Common Variables Associated with the Development of Stockholm Syndrome: Some Case Examples

Stockholm Syndrome is a paradoxical psychological experience which both intrigues and often frustrates law enforcement and mental health professionals alike. Much attention has been directed toward understanding and defining the contextual variables associated with the development of Stockholm Syndrome. Since it appears that the formation of Stockholm Syndrome may increase the likelihood of hostage survival, discerning the factors that may encourage its occurrence is a priority for crisis negotiators. The purpose of this paper is to (1) analyze crisis situations using actual case examples in which evidence of Stockholm Syndrome has been reported and (2) examine the variables associated with the development of this phenomenon. Case information was obtained from the Hostage Barricade Database System (HOBAS) of the FBI's Crisis Negotiation Unit. Results of this analysis conclude that some, but not all, factors previously hypothesized as requisite to the development of Stockholm Syndrome find additional support from this case analysis.     

FAMILY LAW EDUCATION REFORM PROJECT: A FACULTY PERSPECTIVE

The Family Law Education Reform Project Report calls for shifting the family law teaching paradigm from a focus on case‐based analysis toward a problem‐solving, interdisciplinary approach. This essay encourages law professors to take seriously this shifting teaching and learning paradigm. Aligning family law curriculum with the realities of practicing family law is a critical step in this process. This essay discusses the numerous intellectual challenges family law professors will face as they reflect on the proposed FLER Project curriculum.     

WHEN DOES AN OPTIONAL TARIFF NOT LEAD TO A PARETO IMPROVEMENT? THE AMBIGUOUS EFFECTS OF SELF-SELECTING NONLINEAR PRICING WHEN DEMAND IS INTERDEPENDENT OR FIRMS DO NOT MAXIMIZE PROFIT

Optional or self-selecting tariffs allow customers to choosebetween an established tariff and an alternative outlay schedule.The possibility of making the vendor and at least one consumerbetter off, without making any other consumer worse off, makesoptional tariffs appealing to both economists and regulators.In economic terms, the introduction of optional tariffs makespossible a Pareto improvement in the allocation of resources.Unfortunately, the presumed desirability of such tariffs dependscrucially on assumptions that may not be fulfilled in the caseof a state-owned enterprise—in particular, profit-seekingbehavior on the part of the monopoly vendor and independenceof consumer demand functions. We analyze the economic implicationsand potential consequences, in general, of introducing negotiatedrate and service terms available to a sole user into a preexistingregulatory regime of uniform tariff rates and conditions ofservice. We identify the conditions under which it is economicallydesirable to introduce declining-block rates or other rate structuresthat discriminate among users of the affected services, withor without any basis in identifiable cost differences. We addressthe specific economic implications and potential consequencesof introducing negotiated rate and service terms available toa sole user where the affected service is provided under a monopolyestablished by federal statute, taking into account that suchnegotiated arrangements may include preferential pricing terms;that access to the negotiated terms may be limited to a smallnumber of users for administrative or other reasons; and thatcompetition may exist among users of the affected service orservices. Finally, we identify and describe regulatory measuresthat might be taken to accommodate potential concerns regardingthe impact of such negotiated rate and service arrangementson fairness in regulation and competition. We conclude thatit is not possible to derive sweeping propositions about theefficiency of optional tariff offerings. Instead, the welfareeffects of such pricing plans must be evaluated empiricallyon an individual basis. Our analysis has practical significancefor pricing policies in network industries, particularly thoseindustries served by state-owned enterprises that enjoy statutorymonopolies.     

Public support for punishing white-collar crime: Blaming the victim revisited?

It is commonly asserted that white-collar crime flourishes because the public is unaware of its costs and indifferent to its control. Survey data collected in Illinois indicate, however, that the public perceives white-collar offenses to have greater economic and moral costs than conventional street crimes, though not to be as violent. More notably, our sample displayed strong support for the criminal sanctioning of white-collar offenders. Public attitudes thus do not appear to be either a major obstacle to attacking upper-world criminality, or its source. It is suggested that attempts to blame the public for its immense victimization serve only to divert attention from the real structural conditions that underlie both high rates of white-collar crime and the reluctance of the state to bring the lawlessness of the advantaged within the reach of the criminal law.     

Emotion Dysregulation,Gender, and Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration: An Exploratory Study in College Students

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a prevalent problem, as it is bidirectional and perpetrated by both men and women. Emotion dysregulation may influence IPV perpetration among men and women. This cross-sectional survey study of 598 college students investigated the associations between two important factors related to IPV perpetration: gender and emotion dysregulation. Findings illustrated an association between emotion dysregulation and IPV perpetration. The bivariate association between physical violence and one facet of emotion dysregulation differed by gender, such that lack of emotional awareness was associated with violence perpetrated by women, but not men; however, this was not supported in multivariate analyses. These preliminary findings suggest that future work should examine how different emotion regulation deficits may increase IPV by gender.     

Introducing Computed Tomography Standards for Age Estimation of Modern Australian Subadults Using Postnatal Ossification Timings of Select Cranial and Cervical Sites,

Contemporary, population‐specific ossification timings of the cranium are lacking in current literature due to challenges in obtaining large repositories of documented subadult material, forcing Australian practitioners to rely on North American, arguably antiquated reference standards for age estimation. This study assessed the temporal pattern of ossification of the cranium and provides recalibrated probabilistic information for age estimation of modern Australian children. Fusion status of the occipital and frontal bones, atlas, and axis was scored using a modified two‐ to four‐tier system from cranial/cervical DICOM datasets of 585 children aged birth to 10 years. Transition analysis was applied to elucidate maximum‐likelihood estimates between consecutive fusion stages, in conjunction with Bayesian statistics to calculate credible intervals for age estimation. Results demonstrate significant sex differences in skeletal maturation (p < 0.05) and earlier timings in comparison with major literary sources, underscoring the requisite of updated standards for age estimation of modern individuals.