International Journal of Law Crime and Justice最新文献

This study focuses on identifying factors that, from the perspective of prisoners, contribute to positive perceptions of rehabilitation (correction) in prison. A survey was conducted of 645 soon-to-be-released inmates (530 males and 115 females) in five institutions, with questions covering demographics, incarceration details, access to social services, and personal values. The research revealed that male inmates tended to hold more positive views on penitentiary rehabilitation than female inmates. However, it was observed that the rigidity of the prison regime and the existence of chronic illnesses among inmates negatively influenced these positive perceptions towards rehabilitation. Furthermore, the implementation of diverse rehabilitation-focused initiatives by non-governmental organisations (NGOs), coupled with an awareness of rights and responsibilities and the presence of strong family values, has been linked to fostering positive perceptions of rehabilitation. These findings highlight the critical need for enhanced cooperation between non-governmental organisations and prison facilities, as well as the introduction of social work practices within Kazakhstan's prison system. Policymakers should consider these factors when designing evidence-based rehabilitation strategies, emphasising the utilization of social work technologies.

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic which first broke out in Wuhan, China in December 2019 undoubtedly created a novel health challenge for countries around the world. The federal and some state governments in Nigeria in a bid to contain the spread of the virus and manage a looming health emergency pronounced lockdown measures at different times in 2020. The lockdown which affected the routine activities of citizens forced families and friends to stay indoors while it lasted. This was in compliance with the movement restriction order of the government which empowered law enforcement agencies to prosecute violators. While health authorities and other stakeholders made concerted efforts to control the coronavirus disease, some deviants and criminals exploited the situation to commit heinous crimes. The Nigerian media reported several cases of child and adolescent sexual abuse; including incest during the lockdown. This study used narrative review to examine the patterns of child and adolescent sexual abuse (CASA) during the COVID-19 lockdown in Nigeria. It found that CASA is often hidden, and can occurred online. It also revealed that CASA is perpetrated often by males as well as close relatives and have mainly females as victims. Furthermore, it found that perpetrators used manipulation, coercion and threats to facilitate the abuse. The study recommends strategies that may assist in forestalling the sexual exploitation of minors and young people during lockdowns and how to assist victims who may suffer post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among other pains.

After years of feminist struggle, international conventions, and the #MeToo movement, consent-based rape laws have rapidly been replacing coercion-based laws across Europe since 2017. In May 2023, we identified 20 European consent-based rape laws, and more were in progress. This article analyses the emergence and convergence of these laws, drawing on the theory of institutional isomorphism. The analysis is based on a collection of criminal codes, draft laws, news articles, previous research, and input from national experts. We map a timeline of consent-based rape laws in Europe and describe their key elements, identifying patterns such as international pressure, influential countries, civil society impact, and cases of sexual violence triggering national debates preceding legislative changes.

The crime of endangering rare and endangered wild animals has gradually become frequent crimes in China, but the legal cognitive error in such cases has not been resolved. In this crime, the scope of the objects, wild animals, depends on prepositive laws such as “the List of Wild Animals under the State Key Protection Plan”, which leads to the separation between the social meaning of “rare and endangered” and the legal meaning of “under the State Key Protection Plan”. Since the structure of basic facts and normative values has been broken, the perpetrator's understanding of the precondition laws should be regarded as pure legal cognition. Considering the specific cognitive difficulty of administrative laws, the level of this mens rea should be raised to clear awareness. This paper examines judicial and prosecutorial cases in China from 2021 to 2022, aimed at determining whether the lack of illegal perception can serve as a defence and what type of evidence is required to prove it. The empirical findings indicate that the clarity of legal cognition differs significantly between cases of guilt and innocence, and that the most crucial proof relies on the perpetrator's comprehension of the scope of protected wildlife, which is a purely legal matter instead of a social one.

In-prison offending and victimization threaten the safety of incarcerated individuals and staff, which makes it an important topic for correctional research. Prior research has generated substantial knowledge about individual and environmental characteristics that heighten the risk of in-prison offending and victimization. The victim-offender overlap and the situational dynamics of incidents, however, are still under-researched. This essay proposes that the study of in-prison offending and victimization would benefit from adoption of an incident-level approach. This recognizes that incidents can escalate and de-escalate depending on persons involved and their (re)actions, and that victimization and offending are often linked. It is discussed how criminological theories and methods on crime and victimization outside prisons can be adapted for this purpose.

This study investigated how Chinese police engage with the public via WeChat to manage their image, communicate risks, and enhance legitimacy. Drawing on supervised machine learning and topic modeling of 162,981 posts by 31 provincial capital Chinese police forces on WeChat from 2013 to 2020, this study categorized three periods, encompassing six types of posts: image building, civil service, political broadcasting, crime broadcasting, crime prevention advocacy, and others. The results demonstrated a significant decline in image management posts during the pandemic, as the police prioritized risk communication. The research also highlights the increased use of political broadcasting posts during crucial political events. Furthermore, image management posts constitute a substantial portion of image-building content, while civil service posts increasingly emphasize risk communication, especially during the pandemic. In conclusion, the study provides valuable insights into the evolving presentation strategies of Chinese police on WeChat, revealing their multifaceted use of social media.

This study aimed to examine a subgroup of Turkish firesetters diagnosed with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) for their motives, individual and offense-related characteristics and courses of action, and their association with expert assessment of criminal responsibility. A cohort of 50 arsonists with SSD, who underwent assessment for criminal responsibility by the Council of Forensic Medicine in Turkiye between 2009 and 2022, was analyzed using a comprehensive retrospective file review. Multivariate analyses indicated that being female, older, experiencing hallucinations at the time of the offense, having a primary diagnosis of SSD other than psychotic disorder not otherwise specified, and no prior convictions were associated with a higher likelihood of being found not criminally responsible. Singling out a definitive profile of SSD arsonists without criminal responsibility is challenging. Our findings, based on forensic expert assessments, suggest that positive psychotic symptoms and criminal history play crucial roles in determining criminal responsibility in this group.

Background

Most studies on the effect of covid-19 lockdowns on children have focused on those in regular family settings and in-school children. Research on the experiences of street children during lockdown are scarce. Our study seeks to fill this gap by exploring the negative effects of lockdowns on street children in a commercial city in South-South Nigeria, and how they coped with these effects.

Method

Using purposive sampling technique, we recruited twenty-four street children for the semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was used in identifying specific themes on the effect of COVID-19 lockdown on street children.

Results

All children interviewed reported direct adverse socioeconomic effects of COVID-19 lockdown. Also, they reported being victimised by law enforcement agents and adult street actors. Their public perception as a ‘diseased category’ capable of COVID-19 transmission contributed to stigma and eviction from places of abode, a situation that exposed some female street children to sexual violence. Street children coped with economic effects of lockdown through exploring further opportunities for income generation.

Conclusion

Street children bear a disproportionate effect of COVID-19 lockdown. There exists a need to prioritize their needs as well as include them in social protection measures for COVID-19.

Optimal forager theory (OFT) initially emerged from ecological studies, elucidating how foraging organisms seek resources. In recent decades, this ecological theory has migrated to the realm of criminology, where it is used to identify burglary offenders and inform crime analysis. Several police services employ optimal forager theory-based analysis to guide hotspot patrol interventions aimed at reducing domestic burglary. Crime displacement resulting from hotspot interventions has been a subject of debate, with approximately a quarter of cases experiencing some form of displacement, the underlying reasons for which remain unclear. This study postulates that the presence of the optimal forager typology of offender may be one contributing factor. To test this hypothesis, we analyze the cumulative crime diffusion and displacement effects of ten optimal forager theory-inspired hotspot interventions employing the weighted displacement quotient (WDQ) technique (Bowers and Johnson, 2003) and the Cambridge harm index (CHI) (Sherman et al., 2016). The findings reveal the interventions' marked efficacy in reducing domestic burglary within response areas. However, this reduction is overshadowed by the substantial spatial and offense displacement they induce, encompassing both crime count and harm. These results provide insights into the proportion of hotspot interventions that trigger crime displacement, and policy implications for the choice and selection of crime reduction strategies. Supported by ecological studies of optimal foragers, we argue that this phenomenon stems from the exceptional motivation of foraging offenders and their inclination toward anti-detection behavior, specifically, relocating to alternative crime areas.

Without a doubt, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted the landscape of human life across the globe. It may further lead to a substantial behavioral change in individuals, including the pattern of criminal victimization victimization. Although some previous studies suggested that there was a crime drop in Western societies after the pandemic outbreak, the effect of the pandemic on crime rates in the non-Western context was still vague. Therefore, the present study analyzed the police-recorded data in Hong Kong, a city in the south side of China that continued to enact a "dynamic zero covid" control of positive cases. In line with the previous studies, traditional crime, such as assaults in Hong Kong, dropped steadily after the pandemic outbreak. Yet, surprisingly, the overall crime rate alternatively increased amid the pandemic which is mainly attributed to the surge in cybercrime, especially deceptions and blackmail. This paper thus warrants more thorough investigations of the change in routine activities to the virtual world and the risks of cyber victimizations. Limitations and policy implications were discussed.