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Month: April 2018

Psychological Trauma of Crime Victimization

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Psychological Trauma of Crime Victimization

[This paper is drawn from Chapter One of Marlene A. Young, Victim Assistance: Frontiers and Fundamentals, a publication of the National Organization for Victim Assistance. Permission to reprint this paper is granted so long as its source is properly attributed.]

Crime victimization leaves victims, families, and friends—even the community around them—in a state of turmoil. There is often significant financial loss and physical injury connected with victimization. But the most devastating part for most victims is the emotional pain caused by crime and the aftermath. The psychological trauma of victimization can be separated into two phases: the initial crisis reaction to the violation, and the long-term stress reactions it sometimes causes, with the second of these often exacerbated by additional “assaults” by society and its institutions.

I. The Crisis Reaction A. Individuals exist in normal state of equilibrium...

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Discrimination and Outrage: The Migration From Civil Rights to Tort Law

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ABSTRACT

It is not always appreciated that proven discrimination on the basis of race or sex may not amount to a tort and that even persistenracial or sexual harassment may not be enough to qualify for tort recovery. This Article explores the question of whether discriminatory and harassing conduct in the workplace is or should be considered outrageous conduct, actionable under the tort of intentional infliction of emotional distress. In recent years, courts have taken radically different approaches to the issue, from holding that such claims are preempted to treating the infliction tort as a reinforcement of civil rights principles. The dominant approach views tort claims as mere "gap fillers" that should come into playonly in rare cases that do not fit comfortably under other recognized theories of redress. To place the current approaches in perspective and determine the proper location for harassment claims...

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The Forensic Analysis Of Sediments Recovered From Footwear

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ABSTRACT

The forensic analysis of sediments recovered from footwear has the potential to yield much useful information concerning the movements of a person before, during and after a crime has taken place. Three experimental studies and a number of examples of forensic casework provide insight into the complexity of the spatial distribution of geoforensic materials on the soles of footwear and the persistence of these materials over time on the soles and uppers. These findings have implications for both the geoforensic sampling protocols and procedures for footwear submitted for analysis in a criminal investigation and also for the analysis of any materials recovered. The preservation of sediment on a shoe sole will vary, with certain areas generally retaining more sediment than others. The sequential layering of sediments that have been transferred to the shoe will be preserved in some

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The Suspect: A Study in the Psychopathology of Social Standards

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Whoever, by word of mouth, behavior, personal appearance or by any other means suggests that he may be a source of harm, or that he may already have hurt us, is called "suspect." There are suspected persons, suspicious facts and equivocal appearances. Suspicion of imminent danger or injury may attach to any person. The defendant in court suspects the mild and gracious looks of the judge because he has heard that one of these "hanging judges" was "a saintly looking old gentleman with flowing white hair, a white beard, a ruddy complexion and a soft, low voice." Bloody Parker of the United States Court in Fort Smith sentenced one hundred and seventy-two men to death. He had abundant white hair and a benevolent spirit. A man who knew him relates: "Off the bench Parker was a gentle,courtly man whom the people of...

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Allegations Of Profiling: How Much Disclosure Of Investigative Records Is Appropriate? By Roger Rowe

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Background

208 cards are used by police as part of a strategy called the Toronto Anti Violence Intervention Strategy (“TAVIS”) to record information about persons the police consider to be of interest. TAVIS specializes in proactive policing in what it regards as high crime neighbourhoods. The cards include information such as name, address, date of birth, and skin colour.

208 cards are approximately 3” x 5”, printed on both sides, commencing with the words “Person Investigated.” A 208 card is used to record information about a person stopped by the police and includes information such as name, aliases, date of birth, colour, address, contact location, and time. On the back it has a place for “associates,” such as “gangs, motorcycle clubs, drug treatment court.

Typically police stop a resident in a particular community and start questioning them under the guise of....

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