GIRL FRIENDS ARE BETTER: GENDER,FRIENDS, AND CRIME AMONG SCHOOL AND STREET YOUTH*

In recent years, popular media has drawn attention to “mean girls” and their negative treatment of others, particularly other females. But while the attention to girls' aggression and their mistreatment of their peers highlights understudied aspects of female behavior, it neglects the beneficial aspects of female friendship. We argue that compared to relationships with males, friendships with females provide more social control, fewer opportunities and less motivation for offending and may therefore discourage crime. Because an adolescent's gender likely influences the association between the gender of one's friends and crime, we anticipate that the association will be stronger for females than for males. The relationship is also likely affected by the context in which relationships originate; we expect that those that develop in less conventional contexts will have weaker effects on crime. We explore these hypotheses with a comparative analysis of effects of friendships on property crime in two samples of youth: those who live at home and attend school and those who are homeless and spend their days and nights on the street. Our findings support our hypotheses. The relationship between female‐dominated friendship networks and property crime is negative and significant; however, this association is strongest for school females, weaker for school males and females who live on the street, and nonsignificant for homeless males.     

谈刑事现场照片的完整性

刑事现场照相要求照片具有完整性。要得到一套完整的刑事现场照片 ,首先 ,在现场拍照实施之前 ,应通过对现场的“听、看、访”来拟定拍摄计划 ,对现场形成一个系统的、连贯的思维过程 ;其次 ,在具体的实施拍摄计划的过程中 ,可采用相向、回转连续、平行移动、十字交叉等多种方法对现场依次进行概览照相、中心照相、细目照相和方位照相 ;再次 ,应对所拍照片进行连贯性的裱贴 ;最后 ,应对裱贴好的照片加注富有连贯性、逻辑性的注语。     

A linear model of fine enforcement with application to England and Wales

Fines are the most common sanction against criminal offenders in many countries. Economists have developed models for determining the optimal use of fines. Their models, however, generally abstract from problems of fine enforcement and assume that all fines are collected and that enforcement costs are zero. Criminologists and practitioners, on the other hand, have been very much aware of enforcement costs. Imprisonment for fine default is particularly costly and exacerbates the crowded prison conditions that exist in many countries. This paper extends previous economic models by dropping the limiting assumption of zero enforcement costs. The model is estimated using data from England and Wales and is used to evaluate alternative methods and levels of fine enforcement.     

Distinguishing Between Legally and Illegally Produced Gold in South Africa

The identification of gold‐bearing material is essential for combating the theft of gold in South Africa. Material seized in police operations is generally a mixture of gold from different mines, and as such cannot be traced back to a single location. ICP‐OES analysis of material dissolved by acid dissolution provided a database of gold compositions comprising gold from South African mines, illegal gold stolen from the mines, and commercial gold alloys and jewelery. Discrimination between legal and illegal gold was possible due to the presence of Pb, As, Sb, Sn, Se, and Te in the stolen material, elements which are not present in legally produced gold. The presence of these elements is a quick and simple way to distinguish between gold alloys based on refined gold, such as in commercially manufactured jewelery, and gold alloys containing a proportion of unrefined and therefore illegally obtained gold.     

Bounded rationality of identity thieves: Using offender‐based research to inform policy*

Research Summary Data for this study were collected in semistructured interviews with 59 individuals serving time in federal prisons for identity theft. We explore how offenders' experiences and life circumstances affected their subjective assessments of risks and rewards and thus facilitated the decision to engage in identity theft. Our findings suggest that offenders perceive identity theft as an easy, rewarding, and relatively risk‐free way to fund their chosen lifestyles. Policy Implications The findings suggest that several situational crime‐prevention measures may be effective at curbing identity theft. Crime‐prevention programs that are geared toward removing excuses and advertising consequences may be effective in deterring potential offenders. We also recommend that rehabilitation programs for convicted identity thieves be cognitive‐based interventions aimed at changing the way offenders think about their crimes.     

From the economy of deficit to the black-market: car theft and trafficking in Bulgaria

Official and victimisation data show that despite falling rates for motor vehicle thefts, much of the EU ‘organized crime’ related thefts have remained almost stable. Nevertheless, the car-theft market in the EU has changed, and so has the role of traditional destinations for stolen vehicles, such as Eastern Europe. The paper examines the demand, supply, and regulation factors that shape the structures of the vehicle theft market in Bulgaria, and smuggling patterns and offender behaviour in source countries, in particular Spain. We argue that such nuanced historical approach that takes into account a wider range of factors in destination countries can help explain the recent transformations in Europe’s vehicle-theft markets.

The characterization of automobile body fillers

Body fillers are sometimes encountered with paint evidence from hit-and-run accidents. Little forensic research has been conducted and published on the subject since 1986. The objective of this study was to determine if chemical and physical differences in body fillers from various manufacturers existed and could be identified. Thirty-three samples of light-weight automobile body fillers and spot putties were obtained. The fillers and putties were compared using light microscopy, infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (SEM-EDX), and pyrolysis gas chromatography (pyGC). Results from fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis placed the samples into five groups and differentiated six samples. Light microscopy placed the samples into one of five color groups. PyGC placed the samples into three groups and differentiated one sample. SEM-EDX placed the samples into four groups and differentiated 13 samples. Using these analysis methods, 19 of the 33 samples could be discriminated. The best discriminatory tool was found to be SEM-EDX.     

唐律“格杀勿论”渊流考

"格杀勿论"在《唐律》中有3条:第一,允许主家登时格杀"夜无故入人家";第二,允许将吏可以格杀持杖拒捕者或逃犯;第三,允许"旁人"在捕格贼盗、强奸、和奸案时将拒捕者格杀。唐律"格杀勿论"渊源于秦汉甚至更早的法律,经过宋元时期的发展,明律删除"傍人皆得捕系"条,又增加"杀死奸夫"的法律规定。清代,"杀死奸夫"的律条通过不断地增修条例,使奸案中"格杀勿论"的条款更加纷繁复杂。     

论盗窃罪既遂的标准

理论界对盗窃既遂、未遂的标准并未形成一致意见,司法实务界也缺乏科学、统一的标准,影响了法制的统一与公正。有必要从我国刑法理论界关于盗窃既遂、未遂标准的争议入手,结合法理和司法实践经验,分析、界定失控说理论及其相关概念,为统一标准的建立提供参考。     

The Comparability of Data on Convictions and Sanctions: Are International Comparisons Possible?

This article looks at the availability of data on convictions and on sanctions and measures in European countries, on the basis of the European Sourcebook data. It emphasises the limitations in the use that can currently be made of this data, although it has a wide potential in helping to understand criminal justice policy. The differences are, for instance, to be found in offence definitions, statistical rules, and political changes. Moreover the data collection for the Sourcebook on the four categories of sanctions/measures (fines, non-custodial sentences, suspended custodial sentences and unsuspended custodial sentences) was sometimes difficult. Attention is paid to the information collected, the comparability and, as an illustration, to three specific offences (completed homicide, rape and all thefts). The conclusion is that wide differences exist in the level of convictions found and the use of sanctions by the courts. Such differences will reflect both different levels of criminality, diversion away from the courts but also different recording practices. However, even with these caveats what is available does provide a useful starting point in identifying countries on which further research may be carried out.