Human trafficking, the recruitment and transportation of persons by use of force, coercion, or deception for exploitation is one of the largest illicit industries worldwide. In the execution of... Show moreHuman trafficking, the recruitment and transportation of persons by use of force, coercion, or deception for exploitation is one of the largest illicit industries worldwide. In the execution of anti-trafficking policies to combat this phenomenon, nation-states have assigned a decisive role to criminal justice actors as they are not only responsible for the detection, investigation, and prosecution of perpetrators but also for the identification and (legal) protection of victims of human trafficking. However, research has shown that criminal justice actors encounter many challenges whilst carrying out their tasks, which is also reflected in the low numbers of successful prosecutions and identified victims. To our knowledge, the reasons behind this observation have never been studied systematically. This systematic review aims to collect and synthesise empirical literature on factors that influence the criminal justice response to human trafficking to better understand and identify gaps in knowledge. In total, 35 empirical studies were included. Findings were discussed in light of theory and previous research and were used to provide recommendations for policy and future research. These studies suggest that factors such as prevailing stereotypes, an absence of legal guidance and a lack of capacity and expertise interact and even amplify each other and that strengthening the criminal justice response to human trafficking requires a multi-layered approach that simultaneously addresses several challenges. Show less
This study on regulatory compliance in the logging sector in Ghana, attempts to understand how and why the key logging actors in the Ghana’s timber industry (i.e., licensed logging firms and... Show moreThis study on regulatory compliance in the logging sector in Ghana, attempts to understand how and why the key logging actors in the Ghana’s timber industry (i.e., licensed logging firms and chainsaw operators) respond to regulations in the sector and the extent to which the Forestry Commission, the main state regulatory institution, enforces these regulations to ensure compliance.For licensed logging firms, the study found that economic gains and societal pressures including demands from the local communities for developmental assistance and illegal activities of chainsaw operators influenced them to violation. Contrary, deterrence from third party non-state actors, particularly the EU market actors and forest certification bodies produced better compliance than the state sanctions. Also, for some firms, it was their religious beliefs including hope in eternal life, rather than deterrence from the state or non-state actors, that motivated them to comply. Regarding chainsaw operators, the violating activity was basically poverty-driven in the sense that it provides them with livelihood support. It also accounts for the bulk of lumber consumed locally and attracts low sanctions when violators are caught. Again, the study found that, the general socio-politico-economic context of the regulated actors and regulators exhibits traits that undermined compliance and enforcement efforts.All these demonstrate that enhancing compliance is a complex phenomenon and not just a straight forward calculation of increasing sanctions to achieve a higher level of compliance, as deterrence theory would like us to believe. More than that, compliance has other dimensions as well including social and normative motivations, and capacity to comply. What is important then for policymakers and practitioners to enhance compliance among various regulated actors is to understand how different actors respond to different compliance motivations under various socio-politico-economic and cultural settings. Show less
The increase in capabilities of information technology of the last decade has led to a large increase in the creation of raw data. Data mining, a form of computer guided, statistical data analysis,... Show moreThe increase in capabilities of information technology of the last decade has led to a large increase in the creation of raw data. Data mining, a form of computer guided, statistical data analysis, attempts to draw knowledge from these sources that is usable, human understandable and was previously unknown. One of the potential application domains is that of law enforcement. This thesis describes a number of efforts in this direction and reports on the results reached on the application of its resulting algorithms on actual police data. The usage of specifically tailored data mining algorithms is shown to have a great potential in this area, which forebodes a future where algorithmic assistance in "combating" crime will be a valuable asset. Show less
Mediaberichten zouden in sterke mate het optreden van criminaliteitsbestrijders be_nvloeden, dat is althans wat politici en opinieleiders vaak beweren. Maar is dat eigenlijk wel zo? In dit boek... Show moreMediaberichten zouden in sterke mate het optreden van criminaliteitsbestrijders be_nvloeden, dat is althans wat politici en opinieleiders vaak beweren. Maar is dat eigenlijk wel zo? In dit boek wordt aan de hand van twee gevalsstudies bestudeerd hoe lokale media en lokaal overheidsbeleid zich in de praktijk tot elkaar verhouden. De eerste studie richt zich op drugsoverlast rondom raamprostitutie, de tweede op de toestroom van Bulgaarse arbeidsmigranten. Beide gevallen spelen zich af in een grote stad in Nederland. Op basis van mediaberichten, beleidsstukken, politiecijfers, interviews en observaties worden het nieuwsproductieproces en het beleidsproces nauwkeurig gereconstrueerd. Op welke wijze vindt beïnvloeding nu werkelijk plaats? Wie volgt wie en wie beïnvloedt wie? Lopen beleidsmakers achter het nieuws aan of lopen verslaggevers aan de leiband van de overheid? Waar reageert de lokale overheid eigenlijk op als zij beleid ontwikkelt om onveiligheid op straat tegen te gaan? Op criminaliteitscijfers, op klachten van burgers of op berichten in de media? En hoe reageren lokale media op de plannen en acties van de overheid? Nog niet eerder werd systematisch empirisch onderzoek verricht naar de wisselwerking tussen lokale media en criminaliteitsbeleid. Beleid en berichtgeving blijken op elkaar van invloed, zo komt in dit boek naar voren, maar op een minder vanzelfsprekende manier dan vaak wordt gedacht. Show less
