Gangs in Nigeria: an updated examination

This paper analyzes gangs in Nigeria, providing an updated examination of their current strategies and activities. The premise of this analysis partly draws on Social Identity Theory, with respect to gang affiliation. Particularly explored are (1) gang cultism as a common phenomenon on college campuses in Nigeria (through their malicious, secret, fraternity-like activities) and (2) the role of Islam in Nigerian gangs. The case study of the ‘Yan Daba, urban gangs particularly found in the northern part of Nigeria, is used to illustrate the authors’ arguments. A brief comparison of Nigerian Muslim gangs with European Muslim gangs is also provided.     

Transsexualism in medicolegal limine: an examination and a proposal for change

This article investigates transsexualism and our creation of a state of medicolegal limine for transsexuals. The article addresses transsexuality as it is currently defined and explores our dichotomization of sex and gender. The author discusses both the social construction and the praxis of transsexuality, highlighting the medicolegal implications resulting from our current approach to transsexuality. The author argues that the creation of a medicolegal limine essentially prevents transsexuals from ever integrating fully as a member of one sex or gender, while simultaneously preventing the larger society from reconsidering its definitions of sex and gender. The article concludes with a summary of current challenges to our model of transsexualism and with suggestions for the resolution of this liminal medicolegal phase.     

Generalizing general strain theory: An examination of an offending population

We attempt to investigate the generality of general strain theory (GST) by exploring the operation of general strain in an offending population. Data are obtained from self-report interviews of approximately 150 youths who had been adjudicated for a variety of offenses; all had been identified as chemically abusing or dependent. Using measures of strain and negative affect, as well as strain-exacerbating factors such as peer delinquency and strain-alleviating factors such as family communication and cognitive, social, physical, emotional, and spiritual coping skills, we find support for some of the basic tenets of GST. Implications of the findings for future research are discussed.     

In their own eyes: an empirical examination of police self-legitimacy

In their paper Beyond Procedural Justice, Bottoms and Tankebe specified two interrelated dimensions of legitimacy: audience legitimacy and self-legitimacy. Criminologists have given considerable attention to audience legitimacy, but police officers’ belief in their own legitimacy remains understudied. This paper extends Bottoms and Tankebe’s theory and reports findings on some of its key propositions, using survey data from a UK police force. Three key findings emerge. First, contrary to previous studies, feelings of recognition by supervisors and clientele did not predict self-legitimacy; self-legitimacy was found to depend on feelings of peer recognition and acceptance. Second, self-legitimacy predicted officers’ commitment to external procedural justice but not their moral orientations towards crime victims. Finally, perceived police effectiveness but not supervisor recognition – that is, internal procedural justice – was the key predictor both of external procedural justice and of normative orientations towards crime victims. The implications of these findings are discussed.     

Interpretation of automotive light bulb examination results: an intriguing case

During the examination of light bulbs from a vehicle involved in a road accident, the headlights did not reveal any evidence regarding whether they were energized or not. Additionally, a police officer turned the lights on after the accident to verify their functioning, thus damaging some of the evidence. By examining the vehicle, it was determined that the park lights could provide answers regarding the conditions of the headlights. After observations, it was concluded that the park lights and headlights were off at the time of the impact. This case report demonstrates how important it is to integrate the circumstances surrounding the case into the interpretation of the results. Nevertheless, it also demonstrates the necessity for examining both the vehicle and all light bulbs in order to reach the most pertinent and proper conclusion.     

Depictions of correctional officers in newspaper media: an ethnographic content analysis

The public relies on the media for most of its information about the criminal justice system. Unfortunately, media depictions of justice actors are not always accurate which, in turn, can lead to distorted images about the system and its operations. Using ethnographic content analysis to analyze 489 articles from major newspapers across the United States, this study seeks to discern how correctional officers and the jobs that they perform are portrayed in print media. The results suggest that correctional officers are overwhelmingly portrayed negatively, with 79.6% of the articles in the research sample presenting one of six distinct negative themes. A typology of these themes is explored in detail, along with its implications for societal support for corrections and correctional officers, especially with regard to the media’s potential contributions to officers’ job stress, burnout, and job dissatisfaction.     

Police use of force: an examination of the minority threat perspective

The minority threat perspective suggests that the criminal justice system may be one mechanism through which the majority group (i.e. Whites) maintains control of culturally dissimilar minority groups. Although numerous studies have examined the relationship between minority representation and various policing outcomes, few have extended this research to police use of force in the context of stop-and-frisk practices. Using stop, question, and frisk data from the New York Police Department, this study examines (1) whether racial and ethnic composition influences police use of force, and (2) whether an individual’s race/ethnicity interacts with the racial/ethnic composition of a police precinct to produce disparities in police use of force. The results provide partial support for the minority threat perspective.     

Googled justice: an examination of the citation of Internet sources in judicial opinions in Uganda

Search engines like Google have made it incredibly easy to access vast amounts of information with little effort. Many lawyers now prefer to go online for their legal research. Lawyers are citing online sources to establish legal and factual positions in their submission briefs to court and, in turn, judges are citing them in their opinions. Judges are also conducting online research to better understand the complexities of disputes before them. This paper examines the challenges arising from the citation of online sources in judicial opinions in Uganda. It argues that while there are significant benefits to relying on Internet sources, there are also challenges like inaccuracy of online information, excessive reliance on non-legal sources and inaccessibility of some online sources. It concludes with recommendations for best practices that can be adopted by the Ugandan courts in dealing with these limitations when citing online authorities.     

The intersection of race and gender: an examination of sentencing outcomes in North Carolina

This study examines the intersection of offenders’ race and gender in the sentencing process using data on felony cases sentenced in North Carolina. Analyses examine the likelihood that charges were reduced in severity between initial filing and conviction, the likelihood of imprisonment, and the length of sentence imposed, and test whether race affects punishment similarly for men and women. Results indicate that status characteristics predict both reductions in charge severity and the severity of the final sentence, and that racial disparity is conditional on gender. However, the results are not entirely consistent with predictions derived from the extant literature. Gender significantly predicts case outcomes at each stage, but black men were not uniformly disadvantaged, and black women received the least severe treatment in two out of four analyses. Theoretical implications for the intersection of race and gender in sentencing theories are discussed.     

Intimate partner violence and the justice system: an examination of the interface

Women entering the court system face a challenging experience, in part, because a courtroom can be an intimidating and difficult place for any person, and in part because women victimized by crimes in which the offender is known to them face distinctive difficulties when they seek the court's remedies. The interface is also made more challenging for women as the literature offers disparate findings as to the efficacy of criminal justice responses and civil remedies. This article briefly explores the unique characteristics of intimate partner violence cases that influence the interface of these victims with the court system. Areviewis provided of research on the criminal justice interventions in cases of intimate partner violence; and research on the efficacy of civil protective orders.     

Differentiating between physically violent and nonviolent stalkers: an examination of Canadian cases

This study is one of a few that empirically investigated factors that differentiated the physically violent stalker from the nonviolent stalker. Using discriminant analysis, 103 Canadian cases of "simple obsessional" stalking were examined. Overall, the success of the model for classifying cases into one of two groups was 81%. Results revealed that the physically violent stalker is more likely to: (a) have a stronger previous emotional attachment toward their victim; (b) be more highly fixated/obsessed with their victim; (c) have a higher degree of perceived negative affect towards their victim; (d) engage in more verbal threats toward the victim; and (e) have a history of battering/domestic abuse towards the victim. Overall, the variables that best differentiate the physically violent stalker from the nonviolent one appear to characterize underlying themes of anger, vengeance, emotional arousal, humiliation, projection of blame, and insecure attachment pathology.     

The decision to provide discovery: an examination of policies and guilty pleas

Journal of Experimental Criminology - Prosecutors’ decisions to provide discovery can have vast implications for defendants. When prosecutors do not provide exculpatory information in the...     

A 16-year examination of domestic violence among Asians and Asian Americans in the empirical knowledge base: a content analysis

Until recently, research studies have implied that domestic violence does not affect Asian American and immigrant communities, or even Asians abroad, because ethnicity or culture has not been addressed. In this content analysis, the authors examined trends in publications in leading scholarly journals on violence relating to Asian women and domestic violence. A coding schema was developed, with two raters coding the data with high interrater reliability. Sixty articles were published over the 16 years studied, most atheoretical and focusing on individual levels of analysis. The terms used in discussing domestic violence reflected a feminist perspective. Three quarters of the studies were empirical, with most guided by logical positivism using quantitative designs. Most targeted specific Asian subgroups (almost a third focused on Asian Indians) rather than categorizing Asians as a general ethnic category. The concept of "Asian culture" was most often assessed by discussing Asian family structure. Future research is discussed in light of the findings.     

Digital photography as an object of forensic medical examination

The possibility of diagnosing skin lesions by means of digital pictures was investigated. A "Zenit ET" film camera, HP flatbed scanner, amateur "'Panasonic" and "Sony" videocameras, miniature USB camera and digital photocameras were used to obtain images. Above 1000 images were studied. Criteria were fixed for the required quality of images. A method was developed to formalize images by means of a color etalon and mathematical assessment of formalized skin lesions. Stages were suggested for the computer-based analysis of images. Computer software was developed for the automated formalization of images and for the statistical processing of values of image elements. It was demonstrated that digital photography can be an independent informative object of forensic medical examination.