Female serial killers in the United States: means,motives, and makings

Most studies that have focused on female serial killers (FSKs), although informative, have examined limited sample sizes. We consulted mass media reports of demographics, motives, methods, mental health, and victim characteristics of 64 FSKs who committed their crimes in the US from 1821 to 2008. Consistent with other studies, our data showed that FSKs were typically White, educated, have been married, and held a caregiving role (e.g. mother, health care worker). Nearly 40% of FSKs in this sample experienced some form of mental illness. Their most common motive for murder was financial gain, and their most common method of killing was poisoning. FSKs knew all or most of their victims, and most were related to their victims. In all cases, FSKs targeted at least one victim who was a child, elderly, or infirm – those who had little chance of fighting back. We interpret these killers’ behaviors from clinical and evolutionary angles.     

Recidivist criminal behaviour and executive functions: a comparative study

This study sought to analyse the relation between executive functions and criminal recidivism. We assessed a set of cognitive abilities associated with executive functioning in a group of recidivist offenders (n = 19), primary offenders (n = 25) and non-offenders (n = 30). Our results, tested with nonparametric statistics and Monte Carlo method, revealed that there were no executive differences between both groups of offenders but, when compared with non-offenders, the recidivists showed a worse performance in Trail Making Test part B, and the primary offenders presented a significant lower score on Porteus Maze Test Age score. This study suggests that there can be a different pattern of executive functioning deficits associated with the offenders’ criminal record: recidivism may be more related to mental flexibility impairments and primary offenders’ antisocial behaviour may be aggravated by planning deficits.     

POLICE RESPONSE TO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE: SITUATIONS INVOLVING VETERANS EXHIBITING SIGNS OF MENTAL ILLNESS*

Drawing on attribution theory, research on police discretion, and public attitudes toward mental illness, we examine attributional processes in police decision making in response to domestic violence situations involving veterans and nonveterans with signs of mental illness. Using data from experimental vignettes varying veteran status, victim injury, and suspect compliance administered to a sample of 309 police officers, the results indicate that 1) veterans are perceived as less responsible for troublesome behavior but more dangerous than nonveterans, 2) suspects’ veteran status has a significant effect on officers’ preference for mental health treatment versus arrest, and 3) part of the effect of veteran status on officer response is mediated by internal and external attributions for problematic behavior and by perceptions of dangerousness. The study empirically demonstrates countervailing processes in police decision making—recognition of the causes for troublesome behavior and the need for mental health treatment on the one hand and concern for community safety and enforcing the law on the other.     

公安院校学生心理健康教育的思考

高校学生的心理健康教育已愈来愈被社会重视,公安院校的学生由于日后所从事的职业的特殊性,要求我们公安院校在对学生进行素质教育,提高学生政治素质、文化素质、专业素质、体能和技能素质教育的同时,必须加强对学生的心理健康教育,以增强学生承受挫折、适应环境的能力,从而提高学生的心理素质。     

略论大学生择业应具备的心理品质

大学生在双向选择的就业过程中,保持良好的心理状态,确立合理的就业目标,承认客观现实,主动适应社会,克服各种心理障碍,在挫折面前自强不息,以积极向上的心态进取不止,就会在择业的道路上实现自己理想的就业目标.     

农村留守儿童的心理健康:一个生态学的视角

农村留守儿童的心理健康是人们关注农民工问题的一个视角。性格缺陷与行为偏差、人生观与价值观偏移等是留守儿童常见的心理健康问题。社会工作生态学理论强调“环境中的人”的理念,其中的“社会环境”、“事件与能量”、“适应与应对”、“互相依赖”等理论视角对留守儿童心理健康问题产生的原因提供了解释。同时,以生态学理论为依据,社会工作在应对问题的策略选择上,也更注重学校、社区、社会政策等环境因素的不断改善以适应留守儿童健康成长的需要。     

论刑事警察的心理健康

根据心理健康的生理、心理和社会模式,结合刑事侦查工作的职业特点,刑事警察的心理健康标准应归结为以下八条:身体健康;智力超常;客观地认识和评价自己;具有较强的社会适应能力;善于处理人际关系;成就动机强;情绪稳定;其他与刑侦工作相匹配的心理品质。     

论国家侵权的精神损害赔偿

在现代法治社会中,对于因国家侵权而引起的精神损害,越来越多的国家给予法律上的保护,采取了包括财产赔偿在内的许多方式予以救济。对国家侵权行为不处以必要的精神损害赔偿,不能全面有效地保护权利主体的人身权利和人格尊严,对于国家侵权行为也不能有效地防止。我国已将依法治国作为国家的基本方略,对于国家侵权而造成的精神损害,采取有效的赔偿措施,确立相应的财产救济法律制度,势在必行,精神损害赔偿金应当成为诸多救济措施中不可或缺的一种有效方式。     

平衡之功 医疗之效——医疗纠纷中精神损害赔偿功能之实证分析

随着人们对自身权利的日益关注,精神损害赔偿在医疗纠纷中也逐渐成为一个热点问题。并且,由于医疗行为本身的特殊性使医疗纠纷成为一种特殊的民事纠纷,其精神损害赔偿问题具有特殊性。本丈试图通过对在成都市武侯区人民法院调研时获取的有关精神损害赔偿案件材料进行具体分析,以个人利益、社会利益和公共利益三者的关系为视角,探讨在现行法律规定的框架下解决医疗纠纷的精神损害赔偿中,如何能既考虑医疗行为的特殊性,又维护患方的合法权益,在两者之间达成一种平衡。既保障医疗卫生事业的顺利发展,又使患方的精神损害得以“医疗”。     

智能障碍者凶杀伤害案例的司法鉴定分析

智能障碍的犯罪行为，在司法精神疾病鉴定中占有重要的地位。本文通过对３２例智能障碍者凶杀伤害犯罪鉴定案例的回顾性研究，对其特征性因素进行分析，发现在多个因素中，作案动机、有否预谋、智能障碍程度、社会适应能力以及自我保护能力是法定能力评定的主要参考因素。职业特点、性格特征、既往病史、伴随疾病是次要参考因素。提示其犯罪行为的实施不是单一因素形成的，而是多方面因素作用的结果。