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Month: January 2019

Rumors and Misconceptions About IUD

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Long-acting reversible contraception (LARC), which includes both subcutaneous implants and intrauterine devices (IUDs), is the most effective form of contraception. Nurse practitioners and physician assistants who are knowledgeable about IUDs and can anticipate the concerns of patients and other providers are well-positioned to increase IUD use. This may help decrease the number of unplanned pregnancies in the United States.

Around the world, rates of IUD usage are high; for instance, rates in Uzbekistan are 50%, in Vietnam 31%, in China 41%, in Egypt 36%, and in Finland 23%. However, in the United States, only 5.2% of women of reproductive age use IUDs. This is despite the fact that methods of LARC are the most effective form of birth control aside from abstinence and have an efficacy rate of more than 99%. Like vasectomy and female sterilization, methods of LARC are rated Tier 1, the most effective form of contraception, by the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention...

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Theories of Organized Criminal Behavior

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In 1993, Medellin cartel founder Pablo Escobar was gunned down by police on the rooftop of his hideout in Medellin, Colombia. At the time of his death, Escobar was thought to be worth an estimated $2 billion, which he purportedly earned during more than a decade of illicit cocaine trafficking. His wealth afforded him a luxurious mansion, expensive cars, and worldwide recognition as a cunning, calculating, and ruthless criminal mastermind. The rise of Escobar to power is like that of many other violent criminals before him. Indeed, as history has shown, major organized crime figures such as Meyer Lansky and Lucky Luciano, the El Rukinses, Jeff Fort, and Abimael Guzman, leader of Peru’s notorious Shining Path, were all aggressive criminals who built large criminal enterprises during their lives

The existence of these criminals and many others like them poses many unanswered questions about the cause and development of criminal behavior. Why are some criminals but not others involved with organized...

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How Mafia Works: An Analysis of the Extortion Racket System

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ABSTRACT

In this document, we will present an analysis of quali-quantitative data on Extortion Rackets in Sicily. The second section provides an introduction to the interpretative framework on Extortion Racket Systems (ERSs). Therefore, the third section takes into account the methodological issues in the collection and analysis of data on extortions. The fourth and five sections offer an analysis on the types of extortion and the correspondent behaviour of the victims, followed by a focus on the process of extortion. An overview of the case-studies analysis on mafia-type organizations ends the document.

1. Executive summary

In the document a summary of quali-quantitative data and analysis on Extortion Rackets in Sicily is presented. Firstly, an introduction to the interpretative framework on Extortion Racket Systems (ERSs) is provided. Connections between ERS and mafia-type organizations, as well as normative questions related to the crime of extortion into the criminal justice system are

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Resisting The Extortion Racket: An Empirical Analys

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Abstract
While the contributions on the organized crime and Mafia environments are many, there is a lack of empirical evidence on the firm’s decision to resist to extortion. Our case study is based on Addiopizzo, an NGO that, from 2004, invites firms to refuse requests from the local Mafia and to join a public list of “non-payers”. The research is based on a dataset obtained linking the current administrative archives maintained by the chambers of commerce and the list updated by the NGO. The objective of this paper is twofold: first, to gather sound data on the characteristics of the Addiopizzo joiners; second to model the probability to join Addiopizzo by a two-level logistic regression model. We find that the resilience behavior is likely to be the result of both individual (firm) and environmental factors. In particular, we find that firm’s total assets, firm’s age and being in the construction sector are...

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Gang Prosecution  Manual 

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Introduction

The National Youth Gang Center estimates that there were approximately 778,000 gang members and 27,000 gangs active in more than 3,550 jurisdictions served by city and county law enforcement agencies in 2007. Gangs remain a serious problem in the United States, and local prosecutors and district attorneys play an important role in addressing gang‐related violence.  The vast majority of violent gang‐related crimes will be prosecuted at the local level by prosecutors in agencies where budgets are tight and resources for training are often minimal. Gang related crimes are, by their very nature, more difficult to prosecute than other sorts of crimes full of interconnected relationships and complex dynamics between rival gangs. Today’s gang member victim may be tomorrow’s perpetrator.  Witnesses and juries may be intimidated by the inherent and implied threat of violence from a gang involved defendant. The awareness and sophistication of court employees and judges in dealing with gangs vary from place to place...

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Preventing Partisan Commitment: Applying Brady Protection to the Civil Commitment of Sex Offenders

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Introduction

On March 8, 2002, Joseph Aaron Edwards appeared before the United States District Court for the District of Arizona. He was found guilty of committing “Sexual Abuse by Use of Force Against a Minor,” and for this crime Edwards faced a prison sentence of eighty-four months with five years of supervised release. Edwards served his punitive sentence as handed down by the federal court; however, less than a week before his release was scheduled, the Chairperson of the Bureau of Prison Certification Review Panel filed a certificate to civilly commit Edwards indefinitely under the federal sex offender commitment statute. Had the government not stipulated to dismiss Edwards’s case three years after his certification, he may have faced the same fate as thousands of other individuals in the United States who have already served time for sexual offenses: an indeterminate period of commitment, ending only after authorities determine that the individual is no longer a threat to society....

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Dysfunctional Family Relationships

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Understanding Dysfunctional Relationship Patterns in Your Family

Many people hope that once they leave home, they will leave their family and childhood problems behind. However, many find that they experience similar problems, as well as similar feelings and relationship patterns, long after they have left the family environment. Ideally, children grow up in family environments which help them feel worthwhile and valuable. They learn that their feelings and needs are important and can be expressed. Children growing up in such supportive environments are likely to form healthy, open relationships in adulthood. However, families may fail to provide for many of their children’s emotional and physical needs. In addition, the families’ communication patterns may severely limit the child’s expressions of feelings and needs. Children growing up in such families are likely to develop low self esteem and feel that their needs are not important or perhaps should not be taken seriously by others. As a result, they may form unsatisfying relationships as adults.....

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Homicide Followed By Suicide: A Cross Sectional Study

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Abstract

Background: Approximately 30 incidents of homicide followed by suicide occur in England and Wales each year. Previous studies have not examined mental health characteristics in any detail.

Aims: This study aims to identify the social, clinical, and criminological characteristics of a national sample of perpetrators, to identify any previous contact with mental health services and to establish risk of suicide after homicide.

Method: A national cross-sectional study of perpetrators in England and Wales 1996–2005.

Results: 203 incidents were recorded over 9 years. The median age of perpetrators was 41 years (range 18–88 years); most were male. Men more often killed a spouse/partner, whilst women more commonly killed their children. Eighty-four (42%) perpetrators died by suicide on the day of the homicide. The most common method of homicide was sharp instrument (44, 23%). Fifty-nine (29%) used hanging as a method of suicide. Twenty (10%) had previous contact with mental health services, 14 were seen within a year of the offence. The most common diagnoses were personality...

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Understanding Risk Of Homicide Among Mental Health Patients

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When we contemplate the association between violence and mental health, caution is warranted before we make assumptions or generate opinions, because of the stigma of violence in mental health; the vast majority of people suffering from mental health difficulties are not violent. Unfortunately, inaccurate beliefs about violence and mental health lead to stigma and even discrimination.

In The Lancet Psychiatry, Cathryn Rodway and colleagues examine the characteristics of a national case series of victims of homicide across England and Wales, specifically the characteristics of homicide victims who were mental health patients. One of the most striking findings of this study is the fact that mental health patients are twice as likely to be victims of homicide than are people in the general population. Furthermore, a third of patient victims were killed by another mental health patient. These findings raise the question as to why these rates were increased in this population. In particular, which factors (both individual and within relationships) put mental health patients at increased risk? Although findings from this study will improve awareness of potential...

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When The Killer Suffers: Post‐traumatic Stress Reactions Following Homicide

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Abstract

Objectives. The present study aimed to consider the extent to which post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) occurs after homicide and to examine characteristics of the offence and the offender which contribute to the development of these symptoms. It was proposed that type of violence (reactive versus instrumental) would be related to PTSD symptoms. Using Blackburn's typology of violent offenders, it was also hypothesized that primary and secondary psychopath, controlled and inhibited types would demonstrate differing forms of violence, prevalences and patterns of post‐traumatic stress symptoms following the homicide.

Method. Eighty homicide perpetrators were allocated equally to the four offender types based on their profiles on the Special Hospitals Assessment of Personality and Socialisation (SHAPS). Each offender completed the Post‐Traumatic Stress Disorder Interview and the violence displayed during the index offence was classified as either reactive or instrumental.

Results. Of the total sample, 52% met criteria for current PTSD. Reactive violence and reporting that the offence was traumatic were related to a current diagnosis of PTSD. Differing prevalences...

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The Crisis of the Party

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Abstract

In recent years, public discourse of ‘problematic’ and excessive alcohol consumption amongst young people has moved dramatically towards a crisis. This was captured by Australian federal government concerns with a binge-drinking epidemic, which resulted in a series of policy interventions such as the National Binge Drinking Strategy between 2008-2009 and 2011-2012, the National Binge Drinking Campaign in 2008-2010 and 70% taxation on ready-to drink or ‘alcopops’ in 2008. Recent state and territory government policies mirror this trend, introducing secondary supply legislation that makes it illegal for a non-guardian to supply alcohol to a person less than 18 years of age. South Australia is now the only state in Australia where the supply of alcohol to minors on private premises is not controlled by law. While significant research attention has been directed towards the issue of violence in the night-time economy, another domain of concern is the ‘uncontrolled’ party. This thesis defines an ‘out of control’ party as a violent, wild, unregulated and ungoverned event...

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Teen Parties: Who Has Parties, What Predicts Whether There is Alcohol and Who Supplies the Alcohol?

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Abstract

This study explores which youth are more likely to have parties at home, what factors are associated with the presence of alcohol at parties, and who supplies the alcohol. We collected data in 2011 and 2012 through telephone interviews with 1,121 teens living in 50 mid-sized California cities. Overall, about a quarter of teens reported having had a party at their house in the past 12 months, of whom 39% reported that there was alcohol at their last party. Multiple sources supplied alcohol for most parties. Seventy-two percent of those having a party stated that at least one of their parents knew about their last party, and 64% reported that a parent was home at least part of the time. Seventy percent of youth who hosted a party with alcohol said that their parent(s) definitely knew that there was alcohol at the party, 24% replied that their parent(s) probably knew, and only 5% said that their parent(s) did not know

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The Risks of Unsupervised Teen Parties

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Responsible parents rarely give permission for their teenagers to have an unsupervised party. Nevertheless, these parties do happen, usually when unsuspecting parents are away from home. These parties frequently attract uninvited teens who learn about the event from mutual friends or from social networking sites. A large crowd of impulsive adolescents can often result in a situation that soon spirals out of control with disastrous consequences that the party organizers never imagined. (ref 7)

Violence
The National Youth Violence Commission claims that more than one in three teens report being in a physical fight within the last two years and that the most violence occurs in the late teens and early 20s. That teenage aggression is exacerbated by alcohol and drugs. The impulsiveness and high emotions of the teen years often lead to violent behavior. Fights often erupt at parties over romantic jealousies. Assaults with knives or guns might occur when trespassers are confronted, and it's not uncommon for deaths to occur at out-of-control teen parties.

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Mislabeled Allegations of Gang Membership and Their Immigration Consequences

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INTRODUCTION

Gang allegations made by law enforcement agents frequently prevent undocumented immigrants from gaining legal status for which they would be otherwise eligible. These allegations, made without any of the hallmarks of due process, also increase the likelihood an undocumented immigrant will be prioritized for deportation or held in immigration detention. Policy makers, elected officials, and even the law enforcement agents who make these gang allegations are often unaware of the immigration effects of these allegations. This report documents the findings of the UC Irvine School of Law Immigrant Rights Clinic (IRC) based on the IRC’s legal representation of affected immigrants, collaboration with community organizations and other legal service providers, interviews with law enforcement agents, and review of scholarly literature. First, the IRC found that gang allegations have a high risk of error as they are primarily made based on the subjective beliefs of law enforcement agents in the field and are usually made without any connection to a specific crime. This high risk of error is corroborated ..

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Consequences of Policing Prostitution

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Introduction

Since 2011, The Legal Aid Society’s Exploitation Intervention Project has represented thousands of individuals, mostly women, charged with prostitution-related offenses across all five New York City boroughs, both before and since the implementation of the human trafficking intervention courts (HTICs), a statewide prostitution diversion court initiative.1 EIP provides direct representation and comprehensive services to people charged with prostitution-related offenses and survivors of trafficking facing prosecution for other offenses in New York City’s criminal courts.In addition to its advocacy in the HTICs, EIP seeks “vacatur,” or clearing, of prostitution-related and other associated offenses from past and present clients’ criminal records when it is understood that those offenses occurred as a result of human trafficking. EIP has been spearheading vacatur efforts for trafficking survivors across New York State and the rest of the country. To date, EIP has used New York’s vacatur law to clear 1,255 criminal convictions for trafficking survivors. From 2015 to 2016, EIP attorneys collected information on sociodemographic characteristics, victimization histories, and service needs...

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Hit-Run Murders: Examination of the Body

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In most homicides a list of suspected persons can be obtained without much difficulty by the investigating officers. The victim's family, friends, or other associates are the most common examples. Hit-run murders, however, present a different problem in that rarely is there any relationship whatever between the victim and the driver of the vehicle.Thus, the police must rely almost entirely on the physical evidence found at the scene and the examination of the victim to furnish any leads to narrow the field of search for the guilty person. We will confine our remarks to the examination of the victim and his clothing as sources of medicolegal information to assist in the investigation. . EXAMINATION AT CRIME SCENE

If at all possible, the medical examiner should visit the death scene, but if he cannot do this, there are certain details which the police investi- gator can furnish the medical examiner that will be of great value in the interpretation of injuries...

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