Scrutinizing RICO

Past studies on the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (criminal RICO) are merged with research on organized crime and recently collected information on the presence of informants in appellate cases. After identifying problems associated with the statute since its enactment in 1970, attention is directed toward the place of informants within court proceedings applying criminal RICO. The central finding points to a relatively high presence of informants in such cases. The explanation that follows accounts for the prevalence of informants in RICO cases by combining: (1) the statutes liberal construction, (2) an increasing acceptance amongst government and law-enforcement officials that the use of informants is essential to the fight against the apparent organized crime threat, and (3) the rationalization that extends from the prosecutorial success that has been documented within the United States and in other countries that have adopted similar forms of legislation.We would like to thank Pierre Tremblay and Marie-Andrée Bertrand for their comments and suggestions on past versions of this paper. We also show our gratitude to Gerard Lynch for his help during early phases of this research.     

Detection of thiopental and pentobarbital in head and pubic hair in a case of drug-facilitated sexual assault

The quali-quantitative determination of two barbiturates, thiopental and its metabolite pentobarbital, in head and pubic hair samples of a woman who had been sexually assaulted during hospitalisation, is reported. Hair was analysed by means of solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and gas chromatography-multiple mass spectrometry (GC-MS-MS), in chemical ionisation conditions. Thiopental and pentobarbital were found in three proximal head hair segments (sample 1A: 0.30 and 0.40 ng/mg; sample 1B: 0.20 and 0.20 ng/mg; sample 3: 0.15 and 0.20 ng/mg) and pubic hair sample. Two distal head hair segments were negative for both barbiturates. Despite the lack of collection and toxicological analysis of blood or urine samples within the hospital setting, analytical findings from hair revealed the use of the anaesthetic agent thiopental to sedate the victim quickly and deeply and commit sexual assault.     

Democratic Consolidation in Latin America: Recent Theoretical Developments,Facilitating Conditions and Outcomes

An increasing number of investigations have dealt with particular aspects of democratic consolidation in Latin America. The multitude of geographic, historical and social conditions underlying the process, however, have often constituted a formidable hurdle for comparative study and generalization. In this paper I undertake a preliminary screening of the existing data and present a summary of facts and theories on democratic consolidation in the region. After an extensive analysis of different sources, I compare the experiences of Latin American countries and define a series of factors that seem to facilitate the consolidation of new democratic regimes. These factors include the beneficial role of earlier democratic traditions, the negotiation of agreements among political elites, diffuse support for the regime, solid party systems, effective control over military participation in society and, to a lesser extent, a favorable economy, especially when accompanied by less unequal income distribution.     

Knowledge flows,the influence of national R&D structure and the moderating role of public–private cooperation

This paper analyses country-specific determinants of knowledge flows with a view to uncover the role of cross-organizational interactions. Using a sample of some 600,000 patents from the EU27 member states in the period 1990–2007, we take backward citations as dependent variable and find that technological sophistication and research size have a positive effect on knowledge flows. While a national bias towards applied research and development has a negative impact, individual public–private cooperation has a moderating effect due to the generation of scientific knowledge by public institutions. The present study contributes to the debate concerning the direction of R&D investments and provides empirical support to policies aimed at the enhancement of public–private cooperation.     

Offending Frequency and Responses to Illegal Monetary Incentives

Journal of Quantitative Criminology - We examine how responsive offenders are to illegal monetary incentives. We draw from rational choice theory, prospect theory, and models of labor supply to...     

House arrest with electronic monitoring: the Rio de Janeiro experience

This article outlines the House Curfew with Electronic Monitoring (HCEM) experience in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). Recently implemented in this Brazilian jurisdiction, HCEM has already achieved positive outcomes in terms of post-trial de-incarceration, as it reduced the open prison population by 35% from 2009 to 2014. In addition to describing and critically discussing these changes in the Rio de Janeiro criminal justice system, the study also reports offenders’ perceptions regarding this new crime control method in Rio de Janeiro. This perspective provides interesting feedback regarding HCEM in terms of safety, its punitive character, technological problems, constraints, and stigmatisation.