Alessandro Orsini. Anatomy of the Red Brigades: The Religious Mind-Set of Modern Terrorists

ABSTRACT

Those who study terrorism are familiar with the claim that suicide attacks are the most lethal form of terrorism today. Suicide attacks kill more people on average than non-suicide attacks, thereby justifying why terrorist organizations use this costly method of attack and explaining in part why suicide tactics have proliferated. However, extant empirical support for this claim is largely insufficient, focusing only on macro-level analysis of lethality data. Using data from the Global Terrorism Database, this study examines variation in lethality among suicide and non-suicide attacks based on geographic location, attack type, and target/victim type. It also introduces a new metric—the lethality ratio—to measure costs and benefits of attacks in terms of lives lost. It finds that, although suicide tactics are generally more lethal than non-suicide tactics, they also come at greater costs to the organization. This analysis also finds behavior that is inconsistent with the premise that terrorist groups are focused on maximizing lethality while reducing costs in all cases; that despite certain advantages, suicide attacks may remain a suboptimal tactic from the perspective of the terrorist group; and that additional criteria may help explain why suicide tactics are used.     

A Clinical Trials Recruitment Education Program for Immigrant Chinese Americans

Abstract

This study was designed to develop and evaluate a community-based education program to facilitate enrollment of immigrant Chinese into clinical cancer screening trials. The program included workshops with culturally tailored health education materials. It was piloted to recruit persons into an ongoing lung cancer screening trial from a senior citizen center in Manhattan's Chinatown and compared with a control program at a second senior center. Survey results from a convenience sample of seniors showed that the workshop raised awareness about cancer screening and clinical trials. However, it did not change attitudes towards cancer screening. The results highlighted prior focus group findings in which factors influencing participation in cancer screening and clinical trials are similar. Important facilitative factors include doctor recommendation, friend/family recommendation, the belief that early detection could “save lives,” no cost, and having an-interpreter.     

Criminal Court-Ordered Psychiatric Evaluations:Does Gender Play a Role?

This study examines potential gender differences among defendants referred by criminal courts for psychiatric evaluations by analyzing demographic, clinical, and criminal history variables and evaluation findings. This study offers a large sample size of 718 females, as well as 3,627 males. Bivariate logistic regression and heterogeneity analyses were utilized to assess potential differences. Females were older; diagnosed more with mood, anxiety, and borderline personality disorders; less likely to have prior felony convictions; and more likely to be in the community than jail at the time of the evaluation. In addition, when controlling for other factors, females were more likely to be evaluated as having a mental disease or defect, to need hospitalization pending trial, and to be incompetent to stand trial.     

香港“武力使用教官训练课程”对公安院校警务技战术教学的启示

香港警察被誉为亚洲"最优秀的警队",其高质量的警务实战训练在国际警坛上享有盛誉。为保持训练效果,香港警务处枪械训练科设置了为期42天的"武力使用教官课程班",目的在于培养素质高超的警务实战教官,为实战训练服务。与香港警方的武力使用训练课程相比较,内地公安院校的警务技战术教学仍存在较多需要改进的地方。应借鉴香港武力使用教官课程训练内容,提升公安院校警务技战术教学水平。     

论台湾地区的交付审判制度

2002年,台湾地区在建立改良式当事人主义的总体目标下,以德国的强制起诉制度和日本的准起诉制度为蓝本,于《刑事诉讼法》中创设了交付审判制度,以监督、制衡检察官的不起诉权限。不过,该制度自创设以来,不论是学说上对其违反控审分离原则的批评,还是对其一连串具体制度运行可行性的质疑,都使这一制度陷入了困境。因此,在研究交付审判制度时,除了对这一制度加以介绍外,对其进行适度的反思也是必不可少的。     

民事庭审程序中的若干问题研究

民事庭审是整个诉讼活动的核心,庭审制度改革是诉讼改革的契机和重要内容,其成败直接关系到司法公正与诉讼效率问题。因此对于集中审理和举证时限的关系、法庭调查和法庭辩论的分立、法庭调查的控制以及法官认证等问题从理论和实践层面进行分析,对于民事庭审程序改革具有十分重要的意义。     

Long‐Run Labor Market Effects of the Job Corps Program: Evidence from a Nationally Representative Experiment

Job Corps is the nation's largest and most comprehensive career technical training and education program for at‐risk youth ages 16 to 24. Using the sample from a large‐scale experiment of the program from the mid‐1990s, this article uses tax data through 2015 (20 years later) to examine long‐term labor market impacts. The study finds some long‐term beneficial effects for the older students, with employment gains of 4 percentage points, 40 percent reductions in disability benefit receipt, and 10 percent increases in tax filing rates in 2015. For these students, program benefits exceeded program costs from the social perspective. This study is the first to establish that a national program for disconnected youth can produce long‐term labor market gains, and can be a positive investment made for society. The results suggest that intensive, comprehensive services that focus on developing both cognitive and noncognitive skills are important for improving labor market prospects for this population.     

The Use of the MacCAT-CA with Adolescents: An Item Response Theory Investigation of Age-Related Measurement Bias

Despite the application of the MacCAT-CA to juveniles, questions been raised regarding the appropriateness of this tool for adolescents. The current study tested for age-related measurement bias using data from the MacArthur Juvenile Adjudicative Competence Study (n = 1393). Five of the MacCAT-CA items showed age-related measurement bias (i.e., DIF) for adolescents aged 11–15, and three items showed DIF for adolescents aged 16–17. Several items (e.g., understanding of juries) were more difficult for adolescents than adults matched at the same latent level of capacity, suggesting that these items might underestimate adolescents’ legal capacities. Contrary to expectations, there was little evidence of age-related measurement bias on the Appreciation scale. The use of the MacCAT-CA in research and clinical settings is discussed.

三种刑事审判对象模式之比较研究

英美法系诉因模式的基本特点是刑事审判对象是诉因,法官和检察官原则上无权变更诉因;大陆法系公诉事实模式的基本特点是刑事审判对象是公诉事实,法官有权在公诉事实同一的范围内变更指控罪名;日本公诉事实同一下的诉因模式的基本特点是刑事审判对象是诉因,检察官有权在公诉事实同一范围内变更诉因。三种刑事审判对象模式之间的差异导致它们在不同诉讼价值的实现上各有优劣,刑事审判对象模式上的差异根源于审判方式上的差异。随着审判方式的相互吸收和融合,刑事审判对象模式之间的差异逐渐变小。     

论宋代刑事审判权的制约机制

宋代刑事审判制度尽管在一般层面上仍未跳出封建式刑事审判制度的巢臼,但在具体制度的建构上却呈现出有别于中国封建社会其他朝代的独特风貌.宋代刑事审判制度的显著特点在于强调对刑事审判权的制约.可以说,宋代刑事审判权制约机制的设计和运行为确保刑事审判权的正确行使和刑事案件的公正处理莫定了坚实的基础.