Beccaria Portal: Your directory and knowledge network in crime prevention and criminology in Europe and worldwide.
Daily PressTodays crime related press reports collected by Prof. Thomas Görgen, German Police University
Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, 01.06.2012
Predicting burglary patterns through math modeling of crime
Police Oracle, 01.06.2012
Policing heavyweights have endorsed decision to include more details of crimes on online maps.
Jack Sommers
Telegraph.co.uk, 01.06.2012
Drug testing machines in police stations by 2013
Machines capable of detecting whether a motorist has take drugs will be in police stations by the end of the year, the Home Office has announced
David Millward
EurekAlert, 01.06.2012
American teens are less likely than European teens to use cigarettes and alcohol
ANN ARBOR, Mich.—The U.S. had the second-lowest proportion of students who used tobacco and alcohol compared to their counterparts in 36 European countries, a new report indicates.
guardian.co.uk, 01.06.2012
Stephen Lawrence: Theresa May orders review into police corruption claims
Home secretary announces review a day after the Met police released its own review giving itself a clean bill of health
Vikram Dodd
Huffington Post (blog), 01.06.2012
Empowering the People's Voice: An Interview with Dr. Sylvester Bongani Maphosa
Dr. Tukufu Zuberi
New York Times, 01.06.2012
City Seeks to Dismiss False-Arrest Suits Stemming From 2004 Republican Convention
COLIN MOYNIHAN
Newswise Released, 01.06.2012
National Expert Available to Provide Commentary During Child Sexual Abuse Trial of Former Penn State Coach Jerry Sandusky
David Finkelhor, director of the Crimes against Children Research Center and professor of sociology at the University of New Hampshire, is available to provide expert commentary during the child sexual abuse trial of former Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky.
Salon.com, 02.06.2012
When anti-violence backfires
A well-intentioned movement to protect women has left many as vulnerable than ever. An expert explains
Lucy McKeon
guardian.co.uk, 02.06.2012
Western banks 'reaping billions from Colombian cocaine trade'
While cocaine production ravages countries in Central America, consumers in the US and Europe are helping developed economies grow rich from the profits, a study claims
Ed Vulliamy
Palo Alto Online, 02.06.2012
When sentencing young lawbreakers, race matters, study finds
Public favors harsher punishments when criminals are black, researchers say
Sue Dremann Palo Alto Weekly Staff
Kansas City Star, 02.06.2012
Many bullets, little blame
In six out of 10 cases last year, victims declined to cooperate in catching their attackers, many times out of fear or distrust. Authorities then walked away, routinely shutting down the cases.
CHRISTINE VENDEL
Police Oracle, 03.06.2012
Privatised Policing: Three Forces Could Be Next
Three police forces in the east of England are to look into outsourcing their organisational support.
Courtesy of - Nic Brunetti - Police Oracle
Newswise, 04.06.2012
CARE/SADD Survey Investigates Risky Behaviors by Teens on College Visits
High school juniors and seniors sometimes get more than a campus tour on college visits, suggests a new national survey by the Center for Adolescent Research and Education (CARE) at Susquehanna University and SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions).
EurekAlert, 04.06.2012
N.Y. prison inmates overuse and misuse antibiotic ointments, study says
Prisoners used ointments as lip balm and for shaving
CounterPunch, 04.06.2012
Labor, Class and the New Jim Crow
Unionizing Prison Guards in an Age of Mass Incarceration
BRIAN TIERNEY
SmartPlanet.com (blog), 05.06.2012
Surveillance cameras: an eye for an eye?
On an early June night in 2007, Roberto Duran, 14, was walking with friends in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood when a case of mistaken identity cut his life short.
Christina Hernandez Sherwood
guardian.co.uk, 05.06.2012
Drug addicts need a clean break
Chip Somers, a former drug addict turned government adviser who got Russell Brand off heroin says abstinence is the only cure
James Legge
Cambridge News, 05.06.2012
Report calls for crime-tracking app
Victims of crime in England and Wales should be able to track their case online from the moment it is reported to the point when justice is served, a think-tank said.
New York Times, 05.06.2012
No Crime, Real Punishment
New York State decriminalized the possession of small amounts of marijuana in the late 1970s. But last year, in New York City, 50,000 people — the majority of them, young African-American or Hispanic men — were still arrested for possession because of overzealous policing and a weakness in the law.
Phys.Org, 06.06.2012
New forensic method could help police solve crimes
(Phys.org) -- Forensic researchers at Florida International University have developed a groundbreaking method that can tie a shooter to the ammunition used to commit a crime, giving law enforcement agencies a new tool to solve cases.
4RFV, 06.06.2012
Report Says Victims Of Crime Should Be Able To 'Track Progress' Online
The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) has said that victims of crime in England and Wales should be able to track their case online from the moment it is reported to the point when justice is served.
EurekAlert, 06.06.2012
Medical marijuana outlets not linked to crime
PISCATAWAY, NJ – Despite some concerns to the contrary, neighborhoods with medical marijuana dispensaries may not have higher crime rates than other neighborhoods—at least in one California city.
Association for Psychological Science, 06.06.2012
The Power of Suggestion: What We Expect Influences Our Behavior, for Better or Worse
Plain Dealer, 06.06.2012
Exercise caution before executing the severely mentally ill
Editor's note: Gov. John Kasich granted a two-week reprieve to Abdul Awkal Tuesday so that a Cuyahoga County judge can hold a competency hearing.
William T. Robinson III
Newswise, 06.06.2012
Cybersecurity Expert Dr. Rob D'Ovidio Available to Comment on National Internet Safety Month this June
EurekAlert Public, 06.06.2012
Breaking bullying behavior
(Edmonton) An educational program designed to rid schools of bullying behaviour directed at students who stutter is proving effective at changing attitudes in the classroom, according to research from the University of Alberta.
EurekAlert Public, 06.06.2012
DSM-5 to include controversial changes to criteria for substance use disorders
Seattle Children's, 06.06.2012
Adolescents and Young Adults with Mental Health Disorders at Risk of Long-Term Opioid Use
London Review of Books Vol. 34 No. 11, 07.06.2012
Terrorists? Us?
Terror Tagging of an Iranian Dissident Organisation by Raymond Tanter
Iran Policy Committee, 217 pp, £10.00, December 2011, ISBN 978 0 9797051 2 0
Owen Bennett-Jones
Huffington Post Posted, 07.06.2012
Ethnic Diversity Increases Home Value And Lowers Crime In Southern California, Study Says
Ethnic diversity raises home values and lowers crime rates in Southern California communities, according to a new study.
University of Rochester, 07.06.2012
What Does It Mean To Be Cool? It May Not Be What You Think
Where have you gone James Dean?
Do rebelliousness, emotional control, toughness and thrill-seeking still make up the essence of coolness?
London Review of Books Vol. 34 No. 11, 07.06.2012
Save us from the saviours
Slavoj Žižek on Europe and the Greeks
Police Oracle, 07.06.2012
Policing - Size Matters
Cracks are appearing in government claims that less officers will not equate to a rise in crime, says Royston Martis.
New Statesman, 07.06.2012
Why fat is a political issue
Obesity is not about individual greed: it has social causes and collective consequences.
Rowenna Davis
The New York Review of Books, 07.06.2012
Do Our Public Schools Threaten National Security?
Diane Ravitch
On Line opinion, 08.06.2012
Risk in child abuse cases in the family law system: What’s the problem?
Elspeth McInnes
New York Times (blog), 08.06.2012
When Should Juvenile Offenders Receive Life Sentences?
DANIEL E. SLOTNIK
MarketWatch (press release), 08.06.2012
Statistical Model Shows Promise in Forecasting Future Offending
Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, 08.06.2012
Does cooperation require both reciprocity and alike neighbours?
Max Planck scientists develop new theoretical model on the evolution of cooperation
Police News, 08.06.2012
All Law Enforcement is Local
Neighborhood watch programs, security services, and police privatization
Lance Eldridge
Telegraph.co.uk, 09.06.2012
Police search for 11,000 in identity scam
Police are trying to trace thousands of British criminals who used a website selling fake documents to commit identity fraud and mortgage scams
Huffington Post UK (blog), 09.06.2012
The Psychology of Corpse Dismemberment - The Motivation Behind the Most Grotesque of Crimes
Dr Raj Persaud and Helinä Häkkänen-Nyholm
Los Angeles Times, 10.06.2012
A lesson in tolerance for Arizona
If the state's lawmakers are worried about growing resentment among its Latino residents, they have no one but themselves to blame.
guardian.co.uk, 10.06.2012
Spread of 'baby boxes' in Europe alarms United Nations
UN says hatches in which unwanted newborn babies can be left contravene children's rights to know and be cared for by parents
Randeep Ramesh
EurekAlert Public, 11.06.2012
Robbing banks: Crime doesn't always pay, econometrics study shows
Wiley-Blackwell
New York Times, 11.06.2012
Stop-and-Frisk Policy ‘Saves Lives,’ Mayor Tells Black Congregation
KATE TAYLOR
News24, 11.06.2012
Youth lose confidence in police - survey
Johannesburg - Most South Africans aged between 18 and 34 across all race and demographic boundaries have lost confidence in the police, a survey has found.
The Nation, 12.06.2012
Wage Theft: A Crime Without Punishment?
This article appeared in the June 18, 2012 edition of The Nation.
Katha Pollitt
Seattle Post Intelligencer (blog), 12.06.2012
Study finds ‘stand your ground’ laws increase murder rates
Texas A&M University researchers say controversial ”stand your ground” laws have increased the number of murder and manslaughter cases – rather than serve as a deterrent to crime
guardian.co.uk,, 13.06.2012
The New York Police Department's overdue oversight
The NYPD is unique in the US, for its size and its counterterror arm. And until now, unique also for its lack of accountability
Faiza Patel
DigitalJournal.com, 13.06.2012
EHRC: Police 37 times more likely to stop and search black people
John Thomas Didymus
EurekAlert Public, 13.06.2012
New research showing how real-life exposure to violence disrupts a child's sleep habits
Victimization and/or witnessing a homicide have greater effects on the quality and quantity of children's sleep
CSO Magazine, 13.06.2012
Spend more on cops, less on antivirus, say researchers
Who should bear the cost of cybercrime?
Liam Tung
Medical Xpress, 13.06.2012
New research showing how real-life exposure to violence disrupts a child's sleep habits
EurekAlert, 13.06.2012
Predicting post-traumatic stress disorder before it happens
Tel Aviv University researchers use brain imaging to uncover susceptibility to psychological stress and trauma
EIN News, 13.06.2012
The Harper Government Announces Increased Support for Victims and Strengthened Offender Accountability
BBC News, 14.06.2012
Warning of link between downloading and child sex attacks
People who download child abuse images pose a risk of committing sex attacks on children, says a specialist police child protection unit.
guardian.co.uk,, 14.06.2012
Online child abuse images 'becoming more extreme, sadistic and violent'
Sheer number of images and limited resources makes identifying new abuse victims difficult, according to new study
Alexandra Topping
PR Newswire, 14.06.2012
New Study Proves Microstamping Technology Works And Is A Necessary Tool For Law Enforcement To Solve Gun Crimes
Newswise, 14.06.2012
Graduated Driving Laws Reduce Teen Drunk Driving
State laws that limit driving privileges for teens have reduced the incidence of drinking and driving among the nation’s youngest licensees, according to a new study from researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Graduated driving licensing laws limit the number of passengers young drivers may transport and how late at night they’re allowed to drive, among other restrictions.
guardian.co.uk, 14.06.2012
Police raid suspected internet paedophiles
Raids involving 45 UK police forces lead to 100 arrests, with 24 children found whom investigators fear were at risk of abuse
Vikram Dodd
EurekAlert, 14.06.2012
Sexual minority women are often victims of abuse
Assault and abuse varies, depending on how butch or feminine gay women are
New York Times, 14.06.2012
Church Battles Efforts to Ease Sex Abuse Suits
LAURIE GOODSTEIN and ERIK ECKHOLM
guardian.co.uk, 15.06.2012
Why aren't more Met police on the "frontline"?
Figures showing that more officers have been assigned to "support" roles puts the home secretary's praise for Boris Johnson into context
Dave Hill
EurekAlert, 15.06.2012
Persistence is learned from fathers, study shows
When the going gets tough, the tough ought to thank their fathers.
The Economist (Großbritannien), 16.06.2012
Sheriffs’ delight
While local officials cash in, convicts lose out
Los Angeles Times, 17.06.2012
My dad the bank robber
On Father's Day, I remember what he instilled in me: A love for stories and a will to succeed.
Deni Béchard
Boston Globe, 17.06.2012
What if spanking works?
Studies show that most parents don’t want to hit their kids — and that some 90 percent do it anyway. Why even the most modern moms and dads can’t stop asking themselves the most controversial question in parenting.
James H. Burnett III
Newswise, 18.06.2012
It Takes a Village: Youth Expert Says Positive Adult, Community Involvement Keeps Teens From Trouble
BBC News, 18.06.2012
Welsh Labour names police commissioner candidates
Labour has unveiled its list of candidates to become Wales' first elected police and crime commissioners.
The Independent, 18.06.2012
Scientists must make research an open book
Details of publicly funded projects should be made available free to all online, ministers will insist
Martin Hickman
guardian.co.uk, 18.06.2012
The research that's on everyone's lips
What do your lips say about you? Researchers have shown that every person's lip print pattern is unique, which makes them a useful tool in forensics - and women's are identifiably different to men's, too
Marc Abrahams
guardian.co.uk, 19.06.2012
Study links mental illness with killing
Statistician urges child protection professionals to recognise patterns found in violent child deaths
David Brindle
The Crime Report, 19.06.2012
Can We End Our Culture of Violence?
In 1958, pioneering criminologist Marvin Wolfgang published Patterns in Criminal Homicide, a ground-breaking study of homicide in Philadelphia. That work eventually led to his theory of the subculture of violence.
The New Republic online, 19.06.2012
Biology for Liberals
A Cooperative Species: Human Reciprocity and Its Evolution, by Samuel Bowles and Herbert Gintis, Princeton University Press, 288 pp., $35
Edmonton Journal, 19.06.2012
Social isolation has far-reaching effects on us and our neighbours, survey says
TARA CARMAN
guardian.co.uk, 19.06.2012
Environmental activists 'being killed at rate of one a week'
Death toll of campaigners involved in protection of forests, rivers and land has almost doubled in three years
New York Times, 20.06.2012
Don’t Shut the Golden Door
IMMIGRATION is in the headlines again, with President Obama’s decision last week to stop deporting young illegal immigrants who came to the United States as children, and the Supreme Court’s approaching decision on the constitutionality of Arizona’s crackdown on undocumented migrants.
JOHN M. MacDONALD, ROBERT J. SAMPSON
Edmonton Journal, 20.06.2012
U of A shooting: Some commit violent crimes for ‘the high,’ forensic psychologist suggests
Brent Wittmeier
Eureka! Science News, 20.06.2012
Hulk smash? Maybe not anymore: Scientists block excess aggression in mice
Association for Psychological Science, 20.06.2012
Respect Matters More Than Money for Happiness in Life
Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, 20.06.2012
“Tell Me No Lies”: New Human Factors/Ergonomics Research on Deception May Improve Homeland Security
eNews Park Forest, 20.06.2012
Reducing Violent Crime Will Increase Housing Values, Save Taxpayers Millions .
Daily Mail, 20.06.2012
A divine deterrent: Populations with a strong belief in Hell have lower crime-rates, according to study
Eddie Wrenn
Newswise Released, 21.06.2012
Routine Justice: Research Shows How Racial and Gender Profiling Can Affect Outcome of Traffic Stops
Kansas State University, 21.06.2012
Routine justice: Research shows how racial and gender profiling can affect outcome of traffic stops
Prevention Action, 21.06.2012
When replications don’t replicate
A program developer creates an intervention. Study after study, researchers working with the developer find significant positive effects. The program wins a reputation as a useful, evidence-based intervention.
Newswise, 22.06.2012
Bomb Threat? An App for That, Too.
Homeland Security’s new smartphone application for bomb threats.
CIO (blog), 22.06.2012
Facial Recognition Advances: Why You Should Worry
Your face has become a virtual name tag. Marketers, police, and maybe even stalkers will soon be able to identify you using only off-the-shelf technology.
Newswise Released, 22.06.2012
National Child Abuse Expert David Finkelhor Available to Discuss Sandusky Trial
Family Law Week, 22.06.2012
Primary care based intervention for women experiencing domestic violence probably cost-effective, says new study
Domestic violence victims identify doctors as preferred source of support
Daily Mail, 22.06.2012
Police forced to destroy all mugshots of innocents: Schoolboy's landmark legal victory
Wired (USA),, 22.06.2012
How Anonymous Picks Targets, Launches Attacks, and Takes Powerful Organizations Down
Quinn Norton
Wall Street Journal (blog), 22.06.2012
High Tide: From Buying Silence to Potato Bribes.
Samuel Rubenfeld
The Independent, 24.06.2012
The 16-year-olds who have committed 86 crimes each
A ground-breaking British study finds that 4 per cent are responsible for nearly half of youth crime. The research could have profound implications for police and policy-makers
Emily Dugan
EurekAlert, 24.06.2012
Offenders need integrated, on-going, mental health care
Offenders with mental health problems need improved and on-going access to health care, according to the first study to systematically examine healthcare received by offenders across the criminal justice system.
New York Times, 24.06.2012
Crackdown Intensifies on Barratry
Joined by lawyers who are tired of competitors illegally soliciting business after accidents, prosecutors are cracking down on a lesser-known, multimillion-dollar criminal enterprise in Texas: barratry.
BECCA AARONSON
guardian.co.uk,, 25.06.2012
MI5 warns al-Qaida regaining UK toehold after Arab spring
British jihadists seeking terrorist training in Middle East, where unrest is giving al-Qaida chance to re-emerge
Nick Hopkins
EurekAlert, 25.06.2012
Remapping gang turf: Math model shows crimes cluster on borders between rivals
A mathematical model that has been used for more than 80 years to determine the hunting range of animals in the wild holds promise for mapping the territories of street gangs, a UCLA-led team of social scientists reports in a new study.
Police News, 25.06.2012
'Sleeper hold' tactic questioned in death of Calif. man
Baton strikes and TASER were ineffective in the violent encounter with a schizophrenic individual
J.D. Velasco and Brian Day, San Gabriel Valley Tribune
BBC News, 25.06.2012
Third of Peterborough teenagers 'not committed crime'
A third of the young people taking part in a study of youth crime in Peterborough told researchers they had never done anything wrong.
New York Times, 25.06.2012
Officers, Exhorted to Report Corruption, Still Fear Retaliation
In the hallways of Police Headquarters and precinct station houses, posters exhort officers to call the Internal Affairs Bureau if they observe corruption.
JOSEPH GOLDSTEIN
EurekAlert, 26.06.2012
Countering crowd control collapse
Understanding crowd dynamics can prevent disaster at cultural or sports events
Oregon State University, 26.06.2012
Policies to discourage drug trafficking should account for complexity
Patch.com, 26.06.2012
New Study Examines Political Corruption in Chicago Suburbs
A UIC study says corruption is not just a Chicago problem, and calls for the policing of suburban politics.
EurekAlert, 26.06.2012
What's the best way to treat problem alcohol use?
CAMH scientists weigh the evidence in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry
Daily Maverick, 26.06.2012
Fixing the criminal justice system starts by rooting out corruption at the top
Osiame Molefe
Politics.hu, 27.06.2012
The British child witches... or just victims of extreme religious beliefs?
The Sun investigates: The shocking rise of abuse, torture and murder in the UK
Dr RICHARD HOSKINS
Newswise, 27.06.2012
Students with Behavior Problems, Obvious Disabilities Are Bullied More, Are More Likely to Bully Others
Pittsburgh Post Gazette, 27.06.2012
Sentencing Ruling Reflects Rethinking on Juvenile Justice
ETHAN BRONNER
Newswise — Released, 27.06.2012
Drug Traffickers Struggle to Leave 'the Game;' Fear Losing Their Power, Status
Drug traffickers who want to leave the “game” behind often struggle to do so because they fear loss of power and status, a new study shows. Those who do leave the illegal drug trade often do so because of a complex mixture of issues including fatherhood, drug use and abuse, and threat of punishment by authorities or fear of retaliation. Researchers concluded that traffickers need ways that allow them to leave the drug business without surrendering their entire identity
Scientific Computing, 27.06.2012
Remapping Gang Turf: Math Model Shows Border Crime
A mathematical model that has been used for more than 80 years to determine the hunting range of animals in the wild holds promise for mapping the territories of street gangs, a UCLA-led team of social scientists reports in a new study
New York Times (blog), 27.06.2012
A Vocal Reaction to an Article on Stop-and-Frisk Experiences
BASSEY ETIM
Prevention Action, 27.06.2012
Getting to the community
Interventions with individual children often have an effect, but there is little evidence that children as a whole benefit, according to a paper by Kenneth Dodge, from Duke University, USA, who calls for a radical shift in how prevention science operates.
New Statesman, 27.06.2012
Europe on the verge of a nervous breakdown
All across the continent, economies are in a tailspin as the numbers of young, jobless men swell. Are we on the brink of repeating the catastrophe of the 1930s?
Richard J Evans
RealWire (press release), 28.06.2012
Homeowners urged to reassess their personal and home security following worrying crime statistics
Phys.Org, 28.06.2012
Death penalty in decline
If current trends continue, the death penalty may be eliminated worldwide as early as 2026.
Corydon Ireland
Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, 28.06.2012
Wake Forest Baptist Study Suggests Tasers Don’t Cause Cardiac Complications
Business Review Europe (press release), 28.06.2012
Drug Abuse and Violence Prevention Program Saves Money -- $38 Benefit for Every $1 Invested
guardian.co.uk,, 28.06.2012
Psychedelic drugs can unlock mysteries of brain – former government adviser
David Nutt says research into mental illness is hampered by the prohibition of drugs such as psilocybin and LSD
Alok Jha
Daily Mail, 30.06.2012
Sexual predators in the police are abusing power to target victims, investigation warns
• Investigation reveals more than 50 cases in four years of police found guilty or investigated for rape, sexually assault or harassment
• Campaigners say the scale of the problem is largely hidden, since no official statistics are kept about internal disciplinary action over such cases
Damien Gayle
