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Criminal Groups and Transnational Illegal Markets

February 9, 2019July 8, 2017 by admin

Abstract

In the study of organised crime, the traditional view of criminal groups as centrally controlled organisations has been replaced by the notion of criminal networks. However, little use has been made of concepts and theories of social networks that have developed in other social sciences. This paper uses concepts from social network theory to describe and tentatively explain differences in social organisation between criminal groups that perform three types of transnational illegal activities: smuggling and large-scale heroine trading, trafficking in women, and trading stolen cars. Groups that operate in the large-scale heroin market tend to be close-knit, cohesive and ethnically homogenous. Groups active in the trafficking of women have a chain structure, while those that operate in the market for stolen cars are characterised by three clusters of offenders in a chain. Both groups are less cohesive than criminal groups in the large-scale heroin market. The differences in social organisation between the three types of illegal activities appear to be related to the legal...

Contract Killings in Australia

February 10, 2019July 8, 2017 by admin

Introduction

The typical homicide in Australia is that of a male aged in his early to mid thirties who in an uncontrollable rage following some type of menial argument stabs another person, usually another male friend or acquaintance, to death. In such one-on-one interactions, the lethal outcome is rarely premeditated, but rather the spontaneous overreaction to a conflict situation. Moreover, there is the direct link between the victim and offender and most importantly, why the offender may have wanted to kill the victim. Important in understanding the context of homicide are the many reasons or motives associated with it, as well as the offender-victim relationship (Mouzos 2000; Polk 1994; Wolfgang 1958). Often a reason or motive can be derived from the offender-victim relationship. A proven motive, whilst not necessary to secure a conviction for murder, provides a sound basis for proving intent to kill and for contextualising the crime. Similar to the scenario described above, a traditional notion of homicide invokes the thought of ...

Afro-Lineal Organized Crime

February 10, 2019July 8, 2017 by admin

INTRODUCTION

The public, media, and even most law enforcement officials, have traditionally associated the term “organized crime” with Italian ethnic criminal syndicates, commonly called La Cosa Nostra (LCN) or the Mafia. To counter this narrow point of view, the State Commission of Investigation (SCI or Commission) has, for some time, emphasized that LCN, while a serious problem, represents only part of the organized underworld which preys on New Jersey and the rest of the country. Among the criminal groups which should receive more attention than they have in the past are those of African ethnic background. Such Afro-lineal organized crime -- composed exclusively or predominantly of persons of African ancestry -- includes criminal syndicates of African-Americans, Jamaicans, Nigerians and others. The neglect of this problem stems, in part, from the erroneous stereotype that African ethnic groups lack the stability to organize and are not capable of structuring a syndicate of any consequence. In addition, law enforcement resources are limited, and they have been devoted...

Criminal Networks | Canada

February 9, 2019July 8, 2017 by admin

Introduction

This report on criminal networks is divided into three parts dealing with the following elements:
Criminal organizations are both networks and businesses. This report, however, deals more with criminal networks than with businesses
Criminal organizations, when viewed as networks, have characteristics common to other social networks, but also have specific characteristics that largely relate to the fact that these organizations are criminal businesses
The self-protection measures undertaken by criminal networks, as well as the limiting of knowledge, make combatting the networks difficult. The fact remains, however, that strategic elements for this fight have been suggested by criminal network specialists.

Criminal Businesses and Networks

In his article on organized crime, McIllwain (1999) claims that three paradigms have been used to define and understand this phenomenon. The first paradigm suggests that organized crime consists of viable organizations, which reflects the institutional approach that was dominant in the 1960s. The second is opposite to this institutional approach, instead portraying organized
crime as being...

Media Interaction With The Public In Emergency Situations: Four Case Studies

February 11, 2019July 7, 2017 by admin

Emergency situations arise from a wide variety of natural and man-made events ranging from earthquakes and hurricanes to domestic disturbances and terrorist strikes to nuclear power accidents and airplane crashes. Information about these events can be disseminated by several means, but one of the most important channels for communicating information about emergency situations is the modern mass media. Despite reservations that may be expressed about their ability to play the role of communicator impartially, the media transmit considerable information about the circumstances and hazards of emergencies to a wide audience. In attempting to understand how the media function, it may be useful to describe journalists' work in terms of three types of "games."1 These "games" help conceptualize the ways in which the media generally handle the information they pass forward to the public. The first game may be termed the "gatekeeper game" in which a newsroom, as an organization, sets the rules and packages "the news" for its readers. Journalists decide what...

Crime, Media, Culture

January 6, 2019July 7, 2017 by admin

Abstract

An unresolved research question regarding crime and justice policy is the relationship between an individual’s media consumption and their support for punitive and preventive criminal justice policies. The relationship between media, crime, and justice is under-examined in countries other than the United States and Britain and the relationship between media and criminal justice policy support remains less than fully understood in all locales. In response, an examination of a media policy relationship in a Western democracy not previously studied was conducted. Based on data from an October 2005 national telephone survey of Trinidad and Tobago residents, this study measured support for punitive and preventive criminal justice policies in association with crime and justice media consumption and worldviews. Multivariate analysis showed that, for Trinidadians, support for punitive policies was significantly related to perceiving television crime dramas as realistic and crime news as accurate. For preventive policy support, the same media factors plus the level of exposure to crime dramas on television were significant. Overall, media were found...

The Effective Use of the Media in Serious Crime Investigations

February 10, 2019July 7, 2017 by admin

1. Introduction

Media handling in serious crime investigations is a complex issue. On the one hand, the media provide excellent access to the general public and can help generate important information for an enquiry. On the other hand, the media can sap the resources of an investigation, mislead the public, and interfere with the investigative and legal processes. As with other areas of policy-making in a serious crime investigation, it is the Senior Investigating Officer (SIO) who is ultimately responsible for deciding the overall media strategy. Even though the SIO will be advised by the relevant media specialist and guided by force policy, the handling of the media in the broadest sense has been identified as a critical skill of the SIO (Adhami and Browne, 1996). This report examines media handling in major crime investigations and the development of effective media strategies, so as to produce useful advice for future SIOs. The study forms part of PRC’s Serious Crime Research Programme, which is... .

Study to Examine The Links Between Organised Crime and Corruption

January 6, 2019July 7, 2017 by admin

Targets of corruption

Due to the big differences among Member States’ institutions, the criminal structures in the EU take advantage of corruption in a variety of ways. In some countries (IT, BG, RO), ‘political patronage’ creates a vertical system of corruption that functions from top to bottom in all public institutions: administrative apparatuses, the judiciary and law enforcement (i.e. police and customs). In other countries politicians, magistrates, and white-collar criminals form closed corruption networks that are not systematic in nature. White-collar crime at the middle level of government bureaucrates is common (at various degrees of intensity) to almost all member states. In countries with low level of corruption, the cases are sporadic. The most wide-spread and systematic forms of corruption targeted by organised crime is associated with the low-ranking employees of police and public administration. Organised crime also targets tax administrations, financial regulators and any other regulatory body that might impact criminal activities, but in a less systematic and significant way. ...

Nonlethal Self-defense, (Almost Entirely) Nonlethal Weapons, And The Rights To Keep And Bear Arms And Defend Life

February 12, 2019July 7, 2017 by admin

INTRODUCTION

Owning a stun gun is a crime in seven states and several cities. Carrying irritant sprays such as pepper spray or Mace is probably illegal in several jurisdictions. Even possessing irritant sprays at home is illegal in Massachusetts if you’re not a citizen, and in several states if you’re under eighteen (even if you’re sixteen or seventeen).

Yet in most of these jurisdictions, people are free to possess guns in the same situations where stun guns or irritant sprays are illegal. So deadly devices are fine. But say you have religious, ethical, or emotional objections to killing, or don’t want to risk accidentally killing an innocent bystander, or don’t want your children to potentially have access to a deadly weapon. Not wanting to kill, and knowing that stun guns and irritant sprays pose at most a very small risk of death, you get a stun gun (which over 198,000 civilians have apparently done) or an irritant spray. Then you’re a criminal. In public places within some other jurisdictions,

Distribution of Crime

January 7, 2019July 7, 2017 by admin

Why Does Aging Out Occur?

• Despite the debate over variance and invariance, “aging out of crime” is a general pattern.
• Explanations: Young people are risk-takers and thrill-seekers, whereas aging individuals become more concerned with ties to conventional society, families, and long-term rewards.“Aging out” and Three Strikes Laws
• Three strikes laws create longer mandatory prison sentences for second and third time offenders. • By the time an individual has received their second and third strike offense, they may be “aging out” of their criminality.

Part III. Gender

• Official police data and surveys suggest that males are much more likely to be offenders. For example, victim studies show that 80% of offenders are males. URC arrest ratio is about 3 male offenders to every one female, and 6 to 1 for violent crimes.
• Self-report data show smaller differences. Is this because of different types of crime?

Understanding White Collar Crime

February 12, 2019July 7, 2017 by admin

§ 1.01 Defining “White Collar Crime”

Criminologist and sociologist Edwin Sutherland first popularized the term “white collar crime” in 1939, defining such a crime as one “committed by a person of respectability and high social status in the course of his occupation.” Sutherland also included crimes committed by corporations and other legal entities within his definition. Sutherland’s study of white collar crime was prompted by the view that criminology had incorrectly focused on social and economic determinants of crime, such as family background and level of wealth. According to Sutherland’s view, crime is committed at all levels of society and by persons of widely divergent socio-economic backgrounds. In particular, according to Sutherland, crime is often committed by persons operating through large and powerful organizations. White collar crime, Sutherland concluded, has a greatly-underestimated impact upon our society. Sutherland’s definition is now somewhat outdated for students of the criminal law. As white collar crime began to capture the attention of prosecutors and the public in the mid-1970s,..

Automated External Defibrillators Can Save Lives During Cardiac Emergencies

February 11, 2019July 7, 2017 by admin

If you look around an office building, a restaurant, a shopping center, or most public buildings, you may notice a small box hanging on the wall labeled “Emergency Defibrillator.” Inside this box is an AED, an automated external defibrillator. An AED provides an electric shock to a person experiencing cardiac arrest. While AEDs come in many different shapes and sizes, depending on the manufacturer, the basic components of every AED are a charging box with a lithium battery and an electrode pad to that delivers the electric charge to the person in need.

Fortunately, most AEDs that you see will never be used. However, The University of North Carolina School of Medicine is not taking any chances. Even though the majority of their 18 medical school buildings are within a stone’s throw of the world-class UNC Hospitals, they are installing an AED on the main floor of every building that does not already have one.

Paula Miller, MD, Associate Professor and Director of UNC Cardiac

Differences in Diagnostic Approach Between Family Physicians and Other Specialists in Patients with Unintentional Body Weight Loss

February 12, 2019July 7, 2017 by admin

Abstract

Background. Unintentional weight loss is a diagnostic dilemma with diverse diagnostic possibilities for physicians.

Objectives. Our study focused on the evaluation of differences in diagnostic approach between family physicians and physicians in other specialties.

Methods. Outpatients who visited National Taiwan University Hospital from January 1996 to December 1996 with unintentional weight loss of 5% or more within 6 months were recruited by a computer search. All data were obtained from a structured medical record audit.

Results. There was no significant difference in the utilization of common diagnostic laboratory tests between the two groups. However, other specialists ordered more carcinoembryonic antigen tests (P < 0.01) and hepatitis B antigen tests (P < 0.05), but fewer upper gastrointestinal tract barium studies (P < 0.05) than family physicians. For patients without a definite final diagnosis, the diagnostic total costs for laboratory tests and imaging studies were lower for family physicians than other specialists (P < 0.01). For patients with biomedical disorders, the diagnostic cost was not significantly different between the two groups. For patients

Comparison of Pattern of Breathing with other measures of Induction of Anaesthesia, using Propofol, Mehohxital, and Sevoflurance

February 11, 2019July 7, 2017 by admin

We assessed change of the pattern of breathing as a marker of induction of anaesthesia, using a method of maintaining spontaneous breathing throughout the induction period. We compared this index with a measure used clinically, the lash re¯ex, and measures used for drug investigations such as loss of grip of an object, cessation of ®nger tapping, and loss of arm tone. Ninety female patients (mean age 32 (17±63) yr, mean weight 63 (10) kg) were randomly allocated to induction of anaesthesia using propofol, methohexital, or sevo¯urane. The i.v. agents were given by slow injection estimated to give an induction dose (for weight drop end point) in 90 s.Sevo¯urane was given by progressively increasing the inhaled concentration to 8% so that induction should occur within 90±120 s. We measured time to change in breathing pattern, loss of voluntary ®nger tapping, loss of the lash re¯ex (tested at 15 s intervals), loss of postural tone in an...

ACPA Medications & Chronic Pain Supplement 2007

February 10, 2019July 7, 2017 by admin

INTRODUCTION

For over a quarter century, the American Chronic Pain Association, a non-profit, tax exempt organization, has offered a support system for people with chronic pain through education in pain management skills and self-help group activities. To learn more about the ACPA and how to become a member, please visit our web site at www.theacpa.org, or call the National Office at 800-533-3231. The ACPA Medications & Chronic Pain 2007 Supplement is updated yearly and includes web links for certain medications and relevant Internet sites of interest. Generic names are primarily listed with brand names in parentheses. This supplement is not meant to serve as medical advice for your condition or regarding your medication needs. Remember that the best source of information about your health and medication needs is from an open dialogue with your treating doctor. Prescription medications are lawfully available only from a health care professional licensed to prescribe them. Do not use them unless prescribed for you by such an individual...