Spatial analysis of violent crimes in Metro Manila,Philippines

Spatial patterns of murder and physical injury in Metro Manila, Philippines were visualised through conditional choropleth maps. Relationship of both crime rates with some demographic variables were investigated while accounting for possible spatial autocorrelation using spatial lag models. Results show that both crime rates tend to cluster in the northern cities of Metro Manila. Furthermore, significant spatial lag coefficients were found only for physical injury rates, with values ranging from 0.49 to 0.62, signifying a positive city-level spatial dependence of physical injury rates in Metro Manila. Moreover, some demographic covariates, such as population density, percentage of young males, education, marriage, and immigration were found to be associated with both crime rates. These results could serve as useful indicators of crime incidence; thus it is recommended that crime monitoring systems include them to aid in resource allocation and program planning for better crime prevention and security management.     

Postmortem dismemberment/mutilation--medicolegal and criminalistic evaluation of the autopsies performed by the Institute of Legal Medicine at the Hanover Medical School

Among all the autopsies performed by the Institute of Legal Medicine at the Hanover Medical School between 1978 and 1998. 16 cases of postmortem dismemberment/mutilation were evaluable under criminalistic and medicolegal aspects. In the present study, particular attention was paid to the psychosocial circumstances of the perpetrator's and victim's lives and also to the classification of the different types of postmortem dismemberment/mutilation illustrated by case reports. Apart from an unfavourable personal life situation at the time of the offence, essential predisposing factors were: poor integration in society and family, occupational problems, drug abuse and mental diseases. As the interactions between these factors differ in every single case and may be combined with other factors, the analysis of such homicides should always be based on the assessment of the individual case.     

Posttraumatic anger, recalled peritraumatic emotions, and PTSD in victims of violent crime

A mixed cross-sectional and longitudinal design was employed to explore the association between posttraumatic anger and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD; symptoms) in victims of civilian violence. It was speculated that this relationship is mainly due to concurrent recalled peritraumatic emotions. Such emotions may be interpreted to result from anger-rooted threat perceptions and to share similarities with posttraumatic intrusion symptoms. In addition, predictors of PTSD maintenance were investigated. Cross-sectional data indicated that posttraumatic anger and several indices of PTSD were highly interconnected. Recalled peritraumatic emotions partly accounted for the relation between posttraumatic anger and posttraumatic intrusions (n = 177). Only posttraumatic intrusions were associated with PTSD symptom persistence at follow-up (n = 56). Findings were discussed in light of study limitations and directions for future research.     

Routine activities of delinquent and non-delinquent victims of violent crime

The link between criminal victimization and offending has become increasingly well documented in recent years. Unfortunately, the empirical and theoretical enmeshment of these variables makes it difficult to determine the effect of specific activities purely on victimization. This paper provides an examination of the effect of engaging in specific risky activities on the violent victimization experiences of delinquent and non-delinquent youth. Our results show that there are some modest differences in the effects of risky behaviors on the likelihood of violent victimization for delinquents and non-delinquents.     

The impact of race on the adjudication of sexual assault and other violent crimes

This study assessed whether sexual assault offenders were differently adjudicated from other violent felons and to what extent any differences in adjudication decisions were explained by the defendant's race. Five court decisions were analyzed using a weighted sample of 41,151 cases adjudicated between 1990 and 1996 that were representative of cases in the seventy-five most populous United States counties. The results did not support the hypothesis that sexual assault cases were given, on average, more leniency than less serious violent offenses, however, various adjudication decisions for the four violent offenses were moderated by the defendant's race. Interaction models showed minorities were treated more punitively compared to Whites when they were charged with an assault, robbery, or murder, but they were treated more leniently when they were charged with a sexual assault. Explanatory models that accounted for the differential processing of minorities that were disproportionately lenient or punitive, depending on the crime, are discussed.     

A longitudinal analysis of factors associated with reporting violent crimes to the police

The use of generalized estimating equations and time-series methods for fitting longitudinal models in the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) is discussed, with reference to the relation between the reporting of a violent crime to the police and previous victimizations. Two longitudinal models are fit to NCVS data to predict the likelihood of reporting a violent crime to the police based on characteristics of the victim and the incident and based on previous victimization experiences. In both models, it is found that higher reporting rates are associated with positive results accruing from reporting previous victimization to the police.     

Examining the relationship between childhood animal cruelty motives and recurrent adult violent crimes toward humans

Few researchers have studied the predictive ability of childhood animal cruelty motives as they are associated with later recurrent violence toward humans. Based on a sample of 180 inmates at one medium- and one maximum-security prison in a Southern state, the present study examines the relationship among several retrospectively identified motives (fun, out of anger, hate for the animal, and imitation) for childhood animal cruelty and the later commission of violent crimes (murder, rape, assault, and robbery) against humans. Almost two thirds of the inmates reported engaging in childhood animal cruelty for fun, whereas almost one fourth reported being motivated either out of anger or imitation. Only one fifth of the respondents reported they had committed acts of animal cruelty because they hated the animal. Regression analyses revealed that recurrent animal cruelty was the only statistically significant variable in the model. Respondents who had committed recurrent childhood animal cruelty were more likely to have had committed recurrent adult violence toward humans. None of the motives for committing childhood animal cruelty had any effect on later violence against humans.     

Victims of fraud: comparing victims of white collar and violent crime

Mental health professionals have focused attention on the psychiatric sequelae of criminal victimization. This article compares the experience of white collar and violent crime victims on several parameters including statistical risk of victimization and psychiatric outcome after victimization. Emphasis is given to data obtained from interviewing 77 victims of a fraudulent financial scheme.     

Observer reactions to emotional victims of serious crimes: stereotypes and expectancy violations

Negative observer reactions towards victims may be related to people’s expectations of the characteristics and demeanor of an ideal victim. We examined how expressed emotion, victim sex, and type of victimization influence observers’ perceptions of victim credibility, victim character, and harm. Our hypothesis was that angry victims, male victims, and victims of sexual violence are perceived less positively than sad victims, female victims, and victims of physical violence. Additionally, we anticipated that expectancy violations following expressed agentic/high status, or passive/low-status emotions of the victim would lead to negative reactions. Participants (N?=?335) read a written victim impact statement, by a male or female victim of a sexual or physical assault, in which anger or sadness was expressed. The results show that observers generally respond more negatively to male victims than to female victims, and to victims expressing anger rather than sadness. However, a two-way interaction between expressed emotion and type of crime revealed that expressed emotion only significantly influences character derogation and victim credibility in cases of physical violence. Finally, emotion expectancy violations based on ex-ante expectations lead to derogation and diminished credibility. The discussion focuses on how emotion expectancy violations seem intimately tied to stereotype-ridden features of victimization.     

本科法学教育、司法考试与法律职业共同体：关系架构及其改革命题

一、法律职业共同体形成的背景与桥梁:法学教育与司法考试“法律职业共同体”是近年来研究司法制度的理论文献使用频率很高的一个词。尽管人们对于“法律职业共同体”的内涵、分类、层次等方面的看法不尽一致,但这个词本身给我们暗示了一个统一性的内涵,例如法官、检察官、律师     

„So,what's a hate crime anyway?” young adults' perceptions of hate crimes,victims, and perpetrators

Male and female young adults provided responses to open-ended questions about hate crimes. Results indicated considerable variability in their definitions, with perceptions of hate crimes differing with regard to demographic characteristics of both victims and perceivers. Victims may experience hate crimes differently because of who they are, why they are victimized, and with whom they share their experiences. In a separate study, males and females each evaluated a scenario of a hate crime perpetrated upon a male or female victim. Whether the crime was described as motivated by racial or religious bigotry, heterosexism, or was ambiguous was systematically varied. The demographic status of the participant appeared to determine how disruptive they regarded the crime scenario, and the likelihood that they would report personal knowledge of a victim of a similar type of assault. None of the participants was likely to report knowledge of a victim of a heterosexist assault. Policy implications of results from both studies are discussed.     

Lessons from Srebrenica: the contributions and limitations of physical anthropology in identifying victims of war crimes

In July 1995, the town of Srebrenica fell to Bosnian-Serb forces, leaving more than 7000 Muslim men missing and presumed dead. Anthropologists participating in the identification process were faced with a unique problem: the victims appeared identical. All were adult males of a single ethnic group. Decomposition as well as the absence of antemortem (AM) medical and dental records confounded identification. As of December 1999, only 63 men had been positively identified using DNA, personal effects, and identification papers. Are current anthropological methods of sex, age, and stature estimation and AM trauma assessment sufficiently accurate to differentiate the remaining victims and aid in their identification? Comparisons of relative-reported AM information and postmortem examination records for 59 of the 63 identified individuals indicated that while all individuals were sexed correctly, only 42.4% were accurately aged and 29.4% had a stature estimate that included their reported height.     

论以法律职业精英化为目标的法律职业资格考试

国家统一法律职业资格考试制度是对国家统一司法考试制度的继承和发展,应当准确认识其在报名资格、考试内容、考试模式等方面的变与不变,坚持其服务于法律职业精英化的目标。法律职业资格考试中的法律职业应做限缩解释,仅限于法官、检察官、律师和公证员。法律职业资格考试具有国家级、统一性、职业资格考试的特征,应协调其与其他国家考试的关系,取消地域区分,突出职业性。在提高报考条件和设置四年过渡期的基础之上,应禁止通过者重复报考,设置报考次数上限。与二阶段考试模式相适应,在考试内容方面应精简考查科目,增强命题的综合性和实践性。此外,应当完善合格命题者的资格条件和选拔程序,以社会需求为参考划定分数线,适当延长客观题考试成绩的时间效力。     

Exploring the residual effects of malingering in mock victims of violent crime: an experimental vignette study

The current study investigated the residual effects of malingering in a sample of 94 Dutch university students. Participants were ordered or advised (but not obliged) to fake psychological symptoms in response to an imaginary act of violent crime victimization in order to obtain financial compensation from the Dutch state or to respond honestly. Participants’ willingness to malinger was assessed with three types of questionnaires: (1) a questionnaire which measures the tendency to report bizarre and unlikely symptoms, (2) a questionnaire which measures the tendency to underperform on facial recognition tasks, and (3) a questionnaire which measures the tendency to report extremely high levels of posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms. After completion of a Sudoku puzzle, participants were again instructed to fill out the three questionnaires, but this time they all had to respond honestly. Results indicated that participants who had been instructed to malinger (ordered or advised) had higher scores on all questionnaires, not only on the first but also on the second occasion. This suggested that residual effects of initial malingering had occurred. Results further suggested that detection of residual effects may depend on measurement method and instruction wording. Findings are discussed in light of the literature and study limitations.     

关于法律职业人才考用衔接情况的专题调研

国家司法考试制度对于促进我国的法制建设，法律职业共同体成员共同法律语言、法律逻辑思维、法律精神的形成以及维护社会的公平正义发挥着重要作用，但是，国家司法考试制度在工作实践中也需要有一个进一步完善的过程，例如法律职业人才考用如何有效衔接。对此，我们对2002年～2006年取得法律职业资格人员任职执业情况及择业意向进行了分析并了解到用人部门对取得法律职业资格人员的需求情况，我们还到省法院、省检察院及齐齐哈尔市司法局、法院、检察院，哈尔滨司法局，省农垦总局司法局等有关部门开展了专题调研。     

现代财政制度的法学审思

十八届三中全会提出建立“现代财政制度”,这是建立健全现代国家治理机制、实现长治久安的制度保障.传统财政制度重国家本位轻人民本位、重管理轻治理、重结果导向轻过程导向.而现代财政制度具有法治性、回应性、均衡性和公共性的品格,彰显对公共财产权的规范,进而实现对公共财产、私人财产的双重保障;其法律构造内含宪法规范、公共财产规范、分配规范和宏观调控规范四个维度.构建现代财政制度,应以点带面、循序渐进,现阶段应将改进预算制度、完善税收立法和建立事权与支出责任相适应的财政分权模式作为三大抓手.     

The effect of inmates' self-reported childhood and adolescent animal cruelty: motivations on the number of convictions for adult violent interpersonal crimes

Few researchers have investigated the potentially predictive power of motives for childhood and adolescent animal cruelty as it is associated with interpersonal violence in adulthood. Based on a sample of 261 inmates at medium- and maximum-security prisons in a southern state, the present study examines the relationship among several retrospectively reported motives (anger, fun, dislike, and imitation) for animal cruelty and violent crime convictions (assault, rape, and murder). Almost half reported abusing animals out of anger, whereas more than one third did so for fun. Dislike for the animal and imitation were less frequently occurring motives. Participants who abused animals at an earlier age and those who did so out of anger or for fun were more likely to repeat the offense. Regression analyses revealed that abusing an animal out of fun in their youth was the most statistically salient motive for predicting later interpersonal violence as adults.     

取缔行为的法律属性探微

相当一部分行政法律规范规定 ,行政机关可以对当事人未取得许可而从事某项活动的予以取缔 ,但取缔行为的法律属性则众说纷纭 ,取缔行为的法律属性不能到位 ,则必然影响执法质量和难以收到预期的社会效果。通过对取缔行为各种观点的评析 ,可以认为其具有行政处罚的法律属性。