Factors associated with desistance from violence in prison: an exploratory study

Desistance from crime has been of increasing interest within criminal justice literature, but desistance from offending behaviour whilst in custodial environments has not yet been investigated. Violence within prison establishments continues to be a significant problem; therefore, this study investigated the factors that are associated with desistance from custodial violence in 63 UK Category C adult male prisoners with a record of violence in prison. Participants completed measures of eight social and subjective factors associated with desistance in community samples. Those who had desisted from prison violence for 12 months or more showed greater levels of pro-social attitudes, agency and resilience than those who persisted in violence. Agency independently predicted desistance and this was particularly the case for younger offenders. Internal shifts appeared to be supported by a positive work environment. It is concluded that in custody an internal shift in perspective is especially important for desistance, and that this can be supported by the social environment. Opportunities to intervene may be greater in younger prisoners. It is recommended that current initiatives in developing agency and positive social interaction, such as Psychologically Informed Planned Environments, are further developed.     

Only a Matter of Time? The Role of Criminal Competence in Avoiding Arrest

While prior research has shown that the probability of detection plays a role in the decision-making of many offenders, much less is known on offenders’ relative success in avoiding arrest. In this study, we draw from detailed criminal career data on 172 offenders involved in lucrative criminal activities to examine the role of criminal competence in the probability of being arrested in a given month. We examine a particular aspect of competence, criminal efficiency, which is defined as the ability to earn a relatively large amount of money for each crime committed. Our research design allows us to disentangle the effect of criminal efficiency as a static trait of offenders from the dynamic variations in efficiency that offenders experience over time. Results show that efficiency is a strong, negative predictor of arrest, both at the static and dynamic levels.     

Health characteristics of older police custody detainees in London,UK

The number of older adults involved in the criminal justice system is rising. Little is known about the state of health in older people who are arrested. This study compared characteristics and health care needs of older police custody detainees with their younger counterparts. The health characteristics of 57 police detainees aged over 50 were compared with 543 younger detainees. Older detainees had significantly higher rates of physical illness and risk of alcohol withdrawal. Although there were equivalent rates of mental disorder and drug taking compared with younger detainees, a higher proportion had presentations consistent with cognitive impairment due to possible dementing processes. Over 80% of older detainees were recommended to have a health assessment in police stations based on their presentation. Police detainees over 50 should be considered to have a health assessment as routine procedure. Further investigation should also be conducted into cognitive impairment in this group.     

Race,criminal justice professionals,and intellectual authority in fictional crime dramas

The purpose of this research is to extend the existing media and crime literature by discussing how minority criminal justice personnel are granted or not granted intellectual authority in fictional crime dramas by their representation as presenters of crime and non-crime fact-based statements. An analysis of 117 episodes from four fictional crime dramas appearing in the top 20 Nielson ratings from 2003 to 2010 indicate that Black characters are not given the same intellectual authority as White characters, and therefore are imbued with less power and status than their White counterparts. In some cases, Black characters are not even given intellectual authority within their respective intellectual fields.     

司法诚信的制约因素及实现路径——以刑事司法为视角

司法诚信是指司法机关和司法人员通过自身诚信的司法活动达成的司法行为和司法结果为公众认可、相信的状态。司法诚信问题从根本上反映的是司法状况与公众司法需求的差距问题。司法诚信问题的成因既有司法主体、法律制度、司法体制等司法活动各内在影响因素方面的问题,也有社会公众、社会发展变化等各外在影响因素方面的问题。着眼于制约司法诚信实现的各影响因素,分析、梳理我国司法诚信问题的状况、成因,并探索解决对策有利于切实提升我国的司法诚信水平。     

Meet the Narco: increased competition among criminal organisations and the explosion of violence in Mexico

Several previous studies have found that interventions by security forces against criminal organisations result in increased violence related to organised crime. However, much less is known about how and why this effect occurs. Our study not only identifies the causal mechanisms that explain this outcome, but also evaluates the empirical validity of these mechanisms. Employing a novel data set, we find that following security-force intervention, the number of criminal organisations increases, and such greater fragmentation in turn raises the incidence of violence among criminal organisations as the relative power of the organisations changes. We employ a mediation model to verify the existence of these causal mechanisms. In addition, we find a decreasing rate of rise in levels of violence as the number of organisations increases.     

刑法方法理论的若干基本问题

刑法方法与具体问题相联系,属于刑法学研究的内容;刑法方法论与世界观相联系,一般地属于法理学研究的内容。每一种方法都有自己的功能,也有自己的局限性,仅仅使用一种方法是无法完整地研究刑法学的。在现代刑法理论的构建中,比较研究方法是值得我国学者特别重视的方法,体系性方法是最重要的方法之一,刑法理想对刑法方法的选择具有根本性的指引作用。从总体上说,综合的方法才是最好的刑法方法。     

罪刑法定与刑法机能之关系

社会保护机能与人权保障机能的统一是刑法的整体价值目标,而不是刑法某一个构成要素的价值目标。认为相对罪刑法定原则具有人权保障和社会保护双重机能的观点,实际上是混淆了刑法的机能与罪刑法定原则的机能,错把刑法的整体机能当成了其构成要素的机能。罪刑法定原则虽然应当服务于刑法的整体价值目标,但是,它却不应该、也不可能直接承载社会保护的价值内容。我国《刑法》第3条从正反两个方面规定罪刑法定原则,将社会保护的内容附加给罪刑法定原则,在一定程度上消解了这一原则的社会法律意义,不利于现代刑法观念的培植。     

未成年人的刑法保护理念与刑法价值

由于未成年人自身的特殊性,未成年人利益应超越固有的社会利益,在刑事立法和刑事司法中重点加以保护。这种未成年人的刑法保护理念体现了公正、秩序、自由和效率等刑法价值。