Predicting Initiator and Near Repeat Events in Spatiotemporal Crime Patterns: An Analysis of Residential Burglary and Motor Vehicle Theft

Near repeat analysis has been increasingly used to measure the spatiotemporal clustering of crime in contemporary criminology. Despite its predictive capacity, the typically short time frame of near repeat crime patterns can negatively affect the crime prevention utility of near repeat analysis. Thus, recent research has argued for a greater understanding of the types of places that are most likely to generate near repeat crime patterns. The current study contributes to the literature through a spatiotemporal analysis of residential burglary and motor vehicle theft in Indianapolis, IN. Near Repeat analyses were followed by multinomial logistic regression models to identify covariates related to the occurrence of initiator (the first event in a near repeat chain) and near repeat (the subsequent event in a near repeat chain) events. The overall findings provide additional support for the argument that neighborhood context can influence the formation and context of spatiotemporal crime patterns.     

Residential Stability and Trust in the Police: an Understudied Area of Police Attitudinal Research

American Journal of Criminal Justice - Residential in/stability has been observed to influence several behavioral outcomes such as mental health, child abuse, adolescent substance uses and...     

The Impact of Hot Spots Policing on Collective Efficacy: Findings from a Randomized Field Trial

In disadvantaged neighborhoods, prior research has found reduced social cohesion and less willingness among residents to address disruptive behaviors and violations of social norms. This deficiency is commonly associated with higher levels of disorder and crime. Therefore, recent scholarship has begun to consider whether police can help foster collective efficacy, especially in places struggling with serious crime problems. Early results are somewhat mixed. Yet the cooperation hypothesis asserts that when neighborhood residents see police as a more viable and reliable resource, residents will be emboldened to exert informal social control to address problems. Over the last two decades, hot spots policing has been recognized as an effective method to reduce crime. At the same time, there have been few rigorous studies of whether this approach impacts collective efficacy at hot spots. To investigate this question, we conducted an experiment in 71 crime hot spots, comparing a collaborative problem solving versus a directed patrol (police presence) approach versus standard policing practices. Over time, a substantial increase in police presence did appear to promote modest improvements in collective efficacy. We attribute this finding to the cooperation hypothesis.     

城中村犯罪热点研究:以深圳L村为例

城中村一直被笼统地描述为犯罪高发区。利用深圳L村2007、2008年的犯罪记录,发现城中村的犯罪并不是平均分布的,城中村中居住区的犯罪密度最高,其次为商业区和村落周边区域,工业区的犯罪密度最低。城中村的犯罪热点主要集中在居住区、商业区等人员密集的区域、村落周边等偏僻地点。犯罪热点形成的原因在于,偏僻的地理位置、复杂的地理环境、高度拥挤的居住环境导致区域的监控能力弱,犯罪容易实施。从犯罪预防的角度,对不同区域的热点,应提供不同的解决途径,居住区的犯罪防御应主要解决防盗问题,商业区主要解决欺诈和打架问题,周边地区应主要解决抢劫问题。     

An Evaluation of Displacement and Diffusion Effects on Eco-Terrorist Activities After Police Interventions

Objectives

Eco-terrorist activities have caused much property damage and are considered one of the leading domestic terrorism threats. However, despite the threat posed by these activities, the possibility of spatial displacement of eco-terrorism as a result of police crackdowns has not previously been empirically examined. The current study focuses on addressing this knowledge gap by examining the displacement of radical environmental and animal rights movement terrorist activities after a successful police crackdown (i.e. Operation Backfire).

Methods

The study uses data collected from two sources: The Global Terrorism Database and the Eco-Incidents Database. To measure the extent of spatial displacement, two types of displacement statistics were used: weighted displacement quotient (WDQ) and Local Indicators of Spatial Association (LISA) statistics.

Results

Results from WDQ analysis and LISA statistics show that the key intervention of Operation Backfire did not displace the attacks of the eco-terrorist groups. On the contrary, the law enforcement intervention effectively resulted in diffusion of benefits in adjacent areas.

Conclusions

Overall, the results show that traditional police tactics may be a useful way to counter eco-terrorism without leading to spatial displacement. This is important as it shows that radical environmentalists and animal rights activists may be deterred, like regular criminals, by conventional law enforcement.

     

Foot Patrol in Violent Crime Hot Spots: The Longitudinal Impact of Deterrence and Posttreatment Effects of Displacement

This study revisited the Philadelphia Foot Patrol Experiment and explored the longitudinal deterrent effects of foot patrol in violent crime hot spots using Sherman's (1990) concepts of initial and residual deterrence decay as a theoretical framework. It also explored whether the displacement uncovered during the initial evaluation decayed after the experiment ended. Multilevel growth curve models revealed that beats staffed for 22 weeks had a decaying deterrent effect during the course of the experiment, whereas those staffed for 12 weeks did not. None of the beats had residual deterrence effects relative to the control areas. The displacement uncovered had decayed during the 3 months after the experiment, and it is theoretically plausible that previously displaced offenders returned to the original target areas causing inverse displacement. These results are discussed in the context of Durlauf and Nagin's (2011) recent proposal that prison sentences should be shortened, mandatory minimum statutes repealed, and the cost savings generated by these policy changes shifted into policing budgets to convey more effectively the certainty of detection. It is concluded that if Durlauf and Nagin's proposal is to succeed, then more holistic policing strategies would likely be necessary. Foot patrol as a specific policing tactic seems to fit nicely into a variety of policing paradigms, and suggestions for incorporating them to move beyond strictly enforcement‐based responses are presented.     

Police Perceptions of Computer Crimes in Two Southeastern Cities: An Examination from the Viewpoint of Patrol Officers

Although scholars and law enforcement administrators have provided input on how local law enforcement is responding to various forms of computer crime and how officers perceive of it, patrol officers have been rarely surveyed to understand their perceptions of computer crime. Examining officer perceptions is vital considering that patrol officers are being asked to be more effective first responders to digital forensic crime scenes as a critical step in combating computer crimes at the local level. This study therefore addressed this gap by surveying patrol officers in two southeastern cities regarding their perceptions of computer crime, specifically regarding its uniqueness, offenders and targets, and seriousness and frequency in comparison to traditional forms of crime. Results indicated that many officers do not have strong opinions on several aspects of computer crime. However, they perceive it to be a serious problem and consider some computer crimes to be as serious as traditional forms of crime.     

从新中国警服变迁看广东警官学院历史发展

作为人民警察权力和形象标志的警服,见证着新中国警察各个时期的历史。与新中国同龄的广东警官学院创建60多年以来,同样与新中国警服的变迁息息相关,风雨与共。     

公安本科院校《法学概论》案例教学模式探索

案例分析作为"法学概论"课教学的一种重要方法,能加强理论与实际的联系,提高大学生综合运用所学法律知识分析解决实际问题的能力,有利于培养大学生的法律意识.     

An Analysis of Advertisements: A Lens for Viewing the Social Exclusion of Women in Police Imagery

This study examines whether there are differential relationships among trauma exposure, familial risk and protective factors, substance abuse, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among incarcerated and non-incarcerated women. A case-control method was used to match 100 incarcerated women with 100 women in the general population. Incarcerated women had a significantly higher risk of trauma exposure as compared with controls, with odds ranging from 1.7 to 3.7. When group was controlled, exposure to sexual or physical trauma significantly increased the odds of PTSD (odds ratio = 5.0; p < .05), as did substance use in response to traumatic distress (odds ratio = 8.9; p < .001). Family-related characteristics did not appear to moderate this relationship. The findings suggest that incarcerated women are at high risk for PTSD given their high rates of trauma exposure and apparent lack of appropriate coping mechanisms; the results support the use of trauma-specific interventions for this population.     

从同一美学看当代文坛警察形象

中国当代文坛塑造了众多公安人员形象,流露出比较明显的同一美学特征。上世纪九十年代以来,具有同一美学形态的文学创作受到质疑,警察形象塑造呈现多元化态势;同时在大众审美品位的左右下同一美学色彩又得以强化,表现出类型化、通俗化的倾向。警察形象的成功塑造有待于对同一美学作扬弃,克服消费时代文学文本常有的浅表化和雷同化倾向,以求新的突破。     

Police civil liability: An analysis of section 1983 actions in the Eastern and Southern districts of New York

This article examines the Section 1983 civil damage remedy and the Bivens-type action — the direct claim of the victim of official wrongdoing to obtain compensation for the denial of his or her Fourth Amendment rights. Using court records of cases filed under this statute from 1983 to 1987 in the Eastern and Southern districts of New York, the study determined: (1) the nature and volume of damages awarded by the courts in Section 1983/Bivens actions, (2) the differences in the amount of damages recovered from bench trials, jury trials, and settlements, (3) the parties involved in Section 1983 suits, (4) the trials and settlements, and (5) the time and resources spent by the parties and the courts on these cases. The analysis of the data was used to gauge the impact of these suits on individual police and police administrators.     

法经济学视野下的金融监管法正义性分析

正义历来是法律所追求的价值目标之一,但其从来都不是空洞和抽象的,需要用具体的方法和标准对其进行诠释和分析。在金融全球化趋势日益加深的今天,从法经济学的视角,对金融监管法的正义性价值目标进行分析和诠释,对于进一步完善我国金融监管法体系,维护我国金融安全与稳定意义深远。运用法经济学的分析方法,从立法、执法和司法三个方面对我国现行的金融监管法进行分析,以促进我国金融监管法正义价值目标的最终实现。     

从“躲猫猫”事件反思罪犯参与警察管理问题

继云南轰动一时的“躲猫猫”事件后，广东省高明监狱服刑的罪犯刘玉山在狱内死亡事件也真相大白。确实如网友们猜测的那样李荞明“致死因绝不是没有任何危险系数的躲猫猫”，而是“看守所内牢头狱霸殴打致死”；刘玉山遭到值班服刑人员多次殴打，并做动作强度大的上下蹲训练，经抢救无效死亡。两宗案件都暴露出监管警察管理上失责、     

欧洲群体诉讼机制介评

引言现代化大生产和科技进步创造出了惊人的物质财富,同时也催生出“大众侵权行为”这种社会病。这种能够同时危害多数人合法利益的不法行为所引起的纠纷就是所谓的“现代型纠纷”,〔1〕其侵害的利益一般被称为“扩散性利益”。〔2〕矫正、惩戒乃至预防大众侵权行为,救济恢复已     

An Evaluation of Standardized Software for Processing GC/MS Data from Different Vendors' Instruments in a Forensic Laboratory

Forensic science laboratories perform analyses on a variety of materials using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Instruments from different vendors may be used, requiring analysts to be proficient in the use of multiple proprietary software packages for collecting and processing data. There is no standardized GC/MS software available that can acquire data from different vendors' instruments. However, there are third‐party processing software products that can import data files in different formats. The Centre of Forensic Sciences compared the data processing performance of one such product, ACD/MS Manager Suite, with three instrument vendors' software used for casework analysis. This product was tested for its compatibility with the existing software, its capability to load and present data, and to initiate searches of commercial libraries. The study shows that the MS Manager module provides a means for the forensic analyst to view, process, and report on data from different sources in one software package.     

论刑法回应社会热点事件的限度——以《刑法修正案（十一）》“冒名顶替”入刑为视角

通过回应社会热点事件以增设新罪名或增加已有罪名罪状是刑法膨胀的主要路径之一。《刑法修正案(十一)》的通过特别是其中对"冒名顶替"的犯罪化,再一次强化了刑法对社会热点事件的回应程度。基于刑法治理社会的手段属性,其具有回应热点社会事件的合理性。基于"冒名顶替"行为本身的恶劣程度,将其入刑具有一定的现实意义。但某一行为能否进入刑法的规制视野,应当综合考察行为所侵害法益的确定性、行为的类型化、行为的可归责性等内容,并兼顾报应和预防的刑罚观。过度地以刑法对社会热点事件进行仓促、频繁的回应与刑法条文类型化本质相矛盾,易忽略对引发社会问题深层原因的探索,导致刑法权威性丧失,公众刑法信念被削弱。基于犯罪标签的难消解和犯罪附随后果在社会中的普遍存在,我国当前并非是以刑法广泛参与社会治理的最佳时机,刑法应谨慎回应社会热点事件。     

Bad Torture -- Good Torture?: What International Criminal Lawyers May Learn from the Recent Trial of Police Officers in Germany

The author discusses whether a state agent who applies tortureagainst a suspect in order to prevent the death of one or moreinnocent persons can successfully plead a ground for excludinghis or her criminal responsibility under national (in particular,German) law as well as international law. The author examinesthe judgment of a German court, which recently found two policeofficers guilty of threatening to use violence against a suspectedkidnapper, but refrained from punishing them on account of theirmotivation to save the life of the hostage. The author maintainsthat the court's ‘guilty, but not to be punished’verdict could provide guidance for the resolution of comparablecases under international criminal law. He submits that thetension between the absolute ban on torture under internationalhuman rights law and the availability of defences even to crimesof torture under international criminal law should be resolvedthrough a human rights-oriented interpretation of the latter.The author concludes that criminal responsibility for tortureunder international criminal law cannot be excluded by the factthat the torturer acts to save innocent life; however, his orher altruistic motivation may be taken into account in determiningthe sentence.