An Overview of Criminological Research on Violence in Slovenia

This paper presents a survey of Slovene criminological research on violence since Slovenia's independence in 1991. The authors reviewed all research projects conducted at the Institute of Criminology at the Faculty of Law in Ljubljana and the College of Police and Security Studies (now Faculty of Criminal Justice, University of Maribor) and other academic institutions in Slovenia. This paper shows the prevailing studied forms of violence in contemporary Slovenian society and research methods used to reveal the dimensions and the extent of all kinds of violence.     

Occupational Accidents from an EU Perspective: Is There a Place for the Principle of Freedom of Choice?

Abstract:  It is evident that one of the most crucial issues concerning the future of European integration is that between social rights and market freedoms. This article is aimed at investigating whether, within a EU law perspective, there exists a legal basis on which the introduction of the freedom of choice as a ruling principle could be founded within the highly sensitive sector of social protection and occupational accidents. In order to answer this question, this article will focus on two aspects of the subject matter. The first concerns the 'reality and myth' of the potential of EU competition law to interfere with Member States' competence in organising their social security systems, particularly as it relates to occupational accidents. The second, the question of health and safety, which at present appears to be an EU Commission priority, may provide a useful starting point in order to avoid a partisan answer to our question. The conclusion is that the potential of EU competition law to interfere is a reality, and not a myth, and the health and safety issue appears to be a crucial element in excluding a pure market model based on the freedom of choice.     

India,Pakistan, and the Kashmir dispute: unpacking the dynamics of a South Asian frozen conflict

Asia Europe Journal - The Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan remains at the core of one of the most intractable conflicts in modern history. This article provides a plausibility probe into...     

An unusual case of random fire-setting behavior associated with lacunar stroke

A case of a 47-year-old man with a sudden onset of a bizarre and random fire-setting behavior is reported. The man, who had been arrested on felony arson charges, complained of difficulties concentrating and of recent memory impairment. Axial T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging showed a low intensity lacunar lesion in the genu and anterior limb of the left internal capsule. A neuropsychological test battery revealed lower than normal scores for executive functions, attention and memory, consistent with frontal lobe dysfunction. The recent onset of fire-setting behavior and the chronic nature of the lacunar lesion, together with an unremarkable performance on tests measuring executive functions two years prior, suggested a causal relationship between this organic brain lesion and the fire-setting behavior. The present case describes a rare and as yet unreported association between random impulse-driven fire-setting behavior and damage to the left internal capsule and suggests a disconnection of frontal lobe structures as a possible pathogenic mechanism.