God dethroned: a reply to Nick Megoran

For, if God is, he is necessarily the eternal, supreme, absolute master, and, if such a master exists, man is a slave; now, if he is a slave, neither justice, nor equality, nor fraternity, nor prosperity are possible for him [sic]. In vain, flying in the face of good sense and all the teachings of history, do they represent their God as animated by the tenderest love of human liberty: a master, whoever he may be and however liberal he may desire to show himself, remains none the less always a master. His existence necessarily implies the slavery of all that is beneath him. Therefore, if God existed, only in one way could he serve human liberty – by ceasing to exist. (Mikhail Bakunin, 1882 Bakunin, M. (1882/2010). God and the state. New York: Cosimo. [Google Scholar]/2008, pp. 27–28)     

Home equity conversion plans as a source of retirement income

This article describes in detail a variety of home equity conversion plans and discusses their relevance for social security beneficiaries, as well as for the aged in general. Under these plans, a dormant asset--accumulated home equity--is converted into current retirement income. The plans vary: Some are debt instruments; others involve the sale and leaseback of the residence. Some provide income for a fixed term; others offer a lifetime annuity. Some include a public subsidy; others are free of governmental involvement. The advantages and disadvantages of these plans, as well as examples of how they operate and their respective income potential, are discussed in this article. The relevance of home equity conversion plans for social security beneficiaries is illustrated by means of data from the Retirement History Study. These data allow comparison of various demographic groups in terms of their dependence on social security benefits. Each group is examined in terms of available home equity and home equity potential under several conversion plans.     

Fingerprints and DNA: STR typing of DNA extracted from adhesive tape after processing for fingerprints

An exhibit that is often received for examination in cases of robbery or terrorist activity is adhesive tape. This type of exhibit can often, but not always, be successfully processed for fingerprints. The question arises whether or not it is possible to extract and type DNA after the tape has been sequentially processed for fingerprints. In this work, various donors left fingerprints on the adhesive side of tapes. The tapes were then sequentially processed for fingerprints using an alternate light source, cyanoacrylate fuming, and staining with BY-40 and then crystal violet. DNA was subsequently successfully extracted, amplified and typed for six STR loci.     

PLEA BARGAINING AS A GAME: AN EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS OF NEGOTIATED SENTENCING DECISIONS

Current studies of courtroom decisionmaking emphasize contextual variation and the interaction of large numbers of variables In explaining decision outcomes. However, theory suggests that courtroom decisions may be dominated by simple "rules of thumb" that allow decisionmakers to cope with scarcity of time and resources. Following this approach, a parslmonious model of plea bargaining as a two-person game is developed and hypotheses are derived. Data on negotiated sentences for burglary and robbery in three California counties serve to test the hypotheses. The findings confirm that prior criminal history is the dominant factor in determining the severity of negotiated sentences and that defendents with more extensive prior records have less incentive to plea bargalh. Identlfication of this decision rule for negotiated sentences contradlcts arguments for limiting plea bargaining that assume negotiations result in sentencing leniency across the board.     

The chain saw: an uncommon means of committing suicide

A suicide committed with a power saw is an uncommonly reported incident: and the use of a chain saw in particular has been extremely rare. We report two cases of suicide that were committed by using chain saws. In each case the victim had a history of depression or of a prior suicide attempt, and applied the chain saw to his neck to kill himself. We summarize the findings of the two death investigations and the world literature pertaining to suicide committed with power saws.     

Quantitative Differentiation of Bloodstain Patterns Resulting from Gunshot and Blunt Force Impacts

Bloodstain pattern analysis (BPA) provides significant evidentiary value in crime scene interpretation and reconstruction. In this work, we develop a quantitative methodology using digital image analysis techniques to differentiate impact bloodstain patterns. The bloodstain patterns were digitally imaged and analyzed using image analysis algorithms. Our analysis of 72 unique bloodstain patterns, comprising more than 490,000 individual droplet stains, indicates that the mean drop size in a gunshot spatter pattern is at most 30% smaller than the mean drop stain size in blunt instrument patterns. In contrast, we demonstrate that the spatial distribution of the droplet stains—their density as a function of position in the pattern—significantly differs between gunshot and blunt instrument patterns, with densities as much as 400% larger for gunshot impacts. Thus, quantitative metrics involving the spatial distribution of droplet stains within a bloodstain pattern can be useful for objective differentiation between blunt instrument and gunshot bloodstain patterns.     

Evaluation of Total Nitrite Pattern Visualization as an Improved Method for Gunshot Residue Detection and its Application to Casework Samples

Visualization of nitrite residues is essential in gunshot distance determination. Current protocols for the detection of nitrites include, among other tests, the Modified Griess Test (MGT). This method is limited as nitrite residues are unstable in the environment and limited to partially burned gunpowder. Previous research demonstrated the ability of alkaline hydrolysis to convert nitrates to nitrites, allowing visualization of unburned gunpowder particles using the MGT. This is referred to as Total Nitrite Pattern Visualization (TNV). TNV techniques were modified and a study conducted to streamline the procedure outlined in the literature to maximize the efficacy of the TNV in casework, while reducing the required time from 1 h to 5 min, and enhancing effectiveness on blood‐soiled samples. The TNV method was found to provide significant improvement in the ability to detect significant nitrite residues, without sacrificing efficiency, that would allow for the determination of the muzzle‐to‐target distance.