Situational logic in social science inquiry: From economics to criminology

Karl R. Popper proposed that the method of explanation in economics, or situational logic, should become the general model for analyses across the social sciences. This article makes good Popper's proposal by extending situational logic to a social problem outside the traditional scope of economics: crime. Specifically, the discussion reviews models developed by economist Gary S. Becker and criminologist Ronald V. Clarke. Becker's ‘economic approach’ to crime incorporates essential features of situational logic. Clarke's ‘situational crime prevention’ offers an even better demonstration; it explicitly incorporates the ideas of piecemeal social engineering and unintended social repercussions. Popper took situational logic from Menger and the Austrians, making this emerging area of criminology an extension of Austrian economics.

Killing for Money and the Economic Theory of Crime

There is a large literature on the economics of crime and punishment, yet surprisingly little attention is paid to the receipt of money for crime. “Contract killing” is surprisingly neglected not only by economists but also by social scientists in general. In this paper, I look at the case not of professional gangster “hitmen” but of individuals who have found themselves in a position where they wish to have a killing carried out. This discussion does not condone the practice any more than an economic analysis of suicide is an inducement to individuals to kill themselves. To the lay reader, the cases where an individual feels the need to pay for killing may seem to be such that rationality is not a likely form of behaviour. However, the economics of crime has adopted the use of the rationality postulate as a heuristic for all types of crime.     

Does longer incarceration deter or incapacitate crime? Evidence from Truth-in-Sentencing reform

This article evaluates how Truth-in-Sentencing (TIS) laws impact both violent and property crimes through mandating violent offenders to serve a substantial proportion of sentenced terms before being eligible to release to community supervision. Focusing on states with effective TIS laws, I utilize the difference-in-differences design to investigate the treatment effect of TIS on crime. I observe statistically significant decline in both violent and property crimes in TIS states. A series of placebo tests confirm the robustness of the estimates and inferences. The dynamic impact of TIS is heterogeneous among the seven categories of violent and property crimes in TIS states: murder and robbery rates decline almost immediately after TIS, while property crime takes longer time to exhibit significant decline.     

论破坏国家重点保护野生动物资源的犯罪

《野生动物保护法》将珍贵、濒危野生动物列为国家重点保护的野生动物 ,并规定了管理、保护制度。 1 997年《刑法》新增了非法猎捕、杀害珍贵、濒危野生动物罪和非法收购、运输、出售珍贵、濒危野生动物、珍贵、濒危野生动物制品罪 ,从而完善了我国对野生动物的法律保护体系。本文就两个罪名的法律构成 ,以及司法实践中的有关问题展开讨论。     

刑事法中犯罪人格考量论

犯罪人格之于刑事法的价值主要体现在：促进动态、整体犯罪人观的形成，有针对性地进行犯罪预防；定性分析犯罪人格，合理划定犯罪圈；定量分析犯罪人格，用以评估人身危险性；促进刑法的公正和刑事政策的合理化。结合犯罪人格的特点；从宏观和微观两个层面通过对犯罪人格的生成控制，有针对性地进行犯罪预防，可以更好地促使刑法预防犯罪目的的有效实现。     

Tourism and crime in the Caribbean

This study reviews the general literature on tourism and crime and the recent history of violent and property crime in several Caribbean destinations. It highlights the failure of most previous research to discriminate crimes against tourists vs. residents. Annual crime data for Barbados for 1989–93 are analyzed and reveal that overall guest victimization rates are higher than host rates. Residents are significantly more likely to be victimized by violent crime while tourists are significantly more likely to experience property crime and robbery. Monthly data on guest victimization for 1990–93 show similar patterns. The paper concludes with a number of measures to enhance tourist safety.     

浅议性暴力犯罪中受害女性的精神损害赔偿

关于性暴力犯罪中受害女性的精神损害赔偿问题,尽管最高人民法院的司法解释中有着明确的规定,但在法学理论研究领域却存在很大的争议。那么,对于性暴力犯罪中受害女性的精神损害赔偿问题,现行法律到底是如何规定的、存在哪些问题、如何更好地解决这些问题,是本文所着力探讨的内容。     

适用刑法修正案（七）对抑制经济领域犯罪的思考

第十一届全国人大常委会第七次会议表决通过的刑法修正案(七),是遏制当前比较猖狂的职务犯罪和金融证券业等经济领域犯罪的有力武器.规范市场经济秩序,针对金融市场秩序和惩处腐败的职务犯罪是刑法修订的重点.更为重要的是在当今刑罚量刑轻刑化的趋势下,对于经济犯罪和职务犯罪这两类犯罪,在修正案里却体现出了刑罚趋重的特点.     

浅谈职务犯罪的危害及预防

遏制职务犯罪、减少职务犯罪的危害,必须重视预防工作,只有预防在先,才能最大限度地保护党和国家及全体人民的利益。文章在对我国职务犯罪的现状、危害进行分析的基础上,提出了全民性预防、系统性预防、重点预防、建立完善的预防制度、加强制度执行力等预防职务犯罪的措施。