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Article
Publication date: 26 December 2023

Sam Smith and Patricia Howie

Understanding and preventing prison-based violence remains a challenge for both prison professionals and academic researchers. Alongside the rising tide of prison violence, the…

Abstract

Purpose

Understanding and preventing prison-based violence remains a challenge for both prison professionals and academic researchers. Alongside the rising tide of prison violence, the contemporary researcher views prison violence as a social problem and something that needs to be understood from an ecological viewpoint before violence prevention strategies can be implemented. The purpose of this study was to present an exploratory investigation into the causes of violence within a Category B UK prison, its impact and the factors that contribute to violence prevention.

Design/methodology/approach

Adopting an ethnographic, qualitative methodology, semi-structured interviews were conducted with six prisoners to gather their individual perspectives on prison violence. Interview transcripts were analysed by the researcher using grounded theory analysis.

Findings

Results revealed that participants perceived debt as a catalyst for violence and associated a sense of “loss” with emotional violent outbursts. Furthermore, participants placed responsibility on other prisoners and staff to facilitate violence prevention outcomes by making positive changes (prisoners) and being honest, and moral within the workplace (staff). Emphasis was placed on cultural maintenance factors that appeared to promote, reinforce and maintain a violent cultural environment.

Practical implications

Including the prisoner voice in prison violence research is fundamental to understanding the complexity of the problem. Understanding the cultural environment within which violence occurs strengthens the ecological perspective. Violence prevention strategies identified in this research requires change from prisoners, staff and ultimately the wider prison system if it is to succeed in preventing violence.

Originality/value

Results are discussed considering their implications for future policy and practice in the context of violence prevention.

Details

Journal of Criminological Research, Policy and Practice, vol. 10 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2056-3841

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 29 March 2024

Tareq Na'el Al-Tawil

The purpose of this paper is to explore the legislative framework that governs whistleblowing in the UAE.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the legislative framework that governs whistleblowing in the UAE.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper examines social perceptions and practical challenges related to the act of whistleblowing. It focuses on the effectiveness, limitations and implications of the current legal status of whistleblowing in the UAE.

Findings

The UAE does not have a unified legal framework that governs whistleblowing and whistleblower protections like in the case of the USA. Therefore, there is an urgent need for comprehensive federal regulations that will apply to all sectors across the entire UAE. Each emirate and economic zone can then model their whistleblowing regulations against the federal law to ensure consistency and uniformity in application. The UAE will also benefit from public awareness and education programs to address the conservative culture that discourages whistleblowing. Most importantly, corporate governance and culture are central to the success of existing laws considering the overreliance on organizations and employees.

Originality/value

The paper provides a robust and analytical discussion of the whistleblowing laws and regulations in the UAE to dissect current practices and implications for future practice.

Details

Journal of Money Laundering Control, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1368-5201

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 19 April 2024

Rania Maktabi

This chapter discusses the extension of legal equality between male and female citizens in four states in North Africa – Tunisia, Egypt, Morocco and Algeria – through one specific…

Abstract

This chapter discusses the extension of legal equality between male and female citizens in four states in North Africa – Tunisia, Egypt, Morocco and Algeria – through one specific lens: A married woman's legal capacity to initiate and obtain divorce without the husband's consent. Building on the works of Stein Rokkan and Reinhard Bendix on the expansion of citizenship to the ‘lower classes’, it is argued that amendments in divorce law by introducing in-court divorce for women, in addition to out-of-court divorce, is a significant institutional change that extends legal equality between men and women. The introduction of in-court divorce expands female citizenship by bolstering woman's juridical autonomy and capacity in state law. Changes in divorce laws are thus part of state centralization by means of standardizing rules that regulate family law through public administrative institutions rather than religious organizations. Two questions are addressed: First, how did amendments in divorce laws occur after independence? Second, in which ways did women's bolstered legal capacity in divorce have a spill over effect on reforms in other patriarchal state laws? Based on observations on sequences of change in four states in North Africa, it is argued that amendments that equalize between men and women in divorce should be seen as a key driver for reforms in other state laws, that reduce legal inequality between male and female citizens. In all four states, women's citizenship was extended in nationality law and criminal law after amendments in divorce law gave women unilateral legal power to exit a marital relationship.

Details

A Comparative Historical and Typological Approach to the Middle Eastern State System
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83753-122-6

Keywords

Expert briefing
Publication date: 28 February 2024

The EU has warned Slovakia that it could face fines or blocked EU funds over concerns that the government’s judicial reforms, particularly those protecting politicians from…

Article
Publication date: 15 December 2023

Claire Johnson, Samuel Gagnon, Pierre Goguen and Caroline P. LeBlanc

This study aims to focus on studies that qualitatively explore prison food experience. The goal is to elaborate a framework to better understand how prison food shapes the…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to focus on studies that qualitatively explore prison food experience. The goal is to elaborate a framework to better understand how prison food shapes the worldwide carceral experience.

Design/methodology/approach

This systematic literature review was based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statement. It consists of four phases: identifying the studies, screening the studies, evaluating the eligibility of screened studies and inclusion of studies. After the four phases, ten studies (nine qualitative studies and one with mixed methods) were included in the review.

Findings

There is a consensus among the researchers in the reviewed literature that prison food shapes the carceral experience. More specifically, four themes that encompass the experience of people with prison food emerged from the reviewed literature: food appreciation (taste of the prison food and perceived nutritional value), food logistics (preparation, distribution and consumption), food variety (institutional menu and commissary store) and food relationships (symbol of caring or power or punishment).

Originality/value

The literature reviewed demonstrated that when incarcerated individuals have a negative view of prison food, the carceral experience is negatively impacted. This systematic review identified four dimensions that encompass the food experience within the prison environment, providing a framework for navigating this subject.

Details

International Journal of Prison Health, vol. 20 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2977-0254

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 September 2023

Foteini Spantidaki Kyriazi, Stefan Bogaerts, Jaap J.A. Denissen, Shuai Yuan, Michael Dufner and Carlo Garofalo

To replicate and extend research on psychopathy and intrinsic interpersonal preferences under the broader umbrella of affiliation, intimacy and antagonism, this paper aims to…

Abstract

Purpose

To replicate and extend research on psychopathy and intrinsic interpersonal preferences under the broader umbrella of affiliation, intimacy and antagonism, this paper aims to examine motivational correlates of psychopathy in a nonclinical sample (N = 125).

Design/methodology/approach

We used a multimethod design, including self-reports, a behavioral task and a physiological assessment of motive dispositions (automatic affective reactions to stimuli of interpersonal transactions measured with facial electromyography).

Findings

Results showed that self-reported psychopathy was negatively associated with self-reported intimacy motive. In the same vein, via the social discounting task, this paper found a negative association between psychopathy and a tendency to share hypothetical monetary amounts with very close others. Finally, regarding fEMG findings, multilevel analyses revealed that although individuals with low levels of psychopathy reacted more positively to affiliative stimuli, individuals with high levels of psychopathy reacted equally positively to both affiliative and antagonistic stimuli, and these results were robust across psychopathy measures. Results remained mostly unchanged on the subscale level.

Originality/value

These findings highlight the contribution of multimethod assessments in capturing nuances of motivation. Implicit physiological measures might be particularly sensitive in capturing motive dispositions in relation to psychopathy. Identifying mechanisms that foster positive connections between psychopathic traits and nonprosocial tendencies may be theoretically and clinically informative, with implications for forensic and penal practices.

Details

Journal of Criminal Psychology, vol. 14 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2009-3829

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 14 April 2023

Md. Zahurul Haq

This study aims to investigate Bangladesh’s e-commerce regulations in light of the growing criticism that they are insufficient to curb predicate crimes like fraud and money…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to investigate Bangladesh’s e-commerce regulations in light of the growing criticism that they are insufficient to curb predicate crimes like fraud and money laundering in the online marketplace.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used the exploratory design to examine the latest ministerial directives and laws governing e-commerce in Bangladesh to determine why they cannot prevent fraudulent activities in this promising sector and identify potential solutions.

Findings

Bangladesh’s regulatory responses to e-commerce fraud prevention and detection are reactive and inadequate. Regulators are unwilling and unable to enforce available legal provisions for various reasons, including a lack of knowledge and coordination among the agencies.

Research limitations/implications

This paper focuses solely on the legal and regulatory framework in place to combat e-commerce fraud. Other critical issues, such as consumer rights, privacy and data protection in e-commerce, are not addressed.

Practical implications

The findings of this study will assist policymakers in revising current regulatory approaches to e-commerce to protect this sector from criminal abuse.

Originality/value

This study looked into the possibility of using a proactive risk-based approach in the e-commerce sector, similar to what the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit does in the financial sector.

Details

Journal of Money Laundering Control, vol. 27 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1368-5201

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 23 February 2024

Caterina Peroni and Pietro Demurtas

The purpose of this article is to provide a critical account of the hate crime (HC) paradigm by exploring its historical legal definition and the limitations in addressing the…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to provide a critical account of the hate crime (HC) paradigm by exploring its historical legal definition and the limitations in addressing the multiple and structural discriminations faced by minority groups. Specifically, the article focuses on the case of Italy, where in recent years a fierce debate over a proposed law on HC against LGBT+ and disabled people ended in its rejection due to neoconservative and Catholic opposition.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing on critical socio-criminological literature on HC, the paper analyses the Italian debates and socio-legal context over the past two decades regarding discrimination against LGBT+ groups and its (lack of) criminalization. It also provides a secondary analysis of recent data on violence and discrimination against LGBT+ people, collected by the Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA).

Findings

The analysis of the debate and the data collected shows that the criminal definition of HC is insufficient to capture the wider range of social and cultural violence and discrimination against LGBT+ people. Indeed, data analysis shows the effect of the low level of recognition of rights on the propensity of people to denounce and of social practitioners to recognize, discrimination and violence against LGBT+ people. It is therefore argued that the discussion on HC should move beyond the criminalization of individual violence to be entrenched in a broader reflection over the lack of recognition of sexual citizenship rights which perpetuates the vulnerability of LGBT+ people.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the international socio-criminological debate on HC. It argues for a comprehensive framework that recognizes the structural nature of discrimination and violence against vulnerable groups by framing discrimination and violence against LGBT+ people as a citizenship right rather than a criminal justice issue.

Details

Safer Communities, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1757-8043

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 August 2023

Nabila Sarwar

The prevalence of sexual harassment (SH) in Pakistan can be traced back to deeply ingrained cultural ideas, myths and practices that justify and normalize such behavior. This…

Abstract

Purpose

The prevalence of sexual harassment (SH) in Pakistan can be traced back to deeply ingrained cultural ideas, myths and practices that justify and normalize such behavior. This prevalence justifies the need to uncover the factors behind this phenomenon.  As a result, a more detailed mechanism of how and why abuse of power (AOP) can influence female athletes' perceptions of SH behaviors is needed. This study aims to investigate the indirect effects of gender stereotyping in sports (GSS) and benevolent sexism (BS) using sequential mediation.

Design/methodology/approach

We collected data from 398 female athletes at football sports clubs in Pakistan. The SEM-PM technique was applied to determine whether these factors are linked to an increased risk of female athlete SH.

Findings

The direct relationship between AOP and SH was discovered to be positive and significantly associated with SH, where GSS and BS sequentially mediate the relationship between AOP and SH.

Research limitations/implications

This research provided valuable insights and data related to perceptions of athletes of SH in sports in Pakistan that can lead to the development of effective policies and introduce preventative measures. By addressing this problem, study advises sports governance officers and directors to establish policies, protocols and procedures, including periodic training and dissemination of the policy, subsequent review of its effectiveness, and successful reactions to sexual contact. To ensure that criminal and disciplinary provisions are applied by providing specialized training to the staff of sports organizations.

Originality/value

Primary data collection and analysis were focused.

Details

Social Responsibility Journal, vol. 20 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1747-1117

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 September 2023

Adeoye Johnson Adetunji

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of the rule of law, corporate governance and freedom of expression on the effectiveness of whistleblowing initiatives…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of the rule of law, corporate governance and freedom of expression on the effectiveness of whistleblowing initiatives. This study interrogates the effectiveness of whistleblowing as a tool in combating economic and financial crimes, in political and corporate environments where good governance and the rule of law are firmly established and enforceable and where defamation is decriminalised.

Design/methodology/approach

The author conducted a comprehensive review of relevant textbooks, focusing on legal theories and concepts related to the research topic. This study analysed scholarly journal articles to gain insights into the current debates and research gaps. The author discussed seminal court decisions that have influenced the legal landscape pertaining to the research topic and reviewed newspaper publications to understand public opinion and societal implications related to the research topic.

Findings

To ensure effective whistleblowing as a tool of gathering information in combating economic and financial crime, good governance must be promoted, supremacy of law must be upheld, freedom of expression must be safeguarded and defamation must be criminalised.

Originality/value

This paper addresses a significant gap in the literature by examining the impact of criminal libel on whistleblowing, an area that has received limited attention in previous studies. The findings of this study have significant implications for policymakers, as they shed light on importance of the rule of law, good governance, freedom of speech and decriminalisation of defamation on effective implementation of an effective whistleblowing laws and policies.

Details

Journal of Money Laundering Control, vol. 27 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1368-5201

Keywords

1 – 10 of 37