Perpetrator related analysis of intentional homicides in the Genf canton (1971-1990)

A retrospective offender-related analysis was conducted on all deliberate homicides committed in the canton of Geneva between 1971 and 1990. The cases analyzed included 97 convicted single perpetrators or accomplices and 93 victims. 21 further homicides remained unsolved. 86.6% of the offenders were male; foreigners were over-represented in comparison with Swiss citizens. The average age was 35 years. In a majority of the cases the offender and the victim were partners, came from the same family or were acquainted with each other. Guns or knives were the most frequently used weapons. The criminal offences tried in Geneva were evaluated also with regard to their legal qualification.     

Separation and divorce in Mexico: a demographic perspective

Data from the 1976 Mexican Fertility Survey are analyzed to determine the extent of legitimization of children born out of wedlock. The socioeconomic characteristics of women in consensual and legal unions are compared. The frequency and timing of legalization of consensual unions is analyzed, and the number of consensual unions and the frequency of legalization in rural and urban areas are compared. The role of pregnancy in forcing legalization and the stability of legal unions with and without prior cohabitation are studied. (SUMMARY IN ENG)     

Social Movements within Organisations: Occupy Parties in Italy and Turkey

This paper analyses a little-studied phenomenon: movements within parties. While parties and movements are often assumed to be separate entities, the borders between the two have proved to be more fluent. Parties frequently play a pivotal role in movement politics, and movements influence parties through the dual militancy of many of their members. The article presents two cases of Occupy movements taking place within major left-of-centre parties – the Italian PD and the Turkish CHP – and analyses the causes of discontent within the party and the choice of activists to voice this discontent rather than exit the party. It is argued that, beyond country specificities, shared factors include the perceived betrayal of social-democratic values, a lack of internal democracy, and electoral defeats. In both cases, activists’ choice to refer to Occupy in their opposition inside the party can be explained by the normative resonance of anti-austerity protest claims and forms within the party, as well as the instrumental exploitation of mass media attention to Occupy as a logo.     

Human Rights: Existential,Not Metaphysical

My paper consists of four sections. The first is concerned with the distinction and connection between fundamental and human rights. Here I shall just introduce a few conceptual notions and definitions that are more or less widely used, but that may help us to frame the issue and better focus on the most relevant question of the foundation or justification of human rights. In the second and third sections I will present what I believe to be the four fundamental normative situations that shape our understanding and use of human rights. In the second section attention will focus on what in my opinion is the most basic of these four normative situations, which I call the “existential” situation. This is intended to offer a strong foundation for human rights as “not metaphysical,” without appealing to or relying on heavy metaphysical assumptions. I will try to stick more or less to an argumentative strategy based on common sense. The third section, dealing with the three other normative situations, will to some extent be an exercise in eclecticism, trying to combine different approaches to (and schools of thought on) the question of normativity. Here eclecticism will not be trivial, or at least I hope not. In the fourth and final section I will briefly conclude with a general overview on the issue of the “existence” of normativity and human rights.     

A judges' revolution? Political corruption and the judiciary in Italy

Abstract. During the investigations into political corruption in Italy, judges emerged in the eyes of the public as the 'heroes' of a peaceful revolution against the 'villainous' politicians. The established explanation for the active role of the judiciary against corruption stresses the unusual degree of independence of Italian judges. Without denying the importance of this institutional variable, analysis of the interactions between politicians and judges in the history of the Italian Republic allows one to discuss the role of other two important variables: the informal networking between politicians and judges, and the professional culture of the magistracy. The three sets of variables are in fact used to explain two different strategies adopted by Italian judges in their interaction with the political system: a strategy of 'role substitution', acccording to which some judges act as a surrogate power for the protection of the citizens against corrupt politicians, and a 'collusive strategy', consisting of various levels of hidden exchanges between judges and politicians. This article is based on an examination of judicial documents relating to 40 episodes of political corruption, in–depth interviews with experts, reports of relevant Parliamentary Inquiry Commissions, requests for indictment of Members of Parliament, official statistics and the daily and weekly press.     

Deployment stressors of the Iraq War: insights from the mainstream media

A comprehensive understanding of the stressors of the Iraq War is needed to ensure appropriate postdeployment assessments and to inform empirical inquiries. Yet we are unaware of any published studies that address the range of stressors experienced by this cohort. Thus, in the present study, we report the results of an interpretive literature review of mainstream media reports published from the beginning of the Iraq War in March 2003 to March 2005. This literature revealed a combination of stressors associated with traditional combat, insurgency warfare, and peacekeeping operations. The increasing deployment of National Guard/Reservist personnel, older soldiers, and women highlights additional stressors associated with sexual harassment and assault, preparedness and training, and life and family disruptions. This is a cause for concern as war-zone stressors have been implicated in postdeployment health outcomes, including intimate partner violence and child maltreatment, immediate physical and mental health, and long-term adjustment.     

Violent behavior and the factors associated with the decision to report it: a retrospective study

An ample volume of research evidence supports the conclusion that severe mental illness is correlated with violent behavior. While episodes of violent behavior are included in medical notes, not all episodes of violent behavior are officially reported to the police, even when they are actual crimes. We conducted a retrospective study on the already existing clinical files of four public psychiatric outpatient facilities, based in Southern Italy, in order to assess how many cases of violent behavior are actually reported and which variables are more frequently connected with the decision to report. The data shows that the episodes known to the health services, in number and seriousness, vastly outnumber the complaints actually made towards their patients.     

Skeletal indicators of pregnancy and parturition: a historical review

Over a century of scientific literature has documented the research and analysis relating to the possible skeletal evidence of pregnancy, parturition, and childcare, yet today, there still exists variation in methodology and interpretation. Historical perspective facilitates understanding of the growth and development of the theories and research currently available to the forensic science community. Review of the relevant literature clearly indicates that specific skeletal alterations are not exclusively connected to obstetrical events. Although parturition and related events have been shown to leave various alterations on bone, the research record also demonstrates that other factors can contribute to the same or similar changes. Additionally, such alterations can often be found in nulliparous women and men and are frequently absent in parous and multiparous women. This literature review calls for the continued exploration of skeletal alterations for determining parity status in human skeletal remains.     

Revisiting Licensed Handgun Carrying: Personal Protection or Interpersonal Liability?

No debate is more sensitive or polemical than the question of ??gun rights?? in the U.S., and licensing private citizens to carry concealed handguns is the most controversial ??right?? of all. The morally charged nature of this controversy is reflected in the disparate results reported by various researchers who analyze the effects of these laws, and also by the especially intense methodological scrutiny that follows published research. A National Science Academy review of existing gun policy research issues methodological recommendations which may help resolve scientifically the question of whether or how ??right to carry?? licensing effects rates of lethal firearm violence. Similar efforts have been published previously, but this study improves upon those earlier efforts by increasing the sample cross-section, by further refining the model specification, and by distinguishing conceptually ??shall issue?? RTC laws from ??may issue?? RTC laws. The results provisionally suggest that the former increases homicide rates whereas the latter decreases them.