Search Results (51)

Background/Objectives: Cybercrime poses a growing threat to South Africa’s digital economy, necessitating effective search and seizure practices for digital evidence; however, investigators and prosecutors encounter systemic challenges that hinder successful prosecutions. This study aims to identify and analyse these obstacles and propose improvements to enhance the efficiency and integrity of digital forensic processes within the criminal justice system. Methods: This empirical study employed a qualitative research design, collecting data from 30 participants within the South African Police Service (SAPS) Cyber-Crime and Deep Web Investigation Unit and the Specialised Commercial Crime Unit (SCCU); semi-structured interviews were conducted and analysed thematically to identify recurring patterns and institutional challenges. Results: The findings reveal that digital investigations are complex, multi-stage processes requiring a strictly auditable approach to preserve the integrity of evidence from seizure to courtroom presentation; a documented chain of custody is critical to ensuring that digital evidence remains in its original, unaltered state, while institutional silos disrupt the effective flow of evidence to prosecutors despite the use of specialised forensic methodologies. Conclusions: The study concludes that addressing these challenges requires the establishment of a multi-agency digital forensic task force and specialised interdisciplinary training to bridge the technical-legal gap, with significant implications for policy reform and the advancement of digital forensic practices in South Africa. Full article

Alcohol consumption is associated with significant social and economic challenges for nations worldwide, including alcohol-related healthcare costs and alcohol-related crime. According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC), even moderate drinking correlates with greater health risks compared with not drinking at all. These health risks include physical harm to a person’s heart, brain, liver, and other organs; impaired social functioning; reduced work performance; and increased incidence of alcohol-related violence and injury (e.g., physical and sexual assault and drunk driving-related injuries and death). Although personal health and social problems are correlated with alcohol consumption across genders, women experience disproportionately worse problems associated with alcohol-related crime and family disruption. At the societal level, alcohol use coincides with substantial negative economic problems, including increased healthcare costs, often covered by the government; reduced worker productivity; and higher criminal justice system costs. This paper applies an econometric analysis to evaluate the association between alcohol consumption and key social and economic factors and suggests actions that business firms, government entities, universities, and other organizations can take to reduce alcohol-related harm, such as encouraging sobriety in the workplace, offering alcohol-related counseling services, and not establishing associations with nor accepting payments of any kind from alcohol beverage companies. The findings have implications for business managers, government leaders, policy-makers, and others. Full article

The United States has one of the world’s largest criminal justice systems, with nearly 5.5 million people under correctional supervision and almost 2 million incarcerated. This scale of confinement, coupled with the rise of privatization across correctional and related services, reflects a broader neoliberal trend in public governance. This paper explores the consequences of privatization and marketization of the U.S. criminal justice system—particularly the proliferation of private prisons and immigrant detention centers—and draws parallels to the consequences of privatization of health and social care, especially long-term care (LTC). Both systems reveal shared logics of marketization that prioritize profit maximization, efficiency, and cost-cutting at the expense of care, justice, and equity. Relying on interdisciplinary perspectives from public health and criminology, this paper situates private corrections within the health policy framework of the Commercial Determinants of Health (CDoH), arguing that privatized carceral institutions not only harm incarcerated individuals but also endanger workers, families, and surrounding communities through systemic under-resourcing, precarious labor conditions, and structural violence. By comparing the private, for-profit prison industry with private for-profit LTC systems, we illustrate how these structures have commodified both care and correctional systems. These findings suggest that privatization within carceral and care sectors perpetuates health inequities and reinforces cycles of racial, gendered, and economic disadvantage. Accordingly, this paper calls for strengthening publicly held models and a reassertion of public accountability and interdisciplinary collaboration to restore social justice, health, and human dignity as central organizing principles of both systems for residents, workers, their families, and communities. Full article

This article examines violence as a tool used within criminal enterprises of trafficking of women for sexual exploitation. Its use is not seen as an isolated or incidental phenomenon but is placed in the broader context of women’s vulnerability to violence linked to structural inequalities, socio-economic marginalization, and persistent culture norms. In this context, criminal enterprises involved in human trafficking exploit both individual vulnerability and broader socio-economic conditions, institutional dysfunctions, and specific cultural norms. In this article, data obtained from court decisions are combined with findings from a separate field study that employs qualitative and quantitative data collection methods. Viewed through the prism of enterprise theory, it is shown that violence against women within this criminal activity has a functional role and serves an economic purpose. The findings reveal that various techniques of coercion and submission are used as control mechanisms to maintain victims’ compliance, reduce the risk of business interruption, and ensure the profitability of criminal enterprises. Additionally, parallels between the coercive techniques employed by traffickers and the methods used in general violence against women were identified. In conclusion, the article highlights the need for multidisciplinary responses that integrate criminal justice measures, victim protection, social support, and policies aimed at reducing structural inequalities. It underscores the importance of future research on the relationship between violence against women and vulnerability to coercive control and exploitation. Full article

Media representations play a key role in shaping how cyberbullying is understood, problematized, and regulated, particularly in relation to children and young people in the digital environment. While legal scholarship has extensively examined the criminalisation of cyberbullying, less attention has been paid to how these legal developments are reflected in media discourse. This study addresses this gap by analysing the relationship between criminal-law responses and media representations of cyberbullying in Hungary within a broader European context. The research combines a qualitative media discourse analysis of 82 articles from leading Hungarian online news portals (2024–2025) with a comparative legal analysis of criminalisation patterns across EU Member States and a descriptive examination of the Hungarian offence of “online aggression”. The findings identify three dominant media narratives—child protection and social problem framing, criminal justice framing, and regulatory discourse—of which the first is the most prevalent. The results also reveal a limited alignment between legal regulation and media representation, as criminal-law approaches to cyberbullying appear only marginally in media narratives, which instead emphasise prevention, awareness, and institutional responses. These findings suggest that media discourse not only reflects but also shapes societal understandings of cyberbullying, highlighting the importance of considering media narratives in the development and evaluation of legal and policy responses. Full article

Behavioral epigenetics links experiences of adversity, stress, and care to molecular variation associated with health and behavior and can reshape understandings of embodiment across the life course. As such findings enter legal and policy debates, they raise pressing questions about how judges assess responsibility, weigh extralegal factors in sentencing, and govern the use of emerging scientific evidence. This article develops a framework of biological justice to guide the translation of epigenetic evidence into judicial decision-making without reintroducing biological determinism or naturalizing structural inequality. Integrating insights from epigenetics, sociology of science, bioethics, and criminal law, we clarify the inferential limits of current research and examine risks of biologizing inequality, predictive governance, and eugenic logics. We argue that epigenetic evidence should be restricted to contextual, defendant-protective, and rehabilitation-oriented uses in sentencing and post-conviction proceedings, while predictive and coercive applications should be explicitly excluded. Overall, this framework emphasizes structural framing, community oversight, and equity to prevent molecular accounts of adversity from reinforcing existing hierarchies. Full article

In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) has been increasingly used in criminal justice systems across the world. To achieve objectives set out through Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adoption of technology is inevitable and undeniable. The press release dated 25 February 2025 from India’s Ministry of Law and Justice, quoting Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi to make a “justice system that will be fully future-ready”, confirmed that the Indian law enforcement agencies are integrating AI into policing and law enforcement to enhance crime detection, criminal investigation, etc. It is intended to enhance their capabilities in solving criminal cases and delivering justice speedily and more efficiently. However, the usage of AI tools in such contexts presents a double-edged sword, as evidenced by their application in a number of cases across the world like Christopher Gatlin, Nijeer Parks, the Harm Assessment Risk Tool (HART), and in India during the 2020 Delhi riots cases. As reported by the Washington Post, in Christopher Gatlin’s case it was found that the police arrested him on the basis of the facial recognition programme matching his face with the captured video footage. He spent 17 months in jail before his release by the court, observing that the police failed to conduct fair investigation. A similar incident was reported by NJ.com and CNN Business. In the investigations following the 2020 Delhi riots, Delhi Police effected over 1900 arrests in 758 riot-related cases, relying predominantly on AI-driven facial recognition matches. Subsequent court scrutiny in decided cases raised questions about reliability, leading to widespread acquittals and discharges of the accused in 82% of decided cases as of early 2025. In certain cases, AI-driven solutions have failed, leading to criminal prosecutions of innocent people based on AI-generated evidence. This study examines the reliability, validity, and ethics of AI technology in the criminal justice system in India’s unique socio-legal and political environment. The researchers analyse three interrelated axes. First, a comprehensive review of the international algorithmic policing literature to identify successes and failures. In addition, cases of AI-assisted investigations during the Delhi riots show how facial recognition systems and other AI techniques were used for inquiry. Finally, stakeholders’ perspectives, including a preliminary survey of 27 legal experts showing strong consensus on classifying AI-FRT outputs strictly as corroborative evidence and highlighting BSA insufficiencies for addressing opacity and explainability, help identify practical, procedural, and normative fault lines. Researchers noted that while AI has the potential to revolutionise resource-constrained investigative agencies, its unquestioning and uncritical adoption risks amplify pre-existing biases, undermine presumptions of innocence, and shift the burden of refuting algorithmic inference onto the accused. Independent algorithmic audits, transparent documentation of error rates and confidence thresholds, statutory guidelines on AI tool use and admissibility, and sustained capacity-building throughout the justice delivery chain are needed to integrate it into the Indian criminal justice system. Without such measures, the very tools designed and introduced to enhance accuracy threaten to undermine the fundamental norms of the criminal justice system such as fairness and due process. This fills a gap in doctrinal analysis of AI-specific evidentiary admissibility in non-Western contexts like India. This study aims to propose policy reforms, enhance judicial discourse, and promote a more circumspect trajectory for AI adoption in Indian law enforcement by mapping the potential and risks of algorithmic evidence in a non-Western legal order. Full article

The ageing prisoner population in England and Wales presents a significant and growing challenge for both criminal justice and social policy. Despite increasing recognition of the complex health and social care needs of this cohort, these needs have not been adequately addressed by successive governments. This conceptual paper critically analyses the broader structural, policy, and practice-based limitations associated with the provision of health and social care for older prisoners through a Sykesian (1958) pain model, as well as through Crewe’s (2011) analytical framework of weight, depth, tightness and breadth. It does this through consideration of three main pains of being an older prisoner—those related to healthcare, social care and death. Full article

Developmental and life-course criminology (DLC) has been the epicenter of criminology for over 35 years. The onset of DLC began with theoretical models that sought to better understand the development of antisocial and criminal activity. Then, with the ‘aging’ of longitudinal studies and the development of advanced quantitative methods, researchers began to empirically test DLC-related hypotheses and propositions. While the extant research base has been extensive, less work has considered how findings from DLC research can inform justice policy. By reviewing key insights from the extant research, this essay focuses on how DLC-related research has made policy gains and, more importantly, how it can lead to more informed decision making surrounding youthful offenders. Full article

Background: Sexual Assault Care Centres (SACCs) in Belgium provide integrated medical and psychological care, a forensic examination and the option to report to the police to victims of sexual assault (SA). Understanding victims’ acceptability of these services is essential for improving SACC’s effectiveness and informing policy. Methods: In-depth interviews were conducted with 19 victims and 14 support persons to explore victims’ experiences with SACCs. The victims represented diverse characteristics (gender, age, SACC site and police reporting status). Data were analysed using thematic framework analysis, guided by Sekhon’s “Theoretical Framework of Acceptability”. Results: Participants viewed SACCs as a highly acceptable integrated model of specialised care for victims of recent SA. They expressed strong appreciation for the care provided at the SACC and its set-up (affective attitude), and they identified key professional qualities of SACC professionals (ethicality). Participants demonstrated good understanding of the functioning of the SACCs (intervention coherence). The model was perceived as effective in providing medical care, mental health support, and facilitating police reporting, though gaps were noted in linking victims with other actors in the criminal justice system (perceived effectiveness). Organisational strengths included the holistic, long-term, proactive, affordable and accessible nature of the care offered (perceived effectiveness, burden and opportunity cost). Victims faced challenges in linking to, engaging with and remaining in care due to distress post-SA, with support persons playing a crucial role in helping them navigate these challenges (self-efficacy). Conclusions: The study highlights the acceptability of an integrated, multidisciplinary approach to specialised SA care. Key elements include embedded psychological support, the option for forensic examination without mandatory reporting, and the possibility of police reporting at the SACC. These findings may inform the development of specialised SA services in other settings. Full article

Black students in special education continue to experience disproportionate identification in subjective disability categories, restrictive placements, and unequal access to quality instruction and resources. Despite decades of educational reform and the promises of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Black students with disabilities remain among the most academically marginalized, scoring lowest on standardized assessments and facing higher dropout, unemployment, and criminal justice involvement risks. Historical inequities, systemic segregation, and chronic underfunding of predominantly Black school districts compound these challenges, limiting access to experienced teachers, rigorous curricula, and inclusive learning environments. Implicit and explicit biases among educators further contribute to disproportionate referrals in subjective disability categories and lower academic expectations. This article examines these interconnected factors—historical context, placement patterns, resource disparities, and bias—and proposes evidence-based mitigation strategies, including culturally responsive practices, increased representation of Black educators, and equity-centered policy reforms. Achieving educational equity requires consistent commitment to transforming special education into a system that supports, rather than marginalizes, Black students. Full article

Artificial intelligence (AI) has become a significant paradigm of methodology and epistemology in the social sciences. Machine learning (ML), natural language processing (NLP), and generative models enable researchers to work with big, multimodal datasets, identify complex patterns, and recreate events in the social world in ways that previously were not feasible. At the same time, these innovations also lead to ethical challenges related to algorithmic bias, black boxes, data extractivism, and reinforced structural inequalities in welfare, government services, education, and criminal justice. The article critically questions the social sciences in the light of AI on three dimensions that are inextricably linked, namely: (1) the opportunities that AI provides to social-scientific inquiry; (2) the biases and constraints generated through data, models, and institutional application; and (3) ethical pathways that are necessary for the responsible governance of AI-facilitated research and decision support. The article is based on a scoping, critical thematic review of the recent literature, and its conceptualization of AI as a socio-technical infrastructure is that it produces knowledge and, at the same time, offers power. It explains the impact AI practices have on restructuring disciplines like sociology, psychology, political science, and policy analysis, and how it blindly predicts how data practices, design choices, and governance arrangements can either preserve or destroy existing hierarchies. The paper suggests an analytical framework synthesizing AI practices, social research practices, and governance structures in ethical frameworks. It argues that the emancipatory promise of AI in the social sciences is dependent on the attainment of something beyond principle-based claims of so-called ethical AI by operational governance mechanisms that make systems visible, debatable, and responsible in their respective situations. Full article

This study examines how European Union Member States address cyberbullying affecting children through legal and policy frameworks, paying particular attention to children’s rights. It employs a qualitative, document-based comparative methodology, applying a harmonized codebook to analyze definitional, legal, preventive, and reactive responses across all 27 EU Member States. The analytical framework is grounded in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, the EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child, the Better Internet for Kids (BIK+) initiative, and the Digital Services Act, which serve as normative benchmarks. Coding draws on EU-level harmonized sources, including Joint Research Centre outputs and the 2025 BIK policy reports, and aggregates the findings into a composite structural indicator capturing the formal regulatory and policy coverage of cyberbullying from a child rights perspective. The results indicate a high level of formal regulatory attention in most Member States, particularly regarding criminal law protection, educational prevention, and institutional reporting mechanisms. However, child-specific and child-friendly elements—such as explicit cyberbullying definitions, adapted reporting procedures, and tailored civil law remedies—remain uneven and limited. The study concludes that, despite comprehensive formal regulation, significant gaps persist in the integration of child-centered and access-to-justice-oriented mechanisms, underscoring the need for strengthened child rights approaches and further research on implementation and children’s lived experiences. Full article

This article examines vulnerability to counterfeit currency fraud in Bulgaria by assessing citizens’ competence in recognizing genuine banknotes of the national currency (BGN) prior to the introduction of euro banknotes in 2026. Counterfeit banknotes represent a form of economic crime in which individual victims’ losses are closely tied to their ability to authenticate cash in everyday transactions. Drawing on level-1 security features and guidelines of the Bulgarian National Bank, we developed a structured questionnaire to operationalize knowledge of key authenticity checks (hologram, intaglio printing, watermark, security thread, see-through register). The survey was administered online and on paper over a 20-day period (22 August–11 September 2025) and completed by 371 respondents from across the country. Using descriptive statistics tools, we identify three distinct groups: (i) highly competent respondents who reliably distinguish genuine from counterfeit banknotes; (ii) individuals with high self-reported confidence but inconsistent performance; and (iii) a particularly vulnerable group with low knowledge of security features, limited awareness of official guidance and low self-confidence. Vulnerability is significantly associated with lower education, residence in smaller settlements, lack of prior exposure to counterfeit banknotes and absence of contact with institutional information campaigns. The findings have direct implications for crime prevention and criminal justice policy: they provide an evidence base for targeted public awareness initiatives and risk-based allocation of resources aimed at protecting high-risk groups from currency-related fraud in the context of the monetary transition. Full article

Community-level overdose prevention interventions often require collaboration among organizations from various sectors including emergency medicine, criminal justice, harm reduction, and drug treatment organizations, yet little is known about ways to foster interorganizational collaboration among organizations with very different missions and in different socio-political contexts. This paper presents results from interviews with key informants involved in overdose prevention coalitions in two counties in Wisconsin (n = 45). Key informants were purposively selected from 31 different organizations in sectors including harm reduction, drug treatment, emergency medicine, and law enforcement. Interviews asked participants to describe the overdose crisis in their communities and the work they do, including any partnerships or coalitions formed with other organizations. We conducted thematic analysis using inductive and deductive coding. Participants’ experiences illuminate strategies and actions that facilitated coalitions’ work (interorganizational processes) and changed the context in which they worked to be more accepting of harm reduction efforts and less stigmatizing and punitive toward people who use opioids (PWUO). These included getting the word out in community-facing events to educate the public and destigmatize harm reduction, working with representatives across the CoC in various sectors, and actively working with them to create shared missions. Key people acted as bridges while others had the power to convene multiple agencies to a common cause. Overdose Fatality Reviews (OFRs) were found to be particularly helpful in identifying gaps in the current Opioid CoC and developing programs in collaboration with other organizations to address them. Organizational empowerment offers a useful framework for understanding how to facilitate IOC at the intra- (e.g., community education to reduce stigma, inter- (bridging roles by key actors), and extra-organizational levels (e.g., policy changes supporting naloxone access). These strategies can be used by coalition members and tested in future community-level overdose responses. Full article