Kibera is the largest informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya, and Africa’s largest urban informal settlement. It is a community plagued by poverty and unemployment. In response to the social disorganization common to informal settlements, criminal activity is rampant, particularly in assault and sexual violence cases. Patriarchal beliefs fuel power imbalances which consequently perpetuate violence. Kenyan societies tend to be traditionally patriarchal and characterized by male privilege and female subservience. This article explores the narrative accounts of female victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) to overcome patriarchy in Kibera, Kenya. Through a qualitative inquiry, 32 female victims of IPV were interviewed, and the data obtained were thematically analysed. The findings established that patriarchy is sustained in Kibera through control, dominance and violence. Additionally, salient partakers in advancing patriarchy are family structures and authorities. Moreover, strategies to dismantle patriarchy and IPV are proposed through these narrative accounts.

In this article I consider the increasing use of the “rough sex” defence by men who kill women in trials of murder. In demonstrating the prevalence of this defence I examine the defence tactics of pleading accident and traducing the character of the dead by invoking the excuse that the deceased consented to the acts which contributed to her death. I examine the impact of this defence strategy on jury determination and return of convictions for unlawful manslaughter rather than murder. The notion that women in these situations have contributed to their own demise is a redolent oeuvre in pornography but also has roots in psychoanalysis and medicine. Stereotypes of women’s sexuality as defined by men continue to inform contemporary thinking skewing male violence against women as an outcome that women desire. Legal attempts to reform the law are examined and challenges to the representation of women in popular culture are called for.

This study provides data on substance use patterns, including medications, among female inmates in Canadian federal prisons. The participants were interviewed regarding their substance use and their psychological condition before and during incarceration. Their medication cards were also analyzed. The results show that a large proportion (66.9 %) of these incarcerated women reported substance abuse prior to incarceration and exhibited psychological disorders. In prison, if the illicit substance use remained low, most subjects had prescriptions for more than one medication. Furthermore, women with psychotropic medication prescriptions in their file had, on average, prescriptions for two different psychotropic medications. Significant relationships were found between substance misuse before incarceration and illicit substance use or and psychotropic medication use during incarceration. These results support the need to develop integrated services for both addiction and mental health for female offenders during incarceration.

The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, or NDPS Act, was enacted to control addictive drugs and prohibit their possession, dispersion, sale, import, and trade in India. Psychotropic agents have the potential to change an individual’s consciousness, while narcotic drugs relieve anxiety. The Indian Parliament passed the NDPS Act on November 14, 1985. Nonetheless, these types of drugs are important in the practice of medicine. Consequently, the Act contains provisions for the cultivation of cannabis, poppy, and coca seeds and the production of certain psychotropic medicines used for medical purposes. The Act’s primary objective is to regulate the manufacturing, ownership, selling, and transportation of narcotics and psychotropic drugs. The Act forbids the selling of nearly 200 psychotropic medications, resulting in these drugs being inaccessible over the counter to the general public. These medications are only available for use with a prescription. Violations of this law can result in a sentence of incarceration or a fine, or both, depending on the offense’s severity, which is determined by the severity of the situation at hand. If the drugs are being used for personal benefit, the penalty can be minimized. Furthermore, the legislation has been revised several times since its inception.

Judiciary and litigation are the two most prominent types of activities within the legal profession. The judicial aspect of the profession entails the interpretation of laws and the administration of justice in a fair and impartial manner. As a concept, justice entails protecting society from offenders and evildoers who deviate from society’s norms and engage in illegal behaviour by punishing and sentencing them. Due to the predominance of the human factor in the legal profession, which has such a significant impact on the lives of all members of society, it is crucial to investigate whether there is a guiding force behind dispensing justice and, if so, how effective these guidelines or policy measures have been. As crime rates rise and societal standards fall in the contemporary era, the legal profession grapples with the complexities of modern criminal behaviour. Particularly in the realm of judicial sentencing, there is a need for guidelines that account for the diversity of crimes and their individualistic nature. In India, long pungencies in court cases and a decline in the State’s conviction rate further exacerbate these issues. This paper examines the pressing need for comprehensive, well-structured sentencing guidelines that promote transparency, fairness and efficiency in the judicial process. Through a detailed review of recent high-profile court cases and an analysis of current practices and policies, this paper highlights the urgency of reform in the sentencing process to enhance public trust in the legal system. This article provides additional information on the subject.

International society has recently witnessed the emergence of two interrelated trends: on the one hand, the significant rise in transnational crimes, which constitute a serious challenge to States’ traditional security capabilities, and the noticeable increase in the number of international instruments put in place to bring that challenge to acceptable levels, on the other hand. The great emphasis the international community has put on the principle “aut dedere aut judicare” to strengthen the universal legal regime against serious crimes and to deny safe haven to their perpetrators is challenged not only by political, legislative and practical considerations pertaining to the lack of ratification and incorporation of international conventions and the wide disparity between States as to their implementation capacity, but also by the inherent differences between States’ differing legal systems. This is an area that, despite its relevance to international cooperation and human rights, has long been ignored by criminal justice comparative studies. Based on actual cases such as the Ramda and El Guerbouzi cases, this article examines and assesses the impact of the differences between civil law and common law systems on the effectiveness of international cooperation and human rights. It argues that, unless these differences are acknowledged and properly dealt with, perpetrators of serious crime will continue to constitute a serious threat to our peace and security.

Intimate partner homicides are often described as “passionate crimes”. While most sentencing studies focus on the analysis of the impact of specific characteristics of the offender, victim or the crime in sentencing, this study aims to analyse how “passionate crimes” are described in the Portuguese Supreme Court of Justice outcomes. From a qualitative analysis of 24 sentences, it is possible to conclude that passion is often related to jealousy, describing out-of-control offenders, arguments about cold-minded actions versus premeditated actions, and when describing prevention needs involved in sentencing these crimes. The defence often raises arguments minimising the gravity of the homicide due to strong “passion” emotion, but the Supreme Court of Justice has been declining most of them. The fact that most of these crimes are premeditated and actions happen with a “cold mind” also inhibits the “hot-blooded” “passionate” excuse for the crime. Results suggest that the Supreme Court of Justice is increasingly concerned about the necessity of preventing intimate partner homicides given its gravity and social impact.

Numerous studies find that sexual jealousy is a motivating factor in many intimate partner femicides. Given the paucity of scholarship in non-Western societies, the current article sought to extend empirical knowledge on the subject by focusing on sexual jealousy homicides in Fiji. A total of 30 male sexual jealousy homicides and attempted homicides in that society during 2010–2020 were identified through a thorough search of official court documents and local media sources. An in-depth criminological analysis of each case focused on victim and perpetrator attributes and offense features. The article finds that each homicide became a high-profile case, judging by the amount of media coverage afforded the incident and the degree of public interest demonstrated in the case. In 24 out of the 25 homicide cases, an aggrieved husband slew a supposed adulterous wife; the assailant killed his wife’s new consort in the remaining case. The mean age differential between perpetrators and victims was 7.9 years, and the mean length of the marital relationship was more than five years. Stabbing with kitchen knives, slashing with machetes, and manual asphyxiation were the dominant modes of offense perpetration. Nearly all cases evinced the following triple features of male sexual jealousy homicides: jealous rage, premeditation, and excessive violence. Summaries of all 30 cases are proffered in the article to reveal their essential features.

Growing research indicates that police legitimacy is a strong predictor of whether people behave respecting or violating rules. Perceptions of legitimacy are an output of socializing processes through which individuals develop their values and orientations toward authorities and the legal system. Legal socialization studies show that encounters with legal authorities are critical “teachable moments” in this process. The present study verifies whether direct or vicarious negative contacts with police officers affect changes in the perception of the legitimacy of police authority by adolescents over time. The adolescents were classified according to whether or not they had witnessed or experienced any negative contact or experience with the police during the period before the interview, composing two group trajectories at the first wave, four at the second wave, and eight at the third wave. Then the trajectories were compared in terms of the extent to which they agree with statements about police legitimacy, allowing the quantification of changes of opinion after negative contacts with the police. Results show that three main factors diminish the perception of police legitimacy: having negative contact with the police; having more than one negative contact; and having a recent negative contact. These findings have important implications for police patrolling and approach strategies.

Corruption is an age-old issue. Although various mitigation measures have been developed over time, it persistently exists and transforms with the dynamic business environment. The development of corruption is linked to the skills of criminals to cover their tracks. Control mechanisms and other lines of defense are insignificant when persons of power override, bully or collaborate to carry out corruption. Since humans are perceived to be rational, educating individuals on the evils of corruption with its apparent negative connotations would have been a logical approach to disrupting corruption. However, the growing trend of corruption reflects otherwise. Human behavior is subjective and based on a person–situation complexity, relationships and associations around human life. This pilot study assesses the decisions of individuals based on various corruption scenarios, using 20 questions modeled around Corruption Dimensions and Prisoner’s Dilemma. Of the respondents, 92% had formal exposure to anti-corruption-related studies. Most respondents responded negatively to corruption-related scenarios in the Corruption Dimensions, with noted bias in their criticism when it involved a politician as compared with a businessman. Similarly, the Prisoner’s Dilemma questions also reflected selective reasoning when comparing those with personal relationships as compared with acquaintances. The strength of the evidence, the independence of the judiciary, the ability to escape, the reluctance to self-incriminate and the personal benefits affect the judgment of the respondents. However, in situations involving environmental issues, respondents selected to confess regardless of the situation stating that it was the right thing to do. Education creates awareness on individual rights, options and, to a certain extent, the moral and legal obligations. However, the subjectivity of the person’s associations and lifelong experience also plays a major role in the decision-making process.

In this paper, Moroccan female migration to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is explored within the overall framework of Moroccan counter-terrorism policy. According to available data, Moroccans are considered as one of the main suppliers of fighters to ISIS. However, as it will be highlighted in this research, there is a scarcity of data related to Moroccan female migration to ISIS, to their sociodemographic profile, methods of their recruitment and programs of their reintegration once they come back home. This article focuses on Moroccan counter-terrorism policy and analyzes the extent to which it provides an exemplary precedent in effectively fighting terrorism. This policy includes, as will be examined, repressive and “soft” counter-radicalization and de-mobilization measures.

Many eldercides in African societies are motivated by witchcraft beliefs. Yet, witchcraft-related eldercide remains an understudied criminological subject. The present study explores the scale, features and socio-cultural and economic contexts of witchcraft-related elder homicide in Kenya. A total of 94 media articles reporting the witchcraft-related killings of 136 older people in Kenya between January 2012 and December 2021 were perused. Key information about the victims and perpetrators and the circumstances surrounding each event/eldercide was collected and critically analysed. The data suggest that approximately 75% of witchcraft-related homicide victims in Kenya are 60 years old and above. Most victims were females (mainly widows) of low socio-economic backgrounds. All the cases occurred in rural communities, and the perpetrators were largely young adult males. Arson, slashing with a machete and clubbing/beating were the dominant methods used to kill alleged witches. Most killings were motivated by the belief that the victims caused misfortunes/calamities by witchcraft. However, witchcraft allegations and concomitant killings were sometimes weaponized to obtain the victims’ property/land. Because witchcraft beliefs are deeply entrenched in the culture and philosophy of the Kenyan people, the use of a multifaceted approach may be the most appropriate way of curtailing the problem.

South African cash-in-transit (CIT) robberies appear to be in a state of flux. According to the Minister of Police, Mr Bheki Cele, the incidence of these crimes has steadily decreased due to rapid response by the police in arresting more than 200 suspects between June and November 2018. Given the rhizomatic, eclectic nature of this crime type – and possible mechanical linkages and/or linear causality within the genesis of the crime – it is debatable whether arrests and incarceration offer a long-term solution. CIT robbers interviewed for this study reported that they were career criminals, less likely to be rehabilitated and that incarceration was only an interruption to their career. These findings were backed by life-course theories. This article contends that if the South African Criminal Justice System wants to curb CIT robberies, an investigation into proactive methods for combating the crime should be developed and risk reduction strategies crafted. After investigating possible causes of CIT robberies, this research made recommendations based on holistic measures involving the public, family, and various government and non-governmental departments. The research was conducted for a Master of Arts degree in Criminology. A mixed-method approach was followed and 40 incarcerated offenders who committed robbery with aggravating circumstances participated in the study.

Terrorism, while not new in the history of humanity, has become a major issue and challenge for contemporary society worldwide. Recently it has become embodied and symbolized by the “Islamic State in Iraq and Syria” (ISIS) in its many permutations in the Middle East, the focus of massive military intervention on the part of major world powers and of study, analysis, strategy and planning. One aspect that has distinguished ISIS from previous terrorist movements is a major migration of women, especially but not limited to Western Europe, joining the jihad proclaimed by the religious leaders of ISIS. This introduction to the special issue on Female Migration to ISIS surveys and identifies the known possible roots of the phenomenon and related issues, summarizes major known points relative to it, and outlines the future agenda of work, not only academic but also practical and strategic, to be followed. Balanced recommendations on how to build a promising intervention strategy not only based on military force are put forth for consideration and discussion. While based on research, this article should be considered more of an editorial, generally introducing the field, summarizing existing work, especially the content of this special issue, and pointing out work needed in the future.

This article studies the juvenile justice system in juxtaposition to policing in India. To start with, it conducts a comprehensive data analysis of juvenile crimes in India in the last two decades. The author conducted a study involving 400 juveniles in conflict with the law through “Disha,” a project in juvenile re-entry systems. It further marshals the incidences based on social parameters like education, age, and family. Here, the paper impresses upon the “heinousness factor” of the crimes to evaluate the law and institutional response. The article examines the growth of the legal framework on juvenile justice in India and the causal determinants which may have driven its increase. It also scrutinizes the policing systems as far as the legal framework on juvenile justice makes them responsible. It delves deeply into the interactions between juvenile justice and police systems at the institutional and procedural levels. It conducts a detailed inquiry into the international legal framework of juvenile justice systems. Here, it studies such systems in the Americas, Europe, and Asia to suggest the way forward for a transparent, robust and sensitive juvenile justice system in India.

Global views of the police (often termed “legitimacy”, “trust”, “satisfaction” or “support”) are frequently regarded as the product of micro-level, police-related consideration: beliefs about what the police are doing and how they are doing it. Studies taking a sociological or political perspective have revealed that views unrelated to policing, such as satisfaction with the government, may also be important predictors of global views of the police. However, police-related and non-police-related considerations are frequently not considered together as antecedents of macro-level views of the police. This study aims to illuminate the respective roles of police-related versus non-police-related considerations in shaping citizens’ diffused support for the police while utilizing the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Data from a panel survey carried out during the first and third peaks of the pandemic in Israel reveal that the only factor which had a direct effect on the drop in diffused support for the police was the public’s assessment of the government’s (not the police’s) performance in handling the pandemic. We conclude by calling for more sophisticated measurement and interpretation of public approval of the police and its antecedents.

The current article reports the results of a systematic study of 42 intimate partner femicide–suicides with 91 fatal casualties in Eswatini, Africa, from 2009 to 2022. The study used a media-surveillance methodology to identify the 42 cases from a major local online newspaper. Information on all identified cases was subjected to careful criminological analyses. Six of the cases involved seven collateral, or corollary, homicide victims. Results indicate that assailants and victims were generally of lower socio-economic background; assailants tended to be older than their victims; stabbing with a knife, shooting with a gun and slashing with a machete were the dominant homicide methods; ingestion of weevil tablets and other poisons, hanging and shooting with a firearm were the predominant suicide means. The results further show that femicide incidents overwhelmingly involved overkill, with the assailant using inordinately high levels of aggression against the victim. Male sexual jealousy, rage over the female partner’s abrogation of the relationship, and interpersonal disputes of variable origin were the major precipitants. It is recommended that deterrent sentences should be used to teach wife assaulters and would-be assaulters that society does not tolerate assaultive behaviour within intimate relationships. More resources should be provided for women who are victims of domestic violence. This should include legal aid, financial resources and refuges for women in danger and their children. Measures should be taken to control the proliferation of firearms in society.

Enforced disappearance is one of the most horrific crimes of our time. This is a crime that causes excruciating suffering to its victims: the disappeared and their families and relatives. Thousands of people have suffered, and are still suffering, all over the world from enforced disappearances. To combat this scourge, a United Nations Convention was adopted in 2006 and entered into force in 2010. It adopted a definition of enforced disappearance that includes an important element: the direct or indirect involvement of the State Party in the commission of the enforced disappearance. Yet, private entities (commonly referred to as non-State actors) can also commit acts similar to enforced disappearances. However, in the absence of the element of the State Party’s involvement, can we go so far as to qualify the acts perpetrated by non-State actors as enforced disappearances? This question has generated and continues to generate an interesting debate.

The present study verified the existence of psychological profiles among Brazilian adolescent offenders, using data from a sample (n=858) collected with the Brazilian version of the Revised Jesness Inventory (JI-R-Br). This instrument is a comprehensive, self-report measure of personal dispositions (traits) that are associated with vulnerability to antisocial behavior (Impulsivity, Aggression/Hostility, Sensation Seeking) and adaptive patterns (Antisocial Values/Beliefs and Antisocial Attitudes). Cluster analyses showed three significantly distinct groups: group 1 (n=276), called Asocial, was comprised of impulsive/aggressive adolescents with high antisocial motivation, low self-control and very focused on their own needs. Group 2 (n=346), called Neurotic Antisocial, was comprised of adolescents with high rates of depression and anxiety, as well as low self-control, but with less antisocial motivation when compared with group 1. Group 3 (n=236) was similar to group 4 (normative group; n=572). Our results corroborate those described by other studies in the literature. They show the importance of different practices and/or interventions when working with offenders, given that there are different profiles based on different psychological characteristics/needs for this population.