视频侦查的有效途径和方法

科技的进步和经济的发展,使得视频监控的应用领域越来越广泛,视频监控系统在防范和打击刑事犯罪活动方面的成效日益凸显,研究和掌握实践中行之有效的发现犯罪线索、收集犯罪证据和快速处置违法犯罪事件的途径和方法,可以大幅提高公安机关快速打击刑事犯罪的效率和提升社会治安综合治理的能力。     

对运用电脑绘制犯罪现场图技术存在问题的思考

目前,全国各级公安机关根据公安部的统一要求,除了绘制犯罪现场草图外,均要求用电脑绘制犯罪现场正式图,这也是公安执法规范化的具体要求之一。经过十多年的不断努力,运用电脑绘制犯罪现场图技术得到了长足的发展,然而,当前各级公安机关在利用电脑绘制现场图时却仍然存在具体操作上的难点,希望得到进一步的完善和解决。     

当前中国有组织犯罪的现状、特点、类型和发展趋势

本文根据对1997年至2010年4月间一审判决的327个黑社会性质组织案件的定量分析,并通过对吉林省、重庆市、河南省和贵州省黑恶势力犯罪的典型调查,对当前中国有组织犯罪的现状、特点、类型以及发展趋势进行了研究。研究发现,当前中国有组织犯罪活动处于活跃期,危害严重,呈现出分布广泛、结构严密、活动多样、势力范围以区县为主、暴力性突出、对政治和经济渗透明显等特点,并出现了结构松散、组织者领导者幕后化、成员临时化、暴力手段软化等新的发展趋势。     

医学会从事医疗损害鉴定之合法性研究

本文回顾了我国医疗纠纷鉴定体制发展历程,分析了医学会鉴定与司法鉴定的优缺点。在此基础上。认为在现阶段,医学会参与医疗损害鉴定具有一定的、但并不充分的法律依据,具有相对的合法性,医学会应属“准”法定鉴定部门。可以通过最高人民法院制定司法解释或卫生部制定规章的方式使其尽快“转正”。尽管如此,医学会作出的鉴定结论并不具有必然的证明力,其鉴定程序和鉴定书形式等亦应符合法律规定．而鉴定人署名并出庭接受质证是其鉴定结论被法院采信的前提条件。     

社会管理创新视野下的犯罪预防与控制

社会管理创新就是在继承和修复传统有效社会管理经验和弊端基础上,创新社会管理体制,激活管理机制,强化政府主导能力,挖掘社会组织潜力,凝聚公民智慧力量,构建党委领导有力、政府主导得力、主体多元给力、公众参与聚力的合作共治格局。创新社会管理、提高社会管理水平,是减少犯罪条件、增加犯罪成本的治本之策,必将成为预防与控制犯罪的重要载体和路径。     

Two-dimensional linear analysis of dynamic bare footprints: A comparison of measurement techniques

In forensic intelligence-gathering, footprints have been shown to be valued evidence found at crime scenes. Forensic podiatrists and footprint examiners use a variety of techniques for measuring footprints for comparison of the crime scene evidence with the exemplar footprints. This study examines three different techniques of obtaining two-dimensional linear measurement data of dynamic bare footprints. Dynamic bare footprints were gathered from 50 students from a podiatric medical school using the Identicator® Inkless Shoe Print Model LE 25P system. After obtaining 100 bilateral footprints from the participants, the quantitative measurement data were collected by using three different measurement techniques: (i) a manual technique using a ruler (direct technique); (ii) an Adobe® Photoshop® technique; and (iii) a GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) technique. The seven Reel linear measurement methodology was used for producing measurements using these three techniques.This study showed that all the mean bare footprint measurements on the right and left feet obtained using the direct technique were larger than those obtained using GIMP and Adobe® Photoshop® images. Differences were also observed in measurements produced using GIMP software and Photoshop images. However, the differences observed in the three techniques used for bare footprint measurements were not found to be statistically significant. The study concludes that there are no significant differences between the three measurement techniques when applied to two-dimensional bare footprints using the Reel method. It further concluded that any of these measurement techniques can be used when employing the Reel methodology for footprint analysis without significant difference.     

When finding nothing may be evidence of something: Anti-forensics and digital tool marks

There are an abundance of measures available to the standard digital device users which provide the opportunity to act in an anti-forensic manner and conceal any potential digital evidence denoting a criminal act. Whilst there is a lack of empirical evidence which evaluates the scale of this threat to digital forensic investigations leaving the true extent of engagement with such tools unknown, arguably the field should take proactive steps to examine and record the capabilities of these measures. Whilst forensic science has long accepted the concept of toolmark analysis as part of criminal investigations, ‘digital tool marks’ (DTMs) are a notion rarely acknowledged and considered in digital investigations. DTMs are the traces left behind by a tool or process on a suspect system which can help to determine what malicious behaviour has occurred on a device. This article discusses and champions the need for DTM research in digital forensics highlighting the benefits of doing so.     

Legal Capacity at a Crossroad: Mental Disability and Family Law

In this introductory essay to the Special Issue, I argue that both family law and disability rights law scholars should examine a key point of intersection across areas: legal capacity or the law's recognition of the rights and responsibilities of an individual. For example, parental termination proceedings center on parental fitness and functional capabilities. I contextualize the articles in the Special Issue by Leslie Francis and Robyn Powell on the role of reasonable accommodations for parents with disabilities in parental termination proceedings. In addition, I call upon legal scholars, family law courts, and practitioners to reimagine governing legal standards in family law according to principles of universal design to shift the baseline capabilities associated with parenting and parental fitness.     

Combatting those who intentionally access images depicting child sexual abuse on the Internet: A call for a new offence in England and Wales

In England and Wales, there are four main categories of offence surrounding images depicting child sexual abuse, those of making/taking, publishing, distributing and possession. Despite being in force for almost 40 years, it is argued that now, additional regulation is required. In response to technological provision such as private browsing, streaming and encryption which are providing investigative difficulties for digital forensic analysts, this article proposes the need to implement a fifth offence, one of ‘intentional accessing’ and debates the feasibility and justifications for doing so. Such an offence would also arguably support the effective transposition of Directive 2011/93/EU into English law. This proposal also coincides with the recent enactment of the Investigatory Powers Act 2016, which enforces new data retention requirements on Internet Service Providers allowing offender Internet connection records to be stored for up to 12 months and potentially retrospectively investigated.     

How about me? The scope of personal information under the Australian Privacy Act 1988

A recent Australian Federal Court decision has raised the issue of the scope of information protected under the Australian Privacy Act 1988. The Court failed to adequately address this question, leaving Australians unsure as to whether sections of their information, such as the IP addresses allocated to their mobile devices, will be considered personal information under the Act. The main consideration the Court dealt with was what it means for information to be “about” an individual. In this paper I address two questions: a) how is information determined to be “about” an individual under the Act; and b) how should this determination be made in the future? I conclude that currently available guidance from the courts, the Australian Information Commissioner and scholarly commentary are inadequate to enable individuals, organisations and agencies to consistently make such determinations. Accordingly I draw on approaches to this question taken in Canada, New Zealand, the European Union and the United Kingdom to argue that the definition should be broadly interpreted in a technologically-aware manner. This will help to ensure that personal information is more comprehensively protected under the Privacy Act.