Does accountability matter? How electoral systems affect conflict initiation

Recent work on conflict suggests that electoral systems impact foreign policy-making in important ways; however, the discipline has reached different conclusions regarding how different types of electoral systems affect conflict initiation. In this study we contend that legislators are more accountable individually in candidate-centred electoral systems which impacts a state’s decision to initiate interstate conflict. We test our argument using a time-series cross-sectional analysis of 54 democracies from 1975 to 2001. The results provide strong support for the hypothesis that candidate-centred electoral systems result in less conflict initiation than party-centric systems due to higher levels of individual accountability for legislative members.     

Relationship Between Self‐Injurious Behaviors and Levels of Aggression in Children and Adolescents Who Were Subject to Medicolegal Examination,

Aggression, which is defined as a behavior causing harm or pain, is a behavioral pattern typically expected in children and adolescents who are involved in criminal activities. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between aggression and self‐injurious behavior (SIB) in children and adolescents. The study was performed in 295 cases which were sent for medicolegal examination. The mean age of the subjects was 14.27 ± 1.05 years (age range 10–18 years). The aggression levels of the subjects were determined using the Aggression Questionnaire (AQ), which is an updated form of the Buss‐Durkee Hostility Inventory. The mean total AQ score of the subjects with and without SIB was 78.04 ± 21.0 and 62.75 ± 18.05, respectively (p < 0.01). There were significant statistical differences between the two groups with respect to their subscale scores (p < 0.01). It was concluded that the levels of aggression increased in children and adolescents who were involved in criminal activities when the SIBs increased.     

Law Enforcement and the Rights of the Accused: Are the Police Getting a Bad Rap?

Nationwide, law enforcement professionals have endured increasing scrutiny regarding their treatment of custodial suspects and their alleged abridgement of suspects’ Constitutional rights. At the same time, in the interests of community safety, many members of the public fully expect police officers to function efficiently in arresting and facilitating the prosecution of likely perpetrators. These perspectives reflect due-process and crime-control models respectively. Very little is known, however, about how law enforcement professionals actually view the rights of the accused when not acutely immersed in the cross-currents of public opinion. Using an anonymous survey, the current investigation addresses both Miranda rights as well as the European Union’s (EU) much more comprehensive approach to the rights of the accused. In general, this sample of 209 urban police officers favored protections of criminal suspects that went considerably beyond Miranda safeguards.     

Determinants of Sexual Violence at Sexual Debut against in-School Adolescents in Ghana

Journal of Family Violence - Very few studies examine sexual violence perpetrated on adolescents in Ghana or in sub-Saharan Africa more generally. Using data collected in 2015 as part of a...     

We Are All Victims: Questionable Content and Collective Victimisation in the Digital Age

Asian Journal of Criminology - Traditionally, the idea of being a victim is associated with a crime, accident, trickery or being duped. With the advent of globalisation and rapid growth in the...     

Alterations of Length Heteroplasmy in Mitochondrial DNA Under Various Amplification Conditions*

Abstract: There are several areas within mitochondrial DNA that show length heteroplasmy. If the heteroplasmy pattern is unique and consistent for each person, it may be used to support an interpretation of exclusion in identity testing. We investigated whether the length heteroplasmy pattern would be consistent under different amplification conditions. We also determined whether various amplification parameters would affect the homopolymeric cytosine stretches (C‐stretch) in HV1. Monoclonal samples tended to be heteroplasmic after amplification. After several repetitions, C‐stretch patterns of all samples were inconsistent even under the same amplification conditions. Increased PCR cycles and high template concentrations resulted in a more frequent heteroplasmic tendency. These amplification parameters seem to have little effect if samples are not long enough in C‐stretch or total length of the segment from nt 16180 to nt 16193. It is suggested that the pattern of length heteroplasmy cannot be used as an additional polymorphic marker.     

浅析当前强奸犯罪中的证据把握问题

近年来,强奸案件出现了一些特殊的变化。强奸案件的新特点,导致办案人员对该类案件证据的认定产生了较多困惑。为了正确定性,需要提出强奸犯罪证据的审查要素问题。     

Citizen co‐production of cyber security: Self‐help,vigilantes, and cybercrime

Given the limited resources and capabilities of states to maintain cyber security, a variety of co‐production efforts have been made by individuals or by collectives, of varying degrees of organization and coordination. This article identifies different forms of citizen co‐production of cyber security and notes the risk of unintended consequences. Safeguards and principles are proposed in order to facilitate constructive citizen/netizen co‐production of cyber security. Although co‐production of security can contribute to social control, only those activities within the bounds of the law should be encouraged. Activities of private citizens/netizens that test the limits of legality should be closely circumscribed.