Results of four inter-laboratory comparisons provided by the Forensic Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (FIRMS) network

Between 2004 and 2008 the Forensic Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (FIRMS) network organised four Inter-Laboratory Camparison excercises with the aim of harmonising and validating isotopic measurements to be used for forensic applications.The samples distributed comprised materials of potential forensic interest such as packaging and pharmaceuticals to be analysed for δ²H, δ¹³C, δ¹⁵N and δ¹⁸O composition. As many as 30 international laboratories participated in these comparisons. Results have shown overall improvements for both within- and inter-laboratory reproducibility with respect to δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N measurements.Only a small number of laboratories returned results for δ²H and δ¹⁸O analysis and these results highlighted a need for improvement in the reproducibility of these measurements and a need to address the exchange of hydrogen between samples and ambient moisture. Results also highlighted the importance of sample preparation procedures and the need to standardise both these procedures and calibration against Standard Reference Materials. Future Inter-Laboratory Comparison exercises will assess the suitability of laboratories to submit data to national and international databases similar to those currently operated for fingerprints, DNA etc.     

A typology of drivers' responses to speed cameras: Implications for speed limit enforcement and road safety

Abstract

Speeding is usually perceived as a minor crime but it is a major cause of road death. Reduced speeds should therefore lead to casualty reduction, and automatic speed cameras were introduced in England and Wales under the Road Traffic Act 1991 to help achieve this aim. A quasi-experimental study is described that assessed die impact of several kinds of speed camera deployment strategy in England on different types of driver. Twelve surveys were carried out in five police force areas, and more than 6800 drivels participated. While all modes of camera deployment led to lower speeds, driver types who ‘manipulated’ or ‘defied’ the cameras were least responsive to and respectful of than. Conversely, those who described themselves as ‘conforming’ to speed limits or ‘deterred’ by cameras approved of them most. Background characteristics of driver types, their perceptions of camera operation and behavioural responses to cameras arc discussed. The implications for speed limit enforcement and casualty reduction are considered in light of the findings.     

Leadership in multiple perpetrator stranger rape

Sexual offences by multiple perpetrators are more violent and involve more severe forms of sexual violation than those perpetrated by a lone offender. Often a clear leader exists within these groups. Questions have been raised as to the relative risk of reoffending and the potentially differing criminogenic needs of leaders and followers. However, a recent study comparing leaders and followers in juvenile multiple perpetrator rapes (t'Hart-Kerkhoffs et al., 2011) failed to find some of the expected differences. It was proposed that this might be due, in part, to the way leaders and followers were classified in the study. Before work can progress in this area, it is important to devise reliable and valid means of identifying leaders and followers in multiple perpetrator rape. This article reports on a study which investigated the utility of two different methods of identifying leadership. The Scale of Influence (Porter & Alison, 2001) was applied to a sample of 256 offenders responsible for 95 multiple perpetrator rapes from the United Kingdom. Following this, the relative number of directives uttered by offenders was used to designate leadership. In 66% of the offences sampled, a leader was designated using the number of directives uttered compared with 80% when using the Scale of Influence. When combining both measures to form a composite measure of leadership, this percentage increased to 89%. Classifications of offenders as leaders, followers, and neither, according to the Scale of Influence, the count of directives, and the composite measure, were compared with classifications made by a practitioner to assess their concordance. The composite measure showed the greatest agreement with practitioner opinion. These findings suggest that the Scale of Influence could be developed to take account of other ways that leadership is displayed during multiple perpetrator rapes.     

Transitional Justice and ‘National Ownership’: An Assessment of the Institutional Development of the War Crimes Chamber of Bosnia and Herzegovina

In anticipation of its closure in 2014, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia has begun to set out proposals for preserving and promoting its legacy of prosecuting persons responsible for violations of humanitarian law during the conflicts of the 1990s. A key aspect of this legacy has been to support the ‘national ownership’ of the justice systems in the former Yugoslavia that will continue to try war crimes cases in the years to come. This study explores the institutional development of the War Crimes Chamber of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina (WCC) to national ownership. In particular, it considers three critical aspects of the WCC's functioning that highlight the challenges that it faces as a mechanism of transitional justice in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). These are the composition of prosecutors and judges, prosecutorial practices and outreach and communication activities. The article shows that the continued difficulties with these areas of legal practice figure as significant obstacles to the WCC's transition to full national ownership by both the legal professionals and local populace of BiH.     

The role of mobile computed tomography in mass fatality incidents

Mobile multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) scanners are potentially available to temporary mortuaries and can be operational within 20 min of arrival. We describe, to our knowledge, the first use of mobile MDCT for a mass fatality incident. A mobile MDCT scanner attended the disaster mortuary after a five vehicle road traffic incident. Five out of six bodies were successfully imaged by MDCT in c. 15 min per body. Subsequent full radiological analysis took c. 1 h per case. The results were compared to the autopsy examinations. We discuss the advantages and disadvantages of imaging with mobile MDCT in relation to mass fatality work, illustrating the body pathway process, and its role in the identification of the pathology, personal effects, and health and safety hazards. We propose that the adoption of a single modality of mobile MDCT could replace the current use of multiple radiological sources within a mass fatality mortuary.     

Workplace violence: an overview of patterns of risk and the emotional/stress consequences on targets

Violence at work (VAW) is a frequent precursor to mental ill health, and to a lesser degree physical injury, among those exposed to this occupational hazard. In this paper an overview is provided of the nature and prevalence of such violence, of the risk factors involved, and of the impact upon victims. The paper examines the definition of VAW which includes both physical and psychological violence. Attention is given to the influential involvement of the UN affiliated International Labour Organisation in setting benchmarks for defining, preventing and responding to VAW. Evidence about the incidence and severity of VAW on a global basis is examined. It is noted that the reliability of information about VAW is quite variable, especially in non-industrialised countries. The available evidence indicates that psychological aggression is widespread across all sectors of employment and physical violence, although far less common, remains a significant problem. Risks of becoming a victim of VAW vary according to numbers of factors including job category, the nature of the work being performed, gender, age and experience. The paper also focuses on research regarding the effects upon persons experiencing or witnessing VAW. This research indicates that the health related consequences of psychological violence can be as severe as those from physical violence. The paper concludes that VAW is a major occupational health and safety hazard in all nations, regardless of their state of development. A reduction or elimination of this violence, and the health problems it creates, requires concerted and integrated strategies, together with rigorous evaluation of preventive measures.     

A Tale of Two Inquiries: Sans Everything and Ely

The government acknowledged scandalously poor care of long‐stay patients in National Health Service (NHS) hospitals in 1969. This followed the Ely Hospital inquiry, which emerged in the aftermath of revelations of abuse at seven hospitals described in Barbara Robb's book Sans Everything: A Case to Answer (1967). Allegations in Sans Everything and at Ely were similar. However, the inquiry committees which investigated, ‘disproved’ those in Sans Everything and upheld those at Ely. The Ely inquiry became pivotal to NHS policy reform for long‐stay mental illness and mental handicap hospitals, and for giving patients and their families a greater voice if they had concerns about inadequacies. This paper explains the relationship between Sans Everything and ‘Ely’ and analyses the impact of Robb's work—her high‐profile press campaign, networking, and determination to achieve improvement—which triggered revelations at Ely and elsewhere, and helped shape the course and constructive outcome of the Ely inquiry.