Criminal network vulnerabilities and adaptations

The current paper aimed to investigate the effectiveness of five law enforcement interventions in disrupting and dismantling criminal networks. We tested three law enforcement interventions that targeted social capital in criminal networks (betweenness, degree and cut-set) and two interventions that targeted human capital (actors who possess money and those who possess precursor chemicals). These five interventions are compared with each other and with random (opportunistic) removal of actors in two settings: (i) with network adaptation incorporated into the simulations and (ii) without network adaptation. Results illustrate that the removal of actors based on betweenness centrality was the most efficient strategy, leading to network disruption in the least number of steps and was relatively consistent across replications. Targeting actors who possessed money was the second most effective overall and was also relatively consistent in its disruptive effect.     

Cross‐Cultural Comparison of Two Serial Sexual Murder Series in Italy and the United States

Abstract: There have been few documented comparisons of serial murder cases committed in the United States with cases occurring internationally. The authors contrasted two unique serial murder series: one in Italy and one in the United States by examining the details of both series, including the M.O., motivation, crime scene interactions, sexual acts performed, and the general backgrounds of both offenders. The comparison revealed a number of similarities. Both offenders specifically targeted elderly women, who were attacked in their residences. The two series involved sexually motivated crimes, although the sexual interactions were different. Both offenders stole objects from their victims after the murders and each kept newspaper accounts of their crimes. In addition, both offenders claimed to have abusive upbringings, including sexual abuse.     

Teaching Negotiation through Paradox

How to teach negotiation cannot be effectively summed up in a few ready‐to‐be‐applied principles. In this article, I define a paradoxical professorial stance that I believe can be useful for helping students learn negotiation concepts and methods, and will also help them reflect on their own practice. The paradoxes are the following: caring for the students while deliberately exposing them to frustration; nurturing a lively, interactive course while respecting those students who prefer to remain silent; helping the students to be more autonomous while simultaneously manipulating them; accepting their vulnerability while nurturing their creativity; and finally, maintaining both professorial distance and closeness. My adoption of such a paradoxical stance as a professor has encouraged greater creativity in my students, and by the end of the course, they are better able to create value in a negotiation simulation.     

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.     

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.     

Validation of a large Italian Database of 15 STR loci

Results from a collaborative exercise with proficiency testing conducted by 20 Italian laboratories on the 15 loci included in the Identifiler kit were analyzed by allele sharing methods and by standard population genetics tests. The validated database, including about 1500 subjects, was merged with that of a previous exercise conducted on nine loci, and the resulting allele frequencies, subdivided by Italian region, were published on-line.     

Brake linings: a source of non-GSR particles containing lead,barium, and antimony

The observation of environmental particles similar in composition to gunshot residue (GSR) are not new to forensic experts and have been described in the scientific literature. In order to better define the origin of these particles, brake linings and their wear products were examined by SEM-EDX. The results obtained demonstrate that some types of brake linings contain lead, barium, and antimony and that they can represent a source of particles showing GSR-like elemental profiles. Most of these particles can be easily discriminated from primer discharge residue because of the high levels of iron or the presence of "prohibited" elements in the spectrum. However, particles with iron at minor or trace levels and lacking "prohibited" elements were also found. It is thus advisable to use caution when describing the composition of similar particles as "unique" to primer discharge residue. The strict application of a rigorous morphological criterion is also recommended.     

The Contribution of Organized Youth Sport to Antisocial and Prosocial Behavior in Adolescent Athletes

In this study, we investigated the contribution of organized youth sport to antisocial and prosocial behavior in adolescent athletes. The sample consisted of N=260 male and female soccer players and competitive swimmers, 12 to 18 years of age. Multilevel regression analysis revealed that 8% of the variance in antisocial behavior and 7% of the variance in prosocial behavior could be attributed to characteristics of the sporting environment. Results suggested that coaches who maintain good relationships with their athletes reduce antisocial behavior, and that exposure to relatively high levels of sociomoral reasoning within the immediate context of sporting activities promotes prosocial behavior. These results point to specific aspects of adolescents’ participation in sport that can be used to realize the educational potential of organized youth sport. She is currently writing her Ph.D. thesis on sports and education. Interests include moral development, behavioral adaptation, and delinquency. Associate Professor of Special Education at the University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. His research interests include socio-emotional development and moral education. Professor of Educational Theory in the School of Education and life long learning, University of Exeter, UK. His research focuses on the role of communication in education. Professor of Special Education at the Free University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. His research interests concern socio-emotional development and developmental psychopathology, especially within the framework of attachment theory. She is working on a Ph.D. thesis on dyslexia. Her interests include socio-emotional development and learning problems. Free University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Assistant Professor at the Department of Developmental Psychology of Free University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Interests include methods of developmental research and multilevel modeling. University of Amsterdam, Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Department of Education