Public Service in Canada post-COVID-19 pandemic: Transitioning to hybrid work and its implementation challenges

The impact of the COVID-19 on the nature of work cannot be overstated. In Canada, following the largest and quickest transition to remote work ever, a significant number of public servants found themselves working from home for most of 2020 and 2021. As governments come out of the pandemic, they begin transitioning to hybrid work arrangements. This article analyzes attitudes and perspectives of public servants in the Public Service of Canada on return to office and transitioning to hybrid work. It also discusses how these can inform research and practice in Canadian public administration.     

Why Do Soldiers Rape? Masculinity, Violence, and Sexuality in the Armed Forces in the Congo (DRC)

This article explores the ways soldiers in the Congo speak about the massive amount of rape committed by the armed forces in the recent war in the DRC. It focuses on the reasons that the soldiers give to why rape occurs . It discusses how the soldiers distinguish between "lust rapes" and "evil rapes" and argues that their explanations of rape must be understood in relation to notions of different (impossible) masculinities. Ultimately, through reading the soldiers' words, we can glimpse the logics—arguably informed by the increasingly globalized context of soldiering—through which rape becomes possible, and even "normalized" in particular warscapes.     

城市新贫困:近20年来全球性、区域性以及阿根廷的动因

本文分析了20世纪80年代和90年代"新贫困"的不同范围.先介绍欧洲、美国和拉美几个国家对新贫困的不同定义,而后把重点放在阿根廷,介绍20世纪70年代中期至2001年危机期间,中产阶级在不同时期所遭受的贫困化过程.     

Contribution to the Development of Guidelines in the Analysis of Biological Evidence in Sexual Assault Investigations

This investigation intends to study materials and techniques used for biological evidence collection in sexual assault cases and is divided into two stages: in stage one, methods for biological evidence collection (the single swab (including three variants) and the “double swab technique”) were compared; in stage two, swabs’ component material was compared. The sampling was composed of 42 heterosexual couples who provided mock samples. The collection methods in which the whole swab is covered by evidence presented significantly better outcomes (p < 0.001), such as the “double swab technique.” Additionally, nylon swabs proved to present significantly better features regarding the capacity of sample elution, providing significantly higher amounts of DNA (p ≤ 0.034). This study provides guidelines for better collection of biological evidence regarding the collection method using a swab and the proper swab material to utilize.     

Patient Profiles of Criminal Behavior in the Context of Traumatic Brain Injury

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) can lead to significant post‐traumatic disturbances in mood and behavior, with the frontal lobes playing a key role in emotional and behavioral regulation. Injury to the frontal lobe can result in disinhibition and aggression which can result in police intervention and/or incarceration. We highlight four adult cases with a history of severe TBI with frontal lobe injuries and the presence of post‐TBI criminal behaviors. There is evidence to support an anatomical basis for aggressive behaviors, yet there are other risk factors to be considered. Behaviors must be investigated thoroughly by obtaining adequate pre‐ and post‐TBI psychiatric and psychosocial histories. By having a comprehensive understanding of aggression while appreciating the complex relationship between TBI, aggression, and premorbid risk factors, clinicians can more adequately treat patients with TBI, with the aim of potentially preventing criminal behaviors and recidivism.     

Service Providers’ Knowledge and Perceptions of the Legal Service Needs of Crime Victims

Currently, there is an expansive body of victimization literature within the criminal justice field, which covers a number of essential topics such as victimization trends and patterns, short-and long-term effects of victimization, as well as specific effects of intimate partner violence and sexual assault victimization. Despite the variety of topics examined by empirical research, there is a noticeable lack of discourse pertaining to civil legal services for crime victims. This study is among the first to take a close look at civil legal services for victims by exploring three uncharted areas including: (a) service providers’ knowledge of civil legal services, (b) the legal needs of crime victims and available services, and (c) barriers between victims and accessing civil legal services. Using quantitative and qualitative data from interviews with service providers, policy implications and future research recommendations are discussed.     

Algorithmic surveillance: the collection conundrum

ABSTRACT

Supporters of increased surveillance see tremendous potential in the ever increasing creation, collection, and retention of personal data. Most acknowledge that the massive collection of information also creates challenges where the collection outpaces the ability to meaningfully process the data. Increased processing power and more finely tuned algorithms are often portrayed as the solution to this haystack conundrum. While a human may struggle to find the needle in an overflowing haystack of disordered information, powerful computers can take a logical and structured approach that will make the haystack eminently more searchable. This article evaluates this premise from a human rights perspective and considers whether algorithmic surveillance systems can be designed to be compatible with the right to privacy. In addition to assessing the incongruity between traditional safeguards (such as foreseeability and accountability) with algorithmic surveillance, this article also confronts the problem of initial collection and addresses the contention that well-defined algorithmic search can effectively limit the intrusiveness of surveillance. Evolution in the case law of the European Court of Human Rights and the Court of Justice of the European Union will be factored into this analysis.     

Under the skin of probation: A statewide analysis

This analysis examines the inter- and intra-racial/ethnicity effects of skin tone variations in a sample of probationers across three dependent variables: probation length, successful completion, and revocation due to technical violations. Darker tones were linked to shorter probation terms with the exception of African Americans, among whom no effect was found. Darker tones were also associated with a decreased likelihood of successful probation completion. Conversely, probation success likelihood was higher among light skinned Hispanics. Finally, lighter tones were also associated with increased risks of probation revocation. Importantly, across the analysis any significant effects for Whites dissipated once Hispanics were removed from the analysis. Explanations of the contrary findings are offered drawing from scholarship on normal crimes and racial threat.     

Russia’s Power Politics in Ukraine and Syria: Status-seeking between Identity,Opportunity and Costs

Abstract

This article looks at Russia’s exercise of power politics in Ukraine and Syria as a way of improving its international status. Russia’s recent willingness to use power and coercion is theoretically counterintuitive as it appears to be in dissonance with the prevalent characterisation of the country as a status-overachieving inconsistent power. We argue that this behaviour is not the result of a consistent weighing of status against capabilities, but rather reflective of both internal and external dynamics. We analyse issues of identity, opportunity and costs as factors that influence Russian foreign action, showing that power politics will not solve Russia’s status-inconsistency problem in the long run.     

Use of social media in Canadian public administration: opportunities and barriers

Many government agencies in Canada are using social media to communicate with various audiences. Some research, however, shows that government uses social media to publish content available on its websites and does not engage in two‐way interactions. This article examines interaction on Twitter between Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and Twitter users. It explores established government social media practices and under‐researched experiences and perspectives of government social media users. Although some of the findings are IRCC specific, users’ experiences and perspectives offer valuable insights for any government agency that uses social media.