Sentencing Using Statistical Treatment Rules: What We Don’t Know Can Hurt Us

The existing literature seriously misinterprets the available evidence on the predictability of high rate criminal offending and thus the potential value of statistical treatment rules that impose stiffer punishments on offenders with higher predicted risk of recidivism. The misinterpretation results from the failure to take account of the fact that the data used in existing risk assessment exercises come from environments characterized by informal (and sometimes formal) attempts by judges and other actors to base penal treatments on expected recidivism. Findings of little or no predictive power for baseline covariates may simply indicate the efficient use of the available information. We lay out the problem in detail, provide examples from several literatures and then consider general solutions to the problem.

禁毒社会工作专业建设思考

通过分析禁毒社会工作的现状,提出培养禁毒社会工作人才的措施:进行社会工作的宣传,扩大社会认知度;政策支持;准确定位禁毒社会工作专业人才培养的目标与能力体系;专业课程设置的创新;做好社会工作实习基地建设;提升师资专业水平,增强执教信心;积极编写教材,实现"本土化"等措施来加快社会工作专业建设。     

公安学学科下设禁毒学二级学科目录

培养业务精素质高的专门的禁毒警察队伍,是公安本科院校义不容辞的责任,建立专业的禁毒教学科研队伍,发展禁毒学科是培养禁毒专业队伍必不可少的基础条件。禁毒学学科的建设具有独立性,禁毒学学科的设立具有基础性,禁毒学学科发展具有不可替代性,并且禁毒学学科建设已具备完整体系。     

云南省禁毒警察工作环境与心理健康问题分析

禁毒警察是一支特殊的警察队伍,他们的职业具有高风险、高压力、高负荷、高诱惑的特点。他们在工作中所承受着高强度的心理压力,因此心理健康状况亟需关注。应对由职业带来的心理压力,需要公安机关警察队伍管理部门和民警个人共同作出努力,保障禁毒民警心理健康,才能为禁毒事业做出更大贡献。     

未成年犯罪人非监禁处遇制度

未成年犯罪成为全球严重的社会问题,引起了世界各国的高度重视。未成年犯罪人非刑罚处遇制度作为一种针对少年违法犯罪进行特殊处理的制度,早已在世界上广泛适用。而我国由于诸多因素的影响,未成年犯罪人非刑罚处遇制度还没有形成一个统一的法律体系。在相关法律中增设专章,增加未成年犯的非监禁措施的种类,增设社会服务刑,发挥工读学校和少年法庭的积极作用,以达到有效预防及矫正未成年人犯罪的目的。     

论罪犯心理危险性分类技术——以罪犯个案矫正为视角

对罪犯的分类是作为一种适应罪犯需要的处遇方式和矫正活动。罪犯的心理危险性具有未知性、潜在性和偶发性特点。罪犯的心理危险性干预属于心理矫治的范畴,具有维护监狱的安全和秩序的价值。决定罪犯心理危险性依据主要是对罪犯以往犯罪状况所进行的预测和评估。罪犯心理危险性分类技术主要有调查分类技术和定量评价技术。     

论过度医疗侵权行为及其法律规制

过度医疗一般是指,在医疗过程中,医师对患者的疾病实施不必要的诊疗措施,致使患者的医疗费用明显超过疾病诊疗实际需求的医疗行为或医疗过程。过度医疗认定的关键,在于把握过度医疗行为与适度医疗行为的界限,并且应将其与保护性医疗和防御性医疗加以严格区分。从法律意义上讲,过度医疗是一种发生在医疗过程中的特殊民事侵权行为,是指医疗机构及其医务人员在医疗活动中,以获取一定经济利益为目的,违法实施不必要的诊疗从而造成患者明显人身、财产损害并应承担相应法律责任的行为。过度医疗侵权应适用过错推定责任进行归责。《侵权责任法》立法上将过度医疗的范围,仅局限在"实施不必要的检查",不足以充分保护患者的合法权益,立法上应进一步做出扩充解释。     

Treating alcohol-related violence: a feasibility study of a randomized controlled trial in prisons

Purpose: There is a lack of good-quality outcome evaluations of interventions for offenders whose crimes are alcohol-related. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are considered gold standard in treatment evaluations. Here, we report on a feasibility study for an RCT of an alcohol-related violence intervention, Control of Violence for Angry, Impulsive Drinkers (COVAID). Method: 115 adult male prisoners were randomly allocated to COVAID plus treatment as usual (TAU) or TAU only. Results: Most participants (84%) found COVAID useful. Reconviction data at six months were accessed for 109 (95%) participants. There were no differences between the two groups on violent reconvictions or all reconvictions at the six-month period, but at 17?months the COVAID group had 13% fewer people reconvicted for violence, and 20% fewer had reconvictions for any offence. Conclusion: The results indicate that an RCT is feasible and provides parameters for designing a full RCT. Differences in reconviction between groups favoured COVAID and were clinically important.     

Effectiveness of modified therapeutic community treatment within a medium-secure service for personality-disordered offenders

There is debate as to whether secure hospital treatment for offenders with personality disorder can be effective relative to criminal justice interventions. This study examines the evidence for long-term treatment of such offenders in hospital within in a modified therapeutic community model including accredited offending behaviour programmes. A panel sample of 47 patients were followed up on measures of violence risk (HCR-20, VRS) and symptom severity (SCL90-R). Intention-to-treat analysis with reliability thresholds showed significant positive change between assessment and discharge in both violence risk (VRS) and symptoms (SCL90-R) indicating a positive treatment effect. Threshold effects for treatment effectiveness seemed to occur at 1?year of treatment for risk and 3?years for symptom reduction.     

Mental health law and the UN Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities

People with a mental illness may be subject to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), depending on definitions of terms such as ‘impairment’, ‘long-term’ and the capaciousness of the word ‘includes’ in the Convention's characterisation of persons with disabilities. Particularly challenging under the CRPD is the scope, if any, for involuntary treatment.