Levels and Variations of Violation in Rape.

This chapter investigates the variations in crime scene behaviour revealed in a sample of victim statements in cases of stranger sexual assault. Building on previous findings by Canter and Heritage (1990), and Canter (1994), it was hypothesised that there existed a scale of differing levels of violation by the offender. This scale, based upon actions in the offence, ranged from personal violation, through to physical violation and finally, at the most extreme level, sexual violation. Offences could also be differentiated at the personal and physical levels in terms of hostile, controlling, stealing or involving thematic emphases to the criminal’s actions. To test these hypotheses, crime scene data from the first detected offences of 112 British rapists were analysed using a multi-dimensional scaling procedure to explore the relationships amongst crime scene actions. The results provided empirical support for the four action themes as different expressions of various intensities of violation. The implications that these findings have for the investigation of stranger sexual assault and treatment of victims are discussed

Computerized crime linkage systems: A critical review and research agenda

Computerized crime linkage systems are meant to assist the police in determining whether crimes have been committed by the same offender. In this article, the authors assess these systems critically and identify four assumptions that affect the effectiveness of these systems. These assumptions are that (a) data in the systems can be coded reliably, (b) data in the systems are accurate, (c) violent serial offenders exhibit consistent but distinctive patterns of behavior, and (d) analysts have the ability to use the data in the systems to link crimes accurately. The authors argue that there is no compelling empirical support for any of the four assumptions, and they outline a research agenda for testing each assumption. Until evidence supporting these assumptions becomes available, the value of linkage systems will remain open to debate

Geographic profiling survey:a preliminary examination of geographic profilers’ views and experiences

Geographic profiling (GP) is an investigative technique that involves predicting a serial offender’s home location (or some other anchor point) based on where he or she committed a crime. Although the use of GP in police investigations appears to be on the rise, little is known about the procedure and how it is used. To examine these issues, a survey was distributed internationally to police professionals who have contributed GP advice to police investigations. The survey consisted of questions designed to assess: (a) how geographic profiles are constructed, (b) the perceived usefulness and accuracy of GP, (c) whether core GP conditions are examined before profiles are constructed, and (d) the types of cases in which GP is used. The results suggest that geographic profiles are commonly used in operational settings for a wide range of crime types. This appears to be true even when GP conditions are violated. In addition, general perceptions of GP accuracy and usefulness appear to be high, but this is particularly true for respondents who use computerized GP systems (compared with spatial distribution strategies, such as centroids, or educated guesses). Computerized GP systems are also the most commonly used GP approach among our respondents, especially for those who have received formal training in GP. Although preliminary in nature, the results from this study help enhance understanding of how GP is used in police investigations around the world, and under what conditions. The survey also provides directions for future research

Advances in offender profiling: A systematic review of the profiling literature published over the past three decades

Abstract Despite the immense popularity of offender profiling as both a topic of fascination for the general public as well as an academic field of study, concerns have been raised about the development of this area of scientific inquiry. The present study provides a preliminary step towards moving the field forward as it reviews the type and quality of studies dealing with offender profiling over the past 31 years. Based on a content analysis of 132 published articles, the review indicates that researchers investigating this phenomenon rarely publish multiple articles, and they are generally reported across many different journals, thereby making knowledge synthesis and knowledge transfer problematic. In addition, the majority of papers published in the area are discussion pieces (e.g., discussing what profiling is, how profiles are constructed, and when profiling is useful), despite the fact that the processes underlying offender profiling are still not well understood. Finally, although peer-reviewed articles exploring this topic have steadily increased, the statistical sophistication of these studies is sorely lacking, with most including no statistics or formal analyses of data. Suggestions for future research and recommendations to streamline efforts in this field are provided based on the results of this review

Stress-Activity Mapping: Physiological Responses During General Duty Police Encounters

Policing is a highly stressful and dangerous profession that involves a complex set of environmental, psychosocial, and health risks. The current study examined autonomic stress responses experienced by 64 police officers, during general duty calls for service (CFS) and interactions with the public. Advancing previous research, this study utilized GPS and detailed operational police records as objective evidence of specific activities throughout a CFS. These data were then used to map officers’ heart rate to both the phase of a call (e.g., dispatch, enroute) and incident factors (e.g., call priority, use-of-force). Furthermore, physical movement (i.e., location and inertia) was tracked and assisted in differentiating whether cardiovascular reactivity was due to physical or psychological stress. Officer characteristics, including years of service and training profiles, were examined to conduct a preliminary exploration of whether experience and relevant operational skills training impacted cardiovascular reactivity. Study results provide foundational evidence that CFS factors, specifically the phase of the call (i.e., arrival on scene, encountering a subject) and incident factors (i.e., call priority, weapons, arrest, use-of-force), influence physiologica

RANK/RANKL/OPG pathway: genetic associations with stress fracture period prevalence in elite athletes

Context: The RANK/RANKL/OPG signalling pathway is important in the regulation of bone turnover, with single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in genes within this pathway associated with bone phenotypic adaptations. Objective: To determine whether four SNPs associated with genes in the RANK/RANKL/OPG signalling pathway were associated with stress fracture injury in elite athletes. Design, Participants, and Methods: Radiologically confirmed stress fracture history was reported in 518 elite athletes, forming the Stress Fracture Elite Athlete (SFEA) cohort. Data were analysed for the whole group, and were sub-stratified into male and cases of multiple stress fracture group. Genotypes were determined using proprietary fluorescence-based competitive allele-specific PCR assays. Results: SNPs rs3018362 (RANK) and rs1021188 (RANKL) were associated with stress fracture injury (p<0.05). 8.1% of stress fracture group and 2.8% of the non-stress fracture group were homozygote for the rare allele of rs1021188. Allele frequency, heterozygotes and homozygotes for the rare allele of rs3018362 were associated with stress fracture period prevalence (p<0.05). Analysis of the male only group showed 8.2% of rs1021188 rare allele homozygotes to have suffered a stress fracture while 2.5% of the non-stress fracture group were homozygous. In cases of multiple stress fractures, homozygotes for the rare allele of rs1021188, and individuals possessing at least one copy of the rare allele of rs4355801 (OPG) were shown to be associated with stress fracture injury (p<0.05). Conclusions: The data support an association between SNPs in the RANK/RANKL/OPG signalling pathway and the development of stress fracture injury. The association of rs3018362 (RANK) and rs1021188 (RANKL) with stress fracture injury susceptibility supports their role in the maintenance of bone health, and offers potential targets for therapeutic interventions

Lateral wedge insoles for medial knee osteoarthritis: 12 month randomised controlled trial

Objective To assess the effect of lateral wedge insoles compared with flat control insoles on improving symptoms and slowing structural disease progression in medial knee osteoarthritis