Criminalizing human trafficking in Latvia: the evolution and implications of human trafficking policies

This article explores the development and evolution of human trafficking policies in Latvia and the measurable outcomes of these policies. An analysis of policy development revealed that Latvia has three different types of human trafficking policy: criminalization statutes, national action programs, and victim service provisions. These policies have produced outcomes such as criminal cases against traffickers, rehabilitation services for victims, and the formation of anti-trafficking institutions. The results revealed direct causal links between human trafficking policies and anti-trafficking institutions are evident with the National Coordinator and social services for victims. Indirect causation is also present with specialized police and prosecutor units and anti-trafficking institutional policy development by the anti-trafficking working group.     

Psychiatric Medication Intake in Suicide Victims: Gender Disparities and Implications for Suicide Prevention

Frequency and gender differences of psychiatric medication intake in a sample of suicide victims from the Athens Greater Area were investigated with a particular focus on the implications for suicide prevention. Data were collected from the toxicological analyses of the suicide cases of the period November 2007–October 2009. Information was available for 262 individuals, 196 men (74.8%) and 66 women (25.2%); 109 of these (41.6%) were receiving psychiatric medication(s). Women were statistically more frequently under treatment: antidepressants (32.8% vs. 11.3%, p < 0.001), antiepileptics (9.1% vs. 0.5%, p = 0.001), antipsychotics (24.2% vs. 9.2%, p = 0.003), and benzodiazepines (16.7% vs. 6.6%, p = 0.024). Campaigns aiming to bring men with psychological difficulties in contact with mental health services and to lessen the stigma of mental illness, together with better training of nonpsychiatrists into “suspecting” “male” depression, could be particularly helpful for decreasing male suicides. More thoughtful choice of psychiatric medication could possibly already prevent a number of female suicides.     

关于建立犯罪被害人国家补偿制度的思考

最近几年的几个典型案件体现了我国犯罪被害人及其亲属因罪犯无力赔偿致使合法权益无法得到恢复的现实问题,限于中国国情,结合相对合理主义的观点,中国应建立和刑事附带民事诉讼相接轨的犯罪被害人国家补偿制度。     

论犯罪被害人被害性心理表现及其预防

无论是犯罪人还是被害人都不是一个绝对静止的概念,它们是犯罪行为过程中的一对矛盾体。犯罪被害人存在被害性,有其被害性的心理表现。因此,重视对犯罪主体的心理研究,加强对犯罪被害人心理的探讨并提出有效对策,是预防或减少犯罪发生的有效途径。     

青少年网络被害问题研究

犯罪预防和控制应立足于犯罪、被害和国家三元结构,被害人是犯罪预防体系的构成要素之一。青少年网络被害包括精神性被害和物质性被害,青少年易遭网络被害的原因与其年龄、生理、心理特征紧密相关,具有网络被害性、加害与被害的互动性和被害的高发性和被害类型的特定性等特征。青少年网络被害预防包括社会被害预防、群体被害预防和个体被害预防三方面。     

Assessing and managing risk for intimate partner violence: Police employees’ use of the Police Screening Tool for Violent Crimes in Scania

Relapse into intimate partner violence (IPV) can potentially be predicted and counter-measures applied. This study examines the predictive validity of a violence risk assessment tool: the Police Screening Tool for Violent Crimes (PST-VC) among a sample of 65 offenders. All PST-VC assessments regarding IPV that were conducted at the Scania police department in 2010 were included in the sample. Follow-up time was 16–28 months, and all reported incidents with the same victim and suspected offender were recorded. The PST-VC demonstrated limited effect in the ability to identify high-risk offenders and predict repeat victimization. Interventions against the offender and victim protective actions were more often recommended in high-risk cases but did not lower the number of IPV relapses. The study suggests that the PST-VC is not a promising instrument.     

刑事诉讼法再修改与被害人权利保障

刑事诉讼法再修改不应忽略被害人权利保障问题。被害人的合理定位应当是特殊的诉讼参与人,根据被害人的特殊诉讼参与人的诉讼地位及加强被害人权利保障的需要,刑事诉讼法应考虑赋予被害人知情权、要求获得司法机关保护权、执行阶段发表意见权和获得国家救助的权利。应当明确国家救助制度的国家责任性质,在刑事诉讼法中规定被害人有获得国家补偿的权利,而以《刑事被害人国家救助法》规定具体的原则、条件、程序问题。     

Rape Shield Laws and Sexual Behavior Evidence: Effects of Consent Level and Women’s Sexual History on Rape Allegations

Rape shield laws, which limit the introduction of sexual history evidence in rape trials, challenge the view that women with extensive sexual histories more frequently fabricate charges of rape than other women. The present study examined the relationship between women's actual sexual history and their reporting rape in hypothetical scenarios. Female participants (college students and a community sample, which included women working as prostitutes and topless dancers, and women living in a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center) imagined themselves in dating scenarios that described either a legally definable act of rape or consensual sexual intercourse. Additionally, within the rape scenarios, level of consensual intimate contact (i.e., foreplay) preceding rape was examined to determine its influence on rape reporting. Women were less likely to say that they would take legal action in response to the rape scenarios if they had extensive sexual histories, or if they had consented to an extensive amount of intimate contact before the rape. In response to the consensual sexual intercourse scenarios, women with more extensive sexual histories were not more likely to say that they would report rape, even when the scenario provided them with a motive for seeking revenge against their dating partner.     

论刑事被害人权利保护与救济

从国际社会人权保障的视角,剖析和检讨我国现行刑事被害人权利保护与救济现状及其局限,以社会主义法治理念为指导,从刑事程序法和刑事实体法一体化的立场,探讨如何从诉讼程序保障、赔偿责任范围确定、实体法律体系构建三个方面,建立适合中国国情的刑事被害人立法、司法与社会支援相结合的法律救济体系。     

Victims’ motivations for reporting to the ‘fraud justice network’

ABSTRACT

It is well-established that (online) fraud has one of the lowest reporting rates across all crime categories. However, there is a large gap examining why some victims choose to report online fraud offenses. Therefore, this paper examines the under-researched group of online fraud victims who reported their crimes to authorities. Based on interviews with 80 victims across Australia, who lost at least AUD10,000 to online fraud, this paper demonstrates two motivations behind reporting: a sense of individual justice, and an altruistic notion of protecting others. The paper also highlights the negativity associated with the reporting process. The paper uses these findings to determine what can be learnt from the victims who were willing to report. It concludes with a discussion of the challenges evident in seeking to improve the confidence of victims reporting to authorities.