An exploratory study of role distance as a police response to stress

Field observations of police-citizen encounters indicated that police in the United States employ a number of coping strategies for handling occupational stress. Goffman's concept of role distance was applied to explore the lines of action that police officers construct for situations that they define as stressful. The analysis of police behavior suggests that police develop strategies for establishing role distance during stressful situations with citizens and other police officers that are similar to those in Goffman's analysis of surgeons. Observations further suggest that police also create two additional methods for attaining role distance from occupational stress: verbal denial of danger and playful pranks among the officers.     

英国社区矫正制度

英国是近代世界监狱改良运动和刑罚执行社会化的发源地。19世纪末20世纪初期,社区矫正制度在英国刑事立法和司法中已经确立,各种非监禁刑进入了司法实践领域。这一制度根据社会生活的改变和犯罪情况的变化,逐渐发展、成熟,成为目前一项有法律明确规定、适用刑种多样、有专门机构和人员进行管理监督、有关社会组织参与、矫正措施规范、行刑效果理想的较为完备的法律制度。英国在社区矫正制度中确立的保护公众的安全和利益、矫正和适当惩罚相结合、注重犯罪对受害者的伤害和影响、使罪犯重新回归社会及预防和减少重新违法犯罪等矫正原则,在英…     

9mm警用转轮手枪橡胶弹射入口的形态特征

目的观察橡胶弹射人口的形态特征,并探讨其法医学意义。方法使用9mm警用转轮手枪发射橡胶弹,在实验动物胸腹部侧面垂直射击,射击距离分别为紧密接触射击（0cm）,相对接触射击（1～6cm）,近距离射击（6-60cm）和远距离射击（60cm～有效射程25m）。92式手枪采取相同方式射击实验动物作为对照。观察射入口的形态特征,制作组织病理学切片,HE染色显微镜下观察。结果橡胶弹接触射击和近距离射击,射入口边缘整齐,有明显的擦拭轮、挫伤轮和火药斑纹;远距离射击,可见射人口边缘撕裂,挫伤轮明显增宽,皮下出血显著;与手枪弹射入口形态特征明显不同。结论9mm警用转轮手枪橡胶弹射入口典型的形态特征,可作为此类损伤的诊断指标。     

Changes in the professional commitment of police recruits: An exploratory case study

This research examines the effect of the initial socialization process on the level of professionalism among a cohort of thirty-six police recruits. These police recruits were surveyed at two points in their careers about their degree of professional commitment to the occupation. The first test period immediately followed their appointment to the force, and the second test period was six months later. Our principal finding was a significant decline in the level of professional commitment among the recruits between the two test periods; related findings to the professionalization process were similarly noted. The research demonstrates the effect of the initial socialization process among police and suggests ways police administrators can minimize the effect of initial socialization on level of professionalism, depending on their theoretical orientation.     

The Economics of the Grounds for Divorce in Great Britain

Despite similarities in their socio-economic environments and the provision of identical legal grounds for divorce, England & Wales is dominated by fault divorce decrees whereas no-fault divorce dominates in Scotland. Indeed, during the past fifteen years, the shares of fault and no-fault divorce have increasingly diverged across these two regions. The paper proposes an explanation for this remarkable contrast based on cost incentives generated by procedural and legal interventions within the respective legal systems. In particular, the introduction of the Simplified Procedure in Scotland and the reduction in the time bar to divorce in England & Wales are key causal factors.     

Forensic medicine in Great Britain. I. The beginning

This paper briefly outlines the evolution of modern forensic medicine in Great Britain from the coroner system originally implemented. It focuses on the role of Andrew Duncan, Sr. in creating a chair in medical jurisprudence and establishing a precedent for the teaching of forensic medicine to students and practitioners alike.     

Employer aversion to criminal records: An experimental study of mechanisms

The mark of a criminal record is clearly harmful for employment. The reasons for employer aversion, however, are not well established even though legal, policy, and scholarly responses rely on particular explanations. We propose that explanations for aversion often fit under a repetition risk framework in which employers use records as neutral sources of information about prior illegal activity and make decisions to minimize risk of similar future conduct. A second explanation is stigma, in which the records themselves, independent of conduct, trigger stereotypes, status loss, and discrimination. Using an experimental employer survey, we find that employers evaluate applicants with records more negatively than they do applicants with similar behavior signaled through non-criminal-justice sources (e.g., social media); this effect remains after accounting for predictions about future conduct. It is also most apparent among higher status jobs rather than among manual labor jobs, and it persists after adjusting for firm-level and legal constraints. We conclude that aversion reflects not only repetition risk but also the stigma of criminal justice contact. Insofar as criminal record screening is not exclusively a form of rational risk management, this finding may lead to altered assessments of the benefits of screening relative to the costs of perpetuating inequality produced by the criminal justice system.     

A social psychological approach to the study of police corruption

Police corruption is herein defined as a mode of behavior that is chosen because it will lead to money or other personally desirable rewards and involves a misuse of the authority of a police officer's occupational role. In recognition of the importance of explanation to the development of effective control techniques, a clearly explicated theoretical model is offered. Elaboration of this model involves an inclusion of the propositions of theories of social learning, role theory, and anomie in an attempt to provide a more thorough understanding of the various processes involved in police corruption. The model suggests that corruption arises through a process of interaction during which the individual police officer learns such behavior in accordance with the responses of others. Role theory is used to account for the motivating forces behind corrupt behavior. Following a discussion of the proposed theoretical basis for corruption, various research suggestions are offered.     

英国法律职业人才培养模式对我国的启示

英国法律职业人才培养模式分为理论、职业、实习和继续职业教育四个阶段,其特点是虽无统一的法律教育体制和司法考试制度,各地区和各法律院校在法律人才培养过程中具有较大的自主性,但同时有相应的机制保证法律职业人才的同质性;法学教育注重法律的实践性和应用技能的培养,法学教育机构和法律职业管理机构在人才培养过程中相互协作,共同发挥作用。英国的法律职业人才培养模式有可供我们学习借鉴的优点和经验。     

英国的讯问同步录音录像制度及对我国的启示

我国司法实践部门正在逐步推行讯问同步录音录像制度,《刑事诉讼法(修正草案)》也规定讯问严重案件犯罪嫌疑人应当同步录音录像。作为讯问同步录音录像制度的发源国,英国经过长达20多年的论争和反复试验,最终才于1988年建立了讯问录音制度。2002年,英国又通过《警察与刑事证据法守则F》建立了讯问录像制度。《警察与刑事证据法守则F》根据讯问录像制度的运作机理,确立了许多不同于讯问录音制度的规则和程序要求。英国建立讯问同步录音录像制度的经验给我国以下启示:建立和推行讯问录音录像制度必须获得侦查人员的支持;该制度预期功能的发挥要求建立严密的监督机制;应保障辩护方对录音录像有充分的程序参与权。     

An experimental study of sentencing by magistrates

A pilot study was carried out with 23 magistrates to develop a sentencing severity scale. An experiment was then conducted with 168 magistrates deciding sentences for simulated cases in 56 groups of three. The results showed that sentences were more severe when offenses were more serious, when offenders had a more serious criminal record, when offenders were male, and when offenders were of higher social status. The age of the offender, the race of the offender and victim, the plea, the prevalence of the offense, and whether breack of trust was involved, did not have significant effects on sentence severity. A comparison between real and simulated sentencing decisions showed that they were similar, and a comparison between individual and group decisions showed that the group decisions were more likely to be relatively severe than relatively lenient.This research was completed while Mr. Kapardis was supported by a Social Science Research Council studentship.     

An examination of stress hardiness, dysphoria, and anger among police recruits exposed to stressful police academy training

This study examined whether stress hardiness moderates the relationship between stress and anger during stressful police academy training. It was hypothesized that stress hardiness alters the strength of the relationship between stressful circumstances and anger. The study of stress resistance is an important area of study as stress has been linked to behavioral problems (e.g., absenteeism from work), emotional problems (e.g., depression), and physical problems (e.g., coronary heart disease). This research was conducted as part of the doctoral dissertation requirements of Billy J. James at Walden University, Minneapolis, MN     

The coping strategies and responses of African youth in New Zealand to their encounters with the police

This article looks at the coping behaviors used by African youth in Aoteaora New Zealand during their encounters with the police. African youth are one of New Zealand's newest and youngest populations yet report disturbing accounts of racial provocation and abuse by the New Zealand police. In a research study carried out with African youth about their experiences with the police, qualitative interviews with the youth and African community leaders revealed that the youth responded to the discriminatory behaviors of the police in a number of ways. These responses included being obstructive, demonstrating vigilance of police practices, and avoiding subsequent encounters with the police, and indicate that the youth are prepared to challenge the perceived racism of the police.     

Prevalence and correlates of psychopathic traits in the household population of Great Britain

There are no previous surveys of psychopathy and psychopathic traits in representative general population samples using standardized instruments. This study aimed to measure prevalence and correlates of psychopathic traits, based on a two-phase survey using the Psychopathy Checklist: Screening Version (PCL: SV) in 638 individuals, 16–74 years, in households in England, Wales and Scotland. The weighted prevalence of psychopathy was 0.6% (95% CI: 0.2–1.6) at a cut score of 13, similar to the noncriminal/nonpsychiatric sample described in the manual of the PCL: SV. Psychopathy scores correlated with: younger age, male gender; suicide attempts, violent behavior, imprisonment and homelessness; drug dependence; histrionic, borderline and adult antisocial personality disorders; panic and obsessive–compulsive disorders. This survey demonstrated that, as measured by the PCL: SV, psychopathy is rare, affecting less than 1% of the household population, although it is prevalent among prisoners, homeless persons, and psychiatric admissions. There is a half-normal distribution of psychopathic traits in the general population, with the majority having no traits, a significant proportion with non-zero values, and a severe subgroup of persons with multiple associated social and behavioral problems. This distribution has implications for research into the etiology of psychopathy and its implications for society.     

现代英国家事案件审判体制的变迁及其启示

英国家事案件审判体制的变革顺应了社会发展,反映了民众呼声,从最初由宗教法院审理离婚案件发展到20世纪末建立完整的三级家事案件审判体制,即家事程序法院——治安法院中由家庭问题专家开庭审理案件;郡法院;高等法院家事法庭。英国家事案件审判体制变迁的司法理念包括建立专门的家事法庭;设立专门的保护儿童权利的机构;重视和解和调解工作。对我国未来司法体系变革的启示是：建立专门的家事合议庭;建立配套的儿童保护机构;完善家事纠纷中的法院调解。