Risk Factors for Men’s Intimate Physical Aggression in Spain

This study tests a model of physical aggression in a sample of 194 men being treated for physical or psychological aggression in the greater Madrid area of Spain. The prevalence of aggression in this sample was lower than in a US batterer sample. In the path model highlighted here, borderline personality traits and alcohol problems were identified as risk factors for physical aggression perpetration and the role of borderline traits was mediated by psychological aggression. A reciprocal relationship was found between psychological perpetration and victimization but not physical perpetration and victimization. These findings are discussed within a cross-cultural context; conceptual and treatment implications are also addressed.     

An Experimental Study of Vertebrate Scavenging Behavior in a Northwest European Woodland Context

Vertebrate scavengers can modify surface deposited human remains which can hinder forensic investigations. The effects of such scavenging vary between species and regions. Published research into the effects of the scavenging of human remains is dominated by work from North America with few studies covering Northwestern Europe. Forensic scientists, investigators, and police search officers in Northwestern Europe are often left questioning on a basic level as to which scavengers are active and how they might affect human remains. This paper presents the results of a field study utilizing deer (Cervus nippon; Capreolus capreolus) as surface deposits observed by motion detection cameras in a British woodland. The most common avian and rodent scavenger species recorded included the buzzard (Buteo buteo), carrion crow (Corvus corone), wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus), and gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis). The scavenging behaviors observed were affected by seasonality, rates of decomposition, and insect activity. Scavenging by buzzards, unlike carrion crows, was most frequent during fall to winter and prior to insect activity. Overall, avian scavengers modified and scavenged soft tissue. Rodents scavenged both fresh and skeletonized remains with gray squirrels only scavenging skeletal remains. Wood mice were most active in winter and scavenged both soft tissue and bone.     

Elimination of Bioweapons Agents from Forensic Samples During Extraction of Human DNA

Collection of DNA for genetic profiling is a powerful means for the identification of individuals responsible for crimes and terrorist acts. Biologic hazards, such as bacteria, endospores, toxins, and viruses, could contaminate sites of terrorist activities and thus could be present in samples collected for profiling. The fate of these hazards during DNA isolation has not been thoroughly examined. Our goals were to determine whether the DNA extraction process used by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police eliminates or neutralizes these agents and if not, to establish methods that render samples safe without compromising the human DNA. Our results show that bacteria, viruses, and toxins were reduced to undetectable levels during DNA extraction, but endospores remained viable. Filtration of samples after DNA isolation eliminated viable spores from the samples but left DNA intact. We also demonstrated that contamination of samples with some bacteria, endospores, and toxins for longer than 1 h compromised the ability to complete genetic profiling.     

Food Security and Agri‐Foreign Direct Investment in Weak States: Finding the Governance Gap to Avoid ‘Land Grab’

Food security is important. A rising world population coupled with climate change creates growing pressure on global world food supplies. States alleviate this pressure domestically by attracting agri‐foreign direct investment (agri‐FDI). This is a high‐risk strategy for weak states: the state may gain valuable foreign currency, technology and debt‐free growth; but equally, investors may fail to deliver on their commitments and exploit weak domestic legal infrastructure to ‘grab’ large areas of prime agricultural land, leaving only marginal land for domestic production. A net loss to local food security and to the national economy results. This is problematic because the state must continue to guarantee its citizens' right to food and property. Agri‐FDI needs close regulation to maximise its benefit. This article maps the multilevel system of governance covering agri‐FDI. We show how this system creates asymmetric rights in favour of the investor to the detriment of the host state's food security and how these problems might be alleviated.     

Assessing Police Attitudes Toward Drugs and Drug Enforcement

The American War on Drugs has been a long and protracted battle. On the front lines are local, state and federal drug enforcement officers who are tasked with pursuing drug users and dealers. Empirically, officers’ attitudes about the laws they uphold have been shown to impact how aggressively they enforce those laws and the discretion they employ. Although there is a well established body of literature which documents the importance of discretionary dynamics in many areas of law enforcement, we know almost nothing about narcotics officers’ attitudes toward drugs and drug enforcement. Hence, we are unaware of extremely important variables that almost certainly impact and influence front line drug officers. This study fills that gap by examining the survey responses of over 1,000 drug interdiction officers at all levels of law enforcement, measuring their attitudes toward various drugs and the relative harm they incur, along with existing and proposed policies and strategies. The results are discussed in terms of their enforcement and policy implications.     

The role of emotional dissonance and job desirability in predicting correctional officer turnover intentions

Correctional officers represent the most important component of penitentiaries, as they are required to regulate prisoner conduct and establish safety within the prison. Recent literature, however, reveals that many officers resign from their position shortly after being hired. Although extant literature has found a number of variables to significantly impact officer resignation intentions, including pay dissatisfaction and poor supervisory evaluations, no study has yet evaluated the influences of emotional dissonance and job desirability in predicting this outcome. Survey data collected from a statewide population of officers are used to examine the impact of these specific variables in predicting officer turnover intentions. While emotional dissonance did not have as influential an impact as originally hypothesized, officer evaluations of job desirability instead exhibited a positive and highly significant connection. To reduce officer turnover, prison administrators should improve officer working conditions, provide them some emotional outlets, and make this profession more attractive.     

Early Adopters of Solar Panels in Developing Countries: Evidence from Tanzania

Who pioneers the adoption of solar home systems as a source of power in developing countries? While many scholars of electrification praise off‐grid options, evidence on their adoption from nationally representative surveys is lacking. We test existing and new hypotheses using the 2007 Tanzanian National Household Budget Survey. Since the survey is nationally representative and has more than 10,000 respondent households, it is ideal for our purposes. We find modest support for the notion that wealthier households adopt more readily than poorer ones. Surprisingly, electrified households adopt solar home systems more readily than other households, suggesting that solar home systems provide backup power. We further find that larger households adopt more readily than smaller ones and that a rural location or high education levels do not predict solar power use. These findings suggest that new policies are needed to promote solar home systems in poor and rural areas, where their development effectiveness is maximal.