Letter from the Editor

American Journal of Criminal Justice -     

Letter from the Editor

American Journal of Criminal Justice -     

Alcohol involvement in violence. A study from a Danish community

All cases of assaults with violence (n = 1639) from a well defined area were registered for 1 year. A positive alcolmeter test (% greater than 0.2) was registered in 488 cases (29%). A further 216 patients (13%) were found under the influence of alcohol according to a simple clinical judgement. In nine of ten manslaughter and murder cases alcohol was involved. Young men, 19-29 years of age, comprised the majority of victims. Of the episodes of violence 66% took place during the weekend. In 250 cases the alcohol concentration surpassed 1.5%. Almost 50% of the violence episoded took place in or around restaurants. Blunt violence was concerned in 73% of the episodes. Gunshot was registered in five cases, stabbings in two cases.     

The Effects of Mixing Offenders with Non-Offenders: Findings from a Danish Quasi-Experiment

This study examines the effects of mixing offenders with non-offenders at Skejby half-way house in Denmark. Skejby half-way house constitutes an outstanding social experiment, as offenders are deliberately mixed with non-offenders in order to reduce their risk of recidivism. The treatment group consists of offenders who have stayed at Skejby half-way house while the controls are selected from residents of four other half-way houses. A Cox regression analysis reveals that the probability of reoffending is 21% lower for the treatment group than it is for the control group.     

Stature Estimation from Postmortem CT Femoral Maximum Length in Contemporary Danish Population

Stature estimation methods for Danish adult population have generally relied on Trotter and Gleser’s and Boldsen’s regression equations that are based on the skeletal remains of recent war dead American Whites, Terry Skeletal Collection, and Danish archaeological medieval skeletal materials, respectively. These equations are probably not suitable for stature estimation in contemporary Danish forensic cases. Furthermore, because postmortem computed tomography (PMCT) is now routinely performed at Danish forensic departments, equations based on PMCT, rather than measurements of defleshed bones, are needed. The aim of this study was to develop new equations for adult stature estimation based on PMCT femoral measurement. Maximum femoral length was measured on the PMCT images of 78 individuals (41 males and 37 females) aged 23–45 years. The measurement accuracy was tested on dry bones, and all the measurements were included in the inter- and intra-observer analyses. Both analyses results demonstrated the reliability of the method and data. Comparison between the living stature of the individuals and the estimates based on the equations by Trotter and Gleser and Boldsen demonstrated the unreliability of the previous equations to some extent. New regression equations were then developed and validated on a different sample of 18 Danish forensic cases. Comparisons of all the equations indicated that both the sets of previous equations underestimated the stature in the new validation dataset. The new equations developed in this study provide a reliable alternative for stature estimation in modern Danish forensic cases.     

Discretionary Leniency and Typological Guilt: Results from a Danish Study of Police Discretion

Results from a qualitative study of police discretion in Denmark are presented. The aim of the study was to investigate the background for police decisions made on the spot, and to determine whether or not police discretion amounts to discrimination. Police discretion is analysed as two distinct forms of power, namely the power of definition/suspicion and the power of procedure/prosecution. The study shows that both forms are used in a discriminatory way, and it is argued that use of the power of suspicion results in discrimination. The power of prosecution, on the other hand, need not necessarily entail discrimination, but in practice it often does. The police discern between ?typical offenders' and ?decent citizens' and treat suspects differently according to type. The reason for this discrimination, it is argued, can be found in officers' notions of typological guilt , a form of ? alleged ? guilt that is independent of concrete evidence. Differences in the degree of leniency experienced by different types of suspect can be interpreted as vicarious punishment of the typologically guilty. The impact of this kind of police practice on police?citizen relations, and possibilities for improvement, are discussed.     

Understanding Change in Committee Assignments between Elections: Evidence from the Danish Case

The study of committee assignment politics is very limited in parliamentary systems. Even more limited is the study of the change in committee assignments that occurs between elections. In this article, a first attempt to rectify this, both theoretically and empirically, is presented. What might have an impact on committee reassignments and what relationship one would expect to find are discussed. Using data of all Danish committee assignments 1994–2007, the proposed relationships are tested. The results show that: (1) it varies which parties experience the more change; and (2) it is often related to internal problems, but vote share, seniority and whether an MP is involved in a ministerial reshuffle or not also have a significant influence on change of committee assignments.     

关于高校学生信访问题的法律思考

高校学生信访问题不容忽视,关系到学校的稳定与和谐。高校法律地位的模糊性与我国教育管理制度的合理性缺失是造成学生选择信访的原因,应该将高校的法律地位界定为行使公共行政管理职权的公法人,在高校教育管理制度中引入正当程序理论,把高校管理行为纳入司法视野,实现高校与学生权利义务的平衡,从而构建和谐有序的高校校园。     

硅胶仿生指纹膜印泥痕迹特征研究

目的研究硅胶仿生指纹膜印泥痕迹特征与真实指纹印泥痕迹特征的差异,为鉴定硅胶仿生指纹膜印泥痕迹提供依据。方法首先利用液态硅胶制作仿生指纹膜,然后用仿生指纹膜和手指在相同情况下蘸取印泥,分别以轻、中、重3种力度在A4纸上垂直按压形成印泥指印,并对其拍照提取,比较仿生指纹膜印泥痕迹与真实指纹印泥痕迹的特征差异。结果仿生指纹膜印泥痕迹多见“空白”“断裂”,边缘部分不规则、凹凸不平,小犁沟宽窄程度随力度变化明显,细节特征反映不清楚;真实指纹印泥痕迹自然、纹线较连贯。结论仿生指纹膜印泥痕迹特征与真实指纹印泥痕迹特征之间存在差异,根据两者之间的特征差异可以帮助鉴别仿生指纹膜印泥痕迹。