Fraud by Abuse of Position and Unlicensed Gangmasters

This article analyses the Court of Appeal's interpretation of the fraud by abuse of position offence in R v Valujevs. Two issues are explored: first, the Court's welcome clarification of the meaning of a relevant ‘expectation’; second, the inadequacy of the Court's reasoning in deciding that an unlicensed gangmaster ‘is expected to safeguard, or not to act against, the financial interests’ of his workers.     

When does Race and Gender Matter? The Interrelationships between the Gender of Probation Officers and Juvenile Court Detention and Intake Outcomes

Racial and gender disparities in case outcomes have recently been explained by a focus on the characteristics of court officers within the context of the interplay between discretion, stereotyping, and the perceptions of decision-makers. Using data within a single juvenile court jurisdiction, the present study continues this line of inquiry to assess: (1) how race and gender, individually and in combination, influence juvenile justice decision-making and (2) how court outcomes for certain race/gender combinations are conditioned by the gender of the court officer. Results indicate that, to some degree, the race and gender of the youth along with the gender of the court officer influenced case outcomes; however, the findings were not always in the expected direction. The results have implications for broadening the contexts of detention and intake decision-making, and may also better inform efforts to address the equitable treatment of youth in the juvenile justice system.     

Redefining Intimate Partner Violence Beyond the Binary to Include Transgender People

Since the mid-1970s, the field of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) has debated over gender differences in the perpetration of physical partner violence. However, this classical controversy has ignored transgender people since their gender does not seemingly fit the binary categories (male and female) first used to conceptualize IPV. Furthermore, sustained attention on this ceaseless argument has contributed to transgender people remaining invisible to the field of IPV. In this article, we redefine IPV to extend beyond the gender binary and invite the field to shift its focus to transgender people. Research suggests that as many as one in two transgender individuals are victims of IPV, but that multiple barriers prevent this group from acquiring protection that is afforded to others. Therefore, we propose that researchers direct their attention to this topic, and thus, inform police officers, victim advocates, and medical professionals who work directly to combat IPV for all.     

Parental Depressive Symptoms and Youth Internalizing and Externalizing Problems: The Moderating Role of Interparental Conflict

The current investigation examined if interparental conflict (IPC), including psychological and physical violence, moderated the relationship between parental depressive symptoms and youth internalizing and externalizing problems, respectively, in a sample of youth with a parent with a history of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). One hundred and eighty families with a parent with a history of MDD (M _age = 41.96; 88.9 % mothers) and a youth in the target age range of 9-to-15 years (49.4 % females; M _age = 11.46) participated. Findings indicated that IPC exacerbated the effect of parental depressive symptoms on internalizing, but not externalizing, problems for both males and females. Findings suggest that, in families with a parent who has a history of depression, parental depressive symptoms and IPC together have important implications for youth internalizing problems. Targeting improvement for both parent depressive symptoms and interparental conflict may directly lead to decreases in youth internalizing symptoms in the context of parental depression.     

Give me shelter: the state of animal sheltering in Kentucky’s county shelter system

Abstract

The Commonwealth of Kentucky Animal Control and Advisory Board estimates that in 2012, approximately 285,000 dogs and cats entered the shelter system, but only 15% were retrieved by owners or adopted to a new home. While some shelters incorporate adoption, fostering, and low-cost spay and neuter programs, many shelters euthanize the majority of the animals that enter the shelter system. In an effort to address severe deficiencies within the shelter system, Kentucky passed the Humane Shelter Law which defined minimum care and facility standards for animals held in shelters, along with required data collection. The law also placed responsibility with the individual county governments for oversight and implementation of these requirements. This paper presents the background and history of the state policy regarding animal shelters followed by results from a study of the county animal shelters in Kentucky. Results from the study suggest that numerous problems with data collection and maintenance exist throughout Kentucky and that levels of care vary widely for animals in the system. We discuss these issues before making recommendations for improvement to this system and its oversight. Our research suggests that with proper funding and oversight, Kentucky’s statute could become a model for humane animal sheltering.     

Perception vs. Reality: The Relationship Between Organized Crime and Human Trafficking in Metropolitan Atlanta

Since the enactment of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, there has been an increase in both media and scholarly discussions of human trafficking. Although most of these discussions have framed human trafficking as a crime committed primarily by organized crime groups, there has been very little empirical research examining the link between human trafficking and organized crime. In an effort to start to address this gap in the research, we conduct an exploratory study to determine if there is a link between human trafficking and organized crime in one of the Southeast’s human trafficking hubs – Atlanta, Georgia. We collected data on 24 federal human trafficking cases that were indicted in metropolitan Atlanta between 2000 and 2013. Then, we conducted a content analysis of the court documents for each federal human trafficking case and classified the relationship between organized crime and human trafficking using one of three categories: nonexistent, organized criminal network, organized criminal syndicate. For the majority of the human trafficking cases (n = 16), we found that there was no relationship between organized crime and human trafficking. For the cases that did show a relationship between organized crime and human trafficking, we found evidence of organized criminal networks in eight of the cases and evidence of an organized criminal syndicate in only one case.     

Procedurally Robust Risk Assessment Framework for Novel Genetically Engineered Organisms and Gene Drives

In this article, a new framework for improving risk assessments of novel genetically engineered organisms (GEOs) is developed and applied. The Procedurally Robust Risk Assessment Framework (PRRAF) provides a set of principles and criteria for assessing and enhancing risk assessment protocols for GEOs under conditions of high uncertainty. The application of PRRAF is demonstrated using the case of a genetically engineered mosquito designed to kill its wild population and therefore decrease disease transmission. Assessments for regulatory approval of this genetically engineered insect fall short of several PPRAF criteria under the principles of humility, procedural validity, inclusion, anticipation, and reflexivity. With the emergence of GEOs designed to spread in ecosystems, such as those with gene drives, it will become increasingly important for regulatory agencies and technology developers to bolster their risk analysis methods and processes prior to field testing. PRRAF can be used as a flexible guide for doing so within a variety of institutional, regulatory, and governance contexts.     

The Application of Remote Sensing for Detecting Mass Graves: An Experimental Animal Case Study from Costa Rica*

Abstract: Detection of mass graves utilizing the hyperspectral information in airborne or satellite imagery is an untested application of remote sensing technology. We examined the in situ spectral reflectance of an experimental animal mass grave in a tropical moist forest environment and compared it to an identically constructed false grave which was refilled with soil, but contained no cattle carcasses over the course of a 16‐month period. The separability of the in situ reflectance spectra was examined with a combination of feature selection and five different nonparametric pattern classifiers. We also scaled up the analysis to examine the spectral signature of the same experimental mass grave from an air‐borne hyperspectral image collected 1 month following burial. Our results indicate that at both scales (in situ and airborne), the experimental grave had a spectral signature that was distinct and therefore detectable from the false grave. In addition, we observed that vegetation regeneration was severely inhibited over the mass grave containing cattle carcasses for up to a period of 16 months. This experimental study has demonstrated the real utility of airborne hyperspectral imagery for the detection of a relatively small mass grave (5 m²) within a specific climatic zone. Other climatic zones will require similar actualistic modeling studies, but it is clear that the applications of this technology provide the international community with both an early detection tool and a tool for ongoing monitoring.     

The Correlation Between Skeletal Weathering and DNA Quality and Quantity*

Abstract: Mitochondrial DNA analysis of skeletal material is invaluable in forensic identification, although results can vary widely among remains. Previous studies have included bones of different ages, burial conditions, and even species. In the research presented, a collection of human remains that lacked major confounders such as burial age, interment style, and gross environmental conditions, while displaying a very broad range of skeletal degradation, were examined for both mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) quality and quantity. Overall skeletal weathering, individual bone weathering, and bone variety were considered. Neither skeletal nor bone weathering influenced DNA quality or quantity, indicating that factors that degrade bone do not have the same effect on DNA. In contrast, bone variety, regardless of weathering level, was a significant element in DNA amplification success. Taken together, the results indicate that neither skeletal nor individual bone appearance are reliable indicators of subsequent mtDNA typing outcomes, while the type of bone assayed is.