The Impact of Social Security Reforms on Female Unemployment Compensation Claimants in Ireland

As a result of Ireland's accession to the EU, a series of social security reforms establishing equality of treatment of females and males with regard to entitlement to and rate and duration of receipt of unemployment compensation was implemented during the period 1973 to 1986. Using modern time series econometrics we estimate their impact on the transitions to and from the female unemployment compensation claimant state. The results indicate that the changes had important implications for the level of take-up of unemployment compensation; and for the level, and responsiveness to the determinants, of its relinquishment.     

The Evidentiary Introduction of Psychopathy Checklist-Revised Assessed Psychopathy in U.S. Courts: Extent and Appropriateness*

We examine the application of Psychopathy Checklist Revised (PCL-R) assessed psychopathy in U.S. courts from the time of the introduction of the PCL-R in 1991, through the end of 2004, and consider the PCL-R in light of relevant evidentiary standards and the empirical support for the construct of psychopathy. Our review of the Westlaw legal database indicates that the evidentiary introduction of PCL-R assessed psychopathy extends across state and federal jurisdictions, and has increased considerably in recent years. We identify nine contexts in which PCL-R evidence has been introduced and examine the appropriateness of such introduction. In most contexts the PCL-R was considered with regard to the prediction of violence in the community, and in such context the introduction of PCL-R scores appears appropriate, at least with regard to European American male offenders. However, PCL-R assessments may not meet relevant evidentiary standards with regard to the prediction of institutional violence and violence among females, adolescents and ethnic minorities.     

The contribution of forensic science to crime analysis and investigation: forensic intelligence

The debate in forensic science concentrates on issues such as standardisation, accreditation and de-contextualisation, in a legal and economical context, in order to ensure the scientific objectivity and efficiency that must guide the process of collecting, analysing, interpreting and reporting forensic evidence. At the same time, it is recognised that forensic case data is still poorly integrated into the investigation and the crime analysis process, despite evidence of its great potential in various situations and studies. A change of attitude is needed in order to accept an extended role for forensic science that goes beyond the production of evidence for the court. To stimulate and guide this development, a long-term intensive modelling activity of the investigative and crime analysis process that crosses the boundaries of different disciplines has been initiated. A framework that fully integrates forensic case data shows through examples the capital accumulated that may be put to use systematically.     

Population data for the AMPFlSTR Profiler plus STR loci from residents of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT)

Profiler Plus-Resident donors (N=620) from the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). Although the ethnicity of the donors was not recorded the population of the ACT is largely homogeneous, with over 96% of respondents declaring their ancestry as Caucasian in the 2002 National Census.