Microscopic Saw Mark Analysis: An Empirical Approach

Microscopic saw mark analysis is a well published and generally accepted qualitative analytical method. However, little research has focused on identifying and mitigating potential sources of error associated with the method. The presented study proposes the use of classification trees and random forest classifiers as an optimal, statistically sound approach to mitigate the potential for error of variability and outcome error in microscopic saw mark analysis. The statistical model was applied to 58 experimental saw marks created with four types of saws. The saw marks were made in fresh human femurs obtained through anatomical gift and were analyzed using a Keyence digital microscope. The statistical approach weighed the variables based on discriminatory value and produced decision trees with an associated outcome error rate of 8.62–17.82%.     

Age of conduct disorder onset and comorbid anxiety and depression

The relationship between age of onset for conduct disorder (CD) and the externalizing disorder attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is well researched. However, little is known about associations between age of CD onset and comorbid internalizing disorders. This study examined whether age of CD onset significantly predicted the presence of a comorbid mood or anxiety disorder in a community-based sample of adolescents (n = 147). Results showed each one-year increase in age of CD onset was significantly associated with increased probability of comorbid depression, but not significantly associated with the probability of a comorbid anxiety disorder. Analyses were replicated in subsamples of youth with (n = 77) and without (n = 70) ADHD. The significant positive relationship between age of CD onset and comorbid depression held in youth with ADHD only, while a negative relationship with anxiety emerged as significant in youth without ADHD.     

Relationship Religiosity,Adult Attachment Styles,and Courtship Violence Experienced by Females

This study assesses the association between adult attachment styles, religiosity, and courtship violence as experienced by females. The sample was composed of 299, 18 to 24-year-old females attending junior level Human Development and Family Studies courses at a midwestern state university. Statistical analyses evaluated interactional effects and mean-level differences for both victimization and perpetration of courtship violence. Additionally, structural equation models were generated. Results indicate significant relationships between adult attachment styles and religiosity on reports of victimization from intimate partners. In general, the results suggest that females with low religiosity and insecure attachment styles report experiencing more courtship violence than females reporting high religiosity and secure attachment styles. The analyses also provide support for a multidimensional conceptualization of religiosity. Indicators of `relationship' religiosity were more strongly linked to lower reports of courtship violence than personal and private relationship measures. The findings suggest that future studies evaluating the effects of religiosity on courtship violence should include measures of `relationship’ religiosity.     

Should Legal Empiricists Go Bayesian?

Bayesian empirical approaches appear frequently in fields suchas egineering, computer science, political science and medicine,but almost never in law. This article illustrates how such approachesmight be very useful in empirical legal studies. In particular,Bayesian approaches enable a much more natural connection betweenthe normative or positive issues that typically motivate suchstudies and the empirical results.     

Far-Right Lone Wolf Homicides in the United States

Little is known about the nature of far-right lone wolf terrorism and how this form of violence varies across different types of suspects. Relying on data from the Extremist Crime Database (ECDB), we comparatively examine characteristics of far-right homicides in the United States perpetrated by suspects with no evident affiliations with domestic terrorist organizations. Surprisingly, we found that this form of lone wolf terrorism has generally not increased during the past decade. We also found important differences, such as in suspects’ mental health, in statuses of homicide offenders who operate alone compared to those who associate or act with others.     

The attribution of responsibility in cases of stalking

There is a general belief that stranger stalkers present the greatest threat to the personal safety of victims, despite national victimisation surveys and applied research demonstrating that ex-partner stalkers are generally more persistent and violent. The just-world hypothesis offers a possible explanation for this apparent contradiction. The current research used nine hypothetical scenarios, administered to 328 university students, to investigate the assumptions that underlie attributions of responsibility in cases of stalking. It explores whether these assumptions are consistent with the proposed mechanisms of the just-world hypothesis, and whether they vary according to the nature of the perpetrator–victim relationship and conduct severity. Thematic analysis revealed that the victim was perceived to be more responsible for the situation when the perpetrator was portrayed as an ex-partner rather than a stranger or acquaintance. Furthermore, victims were perceived to be more responsible when the perpetrator's behaviour was persistent and threatening. These findings are discussed in the context of the just-world hypothesis and related to the proposed mechanisms by which a person can reinterpret a situation so that the perceived injustice disappears.     

Policy Spaces: Applying Lefebvrian Politics in Neo-institutional Spaces

The purpose of this paper is to explore the utility of conceptualising policy institutions as neo-institutional spaces. The goal of this paper is to promote a more collaborative policy-making process that recognises the importance of cultivating and articulating shared spatial interests between policy actors. To facilitate a more collaborative process, the paper applies the principles of Lefebvre's triad to understand the internal and external policy geographies that inform government decision-making and promote the stability or instability of policy sub-systems. The utility of the proposed approach is examined within the context of two proposed scenarios. The paper concludes that a new policy geography might be effectively used to promote the overall political viability of policy sub-systems.     

Transnational religious actors and international politics

This article generally examines the phenomenon of transnational religious actors and seeks to assess the claim that their activities can undermine state sovereignty. It starts from the premise that globalisation facilitates the growth of transnational networks of religious actors. Feeding off each other's ideas and perhaps aiding each other with funds, they are bodies whose main priority is the well-being and advance of their transnational religious community. The article focuses upon two specific transnational religious actors: the Roman Catholic Church and the Organisation of the Islamic Conference. It concludes by noting that, like Islamic radicals, the Catholic Church has been influential in some national contexts in helping undermine the hegemony of authoritarian governments, but that this should not be seen as a more general threat to state sovereignty.