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If news reports on crime disclose the ethnic or national origin of suspects or perpetrators, severe consequences for audience stereotypes and public policy may arise. Thus, many professional codices advise journalists to limit origin disclosure to rare exceptions. Right-wing populists have, however, accused news media of obfuscating the 'true dimension' of immigrant crime. Conducting a content analysis of N = 10,943 crime reports released between 2013 and 2021 by 10 German newspapers, we investigated how journalists reacted to such attempted political influence. Findings show a massively increased frequency of news reports that included explicit or implicit cues to suspects' or perpetrators' origin, with a peak in 2018 and a subsequent decline in 2021. We interpret the results as a time-dependent effect of populist anti-media agitation that emerged after a large immigration wave to Germany in 2015 and 2016 but lost much of its impact a few years later, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Implications for journalism theory and ethics are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Though research into police use of force continues to expand, analysis of off-duty police violence remains deficient and duty status comparisons of police violence are almost non-existent. Some argue that the broader policing context may ‘spill-over’ into off-duty settings, creating a consistency in police behaviour regardless of duty status. Others argue that off-duty police violence is vastly different from on-duty excessive force. The present study aimed to empirically compare extra-legal violence by police officers committed on- versus off-duty, to explore possible duty status differences in behaviours of the offending officers and the victims involved, as well as situational characteristics of the encounters. A sample of 119 cases (61 on-duty and 58 off-duty) of violence by Australian police officers that was determined to have violated law or policy was collected from open access sources (law reports and media articles) and content analysed. Chi-square analysis was used to select variables into three multivariate regression models to predict duty status from offender behaviour, victim behaviour, and individual/situational characteristics. A final regression model then included all resultant significant factors. The primary finding was the consistency across duty status in many aspects, particularly officer characteristics, despite some notable differences in context. The full model showed the factors most predictive of duty status to be offender verbal behaviour and handcuff use, and the situational characteristics of the number of offending officers present and whether the victim had been suspected of a crime. The behavioural consistency across duty status is discussed in terms of spill-over of police violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on some of the main developments regarding the interviewing of suspects during the past 25 years. It contains a personal commentary on: the 25 years ago publication of the 1999 Milne and Bull book; the evolution of the KREATIV approach in Norway; when to disclose information to suspects; a major decision by Wicklander-Zulawski & Associates; the High-Value Detainee Interrogation Group; the Council of Europe's document; the views of jail inmates; the Méndez Principles; the use of cognitive empathy; the American Psychology-Law Society's consultation document. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Jurnal Ilmu Hukum, Humaniora dan Politik (JIHHP) is the property of Dinasti Publisher and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The study examines the legal uncertainties surrounding the time limits for determining suspect status within Indonesia's criminal justice system. The lack of clarity in the Criminal Procedure Code (KUHAP) regarding these time limits poses significant challenges to the human rights of suspects, particularly the constitutional guarantee of legal certainty. Without clearly defined timeframes for determining suspect status, investigations can extend indefinite period, leaving suspects uncertain whether their cases will proceed to prosecution or be dismissed. This situation subjects them to prolonged psychological, social, and economic strain and increases the risk of potential abuse of authority by investigators. Additionally, the study highlights the difficulties in establishing legal certainty concerning the time limits for suspect status and evaluates the necessary reforms to the Criminal Procedure Code to ensure fairness and safeguard the rights of suspects. One proposed solution is to implement a definitive time limit for the investigation process and the determination of suspect status, alongside strengthening internal and external monitoring mechanisms to mitigate the risk of authority misuse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crime scene suspect prediction involves classifying potential perpetrators based on location, time, and crime type. Electronic forensics in large data scenarios poses challenges for investigators. Law enforcement relies on hand-drawn or computer-generated face sketches for perpetrator identification. To aid recognition, an automated method for face sketch expansion is essential. Deep learning models, like the Golden jackal optimized artificial neural network (GJO-ANN), generate face sketches for crime detection. Comparing these sketches with eyewitness and artist renditions helps identify similarities, enabling perpetrator detection. Experimental results validate the superior performance of GJO-ANN in face sketch synthesis for crime detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research Summary: This study investigated the impact of patrol officer communication tactics on suspect compliance by using Systematic Social Observation (SSO) to code 438 body‐worn camera and dashcam video recordings from two police agencies. Specifically, we examined officer tenor/demeanor, use of noncoercive directives, use of verbal coercion, and accusations, while controlling for a host of suspect and situational factors. Results showed that when officers presented a positive tenor/demeanor or employed noncoercive verbal tactics, suspects were significantly more likely to comply. Conversely, use of coercive verbal tactics and accusatory language did not have a significant impact on suspect compliance. In addition, negative suspect demeanor, suspect impairment, and suspect elevated emotional state negatively affected compliance. Policy Implications: Recent calls for police reform have focused on producing less coercive outcomes by explicitly recognizing the role that officers have in managing encounters rather than simply reacting to suspect behaviors. An increased focus on officer communication strategies in both police training and practice is likely to promote suspect compliance while reducing the need for officer use of force. Similarly, it is likely that more coercive verbal strategies have little impact on suspect compliance and may lead to negative perceptions of police interactions and law enforcement in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Demand for use of indoor and outdoor surveillance cameras to prevent crime, analyze customer behavior in commercial facilities and other purposes has been increasing. For these types of applications, it is important to be able to estimate information that cannot be observed directly from the images, using the image data. One such type of information is the height of people appearing in the video. People's heights can be used, for example, to help identify a suspect in a crime investigation or as an attribute to understand customers better for marketing. However, many conventional technologies for estimating height from images have required special calibration, or the acquisition of other information in addition to the video. This paper proposes a method for estimating a person's height using only an image, without the need for any special calibration. The key points of the proposed method involve the following two processes. In the first process, a reference object of known size and the person are recognized and the person's height is estimated based on the relative sizes of the person and reference object in the image. The second process involves selecting frames from the video that are appropriate for use in the estimation process. In practical experiments using real video, the method was able to estimate people's heights with an average estimation error of 1.9%. © 2024 The Authors. IEEJ Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Engineering published by Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduced in Australia in the late 1990s, the Mr Big investigative technique is a complex undercover police operation structured around a fictional criminal gang, which is created to build rapport with the suspect of a serious crime. The suspect is encouraged to confess to the crime to benefit from advantages and protection offered by the gang, including the possibility of influencing the outcome of any prosecution. Challenging Mr Big confessions in Australia has been unsuccessful. The lack of transparency and need for deception inherent in covert operations, however, exposes a potential for fabricated and coerced confessions and the risk of wrongful convictions. Scenario operations are not directly scrutinised by independent oversight bodies and an examination of reported cases suggests that Australian Mr Big operations do not involve covert police in unlawful activities that might been scrutinised under controlled operations regimes. This is a concern given a cultural predisposition within Australian law enforcement towards secrecy, rank-closing, and resistance to examination. We explore options for ensuring the safety of Mr Big convictions, including implementation of robust, independent oversight mechanisms, amendments to evidentiary rules about inducement-based confessions, and revised warning regimes to include direction on the need for caution in accepting scenario confessions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Neue Kriminalpolitik is the property of Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The techniques used to interrogate individuals suspected of a crime can profoundly impact their decisions to confess, cooperate, or disclose information. Research using different methods suggests that two prevailing interrogation approaches—accusatorial and information-gathering—differentially impact interrogation outcomes. However, confession, cooperation, and information disclosure are ultimately the suspected person's decision, yet few studies directly examine their perspectives about how interrogation techniques affect their decisions, and none examine a U.S. sample. This study assessed how interrogation strategies characterized by humanity, rapport, confrontation, and dominance/control predicted interrogation outcomes in a sample of 249 individuals incarcerated in two U.S. jails. Respondents who reported experiencing humane strategies were more likely to confess, cooperate completely, and disclose incriminating information. Dominance/control-oriented strategies predicted partial confession (but not cooperation or disclosure), and rapport-based and confrontational techniques did not predict outcomes. Findings highlight humane interrogation strategies as likely the most productive strategies to adopt in criminal interrogations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article argues for Fourth Amendment theory and doctrine to strengthen its anti-authoritarian objectives when conducting filtered dragnets, or digital searches that identify a suspect based on crime details. Topics discussed include examples of filtered dragnet like DNA matching and facial recognition, advantages of filtered dragnets such as increased detection and deterrence and decreased discretion for suspect selection, privacy, risks of tyranny, reasonable seizing and searching.

Despite being depicted as powerful actors, the work of the State's representatives in parole hearings has to date remained largely invisible. In this study, we aimed to fill this gap through a qualitative analysis of the oral arguments of prosecutors in 130 lifers' parole board hearings in Israel. The findings suggest that prosecutors construct lifers' parole hearings as an adversarial, yet asymmetrical, "boxing match." Three themes were unveiled: Prosecutors construct the lifers as worthy of re-censure; view the lifers as solely responsible for their parole release; and construct the lifers as inherently suspicious individuals. In conclusion, prosecutors' parole work seems to be more a defense of their shared professional identity as crime fighters than a promotion of an individualized, inclusive, and future-oriented parole decision-making process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Annals of Juridica Sciences / Roczniki Nauk Prawnych is the property of Towarzystwo Naukowe KUL & Katolicki Uniwersytet Lubelski Jana Pawla II and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Human hair is a valuable tool in criminology, aiding in population studies through statistics and DNA analysis. It's easily identifiable at crime scenes, often clinging to clothing, carpets, and various surfaces, including animal fur, through a process known as secondary transfer. Forensic analysis of hair evidence serves several purposes; it can help establish the possibility of a connection between a suspect and a crime scene or between a suspect and a victim. It can demonstrate that there is no evidence linking the perpetrator to the crime scene or the suspect to the victim. While microscopic hair analysis cannot definitively identify a specific individual as the source of the hair, it does provide a solid basis for association. The wealth of macroscopic and microscopic details available in hair examination can also provide strong evidence for the defense. To understand the challenges of conducting DNA tests on hair, it's essential to study hair structure and composition. DNA in hair is not evenly distributed throughout every part of the hair; it exists in both nuclear and mitochondrial forms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blood is important evidence that can assist an investigator in solving a crime. It connects the suspect to a crime and aid in the reconstruction of the crime scene. Criminals frequently attempt to wipe away blood stained evidence at a crime scene. These efforts may result in the modification or partial or total elimination of blood on the stained parts. Numerous presumptive tests are employed to identify bloodstains on floor surfaces since they are frequently cleansed after a crime using various surfactants. However, the traces of stains remain there and if analysed with appropriate reagents will give conclusive results. In This study Blood-stained floor surfaces were cleaned using a commercially available and widely used floor cleaners and After repeated washings, the Kastle-Meyer (KM), Leucomalachite green (LMG), and Tetra methylbenzidine (TMB) tests were employed to determine the presence of blood on these surfaces, and their sensitivity were assessed, this study will help the forensic investigator to select the appropriate reagents for detection of blood stains on the various washed floor surfaces and effectiveness of reagents for detection of blood stains washed with various floor cleaners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article contributes to the debate in terrorism research on how unique terrorist suspects (i.e. individuals suspected of crimes with terrorist intent) actually are and whether or not specific theories are necessary to explain their behavior. Our study compares terrorist suspects from the Netherlands with their siblings and nonterrorist suspects to find out whether and how terrorist suspects are unique. Inspired by criminological theories involving social bonds, regression analyses were conducted utilizing registry data on household compositions, socio-economic status (SES), and criminal histories. A key finding is that terrorist suspects seem to have more in common with other suspects than with their siblings; besides prior criminal involvement, no significant differences were found between terrorist suspects and other suspects. Terrorist suspects were significantly less often married, had a lower SES, and were more often previously suspected of crimes as compared to their siblings. Particularly, lacking employment is a differentiating factor for terrorist suspects and siblings. Our findings stress the necessity to investigate in-depth under what circumstances and how a disadvantaged background (e.g. lack of social bonds, criminal history) can lead to becoming a terrorist suspect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The verifiability of a suspect's alibi is often interpreted as a sign of innocence. Because the police resources are limited, verifiability could be used to dismiss suspects of minor offenses. We examined whether alibi verifiability actually indicates innocence for minor crimes. In Experiment 1, participants imagined they were guilty or innocent suspects of minor crimes and selected a response to convince the police of their innocence. Compared to innocent suspects, guilty suspects were more likely to select pseudo‐verifiable responses (which seemed verifiable but were not) rather than non‐verifiable responses. Experiment 2 revealed that pseudo‐verifiable responses increased observers' perceptions of innocence (rather than guilt). Experiment 3 suggested that people infer the police will not verify alibis of minor crimes, which may lead people to invent pseudo‐verifiable responses. These results indicate that apparent verifiability does not necessarily indicate innocence. The police should systematically test alternative hypotheses whenever they encounter apparent verifiable responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Custodial suspects must be informed of their Miranda rights (Miranda v. Arizona, 1966) prior to police questioning. Since this landmark decision, scholars have rigorously studied Miranda comprehension and reasoning among vulnerable groups including those with intellectual disabilities (ID). However, the focus on ID has left arrestees with limited cognitive capacities (i.e., LCCs with IQs between 70 and 85) entirely overlooked. The current dataset addressed this oversight using a large (N = 820) sample of pretrial defendants who had completed the Standardized Assessment of Miranda Abilities (SAMA). Traditional (i.e., ID and no‐ID) criterion groups were first analyzed with the standard error of measurement (SEM) removed. Second, a nuanced three‐group framework included defendants with LCCs. Results indicate that LCC defendants are vulnerable to impaired Miranda comprehension (i.e., limited recall of the Miranda warning and deficits in Miranda‐related vocabulary knowledge). Not surprisingly, their waiver decisions were often impaired by crucial misconceptions (e.g., seeing the investigating officers as beneficently on their side). The practical implications of these findings were underscored with respect to Constitutional safeguards for this critically important group, who have appeared to fall through the cracks in the criminal justice system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It can be observed that the judicial bodies can adopt a lot of judicial strategies upon the recommendation of the psychologist specialist, all for the benefit of the pending judicial procedure. In judicial practice, most frequently, psychological expertise was requested in the interest of solving the case in the form of a psychological evaluation of the victim of a crime, but not infrequently this type of evaluation was also carried out on the suspect/defendant. The psychologist's personal qualities, respect for the evaluated persons, be they suspects, defendants or injured persons, trusting them and approaching them as they would like to be treated in a similar situation are essential to facilitate optimal interaction and communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior to the Policing and Crime Act 2017, the provision of bail was set out by the Bail Act and refined by the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE). Bail provisions changed under the Policing and Crime Act 2017, which created a presumption against bail. The legislation permitted police to release suspects under investi gation (RUI) which was permitted to last as long as the police required. This article contends that neither the police, suspects or victims of crime have benefitted from the changes and a new balance needs to be struck in order to achieve fair and just outcomes, in keeping with the doctrines outlined in Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill 2021. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Studia Histórica: Historia Moderna is the property of Ediciones Universidad de Salamanca and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In order to carry out the tasks of the criminal trial, the law offers the criminal prosecution bodies a very effective legal means-the interrogation of the person suspected of committing the crime. The importance of the interrogation of the suspect is determined by the role of his statements, which represent, as we know, not only a source of evidence, but also a means of defense against the suspicion brought. The success of the interrogation of the person suspected of committing the crime, and hence the importance of the statements obtained for the criminal case, depend on the skillful selection and proficient, effective application of the tactical interrogation procedures developed by the theory and practice of forensics. In this context, matters related to the interrogation of the suspect are of prime importance. This subject of the criminal trial is involved in the criminal procedure relations in unfavorable conditions for the respect of the rights of the person: the lack of information available to the criminal prosecution bodies regarding the circumstances of the crime committed; intensive application of criminal procedure coercion measures; carrying out not only criminal prosecution, but also special investigative work. However, along with the introduction of a large number of new principled regulations into the provisions of the criminal procedure law, intended to ensure a substantial influence on the level of ensuring and strengthening the rights and freedoms of persons suspected of committing crimes, we cannot ignore the fact that the tactical framework for the forensic interrogation of them has not changed. Precisely this moment determined the necessity and topicality of a study in the matter of criminal procedure and forensic tactical peculiarities of interrogating persons suspected of committing crimes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a model for the comparison of plea bargain proposals. The use of the model increases the possibility of the satisfactory development of the negotiation of rewarded collaboration agreements recently permitted under Brazilian law. A novelty in the model is the objective consideration of society's interest in adequately punishing defendants whose guilt can be proven. To allow for the inclusion of this element, a multicriteria approach that adds the criteria representing the prosecution's aims to the criteria regarding the accused's positions is adopted. The importance of the criteria is derived without direct criteria weighting. A novel joint treatment to criteria collinearity and interaction is developed, which enables the model to accommodate any number of defendants, proposals, and criteria. The framework so developed enhances transparency and encourages collaboration. By assigning a new meaning to the plea bargain, it is able to bring about the necessary shift in cultural standards that can lead to the effective weakening of criminal organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rehabilitation is a paramount consideration in abolishing police interrogation of youth. Interrogation is one of the first interactions young people have with the criminal legal system. Unfortunately, the most common methods of interrogation are coercive rather than consensual. Youth are uniquely vulnerable to coercive methods, especially in conjunction with racial, socioeconomic, and ableist hierarchies. Youth vulnerability requires more protective legal standards than those applied to mature adults. Current police practices, permitted by the very structure of the law, harm youth at a critical stage of their development and legal socialization. Interrogation is a missed opportunity to consider how every legal actor can incentivize youth to respect and follow the law. Reforms and scholarly proposals focused on adjusting police behavior or changing the circumstances of youth interrogation fail to ameliorate harm to youth. This Article examines how police interrogation of a youthful suspect may undercut rehabilitation by damaging that young person's sense of belonging and desire to behave as society hopes. This Article concludes that the most appropriate and practicable solution is a categorical ban on officer-initiated interrogation of youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research discusses the improvement of facial recognition system in crime suspect identification system using deep neural vision processing technique. The research was motivated based on the problem of identification of crime suspect which security agents do experience these days. Several models like discrete wavelet transform model, rendering model, convolutional neural network model were used to design the new system which utilizes enhanced facial recognition approach and implemented on a Mathlab environment. The system was tested and validated using tenfold cross validation technique and the accuracy achieved was 99.22% which is very good. The system was later deployed at the Nigerian Police Force and tested for reliability using various facial expressions of volunteered criminals; and the result was excellent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Records kept by security authorities documenting potentially violent encounters are generally characterized by technocratic language and parsimonious content, which is intended to project an image of objective and impartial state officials. A qualitative analysis of 688 records covering interrogations of suspects in terror activities by the Israeli Security Agency (Shin Bet) presents a very different picture. They consist of representations of (1) hospitality—caring for the well-being of the person under interrogation; (2) camaraderie—amicable conversations between interrogator and interrogee; and (3) moral conviction—impassioned political or moral debates regarding the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. The analysis shows how unconventional documentation techniques in security interrogations may be used to preserve legitimacy; bolster professional prestige and makes a sophisticated use of a sense of secrecy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internationally, secure institutions face a range of challenges presented by detainees convicted or suspected of terrorism-related crimes and those interested or involved in groups that support ideologically justify violence (IJV). Currently, there is an apparent absence of a theoretically grounded but operationally focused paradigm (or conceptual lens) for understanding and preventing IJV within such settings. In response, this article presents such a paradigm, to inform and direct the implementation of coherent organizational policies and practices to address this issue. The paradigm, its theoretical basis, its implications for correctional policy and practice, and limitations are outlined and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research investigates whether stereotypes activated by common media portrayals of Black athletes that emphasize physicality influence social judgments outside the sporting context. Results of a 2 (athlete race) X 2 (athlete frame) between-subjects experiment indicated that when an athlete was framed in terms of physical attributes, participants evaluated a suspect in a subsequent news story based on overlapping qualities related to criminality, regardless of athlete race. However, when an athlete was described in terms of their mental skills, physical qualities were more likely to be ascribed to a Black athlete and to impact evaluations of the crime suspect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Cognitive Interview for Suspects (CIS) is a recently designed information-gathering style interview method for interviewing suspects of crimes. Some components of this method (i.e., Mental context reinstatement, Report-everything inquiries) should make it possible to collect a large quantity of correct information, and to limit the misinformation-inducing impact of leading questions. However, certain other components (i.e., Reverse order, Challenge stages) are designed to increase cognitive load among interviewees, and might therefore lead to false confessions in innocent suspects. Using a protocol designed to provoke false confessions in innocent mock-suspects, the CIS was compared with another Information-Gathering interview method (IGM) and an Accusatory Interview (AI) on these different aspects. Results showed a benefit of the CIS in terms of information gathering and misinformation effects, compared to the two other interviews. Moreover, it did not increase the risk of false confessions. These conclusions are of interest for field investigators, who could use this method with suspects in real cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: While a great deal of research has considered racial disparities in the criminal justice system, empirical research on the American Indian/Alaska Native (AIAN) population is still in its infancy. Instead, AIAN people are most often grouped in the "other race" category. In this research, we move beyond this categorization and advance research by considering differential handling of AIAN-involved violent crime. Methods: We use 2016 NIBRS data—including information on 5,740 AIAN victims and 6,591 AIAN suspects—to examine variation in the likelihood of clearance by arrest and variation in these patterns according to victim race, offender race, and offense type. Results: Results indicate that incidents involving AIAN suspects and White victims are especially likely to result in arrest, but incidents involving AIAN suspects and AIAN victims are less likely to result in arrest. AIAN sexual assault victimization is particularly unlikely to result in arrest. Conclusions: The AIAN population is both disproportionately arrested when suspected of crime, and disproportionately neglected when victimized. If we wish to better understand the role of race in the criminal justice, it is imperative that we move beyond simple Black-White dichotomies, and begin centering attention on other marginalized populations, including the AIAN population, as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past decades, the psychological science has accumulated a large corpus of empirical knowledge about police interviews, deception detection, and suspects' confessions. However, it is unclear whether European police forces' practices and beliefs are consistent with recommendations derived from this empirical literature. The study described in this report is part of a larger research project examining European police investigators' practices and beliefs. An online survey was administered to Guardia Civil (n = 89) and Policía Nacional investigators (n = 126). The survey inquired about the length, frequency and electronic recording of interviews, the suspects' use of their right to remain silent, investigators' self-reported skills in distinguishing between truthful and deceptive statements, their estimates of the frequency of (false) confessions, and their use of specific interview tactics. The outcomes provide insights into investigators' knowledge and practices, highlight specific needs, and allow for a comparison between European and North American police forces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Throughout the history of forensic science, the questioning of the reliability of eyewitness testimony and suspect identification has been prevalent. The purpose of this experiment is to determine the effect of race on the results of suspect identification in a photo lineup when provided with witness descriptions of the suspect. This study was conducted by setting up a mock crime with one white perpetrator and one South Asian perpetrator. 25 mock witnesses of varying races were shown a picture of both perpetrators escaping the crime for 30 seconds. The mock witnesses were instructed to note down any key characteristics to identify these suspects. Two weeks later, the witnesses received an online survey in which they were presented with two photo lineups. One photo lineup consisted of six white men and the other consisted of six South Asian men. These photo lineups also consisted of a cumulative description of what the mock witnesses provided earlier in the experiment. The witnesses were then asked to identify the perpetrator from the lineup. Greater than 70% of the witnesses selected the perpetrator from the suspect lineup. The witness's race did not significantly influence the ability to recall the perpetrator. These results support previous findings that eyewitness testimony can be helpful in a criminal trial when the external factors are minimized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses DNA tests used by the police and justice systems in France to predict a suspect's appearance or origin. It focuses on the effects of different conceptions of privacy when genetic information enters the semipublic domain. I analyze how a contemporary process of racialization is fostered by the combination of a concept of privacy founded on visibility and DNA-based technologies of appearance. Drawing on 35 interviews with the various professionals involved (police officers, geneticists and experts, and judges), I show first the preponderance of a depoliticized point of view connecting privacy with secrecy and obscuring the risks of stigmatizing populations. I then analyze the scientific relationship between what is visible and what lies inside the body, offering an understanding of the aporia of norms based on appearance and how, despite certain contradictions, geneticists contribute to the process of racialization. Finally, I explain how this process develops further when information moves from the world of science to the worlds of the police and the media. In conclusion, I argue that the existence of these technologies transforms normative frameworks and, by focusing attention on what is visible, makes tests connecting crime, origin, and DNA acceptable by depoliticizing them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The doctrine of parens patriae allows state attorneys general to represent state citizens in aggregate litigation suits that are, in many ways, similar to class actions and masstort actions. Its origins, however, reflect a more modest scope. Parens patriae began as a doctrine allowing the British king to protect those without the ability to protect themselves, including wards and mentally disabled individuals. The rapid expansion of parens patriae standing in the United States may be partly to blame for the relative absence of limiting requirements or even well-developed case law governing parens patriae suits. On the one hand, class actions are subject to myriad stringent procedural rules that help protect class members, members who "opt out," and even defendants who find themselves liable for often sky-high damages. On the other hand, parens patriae suits are largely unregulated and free from requirements that plaintiffs seeking class certification must meet. Part of this distinction seems to stem from an assumption that attorneys general are adequate representatives of their citizens' interests. The relative ease of bringing a parens patriae suit, compared to the increasingly onerous requirements of private class actions, has led state attorneys general to bring claims under parens patriae standing more frequently in the twenty-first century. But the lack of procedural protections in parens patriae suits means that state citizens affected by a parens patriae suit may potentially be precluded via res judicata from bringing valid, individual or class claims that have already been brought by the state on their behalf. Furthermore, it is not clear that parens patriae suits are an adequate, let alone superior, method of litigating citizens' claims. Settlements reached between states and defendants pose additional adequacy problems due to being unregulated and determined by a political representative, who may have interests distinct and separate from the interests of individual citizens. First, this Comment traces the history of parens patriae as a doctrinal theory and as it has developed in American statutory and common law. Next, it considers the preclusive effect of parens patriae suits on private individual claims and damages class actions. In particular, final judgments issued in parens patriae suits have the potential to bar individuals and entire classes from bringing valid claims under res judicata. Because parens patriae actions are not subject to the same procedural requirements as private class actions, the due process rights of certain individuals are, at times, put in jeopardy. In order to protect individual due process rights, this Comment suggests four possible solutions: courts should (1) heighten the procedural requirements for state aggregate suits, (2) hold that parens patriae suits cannot bind private claimants, (3) join related public and private suits, at least for liability litigation to ensure private claims are not dismissed unfairly, or (4) allow private citizens with claims, either individually or through class representation, to stay a parens patriae action to avoid preclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Brain Fingerprinting (BFP) is an electroencephalogram‐based system used to detect knowledge, or absence of knowledge of a real‐life incident (e.g., a crime) in a person's memory. With the help of BFP, a potential crime suspect can be classified as possessing crime‐related information (Information‐Present), not possessing crime‐related information (Information‐Absent), or Indeterminate (BFP unable to classify a subject). In the lab setting, we compare the ground‐truth of a subject (i.e., real‐life involvement in an incident) against their classification based on BFP testing. We report two studies: replication of BFP with university students (Study 1) and replication of BFP with parolees (Study 2). In Study 1, we tested 31 subjects (24 females, seven males, mean age = 21.3) on either their own or another subject's real‐life incident. BFP correctly classified nine Information‐Present and 18 Information‐Absent subjects, but with one false positive and three exclusions. In Study 2, we tested 17 male parolees (mean age = 47.5) on their own or another parolee's crime incident. BFP correctly classified two Information‐Present and six Information‐Absent subjects. However, there was also one false positive classification and three Indeterminates. Additionally, we identified three subjects who could not complete the BFP testing and two exclusions. We posit that BFP is not yet at a stage to be considered a robust and accurate crime‐detection tool as claimed in former articles. Nevertheless, after addressing the limitations, BFP has considerable potential as an information detection tool in forensic investigations, especially for detecting idiosyncratic crime‐relevant knowledge in a perpetrator, in addition to helping to confirm the accuracy of a suspect's claim of innocence. Despite claims of 100% accuracy by the proponents of Brain Fingerprinting, our findings include the first documented misclassifications, Indeterminates, and inabilities to carry out the Brain Fingerprinting test. Notwithstanding, all other subjects were correctly classified by the knowledge detection tool. Hence, we consider Brain Fingerprinting has many clear intrinsic strengths and we contend that, with further refinements and independent validations, it has considerable potential as a powerful new tool in forensic investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Federal Rules of Evidence are designed to be simple and user-friendly -- able to be deployed quickly and nimbly in the heat of trial. Despite this laudable goal, some of the rules present interpretive challenges. This Article explores approximately a dozen of the most deeply entrenched and troubling circuit splits involving Rules 407, 611, 702, 801, 803, 804, 806, and 1006. More specifically, the circuit splits addressed are: (1) Whether the rule excluding subsequent remedial measures requires a showing that the defendant's change was in response to the plaintiff's injury, and also whether the rule is applicable in actions for breach of contract; (2) Whether demonstrative evidence is distinguishable from presentations used to illustrate other evidence; (3) Whether expert testimony on the unreliability of eyewitness identifications should be admissible; (4) Whether hearsay statements made by a declarant are admissible against the declarant's successor-in-interest; (5) Whether a statement offered under the state of mind exception to the hearsay rule must be shown to have been made spontaneously; (6) Whether the requirement of establishing "corroborating circumstances" for declarations against interest allows proof of corroborating evidence extrinsic to the statement itself, and whether that corroborating circumstances requirement applies in civil cases; (7) Whether a hearsay declarant may be impeached with prior bad acts; and (8) Whether summaries of voluminous evidence are themselves admissible as evidence, whether the underlying evidence must or may be admitted, and whether oral summaries of voluminous evidence may be admitted. For each of these circuit splits, we determine whether resolution through amendment is necessary, and propose language for amending the rules when an amendment is the appropriate solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A set of 20 short tandem repeats (STRs) is used by the US criminal justice system to identify suspects and to maintain a database of genetic profiles for individuals who have been previously convicted or arrested. Some of these STRs were identified in the 1990s, with a preference for markers in putative gene deserts to avoid forensic profiles revealing protected medical information. We revisit that assumption, investigating whether forensic genetic profiles reveal information about gene-expression variation or potential medical information. We find six significant correlations (false discovery rate = 0.23) between the forensic STRs and the expression levels of neighboring genes in lymphoblastoid cell lines. We explore possible mechanisms for these associations, showing evidence compatible with forensic STRs causing expression variation or being in linkage disequilibrium with a causal locus in three cases and weaker or potentially spurious associations in the other three cases. Together, these results suggest that forensic genetic loci may reveal expression levels and, perhaps, medical information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]