Forensic science and the paradigm of quality

Due to various contexts and processes, forensic science communities may have different approaches, largely influenced by their criminal justice systems. However, forensic science practices share some common characteristics. One is the assurance of a high (scientific) quality within processes and practices. For most crime laboratory directors and forensic science associations, this issue is conditioned by the triangle of quality, which represents the current paradigm of quality assurance in the field. It consists of the implementation of standardization, certification, accreditation, and an evaluation process. It constitutes a clear and sound way to exchange data between laboratories and enables databasing due to standardized methods ensuring reliable and valid results; but it is also a means of defining minimum requirements for practitioners' skills for specific forensic science activities. The control of each of these aspects offers non-forensic science partners the assurance that the entire process has been mastered and is trustworthy. Most of the standards focus on the analysis stage and do not consider pre- and post-laboratory stages, namely, the work achieved at the investigation scene and the evaluation and interpretation of the results, intended for intelligence beneficiaries or for court. Such localized consideration prevents forensic practitioners from identifying where the problems really lie with regard to criminal justice systems. According to a performance-management approach, scientific quality should not be restricted to standardized procedures and controls in forensic science practice. Ensuring high quality also strongly depends on the way a forensic science culture is assimilated (into specific education training and workplaces) and in the way practitioners understand forensic science as a whole.

Conviction Statistics as an Indicator of Crime Trends in Europe from 1990 to 2006

Convictions statistics were the first criminal statistics available in Europe during the nineteenth century. Their main weaknesses as crime measures and for comparative purposes were identified by Alphonse de Candolle in the 1830s. Currently, they are seldom used by comparative criminologists, although they provide a less valid but more reliable measure of crime and formal social control than police statistics. This article uses conviction statistics, compiled from the four editions of the European Sourcebook of Crime and Criminal Justice Statistics, to study the evolution of persons convicted in European countries from 1990 to 2006. Trends in persons convicted for six offences -intentional homicide, assault, rape, robbery, theft, and drug offences- and up to 26 European countries are analysed. These trends are established for the whole of Europe as well as for a cluster of Western European countries and a cluster of Central and Eastern European countries. The analyses show similarities between both regions of Europe at the beginning and at the end of the period under study. After a general increase of the rate of persons convicted in the early 1990s in the whole of Europe, trends followed different directions in Western and in Central and Eastern Europe. However, during the 2000s, it can be observed, throughout Europe, a certain stability of the rates of persons convicted for intentional homicides, accompanied by a general decrease of the rate of persons convicted for property offences, and an increase of the rate of those convicted for drug offences. The latter goes together with an increase of the rate of persons convicted for non lethal violent offences, which only reached some stability at the end of the time series. These trends show that there is no general crime drop in Europe. After a discussion of possible theoretical explanations, a multifactor model, inspired by opportunity-based theories, is proposed to explain the trends observed.

Bed Capacity Recommendations - Summary Table

Summary table of bed capacity recommendations by Durrant, in association with Pulitzer-Bogard & Associates and Criminal Justice Institute.

Iowa Results First: Return on Investment for Corrections Programs - 2012, May 2012

The Iowa Department of Management requested the Iowa Department of Corrections to accept the Pew Center on the States’ invitation to be trained in assessing the return on investment to taxpayers from criminal justice programs utilized by the State of Iowa. Using the Results First model, a nationally recognized, peer-reviewed tool developed by the Washington State Institute for Public Policy (WSIPP), the Department of Corrections has calculated the rate of return on investment for Iowa adult offender programs for each program area included in the model.

Delinquents in Iowa Arrest, Services and Sanctions, April 2006

This report was developed to provide summary information to allow practitioners and juvenile justice system officials access to specific sections of Iowa’s Three Year Plan. It includes the “System Flow, “Crime Analysis”, and “Child in Needs of Assistance” sections of Iowa’s 2006 Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act formula grant Three-Year Plan. The complete Three Year Plan serves as Iowa’s application for Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act formula grant funding. The information included in this report overviews system processing for delinquent youth. It also provides data and analysis from key system decision pointsand services.

Delinquency-Related Systems in Iowa: Substance Abuse, Mental Health, Education and Job Traning, April 2006

This report was developed to provide summary information to allow state agency staff, practitioners and juvenile justice system officials to access specific sections of Iowa’s Three Year Plan. It includes the “Service Network” section of Iowa’s 2006 Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act formula grant Three-Year Plan. The complete Three Year Plan serves as Iowa’s application for Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act formula grant funding. The information included in this report overviews some of the systems and services that relate to Iowa’s delinquency and CINA systems. The systems and services discussed include substance abuse , mental health, alternative or special education, and job training.

Update Regarding Disproportionate Minority Contact (DMC) Progress of Iowa Communities, December 1, 2015

The Iowa State Court Administrator’s Office (SCA) created the CASP Advisory Committee in October 2013 to develop a state plan addressing disproportionate minority contact (DMC) in the juvenile justice system. The planning was assisted with a discretionary grant awarded from the federal Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP).

Victimització en joves de protecció a la infància i l’adolescència i de justícia juvenil

A Catalunya, un nombre significatiu d’infants i adolescents es troba sota la guarda i tutela del sistema de protecció i d’altres són atesos pel sistema de justícia juvenil. En molts casos, aquests joves han viscut experiències de maltractaments i abusos per part de les principals figures cuidadores, però també d’altres formes de violència en contextos diversos que poden incloure: el carrer, l’escola, el grup d’iguals, les noves tecnologies o els propis centres on poden residir provisionalment. Aquesta multiplicitat d’experiències de violència els converteix amb el que es coneix com a polivíctimes. Però entre l'experiència de victimització en la infància i el desenvolupament de problemes psicològics podem trobar la resiliència, la capacitat de l’ésser humà per superar o recuperar-se amb èxit de circumstàncies adverses. I aquí és on els professionals poden intervenir amb èxit. Els objectius principals d’aquest estudi són conèixer la prevalença d’experiències de victimització en aquests joves, identificar els casos de polivictimització, analitzar les característiques sociodemogràfiques, victimològiques i el nivell de desajust psicològic que presenten. Alhora, identificar perfils de resiliència i analitzar el seu efecte en el nivell de malestar psicològic del jove víctima. Els resultats ens indiquen que són els recursos personals, relatius a la confiança en un mateix, la fe en un futur millor, la capacitat d’identificació i connexió amb les pròpies emocions o les habilitats socials, els que permeten al jove fer front a les dificultats amb èxit. Aquests recursos personals són els que marcaran la diferència en la posterior reintegració social i correcte desenvolupament del jove i, per tant, els professionals els han de conèixer, enfortir i desenvolupar.

Políticas de criminalización de la prostitución: análisis crítico de su fundamentación y resultado

La presente aportación analiza los rendimientos obtenidos mediante la implementación de políticas de criminalización de la prostitución. Junto a una referencia a las bases ideológicas sobre las que se han edificado, el examen se circunscribe al examen de los rendimientos que han arrojado en Estados Unidos el seguimiento de un modelo prohibicionista en materia de prostitución unido a la asunción de un modelo abolicionista en materia de trata de seres humanos. Como ejemplo paradigmático de aplicación de la lógica neoabolicionista que identifica la prostitución con una manifestación de la violencia de género, se examina asimismo la situación generada tras la aprobación de la Sex Purchase Act en Suecia. Se concluye con una breve descripción de la situación en España, tanto en un plano político-criminal cuanto jurídico-penal, ensayando propuestas de interpretación de algunos tipos delictivos que eviten la asunción de un modelo prohibicionista.

Victimización en jóvenes de protección a la infancia y la adolescencia y de justicia juvenil

En Cataluña, un número significativo de niños y adolescentes se encuentra bajo la guarda y tutela del sistema de protección y otros son atendidos por el sistema de justicia juvenil. En muchos casos, estos jóvenes han vivido experiencias de maltratos y abusos por parte de las principales figuras cuidadoras, pero también otras formas de violencia en contextos diversos que pueden incluir: la calle, la escuela, el grupo de iguales, las nuevas tecnologías o los propios centros donde pueden residir provisionalmente. Esta multiplicidad de experiencias de violencia los convierte en lo que se conoce como polivíctimas. Pero entre la experiencia de victimización en la infancia y el desarrollo de problemas psicológicos podemos encontrar la resiliencia, la capacidad del ser humano para superar o recuperarse con éxito de circunstancias adversas. Y aquí es donde los profesionales pueden intervenir con éxito. Los objetivos principales de este estudio son conocer la prevalencia de experiencias de victimización en estos jóvenes, identificar los casos de polivictimización, analizar las características sociodemográficas, victimológicas y el nivel de desajuste psicológico que presentan. Asimismo, identificar perfiles de resiliencia y analizar su efecto en el nivel de malestar psicológico del joven víctima. Los resultados nos indican que son los recursos personales, relativos a la confianza en uno mismo, la fe en un futuro mejor, la capacidad de identificación y conexión con las propias emociones o las habilidades sociales, los que permiten al joven hacer frente a las dificultades con éxito. Estos recursos personales son los que marcarán la diferencia en la posterior reintegración social y correcto desarrollo del joven y, por lo tanto, los que los profesionales deben conocer, fortalecer y desarrollar.

The polymorhism of crime scene investigation: an exploratory analysis of the influence of crime and forensic intelligence on decisions made by crime scene examiners

A growing body of scientific literature recurrently indicates that crime and forensic intelligence influence how crime scene investigators make decisions in their practices. This study scrutinises further this intelligence-led crime scene examination view. It analyses results obtained from two questionnaires. Data have been collected from nine chiefs of Intelligence Units (IUs) and 73 Crime Scene Examiners (CSEs) working in forensic science units (FSUs) in the French speaking part of Switzerland (six cantonal police agencies). Four salient elements emerged: (1) the actual existence of communication channels between IUs and FSUs across the police agencies under consideration; (2) most CSEs take into account crime intelligence disseminated; (3) a differentiated, but significant use by CSEs in their daily practice of this kind of intelligence; (4) a probable deep influence of this kind of intelligence on the most concerned CSEs, specially in the selection of the type of material/trace to detect, collect, analyse and exploit. These results contribute to decipher the subtle dialectic articulating crime intelligence and crime scene investigation, and to express further the polymorph role of CSEs, beyond their most recognised input to the justice system. Indeed, they appear to be central, but implicit, stakeholders in intelligence-led style of policing.

Les Neurosciences au Tribunal: de la responsabilité à la dangerosité

In recent years, an explosion of interest in neuroscience has led to the development of "Neuro-law," a new multidisciplinary field of knowledge whose aim is to examine the impact and role of neuroscientific findings in legal proceedings. Neuroscientific evidence is increasingly being used in US and European courts in criminal trials, as part of psychiatric testimony, nourishing the debate about the legal implications of brain research in psychiatric-legal settings. During these proceedings, the role of forensic psychiatrists is crucial. In most criminal justice systems, their mission consists in accomplishing two basic tasks: assessing the degree of responsibility of the offender and evaluating their future dangerousness. In the first part of our research, we aim to examine the impact of Neuroscientific evidence in the assessment of criminal responsibility, a key concept of law. An initial jurisprudential research leads to conclude that there are significant difficulties and limitations in using neuroscience for the assessment of criminal responsibility. In the current socio-legal context, responsibility assessments are progressively being weakened, whereas dangerousness assessments gain increasing importance in the field of forensic psychiatry. In the second part of our research we concentrate on the impact of using neuroscience for the assessment of dangerousness. We argue that in the current policy era of zero tolerance, judges, confronted with the pressure to ensure public security, may tend to interpret neuroscientific knowledge and data as an objective and reliable way of evaluating one's dangerousness and risk of reoffending, rather than their responsibility. This tendency could be encouraged by a utilitarian approach to punishment, advanced by some recent neuroscientific research which puts into question the existence of free will and responsibility and argues for a rejection of the retributive theory of punishment. Although this shift away from punishment aimed at retribution in favor of a consequentialist approach to criminal law is advanced by some authors as a more progressive and humane approach, we believe that it could lead to the instrumentalisation of neuroscience in the interest of public safety, which can run against the proper exercise of justice and civil liberties of the offenders. By advancing a criminal law regime animated by the consequentialist aim of avoiding social harms through rehabilitation, neuroscience promotes a return to a therapeutical approach to crime which can have serious impact on the kind and the length of sentences imposed on the offenders; if neuroscientific data are interpreted as evidence of dangerousness, rather than responsibility, it is highly likely that judges impose heavier sentences, or/and security measures (in civil law systems), which can be indeterminate in length. Errors and epistemic traps of past criminological movements trying to explain the manifestation of a violent and deviant behavior on a biological and deterministic basis stress the need for caution concerning the use of modern neuroscientific methods in criminal proceedings.