Human dignity and vulnerable agency : an ethical framework for forensic practice

In this paper, we present an integrated ethical framework that covers the different levels of ethical tasks inherent in forensic and correctional work. First, we briefly give an overview of the ethical framework and its component notion of human dignity. Second we analyze in depth the concept of dignity and its relationship to normative theories and ethical concepts that are particularly relevant for forensic practitioners. Third, we explore the capacity of the conceptions of human dignity and vulnerable agency to integrate principles typically contained in ethical codes and practice, such as beneficence, autonomy, and justice. Fourth, we discuss how conflict between ethical codes or duties of station adhered to by practitioners can be effectively addressed in light of the model of dignity and agency outlined earlier. Fifth, we explain how individuals' specific ethical judgments and actions should proceed in light of our framework model.

Ethical issues in forensic and correctional research

It is surprising that while the literature on ethical issues associated with social science research is burgeoning and becoming increasingly sophisticated very few papers have been written on the ethics of forensic or correctional research. The literature that exists is disappointingly narrow and superficial, and relies on professional ethical codes to a considerable degree. In this paper we present an ethical framework developed by Ward and Syversen to help with ethical decision making in research contexts. We then discuss some of the specific ethical challenges for researchers working in forensic and correctional domains, and consider how best to deal with ethical problems drawing from this framework. Our aim will be to provide researchers with some general ideas of how to proceed in certain situations rather than come up with a final set of answers to every conceivable problem.

Forensic accounting and Benford's law

An article [1] in the Journal of Forensic Accounting reviewed the background and development of forensic accounting using Benford’s Law (BL)—an interesting property in natural occurring numbers that can help identify fraudulent data in corporate financial records. The field of forensic accounting, and this law in particular, are relevant in light of several recent events that required the identification of false or otherwise misrepresented information in corporate financial statements. Such information was used or intended to be used to fraudulently misappropriate company funds, cover up illegal transactions, or evade taxation. In this article, we comment on forensic accounting and BL from a signal processing (SP) perspective.

The development of a generic framework for the implementation of a cheap, component-based virtual video-conferencing system

We address the problem of virtual-videoconferencing. The proposed solution is effected in terms of a generic framework based on an in-house Virtual Reality system. The framework is composed of a number of distinct components: model acquisition, head tracking, expression analysis, network transmission and avatar reconstruction. The framework promises to provide a unique, cheap, and fast system for avatar construction, transmission and animation. This approach affords a conversion from the traditional video stream approach to the management of an avatar remotely and consequently makes minimal demands on network resources.

Professional training in applied psychology : towards a signature pedagogy for forensic psychology training

Forensic Psychology is a recognised and important sub-specialty of the Psychology discipline. However, after an expansion in the number of training places that were offered when programmes were first developed, recent years have seen these diminish in response to changes in university policies, resulting from reformulated Federal government funding models. In this article, we argue that it is important for the future of specialist areas of professional psychology to not only articulate the core skills and competencies that are associated with specialist practice but also to develop unique and distinctive approaches to teaching and learning signature pedagogies. Based on the premise that forensic psychological practice is, indeed, a distinctive activity that requires different skills and, importantly, different ways of thinking about the work from other areas of professional psychology, it is suggested that professional training in this area should aim to develop a signature pedagogy which combines methods of teaching and learning that have been developed in legal training programmes with principles of problem-based learning.

Understanding fish-habitat associations using video observations and sonar imaging

This thesis was motivated by the increasing role of species distribution models in managing marine fishes and their habitats. These models provided new information about fish-habitat associations. However, models are potentially influenced by fish behaviour towards underwater video systems.