The Roma in Bulgaria’ s Criminal Justice System: From Ethnic Profiling to Imprisonment

This paper examines the use of ethnic-specific crime data by law enforcement authorities as an instrument to formulate policies. The focus is on Bulgaria – one of the few East European countries whose criminal justice system keeps data on ethnicity – and the country’s Roma population. During the 1990s, Bulgaria’ s deep economic and social crisis impacted significantly on Bulgaria’ s Roma minority and, arguably, led to an increase in crime rates amongst the Roma. To date, however, the Bulgarian government has failed to adequately address this situation. The main argument that this paper puts forward is that over-policing of the Roma minority is a consequence of lack of adequate data on the Roma’ s involvement in crime, coupled with a crime-fighting strategy that is largely based on ethnic prejudice. As a result, a disproportionate number of Roma end-up in prisons or in long-term detention. Former inmates, in turn, influence their communities and establish a ‘revolving cycle’ of crime and social marginalisation, which is manifested in an increasing critical mass of the Roma male population in the criminal justice system.     

Thinking about community: Ten theses

His books include TVA and the Grass Roots, The Organizational Weapon, Leadership in Administration, Law, Society, and Industrial Justice,and, most recently, The Moral Commonwealth: Social Theory and the Promise of Community.     

Stalking Aboriginal culture: the Wanda Koolmatrie affair

Hoax, v.t., n. 1. Deceive, take in, (person) by way of joke. 2. n. Humorous or mischievous deception. Fraud, n. Criminal deception, use of false representations to gain unjust advantage; dishonest artifice or trick. Imposition, (-z) n... piece of deception or advantage taking. Utter, v.t. put (notes, base coin, etc.) into circulation. History of a Deception Wanda Koolmatrie's novel My Own Sweet Time was published in 1994 by Magabala Books Aboriginal Corporation, an Aboriginal publishing house based in Broome, Western Australia. It is now known that Wanda Koolmatrie never existed, and My Own Sweet Time is believed to be the work, either jointly or individually, of two white Australian males known as John Bayley and Leon Carmen. As readers were informed in the biography provided by the publisher, Wanda Koolmatrie: was born in the far north of South Australia in 1949... Removed from her Pitjantjara mother in 1950, she was raised by foster parents in the western suburbs of Adelaide. She married Frank Koolmatrie, who died several years later...     

Social drinking in supportive contexts among college males

Two hundred and five male college students were administered a number of self-report questionnaires to assess the role of social drinking in their social support processes. Results indicated that the quantity and frequency of social drinking was positively related to seven of the ten social support variables associated with male social network members, but only one of ten female support variables. Other results showed that subjects obtained half of their companionship support in social drinking encounters, as well as over a quarter of their emotional support and one fifth of their material assistance and problem-solving support. Further analysis demonstrated that the male subjects received a higher proportion of all types of support while drinking when the support sources were male than compared to when they were female. These results are consistent with previous studies, which found that social drinking and social support are positively related. Social drinking seems to play an important role in the social support processes of college males, especially when other males are involved.Received Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. Current research interests include substance abuse and social support.Received Ph.D. from University of California at Irvine in community psychology. Current interests include social support and etiology of depression.