Thesis (M.Soc.Sci (LegSt&CrimJus)) - University of Queensland, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (LL. M.)--Judge Advocate General's School, United States Army, 1975. / "April 1975." Typescript. Includes bibliographical references. Also issued in microfiche.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Florida State University, 2006. / Advisor: Theodore Chiricos, Florida State University, College of Criminology and Criminal Justice. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed June 7, 2006). Document formatted into pages; contains ix, 152 pages. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 2005. / Title proper from title frame. Also available in printed format.

No description available.

This treatise addresses the possible creation of an African criminal court for individual criminal responsibility for crime of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. It does so by critically analysing the Statutes of Special Court of Sierra Leone, International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, and Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court in relation to the provisions addressing the principle of individual criminal responsibility, jurisdiction, amnesty and immunity. Another aim is to indicate the strength and weaknesses of the cited statutes in relation to the above provisions. Finally a further aim is to provide an analysis of the statutes, and any other international law applicable and determine whether Africa needs a separate criminal court. The principle conclusion is that statutes are facing challenges in relations to the provisions above. It is established that Africa does not have a regional criminal court and the African Union has attempted to extend jurisdiction of the African Court of Justice and Human Rights to criminal jurisdiction but the process has amounted to heavy criticism and unforeseen legal implications. It is eventually concluded that Africa may consider the creation of a separate criminal court for the future and such a court is currently not needed. Support should be given to the ICC.

This study addresses the principles applicable to criminal capacity in the South African legal system. Focus is drawn to non-pathological criminal incapacity as a complete defence to a criminal charge. Non-pathological criminal incapacity can be described as the temporary inability on the part of the perpetrator to appreciate the wrongfulness of the conduct and/or to act in accordance with this appreciation. This mental inability is due to factors which cannot be ascribed to a pathological condition or mental illness. The study further investigates the application of the subjective and objective test as criteria for the defence of provocation and indicates the preferred test. The study also includes a discussion of the following aspects: • The study further investigates the application of the subjective and objective test as criteria for the defence of provocation Non-pathological criminal incapacity distinguished from pathological criminal incapacity • Non-pathological criminal incapacity distinguished from "sane" automatism • The role of amnesia in considering criminal capacity • The role of the expert witness in considering non-pathological criminal incapacity • Private defence versus battered woman syndrome and cumulative provocation • Criminal capacity and sentence. In the South African law the defence of non-pathological criminal incapacity was considered on numerous occasions by the High and Appeal Court, though mostly unsuccessful. It is also clear that the South African courts confuse the issue and fail to differentiate between the defences of non-pathological criminal incapacity and "sane" automatism. The study indicates that the two defences, though different, coincide. The South African courts increasingly raised the standard and requirements for a successful plea in an attempt to confine the popularity of the "new" defence of non-pathological criminal incapacity. A comparative study of the English and Canadian law indicates that provocation is only considered as a partial defence to murder, and only to reduce murder to manslaughter. The reasoning behind this was to evade the compulsory sentence of life imprisonment for murder by substituting it with a conviction of manslaughter where life imprisonment is not a compulsory sentence. The central question raised in this study is whether non-pathological criminal incapacity be a qualified and complete defence to any criminal charge in the South African law. Finally the study is concluded with a crisp summary of every preceding chapter and valuable recommendations stemming from the research are made. / Dissertation (LLM (Public Law))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Public Law / unrestricted

See the attached abstract below

This study sought to generalize the Psychological Inventory of Criminal Thinking Styles (PICTS) factor structure using the PICTS-Layperson (PICTS:L) in a community sample. The current study also sought to replicate previous findings that criminal thinking mediates the relationship between trauma and criminal behavior. Additionally, this study sought to explore if and/or how experiential avoidance (EA) contributes to the relationships between post-traumatic symptoms (PTS) and criminal thinking, and criminal thinking and criminal behavior. Community members recruited through Mturk, completed online measures of PTS, EA, criminal thinking, criminal behavior, and a demographics questionnaire. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), which was conducted to assess the PICTS:L factor structure in an online community sample, demonstrated the hierarchical second order factor structure was a good fit after problem items were removed. Mediation analyses results found that criminal thinking mediated the relationship between PTS and criminal behavior therefore replicating previous findings. Moderated mediation analyses were conducted to determine if EA moderates the relationships between PTS and criminal thinking, and criminal thinking and behavior. Findings suggest that EA plays a significant role, particularly for women who endorse relatively low EA. These and exploratory findings, limitations, implications, and future directions for work in these areas are discussed.

This study compared the accuracy of criminal profiles produced by individuals versus profiles produced by teams of two. Participants were 239 college students who were randomly assigned to work alone or in a team. Participants were asked to read a double sexual homicide case, profile the offender, and answer the Profiling Offender Characteristics Questionnaire. The results indicate that although novice profiler teams only slightly outperformed individuals on overall profile accuracy, teamwork significantly improved profiling accuracy for the cognitive characteristics of the offender. In contrast, teams and individuals showed similar profile accuracy for all other facets of the offender. These results may reflect the type of reasoning used by teams and individuals to profile different offender characteristics.