The Difficult Task of Assessing Perimortem and Postmortem Fractures on the Skeleton: A Blind Text on 210 Fractures of Known Origin

The distinction between perimortem and postmortem fractures is an important challenge for forensic anthropology. Such a crucial task is presently based on macro‐morphological criteria widely accepted in the scientific community. However, several limits affect these parameters which have not yet been investigated thoroughly. This study aims at highlighting the pitfalls and errors in evaluating perimortem or postmortem fractures. Two trained forensic anthropologists were asked to classify 210 fractures of known origin in four skeletons (three victims of blunt force trauma and one natural death) as perimortem, postmortem, or dubious, twice in 6 months in order to assess intraobserver error also. Results show large errors, ranging from 14.8 to 37% for perimortem fractures and from 5.5 to 14.8% for postmortem ones; more than 80% of errors concerned trabecular bone. This supports the need for more objective and reliable criteria for a correct assessment of peri‐ and postmortem bone fractures.     

Building terror while fighting enemies: how the Global War on Terror deepened the crisis in Somalia

Somalia has become a front in the US Global War on Terror (GWoT) because of the potential connection between terrorism and state fragility. While originally oriented towards ‘building states while fighting terror’, Enduring Freedom in Somalia obtained quite the opposite result of deepening the existing conflict. Why and how did the GWoT result in the controversial outcome of ‘building terror while fighting enemies’? This article argues that the GWoT sponsored in Somalia an isolationist strategy that encouraged the political polarisation and military radicalisation of the insurgency. To explore this argument, the article first analyses the structure of the intervention by focusing on the interests and strategies of the interveners. Then it evaluates the conditions under which the modality of intervention (through the use of diplomatic, economic and coercive measures) violated the conditions essential to resolving conflict.     

Modelling Criminal Justice System Costs by Offence

This paper illustrates how to estimate criminal justice system costs by offence type. Criminal justice system costs are all the costs the authorities incur to prevent and investigate crime, prosecute criminals, impose sentences, and take care of victims and offenders. There are two approaches: the break-down and the bottom-up approaches. The break-down approach decomposes the aggregate budget into smaller pieces. The bottom-up approach multiplies known costs per activity by volumes for each activity and offence type. Both approaches can be combined with two types of estimates: incidence-based and prevalence-based estimates. An incidence-based estimate identifies all costs attributable to crimes committed or processed in a specified period regardless of whether these costs exceed this time period. A prevalence-based estimate identifies all costs incurred in a specified period regardless of when the crime was committed or processed. This paper looks at the differences between the two approaches and the two estimates and indicates which combination works best depending on the type of analysis and the availability of data. The methodologies are illustrated using examples from The Netherlands. These examples show that the availability of reliable data is crucial. The more assumptions have to be made, the less reliable the end results. Investing in better data in this area should be a first priority for governments interested in criminal policy evaluation.     

Characteristics and Frequency of Chipping Effects in Near‐Contact Gunshot Wounds

The presence of “chipping” or “flaking” around the edges of gunshot entry wounds has been described among the characteristics of gunshot wounds in bone. In this study, the real frequency of such a peculiar feature was investigated. The presence of “chipping” was assessed on 22 gunshot wounds fired at a near‐contact range on bovine ribs with 9‐mm bullets. As controls, five samples were shot with a 3 cm range, and five from 40 cm. In 77% of cases shot at near‐contact range, a detachment of small fragments of the upper layers of bone was detected, mainly with a circumferential disposition, whereas this feature was lacking in control samples. The study demonstrated the frequency of “chipping” and that it may probably be due to a combined ballistic effect of impact of the bullet itself and expansion of gases. It may be thus considered indicative of close‐range shots.     

Sex Assessment from the Volume of the First Metatarsal Bone: A Comparison of Linear and Volume Measurements

Sexual dimorphism is a crucial characteristic of skeleton. In the last years, volumetric and surface 3D acquisition systems have enabled anthropologists to assess surfaces and volumes, whose potential still needs to be verified. This article aimed at assessing volume and linear parameters of the first metatarsal bone through 3D acquisition by laser scanning. Sixty‐eight skeletons underwent 3D scan through laser scanner: Seven linear measurements and volume from each bone were assessed. A cutoff value of 13,370 mm³ was found, with an accuracy of 80.8%. Linear measurements outperformed volume: metatarsal length and mediolateral width of base showed higher cross‐validated accuracies (respectively, 82.1% and 79.1%, raising at 83.6% when both of them were included). Further studies are needed to verify the real advantage for sex assessment provided by volume measurements.     

Bureaucracy and consultation: the Correctional Service of Canada and the requirements of being democratic

Abstract: The question of how the “participatory” climate of the 1900s has affected government decision-making processes in Canada has caught the attention of many students of public administration. The Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) has made a commitment over the last decade to greater public involvement in its operations. However, the csc initially underestimated the tensions between bureaucratic and consultative practice, as well as the extent of the organizational changes required for meaningful consultation. The result was a delayed adaptation to the requirements of consultation, which impaired the csc's ability to communicate with the public. The first part of this paper delineates the tensions between bureaucratic and consultative practice that manifest themselves in different assumptions concerning who should make policy decisions, what criteria should be used in decision making, who should be informed and, finally, how the decision-making organizations should be designed. In the second part, the csc's attempts to overcome such tensions are examined in four cases of community consultation conducted in the 1990s. Sommaire: De nombreux étudiants en administration publique se sont penchés sur la question de savoir comment le climat «participatif» des années 1990 a influé sur le processus décisionnel gouvernemental au Canada. Le Service correctionnel du Canada (scc) s'est engagé au cours de la dernière décennie à faire participer davantage le grand public à ses opérations. Cependant, le scc avait sous-estime au depart la tension qui régnait entre l'approche bureaucratique et l'approche consultative, ainsi que l'ampleur des changements organisationnels nécessaires pour avoir une consultation valable. Par conséquent, l'adaptation aux exigences de la consultation a tardéà se produire, ce qui diminua l'aptitude du scc à communiquer avec le public. l.a première partie de cet article décrit les écarts entre les deux approches mentionnées plus haut, écarts qui se manifestent par des idées divergentes concernant quidevrait prendre les décisions en matiere de politique, quels criteres devraient guider les décisions, qui devrait êre mis au courant et enfin, comment les organismes décisionnels devraient être concps. La deuxième partie de l'article examine quatre cas de consultation communautaire réalisées dans les années 1990, Afin de cerner les efforts du SCC visant àéliminer ces tensions.     

The Long Road to Abortion Rights in Argentina (1983–2020)

This article traces the process towards the legalisation of abortion in Argentina, which led to a radical shift in body rights after a century. This change was possible due to the strategies of extended feminist grassroots mobilisations to build support among actors outside and inside institutions. In particular they found allied legislators who created the institutional conditions for change, including the president's support. During the 1990s an embryonic reproductive rights movement emerged under the influence of transnational activism while conditions for success were provided by grassroots mobilisation in the new millennium. Feminist landmarks like Ni Una Menos and Marea Verde provide evidence of the centrality of social mobilisation for institutional reforms.     

Financing Enterprises in the Czech Republic: Debt and Firm-specific Variables

This paper investigates the effects of firm specific variables on indebtedness, and thus financing decisions in the Czech Republic during the first years of transition. By estimating a Structural Equation Model with latent variables, the paper analyses the determinants of credit demand and supply in order to understand to what an extent they testify the transformation of both enterprises financing strategies and credit allocation policies and thus the emergence of a new financial discipline.