Search

This research examines the relationship between demographic, social network, and criminal history variables, and the distance between the home and locations of individuals (associates) involved in an illicit drug production network. The authors integrate principals from environmental criminology and routine activities theories, journey to crime research, and social network analysis in order to explore the geographic and social space of criminal associates. The results show that the distance between individuals in the drug production criminal network and their associates vary systematically with network characteristics (centrality measures) but not with demographics or criminal history variables.Security Journal (2008) 21, 77–94. doi:10.1057/palgrave.sj.8350069 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over a period of 4 years (1997–2000), British Columbia (BC) experienced tremendous growth in the illicit production and distribution of domestically grown marijuana. By the close of 2000, each policing jurisdiction in BC had adopted a particular policy in response to grow operation proliferation. In summary, four policy responses were noted. First, some maintained the status quo wherein enforcement of police initiated investigations and citizens’ tips continued, but with no additional resources specifically dedicated to grow operations. Second, some jurisdictions suspended the majority of investigation and enforcement of grow operations. Third, some agencies implemented or reinforced existing resource intensive drug squads, which focused on trafficking, sales and production of all types of drugs. Finally, some of the jurisdictions formed specialized tactical units known as “green teams” that focused solely on the enforcement of marijuana production. In this paper, we evaluate the effectiveness of green teams using a Geographic Information System (GIS) and difference-in-difference estimates. The results indicate that green teams decrease grow operations within their target area without significant displacement to surrounding areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Violence by patients against staff has been a growing concern in hospitals not only in the U.S., but in Canada and the U.K. as well. Such violence is not limited to hospitals, but is on the increase in long term care facilities, thanks, in part, to a growing population of patients with dementia. Very little information about programs that deal with patient violence in long term care facilities has been available. The following article, which describes a multi-year project in five British Columbia nursing homes, provides considerable insight for health care managers on the many different aspects of long term care violence and methods which staff can employ to curb or prevent it.