Showing papers in "European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research in 2023"
TL;DR: In this paper , the authors employ a crime script analysis approach, based on interviews with relevant stakeholders and case studies retrieved across European countries, to examine the most common modi operandi in the organised theft of medicines and medical devices.
Abstract: The theft of medicines is a significant component of the illicit trade in pharmaceutical products. Besides small-scale thefts committed for personal usage, organised criminal networks are increasingly targeting high-priced medical products, either to reintroduce them into the legal supply chain or sell them on the black market. This crime has considerable implications that extend beyond the value of the stolen goods, including harmful impacts on citizens' health, legitimate companies, and national health systems. However, knowledge on organised theft of medicines remains limited. This paper employs a crime script analysis approach, based on interviews with relevant stakeholders and case studies retrieved across European countries, to examine the most common modi operandi in the organised theft of medicines and medical devices. Potential policy implications are also discussed.The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10610-023-09546-w.
TL;DR: In this article , the effects of low self-control on victimization and the moderating role of fear of crime on the relationship between self control and victimization were investigated. And the results showed that low self control was positively correlated with victimization.
Abstract: Abstract Taking into consideration the framework of the general theory of crime, research has been exploring the role of low self-control in the explanation of both crime perpetration and personal victimization. Moreover, while several studies have been analysing the role of victimization experiences in the fear of crime, less is known about how an individuals’ fear of crime influences the likelihood of being victimized. Therefore, using a sample of 243 individuals (55.6% women) from the University of Porto, through a self-reported survey, we tested (i) the effects of low self-control on victimization and (ii) the moderating role of fear of crime on the relationship between self-control and victimization. Results showed that low self-control was positively correlated with victimization. It was observed that fear of crime moderated the effect of low self-control on victimization, thus suggesting that the relationship between low self-control and victimization is not observed when fear of crime is high. Implications of the results are discussed.
TL;DR: In this article , the authors focused on toxicity in today's leading online video game League of Legends and found that 70% of matches were affected by disruptive behavior, while only 10.9% of the analyzed matches were exclusively affected by downright harmful behavior.
Abstract: Abstract In recent decades, many sectors of our society have been digitized, and much of our life has moved to cyberspace, especially in terms of entertainment. Users meet, relate, and cooperate in the new public space that is the internet and form digital communities. Video games play a leading role in the formation of such communities. However, these communities also present antisocial behaviors, ranging from disruptive actions to harassment and hate speech. Such behaviors, encompassed under the umbrella term toxicity , are a major concern for both users and those in charge of moderating these spaces. This article focuses on toxicity in today’s leading online video game League of Legends. Three hundred twenty-eight matches were reviewed using a system of two judges to study the prevalence of these problematic behaviors. We find that 70% of matches were affected by disruptive behavior. Nevertheless, only 10.9% of the analyzed matches were exclusively affected by downright harmful behavior. In our view, the results have relevant implications for content moderation policy that are also addressed in this paper.
TL;DR: In this article , a large-scale survey with projective situational questions was conducted among university students in Hungary to test out a measurement tool that measures the importance of various trust factors, including reliable and undamaged delivery of goods and the reliability of vendors.
Abstract: The process of illicit drug trafficking on darknet markets is highly affected by various trust factors. Although the factors potentially affecting customers' risk perception can be identified based on previous research, cyber criminology has not produced empirical research ranking the importance of the specific factors. This study was designed to fill this gap by developing a tool that measures the importance of the various trust factors. To test out the measurement tool, a large-scale survey with projective situational questions was conducted among university students in Hungary. The sample (n = 5481) was compiled to include potential darknet market customers, respondents with above-average computer skills needed to access the darknet, and taking into account that university students are a group of society particularly exposed to drug consumption. The end product of this research is a trust matrix ranking the factors affecting illicit drug purchases on darknet markets. Among the factors, the survey's target group ranked reliable and undamaged delivery of goods and the reliability of vendors as the most important. The measurement tool developed in this research will facilitate further criminological research on vendor reputation. Its findings also point to the need for further research on delivery providers and predict that influencing the delivery-related risk perception of potential customers could effectively reduce demand.
TL;DR: In this paper , an analysis of 964 rape cases of adult women in Spain was carried out and the information was extracted from sentences of the Provincial Courts issued between 2015 and 2022, showing that significantly lower conviction rates and less severe penalties were imposed when the rape was committed by the intimate partner compared to other rape cases where the offenders were not partners.
Abstract: Abstract Sexual violence in an intimate relationship is a less studied phenomenon than other forms of intimate partner violence, despite data pointing to a high prevalence. Studies on how the cases are sentenced are scarce. Until recently, many laws did not allow marital rape to be punished as a crime of rape, and some studies showed a tendency for the courts to punish these cases less severely. The present study is based on an analysis of 964 rape cases of adult women in Spain. All the information was extracted from sentences of the Provincial Courts issued between 2015 and 2022. Results showed that significantly lower conviction rates and less severe penalties were imposed when the rape was committed by the intimate partner compared to other rape cases where the offenders were not partners (family members, acquaintances, or unknown strangers). The practical implications of these results in several areas are discussed.
TL;DR: In this article , the authors assess the incidence of homicide-suicide in Italy over a 10-year period (between 2009 and 2018) and compare its findings with national and international data.
Abstract: Abstract Homicide–suicide is an event in which an individual murders one or more persons and then takes his/her own life. The present study aimed to assess the incidence of homicide-suicide in Italy over a 10-year period (between 2009 and 2018) and to compare its findings with national and international data. Furthermore, a time series analysis was carried out employing an autoregressive integrated moving average model. Data regarding homicide-suicide cases were collected from press agencies and four major Italian newspapers. In the considered time frame, 368 cases of homicide–suicide were identified, with a total of 808 deaths. Findings aligned with international data, highlighting that the murderer is typically an older male who, for romantic jealousy, kills with a firearm his current or former female partner. The average rate of homicide–suicides was 0.06%, showing an increase compared to the previous decades. In addition, the forecasting model predicted a further increase in cases in the coming years, highlighting the need to systematically gather data on this phenomenon.
TL;DR: In this paper , the authors examined the assumption that aspects of fear of crime (fear of rape and sense of insecurity) predict fear of terrorism and found that higher fear of rape is associated with a higher likelihood of terrorism.
Abstract: This study examines the assumption that aspects of fear of crime (fear of rape and sense of insecurity) predict fear of terrorism. The online survey included 754 Israeli respondents, who answered questions about their demographic characteristics, fear of terrorism, fear of crime indicators (fear of rape and sense of insecurity), locus of control (LOC; internal and external), and coping strategies. The findings indicate that for women, higher belief in chance and fate, and powerful others (external LOC), higher sense of insecurity, and higher fear of rape were related to a higher fear of terrorism. For men, higher belief in chance and fate (external LOC), higher sense of insecurity, and higher fear of rape were related to a higher fear of terrorism. Furthermore, the effect of fear of rape on fear of terrorism was mediated by sense of insecurity. Our findings support the assumption that fear of crime shadows and affects fear of terrorism for men as well as women. Therefore, fear of rape should be addressed as a significant issue for both genders.
TL;DR: In this article , the authors argue that the affective atmosphere of the art fair had a direct influence both on how the thieves committed and how onlookers experienced crime, and they contribute to the growing concept of sensory criminology and the role that atmosphere and affect play in crime.
Abstract: Abstract In mid 2022, social media videos of an armed jewel heist during opening hours at the TEFAF art fair baffled the public. The thieves wore seemingly absurd costumes, and the art fair attendees only showed muted reactions to a violent and dramatic crime. Drawing on first-hand observational research at TEFAF before and after the heist, and on an extended observational methodology focused on the atmosphere of art commercial spaces, we argue that the affective atmosphere of the art fair had a direct influence both on how the thieves committed and how onlookers experienced crime. Within the art fair space, thieves conformed to art world conventions and fair attendees experienced dangerous events as being significantly less sinister. With this paper, we contribute to the growing concept of sensory criminology and the role that atmosphere and affect play in crime.
TL;DR: In this paper , the authors argue that one of the previously underappreciated explanations for criminal selfies is a desire to broadcast personal grievances, which allows an offender to publicize their motivating politics and to offer them to an online audience for consideration and discussion.
Abstract: Abstract Despite attempts to regulate content, social media platforms continue to host images of antisocial behavior and crime. These images include dashboard videos of road rage and CCTV footage of shoplifting, as well as more extreme recordings of torture, sexual assault, suicide, and mass shootings. These images are often produced by offenders of their own volition using smartphone cameras and wearable recording devices. We understand criminal selfies as media content of antisocial behavior or crime produced by or with the awareness of an offender. By producing a criminal selfie, an offender renders themselves vulnerable to public scrutiny, legal punishment, and other negative outcomes. Yet criminal selfies remain a popular form of toxic online communication. This manuscript theorizes that one of the previously underappreciated explanations for criminal selfies is a desire to broadcast personal grievances. In such cases, they allow an offender to publicize their motivating politics and to offer them to an online audience for consideration and discussion. Antisocial content often evokes an unfavorable ratio of denunciation versus supportive responses. We claim that some offenders wager that a criminal selfie nonetheless earns their grievances a degree of awareness and, potentially, consequence. Some criminal selfies reflect a willingness to self-incriminate by documenting antisocial behavior in hopes that their images will contribute to public discourse. This article contributes to studies of criminal visibility by addressing how it can be intended as political expression. We first outline the concept of the criminal selfie and how it reflects a changing relationship between visibility and criminality in contemporary digital society. We then review literature on the motives of criminals who film themselves. We seek to compliment this literature by considering socially and politically aggrieved individuals producing antisocial content. This includes livestreams of white nationalist mass shootings (Christchurch, Halle) as well as a series of Reddit groups that solicit and (counter-)denounce antisocial grievances by digital media users (r/iamverybadass, r/publicfreakout, r/iamatotalpieceofshit).
TL;DR: In this paper , the authors analyzed the relationship between psychopathic traits, the four facets of psychopathy (i.e., interpersonal, affective, lifestyle, and antisocial), and the type of crime committed.
Abstract: Abstract The present study analyses the relationship between psychopathic traits, the four facets of psychopathy (i.e., interpersonal, affective, lifestyle, and antisocial), and the type of crime committed (i.e., intrafamilial and extrafamilial child sexual abuse; and nonsexual crimes). The Self-Report Psychopathy Scale – Short Form (SRP-SF) and the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale – Short Form were completed by 110 male individuals who sexually offended minors (ISOMs) and 146 individuals convicted for nonsexual crimes. Four binary logistic regression analyses were conducted, controlling for sociodemographic, criminal, and individual variables. ISOMs are less likely to score high in the SRP-SF total score and the interpersonal facet and more likely to score high in the affective facet than individuals with nonsexual crimes. Besides, ISOMs are less likely to have a prior history of alcohol and drug abuse and to have previous contact with the justice system but are more likely to have a history of psychological problems. Therefore, only the prior alcohol and drug abuse history emerged as predictors for ISOMs subtypes. According to our results, psychopathic traits should not be considered in the assessment and intervention of ISOMs, and the focus of the intervention should be on the affective dimension and the level of psychopathology.
TL;DR: In this article , the authors explored the relationship between missing persons' psychosocial and criminological characteristics/circumstances and violent-fatal outcomes (suicide and homicide).
Abstract: The study explores in depth the relationship between missing persons' psychosocial and criminological characteristics/circumstances and violent-fatal outcomes (suicide and homicide). A relational analytical explicative study of 929 cases and controls was designed using a retrospective and stratified design. Data gathering was conducted through the content analysis of judicial and police information, as well as the development of psychological autopsy techniques and semi-structured interviews with the persons involved in the missing person cases including offenders in prison. Bivariate and multivariate statistical techniques were utilised for analyses. The findings showed that there are different risk and protective factors which can distinguish between good state of health, suicide, and homicide outcomes. This research entails implications for prevention and police risk assessment system.
TL;DR: In this article , the authors focus on the complications in addressing these radicalisation efforts where the means of communication is through Internet memes, in which humour and coded language are used as means of radicalising an audience.
Abstract: Abstract The use of the Internet for the purposes of radicalisation is well understood. The use of social media platforms to spread messages of hate and intolerance has become mainstreamed, both as a means of communication and a focus of academic attention. The purpose of this paper is to focus on the complications in addressing these radicalisation efforts where the means of communication is through Internet memes, in which humour and coded language are used as means of radicalising an audience. While existing legal frameworks provide for online platforms to tackle this problem through a combination of assuring immunity from liability for taking action when content is brought to a platforms attention, as well as engaging in voluntary proactive measures, this paper explores the difficulty of addressing content that is more borderline in nature and where arguments concerning humour and freedom of expression may be raised by those spreading these messages in a system providing for significant discretion on the part of online platforms. Considering developments under the Digital Services Act, and an increased focusing on the algorithmic control of content, this article will argue that even these new measures may find the countering of radicalising content conveyed through humour quite difficult.
TL;DR: In this article , the authors investigated the characteristics, impact, and reactions to cyber victimisation among social media influencers and found that over 70% of influencers have encountered some form of online harassment and toxic critics.
Abstract: Influencers are persistently exposed through social media. Once almost unapproachable, celebrities are now open to daily interaction with the public. From comments, polls, emails, and even private messages, the public can engage with their celebrities with a mere click. While this engagement provides influencers with advantages, it also renders them particularly susceptible to online harassment and toxic critics. This paper investigates the characteristics, impact, and reactions to cyber victimisation among social media influencers. To accomplish this objective, the paper presents the findings of two studies: a self-reported online victimisation survey conducted among Spanish influencers and an online ethnography. The results indicate that over 70% of influencers have encountered some form of online harassment and toxic critics. Cyber victimisation, its effects, and reactions vary across socio-demographic characteristics and the influencers' profiles. Furthermore, the qualitative analysis of the online ethnography reveals that harassed influencers can be classified as non-ideal victims. The implications of these findings for the literature are discussed.
TL;DR: In this article , the authors examined the far-right online communities during the 2017 UK flu pandemic and found that they utilize societal insecurities to attract candidates, maintain viewership, and form a collective on social media platforms.
Abstract: The growing dissension towards the political handling of COVID-19, widespread job losses, backlash to extended lockdowns, and hesitancy surrounding the vaccine are propagating toxic far-right discourses in the UK. Moreover, the public is increasingly reliant on different social media platforms, including a growing number of participants on the far-right's fringe online networks, for all pandemic-related news and interactions. Therefore, with the proliferation of harmful far-right narratives and the public's reliance on these platforms for socialising, the pandemic environment is a breeding ground for radical ideologically-based mobilisation and social fragmentation. However, there remains a gap in understanding how these far-right online communities, during the pandemic, utilise societal insecurities to attract candidates, maintain viewership, and form a collective on social media platforms. The article aims to better understand online far-right mobilisation by examining, via a mixed-methodology qualitative content analysis and netnography, UK-centric content, narratives, and key political figures on the fringe platform, Gab. Through the dual-qualitative coding and analyses of 925 trending posts, the research outlines the platform's hate-filled media and the toxic nature of its communications. Moreover, the findings illustrate the far-right's online discursive dynamics, showcasing the dependence on Michael Hogg's uncertainty-identity mechanisms in the community's exploitation of societal insecurity. From these results, I propose a far-right mobilisation model termed Collective Anxiety, which illustrates that toxic communication is the foundation for the community's maintenance and recruitment. These observations set a precedent for hate-filled discourse on the platform and consequently have widespread policy implications that need addressing.
TL;DR: In this article , the authors unblurred the fuzzy line between the purpose limitation principle and the specialty principle in the context of mutual legal assistance (MLA) in the European Investigation Order and the EU Data Protection Directive 2016/680 for Police and Criminal Justice.
Abstract: Abstract The purpose limitation principle takes a central place in data privacy law. The specialty principle plays a key role in international cooperation in criminal matters, including in the context of mutual legal assistance (MLA), which is aimed at the cross-border collection and use of information and evidence. Since the specialty principle also frames use limitations for information or evidence obtained through MLA and must therefore be considered a traditional MLA correlative of the purpose limitation principle in data privacy law, both concepts are clearly intertwined. However, since the entry into force of the European Investigation Order, and the EU Data Protection Directive 2016/680 for Police and Criminal Justice, it has become unclear how both principles interplay, and what that implies for the rights position of the data subject or person concerned. This paper unblurs the fuzzy line between specialty and data protection in the current EU MLA context. Based on historical and conceptual analysis, the paper unravels whether the new data protection provisions of the European Investigation Order and Directive 2,016,680 have speciality features and, if so, to which extent they effectively serve a specialty function. This paper does not only demonstrate that both principles do not fully equate with one another, but features an analysis of how they differ, both conceptually and functionally. It argues and concludes that only a fuller, generic specialty rule and data ownership principle have the potential to promote free movement of information and evidence, whilst equally enhancing the procedural rights position of persons concerned.
TL;DR: In this article , the authors compared the subtypes of filicide-suicide and mariticide/uxoricidesuicide in Hong Kong, comparing the generalizability of past studies, and found that MARITicide is more hostile towards their victims and tend to kill with aggressive means whereas FS offenders are more likely to die with altruistic motives and with minimal force.
Abstract: While much of work on homicide-suicide (HS) arises out of the USA and the UK, there is a paucity of research on HS outside of the Anglo-American sphere. This paper investigates HS in Hong Kong (HK), comparing the subtypes of filicide-suicide (FS) and mariticide/uxoricide-suicide (MUS) in that context as a means of testing the generalizability of past studies. Data from the HK Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government and the HK Police Force reports retrieved 156 cases from 2000 to 2019. In that timeframe, HS resulted in 261 deaths, with MUS being the most prevalent type of HS. Male offenders and female victims are more commonly seen. Offenders are generally older than their victims, and over half of offenders are married. FS and MUS display distinct characteristics in terms of offender and victim demographics, relationship dynamics, motives, and mode of killing. Depressed mothers tend to victimize their sons in FS as a means of saving their sons from a perceived miserable future, whereas male offenders aggress upon their female partners in MUS to alleviate their own frustrations, subsequently dying by suicide out of sorrow or a fear of consequence. MUS offenders are more hostile towards their victims and tend to kill with aggressive means, whereas FS offenders are more likely to kill with altruistic motives and with minimal force. These results match patterns of MUS and FS in the Anglo-American sphere, but with some important differences in terms of the use of guns and the presence of altruistic killing.