Fatal Injuries of Law Enforcement/Correctional Officers Attacked with Sharp‐Edged Weapons,

According to the National Law Enforcement Memorial Fund, there were 117 law enforcement fatalities in the United States in 2015. Assaults with sharp‐edged weapons have resulted in a total of over 400 fatalities in the United States. The goal of the current research was to examine sharp‐edged weapon assaults against law enforcement and correctional agents that resulted in a fatal outcome. A total of twelve autopsy reports were reviewed from across the United States. Four cases involved law enforcement officers, seven involved correctional officers, and one was an off‐duty border officer. The male‐to‐female ratio was 11:1. A total of 70.2% of the wounds analyzed were stab wounds (n = 85), and 29.8% of the wounds were slash wounds (n = 36). Based on this review, the neck, shoulder, and chest regions were the most vulnerable to single fatal stab/slash wounds. Multiple stab/slash wounds often resulted in exsanguination. The use of body armor was only noted in one case.     

毒品案件中共同犯罪的认定

共同犯罪在毒品犯罪案件中尤为突出。实践中,运用共同犯罪的一般理论认定毒品共同犯罪案件时也产生了许多问题。无论是从刑法理论层面还是从司法实践层面,都有必要针对存在的问题进行探讨,通过分析和论证,对当前的司法实践给予启示和指导。     

Patterns of Crime and Substance Abuse among Israeli Ex-Addict Female Inmates

The current study examined the relationship between drug addiction and crime involvement among Israeli female prisoners, and further examined the differential contribution of early onset of drug, sexual abuse and poly drug use, to predict involvement in offenses against person. Fifty-four ex-addict female inmates participated in this study. Research findings indicated that a majority began using drugs prior to their involvement in crime and most were convicted of drug-related crimes. In addition, almost half had a history of sexual abuse. Female inmates who were sexually abused were characterized by an early onset of drug and poly drug use. A relationship was observed between poly drug use and offenses against person. Also, the duration of drug abstinence corresponded to a lower sense of coherence and higher level of trait anxiety among female inmates. The implications of these findings for substance abuse treatment are discussed. Gila Chen, PhD, is a lecturer in the Criminology Department at Ashkelon Academic College and Bar-Ilan University. Her academic interests include youth at risk, female offenders, self-help groups, and drug addiction.     

Medical negligence in drug associated deaths

According to epidemiological studies adverse drug events are one of the most frequently encountered complications during medical treatment, a leading cause of hospitalisation and frequent cause of death. However, medical malpractice claims due to medication errors seem to be relatively rare. Based on a retrospective multicentre study on medical malpractice cases with lethal outcome (n = 4450), drug related cases (n = 575) were further evaluated. In 50% of cases a causal connection between drug therapy and death could be ruled out already after autopsy. In 232 cases a causal connection between drug therapy and death could be approved (drug allergies, relative overdose, wrong application, mix-up of drugs and sepsis after injection abscess). However, within the legal context only in 70 cases a medication error was approved which was in 42 cases causal for death, in 28 not. Administration of contraindicated drugs, incorrect application and relative overdose in renal insufficiency are the prevalent mistakes. Concerning the frequency of ADE in epidemiological studies medication errors are underreported in all data sources on medical malpractice; this seems to be due to the fact that even doctors and attending physicians rarely recognize an ADE; furthermore approving the connection between drug effect and death is extremely difficult for the expert witness.     

Family Transitions and Later Delinquency and Drug Use

Changes in the family structure can be very disruptive to adolescents who live in those families. This article examines the impact of the number of family transitions on delinquent and drug-using behavior. Specifically, the effect of family transitions is hypothesized to be mediated by problems within the family, school, and peer settings. A sample of 646 boys (73%) and girls (27%) taken from a longitudinal panel study of high-risk adolescents are used to examine these hypotheses. For girls, little support is found for the direct or the indirect effect of family transitions on delinquent behavior or drug use. For boys, however, both forms of problem behavior are influenced by family transitions directly and indirectly through changes in, and problems with, peer associations. The findings suggest that during times of family turmoil, the friendship network of adolescent male children is also disrupted, leading to an increase in associations with delinquent others and, in turn, an increase in problematic behaviors.

检察院提起公益诉讼面临的困境和推进方向

检察机关提起公益诉讼在我国正在如火如荼地开展,并取得了初步的成效,特别是在生态环境与资源保护以及食品药品安全领域。但由于案件来源受到制约、可诉案件的种类范畴过窄、检察院的调查取证权和调查核实权缺乏明确的法律授权、诉讼中举证责任的分担规则不甚明确、公益诉讼被告不配合或阻挠以及诉讼费用如何分担等问题的存在,司法实践操作中还存在诸多困惑和困难。因此,如何推进检察院的公益诉讼是当前和今后一段时间内检察院面临的一个重要任务,需要理论界和司法实务部门共同探讨对策,尽快完善立法并颁布相应的司法解释,为检察机关公益诉讼的顺利开展提供立法和司法保障。     

Federal Family Drug Treatment Courts: Providing Positive Possibilities

Due to the lack of family drug treatment courts, families are often torn apart when a parent has a substance abuse problem. Children of substance abusers are often abused and neglected. However, children in these tough living situations fear seeking help because they do not want to be the reason that their family is torn apart and they are placed in the foster care system. This Note proposes a federal statute that requires all states to implement family drug treatment courts. These courts allow families to stay intact while providing the parent with the help that he or she needs.     

试论我国毒品犯罪的现状、成因与对策

毒品不仅对人的身体具有极大的危害性,而且严重腐蚀社会的肌体,是社会的一大公害。毒品犯罪,既破坏社会风气,又诱发其他犯罪活动,严重危害社会治安秩序。当前,国际社会普遍加大了对毒品犯罪的打击力度,针对日趋突出的毒品犯罪,我国新刑法对毒品犯罪做出了专节规定,并规定了比较严厉的法定刑。本文结合司法实践,阐述了我国毒品犯罪的现状,分析了毒品犯罪的成因,并就打击毒品犯罪的工作对策进行了思考。     

DNA on drugs

The use of illicit drugs is a continuing blight on society. Detecting DNA from individuals involved in the manufacturing and distribution of drugs can provide valuable investigative information or strategic intelligence which, in turn, can be used to disrupt the supply and distribution of illicit drugs. Our study details the transfer, persistence, prevalence, and recovery of human DNA on the exterior of tablets and capsules, as well as within drug powders. Various experiments were conducted to mimic stages in the creation and packaging of tablets and capsules. We showed that the act of brief contact (1–3 s) is sufficient to generate informative DNA profiles that can be uploaded and compared to databases internationally. This work complements chemical drug profiling data by linking seizures to each other and individuals via DNA profiles, providing information to prosecution or intelligence agencies. The generation of DNA information from illicit drug preparations is another tool that can be used in the fight against illicit drug manufacture and distribution.