A systematic review and meta-analysis on the effects of European drug treatment programmes on reoffending

This article presents the results of a systematic review and meta-analysis on the effects of treatment programmes for drug abusing offenders in Europe, using stringent eligibility criteria to control for threats to internal validity. A literature search of approximately 37,000 titles revealed 15 sound evaluations from six countries, containing 3953 participants. There were significant positive overall effects of treatment on crime (d=0.47) and illicit drug use (d=0.38). Most evaluations originated from the UK and evaluated primarily substitution therapy-based treatment. Evaluations of other interventions were a minority. Our findings support the use of treatment programmes among substance-abusing offenders. However, these results are limited to a small set of programmes from very few countries. Therefore, sound evaluations on a range of treatments across Europe are needed.     

The rise and fall of the criminal law of the German Democratic Republic

Dr. jur., University of Munich 1963; Dr. jur. habil., University of Munich 1968.     

The evaluation of an administrative co-operation project in North Yemen and its significance for German aid policy

This case study is based on an evaluation report of a German project for development co-operation in the field of public administration in the Republic of North Yemen. It describes the history, the efforts and the problems of the project which operated within the framework of the National Institute of Public Administration in Sana'a and in order to understand the project there is an outline of the public administration of North Yemen. The paper also describes the structure of the German side of the administration of development policy, the Ministry of Economic Co-operation, the German Society for Technical Cooperation and the Public Administration Promotion Centre in Berlin. Both the practical problems of administrative co-operation and of undertaking evaluation are analysed and a practical approach to evaluation and evaluation techniques is presented for discussion. The paper argues the merits of providing aid in support of training in order to improve public administration, and specifically emphasises the value of preparatory courses which link the educational system within the occupational system of the public sector by preparing university graduates for the profession of public administration.     

Pneumatic spaces of the zygomatic arch (zygomatic air cell defect) on pantomograms--an aid for age determination and identification

The analysis of panoramic radiographs of the jaws for forensic purposes is well established. The dental findings on the radiographs give valuable information concerning the identity and possible age. Panoramic radiographs also depict the zygomatic arches. Pneumatized spaces of the temporal bone's zygomatic arch process are asymptomatic variations, entitled "zygomatic air cell defect" (ZACD). Data on ZACD prevalence might support the current forensic-odontologic practice in the fields of identification and age assessment. The authors analyzed 6 studies subjected to evaluate ZACD on panoramic radiographs. The out-patients were subjected to systematic radiography prior to treatment planning in specialized dental or maxillofacial surgery clinics. The age of the 7870 patients varied between 6 and 97 years. ZACD was found in 169 patients (prevalence: 2.32%; female: 56.12%, male: 43.9%). Most ZACD were unilateral (70%). In these studies no ZACD occurred in children younger than 7 years of age. There was no statistically significant difference concerning ZACD prevalence in the sub-groups of children aged 9 to 13 vs. 14 to 17 years. This review demonstrates the prevalence of ZACD on orthopantomograms. The prevalence of this finding in the investigated children does not differ from the prevalences reported for adults, and is low in general. The presence of ZACD in persons might be valuable for the identification of humans or human remains and for age estimation in addition to other physical and dental findings.     

Mandibular fracture following stab injury with a knife

Stab injuries of the face accompanied by fractures of the jaws are rare. The report deals with the case of a young man, who suffered a penetrating stab injury to the cheek and fracture of the mandible in an assault. The forensic questions to be answered were if the findings were compatible with a stab and subsequent fracture, if one of the confiscated instruments could have been the causative weapon and if the injury had to be assessed as life-threatening. Both the soft and the hard tissue injury confirmed the assumption that they were caused by a stab. It was not possible, however, to assign the injury to a specific knife from the submitted exhibits on the basis of the clinical findings. In the discussion the serious nature of stab injuries in the facial region is emphasized.     

Advancing knowledge about replication in criminology

Journal of Experimental Criminology - This article summarizes key points made in a session at the American Society of Criminology meeting in Philadelphia in November 2017, entitled “The...     

The effectiveness of interregional security cooperation: evaluating the joint engagement of the EU and the AU in response to the 2013 crisis in the Central African Republic

African Union (AU)–European Union (EU) interregional security cooperation has not so far been analysed systematically with regard to its effectiveness despite the substantial support of African capacity building by the EU and joint peacekeeping of the partners. Assessing AU–EU cooperation in the Central African Republic (CAR), this paper examines to what extent and under which conditions EU–AU efforts are effective. Concerning the dependent variable, the presented conceptualisation of effectiveness includes both internal (goal attainment) and external (problem-solving) perspectives. The independent variable draws on two strands of literature that barely speak to each other: interregionalism and inter-organisationalism. It focuses on the conditions of effectiveness which include both internal (RO-specific) and interregional factors. The findings suggest that AU–EU engagement in the CAR was effective in the medium term. Strong incentives of the partners, the French leading role and the convergence of the partners are identified as factors conducive to a medium to high effectiveness of the engagement.     

Experimental criminology: looking back and forward on the 20th anniversary of the Academy of Experimental Criminology

Journal of Experimental Criminology - This article summarizes key points made in a panel at the American Society of Criminology (ASC) meeting in Atlanta in November 2018, entitled “20th...     

The solar power policies and markets of Asia and Europe

This article examines and compares the design and roll-out of solar policies of three major markets in Asia and Europe in 2012. The photovoltaic (“PV”) and concentrated solar power (“CSP”) policies of India, Thailand, Malaysia, in Asia and Germany, Italy and Spain in Europe are analysed on the basis of policy documents publicly available on web portals of the relevant government authorities in the respective countries in addition to independent reports and studies. The aim here is to measure and compare the form and quantum of state support extended to the solar power generation sector in these six fairly comparable countries in Asia and Europe, provide an overview of the design and deployment of solar power policies and estimate the costs of carbon mitigation through solar power in the six countries. The countries were chosen on the basis of available information and data in English from primary sources such as government policy documents, announcements and reports, and the scale of solar power policies and their relative maturity.