Protecting Eyewitness Evidence: Examining the Efficacy of a Self-Administered Interview Tool

Given the crucial role of eyewitness evidence, statements should be obtained as soon as possible after an incident. This is not always achieved due to demands on police resources. Two studies trace the development of a new tool, the Self-Administered Interview (SAI), designed to elicit a comprehensive initial statement. In Study 1, SAI participants reported more correct details than participants who provided a free recall account, and performed at the same level as participants given a Cognitive Interview. In Study 2, participants viewed a simulated crime and half recorded their statement using the SAI. After a delay of 1 week, all participants completed a free recall test. SAI participants recalled more correct details in the delayed recall task than control participants.     

Racial identification from the midfacial skeleton with special reference to American Indians and whites

Successful approaches to race determination of unidentified human remains have been developed by anatomists and physical anthropologists, but few quantitative methods are available for distinguishing American Indian crania from those of whites. The leading method in use today is particularly ineffective in its placement of American Indian skulls from the western regions of the United States. Recent development and testing of a new metric method suggests a much more effective technique. The method involves six breadth and projection measurements of the midfacial skeleton, the calculation of three indices, and a simple direct reading of results. The method has the additional advantage of use in the autopsy room with minimal dissection of soft tissue required. Based upon a less extensive test of East Asian and Arctic Mongoloid crania, the method appears to be even more effective in separating them from the sharp featured whites. Larger samples of American blacks and Polynesians are presently under study and these also appear to separate quite readily from whites using the same or similar sectioning values.     

Traumatic asphyxial deaths due to an uncontrolled crowd

Nine people died of traumatic asphyxia due to an uncontrolled crowd at a community basketball game in New York City in 1991. We reviewed the circumstances, postmortem findings, and the causes of death. The majority of people had petechiae of the conjunctivae and face consistent with chest compression. There were minimal superficial blunt injuries and no fractures or acute intoxications. These deaths are often incorrectly attributed to blunt force injuries, while the cause typically is asphyxia due to chest compression.     

The evolution of DNA databases--recommendations for new European STR loci

Following a recent meeting by the ENFSI and EDNAP groups on the 4-5 April, 2005, in Glasgow, UK, it was unanimously agreed that the process of standardization within Europe should take account of recent work that unequivocally demonstrated that chance of obtaining a result from a degraded sample was increased when small amplicons (mini-STRs) were analysed. Consequently, it was recommended that existing multiplexes are re-engineered to enable small amplicon detection, and that three new mini-STR loci with alleles <130 bp (D10S1248, D14S1434 and D22S1045) are adopted as universal. This will increase the number of European standard Interpol loci from 7 to 10.     

Reducing homicide: A review of the possibilities

This paper explores the potential for reducing homicide, with a particular focus on the United Kingdom. It draws upon data from the Homicide Index, international research on homicide, and the general crime reduction literature. Homicide is highly diverse in its characteristics, causes and dynamics, so effective strategies to reduce it are likely to require tailoring to specific forms. The paper focuses upon four important categories: domestic (partner) homicide; the killing of infants; alcohol-related homicide; and homicide involving guns and knives. Attention is also paid briefly to issues around dangerous offenders and mental disorder, and to homicide victimisation in relation to specific occupations.This paper was written in 2001 and accepted for publication by Crime Law and Social Change in 2002. Some minor updating has been undertaken by the authors, but due to the delay some sections will inevitably not refer to the most recent research. An earlier version of the paper was published online by the Home Office in 2003.     

State and Local Government Organizations and the Formation of the Help America Vote Act

Several state and local government organizations lobbied Congressduring the formation of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA). Thisarticle distinguishes between "general" government organizations(those that represent the general interests of state and localgovernments) and "functionalist" organizations (those that implementspecific programs or functions). Whereas generalists soughtto advance "spatial" interests, functionalists sought to advance"administrative" interests. We also apply theories of congressionalorganization and committee leadership to explain the accessof state and local governments to Congress and their influenceover policy. The organizations had more access to, and influencein, the House Committee on Administration than in the SenateRules and Administration Committee. The differences were primarilythe result of three factors: informational demands, partisanconsiderations, and the personal qualities of committee leaders.     

The spatial distribution of public services: A structural model of voting,educational production,and the government's allocation of educational inputs

This essay analyzes the intrajurisdictional allocation of public resources by a governmental agency, using education as the example. The agency's decision is guided, in part, by the pReferences of voters within each subarea of the jurisdiction. Voter's choices are influenced by the likely allocation of additional resources resulting from passage of a tax levy, and the tax cost of the levy. After deriving predictions of the relationships between the variables of the model, we estimate a simultaneous equation system. Included are equations specifying the educational production function, voting decisions, and bureaucratic resource allocation. This essay also notes the biases present in prior studies that only considered the ‘demand side’ of voting models.