Community reponse to crime: Two middle-class anti-crime patrols

This paper examines two middle-class citizen patrols in the light of previous studies of patrols in lower- and working-class communities situated in very large urban areas. Consistent with previous research, our data show that patrol participation is related to the belief that citizens should play a role in crime prevention, to a slightly lower fear of crime, and to general social involvement. Contrary to previous findings, length of residence, age, and victimization were not found to be related to patrol participation. Patrol participants were more likely to believe that citizens have some responsibility for crime prevention and to have engaged in more anti-crime activities than nonparticipants. Residents strongly rejected the vigilante analogy and appeared, instead, to define patrol participation as a manifestation of good citizenship.     

Gender disparity in criminal offenses among persons of high IQ

Criminologists have largely neglected deviance among those with high IQs. This work uses Towers's (1988) concept of conventional genius to analyze how deviant behavior varies by gender among genius offenders. Like Bisi (2002), the authors expect female patterns of deviance to be lower than that for males even within this genius sample. Their work finds that male geniuses are significantly more likely to self-report ever having committed violent felonies. Among the authors' conventional genius sample of university students, gender differences in nonviolent felonies, misdemeanor offenses, and unethical behaviors are not significantly different between the female and male respondents.     

澳大利亚绩效审计发展新趋势

本文以澳大利亚审计署网站最新资料为研究样本,利用文本分析法对绩效审计相关信息进行理论识别与系统分析,揭示澳大利亚绩效审计在广度和深度方面的突破趋势:在审计内容、审计过程、审计脉络、审计范畴和审计内涵等方面,集中展现绩效审计的系统功能;通过加强绩效审计主体的制约力量、保证扩大绩效审计对象范围落实到位、增强绩效审计的资金和技术支撑等举措,不断加强绩效审计的组织建设;在持续完善绩效审计的过程控制体系方面,不断完善绩效审计的基本法律法规、持续推进绩效审计过程的标准化管理和重视绩效审计的质量认证机制等特征最为突出。文章最后就澳大利亚绩效审计发展趋势对我国绩效审计发展的启示与借鉴进行了阐释。     

Personal identification of cold case remains through combined contribution from anthropological, mtDNA, and bomb-pulse dating analyses

In 1968, a child's cranium was recovered from the banks of a northern Canadian river and held in a trust until the "cold case" was reopened in 2005. The cranium underwent reanalysis at the Centre for Forensic Research, Simon Fraser University, using recently developed anthropological analysis, "bomb-pulse" radiocarbon analysis, and forensic DNA techniques. Craniometrics, skeletal ossification, and dental formation indicated an age-at-death of 4.4 ± 1 year. Radiocarbon analysis of enamel from two teeth indicated a year of birth between 1958 and 1962. Forensic DNA analysis indicated the child was a male, and the obtained mitochondrial profile matched a living maternal relative to the presumed missing child. These multidisciplinary analyses resulted in a legal identification 41 years after the discovery of the remains, highlighting the enormous potential of combining radiocarbon analysis with anthropological and mtDNA analyses in producing confident personal identifications for forensic cold cases dating to within the last 60 years.     

Psychological factors influencing religious congregation members’ reporting of alleged sexual abuse

ABSTRACT

The sexual abuse of children within religious institutions has become a topic of increasing public concern in recent decades. However, to date there has been little in the way of psychological analyses of the processes by which congregation members judge the credibility of alleged abuses, or whether they would intend to report such allegations to the police. In this study, we examined the roles of ingroup identity, moral foundations, and social dominance orientation on reporting intentions and allegation credibility assessments among Church of England congregation members (n?=?454) and non-religious controls (n?=?457). While there were few predictors of reporting intentions, we found that churchgoers were consistently more sceptical of allegations of abuse, with these trends being differentially moderated by ingroup identification, the endorsement of various moral impulses, and anti-egalitarianism. We discuss our data in light of ongoing attempts to improve reporting procedures within the Church.     

Criminalizing human trafficking in Latvia: the evolution and implications of human trafficking policies

This article explores the development and evolution of human trafficking policies in Latvia and the measurable outcomes of these policies. An analysis of policy development revealed that Latvia has three different types of human trafficking policy: criminalization statutes, national action programs, and victim service provisions. These policies have produced outcomes such as criminal cases against traffickers, rehabilitation services for victims, and the formation of anti-trafficking institutions. The results revealed direct causal links between human trafficking policies and anti-trafficking institutions are evident with the National Coordinator and social services for victims. Indirect causation is also present with specialized police and prosecutor units and anti-trafficking institutional policy development by the anti-trafficking working group.     

The impact of fentanyl on DUIDs and traffic fatalities: Blood and oral fluid data

Fentanyl has emerged as the most prolific drug in the ongoing opioid epidemic and has greatly impacted traffic safety in recent years. This study aimed to evaluate fentanyl prevalence and concentrations in blood and oral fluid in driving under the influence of drugs (DUID) cases in three different regions (i.e., Alabama, Orange County, CA, and Houston, TX) from 2017 to 2022. Furthermore, traffic fatalities were evaluated for Alabama and Orange County, CA. Fentanyl positivity in DUID and traffic fatalities increased for most years in this study. In Alabama, the prevalence of fentanyl DUID cases increased 4-fold in 2022 compared to 2017. Orange County's increase from 2017 to 2022 was 14-fold. In Houston, the increase was approximately 2-fold from 2019 to 2022. The greatest increase for all laboratories coincided with the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, the median fentanyl DUID blood concentrations were 4.7, 11, and 4.7 ng/mL in Alabama, Orange County, and Houston, respectively. Most fentanyl cases were polydrug cases (≥90%). Methamphetamine, THC, and alprazolam were the most frequently detected drugs in combination with fentanyl. Alabama has collected oral fluid and blood in DUID cases since 2018. The detection of fentanyl in oral fluid was comparable to blood. However, 59% and 8.7% of fentanyl-positive cases had concentrations of >20 ng/mL in oral fluid and blood, respectively. Therefore, oral fluid as an alternative or supplemental specimen to blood is an attractive approach for fentanyl in DUID cases. This study contributes to understanding recent fentanyl trends and their impact on traffic safety.     

上市公司股权集中度与经营绩效关系的行业特征分析

本文利用上海证券交易所采掘、电力和煤气行业的40家及批发、零售贸易业,电子信息产业的91家上市公司的数据,在进行适当的筛选和剔除之后,对它们2003年至2005年三年的数据进行了实证研究。结果表明,在不同的行业特征条件下,股权集中度对公司经营绩效的影响是不同的:在竞争性行业的上市公司中,股权相对集中,且有若干个大股东的股权集中度有利于公司绩效的提升;在垄断性行业的上市公司中,则是较高的股权集中度有利于公司绩效的提升,无论是第一大股东、前五大股东或前十大股东的持股比例都应保持较高水平。这些实证结果为完善我国的上市公司治理提供了有益的启示。