Robert D. Hanser

Gang-related cyber and computer crimes: Legal aspects and practical points of consideration in investigations

Gang-related criminal activity has become increasingly more sophisticated, taking advantage of technological advancements that have occurred during the past few decades. Among these advances, criminal gangs have begun to use the internet as an effective tool through which criminal activity can be conducted. Investigators must be adept and competent at locating and collecting gang-related evidence from the internet and from various electronic storage devices. Various techniques of investigation, the legal statutes associated with these types of investigations, and the legal parameters and limits when conducting these investigations are discussed.

Juvenile sex offenders in the United States and Australia: A comparison

This article provides a comparative analysis of juvenile sex offenders in the USA and Australia. Juvenile sex offenders are shown to have common characteristics that include prior childhood abuse, experiences with sibling incest, possession of specific psychological dysfunctions, and dysfunctional familial backgrounds. These characteristics are common to juvenile sex offenders in both countries, pointing to the likelihood of universal typological determinations. Further, treatment programs for juvenile sex offenders in both countries are shown to be similar in structure, orientation and overall effectiveness. From the compiled research in both countries, it is shown that early childhood factors as well as post-offense interventions have similarities that support the notion that juvenile sex offenders have a universal basis in etiology and recidivism.

Conflicts and geographical flashpoints around the world: the effective application of restorative justice and peacemaking criminological perspectives

The means by which a peacemaking paradigm and restorative justice principles can be applied to international conflicts are explored. The utility of peacemaking criminology in areas of war‐torn Africa, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East are highlighted. Using Fullers peacemaking pyramid paradigm, a multi‐pronged message of nonviolence, social justice, and inclusion of diverse cultural groups is emphasized. The application of both peacemaking criminology and restorative justice is presented as being workable to acknowledge the real pain, sorrow, and inequity that are experienced among the aggrieved around the world. Further, the spiritual and humanist elements of peacemaking criminology are emphasized, demonstrating that peacemaking criminology is uniquely suited to resolving conflict rooted in religious differences around the globe. The restorative justice emphasis on healing, bringing victims and offenders together, and making communities whole is shown as an effective adjunct and a natural partner to peacemaking approaches.

Jail Diversion: Addressing the Needs of Offenders with Mental Illness and Co-Occurring Disorders.

Abstract The primary purpose of this research is to illuminate three critical components related to the success of jail diversion programs. First, prior to diversion there is the need to identify those offenders most open to therapeutic services. Second, for those offenders diverted, there must be a proper match between the offender and the mental health professional who provides therapeutic services. Third, quality mental health services must have therapists that are routinely involved in the offenders clinical progress from intake to program completion. Suggestions are offered which may serve to forward the evolution of jail diversion implementation and enhance success rates.

Using local law enforcement to enhance immigration law in the United States: a legal and social analysis

In the United States, controversial debate has centered around changes in immigration enforcement, particularly in regard to the integration of local law enforcement, rather than federal (national level) law enforcement, in fulfilling these duties. A number of legal statutes have been enacted and revised. Amidst federal revisions to these statutes, policies, and procedures, state-level governments have acted independently in how they utilize their own law enforcement personnel in combating illegal immigration. This has proven to be a source of conflict between state-level government and federal-level officials. Further, these circumstances have occurred against a backdrop setting where Latinos (mainly of Mexican descent) are the primary immigrants in states where many of these issues have developed. These developments hold numerous legal and social implications for the United States and its role within the global community.

Book Review: Denning, P., Little, J., & Glickman, A. (2004). Over the Influence: The Harm Reduction Guide for Managing Drugs and Alcohol. New York: Guilford. 328 pp

penalty—and that are supported in Haney’s book—include the fact that, according to the available evidence, the death penalty has no deterrent effect (beyond life imprisonment) on the incidence of capital crimes and that, as suggested by some studies cited by Haney (p. 250, note 36) an increase in the rate of executions tends to lead to an increase in the rate of homicides; that the higher courts often refuse to invalidate jury decisions in favor of capital punishment in cases where mitigating factors have not been presented or have not been presented adequately, as long as certain formal requirements have been met; and that—whether deliberately or not— the present system is significantly biased against African Americans. In the event that the death penalty is eliminated, issues pertaining to appropriateness of a sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole would still remain, but this is a problem beyond the scope of this review. Jacob Goldstein Independent Scholar

Book Review: Potter-Efron, R. (2002). Shame, Guilt, and Alcoholism: Treatment Issues in Clinical Practice (2nd ed.). New York: Haworth Press, pp. 237

Amendment, who claimed that random testing is an unwarranted invasion of privacy, not a cost-effective deterrent: “The federal government’s random testing costs

A Quantitative Analysis of the Conservation of Resources, Burnout, and Other Selected Behavioral Variables among Law Enforcement Officers

10.7 million annually and produces four hundred positive results out of 1.8 million workers. From 1993 to 1998, the federal government conducted 257,576 random tests and discovered 1,345 positive cases, or .52 percent of those tested. The six years of random testing cost taxpayers a total of

Part-Time and Reserve Law Enforcement: The Texas Experience

31,791,881. Each positive finding cost a whopping

9 Citizen Satisfaction with Police

23,637!” (p. 155). This final chapter offers interesting comparisons from radar detectors, to pirated music, to term paper sharing. He observes, “Detox products are part of one industry offering commodities designed to undermine the rule of law” (p. 135). The careful reader must observe that the author has not been well-served by the publisher’s proofreading. Among errors observed, two deserve special mention: an o is omitted from criminology on the reverse of the title page, and the forename of a distinguished criminologist mentioned in the acknowledgments is glaringly misspelled, although correctly, and prominently, displayed on the back cover.