Assurance of the quality of expert reports

The operation of forensic chemical laboratories is investigated from the point of view of reliability, approaching the question from both practical and theoretical aspects. Questions of methodology such as the validation and continuous quality control and quality assurance of the expert's activity, the fulfilment of the legal requirements concerned with the operation of an expert organization are all discussed and backed up by a wide selection of reference.     

Are UK undergraduate Forensic Science degrees fit for purpose?

In October 2009 Skills for Justice published the social research paper ‘Fit for purpose?: Research into the provision of Forensic Science degree programmes in UK Higher Education Institutions.’ The research engaged employers representing 95% of UK Forensic Science providers and 79% of UK universities offering Forensic Science or Crime Scene degree programmes. In addition to this, the research collected the views of 430 students studying these degrees. In 2008 there were approximately 9000 people working in the Forensic Science sector in the UK. The research found that the numbers of students studying Forensic Science or Crime Scene degrees in the UK have more than doubled since 2002–03, from 2191 in to 5664 in 2007–08. Over the same period there were twice as many females as males studying for these degrees. The research concluded that Forensic Science degree programmes offered by UK universities were of a good quality and they provided the student with a positive learning experience but the content was not relevant for Forensic Science employers. This echoed similar research by the former Government Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills on graduates from wider science, technology, engineering and mathematics degree programmes. The research also found that 75% of students studying Forensic Science or Crime Scene degrees expected to have a career in the Forensic Science sector, meaning that ensuring these courses are relevant for employers is a key challenge for universities. This paper reflects on the original research and discusses the implications in light of recent government policy.     

Forensic mental health assessment in France: Recommendations for quality improvement

The quality of forensic mental health assessment has been a growing concern in various countries on both sides of the Atlantic, but the legal systems are not always comparable and some aspects of forensic assessment are specific to a given country. This paper describes the legal context of forensic psychological assessment in France (i.e. pre-trial investigation phase entrusted to a judge, with mental health assessment performed by preselected professionals called “experts” in French), its advantages and its pitfalls. Forensic psychiatric or psychological assessment is often an essential and decisive element in criminal cases, but since a judiciary scandal which was made public in 2005 (the Outreau case) there has been increasing criticism from the public and the legal profession regarding the reliability of clinical conclusions. Several academic studies and a parliamentary report have highlighted various faulty aspects in both the judiciary process and the mental health assessments. The heterogeneity of expert practices in France appears to be mainly related to a lack of consensus on several core notions such as mental health diagnosis or assessment methods, poor working conditions, lack of specialized training, and insufficient familiarity with the Code of Ethics. In this article we describe and analyze the French practice of forensic psychologists and psychiatrists in criminal cases and propose steps that could be taken to improve its quality, such as setting up specialized training courses, enforcing the Code of Ethics for psychologists, and calling for consensus on diagnostic and assessment methods.     

News,Talk, Opinion,Participation: The Part Played by Conversation in Deliberative Democracy

Deliberative democracy can be defined as a political system based on citizens' free discussion of public issues. While most scholars have discussed deliberative democracy normatively, this study attempts to test the validity of a model of deliberative democracy through examining the interrelationships among its four components: newsmedia use, political conversation, opinion formation, and political participation. Sufficient empirical evidence was found to support the hypotheses that (a) news-media use is closely associated with the frequency of political conversation in daily life both at general and issue-specific levels; (b) willingness to argue with those who have different opinions is influenced by majority perceptions and by news-media use and political talk; (c) news-media use and political conversation have positive effects on certain measures of the quality of opinions (argument quality, consideredness, and opinionation) and perhaps on opinion consistency; and (d) news-media use and political conversation are closely associated also with participatory activities, but more so with "campaigning" than "complaining."     

DNA evidence in South Africa: Lessons learned to date

A trend was noted over the past 15 years in the South African courts. This trend has a multi-factorial origin and highlights the problems faced in the use of forensic science evidence in court. Although there have been improvements on how DNA evidence is gathered and presented in court, due to the fact that certain cases have been contested at the DNA evidence level, multiple issues remain that have not yet been addressed when DNA evidence is submitted to court. These issues include: accreditation, regulation of the forensic science profession, continued education, training of court officials, quality assurance, biased testimony, lack of transparency with regard to processes and procedures followed in the forensic community, incorrect interpretation of DNA evidence, lack of scientific knowledge (including the scientific method) by DNA experts, awareness by the legal profession and an over emphasis on the prosecuting perspective. These same aspects continue to plague current cases. Despite the above, the window of opportunity to address the above has not yet passed. However, it will take continuous and concerted efforts from the scientific and legal professions to bring about the appropriate change to facilitate justice for all in South Africa.     

新时期公安院校学员人文素质培养的路径探析

公安院校对学员进行人文素质的培养是公安教育本质的体现,将人文教育融入警务教学中,充分发挥人文教育功能,这也是公安学科素质教育不可或缺的重要内容.新时期,我国公安教育中人文素质培养还存在着一些问题.在公安教育中,公安职业技能培养和社会人文素质教育对学员成才的影响是互助关系,公安院校应以转变教育思想为先导,构建以人文素质为主的特色警务课程,通过加强公安专业课堂教学与对学员进行警察人文教育的有机结合,以全方位育人的理念来提升公安院校学员的综合素质.     

The Essential Factors of TQM Principles Implementation in Small Industries in Indonesia

The research aims to describe and identify Management） principles in small industries in the essential factors in implementation of TQM （Total Quality Indonesia. It was conducted by explorative and qualitative methods. Assessment of the implementation of TQM principles is done using the EFQM （European Foundation for Quality Management） Excellence Model. The result shows that the principles of TQM have been implemented in small industries in Indonesia especially in small industries which have QCC （Quality Control Circle）. This implementation is supported by evidences in each principle. The implementation of TQM in small industry should be done through a process of adaptation, which is important because each organization is tailored, so each organization will differ in implementing TQM.     

把素质教育融入《大学语文》教学之中

把素质教育融入《大学语文》教学之中,对提高语文的教学有着极为重要作用。     

企业青工“提素导航”规划活动的探索与思考

人力资源是企业实现跨越式发展的重要因素,在新形势下,企业在人才队伍的培养方面发展空间依然很大.实施青年"提素导航"规划活动,全面提高青工队伍的整体素质,不断丰富、发展和增强企业的人力资本,是团组织主动适应企业发展对人才的要求,顺应青年职工对成才发展的愿望的一项重要工作.     

加入WTO背景下我国政府公务员素质的提高

当前,我国公务员素质与政府加入WTO存在很大的差距,主要表现为自我封闭性较强,服务意识和服务能力不到位,法治观念淡薄和业务素质亟待提高。为此,全局观念、服务意识、法制观念和专业素质是政府加入WTO后我国公务员迫切需要达到的目标。