Bootlegging in the Music Industry: A Note

This paper analyzes bootlegging of music, i.e. the unauthorized recording and distribution of previously unreleased music (e.g. a live concert). In particular, we investigate whether, and if so, how this illegal activity may hurt bands and record companies. Bootlegging is different from pirating, where legal releases are illegally copied and sold, because it adds to the product variety. It turns out that welfare implications of bootlegging are decisively different from those of pirating—bootlegged music does not crowd out legal sales.     

The gap between law student career aspirations and employment opportunities

Most law students in the UK embark upon their degrees hoping to become solicitors or barristers and yet the current legal landscape is in a state of flux. Students are incurring significant costs to try and break into an increasingly competitive market and are concerned that they do not have the skills and experience that many employers expect. With this in mind, Plymouth Law School tracked the aspirations and destinations of its LLB students and graduates over a number of years, exploring factors that encouraged or inhibited them along the path to their careers. This article evaluates the data from our students and considers its relevance to the employability issues highlighted by the LETR.     

Alternative sanctions: myth and reality

For this study the author has reviewed 134 documents from 12 western countries: the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, England, Scotland, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Germany, Austria and France. The documents include the research literature as found in the RDC documentation department and documents obtained by writing to official authorities.     

Law and Morality: A Critical Relation*

Abstract. The article deals with the difference between some forms of legal positivism. It is argued that, even in continental legal systems which are typically “rule bound,” there is some space left for principles in the legal system. The author tries to explain how this space can be filled and what methods should be used by a judge to do so.     

Italian mafias in Europe: between perception and reality. A comparison of press articles in Spain,Germany and the Netherlands

This study analyzes the representation of the Italian mafias (Cosa Nostra, Camorra and 'Ndrangheta) in a purposive sample of Spanish, German and Dutch newspaper articles between 2000 and 2013. The main aim is to understand how Italian mafias are perceived abroad, and particularly in Europe. The analysis shows that the Italian mafias attracted much European interest in recent years and that this interest is related to specific events. The 'Ndrangheta received significant attention in Germany, while the Camorra is prevalent in Spain. Cosa Nostra records a low amount of domestic attention in the three countries under consideration. Here, the Sicilian mafia is sometimes referred to as a synonym or a definitional term to describe other criminal organizations or criminal methods. More in general, Italian mafias abroad are frequently described as a foreign problem.     

Combating crime and citizen attitudes: A study of the corresponding reality

The effectiveness of crime deterrence projects such as increased street lighting in ghetto environments has been questioned. The present study not only examines whether increased street lighting in fact reduces crime, but also investigates the attitudes towards local government of citizens who live within that particular environment. The findings illustrate that it would be advisable for governments to address citizen attitudes before undertaking certain crime prevention projects.     

Similarity between deviant peers: Developmental trends in influence and selection*

The association between an adolescent's own behavior and that of his or her peers remains a key empirical finding in the study of delinquency, and this similarity is often explained in criminology by invoking processes of social influence and homophily. Adolescence is a period of rapid change for both individuals and their surroundings, however, and influence and homophily are often discussed without attending to their development over time. In the current study, I employ longitudinal social network models to estimate social influence and homophily related to alcohol and cigarette use and to determine whether there is change in the strength of these processes. Furthermore, I test whether the broader social environment conditions these processes and their observed changes. The results from this study indicate that although influence from peers decreases from early to mid-adolescence, homophily on drinking and smoking increases. There is also evidence that school-level opportunities and expectations affect social influence and homophily but do not account for the average changes observed in these processes.     

Rights,Justice and War: A Reply*

I offer a response to Rodin’s, Statman’s, Stilz’s, and Tadros’ papers on my book Cosmopolitan War.     

Odor exposure and recall of a virtual reality crime scene: A preliminary study

Environmental context reinstatement has a particular value for recall of information in forensic interviews. Since odors are valuable memory cues and can act as memory triggers, in our preliminary study we explored whether odor exposure can help people recall details of a crime scene. The study comprised 58 women and 15 men aged 22–35 who immersed in a carefully controlled environment closely resembling an actual crime setting, i.e., a virtual reality crime. Participants were exposed to an odor at encoding, recall, both or neither of these instances, yielding a total of 4 experimental groups that further completed a memory recall task. The crime scene content recall was tested in a free recall and a forced-response test immediately after seeing the crime scene and one month later. We found no significant effects of odor exposure on the free or the cued recall of the crime scene. The memory scores correlated neither with the self-assessed olfactory/visual sensitivity of the subjects, nor with the perceived odor pleasantness. These preliminary findings suggest that introduction of a vanilla odor while encoding and recalling a crime scene does not aid witness recall accuracy.