The Status of Forensic Anthropology in Europe and South Africa: Results of the 2016 FASE Questionnaire on Forensic Anthropology

One of the goals of the Forensic Anthropology Society of Europe (FASE) is to map the existing education and practice opportunities in the field of forensic anthropology in order to support the development of the discipline and to optimize the training courses provided by the Society. To address this goal, an online questionnaire was sent to European and South African practitioners of forensic anthropology and related disciplines in 2016. The results of the questionnaire showed that the status and roles of forensic anthropologists vary depending on the national legal systems, education, and employment status of the practitioners. Despite the fact that the expertise of forensic anthropologists has been increasingly requested in a variety of investigations and the spectrum of tasks has become broader, including identification of living persons, specialized education in forensic anthropology is still restricted to a few graduate and postgraduate programs in European countries and to annual FASE courses.     

Fate and Behavior of Gunshot Residue: Recreational Shooter Vehicle Distribution

The susceptibility for recreational shooters to transfer gunshot residue (GSR) to both the interior and exterior of a vehicle is investigated. A comprehensive sampling protocol was used to assess the most likely areas of GSR transfer from recreational shooter contact, such as the steering wheel and the area, the firearms were stored (the trunk). Up to 315 characteristic GSR, particles were found in several locations throughout the interior of a vehicle. As many as 876 characteristic particles were found throughout a single vehicle. The data indicate that vehicles frequently occupied by firearms users are a potential source for inadvertent transfer of GSR to persons unrelated to firearm activity. In criminal cases where vehicles have been used, such transfer processes for GSR need to be considered within the context of any case interpretation. The implications for subsequent contamination and transfer processes from such vehicles require further investigation.     

Geographical patterns of incendiary and accidental fires in Springfield,Massachusetts, 1980–1984

Arson is a serious crime occurring with increasing frequency in urban America today. To date, this crime remains poorly documented and seldom discussed in the literature, particularly from a geographical viewpoint. This study examined the spatial distribution and underlying factors associated with 440 arson and 732 accidental fires recorded in Springfield, Massachusetts, between 1980 and 1984. Based upon a series of dot and choropleth maps, there was evidence that both incendiary and accidental fires were clustered not only in specific Springfield neighborhoods but also along individual city streets. In an attempt to understand better the varying frequency of arson fires among the 36 census tracts in the Springfield study area, a multiple regression analysis was performed using census data reflecting a variety of social, economic, and housing characteristics. Two variables, representing housing vacancy and tenement-type housing, entered into the final regression equation. Together, these two variables accounted for 70.4% of the reported arson cases. A subsequent inspection of the regression residuals revealed a random geographical pattern, thereby precluding any simple explanation for the remaining unexplained arson. Other factors such as insurance, building ownership, and length of occupancy were thought to warrant examination in future research.     

Criminal justice education in the United States: A profile

Various commissions from the Wickersham (1931) to the National Advisory Commission on Higher Education for Police (1978) have called for the upgrading of police educational levels. Junior colleges, colleges and universities have responded by creating a plethora of educational programs. However, currently, little is known about the nature, form, or practice of criminal justice education in the United States. In attempting to fill this void, data from the Law Enforcement Education Program (LEEP) are presented concerning the number of students, criminal justice majors, and degrees awarded as well as institutional control, location, and type. These previously unpublished data are presented in a primary form (frequency distributions and cross-tabulations) to allow the reader to draw conclusions about the nature and scope of criminal justice education. Brief interpretations, however, are provided.     

When politics becomes play

The ways in which political systems and their members respond to social strains are little understood. When citizens are confronted by unfathomable problems or intense pressures, they often seek to suspend serious activities or escape rigid and alienating roles in order to attain psychological release, mutual involvement, and insights about their lives. Release, involvement, and insight are consequences of a universal human activity called play. People play in order to make room for personal expression in rigid social structures. People play in order to create and maintain the bounds necessary for community. People play in order to generate the novelty, perspective, and invention necessary for social and political change.An earlier version of this paper was presented at the 1977 Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association, Washington, D.C., September 1977.