禁止儿童乞讨的法经济学分析

分析和解决社会问题有多种进路。法经济学仰仗其强大的解释力和不断自我升级的活力,为分析社会问题提供了一种新颖实用的视角。我们可以运用法经济学的分析范式研究禁止儿童乞讨的问题。儿童乞讨问题受到社会各界广泛关注。有人建议立法干预,甚至全面禁止儿童乞讨。通过法经济学的视角可以剖析儿童乞讨问题的社会根源,并就制度设计过程中需要界清的有关概念以及各种社会成本与收益进行分析,进而按照法经济学的评价体系对各种主张进行考察,从技术层面与国际比较的层面上对禁止儿童乞讨作出制度设计或改进方面的具体分析与建议。     

留守儿童犯罪预防问题刍议

在城市化进程中,由于户籍制度和其他各种主客观因素的制约,催生了一个特殊的群体——留守儿童。由于家庭教育的突然断裂和缺失,加之处于身心发展的转折期,留守儿童犯罪问题已成为青少年犯罪中值得关注的重要议题。本文认为,从家庭、学校乃至配套的社会保障制度建设的角度关注留守儿童,从犯罪学的角度对留守儿童问题加以分析,通过消除教育差别,建立公平的受教育运行机制;强化对网吧、社会娱乐场所的管理以及对网络游戏加强监管防控等手段,能够促进留守儿童问题在法律调控的机制下得到有效的解决。     

Cluster hanging suicides in the young in South Australia

Retrospective review of hanging suicides in individuals aged ≤ 17 years was undertaken at Forensic Science South Australia, Australia, over two 5-year periods: 1995-1999 and 2005-2009. Seven cases of hanging suicides were identified from 1995 to 1999, with a further 14 cases from 2005 to 2009, an increase of 100% (p < 0.001). Hanging accounted for 33.3% of all suicides in this age group (7/21) from 1995 to 1999, compared with 93.3% of the total number of suicides (14/15) in the second 5-year period. In contrast, Australian national data from 1998 and 2008 showed a 30% decrease in hanging suicides in the young, from one case/100,000 population in 1998 to 0.7 in 2008. Cluster suicides occur in the young and are often initiated by direct communication. As it is possible that Internet-based social sites may facilitate this phenomenon, investigations should include an evaluation of the victim's Internet access given the potential risk of similar actions by peers.     

Dental age assessment: the applicability of Demirjian method in eastern Turkish children

In the literature, little is known about the applicability of this method in Turkish children. The aim of this study was, therefore, to evaluate the reliability of Demirjian method of age estimation when used for eastern Turkish children. A retrospective study was performed on a sample of panoramic radiographs taken from 807 healthy eastern Turkish children. The stages of dental maturity of the mandibular left seven permanent teeth for each subject using the eight radiographic dental maturity stages demonstrated by Demirjian were evaluated. A paired t-test was used for statistical analysis. The mean difference between the chronological and dental ages ranged from 0.2 to 1.9 years in girls and from 0.4 to 1.3 years in boys. The differences between the chronological and dental ages were statistically significant in all age groups. The applicability of Demirjian method is not suitable for eastern Turkish population.     

合作型社会管理模式下农民工子女的社会资本建构

合作型社会管理模式强调国家和社会、政府和公民在社会管理中责任共担、资源共享,协同推进社会的良性运行。文章基于这一模式,分析了农民工子女的社会资本现状——乡村社会资本断裂、家庭社会资本匮乏、组织资本及体制化资本缺位,并从家庭、社区、社会及国家四个层面提出了帮助农民工子女建构能够满足其健康成长和良好发展的社会资本的建议。     

社会性别视角下农村留守儿童教育支持调查分析——以山东省农村为例

2009—2010年围绕农村留守儿童教育支持问题,对山东省农村留守儿童及家长进行的调查发现：在显性的教育资源分配等方面,留守儿童教育没有明显的性别差异,但男女不平等意识还存在;在一些隐性的教育支持方面还有一些性别不同等的对待。由于受重男轻女等思想观念的影响,留守女童的教育还应得到家庭、学校和社会更多的关注。     

THE COLLATERAL CONSEQUENCES OF INCARCERATION REVISITED: A QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECTS ON CAREGIVERS OF CHILDREN OF INCARCERATED PARENTS*

While policy makers have long extolled the benefits of incarceration, criminologists have expended considerable effort demonstrating the harmful collateral consequences of incarceration. Sampson (2011) recently challenged researchers to move beyond this dichotomy and to assess the “social ledger” of incarceration, where both the potential benefits and harms associated with incarceration are examined. To shed light on the variation in the collateral consequences of incarceration, we focus on the experiences of a valuable group of individuals directly impacted by imprisonment: those caring for children of incarcerated parents. Drawing from in‐depth interviews with a diverse group of caregivers (N= 100), we examine the various consequences (both positive and negative) that occur in their lives as a result of incarceration, as well as the causal processes responsible for the outcomes we observe. Our findings reveal marked variation in the effects of incarceration on caregivers. Such effects are shaped by (1) the prisoner's prior parental involvement, (2) the interpersonal relationship between caregiver and prisoner, and (3) the caregiver's family support system. These findings have important implications for future work conducted on the collateral consequences of incarceration for caregivers, children, and families.     

Measuring the Contextual Effects and Mitigating Factors of Labeling Theory

Despite the longevity of labeling theory, there remains a need for further empirical validation. We examine three ways that official intervention may lead to secondary (that which occurs following the fixation of a label) deviance: self-concept, pro-social expectations, and association with deviant peers. We examine a sample of labeled and non-labeled individuals, utilizing data from the Children at Risk study. Based on our analytical view of a three-year panel of 677 randomly selected juveniles, ordinary least squares regression shows that official intervention with the criminal justice system leads to an increased delinquent self-identity, decreased pro-social expectations, and an increased association with delinquent peers, which then lead to an increased likelihood of engaging in subsequent delinquency. While validating the theory, we suggest a revised model of labeling that better depicts the complicated association between formal labeling and subsequent delinquent behavior. We conclude with policy suggestions based on less formal interventions for offenders.     

Accuracy of Three Age Estimation Methods in Children by Measurements of Developing Teeth and Carpals and Epiphyses of the Ulna and Radius

Abstract: The aim of this study was to compare the accuracy of three methods for age estimation in children: the measurements of open apices in tooth roots (T), the ratio between the total area of carpal bones and epiphyses of the ulna and radius (HW), and the combined method (THW). The sample consisted of 288 Caucasian Italian children (152 boys and 136 girls) aged between 5 and 15 years. Accuracy was determined as the difference between estimated age and chronological age, and accuracy was assessed by analyzing individuals’ orthopantomograms and hand‐wrist radiographs. Accuracies were 0.41 years for girls and 0.54 years for boys with the THW method; for the HW method, 1.00 years for girls and 0.92 years for boys; and for the T method, 0.62 years for girls and 0.71 years for boys. THW is the most accurate technique for age estimation in these children.     

WHEN THE COST IS TOO GREAT: THE EMOTIONAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT ON CHILDREN OF INCARCERATING THEIR PARENTS FOR DRUG OFFENCES1

The advent of the modern “war on drugs” and its accompanying “lock 'em up and throw away the key” crime policies largely explain the evolution of mass incarceration in the U.S. and account for much of the emotional and psychological pain caused to children who have lost their parents to long prison sentences. It is by reducing reliance on incarceration to tackle the “drug problem” in the United States that there will be a positive impact on reducing the number of parents being separated from their children for inordinate amounts of time, thereby potentially reducing the negative emotional and psychological impact on children. Aiding parents combat their addiction outside of prison walls is perhaps to most sensible criminal justice policy in addressing the needs of children who are caught in the cross‐fire of the war on drugs. In the meantime, as policy makers review, assess, and, eventually, reform draconian drug laws and sentencing policies, it is imperative that front‐line service providers who work with children and family and juvenile court judges be mindful of the emotional and psychological impact that parental incarceration has on youth. A more in‐depth understanding of the complexities of these young people's life experiences will hopefully enable the development of appropriate support services.