Co-witness Information Can Have Immediate Effects on Eyewitness Memory Reports

When questioning a reluctant witness, investigators sometimes encourage the witness by providing information about what other witnesses have said. Three experiments were conducted to test the combined effects of such co-witness information and suggestive questioning on the accuracy of eyewitness memory reports. Experiment 1 was analogous to the experience of a witness who receives information from an interviewer or questioner about what other witnesses have already said, whereas Experiments 2 and 3 simulated the situation in which a witness receives information directly from a co-witness. In all three experiments, when participants received incorrect information about a co-witness's response, they were significantly more likely to give that incorrect response than if they received no co-witness information. This effect persevered in a delayed memory test 48 h after the initial questioning session in Experiment 3. Accuracy rates were lowest of all when incorrect co-witness information was paired with questioning that suggested an incorrect response. These results have implications not only for the immediate effects on the accuracy of witnesses' memory reports, but also for the impact that even one such inaccurate report can have on the manner in which a case is investigated by the police or other authorities.     

Advocate General's opinion regarding challenges to distinctiveness

Formal invalidity or revocation proceedings must be broughtin order for the distinctiveness of a mark to be challenged;challenges to distinctiveness must not derive from the defendant'suse of an infringing mark.     

Potential through paradox: indigenous rights as human rights

This paper takes the ratification of the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as its departure point. Reactions to the Declaration have thus far been mixed. According to advocates, these events signal ‘a new consensus’ that brings ‘to an end the nation states’ history of oppression of indigenous peoples’. According to critics, however, we have uncritically assumed an alliance between human rights and Aboriginal rights initiatives. This paper draws on these conflicting accounts, the theories of Rancière, and a discussion of a current Canadian court case to offer an assessment of the political possibilities of the UN declaration. Overall we argue that the value of the Declaration rests on our interpretation of the political process by which these rights are enacted. The possibilities of rights-based politics are always contextually dependent. In some instances a human rights frame can represent radical repositionings and rearticulations while at the same time always risking the possibility of co-optation. The acts of politics, in particular acts of dissensus, are the key factors that will impact whether the Rights of Indigenous Peoples lead to transformation or to the reinforcement of the status quo.     

GC–MS analysis of eight aminoindanes using three derivatization reagents

Aminoindanes are a class of novel psychoactive substances (NPSs) that have become more prevalent over the past decade. GC–MS is often utilized for identifying seized drugs and is well regarded for its ability to separate mixtures. However, certain aminoindanes have similar mass spectral data and require specific gas chromatographic stationary phases for separation. Derivatization is an alternative method that can be applied to GC–MS to enhance chromatographic results, providing more selective analysis in seized-drug identification. This study investigates derivatization techniques to provide options for forensic science laboratories in accurately identifying aminoindanes. Three derivatization reagents, N-methyl-bis(trifluoroacetamide) (MBTFA), heptafluorobutyric anhydride (HFBA), and ethyl chloroformate (ECF) were evaluated for the analysis of eight aminoindanes by GC–MS using two common gas chromatographic stationary phases, Rxi®-5Sil MS and Rxi®-1Sil MS. All three derivatization methods successfully isolated eight aminoindanes, including the isomers 4,5-methylenedioxy-2-aminoindane (4,5-MDAI), and 5,6-methylenedioxy-2-aminoindane (5,6-MDAI) that could not be differentiated prior to derivatization. Reduced peak tailing and increased abundance were observed after derivatization for all the compounds, and mass spectra of the derivatives contained individualizing fragment ions that allowed for further characterization of the aminoindanes. This excluded 4,5-MDAI and 5,6-MDAI as they shared the same characteristic ions and were only distinguishable by their retention times. All three derivatization techniques used in this study allow for successful characterization of the aminoindanes and give forensic science laboratories flexibility in their analysis approach when they encounter these compounds.     

Going to Jail Sucks (And It Really Doesn’t Matter Who You Ask)

A growing body of research suggests that, according to both offenders and criminal justice practitioners, jails and correctional boot camps are viewed and experienced as significantly more punitive than prison. Nevertheless, limited research exists examining the perceptions of the public regarding jail conditions and operations. Using responses from 1,183 Kentucky adults, we examine public opinion regarding the punitiveness of jail when compared to prison. We determine that, with the exception of boot camp, respondents feel that jail is the most punitive noncapital sanction. Additionally, respondents who had been convicted of a felony at some point in their lives and respondents with lower household income indicated that they would serve significantly less time in jail to avoid prison than their counterparts if given the option. Implications for policy and future research are discussed.     

A survey of the provision of family therapy in medium secure units in Wales and England

A cross-sectional survey design was utilised to capture a snapshot of the provision of family therapy in medium secure units (MSUs) across Wales and England during 2013. Semi-structured interviews were administered via telephone interview with 39 MSUs. Information pertaining to the main research question was also gathered from a further 10 via email follow-up. Over a third of responding MSUs in Wales and England were offering family therapy, with team members being appropriately qualified and receiving regular supervision. Systemic psychotherapy was the most prevalent approach to working with families and it is suggested here that systemic psychotherapy fits well with the complexity and uniqueness of working with families in secure contexts.     

The ‘pains’ of electronic monitoring: a slap on the wrist or just as bad as prison?

The purpose of this research is to examine whether inmates that have served electronic monitoring (EM) find it more punitive than offenders that have not served electronic monitoring. We asked a sample of 1194 inmates currently incarcerated in a Midwestern state to estimate exchange rates of electronic monitoring over prison by rating how many months of EM they would serve to avoid 12 months in prison. The results indicate that inmates view EM as less punitive than prison and that monitored offenders find EM more punitive than unmonitored offenders. Additionally, black inmates were more likely to have served EM than white inmates and older inmates find EM more punitive than younger inmates. Previously monitored offenders report that they will be less likely to rely on family and friends upon release from prison. These results suggest that EM is perceived as a punitive sanction by those that have experienced it. Furthermore, racial differences uncovered here may help explain why minorities view alternative sanctions as particularly punitive and may also partially explain why the experience of EM may negatively impact family relationship among those that have served EM.     

Spatial Patterns of Robbery at Tourism Sites: A Case Study of the Vieux Carré in New Orleans

This paper looks at the connection between spatial patterns of robbery within the framework of routine activities theory. This theoretical perspective sees robbery (and other crimes) as occurring when three factors converge: suitable targets, motivated offenders and guardianship. The Eighth and part of the First Police Districts of New Orleans become target rich environments during periods of time when large numbers of tourists and conventioneers are in the city. The city certainly has the neighborhoods of highly concentrated poverty and disorganization that tend to be criminogenic and produce motivated offenders. The spatial distribution of robbery is hypothesized to be a function of the presence or absence of guardianship. In order to test this hypothesis two types of data are examined: robberies (simple, armed, both successful and attempted) that occurred during the convention and tourism season and patterns of deployment and patrol in these areas. Preliminary results indicate that simple tourist/conventioneer robbery victimizations tend to be concentrated within tourist attraction areas while aggravated tourist/conventioneer robbery is concentrated in places that are primarily residential and where there are no attractions and no concentrated police presence. This is also an area of ingress and egress for people from perimeter neighborhoods of highly concentrated poverty and disorganization.     

Prisoners’ gang-related activity: the importance of bullying and moral disengagement

Abstract

Gang-related activity can have a significant impact on the effective management of prisons in the UK, yet little is known about the characteristics of the prisoners involved. In this study, 141 adult male prisoners’ gang-related activity was examined in relation to their bullying behaviour and use of moral disengagement. Results showed that prisoners most involved in gang-related activity were likely to have spent a longer total time in the prison system, be perpetrators of bullying and have high levels of moral disengagement. Findings also show that moral disengagement partially mediates the relationship between bullying and gang-related activity. Implications for treatment programmes and the prison estate are discussed.     

The ‘Sarcee War’: Fragmented Citizenship and the City

In 1880, the Tsuu T'ina Nation (then the Sarcee band) staged a small, armed protest known as the ‘Sarcee War’, in Calgary, Alberta, to demand food and a separate reserve from the Siksika, with whom they had been assigned land. This paper argues that this protest reveals the material and political roots of Aboriginal citizenship: a fragmented and differentiated political body, unified through contingent agreements. The Tsuu T'ina actions, the choice of location and their specific demands reveal an assertion of rights that differ from the ‘standard’ idea of Canadian citizenship (then and now) and articulate a complex process of ‘othering’ and belonging.