Judicial Narratives of Ideal and Deviant Victims in Judges’ Capital Sentencing Decisions

Although the Victim’s Rights Movement has led to advances for victims of crime, the use of victim impact evidence in criminal trials remains controversial due to the suspicion that such evidence enhances punitive attitudes and arbitrariness in capital sentencing outcomes. Despite a growing body of literature in this area, it remains unclear if some victims are viewed more favorably than others, particularly from the perspective of judges. The current study examines the construction of victims by judges in capital cases and how this portrayal impacts sentencing outcomes in Delaware, which vests the final capital sentencing authority in judges rather than juries. In examining this gap in the literature, we consider if judges make distinctions between ideal and deviant victims, if these distinctions are associated with victim and offender characteristics, and if the construction of victims impacts offender sentencing. Findings from this study lend support to the idea that judges describe some victims as more “worthy” than others, that victims described in ideal ways are more likely to be white and female, and that “ideal victims” are more likely to result in death sentences.     

A Radiographic Study on the Utility of Cranial Vault Outlines for Positive Identifications

A standard method for positive identification is the use of antemortem and postmortem radiographic comparisons. The purpose of this research is to test the visual accuracy of antemortem and postmortem radiographic comparisons of cranial vault outlines and to evaluate their uniqueness using geometric morphometric methods. A sample of 106 individuals with varying levels of education and forensic case experience participated in a visual accuracy test. Of the 106 individuals, only 42% correctly assigned all of the radiographs, with accuracy rates ranging from 70 to 93% for each radiographic comparison. Vault shape was further examined using elliptic Fourier analysis, and paired t‐tests were computed on the first 10 principal components accounting for 100% of the variance, which found no significant differences. The visual accuracy test and elliptic Fourier analysis shows that vault outlines may not be unique enough for positive identifications when used as a sole indicator.     

Understanding the Roles of Context,Frequency, and Quantity of Alcohol Consumption in Child Physical Abuse: Risks for Mothers and Fathers

Alcohol use is related to child physical abuse, although little is known about gender-specific risks factors. This study examines the relationships between alcohol outlets, context-specific drinking, dose–response drinking and child physical abuse for mothers and fathers. Telephone interviews were conducted with 1973 female and 1050 male respondents in 50 California cities. Weighted negative binomial models were used to calculate the frequency of physical abuse in the past year. Drinking more often at restaurants was related to higher frequency of physical abuse for fathers, while mothers who drank more frequently at bars and parties used physical abuse more often. There were no significant dose–response drinking relationships for fathers. Drinking higher amounts at bars, parties, and restaurants was associated with less frequent physical abuse for mothers. Our findings suggest that a focus on drinking contexts may reveal heightened risk for many mothers who do not consume large amounts of alcohol.     

Perceived accountability and public attitudes toward local police

Recent national events have brought the issue of police-community relations into the public eye. Even though a large body of academic research exists on the predictors of public attitude toward police, very little is known about how public perceptions of police accountability influence satisfaction with the police. This study seeks to fill that gap by using ordered logistic regression and multi-year community-level survey data from one Western city (n = 3725) to examine the relationship between satisfaction with police accountability and overall attitudes toward the police. The results indicate that respondent satisfaction with police accountability was a strong, consistent predictor of satisfaction with local police, even after controlling for other important variables, such as race/ethnicity and community context. The findings suggest that public perceptions relating to the control of police officer conduct should be considered when assessing the predictors of attitudes toward the police.     

Repeat Coronary Artery Dissection in Pregnancy: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Non‐atherosclerotic spontaneous coronary artery dissection (NA‐SCAD) is a rare cause of morbidity and mortality with a propensity for young, healthy, and often peripartum women. NA‐SCAD etiology is poorly understood, with possible hormonal and hereditary mechanisms. Current treatment strategies range from conservative management (often showing resolution on angiographic follow‐up) to invasive angiographic procedures. Rarely, NA‐SCAD has recurred in another coronary artery, ranging hours to years later. We report NA‐SCAD of the right coronary artery (RCA) in a 30‐year old, 3‐month postpartum female with an additional autopsy finding of remote myocardial infarction (MI) in the left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery territory. The remote MI is consistent with prior NA‐SCAD of the LAD and, given the medical history, may have occurred in the peripartum period of the decedent first pregnancy 3 years earlier. As such, to the best of our knowledge, this may represent the first reported case of NA‐SCAD recurrence in a subsequent pregnancy.     

The Burglary Boost: A Note on Detecting Contagion Using the Knox Test

Objectives

A large body of literature in quantitative criminology finds that the spatio-temporal clustering of burglary is greater than one would expect from chance alone. This suggests that such crimes may exhibit a “boost” effect, wherein each burglary increases the risk to nearby locations for a short period. In this study, we demonstrate that standard tests for spatio-temporal dependence have difficulty distinguishing between clustering caused by contagion and that caused by changing relative risks. Therefore, any estimates of the boost effect drawn from these tests alone will be upwardly biased.

Methods

We construct an agent-based model to generate simulated burglary data, and explore whether the Knox test can reliably distinguish between contagion (one burglary increases the likelihood of another burglary nearby) and changes in risk (one area gets safer while another gets more dangerous). Incorporating insights from this exercise, we analyze a decade of data on burglary events from Washington, DC.

Results

We find that (1) absent contagion, exogenous changes in relative risk can be sufficient to produce statistically significant Knox ratios, (2) if risk is changing over time, estimated Knox ratios are sensitive to one’s choice of time window, and (3) Knox ratios estimated from Washington, DC burglary data are sensitive to one’s choice of time window, suggesting that long-run changes in relative risk are, in part, driving empirical estimates of burglary’s boost effect.

Conclusions

Researchers testing for contagion in empirical time series should take precautions to distinguish true contagion from exogenous changes in relative risks. Adjusting the time window of analysis is a useful robustness check, and future studies should be supplemented with new approaches like agent-based modeling or spatial econometric methods.

     

Violence prevention in psychiatry: an umbrella review of interventions in general and forensic psychiatry

Relative risks of violence in psychiatric patients are high compared to the general population and existing evidence in non-psychiatric populations may not translate to reductions in violence in psychiatric populations. We searched 10 databases including Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL and Scopus, from inception until August 2015 for systematic reviews and meta-analyses of violence prevention interventions in psychiatry. Reviews were included if they used a hard outcome measure (i.e. police or hospital recorded violence, or reincarceration) and contained randomized or non-randomized controlled studies. Five reviews met our inclusion criteria (n = 8876 patients in total), of which four received a GRADE rating of ‘low’ or ‘very low’. Three randomized studies (n = 636) reported that therapeutic community interventions may reduce reincarceration in drug-using offenders with co-occurring mental illness (‘moderate’ GRADE rating). The lack of intervention research in violence prevention in general and forensic psychiatry suggests that interventions from non-psychiatric populations may need to be relied upon.     

Motivation in humanitarian health workers: a self-determination theory perspective

This paper emerged from the authors' interest in why humanitarian health workers initially engage and remain in humanitarian work, often in the face of threats to safety and personal well-being. Semi-structured qualitative interviews assessed the consciously available reasons why individuals engaged in humanitarian health work. Interview data was unpacked through a thematic analysis. Using self-determination theory as a guiding framework, data suggested introjected and identified motivations are applicable to this occupational domain. Introjected motivation is implicated in initial reasons to engage the work, while identified motivation is implicated in reasons to continue. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

Motivation parmi les travailleurs humanitaires dans le domaine de la santé : un point de vue basé sur la théorie de l'autodétermination

Cet article a émané de l'intérêt de l'auteur concernant les raisons pour lesquelles les travailleurs humanitaires dans le domaine de la santé s'engagent initialement et continuent de travailler dans l'humanitaire, souvent malgré les menaces qui pèsent sur leur sécurité et sur leur bien-être personnel. Des entretiens qualitatifs semi-structurés ont permis d'évaluer les raisons consciemment disponibles qui expliquent que certaines personnes se soient engagées dans le travail humanitaire dans le domaine de la santé. Les données obtenues grâce aux entretiens ont été examinées au moyen d'une analyse thématique. En prenant la théorie d'autodétermination comme cadre d'orientation, les données ont suggéré que des motivations introjectées et identifiées sont applicables à ce domaine professionnel. La motivation introjectée intervient dans les raisons initiales de s'engager dans ce type de travail, tandis que la motivation identifiée intervient dans les raisons de continuer. Les implications théoriques et pratiques de ces conclusions font l'objet d'une discussion.

Motivação para Trabalhadores Humanitários da Área da Saúde: Uma Perspectiva da Teoria da Auto-Determinação

Este artigo surgiu do interesse dos autores em saber por que os trabalhadores humanitários da área da saúde engajam-se inicialmente e depois permanecem no trabalho humanitário, frequentemente enfrentando ameaças à segurança e bem-estar pessoal. Entrevistas qualitativas semiestruturadas avaliaram as razões dos indivíduos engajarem-se no trabalho humanitário na área da saúde, razões estas conscientemente apresentadas. Dados da entrevista foram processados através de uma análise temática. Utilizando a teoria da auto-determinação como estrutura de orientação, os dados sugeriram que as motivações introjetadas e identificadas são aplicáveis a este domínio ocupacional. A motivação introjetada está associada às razões iniciais de se engajar no trabalho, enquanto a motivação identificada está associada às razões de se permanecer no trabalho. As implicações teóricas e práticas destes resultados são discutidas.

La motivación en los trabajadores humanitarios de salud: una perspectiva de la teoría de la autodeterminación

Este ensayo surgió del interés de los autores en cómo los trabajadores humanitarios de salud inician su trabajo y permanecen en él a pesar de las frecuentes amenazas a su seguridad y bienestar personal. Las entrevistas cualitativas semiestructuradas realizadas revelaron las razones enunciadas conscientemente de porqué los individuos participan en el trabajo humanitario en salud. Se evaluaron las entrevistas a través de un análisis temático. Utilizando la teoría de la autodeterminación como marco, las entrevistas sugieren la existencia de motivaciones tanto introyectadas como identificadas en este ámbito de trabajo. La motivación introyectada se refiere a las razones para iniciar el trabajo y la motivación identificada a las razones para seguir en él. El ensayo examina las implicaciones teóricas y prácticas de estos resultados.