The 'new' principal task for Europol to support Member States in connection with major international events: the blurring of boundaries between law enforcement and public order?

As from 1 January 2010 a new principal task for the European Police Office (Europol) is to provide intelligence and analytical support to Member States in connection with major international events. The first research question of this paper is whether this new task, which was not as such provided for by the Europol Convention, qualifies as a true novelty. On the one hand, the Europol Council Decision merely gives a more profound legal basis to already existing practices. On the other hand, all options are open for the further development of Europol. The second research question is whether this seemingly information-related task would in fact not amount to a task of public order, which would then no longer be compatible with Europol’s objective. Although the actual Europol Council Decision does not explicitly mention public order policing, the new task would not exclude Europol from supporting national police action with a public order impact. This potential blurring of the boundaries between law enforcement and order maintenance is not without risk

Go West! Political, legal and operational aspects of cooperation between Europol and the United States

This paper serves as a building block in the process of writing a doctoral thesis in law (working title: Europol, quo vadis? Critical analysis and evaluation of the development of the European Police Office). Based in The Hague (The Netherlands), Europol is the European Union (EU) law enforcement agency that handles criminal intelligence. Its formal objective, as laid down in the Europol Council Decision, is to “to support and strenghten action by the competent authorities of the Member States and their mutual cooperation in preventing and combating organised crime, terrorism and other forms of serious crime affecting two or more Member States”. To be in a position to collect and connect information from different sources, Europol has over the years concluded numerous operational agreements (including the exchange of personal data) and strategic agreements (not including the exchange of personal data) with EU bodies as well as with third States and organisations. This paper is a case study on the cooperation between Europol and the United States. It considers the political, legal and operational aspects of the cooperative relations between the EU law enforcement agency and its counterparts in the US. Following research methods are used: an analysis of relevant legal and policy documents, a study of relevant literature and a targeted series of interviews with key figures

A Meta-Analysis of Substance Misuse Intervention Programs Offered to Women Offenders

This meta-analytic review examined the effectiveness of substance misuse interventions in reducing recidivism and substance use outcomes among women offenders. A literature search revealed 22 evaluations, reporting 39 effect sizes. The effect estimate for recidivism outcomes revealed 53% to 79% reductions in the odds of recidivism for women participating in interventions. Effect estimates were similar for outcomes relating to substance use, with reductions in the odds of alcohol and drug use ranging from 13% to 82%. Across evaluations reporting recidivism outcomes, gender-neutral and gender-informed interventions were equally effective in reducing recidivism outcomes. Further, sub-group analyses revealed that study quality did not impact reductions in recidivism. Overall, this review lends support to the findings of previous research, suggesting that substance misuse interventions are effective in reducing both recidivism and substance use outcomes among women offenders

The risks and benefits of technologised sexual practice scale : A quantitative measure of technology facilitated sex and intimacy

Background Technologies such as the Internet, smartphones, and sex toys have demonstrated the capacity to facilitate and enhance sexual and intimate practice by offering new ways to meet sexual partners, maintain and establish intimate connections, and providing access to sexual education and exposure to new ways of engaging in sex. They have also afforded novel risks to safety, privacy, and sexual autonomy. Understanding how people perceive and experience both the risks and benefits of using technology to facilitate sex and intimacy is important to understanding contemporary sexual practice, health, and pleasure. However, research in this space is currently hampered by a lack of quantitative measures to accurately and holistically assess both the risks and benefits in the context of technologised sexual practices. Methods To facilitate a nuanced quantitative exploration of these concepts, we present the psychometric properties of the newly developed Risks and Benefits of Technologised Sexual Practice Scale. Results Using an exploratory (Study 1, n = 445) and confirmatory factor analysis (Study 2, n = 500), this paper presents evidence for a 6-factor scale (Benefits (3): ‘sexual gratification’, ‘connection’, and ‘access to information and culture’; Risks (3): ‘concerns’, ‘worries’, and ‘knowledge of rights and ownership’). Conclusion This scale may be used to contribute to research areas including sexual health, sexual behaviour, sexual education, online connection, online safety, and digital literacy with the aim to contribute to a sex- and technology-positive framework for understanding sexual health and pleasure