How important are interview methods and questionnaire designs in research on self-reported juvenile delinquency? An experimental comparison of Internet vs paper-and-pencil questionnaires and different definitions of the reference period

There has been relatively little change over recent decades in the methods used in research on self-reported delinquency. Face-to-face interviews and self-administered interviews in the classroom are still the predominant alternatives envisaged. New methods have been brought into the picture by recent computer technology, the Internet, and an increasing availability of computer equipment and Internet access in schools. In the autumn of 2004, a controlled experiment was conducted with 1,203 students in Lausanne (Switzerland), where “paper-and-pencil” questionnaires were compared with computer-assisted interviews through the Internet. The experiment included a test of two different definitions of the (same) reference period. After the introductory question (“Did you ever...”), students were asked how many times they had done it (or experienced it), if ever, “over the last 12 months” or “since the October 2003 vacation”. Few significant differences were found between the results obtained by the two methods and for the two definitions of the reference period, in the answers concerning victimisation, self-reported delinquency, drug use, failure to respond (missing data). Students were found to be more motivated to respond through the Internet, take less time for filling out the questionnaire, and were apparently more confident of privacy, while the school principals were less reluctant to allow classes to be interviewed through the Internet. The Internet method also involves considerable cost reductions, which is a critical advantage if self-reported delinquency surveys are to become a routinely applied method of evaluation, particularly so in countries with limited resources. On balance, the Internet may be instrumental in making research on self-reported delinquency far more feasible in situations where limited resources so far have prevented its implementation.

面向海洋世纪 确立海法研究体系

海上活动的多样化和复杂化以及海洋经济的蓬勃发展,突出了海法研究体系的重要地位。在分析海法的概念、所调整的社会关系、确立海法体系的必要性的基础上,将海法研究体系归纳为三个层次,并分别进行探讨。     

我国政府绩效评估主体研究的现状、问题及发展趋势评析

评估主体研究是政府绩效评估研究中的一个重要领域。评估主体是整个政府绩效评估体系的主导因素,对于政府绩效评估具有重要的价值。近年来,政府绩效评估主体研究虽已取得了一些共识,形成了主导性的研究理论与方法,但与政府绩效评估的现实需要相比还存在较大的差距,所取得的研究成果有限,还需要进一步深化。尤其是需要加强政府绩效评估主体的实证研究、比较研究、量化研究以及基础理论创新研究。     

法律方法与几个相关概念的比较

在我国法学研究中,法律方法、法学研究方法、法学方法论、法律方法论等概念经常被混淆。文章通过比较法律方法与法学研究方法、法律方法与美国的法律方法课程、法律方法与法学方法论(法律方法论)等概念及其所对应的研究领域,阐明我国的法律方法研究,与世界各国法学界与法律界所关注的法律方法,都是围绕法律人实施法律的工作技艺与思想方法而展开的,重点是研究和探讨法律实施中的各种有效且有益的具体制度与思想方式,这一特点决定了它不同于更为宏观的法学研究方法与法学方法论(法律方法论);同时,由于我国开展法律方法研究迫切需要解决的是与我国法律实施相关的问题,因此,我国的特殊性,决定了我国有关法律方法的研究,主要是针对我国法治建设所面临的具体问题,故而,又不同于美国的法律方法课程。正是在与相关概念的区别中,展现出法律方法研究独特的价值。     

公安教育情报研究工作探赜

公安院校招录培养体制的改革,使得公安高等教育面临新的挑战和机遇。公安教育情报研究对公安院校的发展具有重要的作用。公安院校应采取一系列行之有效的措施做好公安教育情报研究工作。     

Mediation Research: A Current Review

In this article, we review the mediation literature from the past decade, utilizing a cybernetic mediation paradigm to organize the material. In this paradigm, we note that the type of conflict, country, culture, and mediation institutions affect the mediation process. Within this process, the mediator and disputants interact with each other, attempting to reach their own goals. This interaction produces outcomes for the disputants, the mediators, and other parties. The literature — organized using this paradigm — indicates that mediation is frequently practiced in many venues; the literature also provides an exhaustive list of mediation goals, describes many mediation strategies, and reports manifold mediation outcomes. Unfortunately, the number of studies examining the relative effectiveness of specific strategies (e.g., pressing, relational, and analytic) seems insufficient. Few studies have used control groups or reported observations of mediator and disputants' behavior in actual mediations.     

A Legacy of Harm: Punitive Drug Policies and Women’s Carceral Experiences in Canada

There is limited research on the gendered impacts of drug policies in Canada, despite the fact that women, Indigenous women in particular, are the country’s fastest growing prisoner population, with many incarcerated for drug-related crimes. This article highlights the results of a larger qualitative study with former prisoners in Ontario and community and medical experts from across the country. Focusing on the women research participants, we consider the lack of adequate and culturally-relevant substance use and harm reduction programming in federal prisons, and suggest a reformulation of Canada’s punitive drug policies toward a health and social welfare approach.     

Building from the ground up: exploring forensic mental health staff’s relationships with patients

Recovery-orientated care is becoming generally accepted as the best practice, and continued development in the ways it is practiced is necessary to ensure improvement of ongoing care. Forensic patients often experience double stigmatization (the dual stigma of mental illness and offending behaviour) and during admission to hospital may lose touch with their community supports. While working through their personal recovery, patients develop therapeutic relationships with their multidisciplinary team members. When positive, these relationships can enhance a patient’s recovery. Clinical staff members participated in 88 in-depth interviews, which were transcribed, reviewed, and analysed using thematic analysis. From analysing the data, main themes and subthemes emerged related to staff’s perceptions of therapeutic relationships. When developing relationships, staff need to overcome receptiveness issues by increasing trust through understanding their preconceptions, reducing stigma, sharing innocuous stories, and giving patients the time they need. The key pillar underpinning all traits ascribed to patients and staff is collaboration and approaching treatment protocols with a social approach is essential to enhancing recovery. Staff shared a holistic view of recovery that incorporated the benefits of positive relationships and the need to create a sense of home within the institution.     

“‘That’s a damn good officer any day of the week’: inmates’ perceptions of correctional officers”

Correctional scholars have suggested that research describing the world of imprisonment can help illuminate some of the consequences of incarceration, specifically how individuals experience incarceration and the ways in which these experiences effect their reentry and reintegration into society. The present study examines the perceptions, daily interactions, and relationships between prison inmates and correctional officers from the perspectives of those who have been incarcerated. Qualitative, in-depth interviews of men released from Texas prisons focus on former inmates’ personal experiences and perceptions toward correctional officers while serving time.     

QuEChERS方法在法医毒物分析领域的研究进展

在中毒或疑似中毒案件中,毒物鉴定对于提供侦查线索与犯罪证据、澄清案件性质、还原犯罪过程具有重要意义。基于液液萃取和分散固相萃取原理而建立起来的QuEChERS方法,由于其快速、简单、廉价、高效、可靠、安全等优势,正逐渐应用于法医毒物分析的样品前处理过程中。本文综述了QuEChERS方法的基本原理及其在提取和净化等过程中的优化改进,重点详述近年来QuEChERS方法在法医毒物分析领域的应用现状,并对未来发展方向进行展望。