Public perceptions of white collar crime seriousness: A survey of an Australian sample

During the past decade or so a number of studies in the United States and Canada have offered a challenge to the commonly held belief that the public is indifferent or somewhat ambivalent to white collar criminality. The present research replicated the Rossi et. al., survey in 1972 of the seriousness of 140 offenses to test if similar results were possible in Australia. The results presented here show that the public do perceive these offenses as being serious, and the degree of seriousness depends on the impact of harm particular types of offenses have on victims.     

Improved MtDNA sequence analysis of forensic remains using a "mini-primer set" amplification strategy

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis of highly degraded skeletal remains is often used for forensic identification due largely to the high genome copy number per cell. Literature from the "ancient DNA" field has shown that highly degraded samples contain populations of intact DNA molecules that are severely restricted in size (1-4). Hand et al. have demonstrated the targeting and preferential amplification of authentic human DNA sequences with small amplicon products of 150 bp or less (1,2). Given this understanding of ancient DNA preservation and amplification, we report an improved approach to forensic mtDNA analysis of hypervariable regions 1 and 2 (HV1/HV2) in highly degraded specimens. This "mini-primer set" (MPS) amplification strategy consists of four overlapping products that span each of the HV regions and range from 126 to 170 bp, with an average size of 141 bp. For this study, 11 extracts representing a range of sample quality were prepared from nonprobative forensic specimens. We demonstrate a significant increase in MPS amplification success when compared to testing methods using approximately 250 bp amplicons. Further, 16 of 17 independent amplifications previously "unreported" due to mixed sequences provided potentially reportable sequence data from a single, authentic template with MPS testing.     

The Use of Mitochondrial DNA Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms to Assist in the Resolution of Three Challenging Forensic Cases

Abstract:  Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in an 11-plex assay were typed in three missing person cases involving highly degraded human remains. Unlike the traditional forensic approach to analyzing mtDNA which focuses on sequencing portions of the noncoding Control Region, this assay targets discriminatory SNPs that reside principally in the coding region. In two of the cases, the SNP typing successfully excluded one of two reference families that could not be excluded on the basis of mtDNA hypervariable region sequencing alone, and resulted in the final resolution of both decades-old cases. In a third case, SNP typing confirmed the sorting and reassociation of multiple commingled skeletal elements. The application of a specific mtDNA SNP assay in these cases demonstrates its utility in distinguishing samples when the most common Caucasian hypervariable region type is encountered in forensic casework.     

Social Immobility,Ethno-politics,and Sectarian Violence: Obstacles to Post-conflict Reconstruction in Northern Ireland

Through analysis of interviews with community leaders and newspaper reports and police data on sectarian violence, this study identifies dynamics and conditions which underscore fluctuations in ethno-political tensions and violence in Northern Ireland. Findings suggest that political provocations which promote such tensions are facilitated by the economic marginalization of communities historically susceptible to violence, ongoing community influence of paramilitary factions and disjuncture between the political priorities of upper- and lower-classes within each ethno-political community. More generally, the research highlights how a lack of investment in social and economic modes of reconstruction undermines the development of new political forms of cross-community cooperation and contributes to the reconstitution of intergroup division.     

Enforcement Process Tracing: Forbearance and Dilution in Urban Colombia and Turkey

Cities are complex regulatory environments. Attempts to regulate urban behavior create opportunities for politicians to manipulate enforcement to win votes and reward supporters. While some politicians choose not to enforce regulations, or forbearance, others undercut their intent, or dilution. Empirical research on enforcement has lagged behind due to the identification challenges in distinguishing weak state capacity from political manipulations. We develop a structured approach to process tracing that follows enforcement decisions sequentially across bureaucracies and specifies statistical distributions as counterfactuals to identify the causes of limited enforcement. We illustrate these strategies through original data on enforcement against squatters in urban Colombia and the provision of building permits in urban Turkey. Enforcement process tracing helps to document a form of distributive politics that is common to cities in the developing world.     

Recent developments

The tertiary sector is operating in an increasingly market-driven environment. Teaching standards are under intense scrutiny as universities strive to meet the expectations of students exercising consumer choices. Continuing professional development programmes have a pivotal role in supporting and shaping best practice in modern law schools. Early career academics in both the New Zealand and British university systems share similar teaching and learning objectives.

However, the respective professional development programmes have different compliance regimes. The United Kingdom has adopted a scheme of formal training and teaching accreditation, supported by the UK Professional Standards Framework. In New Zealand mandatory training requirements are more limited. It is submitted that New Zealand universities should similarly require probationary academics to undertake a formal programme which promotes an understanding of the scholarship of teaching. It is further argued that programmes in both jurisdictions should emphasise subject-specific pedagogical knowledge to expose law teachers to the distinct academic and vocational aspects of their discipline.     

The internet and offending behaviour: A case study

Abstract

Summary: The COPINE Project at the Department of Applied Psychology, seeks to address children's vulnerability in relation to the Internet and child pornography. As part of the project, offenders convicted of downloading such images have been interviewed. This paper considers existing models of offender behaviour alongside literature relating to Internet use. A single case study is used to illustrate a process-focused model of offending, using interview material to demonstrate how the offender represented and accounted for his behaviour. The offender in question had no history of engaging in sexual behaviour with actual children, but his case illustrated many of the stages described by offenders in their involvement with pornography, including: setting events, engagement, collecting behaviour, and the emergence of relationships.