. Almost 60% of the patients had a diagnosis of schizophrenia, with a significantly higher frequency among males than females. As many as 70% of the patients had a previous history of outpatient psychiatric treatment before becoming a forensic psychiatric patient, with a mean age at first contact with psychiatric care of about 20 years old for both sexes. More than 63% of the patients had a history of addiction, with a higher proportion of males than females. Furthermore, as many as 38% of all patients committed crimes while under the influence of alcohol and/or illicit drugs. This was more often the case for men than for women. Both male and female patients were primarily sentenced for crimes related to life and death (e.g., murder, assault). However, there were more females than males in treatment for general dangerous crimes (e.g., arson), whereas men were more often prosecuted for crimes related to sex. In 2010, as many as 70% of all forensic patients in Sweden had a prior sentence for a criminal act, and males were prosecuted significantly more often than females. The most commonly prescribed pharmaceuticals for both genders were antipsychotics, although more women than men were prescribed other pharmaceuticals, such as antidepressants, antiepileptics, and anxiolytics. The result from the present study might give clinicians an opportunity to reflect upon and challenge their traditional treatment methods.     

A forensic medicine perspective on recurring episodes of intimate partner violence

During a three year period, 418 victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) were examined and their injuries documented at the Center for Victims of Violence (CVV) in Hamburg, Germany. All victims were questioned if their acute injuries were attributable to recurring acts of violence by the same intimate partner. The victims' experiences with recurring IPV were analyzed and associated risk factors as well as findings of acute physical injuries were integrated into the assesment. Overall, women were significantly more often victims of recurring episodes of IPV than men. In 35.4% of cases, victims of recurring IPV sustained injuries to three or more body regions. However, women who were victimized during a single act of violence, presented with the same distribution of injuries in only 21.1% of cases (p = 0.01). The results emphasize the fact that IPV often manifests itself in a spiraling escalation of physical violence. Furthermore, blunt force trauma to the head was diagnosed significantly more often (p = 0.05). The risk of sustaining a head injury was equally high for women who experienced a first-time violent episode by their ex-partner as it was for married women or women living in a non-marital partnership during recurring episodes of IPV. In an effort to reduce the increased risk for victims of IPV, health care personnel are highly encouraged to partake in forensic medicine based continuing education. This preventative measure may prepare clinicians to recognize IPV earlier as well as to treat and advise clients appropriately.     

Psychopathy Among Mexican American Gang Members: A Comparative Study

High-risk Mexican American males were assessed for levels of psychopathy. The Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Screening Version was compared in a random sample of gang members with a matched community sample of violent non-gang members and samples of forensic and psychiatric patients and undergraduate students. Analysis involved t-test, chi-square, and Cronbach's alpha statistics. More than half of the gang sample were categorized as low, 44% as moderate, and only 4% as high on psychopathy. The gang members had higher scores on the total, affective, and behavioral scores than the non-gang members. High scores on adolescent antisocial behavior, poor behavioral controls, and lack of remorse were found in both samples. Gang members scored twice as high as non-gang members on lack of empathy. Both samples were lower on psychopathy than the forensics and higher than psychiatric patients and undergraduates. The results provide grounds for early intervention efforts for this high-risk population.     

我国官员问责制的建构及完善

官员问责制在启动不到两年的时间里,就取得了引人注目的成就。在实践操作层面,惩治了一批不作为和滥作为的官员,给各级各类官员极大的震撼,对传统的“无过便是功”的为官之道以巨大冲击;在制度层面,从中央到地方,出台了一系列针对官员的问责制度,使官员问责走上规范化、制度化和民主化的轨道。由于问责制度尚处在草创阶段,权责不清,问责标准不明,问责主要局限于同体问责,异体问责力度不够,在问责过程中缺乏相应的救济制度,这些问题有待进一步建设和完善。     

Experimental statistical studies on the evaluation of the value of evidence in the comparison of human hair

In this paper a statistical experiment is presented which allows to estimate the evidential value of human head hair comparison. The procedure described in detail was essentially the same as in case-work. Questioned hairs were taken randomly from 20 different persons out of a pool of 111 individuals. From each of the 20 persons one, three an five hairs respectively were compared consectively with samples from 100 different individuals. The results were classified as follows: a) "matching" and b) "similar" - if the hair(s) may originate form that person; c) "not matching" - if an individual is excluded as possible source. In our experiment about 95% of the samples (persons) were excluded as possible source of a questioned hair on the average. This is a mean value which may vary considerably in a distinct case. The experiment, its results and problems are discussed.     

The Self-Appraisal Questionnaire: a self-report measure for predicting recidivism versus clinician-administered measures: a 5-year follow-up study

In this study, the effectiveness of the Self-Appraisal Questionnaire (SAQ), a self-report measure for predicting release outcome, is examined as compared to clinician-administered and widely used risk prediction measures, over a 5-year period. The SAQ was administered along with four similar, but clinician-administered, measures to 91 federally sentenced Canadian male offenders prior to their release to the community. Follow-up data were collected for a 60-month period. Outcome criteria measures were violent and general recidivism. Results indicated that the SAQ is at least as effective as the four other measures in predicting postrelease outcome. The advantages of using the SAQ as a self-report measure as opposed to clinician-administered measures are discussed.