The Feasibility of Cost of Crime Estimations in Eastern Europe – The Case of Poland

Estimates of cost of crime have gradually been introduced into the public debate on crime policy. Estimates differ in their scope and methodologies and this impedes international comparisons. This article follows the model of estimating costs of crime developed under the 6th Framework Programme and provides the comparable results of costs of crime in Poland. The total costs of crime have been estimated at 5.1% of GDP. In particular, the victimisation costs of violent crimes have been estimated at 1.94% of GDP and the costs of property crimes against individuals at 0.5% of GDP. The results are in line with estimates for other countries and provide the relevant measure for any cost-benefit analysis of a crime policy.     

Analysis of the possible use of liquid crystals in fingerprinting

Preliminary results concerning the use of liquid crystals (LC) in fingerprinting are given. These were based on thin layers of liquid crystals, changing colours (observed in linear polarized light) due to dissolved organic matter, transferred from fingers' surfaces. The possibility is shown of using LC to illustrate not only the surface but also the spacial configuration of a fingerprint. Relations are given between the amount of organic matter generating a fingerprint on a given surface and the coloured "response" of LC which may be used for identification as well as approximate estimation of the process of ageing.     

The estimation of stature on the basis of measurements of the femur

The study aims to establish the relationship between body height and the greatest length of the femur. The motive for undertaking these examinations was the lack in the literature of studies that allow -- with reference to the current population of Central Europe -- the reconstruction of height while alive based on measurements of a skeleton. It was decided to examine isolated bones from human remains undergoing forensic autopsy, and belonging to individuals of both sexes whose growth processes had stopped. Examinations were conducted on 91 human bodies from the contemporary Polish population. The research points to a very close relationship between the length of a dead body and the measured greatest length of the femur. This relationship was expressed in nine coefficients of correlation calculated for both sexes.     

Judicial Decision-Making,Ideology and the Political: Towards an Agonistic Theory of Adjudication

Law and Critique - The present paper puts forward a first outline of a possible agonistic theory of adjudication, conceived of as an extension of Chantal Mouffe’s agonistic theory of...     

The Russian Orthodox Church as Part of the State and Society

The author analyzes how the relations of the Russian Orthodox Church with the Russian state and with Russian society have developed under Patriarch Kirill.     

Why is corruption in Poland ``a serious cause for concern'?

Public perceptions of corruption are significant for their political consequences. But they are conceptually and empirically distinct from corruption. First, because perceptions of corruption run far ahead of experience. Second, because different factors influence the one more than the other – indeed poverty and low education increase perceptions of corruption while decreasing participation in it. Third, because the political consequences of corruption and corruption-perceptions differ not only in degree but in their targets – perceptions and experiences of corruption erode trust in different politicians and institutions.External moralising from institutions such as the EU may reduce corruption in Accession States while simultaneously increasing perceptions of it. And within these states, that moralising `culture which can resist corruption' which the EU demands, itself tends, perversely, to increase (not decrease) perceptions, suspicions, and allegations of corruption.     

Neck injuries as a reconstructive parameter in car-to-pedestrian accidents

The study has assessed the usefulness of injuries to the ligamentous, muscular and vascular neck structures for deducing about the presumable location of a pedestrian in relation to a motor vehicle at the moment of collision. The localisation of haemorrhagic suffusions in the lower insertions of the scalene (mainly) and sternocleidomastoid muscles has shown a correlation with the direction of the inertia force. No correlation has been observed between the direction of impact and damages to the cervical vascular bundles and the localisation of haemorrhagic suffusions in the upper insertions of the nape muscles. In some cases, injuries to the ligaments of the cervical vertebrae made up the complex characteristic of the direction of acting forces. The injuries of soft tissues and ligaments can, thus, facilitate the deductions about the direction of impact. However, the type of a car involved in the accident and the possibility that these injuries resulted from direct head or neck trauma should be considered.