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Despite concerns having been voiced internationally about the validity and reliability of mobile phone evidence, there remain large gaps in our understanding of how police acquire and process mobile phone data, and the risks associated with this work. This paper fills some of these gaps by drawing upon qualitative data gathered during an ethnographic study of the role of forensic sciences and technologies in British homicide investigations. Specifically, we draw upon case papers, interviews, and observations to illuminate, from the perspective of police and prosecution actors, some of the opportunities, tensions, and risks encountered in accessing and processing mobile phone data during these inquiries. Our findings reveal several risks associated with current practice alongside broader complexities related to legislation, privatisation, and accreditation. We consider how these intertwined risks and challenges may undermine the reliability of mobile phone evidence and jeopardise criminal justice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Socio-legal ethnographies have focused largely on the dramaturgical themes present in the competing performances seen in adversarial trials. Drawing on ethnographic observations of British homicide investigations, we illuminate the hidden "backstage" space of prosecution barristers' case conferences. Using Goffman's dramaturgical framework, we analyze the interactions, deliberations, and negotiations that are enacted between barristers, homicide detectives, forensic scientists, and other specialists. To our knowledge, the work that happens in these conferences has never been documented. Our findings reveal how prosecution narratives evolve and are tested behind the scenes before being performed in court. We pay particular attention to the role of anticipatory work in guiding how criminal justice actors choreograph the prosecution case. The findings add to our understanding of narrative case building and elaborate Goffman's dramaturgical framework. We discuss the implications of our findings for due process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: The aim of the paper is to investigate the extent to which university students misuse prescription drugs, using techniques of neutralization to understand and explain their behaviour. Methods: The study was based on an email survey of students currently registered at a university in north Wales which supports widening access and has one of the highest proportion of mature students in the UK. Just over 11% of students contacted completed the survey (69% were female and 53% were aged 28 or over; n = 558). They were asked about their prescription drug misuse and whether they thought that it was wrong. They were then invited to explain their answers. The responses were analyzed to identify and code the use of techniques of neutralization. Findings: The most common prescription drugs misused were pain relievers (66%), tranquillizers (18%), sedatives (14%), stimulants (6%) and anti-depressants (5%). The most frequently occurring neutralizations were 'claims of biological need', 'claims of legitimacy in view of own prior experience', and 'denial of choice'. Conclusion: The paper concludes by considering the potential role of techniques of neutralization in preventing prescription drug misuse among students.

Infants aged younger than 12 months have the highest homicide victimization rate of any single age group in England and Wales. In addition, there are good grounds for believing that the official homicide statistics for this particular age group are an underestimate and subject to distortion. At the same time there is evidence mounting in the United Kingdom that some parents have been incorrectly convicted of infanticide. This article first explores all recorded cases of infanticide in England and Wales for the period 1995-2002 (298 cases in total). Characteristics of the offenders, victims, offense, and court outcomes are examined. The second part of the article takes a critical gaze at the complexities involved in distinguishing infanticide from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and other sudden unexplained deaths in infancy (SUDI). The article ends by considering in what ways infant deaths might be more effectively investigated. (Contains 2 tables and 6 notes.)

This paper explores the potential for reducing homicide, with a particular focus on the United Kingdom. It draws upon data from the Homicide Index, international research on homicide, and the general crime reduction literature. Homicide is highly diverse in its characteristics, causes and dynamics, so effective strategies to reduce it are likely to require tailoring to specific forms. The paper focuses upon four important categories: domestic (partner) homicide; the killing of infants; alcohol-related homicide; and homicide involving guns and knives. Attention is also paid briefly to issues around 'dangerous' offenders and mental disorder, and to homicide victimisation in relation to specific occupations.

Drawing upon qualitative data gathered during a four-year ethnographic study of homicide investigation in Britain, this paper explores how detectives, scientists, and other experts use findings from forensic sciences and technologies (FSTs) when constructing and modifying pre-trial homicide narratives. We consider how these narratives unfold from the earliest moments of the investigation and are told and re-told, as they are assembled into one coherent narrative fit for elocution in criminal court. We explore the embedding of findings from FSTs into narrative; the attention given to narrating character, motive, and intent; the use of narrative shifts to accommodate unwelcome findings from FSTs; attempts to deal with ambiguity during narrative creation; and, crucially, the reciprocal relationship between narrative and evidence. We suggest that narratives, such as those that we examine, are not mere chronologies, but the artful products of coordinated professional practice. Our research suggests that illuminating the origins and unfolding of such narratives during criminal investigation is as important as recording their final polished deployment within the theater of the courtroom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While many of the motives people provide for using drugs transcend gender, there are also notable gendered differences. These differences in motive talk aid in stigma management, shape gender performances, and can encourage or constrain behavior. Using data from a photoethnography with 52 people who use methamphetamine in rural Alabama, we find that men and women articulate their motives for drug use in distinctly gendered ways. Most notably, men emphasized the benefits of sex on meth while most of the women did not. Men's stories of meth as a sex drug shaped how they interacted with women often leading them to use violence and coercion to control when, where, and with whom women used meth. Women were less likely to say that increased sexual feelings was their primary motive for using meth. They drew on gendered themes of femininity (e.g., motherhood, home keeper) when explaining their drug use. They also sought ways to resist coercive control that were intertwined with their gendered narratives of drug use. The findings point to the importance of gendered narratives in shaping interactions, and significantly, how narratives can contribute to harm and reinforce gender inequality in drug markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing upon quantitative and qualitative data gathered during a four-year ethnographic study of 44 British homicide investigations, this paper advances the sparse literature on how closed-circuit television (CCTV) contributes to criminal investigations and the risks associated with its use. Based on insights gleaned from interviews with homicide detectives, analysis of case files and observations of live homicide investigations, we examine how CCTV is used during homicide investigations focusing principally on two key investigative moments – identifying and charging suspects. Our quantitative data indicate that CCTV is used more frequently than any other kind of forensic science or technology to both identify and charge suspects. Nevertheless, our qualitative data reveal numerous challenges associated with how CCTV footage is recovered, viewed, shared, interpreted and packaged for court. We reveal the individual and organisational processes and workarounds that have emerged in a socio-technical landscape that lacks clear standards and principles. We discuss the implications of these findings for practice and policy and their relevance to questions about the socially constructed nature of forensic scientific knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we explore the importance of dialogue for collaborative sensemaking during homicide investigation, focusing upon interactions between detectives, forensic scientists and other experts involved in managing and undertaking forensic work. Drawing on data from a 4-year ethnographic study of British homicide investigations, we provide insights from criminal justice actors about both the value of, and barriers to, inter-professional and cross-disciplinary dialogue. We explore how and why organisational arrangements may limit opportunities for forensic scientists and other experts to engage collaboratively with detectives and prosecutors. We conclude by considering ways to enhance collaborative sensemaking during the investigation of homicide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing upon data gathered during a 4-year ethnographic study of homicide investigation in Britain, we document the movement of 44 (suspected) homicide cases through the criminal justice process before drawing upon two case studies to unravel in detail how a homicide is determined and how suspects are identified, eliminated, or charged. We suggest that the progress of homicide cases through this process is best understood as the outcome of a set of socially organized scientific, legal, and occupational sensemaking practices, collaboratively deployed by institutionally authorized actors. We conclude that these practices are rendered visible only through detailed qualitative research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A growing body of research examines factors that influence the likelihood of solving homicide cases. Much of this research emanates from North America and is based on quantitative analysis of police data. This article explores the views of homicide detectives, complemented by observations of investigations, in both Great Britain and the United States, regarding factors that affect the chances of solving homicides. Although we find some important differences between nations, the qualitative evidence suggests that the likelihood of solving even the most challenging homicide cases in both nations can be influenced by police agency at the individual and strategic level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses articles in the issue on topics including analysis of CCTV recordings of real-life robbery events to examine offender violence and victim resistance in robbery, issues relating to the usage of methamphetamine, and the visual criminology.

Photo-elicitation is a qualitative interview technique where researchers solicit responses, reactions and insights from participants by using photographs or other images as stimuli. Images can be researcher-generated or participant-generated and each has particular benefits and challenges. Though not new, the use of images within criminology is an underused technique. In this paper we advocate the use of photo-elicitation techniques suggesting that they offer a powerful addition to standard data collection and presentation techniques. In making our case, we draw on our experiences from an 18-month long photo-ethnography of people living in rural Alabama who use methamphetamine. The ethnography consisted of formal interviews and informal observations with 52 participants and photography of 29 of them. While we draw on our overall experiences from the project we focus specifically on the photographs generated by and taken of, one key participant-Alice. We demonstrate the benefits and challenges of using photo elicitation interviews with vulnerable individuals such as Alice, by considering themes such as representation, empowerment and emotionality. Additionally, we highlight the practical and ethical issues that confront researchers who incorporate the visual into their research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a growing belief among medical practitioners and researchers that mephedrone use and violence are in some way connected. However, there has been little research conducted on either the association or the causal connection between mephedrone use and violence. Drawing upon in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 12 mephedrone users and open-ended questions from a questionnaire survey of 67 mephedrone users, the paper explores the relationship between mephedrone use and violent behaviour as perceived by users. Our research adds to current knowledge by presenting users’ accounts of the connection between mephedrone use and violence, by suggesting ways of applying current discussions on mechanisms-based causality in an empirical setting, and by building on Goldstein’s tripartite framework through the development of frequently occurring sub-categories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: There is no shortage of information on the potential consequences of consuming mephedrone. However, these assessments relate primarily to the physical and psychological effects of the drug. Less attention is paid to the social harms to the user or broader society. The aim of this paper is to investigate the physical, psychological and social harms and benefits of mephedrone use as perceived by users and practitioners.Methods: The findings reported here are based on: (1) semi-structured interviews with 12 mephedrone users and (2) semi-structured interviews with 20 practitioners.Findings: The most common perceived benefits of mephedrone consumption were the intensity of the “high”, feelings of happiness, enhanced confidence and its ability to suppress negative feelings associated with a range of problems. Its social benefits mainly concerned enhancing social skills (e.g. enabling conversation) and helping to make friends. The most frequently mentioned harms were physical disorders, such as the negative effects of snorting on nose tissues and injecting on the skin and veins, as well as psychological harms, such as depression, paranoia, hallucinations and sleep disorders. The main social problems were the effects of mephedrone use on family life, employment, finances and involvement in acquisitive and violent crime.Conclusions: Future research should continue to explore the full range of positive and negative effects of mephedrone use on users and those close to them to establish a solid evidence base from which to inform treatment and prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Research over the past several decades shows that those who act in ways inconsistent with desired identities often account for (i.e., excuse or justify) their actions to save face and maintain social identities. While the bulk of research on the use of accounts examines how people make sense of behaviors that go against conventional values, recent research suggests that those who do not adhere to subcultural norms engage in similar talk. The current study builds on the sociology of accounts by exploring whether inmates articulate a convict code; whether they provide accounts for code violations that are comparable to those given by active offenders; and whether incarceration shapes inmates’ use of these accounts. Interviews with 40 inmates residing in a maximum security prison suggest that they rely on linguistic devices to align their actions with subcultural beliefs and that the prison environment structures the pattern of these accounts. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article focuses on the enquiry of police during homicide investigations. It says that the homicide investigation is the most publicly visible and least understood police function. It states that based on Brodeur, the empirical studies on policing was dominated by researches of uniformed police and patrol function. It adds that the work on crime investigation as well as the role of detectives are both important.

Police detectives traditionally defined a successful homicide investigation as involving a suspect being identified, charged and ultimately convicted – preferably for murder. However, it is increasingly being recognised, not least by police officers themselves, that definitions of success can be more complex. Informed by empirical data drawn from field studies of police murder investigations in the UK, this article identifies four alternate definitions of investigative success: (i) outcome success, (ii) procedural success, (iii) community impact reduction success and (iv) preventative success. These ways of socially constructing the ‘success’ or otherwise of homicide investigation work are framed by the different perspectives and pressures that attend to different roles within the police organisation. The article concludes by considering the wider implications of these issues for thinking about police performance and contemporary understandings of ‘good’ policing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent developments in the study of narratives suggest that people can construct identity by referencing acculturated stories (i.e., formula stories) and often do so when explaining untoward behavior. Formula stories connect one’s personal identity with generally accepted subcultural identities and the narratives associated with them. In light of this, it becomes clear that cultural codes (e.g., the code of the streets) provide structured storylines. Using data from semistructured interviews with 118 violent inmates incarcerated in the United Kingdom, this study examines how they use the code of the street when describing specific violent events. The authors find that violent inmates portray themselves as respectable by situating their past violence within the prescripts of the code; however, the inmates’ narratives are not always consistent or drawn from singular formula stories. In fact, many participants offered various storylines and interpretations when describing violent events. We conclude that future theoretical development should aim to integrate perspectives focused on street codes, individual identity, and other acculturated factors and that understanding codes as narrative forms is essential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper investigates the extent to which street violence in the United Kingdom can be explained by a 'code of the street' of the kind described by Anderson in his classic study of crime in the inner-city suburbs of Philadelphia. It draws on research conducted by the authors as part of an ESRC (Economic and Social Research Council) project on violent street crime. The accounts of individual offences committed by over 100 street offenders indicate behaviour consistent with the idea of a behavioural code. In particular, offenders described the need to punish disrespect, to express violence overtly to avoid victimisation, to show self-reliance in resolving disputes and to maintain a frightening and formidable reputation. The implications of the existence of such a code for crime prevention are discussed. The study concludes that traditional methods of prevention based on surveillance and technology might be limited and something might be gained by looking at more innovative social and cultural approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Just over 10 years ago, Anderson (1999) published Code of the Street, which described a behavioural code that both generated and regulated street violence in the inner-city suburbs of Philadelphia. Since then, there has been some research conducted in the United States that has tested further the concept of a street code, but little similar work in Europe exists. In this paper, we explore narratives of incidents of street violence provided by convicted violent offenders. Examples are given of violence that appears to have the characteristics of code-following of the kind described by Anderson (1999). The paper notes the potential importance of the existence of a ‘code of the street’ in the United Kingdom in understanding and responding to street violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies on the motivation for violent street crime, such as robbery and assault, have tended to draw on either the rational choice or the subcultural perspective. This study explores the extent to which violence on the street can be explained by rational factors associated with the successful commission of the offence or social factors related to street culture. The study is based on qualitative interviews with 55 violent street offenders who were serving sentences for street robbery and assault in six prisons in the United Kingdom. The findings, based on accounts of 101 incidents of street violence, identified four main explanations for street violence: (a) successful offence enactment, (b) buzz and excitement, (c) status and honor, and (d) informal justice. The article concludes that there might be benefits in combining the insights of both perspectives by generating an integrated theory that would properly explain both the rational and the seemingly irrational components of street violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current policy climate in Britain requires that agencies work together to improve their performance and provide a better service to clients. This is especially apparent in recent initiatives designed to improve the services afforded to victims of crime. Whilst there is an established literature dealing with both the potential benefits of, and challenges posed by, multi-agency work (for example, Crawford 1997; Hughes 2007; Maguire 2004; Pearson et al. 1992; Taylor 2003 ), the unique issues arising from multi-agency partnerships dealing with sexual violence have received less attention, even though the interface of criminal justice and health is a relatively new and unusual phenomenon warranting scrutiny. For the current study, interviews with professionals working together to develop a Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) were conducted to address this gap. Positive aspects of multi-agency work identified by the respondents included: a shared concern over the poor quality of existing arrangements; a shared vision for a better response to victims; sharing a broader view of the victim; and having experience with, and commitment to, multi-agency work. Continuing challenges were noted as: sustained multi-agency participation; diverse agency cultures; competing agendas and priorities across agencies and systems; funding and staffing issues; and future responsibility for, and ownership of, the SARC. Implications of the research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the extent to which street crime can be explained by rational factors associated with the successful commission of the offence or social factors related to street culture. The study is based on qualitative interviews with 55 violent street offenders who were serving sentences for street robbery and assault in six prisons in the UK. The findings identified five main motives for street violence: (1) instrumental motives relating to the specific objectives of the offence (for example, obtaining cash or goods in the case of robbery or inflicting harm in the case of assault), (2) for the buzz and excitement, (3) to express anger, (4) to achieve status and honour, and (5) to inflict informal justice. The implications of the findings are discussed in relation to research and crime prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article argues that legal advice is particularly important for young suspects and pre-trial remand prisoners. We explore the experience of these two groups in accessing legal advice and consider whether it breaches Article 6(3)(c) of the Human Rights Act 1998 (HRA), which guarantees the right to consult a lawyer when charged with a criminal offence. We find that, whilst policies may appear compatible on paper, the reality in terms of practice is more problematic. As well as considering the implications of the HRA where contraventions persist, we suggest several reforms which might ensure compliance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to test the hypothesis that monolinguals differ from bilinguals in their pattern of language lateralisation and to examine the relative merits of language-acquisitional versus language-specific factors, two experiments involving divided screen presentation of two languages were conducted using Welsh/English speaking participants. In the first experiment 80 monolingual teenagers were compared to 80 bilingual teenagers on a tachistoscopic "visual half-field" test of Welsh and English nouns and verbs. ANOVA revealed a greater left hemisphere advantage for Welsh-English bilinguals as compared to English monolinguals. Thus, in contrast to previous studies, in our bilinguals there was evidence of greater left hemisphere involvement in the processing of language. In the second experiment, four separate groups of 40 teenagers, varying in the age and manner of acquisition of their languages, were compared on the same test of Welsh and English words. These groups can be viewed as graded from the early to late bilinguals. ANOVA revealed a greater left hemisphere advantage when processing Welsh as compared to English words for all four groups. However no significant difference was observed between the four groups in respect of laterality for Welsh and English, indicating an equally greater left hemisphere bias for all four groups when processing Welsh words. We discuss these results in terms of a language-specific effect and suggest the specific orthography of the Welsh language (for individually presented nouns and verbs) promotes a left hemisphere advantage over and above language-acquisitional factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]