Exploring the motherhood experiences of active methamphetamine users Abstract Drug panics involve the emergence of “demon drugs” argued to be symptomatic of larger social and moral breakdown among society. Nowhere is this more evident than the discourse surrounding women methamphetamine users, who are framed by the media as rejecting the central values of American social life, including motherhood and family. While there is substantive research on drug use generally, and some examinations of motherhood, identity, and careers such as initiation, desistance and persistence of drug use, there is far less research addressing how users’ life experiences with drugs shape their identity as addicts. The present study employed ethnographic observations and semi-structured interviews in order to explore the roles and identities associated with motherhood in a sample of twenty-eight active female methamphetamine users in a rural southern area. The central research questions are: 1) How do women who are actively using methamphetamine understand and experience motherhood? 2) What role does their drug use play in shaping their identity as mothers? Findings suggest that women draw from larger cultural narratives about motherhood to engage in identity work to minimize the double stigma of being a drug user and a drug user who is a mother. Implications for treatment and policy are discussed.

Policy distraction: sentencing reform adoption as a diversion from rising social inequality Abstract Since the mid-1970s, more than two-thirds of U.S. states adopted some combination of sentencing reforms. This paper assessed the possibility that reforms were, at least, partly a reflection of a concerted effort of policymakers to divert attention away from social and economic inequalities. Event History Analysis was used to measure the relative change in the odds of adoption for four main reforms based on changes in several state-level economic, social, political, and demographic indicators. With some mixed findings, the analysis suggests that a number of state characteristics, including higher economic inequality (Gini coefficient), prior reform history, increased percent black, increased percent Hispanic (most models), increased unemployment, and, to a lesser extent, poverty rates significantly increased the rate of adoption for some reforms. The results suggest, among other things, that reforms were more likely to be passed when economic inequality increased.

Why do consumers perpetrate fraudulent behaviors in insurance? Abstract Insurance fraud is an increasing problem with major financial, societal and humanitarian impact. Several disciplines have attempted to explain fraudulent behaviors in insurance perpetrated by consumers from economics to criminology and social psychology. Drawing on data from a national survey in Portugal, this study analyzed the levels of acceptance of and justifications underlying fraudulent behavior related to automobile, workplace accidents, and health insurance. Cluster analysis revealed two main groups of respondents with divergent positions: those who consider fraud unacceptable and unjustifiable vs. those who consider it normal and justifiable. A third cluster of respondents consider fraud generally unacceptable but justifiable when it attempts to restore justice. Results are discussed considering the importance of contractual, individual, relational as well as cultural and macrosocial factors in dealing with the complexity of consumers’ unethical behavior. We argue for an integrated approach to research and prevention of consumer insurance fraud.

What is crime? A search for an answer encompassing civilisational legitimacy and social harm Abstract Mainstream sociology and criminology uncritically accept the legal definition of crime. This paper rejects this academic ideologically-laden approach in favour of the current power relations by critically analysing and evaluating consensus, conflict and interactionist views as well as integrated definitions of crime. Later on, an alternative definition of crime is presented. This builds on the inclusion of civilisational legitimacy and social harm. Civilisational legitimacy stems from general justice and fairness. Harm is a necessary component of crime and is always linked with the abuse of power. The new definition of crime encompasses harmful acts and processes that penal codes do not recognise as crime while excluding legitimate yet illegal actions.

Revocation of citizenship: how punitive theories and restorative justice principles apply to acts of disloyalty toward the state Abstract Several countries have recently amended or attempted to amend their laws to make it easier for the state to revoke citizenship. Such laws suggest that citizenship is tied to loyalty to the nation state, and can therefore be taken away if it is deemed to have been breached. This paper focuses on possible justifications for applying the punishment of citizenship revocation to acts that are ‘contrary to the interests of the state’ or manifest ‘disloyalty’ to the nation. The paper compares such acts with other criminal acts, and analyses them according to a conventional punitive model of criminal law that includes also a restorative justice perspective. The paper argues that revocation of citizenship as punishment for acts of disloyalty can be justified by several theories of punishment, such as retribution, deterrence, denunciation, rehabilitation, and prevention. When it comes to carrying out the revocation of citizenship, however, several problems may arise. As a possible solution, the paper suggests applying a restorative justice approach to minor or moderate acts of disloyalty.

Private sector corruption: realities, difficulties of comprehension, causes and perspectives. The Lithuanian approach Abstract The problem of corruption has many significant aspects. With the growth of powers of business and transition of powers from state to private entities problem of private sector corruption becomes more important. While states employ legal and social mechanisms to make an impact on corruption the private sector is usually left with lesser attention. As experience of Lithuania shows even when such attention is pointed towards the private sector and business it sometimes is not adequately judged. If such attention presents traditional institutional approach without proper understanding of the depth of the problem inadequacy and sluggishness prevail. This paper focuses on concepts of corruption in the private sector, the academic ideas, conceptual backings, also presents the difficulties of characterization, analysis of legal acts and shortcomings thereof. The legal tools employed in Lithuania to combat business corruption are analyzed. For the proper understanding of the problem author points out the major reasons behind the private sector corruption, presents the significance of economic motivation as well as the causal spectrum of private sector corruption. The significance of business ethics and self regulation mechanisms and various shortcomings related to them are analyzed.

Demographic variables predicting ISIS and Daesh armed political violence Abstract This study recruited 30 members of ISIS and Daesh groups held in Kuwait’s Central Prison to understand the contribution of demographic data, rigidity, and behavioral change in predicting armed political violence. The results showed significant negative correlations between armed political violence and income, education, and behavioral change, and a positive correlation between armed political violence and rigidity. No significant correlation was found with regard to age, number of children, family size, or birth order. The overall multiple correlation coefficient revealed that 77% of the variance in armed political violence could be explained significantly by rigidity alone. Additionally, those who showed positive change in their behavior had scored significantly less armed political violence compared with those who showed no change. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings were discussed.

Motivations, opportunities, and controls of environmental crime: an empirical test of Kramer and Michalowski’s integrated theoretical model of state-corporate crime Abstract Environmental issues have increasingly been examined as criminal in recent decades. The current study builds on this criminological momentum by investigating water pollution using a state-corporate crime perspective. Although Kramer and Michalowski’s [1] integrated theoretical model of state-corporate crime has mostly been employed as a categorization tool, using a dataset measuring Environmental Protection Agency water violations in several industries (i.e., pulp mills, paper mills, petroleum refining, steel works, blast furnaces, and rolling), the current study offers a rare quantitative test of the logical propositions of Kramer and Michalowski’s model. Following this model, the impact of motivation for, opportunity for, and control of water violations were investigated using Poisson regression. Motivation was the only of these three factors to demonstrate a significant effect on water violations. Overall, it appears that the current study has provided support that motivation to commit crime may be more important than opportunities to commit crime or crime control. Due to the data’s age, the results of this study should be taken with reservations when informing potential policies to reduce environmental crime, specifically water pollution. Future research should continue to explore how motivation, opportunity, and control impact corporate/state crime in relation with one another using a multitude of methods.

Does local corruption punish national parties votes? Abstract Since 1978, an important process of decentralization in terms of regional competences has been taking place in Spain. In consequence, the behaviour of the regional and local administration has obtained an increasing relevant role. This process has a direct impact on the performance of politicians both at local and regional level, and on the results of elections. Recent data on elections show that national parties have lost the voting race at local elections. Moreover, at the same time as the economic boom in this country in the 2000s, there was also a boom in political corruption at the local level. Using a database that includes municipal data from 2004 to 2011 in Spain, this paper evaluates whether national parties lose votes at national elections due to the wrongdoing of their local candidates. Moreover, we focus on partisan effects, splitting the analysis according to the two main political parties in Spain. Our study resembles an experimental design, which yields two main conclusions. First, local corruption affects significantly the parties’ votes at national level, being the magnitude of the effect around one percentage point in absolute values. Second and interestingly, the sign of the results also depends on whether the corruption is on the right or the left wing.

Recent trends in money laundering Abstract This paper illustrates how criminals currently launder money in Germany, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland. Semi-structured expert interviews were conducted with 50 money launderers and 50 compliance and prevention experts, whose responses were subjected to qualitative content analysis. Based on the findings therefrom, a quantitative survey of 200 compliance officers was conducted. Together, these two methods revealed the concrete techniques currently used to launder money in Europe. Contrary to popular belief, money laundering is found not to be associated with high costs, and can even generate significant profits. As the findings of the qualitative study are based on semi-standardised interviews, they are limited to the 100 participants’ perspectives. By identifying concrete methods of money laundering, this study’s findings provide compliance officers, law enforcement agencies, and legislators with valuable insights into how criminals act. Whereas prior literature primarily focuses on organisations and mechanisms aimed at fighting money laundering, this article instead describes how criminals avoid detection by analysing the perspectives of prevention experts and the criminals themselves. Acting on this information should enhance the effectiveness of combating and preventing money laundering.