THE VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ACT

Domestic abuse allegations have become a serious problem in our society. They present our court system with difficult decisions and problems. This becomes an even more difficult situation when the abused is an illegal immigrant. Many of the abused are too frightened or intimidated to go to the authorities for help. This article examines how the U.S. government is attempting to protect these immigrants .     

Infrared Imaging of the Crime Scene: Possibilities and Pitfalls

All objects radiate infrared energy invisible to the human eye, which can be imaged by infrared cameras, visualizing differences in temperature and/or emissivity of objects. Infrared imaging is an emerging technique for forensic investigators. The rapid, nondestructive, and noncontact features of infrared imaging indicate its suitability for many forensic applications, ranging from the estimation of time of death to the detection of blood stains on dark backgrounds. This paper provides an overview of the principles and instrumentation involved in infrared imaging. Difficulties concerning the image interpretation due to different radiation sources and different emissivity values within a scene are addressed. Finally, reported forensic applications are reviewed and supported by practical illustrations. When introduced in forensic casework, infrared imaging can help investigators to detect, to visualize, and to identify useful evidence nondestructively.     

Economic development and the administration and regulation of transport

This paper examines the impact on total factor productivity (TFP) growth in the South of North-South and South-South trade-related technology diffusion and of foreign direct investment (FDI). North-South and South-South trade-related research and development (R&D) stocks are constructed based on industry-specific R&D in the North, North-South and South-South trade patterns, and input-output relations in the South. The main findings are: 1. Both North-South and South-South trade-related R&D have a positive impact on TFP growth in the South; 2. FDI has a positive, though smaller, impact on TFP growth; 3. The impact on TFP growth of trade-related technology diffusion increases with the level of education in the case of North-South trade but not in the case of South-South trade.     

Whistleblowers, the Public Interest, and the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998

Corporate crime and organisational deviance raise complex legal issues. An initial problem lies simply in identifying when such wrongdoing has occurred. Here, whistleblowers can perform a valuable service. However, publicized cases suggest that they often pay dearly for their candour, encountering unfair sanctions at work. In Britain, the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 seeks to protect "good-faith" whistleblowers from employer reprisals. In the wake of this legislation, the authors examine whistleblowing from a socio-legal perspective, asking what motivates whistleblowers, how do institutions respond to them, can legislation adequately protect them, and what effects will PIDA have on whistleblowing, employment practices, the culture of the workplace and, ultimately, society.     

Should the High Court Consider Policy Implications in Deciding Cases?

If the High Court is to consider policy implications when making judicial decisions, a number of preliminary matters require examination. First, what parliaments, executive governments and other instrumentalities will be affected? Next, may the High Court validly exercise this function? And last, is it likely to do so? I shall discuss these preliminary matters in the order stated and thereafter express my view on the question raised by the editors for discussion. In the course of discussion, I shall mention some incidental matters related to the High Court and its functions.     

Reliability, validity, and utility of criminal profiling typologies

Criminal profiling has received attention from the academic community and from the entertainment world since the FBI first published accounts of its profiling principles. It became popular through films such as Silence of the Lambs and the X-Files making headlines. However, beyond the victims' pin pictures that help create the sensationalism in these resources, there have been few, if any, reliable criminal profiling classification designs. This work examines deductive and inductive profiling models that classify crime scene activity including the first systematic review of the FBI's organized and disorganized profiling typology. The paper concludes with a discussion about how to turn profiling from an art too more a scientific process through the use of investigative process management research.