Investigative techniques in the field of Criminal Law.
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Forensic Dentistry↗
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Results for “CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION”
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Psychopathy and violent recidivism among young criminal offenders.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the predictive validity of psychopathic personality traits (assessed with the revised psychopathy checklist, PCL-R; Hare, 1991) for violent criminal recidivism among young offenders. METHOD: The relationship between PCL-R psychopathy and violent re-offending was studied in 98 young (M=18.40, range 15-20 years) violent and sex offenders subjected to forensic psychiatric evaluation in Sweden during 1988-95. Subjects were followed during detainment and for 24 months in the community to first reconviction for a violent offence. RESULTS: We found a modest but significant association between PCL-R scores and violent recidivism, almost exclusively accounted for by behavioural criteria. Among 13 possible confounders tested, conduct disorder before age 15 and a young age at first conviction eliminated the relationship between psychopathy and violent recidivism in pair-wise logistic regression models. CONCLUSION: PCL-R psychopathy may be a less valid predictor for violent criminal recidivism among severe youthful offenders than among adult offenders.
Adolescent↗
Validities and abilities in criminal profiling: the dilemma for David Canter's Investigative Psychology.
This article discusses misconceptions in Bennell, Jones, Taylor, and Snook's (2006) critique of Kocsis (2003a) concerning the validities and abilities surrounding criminal profiling. It also, in part, serves to canvass the approach of investigative psychology and what may be viewed as an imperative for some of its proponents to challenge evidence into the validity of criminal profiling, which is not easily reconcilable with that ideology.
Crime↗
Quo vadis, BGA? A collaborative EDNAP exercise on the challenges and progress in forensic biogeographical ancestry inference.
There is a broad consensus that forensic tests for the prediction of externally visible characteristics (EVC) and analysis of biogeographic ancestry (BGA) of an individual are technically reliable. However, interpretation of the results and population-specific genotype distribution patterns remains challenging. EVC and BGA analyses provide valuable information for population genetics studies and as investigative leads for criminal cases, as well as for historical and contemporary identification tests. However, inaccurate or incorrect predictions, for example, from subjective bias in the interpretations made, have the potential to misdirect police investigations. The legal situation regarding EVC and BGA testing varies by country: ranging from countries where it is explicitly prohibited, to those without specific regulations on biogeographic ancestry prediction, and others that have already enacted laws governing its use. The reluctance to utilize these analyses is not only due to legal restrictions and data protection concerns, but also to initial limited sets of sufficiently comprehensive forensic DNA assays. Forensic BGA marker panels typically contain up to ∼300 SNPs. This relatively small number of genetic markers, along with limited reference population data, complicates the interpretation of results from donors of unknown origin. This paper presents the results of a collaborative EDNAP study, which, for the first time, evaluated the approach to reporting EVC and BGA data between international laboratories. For the study, DNA from nine individuals with self-reported ancestry was collected and analysed using various forensic panels differing in the number and composition of ancestry-informative markers genotyped, comprising: the Precision ID mtDNA Whole Genome Panel, the VISAGE Basic Tool and the VISAGE Enhanced Tool for Appearance and Ancestry Prediction, and the Ion AmpliSeq™ PhenoTrivium Panel. To ensure full data protection, all SNP genotypes and uniparental marker haplotypes obtained were not shared with third parties. Instead, the genetic data were analysed using a range of commonly used population analysis software packages. These analysis outcomes were then distributed to twelve European forensic laboratories (both academic and law enforcement institutions), who were asked to prepare reports based on their interpretation of the phenotypes and ancestry they inferred from the analysis data. A questionnaire sent alongside the genetic information, aimed to evaluate which difficulties were encountered by the participants in processing the BGA analysis data they were given.
Humans↗
Child abduction: aged-based analyses of offender, victim, and offense characteristics in 550 cases of alleged child disappearance.
Crimes against children, particularly cases involving abduction and/or homicide, continue to be problematic as both a social phenomenon and judicial responsibility. Such cases routinely receive immense community and media attention and rapidly overwhelm investigative resources. Research in the area of childhood victimization, however, has only recently gained national prominence. While numerous studies on child abuse and neglect have been conducted, research on child abduction and homicide remains scant. Previous studies examining child abduction suffer from limited geographical scope or fail to base predictive analyses on victim characteristics. The current study reports the results of a nationally representative sample (47 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico) of 550 cases of alleged child abduction obtained from Federal Bureau of Investigation files for the period 1985 through 1995. Study results demonstrate that both offender and offense characteristics vary significantly according to victim age, gender, and race. Such differences appear critical to crime reconstruction, criminal profiling, and investigative resolution. Additionally, these data suggest that current child abduction prevention programs may emphasize inaccurate offender traits.
Adolescent↗
When does evidence of eyewitness confidence inflation affect judgments in a criminal trial?.
Two studies investigated perceptions of eyewitness confidence inflation: increases in a witness's confidence between the time of the identification and the trial. Experiment 1 (N = 90) demonstrated that, for White participants, assessments of the strength of the defense case, the eyewitness's view, and participants' confidence in the eyewitness's accuracy were more favorable to the defense when there was evidence that the eyewitness's confidence increased over time (mere inflation condition), compared with a control condition. In addition, assessments of the defendant's guilt and the eyewitness's accuracy were more favorable to the defense when the eyewitness was aggressively challenged about the change in her confidence report (inflation + challenge). Experiment 2 (N = 360) demonstrated that, for Hispanic participants, sensitivity to confidence inflation did not interact with manipulations of the eyewitness's or defendant's race (White vs. Hispanic). In addition, the confidence inflation effect did not replicate with the Hispanic participants. Results are interpreted in terms of the ingroup bias in legal judgments and directions for future research.
Analysis of Variance↗
The state versus amyloid-beta: the trial of the most wanted criminal in Alzheimer disease.
Investigators studying the primary culprit responsible for Alzheimer disease have, for the past two decades, primarily focused on amyloid-beta (Abeta). Here, we put Abeta on trial and review evidence amassed by the prosecution that implicate Abeta and also consider arguments and evidence gathered by the defense team who are convinced of the innocence of their client. As in all trials, the arguments provided by the prosecution and defense revolve around the same evidence, with opposing interpretations. Below, we present a brief synopsis of the trial for you, the jury, to decide the verdict. Amyloid-beta: guilty or not-guilty?
Aging↗
An epidemic of mysterious cardiopulmonary arrests.
Over a six-week period, a striking increase in the incidence of cardiopulmonary arrests occurred at the Ann Arbor Veterans Administration Hospital, Criminal administration of a muscle-paralyzing agent was implicated. An epidemiologic investigation les to a description of the classic features of an epidemic; time, place, person, agent and mode of transmission. Control of the agent and susceptible patients led to cessation of the epidemic. Although the perpetrator was not specifically identified, the concurrent criminal investigation was aided by the data developed in the medical investigation. On the basis of this experience, we propose a surveilliance mechanism for early detection of increased critical incidents, such as cardiopulmonary arrests, and a scheme for systematically examining similar events.
Disease Outbreaks↗
The role of head injury in cognitive functioning, emotional adjustment and criminal behaviour.
In two investigations, 50% of non-violent convicted felons, who avoided incarceration by participating in a day reporting programme, reported a prior history of head injury and current problems in cognitive and emotional functioning. Only 5% of a college sample in the first investigation and 15% of a community sample in the second investigation reported prior head injury. In a third investigation, 83% of felons who had reported a history of head injury also reported a date for their head injury that preceded the date of their first encounter with law enforcement. Some participants reported no trouble with the law until after experiencing a head injury that occurred in their late thirties. Considering the research reported here and elsewhere in the literature, it appears that many serious crimes follow a head injury. One implication of the findings reported here is that many crimes might not occur if people with head injury were given prompt and comprehensive treatment after the injury.
Adaptation, Psychological↗
Violence: the relation between seriousness of injury and outcome in the criminal justice system.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relation between injury severity in assault, offence seriousness, and outcome in the criminal justice system. METHODS: Prospective random sample of 93 assault victims who attended hospital were interviewed and examined and followed through the criminal justice system. Patient and police interviews were carried out at Bristol Royal Infirmary accident and emergency and outpatient departments, wards, and in Avon police stations and criminal courts. Severity of injury (injury severity score [ISS] assessed by the major trauma outcome study group), offence seriousness (Delphi panel of criminologists), and outcome in the criminal justice system were recorded. RESULTS: Median ISS was 4 (range 1-17). There was no significant correlation between ISS and outcome in the CJS (rs = 0.07). There was a weak correlation between offence seriousness and outcome (rs = -0.24, P = 0.019). CONCLUSIONS: Outcome in the criminal justice system was not predictable from injury severity scores and was only weakly linked to offence seriousness. Contacts with medical services are opportunities for protecting those at risk of violence.
Adolescent↗
The role of forensic investigations in genocide prosecutions before an international criminal Tribunal.
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Australia↗
Novaco Anger Scale: reliability and validity within an adult criminal sample.
This study investigated the reliability and validity of the Novaco Anger Scale (NAS; Novaco, 1994) with two groups of correctional offenders, General Admissions and Violent Admissions. Predominantly White male offenders (N = 204), ranging in age from 18 to 69 years, participated in the study. One-month test-retest reliability for the General Admissions group ranged from .78 to .91 using both similar (paper-pencil) and dissimilar (computerized) retesting methods, with lower scores occurring on retest. Significantly lower scores were found for the Violent Admissions group as compared with the General Admissions group. Concurrent validity was examined in the Violent Admissions group using three anger/aggression measures and clinical ratings of eight anger dimensions. Stronger correlations with other similar anger measures than with negative affect indices revealed concurrent and discriminant validity. Implications for clinical use in an offender population are discussed.
Adolescent↗
[Result of urgent investigation into the actual condition of serious criminal patients hospitalized after psychiatric evaluation in conformity with the mental health welfare law].
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Adult↗
[Development in the incidence of abortions in recent years. Investigations and calculations concerning the incidence of criminal abortions prior to and after the Danish abortion law of 1970].
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Abortion, Illegal↗
Forensic drug intelligence: an important tool in law enforcement.
Organised criminality is a great concern for national/international security. The demonstration of complex crimes is increasingly dependant on knowledge distributed within law-enforcement agencies and scientific disciplines. This separation of knowledge creates difficulties in reconstructing and prosecuting such crimes. Basic interdisciplinary research in drug intelligence combined with crime analysis, forensic intelligence, and traditional law enforcement investigation is leading to important advances in crime investigation support. Laboratory results constitute one highly dependable source of information that is both reliable and testable. Their operational use can support investigation and even provide undetected connections or organisation of structure. The foremost difficulties encountered by drug analysts are not principally of a chemical or analytical nature, but methodologies to extract parameters or features that are deemed to be crucial for handling and contextualising drug profiling data. An organised memory has been developed in order to provide accurate, timely, useful and meaningful information for linking spatially and temporally distinct events on a national and international level (including cross-border phenomena). Literature has already pointed out that forensic case data are amenable for use in an intelligence perspective if data and knowledge of specialised actors are appropriately organised, shared and processed. As a particular form of forensic case data, the authors' research focuses on parameters obtained through the systematic physical and chemical profiling of samples of illicit drugs. The procedure is used to infer and characterise links between samples that originate from the same and different seizures. The discussion will not, however, focus on how samples are actually analysed and compared as substantial literature on this topic already exists. Rather, attention is primarily drawn to an active and close collaboration between magistrates, forensic scientists, law enforcement investigators and crime analysts from different institutions with the aim of generating, using and validating relevant profiling case data as integral part of investigative and crime analysis processes. Original advances are highlighted through experiences from criminal investigations of offences related to the unlawful importation, exportation, supply and possession of illicit drugs.
Journal Article↗
Male adolescent sex offenders against children: similarities and differences between those offenders with and those without a history of sexual abuse.
This study compares a defined sample of male adolescents (n = 36) with regard to their personal development, family characteristics and the types of offence they committed. Adolescent sex offenders with (n = 16) and without (n = 20) a history of sexual abuse who had offended against children were investigated during ongoing criminal proceedings by means of questionnaires and intelligence tests. The most important characteristic that distinguishes the two groups from each other is the more frequent absence of the parents of adolescents who committed sexual offences against children and had a history of sexual abuse. The consequences to be drawn from these results with regard to aggressive sexual delinquency in adolescence are discussed and suggestions are made with regard to further avenues of investigation.
Adolescent↗
Prevalence of criminal offending by men and women with intellectual disability and the characteristics of offenders: implications for research and service development.
The investigation of the relationship between criminal offending and the presence of an intellectual disability (ID) is problematic for two main reasons. First, because of problems associated with the definition of 'ID' and secondly, because much criminal offending goes undetected or unreported, and studies can only investigate those already involved with the criminal justice process. Studies using IQ as a continuous variable indicate that significantly below-average intellectual ability is an independent predictor of future offending. Whilst people with ID may be over-represented in parts of the criminal justice system, given the intellectual and other psychosocial disadvantages which they experience, the level of offending behaviour in this particularly vulnerable group is strikingly low. The present authors propose that two broad groups of people can be identified. The first, broader, group is one of people for whom social disadvantage and mental ill health (particularly substance abuse), coupled with a significant intellectual impairment, are the main characteristics. Secondly, there is a smaller group of people, usually already known to ID services as service users, but for whom the process whereby what might have been conceptualized as 'challenging behaviour' becomes 'offending' is far from clear. The distinction the present authors make between challenging behaviour and offending is important for understanding how 'difficult' behaviour becomes identified as 'antisocial/criminal behaviour'. They argue that research needs to move from prevalence and descriptive studies to investigating the processes which determine movement in and out the criminal justice system. The present political emphasis on public protection and proposals for significantly broader mental health legislation raise the danger of a re-expansion of institutional models of care, rather than the development of multi-agency support networks. The present paper underscores a note of caution, particularly where choices have to be made between expanding institutional models on the one hand and providing more integrated services on the other. Over and above policy decisions, these are social and political choices.
Comorbidity↗
Reductions in criminal convictions after addiction treatment: 5-year follow-up.
Changes in criminal convictions were investigated among 1075 clients admitted to 54 drug misuse treatment services across England as part of the National Treatment Outcome Research Study (NTORS). Convictions data during the year prior to treatment, and at 1 year, 2 years, and 5 years after treatment intake were collected from the Home Office Offenders' Index, a national database of all convictions in adult and youth courts. Clinical data were collected by face-to-face interviews at intake to treatment, and at follow-up 1 year, 2 years, and 4-5 years after admission to treatment. During the year prior to treatment, 34% of the sample had been convicted of at least one offence. Conviction rates at all follow-up points were significantly lower than at intake. During the year prior to the 5-year follow-up, 18% of the sample had been convicted of at least one offence. Statistically significant reductions in the mean number of convicted offences were also found between treatment intake and 5-year follow-up. Reductions in convictions were found for acquisitive, drug selling, and violent crimes. Reductions in crime were associated with reductions in regular heroin use, age, and with stable housing. The results replicate previously reported findings of crime reductions among the NTORS cohort as indicated by self-reported measures of offending behaviour. The observed reductions in crime among drug misusers after treatment represent substantial changes in behaviour and have considerable personal, social and clinical significance. Reduced criminality also provides substantial economic benefits to society.
Adolescent↗