Search Results (499)

Diversion is defined as the practice of providing an alternative outcome for children who have engaged in offending behaviour, which keeps them away from the formal criminal justice system. Diversion is a significant element of the Child First approach, and is widely implemented across England and Wales. The increase in use of diversion in recent years has contributed to reductions in First Time Entrant rates; however, evidence regarding whether these measures reduce reoffending is limited. Diversion practices vary significantly both nationally and internationally. Hence, much could be learnt from reviewing the international literature to establish what could be implemented in England and Wales. Therefore, this systematic review aims to explore the effect of different types of diversion measures on reoffending in First Time Entrants. To do this, a comprehensive search of 10 electronic databases was undertaken to systematically identify literature relating to youth justice diversion. A systematic screening procedure was followed to identify studies that met inclusion criteria, data on key information was extracted and studies were assessed using a quality assessment tool. Results were synthesised using the EMMIE framework, to increase applicability to practice. A total of 12 distinct studies were included in the review, with both experimental and quasi-experimental design. One study was conducted in Norway, one in the Netherlands and the rest in the United States of America. Findings were varied but generally suggested diversion leads to lower rates of recorded reoffending than formal processing. When comparing between types of diversion, often there was no difference in reoffending but generally, the least intensive intervention showed the best results. However, findings from one study that considered self-reported offending prompts consideration of whether diversion genuinely affects behaviour or simply influences the detection of offences. This review indicates promising results for diversion interventions but highlights the need for further research to provide conclusive evidence regarding which measures are most effective. Full article

Vehicle-ejected debris detection is a practical but insufficiently studied problem in intelligent traffic enforcement. Unlike static road litter, objects thrown from moving vehicles are usually small, irregular, transient, and easily confused with road textures, shadows, lane markings, and light reflections. In current traffic management, such violations still rely heavily on manual video review or offline inspection, while task-specific datasets and edge-deployable detection solutions remain limited. To address this gap, this study constructs a vehicle-ejected debris dataset containing 4328 annotated image samples collected from real road scenarios. The dataset covers urban and suburban roads, daytime and nighttime illumination, near-range and distant small-object cases, and hard negative samples. To meet the coupled requirements of vehicle-mounted small-object detection and edge-side INT8 deployment, this study develops a hardware-aware lightweight detection framework based on YOLOv8m. The original CSPDarknet backbone is replaced with the convolutional variant of MobileNetV4 to reduce feature-extraction cost, while a scale-specific Channel Alignment Module is inserted between the heterogeneous MobileNetV4 backbone and the YOLOv8m PANet neck to preserve multi-scale feature compatibility. The alignment module uses only BPU-friendly convolution, batch normalization, and activation operations, thereby avoiding deployment-unfriendly operators while maintaining compatibility with INT8 quantization and edge acceleration. The trained FP32 model is quantized to INT8 and deployed on the RDK X5 BPU using the Horizon OpenExplorer toolkit. Experimental results and repeated-seed validation show that the proposed model achieves a consistent accuracy–efficiency advantage on the constructed dataset. In a representative run, the proposed model obtains 93.1% mAP₅₀, while reducing the number of parameters from 25.9 M to 13.1 M and GFLOPs from 78.9 to 39.6 compared with the YOLOv8m baseline. After INT8 deployment, the model reaches 112.6 FPS on the RDK X5 platform with only a minor accuracy decrease. These results indicate that the proposed framework can serve as a practical edge-deployable perception module for real-time vehicle-ejected debris monitoring under vehicle-mounted traffic-enforcement scenarios. It should be noted that this work focuses on single-frame debris detection, while event-level ejection verification, temporal consistency analysis, offending-vehicle attribution, and enforcement decision-making remain beyond the scope of this study. Full article

Background/Objectives: Hydroxychloroquine is widely used in the treatment of autoimmune and dermatologic diseases; however, it may rarely induce severe cutaneous adverse reactions. Acute Generalized Exanthematous Pustulosis is an uncommon, acute pustular eruption most frequently associated with antibiotics. Hydroxychloroquine-induced AGEP remains relatively rare and diagnostically challenging due to its atypical and prolonged clinical course. Case presentation: We report the case of a 45-year-old woman with rheumatoid arthritis and a complex medical history who developed generalized urticarial and pustular dermatosis following re-exposure to hydroxychloroquine. Notably, the patient had experienced a similar cutaneous reaction after previous exposure to the same medication several years earlier. Ten days after completing a treatment course of hydroxychloroquine, she developed rapidly progressive pruritic erythematous and urticarial plaques that evolved into generalized annular lesions with peripheral scaling and grouped sterile pustules. Laboratory evaluation demonstrated leukocytosis, intermittent eosinophilia, and elevated IgE levels, while the infectious workup was negative. Histopathological examination revealed subcorneal pustules with neutrophilic infiltration, mild spongiosis, and scattered individual eosinophils, perivascular inflammatory infiltrates, findings consistent with AGEP. Retrospective assessment using the EuroSCAR scoring system classified the reaction as probable AGEP, while the Naranjo adverse drug reaction scale supported a probable causal relationship with hydroxychloroquine. Clinical improvement was achieved after withdrawal of the drug and treatment with systemic corticosteroids and supportive therapy. Conclusions: This case highlights the importance of recognizing atypical presentations compatible with hydroxychloroquine-induced probable AGEP and emphasizes the diagnostic value of a positive rechallenge as supportive evidence of drug causality. Early recognition and prompt discontinuation of the offending agent are essential to prevent severe complications and recurrence. Full article

Children of imprisoned parents, who are often described as ‘orphans of justice’, suffer a multitude of disadvantages when a parent is sent to prison. Whilst their experiences of loss, stigma, and social exclusion are well documented, one area that remains critically under-examined is how court reporting processes may further exacerbate these harms. This study explores the lived experience of children 11–17 years (n = 6) who had experienced parental imprisonment, and non-offending adults (parents, caregivers, and adult children of offenders/n = 6) in relation to their experiences of parental crime reported in the press. This study also integrates views from individual interviews conducted with journalists and press regulators (n = 5), as well as data from a content analysis of three regional and two national newspapers across a three-week period. Findings indicate that current court reporting practices can be, for some children and family members, a contributing factor to their difficulties. Participating children and family members assert that publishing partial home addresses and references to family relationships heightens their visibility in the community, which they say contributes to community backlash and negatively affects their physical and mental wellbeing. The content analysis (n = 186 custody related news reports) showed selective disclosure of offenders’ personal and family details. Interviewed journalists strongly defended the principle of open justice and felt legally unable to add the wider context families often wished to share. However, they expressed genuine sympathy for the children, and while resistant to new legal restrictions, were open to developing voluntary guidance to help reduce harm where possible. This study proposes an integrated framework to strengthen ethical journalism and better protect children impacted by parental imprisonment, calling for improved public information, trauma-informed education, participatory research and practitioner tools that centre children’s rights. It argues that open justice must be balanced with relational accountability, ensuring open justice does not come at the expense of children’s wellbeing. Full article

Recidivism prediction is increasingly embedded in criminal justice decision-making, yet most deployed systems remain opaque and have been shown to exhibit discriminatory behavior against certain demographic groups. This paper presents a fairness-aware interpretable framework for recidivism prediction applied to three real-world datasets from Bulgaria, Greece, and Portugal. The classification core relies on a 1-Dimensional Convolutional Neural Network (1D-CNN), trained by a custom objective function that embeds the Equalized Odds fairness criterion as an L1-regularized penalty reflecting on gender-based disparities in false positive and false negative rates. Model-level interpretability is provided through Kernel SHAP, which decomposes individual predictions into additive feature attributions grounded in cooperative game theory. Experiments across prediction tasks, each evaluated over randomized runs, demonstrate that the baseline model exhibits statistically significant bias against the female group in all datasets. The fairness-constrained model substantially reduces these disparities across all tasks at a moderate and expected cost to classification accuracy. Kernel SHAP analysis reveals the relative contribution of static and dynamic offenders’ attributes to individual risk scores, supporting auditability and contestability. The proposed framework advances the integration of predictive performance, algorithmic fairness, and structural interpretability in criminal justice analytics. Full article

Most delinquent behavior occurs within age-homogeneous peer groups. Using incident-level data from the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), this study reassesses the extent to which contemporary juvenile group offending reflects peer-only networks versus cross-age collaboration. Results show that while juvenile-only groups remain the dominant pattern, approximately one-third of co-offending incidents involve adult participants. Mixed-age groups are associated with group size, offense type, and situational context, and are especially common in serious offenses such as homicide, aggravated assault, and drug crimes. Mixed-age co-offending is also associated with greater offense severity, particularly higher odds of victim physical injury. These findings have important implications for the criminal justice system’s response to juvenile crime. While most juvenile offending diversion programs currently focus on interventions that counter peer influence and reduce the time spent with peers engaging in antisocial behavior, intervention strategies that also address the facilitating role of adult co-offenders may also be necessary. Full article

This paper offers a theoretical reinterpretation of the groundbreaking Greentown study using Pierre Bourdieu’s Theory of Practice. Rather than presenting new empirical findings, it examines previously published research to study children’s involvement in organised crime networks through a relational, practice-based lens. Dominant approaches to youth offending and gang participation tend to focus on individual risk factors, programme effectiveness or structural indicators and can struggle to account for the enduring social logics through which criminal authority is reproduced across generations. Drawing on Bourdieusian concepts of field, capital and symbolic power, the paper interprets Greentown as a localised social field in which a core family network accumulates and deploys social, cultural, economic and symbolic capital to secure compliance, cultivate loyalty and sustain informal forms of governance. Attention is paid to the role of symbolic narratives and mythmaking in minimising the visible presence of the state and normalising participation for young people and residents. The analysis illustrates how such symbolic orders can persist even where individual agents desist, contributing to the relative stability of networked harm. The paper argues that Bourdieu provides a coherent and theoretically disciplined framework for understanding organised criminal networks as socially embedded fields and suggests that interventions attentive to symbolic power and misrecognition may complement existing criminal justice responses. While explicitly interpretive in scope, the paper points towards the value of theory-led re-readings of empirical research for addressing the complex and ‘wicked’ nature of organised networked offending. Full article

Sexual violence against young girls is a complex phenomenon encompassing multiple forms of abuse and leading to numerous negative outcomes. Therefore, rehabilitation measures play a critical role in reducing recidivism and enhancing victims’ safety. This study examined preliminary results of a 25-session individual intervention program (the INSIGHT Program) designed for individuals who sexually offended in Portugal, in both prison and community settings. In this pilot clinical trial, 19 participants were assigned to one of two conditions: INSIGHT plus treatment as usual (TAU) or TAU alone. Data was collected at baseline and at the end of the intervention. Proximal outcomes (e.g., attitudes toward child sexual abuse, victim empathy, interpersonal problems, and early maladaptive schemas) were assessed. The Reliable Change Index (RCI) was computed. Results indicated that participants receiving INSIGHT plus TAU evidenced greater clinical improvements in empathy toward victims and interpersonal problems compared with participants receiving TAU alone. Overall, the intervention demonstrates potential to reduce some risk factors among individuals who perpetrated sexual violence against young girls. However, we highlight the need to reconsider the work carried out on EMSs, particularly regarding the techniques used. Full article

This article aims to discuss worldwide trends in the prevalence of narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) among prisoners compared to community samples. We also aim to show how this disorder is associated with criminal behavior and types of offenses. The results of the literature review document a relatively low and stable prevalence of narcissistic personality disorder compared to the frequency of other specified personality disorders in many countries worldwide. The results suggest that the rates of narcissistic personality disorder among prisoners in many countries are higher than those in communities. It has been found that this disorder is associated with domestic violence and other violent criminal behaviors, particularly with fraud and forgery violations. It has also been shown that offenders with narcissistic personality disorder are perceived as less guilty. Furthermore, research on the treatment of offenders with narcissistic personality disorder is sparse, which indicates that the treatment of NPD is limited, and it poses a challenge for mental health professionals as well as those who work in the penitentiary system. Full article

This study examined whether family functioning and impulsivity differentiate offense categories or represent shared vulnerability factors among justice-involved adolescents. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in two juvenile correctional facilities and included 159 incarcerated male adolescents aged 13–18 years (mean 16.3 ± 1.1). Participants completed a case report form, the Family Assessment Scale (FAS), and the UPPS Impulsive Behavior Scale. Offenses were classified as property crimes (42%), crimes against persons (31%), sexual offenses (17%), and drug-related crimes (10%). Substance use was highly prevalent (smoking 86.8%; alcohol 61.0%), and 34.6% had experienced repeat incarceration, most frequently in property and drug-related offenses (p < 0.001). Peer influence was the most commonly reported reason for delinquency (44.7%). Family dysfunction was common across the sample, particularly in domains related to parental involvement and behavioral control with some variation across offense categories. In contrast, impulsivity levels were elevated but did not significantly differ between crime categories. These findings support a shared vulnerability perspective, suggesting that dysfunctional family environments and substance-related risk contexts operate across offenses, while impulsivity may represent a general risk rather than an offense-specific determinant. These results highlight the importance of family-centered and developmentally informed interventions in juvenile justice settings. Full article

Road safety is a prerequisite for sustainable mobility, yet cyclists remain disproportionately exposed to severe outcomes in mixed traffic. Using police-reported bicycle–vehicle crashes from the national SEWIK registry in Poland (152,567 cyclist-involved records; 2015–2024), this study modeled five ordered injury-severity classes with a CatBoost gradient-boosting classifier, evaluated performance with quadratic weighted kappa and complementary class-sensitive metrics under extreme imbalance (including benchmark comparisons and calendar-based walk-forward stress tests), and interpreted predictions with SHAP to summarize transparent, feature-level association patterns. The results indicate modest overall ordinal discrimination (hold-out QWK ≈ 0.20), while highlighting elevated recall for rare fatal outcomes together with low precision, implying a substantial false-positive trade-off if outputs were used as deterministic classifiers. Global and local explanations point to stronger associations for cyclist age, shorter offender licensure tenure (a registry proxy for experience-related factors), regional context, and built-up versus non-built-up settings consistent with higher kinetic-energy environments; these variables should be interpreted cautiously because registry data are observational and omit key exposures (e.g., measured impact speed and cycling volume). Overall, the study contributes a nationwide, explainable severity-profiling workflow for prioritizing cyclist protection: combining benchmarked ML, multi-metric reporting, and XAI diagnostics can support monitoring and evaluation of speed management, infrastructure, and licensing-system improvements—without overstating causal effects from administrative records alone. Full article

Given higher compatible rates between oral lichen planus (OLP) and oral lichenoid lesions (OLLs) in histopathological and clinical features, this study aims to delineate a boundary between equivocal OLP and OLLs by biomarkers. The updated OLP diagnostic criteria in 2016 was our guideline in defining study cases of typical OLP and typical OLL with triggers, which include topical offending agents (OLL-agent), dental restorations (OLL-dental), and systemic offending drugs (OLL-drug). The expression intensity and distribution patterns of CD4, CD8, and CGRP in four groups were detected by immunohistochemistry assay (IHC). A total of 79 cases including OLP (24), OLL-agent (15), OLL-dental (21), and OLL-drug (19) were collected from an oral biopsy laboratory. Band-like distribution patterns of CD4 (100%, score 3), CD8 (54.17%, score 2), and CGRP (87.5%, score 3) in the subepithelial regions of the OLP group significantly differ from the OLL groups (each comparison pair, p = 0.0001). The sensitivity of CD4 (100%), specificity of CD4 (83.64%), negative predictive value of CD4 (100%), and accuracy of CD4 (83.80%) in the OLP group provide results for the diagnostic test evaluation. The band-like distribution pattern of CD4 in the subepithelial region may determine OLP when the biopsy specimen does not show typical microscopic features. Full article

This paper examines the social and political consequences of parenting with a conviction for a sexual offence in contemporary Britain. We argue that the systems governing people labelled “sex offenders” operate in ways that exceed what Michel Foucault described as biopolitical governance. While biopolitical frameworks have often been interpreted as oriented toward the optimisation and management of life, including through practices of rehabilitation and reintegration, contemporary punishment bureaucracies frequently foreclose these possibilities in practice. For many parents, redemption is not simply delayed but structurally denied, leaving their citizenship permanently uncertain. Drawing on collaborative, reflexive phenomenology, we develop the concept of cleft identity to describe this condition. Parenting is typically understood as a key site of responsible citizenship, centred on the care and protection of life. Yet parents with sexual offence convictions remain subject to ongoing surveillance, disclosure and stigma, marking them as permanently suspect. They are therefore required to perform the responsibilities of “good” parenting while simultaneously treated as moral outsiders. We argue that this tension produces a form of suspended citizenship in which stigma operates not simply as social reaction but as a mechanism of governance. The paper develops this argument through a theoretically driven, collaborative phenomenological case study intended for analytic illumination rather than empirical generalisation. 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