CHANGES IN CRIMINAL OFFENDING AROUND THE TIME OF JOB ENTRY: A STUDY OF EMPLOYMENT AND DESISTANCE

Does employment promote desistance from crime? Most perspectives assume that individuals who become employed are less likely to offend than those who do not. The critical issue has to do with the timing of employment transitions in the criminal trajectory. The turning point hypothesis expects reductions in offending after job entries, whereas the maturation perspective assumes desistance to have occurred ahead of successful transitions to legitimate work. Focusing on a sample of recidivist males who became employed during 2001–2006 (N = 783), smoothing spline regression techniques were used to model changes in criminal offending around the point of entry to stable employment. Consistent with the maturation perspective, the results showed that most offenders had desisted prior to the employment transition and that becoming employed was not associated with further reductions in criminal behavior. Consistent with the turning point hypothesis, we identified a subset of offenders who became employed during an active phase of the criminal career and experienced substantial reductions in criminal offending thereafter. However, this trajectory describes less than 2 percent of the sample. The patterns observed in this research suggest that transition to employment is best viewed as a consequence rather than as a cause of criminal desistance.     

A 21‐Locus Autosomal SNP Multiplex and its Application in Forensic Science

To develop a cost‐effective technique for single‐nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping and improve the efficiency to analyze degraded DNA, we have established a novel multiplex system including 21‐locus autosomal SNPs and amelogenin locus, which was based on allele‐specific amplification (ASA) and universal reporter primers (URP). The target amplicons for each of the 21 SNPs arranged from 63 base pair (bp) to 192 bp. The system was tested in 539 samples from three ethnic groups (Han, Mongolian, and Zhuang population) in China, and the total power of discrimination (TPD) and cumulative probability of exclusion (CPE) were more than 0.99999999 and 0.98, respectively. The system was further validated with forensic samples and full profiles could be achieved from degraded DNA and 63 case‐type samples. In summary, the multiplex system offers an effective technique for individual identification of forensic samples and is much more efficient in the analysis of degraded DNA compared with standard STR typing.     

Bombing Alone: Tracing the Motivations and Antecedent Behaviors of Lone‐Actor Terrorists,,

This article analyzes the sociodemographic network characteristics and antecedent behaviors of 119 lone‐actor terrorists. This marks a departure from existing analyses by largely focusing upon behavioral aspects of each offender. This article also examines whether lone‐actor terrorists differ based on their ideologies or network connectivity. The analysis leads to seven conclusions. There was no uniform profile identified. In the time leading up to most lone‐actor terrorist events, other people generally knew about the offender's grievance, extremist ideology, views, and/or intent to engage in violence. A wide range of activities and experiences preceded lone actors' plots or events. Many but not all lone‐actor terrorists were socially isolated. Lone‐actor terrorists regularly engaged in a detectable and observable range of activities with a wider pressure group, social movement, or terrorist organization. Lone‐actor terrorist events were rarely sudden and impulsive. There were distinguishable behavioral differences between subgroups. The implications for policy conclude this article.     

GC Analysis of Black Gel Pen Ink Stored under Different Conditions

In many criminal and civil cases in China, the most commonly questioned documents are those written with gel pen ink. An important task for forensic document examiners is to identify whether two or more ink entries in one or more documents were written with the same ink type. The identification of the age of gel ink entries made poses an important and difficult problem for forensic document examiners. In this paper, the volatile components of gel ink were determined and the gel ink was classified by gas chromatography with a flame ionization detector. Calibration curves were created to express the relationship between the content of volatile gel ink components and the age of gel ink entries stored under natural and UV‐induced aging conditions. The correspondence between the natural and UV‐induced aging conditions was also established. The experimental results showed that GC was useful in the analysis of black gel ink and applicable for determining the relative age of gel ink entries under certain conditions.     

Determination of Acetamiprid and IM‐1‐2 in PostMortem Human Blood,Liver, Stomach Contents by HPLC‐DAD

An HPLC‐DAD method was developed to detect and quantify a neonicotinoid insecticide acetamiprid (ATP) and its metabolite IM‐1‐2 in autopsy samples of a fatal intoxication case. The postmortem blood and tissue distribution of ATP and IM‐1‐2 was determined for the first time. The method showed acceptable precisions and recoveries with relative standard deviations of <10% for ATP level and 1.38 % for IM‐1‐2. The detection and quantification limits for ATP were 0.015 μg/mL and 0.030 μg/mL for blood and were 0.035 μg/g and 0.050 μg/g for liver samples, respectively. The mean contents of ATP were 0.79 μg/g in the liver, 47.35 μg/g in the stomach contents and 2.7 μg/mL in the blood. IM‐1‐2 content was 17.0 μg/g in the stomach contents. ATP and IM‐1‐2 were not detected in the urine. The presence of ATP and IM‐1‐2 in the samples was confirmed by GC‐MS. The method can be exploited in future forensic casework.     

Infrared Spectra of U.S. Automobile Original Finishes (Post – 1989). VIII: In Situ Identification of Bismuth Vanadate Using Extended Range FT‐IR Spectroscopy,Raman Spectroscopy,and X‐Ray Fluorescence Spectrometry

Chrome Yellow (PbCrO₄·xPbSO₄) was a common pigment in U.S. automobile OEM finishes for more than three decades, but in the early 1990s its use was discontinued. One of its main replacements was Bismuth Vanadate (BiVO₄·nBi₂MoO₆, n = 0–2), which was commercially introduced in 1985, as this inorganic pigment also produces a very bright hue and has excellent outdoor durability. This paper describes the in situ identification of Bismuth Vanadate in automotive finishes using FT‐IR and dispersive Raman spectroscopy and XRF spectrometry. Some differentiation of commercial formulations of this pigment is possible based on far‐infrared absorptions, Raman data, and elemental analysis. The spectral differences arise from the presence or absence of molybdenum, the use of two crystal polymorphs of BiVO₄, and differences in pigment stabilizers. Bismuth Vanadate is usually not used alone, and it is typically found with Isoindoline Yellow, hydrous ferric oxide, rutile, Isoindolinone Yellow 3R, or various combinations of these.     

The Successful Recovery of Low Copy Number and Degraded DNA from Bones Exposed to Seawater Suitable for Generating a DNA STR Profile

A universal method allowing for DNA profiling from bones exposed to seawater has not been reported yet. This study refers on the identification of a body immersed in seawater for 8 months. The biological material for identification was the mandibular body, usually characterized by low success rates of DNA analysis. Initially, two extraction protocols were performed with negative results: one used for bones immersed in fresh water and a silica‐column procedure. A third protocol was performed, which combined the extraction of a higher amount of bone powder, the use of multi‐silica‐based extraction columns followed by a concentration step. This protocol allowed to obtain low copy number DNA and to generate a 12‐loci STR profile by combining conventional STR typing and mini‐STR technologies. This protocol could be suitable when human bones have been exposed to severe environmental conditions, and the available nuclear DNA is highly degraded and in low copy number.     

Evaluation of a Headspace Solid‐Phase Microextraction Method for the Analysis of Ignitable Liquids in Fire Debris

The chemical analysis of fire debris represents a crucial part in fire investigations to determine the cause of a fire. A headspace solid‐phase microextraction (HS‐SPME) procedure for the detection of ignitable liquids in fire debris using a fiber coated with a mixture of three different sorbent materials (Divinylbenzene/Carboxen/Polydimethylsiloxane, DVB/CAR/PDMS) is described. Gasoline and diesel fuel were spiked upon a preburnt matrix (wood charcoal), extracted and concentrated with HS‐SPME and then analyzed with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The experimental conditions—extraction temperature, incubation and exposure time—were optimized. To assess the applicability of the method, fire debris samples were prepared in the smoke density chamber (SDC) and a controlled‐atmosphere cone calorimeter. The developed methods were successfully applied to burnt particleboard and carpet samples. The results demonstrate that the procedure that has been developed here is suitable for detecting these ignitable liquids in highly burnt debris.     

论强制医疗启动程序决定主体

强制医疗制度是国家医疗保健制度的有机组成部分,强制医疗有广义与狭义之分。狭义的强制医疗,如实施危害行为的精神病患者、甲类传染病患者等;广义的强制医疗,包括预防接种、指定医保单位就医等。强制医疗程序启动的决定主体必须是国家赋予相应权力的机关,其他任何单位不具有这样的权力,因而无权决定强制医疗程序启动。强制医疗主体的确定取决于强制医疗对象的危害程度、广度及时间等因素。     

专利许可中价格限制的反垄断法分析

专利许可中的价格限制是许可人对被许可人实施许可专利而制造的专利产品销售价格的限制。专利许可中的价格限制可能对竞争产生影响,多数国家的反垄断法对这一行为表现出不同形式的关注。但多数坚持合理原则,即在界定相关市场的基础上,详细分析诸多涉案因素,综合衡量限制竞争与相关效率之利弊,做出最终判断。我国在制定相应指南时,应在坚持合理原则的基础上,强化指南的可操作性,寻求立法一般规定的具体化,形成有针对性的特殊规则,对初次销售价格限制与转售价格限制做区别对待,并在宏观上恰当协调和衔接价格法、专利法与反垄断法的相关规定。