Search results

Although most aetiological theories of crime assume that offenders are a distinct subset of the population, there is evidence that many illegal acts are committed by people who have no convictions and are therefore not regarded as criminals. The question consequently arises as to whether there are aspects of illegal actions that set convicted offenders apart. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

To answer this, a 45-item self-report questionnaire was administered to two samples (males 15-29 years): 185 prisoners and 80 young men without convictions.

The results draw attention to a distinguishing psychological dimension of instrumentality operating across the range of offence forms. Convicted offenders are more likely to commit crimes for direct gratification with intent when compared with the sorts of illegal activities that non-convicted respondents report they have done.

Careful matching of convicted criminals and those without convictions is extremely difficult. Future research that explores other non-criminal samples would therefore be of value.

Interventions with people who commit crimes need to carefully distinguish between those who are determined criminals and those whose activities are more likely to be part of an opportunistic culture.

The results challenge conceptualisation of criminals and criminality as something always distinct from those without convictions. It thus has implications for what theories of crime should seek to explain. The significance of instrumentality also give further force to the legal emphasis on men's area.

For anyone involved in moving large numbers of people, indeed in any aspect of crowd management, the biggest threats are ignorance of crowd behavioural dynamics and complacency. When the Mass Transit Railway Corporation (MTRC) in Hong Kong was faced with excessive passenger growth, serious safety problems and concerns arose. As part of a study into “Passenger and Crowd Behaviour Safety”, the author recommended that staff be put through a comprehensive programme of passenger management and behaviour training. As a result of this he was asked to design and deliver such a programme, consisting of two‐day modules for all those directly concerned and one‐day modules for all other managers throughout the organisation. These have now been followed up with update training, and a redesigned course has been implemented for the new Airport Express railway.

The purpose of this study was to contribute to the evidence base by analysing the characteristics and motives of homicides involving acts of dismemberment.

The current study explored offence, victim and offender characteristics and the motives for 71 homicides involving dismemberment using open source data. All cases included in this study were investigated in the UK between 1970 and 2016. A non-metric multi-dimensional scaling procedure smallest space analysis (SSA) was used to explore the characteristics and motives derived from a content analysis of homicide data sourced online.

A distinction between expressive and instrumental characteristics was observable with three thematic regions identified: instrumental – defensive, instrumental – predatory and expressive – affective. Support was found for previously identified motives for criminal dismemberment, with defensive being the most common motive identified in 63% (N = 45) of the cases.

The implications of the findings are discussed with suggestions made for future research. The findings have practical implications for assisting law enforcement and forensic and clinical practitioners in further understanding offenders who engage in homicidal dismemberment. This includes aiding homicide investigations, in terms of supporting investigators to draw upon offence, victim and offender characteristics and motives for homicides involving acts of dismemberment. Differentiation between cases of dismemberment and understanding of motives also has practical implications for the development of interventions and treatment pathways for homicide offenders who dismember victims.

This paper aims to define the socio-spatial considerations of apartment users in Cairo, during their decision-making process. It provides a set of socio-spatial guidelines for professional architecture designers that are based on regionalist sociological theories and the evaluation of participant responses. These guidelines can also help users choose better plan configurations or make socially conscious adjustments as formal residential interiors in Egypt are not arranged based on social interaction at home or the cultural specificity of the region. On the other hand, users have little clue about choosing better plan configurations for sustainable social relationships. Moreover, the private housing sector has mostly neglected the social boundaries that traditionally shaped home interiors. This is because the designers focus on physical attributes to satisfy market demand and economic aspects.

The research reviewed past literature on the impact of different home arrangements relative to inhabitant and social relationships. Simultaneously, preliminary open-ended sorting surveys were undertaken at the Cityscape 2020 exhibition. Based on the results, a comprehensive online survey was developed to map the socio-spatial preferences of users. Finally, a sample of 150 apartment plans was analyzed by using the justified plan graph (JPG) theory to reveal the most common arrangements in the speculative market, measuring unit depth.

The findings of this study will benefit the following: practitioners, including architects and real estate developers, will be able to learn about end-user preferences and offer better products (residential units). Designers can rely on a reference that visualizes recommended home arrangements in the form of justified graphs. This research will expose the academic theories that currently shape residential plans and those that are overlooked and need to be applied. Academics, on the other hand, will learn about the market, and the extent of the influence of architectural theory.

The value of this paper lies in the gathering of theoretical recommendations on traditional home arrangements and investigating the preferences of both professionals and laypeople when choosing between apartments. The open-ended study in this research will test its efficiency in the Egyptian context and serve as a reference for future social studies. It highlights the importance of cultural adequacy and how to design homes related to local residents’ natural lifestyle, by doing so, people will be able to overview the options available in the market and how to manipulate their own houses to control or encourage different social interactions.

The aim of the article is to analyze the process of creating spatial value. The object of the analysis concerns the riverside areas of the city of Poznan. The study focuses on spontaneous practices that are outside the legal regulations, thanks to less-visited places which have gained popularity among residents and disciplinary techniques introduced by government officials in response to such activities.

At the theoretical level, the study is primarily based on Florian Znaniecki's spatial value concept and Michel Foucault's concept of power. The empirical research study includes quantitative (questionnaire-based interviews) and qualitative methods (expert interviews and content analysis).

Identification of the method of creating spatial value which does not require direct financial outlays; determination of disciplinary techniques used by government officials ultimately led to a reduction in the spatial value.

The article reveals the hidden mechanisms of functioning of the authority that defends itself against the reduction of its powers. It is an alternate way of analyzing and interpreting organizational changes in urban space to the one promoted by the Poznan authorities. The results can be used in various ways. Researchers representing the critical trend of urban research can interpret the process of creating spatial value by residents in terms of community, resistance and alternates to the actions of the authorities. From this point of view, the research study is interventional and exposing in nature. On the other hand, for city decision makers allowing the possibility to consume alcohol in a given area can be an effective, low-cost way of revitalizing it. Research can also be useful in assessing the effectiveness of particular disciplinary techniques by public officers.

The purpose of this paper is to summarise the main psychological theories that have implications for the design and management of successful workplaces. This will support real estate professionals in advising occupiers on how to enhance the quality of their workplaces to improve the performance of its occupants.

The paper summarises relevant psychological research and offers guidance based on the literature review.

In general, current trends in building design and selection do not fully consider psychological factors. Whilst new buildings may be space efficient they are unlikely to be as effective as those buildings that do account for basic individual and organisational needs.

This paper provides a review of the psychological theories in the context of office design. A fuller understanding of such theories will improve the quality of workplaces.

The following classified, annotated list of titles is intended to provide reference librarians with a current checklist of new reference books, and is designed to supplement the RSR review column, “Recent Reference Books,” by Frances Neel Cheney. “Reference Books in Print” includes all additional books received prior to the inclusion deadline established for this issue. Appearance in this column does not preclude a later review in RSR. Publishers are urged to send a copy of all new reference books directly to RSR as soon as published, for immediate listing in “Reference Books in Print.” Reference books with imprints older than two years will not be included (with the exception of current reprints or older books newly acquired for distribution by another publisher). The column shall also occasionally include library science or other library related publications of other than a reference character.

WORDS, like currency, are easily debased. They lose their value when used out of context, invoked as a talisman or, without attention to their precise meaning, pressed into service as a political shibboleth.