Apology after medical errors: a qualitative vignette study:Medical errors: impact of apology and admission on the resolution and compensation of claims

Studies investigating the impact of apologies and admission of responsibility for medical errors have been primarily observational, making it hard to attach a causal effect to the admission of responsibility and apologies. Second, most research on the settlement of medical malpractice cases were conducted in the US, with its particular litigation laws and culture. In this multi-jurisdictional study, we investigate the impact of apology and admission of responsibility on preferred resolution and compensation of claims. Employing a vignette design, we examine, among a sample of 327 respondents from 10 different countries, whether admission and apology by the doctor impact respondents' preference for resolution through a civil court case, mediation or a disciplinary board, as well as preferred damages for pain and suffering. Admission and apology by the physician in the vignette did not impact respondents' preference for settlement through a civil court case or mediation, nor did it affect the amount respondents found suitable compensation for pains and damages. We perceived the absence of an apology as particularly aggravating. Thematic analysis of open answers reveals that the impact of admission and apology differs for the three resolution modes and is often contextual and conditional. Future (vignette) studies should investigate whether different cases of medical errors yield similar results and whether more knowledgeable or experienced respondents (such as lawyers) would have other preferences and arguments. <br/

Suspicious minds? Empirical analysis of insider witness assessments at the ICTY, ICTR and ICC

The testimonies of insider witnesses are often key to prosecutions of international crimes, despite significant trustworthiness concerns. However, we know little about the practice of judicial assessments of insider testimonies, that is, which factors the judges consider relevant to relying on insider testimony. With this article, we set out to provide a comprehensive, explorative examination of the insider witness assessment factors used by the trial judges at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and the International Criminal Court in 1996–2019. By using multiple correspondence analysis, we show that the factors related to insider witness assessment outcomes are generally similar across the tribunals and tend to focus on the contents of the testimonies, with less attention given to credibility or competence concerns. This research constitutes the first systematic quantitative analysis and cross-institutional comparison of insider witness assessment practice at an international level

Online Disclosure of Sexual Victimization: A Systematic Review

We map the available scientific literature on how and why victims of sexual violence use digital platforms in the aftermath of victimization. Twenty-four empirical studies on sexual victimization and online disclosure were identified by systematically searching Web of Science and PsycINFO, checking reference lists, and consulting authors about relevant publications. The literature on online disclosure of sexual victimization does not yield a coherent picture. International literature pays limited attention to the various components of online disclosure like the characteristics of victims who disclosure online and the characteristics of the disclosure messages. Most studies focused on motivations for and reactions to online disclosure. Victims of sexual violence disclose sexual victimization online to seek support for clarification and validation, unburdening, documenting, seeking justice, informing others, or commercial goals (individual-oriented disclosure) and to provide support, educate, and as a form of activism (other-oriented disclosure). Responses to online disclosure are predominantly positive. Negative responses are rare. This review provides a comprehensive overview of multidisciplinary empirical information and displays knowledge gaps in victimological research. Future research should use robust quantitative and/or qualitative designs with substantial sample sizes, comparing victims who do disclose their sexual victimization online to victims who do not and comparing disclosure on different online platforms to increase generalizability. Potential for online support is identified, in which online disclosure can serve as a relatively safe alternative to off-line disclosure. This offers points of intervention for assistance and victim support in facilitating the use of the internet for support for victims of sexual violence

Out of prison, out of crime? The complex interplay between the process of desistance and severe resource disadvantages in women‘s post-release lives

We examine the influence of social capital, subjective changes and post-release resource disadvan- tages on women‘s desistance and reentry pathways. Using a sample of 1478 formerly incarcerated women, we estimate logistic hybrid random-effects models to assess the influence of several fac- tors on offending during a 7-year follow-up period. We use interviews with a subsample of women to explore the mechanisms underlying the quantitative findings. Results show that the effect of often-studied forms of social control are to a large degree dependent on (unmeasured) individual differences and circumstances, such as pre- and post-incarceration adversities, and the quality of forms of social control. A desire to desist from crime is often blocked by severe resource advantages

'Man's best possession': Period effects in the association between marriage and offending.

We assess to what extent the associations between marriage and offending differ for high-risk men marrying in two distinct periods: 1930-70 and 1971-2006. Between these two periods, power relations between the sexes, laws governing marriage and in general the role and expectations attached to marriage differed. Based on these differences, we argue that - following two explanations for the 'marriage effect', that is the control and the social capital explanation - a different effect of marriage is expected for the two marriage cohorts. Our results confirm these expectations and thus provide support for both explanations. © The Author(s) 2012