International Journal of Law Crime and Justice最新文献

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.

This review study examines the administration of criminal justice process during and after COVID-19 era in Nigeria against the backdrop of two competing criminal justice process models: Crime control and Due Process. The outbreak of COVID-19 has pushed many countries, including Nigeria, to either reinforced or altered their criminal justice practices to reflect the reality of COVID-19. Arrest, detention and prosecution of offenders became clearly predicated only on the degree of seriousness and the overall interest of the society as against the previous practice that was predicated on ‘trump up charges’ and at the will and caprices of the operators of criminal justice system. The main question we ask here is: to what extent has COVID-19 mediated and impacted on the administration of criminal justice in Nigeria during and after the pandemic? Qualitative descriptive-narrative approach was adopted to synthesise the various data and sources (review of literature, reports from the media, reflective data and eye witness accounts) to account for what happened both during COVID-19 and post COVID-19 in the practice of criminal justice in Nigeria. Two dominant traditional ideologies/models (Crime Control and Due Process), and the less favoured one (punitive and nonpunitive victims' right models), interfaced at one point or the other and thus defined the character of criminal justice system in Nigeria 19 with crime control model however showing greater effects than others. The implication of our analysis is that during crisis, state and official's response to one of her crucial mandate oscillates and takes a paradigm shift form either mild to critical or severe as the case may be. The three models manifested in pre and COVID-19 criminal justice process eras though, crime control model remains a continuum and the dominant ideology which guides the operation of criminal justice system and process. Further implication is the imperative to improve the system by taking steps towards the direction of the non-punitive model of victims' rights which stresses crime prevention and restorative justice as the future value (ideology) for Nigerian criminal justice system.

This study delves into the critical issue of access to justice in Bangladesh, particularly focusing on the challenges individuals face within the formal criminal justice system. Significant barriers to achieving equal access to justice in the country include socio-economic disparities, corruption, discrimination, and judicial backlogs. The study argues for a nuanced understanding of justice dynamics, emphasizing the conflicts and synergies between formal and informal justice systems. Through an in-depth analysis of secondary data, public perceptions, and qualitative inputs, this research aims to demonstrate the feasibility and potential benefits of incorporating informal justice approaches, such as shalish and village courts, to tackle the identified challenges. The results indicate a substantial preference for local community-based conflict resolution approaches, especially for less serious offenses. To address a wide range of crimes and disputes, this study suggests a hybrid justice model that combines formal and informal mechanisms, promoting a context-specific and community-centered alternative. By engaging communities, offering flexibility, and implementing localized solutions, informal justice could effectively reduce case backlogs, ensure timely resolutions, and enhance social cohesion. This study offers valuable insights into the discourse on criminal justice reform, emphasizing the importance of inclusivity, efficiency, and fairness in transforming the landscape of justice delivery in Bangladesh.

Online romance and investment fraud are growing crimes in Australia by volume and money lost but are also known to attract high levels of victim blame. The Fraud Justice Network (FJN) refers to the multitude of institutions that aim to combat frauds, but little is known about how and how and why professionals within these entities ascribe blame to fraud victims. ‘Ideal victimhood’ is constructed based on the nature and circumstances of the crime and behaviours of victim and offender and can effectively work to create hierarchies of legitimacy among victims. This article presents findings of perspectives and experiences of the FJN in Australia, through fourteen semi-structured interviews with FJN professionals. Thematic analysis found a discrepancy in the way the two types of victims were perceived. Reasons and potential impacts are discussed.

Indigenous communities in Australia have grave concerns about the high rates of incarceration of their young people, and advocate for the need for holistic community-led solutions. This article details the use of administrative data in the evaluation of a model of youth diversion led by an Elders group in a remote community, developed in partnership with a university. The model views effective diversion as addressing all underlying factors driving contact with the justice system for Indigenous young people. The methodology includes linking data from relevant government agencies for holistic understanding of young people's institutional engagement over time, including unmet health, housing, education and disability needs and opportunities for positive pathways. Administrative data has not conventionally been subject to ethical scrutiny nor seen as compatible with community priorities. However, we demonstrate how it can enable communities to investigate questions and build change meaningful to them, and improve evidence and policy.

Conviction rates for rape and serious sexual offences (RASSO) in England and Wales are at an all-time low, with 1.6% of cases resulting in conviction. Whilst officers value victim care, their ability to support victims is compromised by organisational expectations aimed at regaining legitimacy. The authors argue that strategies employed to re-establish legitimacy may conflict with wider public value delivery. They question the application of New Public Management and target setting approaches to evaluate good policing. The paper offers suggestions as to why internal and external legitimacy is required to achieve transformational change and wider legitimacy in RASSO investigations.