Feature Channels: Crime and Forensic Science

Filters close
Released: 6-May-2021 4:45 PM EDT
First member of ill-fated 1845 Franklin expedition is identified by DNA analysis
University of Waterloo

With a living descendant's DNA sample, a team of researchers have identified the remains of John Gregory, engineer aboard HMS Erebus

Released: 4-May-2021 8:30 AM EDT
Poor Grasp of Dating Violence in College Perpetuates ‘Boys Will be Boys’ Views
Florida Atlantic University

A study to understand the dating violence experience and perpetration of college-age women, as well as how they conceptualize violence in dating relationships, reveals normalization of unhealthy violent behaviors where sexual pressure or sexualized verbal harassment are viewed as an innate part of men, supporting the idea that “boys will be boys.” Study participants demonstrated a lack of knowledge of the forms of dating violence and its consequences. They accepted, rationalized and provided excuses for these acts of violence.

Released: 21-Apr-2021 12:15 PM EDT
Five factors that led to Chauvin guilty verdicts
Washington University in St. Louis

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted April 20 on three charges in the death of George Floyd. Collectively, people across the country breathed a sigh of relief because far too often, the story has been police killing people of color with impunity, says an expert on race and the law at Washington University in St.

Released: 20-Apr-2021 5:40 PM EDT
FSU experts available for context after Chauvin verdict
Florida State University

By: Bill Wellock | Published: April 20, 2021 | 5:23 pm | SHARE: Florida State University has experts available to offer context on topics related to the Derek Chauvin trial and verdict.POLICING AND POLICE REFORMEmma E. Fridel, assistant professor, College of Criminology and Criminal Justice (201) 452-0384; [email protected] researches violence and aggression with a focus on homicide, including school violence, homicide-suicide, serial and mass murder and fatal officer-citizen encounters.

14-Apr-2021 2:30 PM EDT
Reversal of Blood Droplet Flight Predicted, Captured in Experiments
American Institute of Physics (AIP)

To search for answers about how blood droplets from a gunshot wound can reverse direction while in flight, researchers explored the influence of propellant gases on blood backspatter. In Physics of Fluids, they report using numeric modeling to capture the behavior of gun muzzle gases and predict the reversal of blood droplet flight, which was captured experimentally. Their experiments also show the breakup of blood droplets, a future extension of their modeling efforts.

14-Apr-2021 2:40 PM EDT
Forensics Puzzle Cracked via Fluid Mechanical Principles
American Institute of Physics (AIP)

A real-life forensic puzzle inspired University of Illinois at Chicago and Iowa State University researchers to explore the physics involved, and in Physics of Fluids, they present theoretical results revealing an interaction of the incoming vortex ring of propellant muzzle gases with backward blood spatter. A detailed analytical theory of such turbulent self-similar vortex rings was given by this group in earlier work and is linked mathematically to the theory of quantum oscillators.

Released: 19-Apr-2021 11:20 AM EDT
Who is Selling and Trafficking Africa’s Wild Meat?
Wildlife Conservation Society

A new study classifies different types of wildlife traffickers and sellers in two of Central Africa’s growing urban centers, providing new insight into the poorly understood urban illegal wildlife trade.

Released: 14-Apr-2021 10:50 AM EDT
GIS technology helps map out how America’s mafia networks were ‘connected’
Penn State Institute for Computational and Data Sciences

A team of researchers used geographic information systems — a collection of tools for geographic mapping and analysis of the Earth and society — and data from a government database on mafia ties during the 1960s, to examine how these networks were built, maintained and grown. The researchers said that this spatial social networks study offers a unique look at the mafia’s loosely affiliated criminal groups. Often called families, these groups were connected — internally and externally — to maintain a balance between security and effectiveness, referred to as the efficiency-security tradeoff.

1-Apr-2021 2:00 PM EDT
Medication Access for Opioid Use Disorder Lower Among Those Involved with Criminal Justice System
Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

Among people with opioid use disorder (OUD), more than half have reported contact with the criminal justice system. A new study published today in Health Affairs reveals that Medicaid expansion is associated with substantial improvements in access to medications for OUD. However, the study also reveals that individuals referred for treatment by the criminal justice system were substantially less likely to receive medications for OUD as part of the treatment plan.

Released: 1-Apr-2021 4:10 PM EDT
CDC, UW study finds significant vaccine distrust within incarcerated populations, increasing risks
University of Washington

Fewer than half of inmates in jails and prisons surveyed in a study by the CDC and University of Washington said they would accept a COVID-19 vaccine, while the majority either said they wanted to wait before getting the vaccine or would refuse one.

Released: 1-Apr-2021 9:45 AM EDT
New center to combat global human trafficking
University of Georgia

The University of Georgia has established a new interdisciplinary center to combat human trafficking through research, programming and policy development.

Released: 31-Mar-2021 5:15 PM EDT
Not Prosecuting Misdemeanors Reduces Likelihood of Re-arrest, New Study Finds
Rutgers University-New Brunswick

Defendants prosecuted for non-violent misdemeanors such as motor vehicle, drug and disorder/theft charges have substantially higher risks of future arrest and prosecution than those not charged, according to a new Rutgers University-New Brunswick report.

Released: 23-Mar-2021 1:45 PM EDT
Criminologist weighs in on tragedy in Boulder, Colorado
Florida State University

By: Kathleen Haughney | Published: March 23, 2021 | 1:13 pm | SHARE: As the nation grapples with the second mass shooting in a month, criminologists are examining the patterns behind these horrific events.Florida State University Associate Professor of Criminology Jill Turanovic is available to speak to reporters about the deadly shooting in Boulder, Colorado, and the issue of mass shootings.

Released: 22-Mar-2021 12:05 PM EDT
Association of American Cancer Institutes Issues Statement Condemning Racism, Violence
Association of American Cancer Institutes (AACI)

In a formal statement, the Association of American Cancer Institutes (AACI) condemned racism, discrimination, and gun violence, urging that these issues be confronted as public health crises.

Released: 22-Mar-2021 8:40 AM EDT
University of Bristol’s cyber security experts launch new guidelines to help police crackdown on organised crime
University of Bristol

A new centre established by the University of Bristol to help protect citizens online has created a shared data science framework to help law enforcement investigate organised crime.

Released: 19-Mar-2021 4:10 PM EDT
Experts: Anti-Asian racism nuanced and often intertwined in misogyny
Washington University in St. Louis

On March 16, a man went on a shooting rampage at three Atlanta spas, killing eight people, including six Asian women. The killings have sparked outrage and fear in the Asian American community, but the suspect has denied that the killings were racially motivated.The suspect’s claims and subsequent claims made by the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office have set off a debate about anti-Asian racism in America.

Released: 17-Mar-2021 4:20 PM EDT
Statement by AERA Executive Director Felice J. Levine and President Shaun R. Harper on the Shootings in Atlanta and Growing Anti-Asian Violence
American Educational Research Association (AERA)

The shooting deaths of eight people, including six women of Asian descent, in Atlanta yesterday is a horrendous tragedy, and just the latest incident in an ever growing wave of mass violence in our country. We extend our deepest sympathy to the loved ones of the victims and to communities in Atlanta and across the United States that have been deeply affected by this senseless assault.

Released: 15-Mar-2021 1:50 PM EDT
Study: Men of color avoid public places out of fear of involvement with criminal justice agents
Crime and Justice Research Alliance

The U.S. criminal legal system has expanded at a rapid pace, even as crime rates have declined since the 1990s.

Released: 11-Mar-2021 10:05 PM EST
UC San Diego Broadens Research on Complicated Escalation of Violence in Mexico
University of California San Diego

Looking beyond cartels, the Mexico Violence Resource Project is an initiative from UC San Diego’s Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies launched last fall with the goal of facilitating better analysis on the nuanced drivers of violence in Mexico. The project recently formed a partnership with the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime to support new research and policy advocacy on issues surrounding violence, crime and governance in Mexico.

Released: 4-Mar-2021 12:55 PM EST
A parental paradox for Black girls in the justice system
Ohio State University

For Black girls in the juvenile justice system, attention from a caregiver might amount to too much of a bad thing, a recent study suggests.

Released: 12-Feb-2021 4:45 PM EST
Why rape victims are so often left to solve their own cases
Case Western Reserve University

In a new study, Case Western Reserve University researchers identified some of the primary gaps in the connective tissue of the criminal justice system—among them failures to test rape kit DNA samples to unjustified doubts of victims’ statements.

Released: 4-Feb-2021 2:40 PM EST
Updated Numbers: GW’s Program on Extremism Tracking Criminal Cases Linked to the Attack on Capitol Hill
George Washington University

The George Washington University Program on Extremism has continued to update a project that is tracking individuals charged with crimes related to the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Released: 2-Feb-2021 8:30 AM EST
Study Aims to Break the Chains of Incarceration in African American Males
Florida Atlantic University

The majority of African American men return to prison within one to three years of their first release. A study explores why re-entry programs are not as effective for them when compared to others. Researchers suggest a holistic approach that addresses psychological and historical trauma in conjunction with the environmental factors that perpetuate the stigma justice-involved African American men experience. The approach accounts for negative associations developed in the centuries of oppression and segregation that shape their current societal interactions.

Released: 29-Jan-2021 8:05 AM EST
Study Explores How Racism and Threat Perception Play Out in Criminal Law
American Sociological Association (ASA)

In a new study, Scott Duxbury, Assistant Professor of Sociology at UNC, considers whether racial threat drove states to adopt punitive sentencing laws. His findings reveal that punitive sentencing laws, which have been implicated in racial disparity in punishment during mass incarceration, were adopted in response to large, rather than growing, black populations.

Released: 26-Jan-2021 11:50 AM EST
UCI online criminology master’s program ranked #1 in the nation for second year in a row
University of California, Irvine

Irvine, Calif., Jan. 26, 2021 — The University of California, Irvine Master of Advanced Study in criminology, law & society has been named the nation’s best online criminal justice master’s program by U.S. News & World Report for the second year in a row. The 2021 rankings also mark the fourth consecutive year in which UCI has placed in the top three.

Released: 25-Jan-2021 2:55 PM EST
ISIS and the Taliban use different strategies to appeal to women in English-language magazines
University of Exeter

ISIS, Al Qaeda, and the Taliban use their English-language magazines to encourage women to support jihad in different ways, according to new research.

12-Jan-2021 1:55 PM EST
Restricting Malt Liquor Sales is Linked to Reductions in Neighborhood Crime
Research Society on Alcoholism

Restricting the sale of malt liquor beer can help reduce crime in some communities, according to a new study. Malt liquor beer — high in alcohol content, low cost, and widely sold in liquor stores and convenience stores — is linked to heavy drinking, public inebriation, disorderly conduct, drug activity and other crimes. Consequently, since the 1990s, some cities have restricted its sale. In Washington state, certain urban neighborhoods were designated Alcohol Impact Areas and targeted with policies including restrictions on sales of malt liquor and similar products. Unpublished evaluations of these interventions have suggested positive social and health effects, but the research on crime impacts has been limited, with mixed findings. The study in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research found that malt liquor sales restrictions are associated with declining urban crime.

     
Released: 17-Dec-2020 12:25 PM EST
Forensic Chemist’s Laser Technique Distinguishes Human and Animal Blood
University at Albany, State University of New York

New research published by forensic chemist Igor Lednev could soon offer law enforcement another valuable crime scene tool – a quick and accurate way to distinguish human blood from animal blood.

Released: 16-Dec-2020 12:45 PM EST
UCI and CDCR sign MOU to partner on new in-prison bachelor’s degree program
University of California, Irvine

Irvine, Calif., Dec. 16, 2020 — The University of California, Irvine and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation signed a memorandum of understanding for the design of the first in-prison Bachelor of Arts program offered by the University of California system. The Leveraging Inspiring Futures Through Educational Degrees project will enable incarcerated students at Richard J.

Released: 16-Dec-2020 9:00 AM EST
New research could lead to better eyewitness recall in criminal investigations
Binghamton University, State University of New York

A team of researchers, including faculty at Binghamton University, State University of New York, explore ways to potentially improve the recall of eyewitnesses in a new paper in the Journal of Cognitive Psychology.

Released: 15-Dec-2020 10:45 AM EST
Sights set on curbing gun crime
Flinders University

A community or sub-culture encouraging young men's exposure and obsession with guns - as well as ready access to firearms and drugs - can make gun violence 'all too easy', with Flinders University experts promoting a new direction on managing the global problem.



close
1.12898