Victim resistance and offender weapon effects in robbery

What happens when victims resist robbers? Logistic regression analysis of over 4500 sample robbery incidents reported in the 1979–1985 National Crime Surveys reveals the following about various forms of victim resistance. Self-protection (SP) of any kind apparently reduces the probability of the robbery being completed, i.e., the robber getting away with the victim's property. Armed resistance is more effective than unarmed resistance, and resistance with a gun, though relatively rare, is the most effective victim response of all. Resistance with a gun also appears to reduce the likelihood of the victim being injured, while two types of resistance appear to increase it: (1) unarmed physical force against the robber and (2) trying to get help, attract attention, or scare the robber away. The robber's possession of a gun appears to inhibit victim resistance, which can sometimes provoke a robber to attack; robber gun possession thereby reduces the probability of victim injury. However, even controlling for victim resistance, robber gun possession, is associated with a lower rate of injury to the victim. Finally, robbers with handguns are much more likely to complete their robberies, and those with knives and other weapons are somewhat more likely to do so, compared to unarmed robbers.     

Necessity and death: lessons from Latimer and the case of the conjoined twins

The availability of the defence of necessity in cases of homicide is a complex issue in both Canadian and British jurisprudence. This article examines the divergent judicial and academic views and argues that, while necessity may be available for certain kinds of homicide, it should be rejected as a legitimate defence to intentional killings. The author looks closely at two recent cases in which the question arose as to whether or not killing a human being is ever justifiable or excusable on the basis of necessity: the Canadian case of R. v. Latimer and the British case of Re A (Children). The author argues that the approach of the Latimer court is preferable, advancing this position from a number of angles. Underlying rationales for the defence of necessity in Anglo-Canadian jurisprudence are examined, as well as the conceptually similar defence of duress, both at common law and in s. 17 of the Criminal Code. Both of these points are reinforced and analyzed via a discussion of the sanctity-of-life principle in Canadian criminal law. The article makes clear the essential nature of the issues raised in both Latimer and Re A (Children), as they engage fundamental questions of value for our society.     

The analysis of an intracerebral hematoma for drugs of abuse

Toxicological investigations were performed on an intracerebral hematoma, antemortem blood, and postmortem blood of an individual who was found unresponsive in his home. The hematoma was found to have ethanol at a concentration of 0.05% (w/v), and benzoylecgonine (a cocaine metabolite) was also confirmed at a concentration of 0.43 mg/L by specific analysis using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). These results enabled the pathologist to record the cause of death as intracerebral hemorrhage due to acute cocaine intoxication.     

A simple DNA extraction method for marijuana samples used in amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis

As a first step in developing a molecular method for the individualization of marijuana samples, we evaluated a plant DNA extraction kit. The QIAGEN plant DNeasy method uses a spin column format for recovery of DNA and is effective for obtaining high molecular weight DNA from leaf, flower (bud), and seed samples of marijuana. The average DNA yield was 125-500 ng per 100 milligrams of fresh plant tissue. The recovered DNA was of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) quality as measured by the ability to generate reproducible amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) profiles. AFLP is a technique used to create a DNA profile for plant varieties and is being applied to marijuana samples by the authors to link growers and distributors of clonal material. The QIAGEN plant DNeasy method was simple, efficient, and reproducible for processing small quantities of marijuana into DNA.     

Public finance in autocratic process: An empirical note

Our title is borrowed in a modified form from that used by Buchanan 1967. All data, as well as the relevant computer print-outs, is available upon request.