Bloodstain pattern analysis & Bayes: A case report

The findings from a bloodstain pattern analysis (BPA) may assist in formulating or falsifying scenarios that are considered in the investigative stages of a criminal investigation. When a case proceeds to trial the bloodstain pattern expert may be asked about the relevance of their findings given scenarios that are proposed by the prosecution and defense counsel. Such opinions provided by an expert are highly relevant to police investigation or legal proceedings, but the reasoning behind the opinion or implicit assumptions made by the expert may not be transparent.A proper framework for the evaluation of forensic findings has been developed since the late twentieth century, based on the hierarchy of propositions, Bayesian reasoning and a model for case assessment and interpretation. This framework, when implemented in casework, mitigates some of the risks of cognitive biases, and makes the reasoning and scientific basis for the opinion transparent. This framework is broadly used across forensic science disciplines. In this paper we describe its application to the field of BPA using a case example from the Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI).     

省以下垂直领导机关的行政复议管辖权评析

对省以下垂直领导机关作出的具体行政行为的复议管辖权问题,《行政复议法》没有作出明确规定。理论上对此存有争论,实践中的做法也不统一,《行政复议法实施条例》的有关规定,在一定程度上为解决这一问题提供了法律依据,但仍存有遗留问题,为此,建议对《行政复议法实施条例》第24条的规定作出法律解释或予以修改。     

完善县级城市志愿服务运行机制的思考与探索——以海盐县志愿服务为例

海盐县的志愿服务事业已初具规模,但较低的城市能级水平使得地方政府对经济发展、城市硬件建设投入得多,对社会公益事业的重视、扶持得少;对志愿服务事业“管理式”推动有余,“服务式”推动不足.要完善县级城市志愿服务运行机制,关键还是要厘清政府与志愿服务组织、志愿服务组织与志愿者、志愿服务项目输入与输出这三大关系,并实施建立县级志愿服务工作指导中心;支持“民间”志愿服务组织发展;深化社工与志愿者联动;完善志愿服务网络管理平台等举措.     

吉林省中等收入阶层发展困境研究———基于长吉两地的问卷调查

中等收入阶层占多数的橄榄型社会结构是最有利于社会稳定的结构.目前,我国城市中等收入阶层的规模呈逐步扩大的趋势,但吉林省的中等收入阶层还没有达到占社会人口总数40％的最低线.本文通过对798份有效问卷的分析发现,吉林省中等收入阶层面临着收入水平低和购房、子女教育、家庭社会保障支出压力较大等困境;中等收入阶层发展面临着收入分配、产业结构、市场化进程、全民创业、利益调整等诸多障碍.为此,本文认为,形成扩大中等收入阶层的社会共识,千方百计增加居民收入,拓展社会流动空间,是培育和扩大吉林省中等收入阶层的主要途径.     

Integration of Pore Features into the Evaluation of Fingerprint Evidence*

Fingerprint practitioners rely on level 3 features to make decisions in relation to the source of an unknown friction ridge skin impression. This research proposes to assess the strength of evidence associated with pores when shown in (dis)agreement between a mark and a reference print. Based upon an algorithm designed to automatically detect pores, a metric is defined in order to compare different impressions. From this metric, the weight of the findings is quantified using a likelihood ratio. The results obtained on four configurations and 54 donors show the significant contribution of the pore features and translate into statistical terms what latent fingerprint examiners have developed holistically through experience. The system provides LRs that are indicative of the true state under both the prosecution and the defense propositions. Not only such a system brings transparency regarding the weight to assign to such features, but also forces a discussion in relation to the risks of such a model to mislead.     

Can wine tasting be used as a defence to a charge of excess alcohol?

Wine-tasting has been used as a defence in the UK to charges of driving with excess alcohol on the breath. There is little scientific data to support this explanation. The authors carried out an experimental wine-tasting using twelve volunteer subjects. Breath alcohol samples were taken at the start of the experiment and fifteen minutes after the end. All subjects after wine-tasting had breath alcohol levels below the instrumental limit of detection. The authors conclude that the wine-tasting defence is not credible.     

低警戒度监狱功能定位与行刑特点研究

低警戒度监狱主要关押人身危险性较低的罪犯,根据有关法律规定和别国实践证明,应当具有区别于其他警戒度监狱的功能定位：矫正重于惩罚、培训重于劳动、互动重于监督、回归重于防逃.相应地,低警戒度监狱的行刑系统应当是循环开放的,安全防范措施可以明显减少,要使低警戒度监狱成为罪犯在其他监狱接受改造的动因和结束其刑事犯罪生涯的乐土.     

群众路线与农村基层民主发展

乡村民主的发展离不开党的领导和支持,将群众路线的工作方法应用于乡村民主建设之中,有助于夯实中国共产党在乡村的政治基础,有助于提高民众的政治参与意识和行为,有助于推动乡村民主的创新和进一步发展.     

民事诉讼二审发回重审制度的重新审视——兼评《民事诉讼法修正案》第40条之规定

二审发回重审制度是我国民事诉讼程序的重要组成部分。该制度在司法实践中显现出诉讼效益低、诉讼成本高、两审法院之间组织管理出现矛盾等制度瓶颈问题。新近施行的《民事诉讼法修正案》第40条对其作出了最新的修正,包括缩减适用范围、合理限定程序事由、规定使用次数等。但本次修法仍存在较大局限性,如对实体事由修正不彻底、未有效限制自由裁量权、对发回重审的裁定格式及拘束力未明确等。重新审视该制度并对之进行改良,可从明确规定法定事由、充分尊重当事人主体地位、增加救济程序以及明确发回重审裁定的格式及拘束力等方面加以探索。     

加强对外沟通协调 提高公安工作水平

对外沟通协调既是铁路公安实现公安管理转型的重要途径,又是完成重大安保任务、夯实基层基础工作以及构建和谐警民关系的重要保障。深化与多部门、多领域的沟通协调,为铁路公安工作创造良好外部环境。加强对外沟通协调要从强化思想意识入手,把握沟通原则,提升协调能力,完善机制建设,全力提高公安工作水平。