Enhancement of microcrystalline identification of gamma-hydroxybutyrate

An enhancement of the microcrystalline test for the detection of gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) is described. The original test used a silver/copper reagent which consisted of 0.1 g of silver nitrate and 0.1 g of copper nitrate in 10 mL water. The enhanced test utilizes lanthanum nitrate in place of copper nitrate. A detection limit of 0.5 mg/mL was achieved and the visual discrimination was improved because of larger sized crystals. Transient crystals were observed between 0.1 and 0.4 mg/mL. Silver nitrate alone appeared to be suitable for GHB detection but was not specific as other hydroxyl acids, such as glycolic acid, produced a similar crystal pattern. Tests conducted on chemical precursors of GHB and substances with similar biological activity highlight the specificity of the enhanced test. The reagent is therefore selective and sensitive for GHB in aqueous solutions. However, in beverage testing, crystal formation appeared to be inhibited for some drinks. Citric acid was identified as a possible interference depending on its concentration relative to GHB.     

不必重构我国刑法上的强奸罪——从比较法律文化的角度考察

域外强奸犯罪的立法变革源于其人权的张扬、女性运动的发展和对同性恋的宽容等社会现实引起的性文化观念的革新。在祖国大陆地区由于传统文化观念依然占据主流地位,女性的主体意识,特别是性主体意识和相应的文化观念尚未普遍形成,女性在社会经济文化生活中的地位制约着男女平等观念的确立;因此,在现有的制度和文化背景下,不宜立即变革强奸罪立法,而应当积极采取以司法个案判决的形式推进体现正义和平等的性文化观念,最终实现强奸罪的立法变革,这应当是目前我国大陆地区比较稳妥的做法。     

Sexual Violence Against Marginalized Victims: Choice of Victim or Victim of Choice?

Research shows that sex trade workers and homeless populations are at a high risk of severe violence and homicide. Based on a sample of 229 violent sex offenders, we investigate the differences between sexual crimes committed against marginalized (n = 73) and nonmarginalized victims (n = 156). Findings from logistic regression analyses show that offenders who target marginalized victims are more likely to degrade their victim and use a variety of torture methods. However, offenders who target nonmarginalized victims are more likely to use a weapon, and kill the victim by strangulation. Implications for future research are discussed.     

Self-Reports of Traumatic Events in a Random Sample of Incarcerated Women

Abstract

As the number of incarcerated women increases, in-depth knowledge about women's life experiences is needed to direct treatment, pre-release planning, and supervision. This study describes the nature, scope, and socioeconomic correlates of traumatic life events in a random sample of 403 women entering a state correctional facility. Ninety-nine percent of the sample reported having experienced at least one traumatic life event; 81% experienced five or more. Reports of several experiences differed by age, race, and marital status. The most compelling findings were related to the experience of homelessness. Women who had been without a place to live for at least seven days were between 2.19 and 5.62 times more likely to have experienced 14 of 21 traumatic events. Most of these events were defined by interpersonal violence. Implications for correctional policy are discussed, particularly the potential for incarceration to replicate or ameliorate symptoms of traumatic stress through the structure and routine of the prison environment.     

强奸罪立法的反思与重构

传统的强奸罪只将犯罪对象限定为女性,由于时代的不断发展,在强奸犯罪的领域出现了女性强奸等各种不同的新情况,而我国强奸罪的现行立法面对这些新情况则没有回应。本文通过对强奸罪的女性主体、男性犯罪对象、婚内强奸以及强奸罪的"自诉"化等问题进行探讨,指出:女性可以成为强奸罪的主体;强奸罪的犯罪对象也可以是男性;对未成年人应特别保护;强奸罪的一些情况可以纳入"自诉"案件的范围。     

108例强奸案件的法医学分析

本文通过对108例强奸案件的分析,从法医学角度探讨了与强奸犯罪相关的一些因素,并提出:加害人与被害人自身素质与强奸案件的发生有关;法医学证据在强奸案件中具有不可替代的作用;及时报案能获取更多的法医学物证;研究犯罪动机有助于预防和减少强奸案件。     

Juvenile and Adult Offenders Arrested for Sexual Homicide: An Analysis of Victim–Offender Relationship and Weapon Used by Race*

Abstract: Limited information is available on racial offending patterns of sexual homicide offenders (SHOs). This study used a 30‐year U.S. Supplementary Homicide Reports sample of SHOs arrested in single‐victim situations (N = 3745). The analysis strength was used to determine whether the findings yielded meaningful patterns for offender profiling. Several important findings emerged for the juvenile offenders. Juvenile White SHOs were likely to target victims with whom they shared a mutual relationship. In contrast, Black juveniles were equally likely to murder strangers and those with whom they had prior and familial relationships. Notably, no juvenile Black SHOs were arrested for murdering intimate partners. Juvenile White SHOs were twice as likely to use edged weapons as their Black counterparts. Black juveniles, conversely, were more likely than White juveniles to use personal weapons. Beyond these findings, known victim–offender relationships and weapon used may not have significant utility for investigators in identifying the SHO race, even after controlling for offender age. Limitations and future directions are discussed.     

Jews’ and Arabs’ Perceptions of Inter-Group and Intra-Group Date Rape

The study examined the influence of three factors on rape responsibility attributions: subjects’ gender, subjects’ ethnicity, and victim and perpetrator’s ethnicity. Participants were 247 undergraduate students in Israel (164 Jews and 83 Arabs). The most revealing findings are connected with the threefold interaction between the factors studied. It was found that Arab males and females, members of the minority ethnic group, tended to assign more responsibility to a victim involved in inter-group relationships, whereas Jewish males and females, members of the dominant majority group, attributed more responsibility to a victim involved in intra-group relationships. More specifically, Arab males attributed more responsibility to an Arab victim raped by a Jew, while Arab females attributed more responsibility to a Jewish victim raped by an Arab. Among Jews, males attributed more responsibility to an Arab victim raped by an Arab, and females attributed more responsibility to a Jewish victim raped by a Jew. Several ways to explain these interactions are suggested.     

The Beauties of Kashmir: Nila Gupta's Representations of War from a Distance

Abstract: This essay examines Nila Gupta's literary representation of the conflict in Kashmir in her short story cycle The Sherpa and Other Fictions (2008). Born and raised in Canada, Gupta has a diasporic perspective and a feminist political stance that values women's solidarity and political involvement across borders. Her short stories explore the feminist thesis that the sexual crimes committed against girls and women at times of conflict are a direct consequence of the appropriation of women's bodies for symbolic uses within the dialectics of patriarchal nationalisms. However, her stories' restrained style and their publication in a small activist press preclude easy commodification in a global market avid for narratives of ethnic violence. By reading Gupta's creative texts in relation to academic studies of communal sexual violence and nationalism, humanitarian reports on refugees and gendered violence and journalistic accounts of the conflict, this essay attempts to assess the power of literature to offer nuanced and complex representations of violent conflict and its consequences. Special attention is paid to the representation of life in the officially designated ‘migrant camps’, to the difficult issue of the social stigmatization of rape victims and to the many ways in which women are implicated.