Organised Crime as a Political Influence Tool of the Russian Federation

The article attempts to describe the use of organised crime to achieve the political goals of the Russian Federation. This phenomenon escapes unambiguous scientific classifications and has an eminently interdisciplinary character. This is because organised crime is usually analysed in the classical criminological literature as a pathology the state fights. However, it turns out that organised crime structures can be an element of the foreign policy carried out by covert and illegal means. Therefore, the criminological perspective should be supplemented with a viewpoint of political and security sciences. The direct inspiration for this paper came from the analyses carried out by Galeotti, an expert in security and international relations. It refers to the practical manifestations of the activities of Russian special services: SVR, GRU and FSB, in which Russian-speaking criminal networks are used. The author believes it can be analysed in terms of the concept known in the Anglo-Saxon scientific circle as a so-called state crime.

Trust and Relationship Development Among Users in Dark Web Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Networks: A Literature Review From a Psychological and Criminological Perspective

The increased potential and speed of the Internet has changed the nature of sexual crimes against children. It enables individuals with a sexual interest in children to meet, interact, and engage in illegal activities. The literature review presented here aims to provide an overview of the current knowledge and understanding of trust and relationship development among users of online networks that are dedicated to the sexual exploitation and abuse of children. A systematic search using six databases was conducted to identify relevant literature from a psychological and a criminological perspective. Twenty-one studies met the inclusion criteria that centered around the key aspects of the literature review’s research question, namely, (i) child sexual exploitation and abuse, (ii) Dark Web platforms, (iii) online forums and networks, and (iv) trust and relationship development. Our findings reveal that the engagement in interpersonal communication and interactions with like-minded others serves various functions, including validation, normalization, and support, as well as access to expert advice, information, and material. Dark Web networks are high-stake and risky environments, where users have to manage a continuous flow of threats, with information about others and their trustworthiness being limited. The establishment and maintenance of trust is of social and technical relevance, and users have to navigate a number of demands and commitments. Findings are discussed in relation to theoretical and practical implications, as well as directions for future research.

Tracing Motivations: A Comparative Analysis of Lone-Actor Terrorism and Rampage Shootings in North America and Europe Between 2010-2018

<p>Lone-actor terrorism and rampage shooting events attract a substantial amount of interest and concern from scholars, the public, and the media. Empirical research on lone-actor terrorism from a criminological perspective to date is limited, and it is crucial to investigate what is known about these incidents to further our understanding of these relatively rare but extremely high-impact events. The current research aims to investigate key differences between lone-actor terrorists and rampage shooters on a wide range of characteristics, and seeks to explore whether there are similar underlying mechanisms for these events. Little is known about the comparative nature of these events worldwide, and the present study addresses this gap in knowledge by offering the first quantitative analysis of lone-actor terrorism and rampage shooting incidents in North America and Europe within the recent time period of 2010-2018. An open-source data collection strategy was employed and searches of online databases and additional materials were undertaken to gather information on incidents, which resulted in a comprehensive sample of 155 perpetrators who were responsible for 134 incidents. To compare characteristics between groups, a series of bivariate and multivariate tests were conducted through SPSS, which allowed for conclusions to be drawn based upon statistical analysis of the data. The current study found significant differences between groups on a wide range of variables. Results revealed that the majority of lone-actor terrorism incidents occurred across Europe, whereas rampage shootings were more likely to occur within North America. Rampage shootings were more likely to involve the use of firearms compared to lone-actor terrorism incidents, whereas lone-actor terrorism incidents were more likely to involve the use of explosives and vehicles. Additionally, lone-actor terrorists were more likely to commit an attack as a result of political and/or religious motivations, whereas rampage shooters were more likely to be motivated by emotional triggers, relationship and/or domestic issues, and personal grievances. These findings offer insights into the underlying mechanisms of these events and the various behaviours and experiences of lone-actor terrorists and rampage shooters. Future research into these areas could lead to important prevention implications, and could be used to monitor and reduce lone-actor terrorism and rampage shooting events.</p>

Tracing Motivations: A Comparative Analysis of Lone-Actor Terrorism and Rampage Shootings in North America and Europe Between 2010-2018

<p>Lone-actor terrorism and rampage shooting events attract a substantial amount of interest and concern from scholars, the public, and the media. Empirical research on lone-actor terrorism from a criminological perspective to date is limited, and it is crucial to investigate what is known about these incidents to further our understanding of these relatively rare but extremely high-impact events. The current research aims to investigate key differences between lone-actor terrorists and rampage shooters on a wide range of characteristics, and seeks to explore whether there are similar underlying mechanisms for these events. Little is known about the comparative nature of these events worldwide, and the present study addresses this gap in knowledge by offering the first quantitative analysis of lone-actor terrorism and rampage shooting incidents in North America and Europe within the recent time period of 2010-2018. An open-source data collection strategy was employed and searches of online databases and additional materials were undertaken to gather information on incidents, which resulted in a comprehensive sample of 155 perpetrators who were responsible for 134 incidents. To compare characteristics between groups, a series of bivariate and multivariate tests were conducted through SPSS, which allowed for conclusions to be drawn based upon statistical analysis of the data. The current study found significant differences between groups on a wide range of variables. Results revealed that the majority of lone-actor terrorism incidents occurred across Europe, whereas rampage shootings were more likely to occur within North America. Rampage shootings were more likely to involve the use of firearms compared to lone-actor terrorism incidents, whereas lone-actor terrorism incidents were more likely to involve the use of explosives and vehicles. Additionally, lone-actor terrorists were more likely to commit an attack as a result of political and/or religious motivations, whereas rampage shooters were more likely to be motivated by emotional triggers, relationship and/or domestic issues, and personal grievances. These findings offer insights into the underlying mechanisms of these events and the various behaviours and experiences of lone-actor terrorists and rampage shooters. Future research into these areas could lead to important prevention implications, and could be used to monitor and reduce lone-actor terrorism and rampage shooting events.</p>

Transition to Non-Offender Self-Narratives: The Emotional Closure Model of Desistance

<p>Although studies have shown that a transition from an ‘offender’ to a ‘non-offender’ self-narrative appears to be associated with desistance, the psychological mechanisms involved in this transition phase have not been explored adequately. This may be because desistance research has primarily been conducted from a criminological perspective, thus social factors (e.g., employment or relationships) have been the focus of enquiry. What little psychologically focused forensic literature there is, is held back by the dominance of the cognitive perspective. Because of this, the role that emotions may play in psychological changes that must take place in order for a person to successfully transition to a non-offender is overlooked. Advances in clinical neuroscience research are increasingly highlighting the significance of emotional processes in psychological functioning. In this thesis I introduce a psychological model of self-narrative by Peter Goldie, who incorporates emotions into his description of the psychological processes that constitute self-narratives. Importantly, Goldie also describes a mechanism of transition from a maladaptive (non-agentic) to an adaptive (agentic) self-narrative. Application of Goldie’s conceptualisation may help to understand how a person who commits offences due to a lack of agency could increase their personal agency and desist. However, as I discuss in chapter one, some persons who commit offences act in a goal-directed manner and thus not due to a lack of personal agency. I will extend Goldie’s conceptualisation of this transition mechanism in order to apply it to the self-narratives of offenders. The adaptation I make to the conceptualisation, which I term, the Emotional Closure Model (ECM), crucially, may explain the transition from offender to non-offender self-narratives for those who both lack agency as well as those who lack motivation to desist. Improved understanding of the psychological mechanisms involved in the transition phase to non-offender self-narratives will have far reaching implications for psychological treatment programmes.</p>

Transition to Non-Offender Self-Narratives: The Emotional Closure Model of Desistance

<p>Although studies have shown that a transition from an ‘offender’ to a ‘non-offender’ self-narrative appears to be associated with desistance, the psychological mechanisms involved in this transition phase have not been explored adequately. This may be because desistance research has primarily been conducted from a criminological perspective, thus social factors (e.g., employment or relationships) have been the focus of enquiry. What little psychologically focused forensic literature there is, is held back by the dominance of the cognitive perspective. Because of this, the role that emotions may play in psychological changes that must take place in order for a person to successfully transition to a non-offender is overlooked. Advances in clinical neuroscience research are increasingly highlighting the significance of emotional processes in psychological functioning. In this thesis I introduce a psychological model of self-narrative by Peter Goldie, who incorporates emotions into his description of the psychological processes that constitute self-narratives. Importantly, Goldie also describes a mechanism of transition from a maladaptive (non-agentic) to an adaptive (agentic) self-narrative. Application of Goldie’s conceptualisation may help to understand how a person who commits offences due to a lack of agency could increase their personal agency and desist. However, as I discuss in chapter one, some persons who commit offences act in a goal-directed manner and thus not due to a lack of personal agency. I will extend Goldie’s conceptualisation of this transition mechanism in order to apply it to the self-narratives of offenders. The adaptation I make to the conceptualisation, which I term, the Emotional Closure Model (ECM), crucially, may explain the transition from offender to non-offender self-narratives for those who both lack agency as well as those who lack motivation to desist. Improved understanding of the psychological mechanisms involved in the transition phase to non-offender self-narratives will have far reaching implications for psychological treatment programmes.</p>

The phenomenon of gangsterism in the context of motorcycle gangs

The study concerns the phenomenon of gangsterism. The author presents the problem from the social and criminological perspective. The article includes, among others, a review of gang defi nitions and twin concepts, as well as typologies and classifi cations of the analysed criminal forms. The considerations in the article refer to the phenomenon of motorcycle clubs/ gangs. The author signals a number of practical problems connected with distinguishing the above mentioned structures and stresses the importance of knowledge of the aetiology of the phenomenon for a proper legal assessment of behaviours associated with the concept of a motorcycle gang.

Change for the Better, or More of the Same?

This article analyses the lithium-ion Battery through a green criminological lens. It explores green criminological reasoning, particularly the framework of “ecocide,” in order to frame the renewables market as an area of emergent concern for criminologists. Two case studies are analysed in pursuit of this goal: the case of coltan Mining in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; and the case of lithium extraction in the “lithium triangle” nations of Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile. This article initially examines the issue of coltan mining through a mainstream criminological lens, before moving to explore the issues from a green criminological perspective. In doing so, the advantages of the green criminological model are highlighted, and it is demonstrated that the contemporary renewables market is an area of criminological interest.

Green criminological perspectives on dog-fighting as organised masculinities -based animal harm

Dog-fighting was historically a working-class pursuit within predominantly white, working-class subcultures, representing a distinct type of organised animal exploitation. However, contemporary dog-fighting has moved way from its organised pit-based origins to encompass varied forms of organised activity including street dog-fighting in the form of chain fighting or chain rolling, the use of dogs as status or weapon dogs. This paper examines dog-fighting from a green criminological perspective as a distinct form of organised and subcultural crime. Analysis of UK legislation identifies that the specific offence of ‘dog-fighting’ does not exist. Instead, dog-fighting is contained within the ‘animal fighting’ offence, prohibited by provisions of the Animal Welfare Act 2006. However, beyond the actual fight activities (pitting dogs against each other or attacking humans), a range of other offences are associated with dog-fighting including: illegal gambling; attending dog-fighting events; animal welfare harms; and the breeding and selling of dogs for fighting. This paper’s analysis examines contemporary legal perspectives on such activities; also discussing how illegal fieldsports (e.g. dog-fighting and cock-fighting) are dominated by organised crime elements of gambling and distinctly masculine subcultures through which a hierarchy of offending is established and developed. Commensurate with previous research that identifies different offender behaviours and offending within animal crime, this paper concludes that variation exists in the nature of dog-fighting to the extent that a single approach to offenders and offending behaviour is unlikely to be successful.