The death of Jill Meagher: crime and punishment on social media

This paper aims to identify and analyse several predominant issues and discourses as they relate to the burgeoning interrelationship between social media, crime and victim. Abstract In this paper we analyse the kidnapping, rape and murder of Jill Meagher as a case study to highlight a range of issues that emerge in relation to criminalisation, crime prevention and policing strategies on social media - issues that, in our opinion, require immediate and thorough theoretical engagement. An in-depth analysis of Jill Meagher’s case and its newsworthiness in terrestrial media is a challenging task that is beyond the scope of this paper; rather, the focus for this particular paper is on the process of agenda-building, particularly via social media, and the impact of the social environment and the capacity of ‘ordinary’ citizens to influence the agenda-defining process. In addition, we outline other issues that emerged in the aftermath of this case, such as the depth of the target audience on social media, the threat of a ‘trial by social media’ and the place of social media in the context of pre-crime and surveillance debates. Through the analysis of research data we establish some preliminary findings and call for more audacious and critical engagement by criminologists and social scientists in addressing the challenges posed by new technologies

Social Networking Sites and Crime: Is Facebook more than just a Place to Procrastinate?

This paper analyses the most popular social networking website (SNS)2—Facebook—and its engagement with crime. Through media analysis of several Australian and international newspapers and using case studies, the paper investigates the context in which Facebook was recently linked to issues around crime prevention and crime repression. This paper hopes to prompt the debate around a potential role of SNSs in addressing crime, and their impending impact on policy changes. Finally, the paper emphasises the need for such an engagement within a broader context of critical criminology.Sydney Institute of Criminology; School of Social Sciences at the University of Western Sydne

Freeing the Modern Slaves, One Click at a Time: Theorising human trafficking, modern slavery, and technology

This paper analyses relations between human trafficking, modern slavery, and information communication technology. It looks at the history of the technology-trafficking nexus and flags some key advances in the counter-trafficking discourse in the last two decades. It provides an overview of how technology has been framed as both a part of the problem and part of the solution in the trafficking/slavery context and emphasises the impact of such developments on a range of actors, in particular, potential victims, NGOs, and the nation state. We suggest that the technology-slavery/trafficking connections, while often elusive, act as potent narrative and policy setters that can advance existing challenges and create new points of tension in the counter-trafficking context. We critically analyse these points of tension and destabilise some of their underpinning assumptions. In the conclusion, we highlight the need for rigorous empirical evidence, arguing that a more robust scholarly engagement with the role of technology in enabling and disrupting exploitation is essential. We also point to the importance of ensuring that technology is not a distraction from addressing the root causes of exploitation and abuse

Tracing imprints of the border in the territorial, justice and welfare domains : a multi-site ethnography

Starting from the border as an ‘epistemic viewpoint’ (Mezzadra and Neilson 2013), we seek to achieve conceptual depth about the nature of contemporary bordering practices by combining and re‐evaluating empirical data collected within different bordering domains. We build on Mezzadra and Neilson's concept of the ‘proliferation of borders’ by extending our focus to the impact of borders on individuals, arguing that border crossers experience an ‘accumulation of borders’ as borders are ‘imprinted’ on their bodies through multiple and diverse encounters with various state agencies. By tracing the imprint of the border and its impact on the lives of border crossers in a range of contexts (the territorial, justice, and welfare domain), we bring to light continuities in the governance of global mobility and the cumulative effects of borders that could not be captured by researching isolated, local sites within the nation‐state

Boiling and Condensation in Two-Phase System Transients with Water Hammer

Water hammer in two-phase systems, induced by direct steam condensation on subcooled water or by separation of subcooled water column, results in the most intensive pipeline pressure surges. Amplitudes of pressure spikes along the course of these dangerous transients strongly depend on the condensation and evaporation rates. The present paper provides a literature overview of thermal-hydraulic models for the prediction of water hammer phenomenon in two-phase systems, together with an original mechanistic approach for the prediction of phase transition rates, based on the shape and size of vapor-liquid interfacial area and the phase transition potential expressed through vapor and liquid phase temperature difference. Available water hammer experimental conditions were numerically simulated with the new modeling approach. Driving parameters of boiling and condensation rates at the steam-water interfaces are evaluated, and a good agreement is shown between numerical results and experimental data of bulk two-phase flow parameters during water hammer transients

Steps Towards Satisficing Distributed Dynamic Team Trust

Defining and measuring trust in dynamic, multiagent teams is important in a range of contexts, particularly in defense and security domains. Team members should be trusted to work towards agreed goals and in accordance with shared values. In this paper, our concern is with the definition of goals and values such that it is possible to define 'trust' in a way that is interpretable, and hence usable, by both humans and robots. We argue that the outcome of team activity can be considered in terms of 'goal', 'individual/team values', and 'legal principles'. We question whether alignment is possible at the level of 'individual/team values', or only at the 'goal' and 'legal principles' levels. We argue for a set of metrics to define trust in human-robot teams that are interpretable by human or robot team members, and consider an experiment that could demonstrate the notion of 'satisficing trust' over the course of a simulated mission

Safe Horizon: Victim support service in New York

This article contains analysis of history and development of the victim support movement in United States of America, with particular focus on New York City. The analysis includes the causes of establishment, the history of the victim support services as well as today’s situation in the movement for helping victims of crime. Specific part of the article is dedicated to Safe Horizon, victim support service in New York, and programs this organization, known also under old name - Victim Services, Inc., is running today