ABSTRACT Drug crime among Taiwanese women and juvenile girls is a major problem; however, most prior studies are limited to adults and have undervalued the females’ agency in terminating drug use. This exploratory study investigates female adolescents’ substance use experiences using an integrated framework of hope and General Strain Theory to document factors at play in adjudicated girls’ substance use experiences. Ten study participants were interviewed in depth in a juvenile reform school in Taiwan. Using the storyline approach, the interviews identified three distinct patterns of hope/hopelessness. The Hopelessness and Strain storyline portrayed hope-extinguishing situations pushing some girls to seek out harmful coping mechanisms. The False Hope storyline represents the relationship between using drugs and clinging to unattainable dreams through renewed drug use. The Will and the Ways storyline represents the motivated agency pattern of termination, with storylines highlighting the positive pathways used to rekindle hope and sustain termination.

ABSTRACT This paper critically examines global responses to domestic violence, arguing that dominant criminalisation frameworks often fail to provide meaningful protection or long-term justice for survivors. Although many governments frame domestic violence as a problem best addressed through punishment, cross-regional case studies from Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Europe reveal the limits—and at times harms—of carceral approaches. Rather than dismantling patriarchal power structures, punitive responses frequently reproduce the gendered, racialised, and economic hierarchies that sustain violence. Drawing on intersectional feminism, critiques of carceral feminism, and masculinity studies, the paper evaluates both the ideological foundations and practical outcomes of carceral and non-carceral strategies. It also explores the promise and challenges of community-led, restorative, and survivor-centred alternatives. Ultimately, it argues for a reimagined approach to justice that moves beyond the punishment–impunity binary and centres survivor autonomy, structural transformation, and long-term collective safety.

ABSTRACT Our study explores the degree of congruence between citizen and police officer experiences of police sexual violence (PSV). We use the content analysis of 327 newspaper stories of police sexual violence (PSV) in South Africa, comparing the experiences of 92 citizens and 27 police officers who were PSV victims. Our analysis implies that police officers who commit PSV tend to “specialize” and focus on one type of victim, be they citizens or fellow police officers. Citizens tend to be more likely to experience rape, while police officers are more likely to experience sexual harassment. Citizens are typically victimised by non-commissioned police officers, while police officers are more likely to be victimised by their supervisors who are either commissioned officers or senior management. The limited information about the criminal process indicates that police officers victimising citizens are more likely to be charged with multiple offences than police officers victimising other police officers.

ABSTRACT This study examines how non-consensual synthetic intimate imagery (NSII) became socially constructed as a critical problem in South Korea following the 2024 deepfake sexual abuse crisis. The research reveals how diverse claim makers propelled recognition of NSII as a criminal issue, initiating swift reforms strengthened statutes, victim support, and AI governance. While these measures highlight an innovative, citizen-driven strategy, barriers remain in transnational detection and cross-border cooperation. The study underscores the need for international governance frameworks and suggests that South Korea’s grassroots approach offers comparative insights for other jurisdictions seeking to build institutional knowledge and responses to this novel crime.

ABSTRACT Workplace deviance can have negative effects on the employee, organisation, profession, and larger society. Thus, it is important to better understand the nature of workplace deviance in the hopes of implementing policies and practices to reduce its prevalence and harmful effects. In order to better understand workplace deviance, the theoretical framework of Akers’ social learning theory may be particularly useful. Following a growing body of scholarship in this area, the main goal of this research study was to examine the predictive utility of social learning theory in explaining workplace deviance. Utilising survey data from a sample of 585 hotel employees in Iran, we tested both direct and indirect effects of social learning on workplace deviance. Overall, the findings demonstrate that differential associations, definitions favourable to crime, differential reinforcement, and imitation all had predictive utility in explaining workplace deviance. Specific results, policy implications, and study limitations are discussed.

ABSTRACT For serious offences, or for offenders with significant prior criminal histories, home detention offers an alternative to incarceration. House arrest nvolves a restrictive curfew that many offenders perceive as punitive, but probation officers must still establish rapport and secure compliance. One tool for assessing the therapeutic relationship, or working alliance, is the Working Alliance Inventory (WAI). This study compares WAI scores between probation and home detention cases in an urban Canadian setting (N = 186) and examines the association of working alliance ratings with gender, race, age, education, employment status, time under supervision, offence type, prior criminal history, and probation failure. Participants generally reported strong, positive relationships with their probation officers. No significant associations were found between WAI scores and type of supervision (probation vs. home detention), demographic factors, offence type, or length of supervision. Past supervision failure was associated with lower WAI scores, and this difference was statistically significant, though not large in effect size. Future qualitative research is recommended to gain deeper insights into the dynamics of probation officer – client relationships.

ABSTRACT Western homicide typologies (e.g., instrumental–expressive) poorly capture weapon restrictions and rural–urban divides in non-firearm societies like China. This study examined 254 adjudicated single-victim homicide cases (2013–2022) using PAM clustering and similarity network analysis to uncover latent behavioural patterns. Three distinct clusters emerged: Sharp-Weapon/Over-kill (knife-dominated, 79% over-kill), Strangulation/Control (high coercive control, low over-kill), and Mixed Method (heterogeneous tactics). These diverge from Western dichotomies, reflecting China’s limited firearm access (61% bladed tools vs. < 3% firearms) and rural–urban disparities. Logistic regression showed that female victims were six times more likely to experience over-kill (OR = 6.05), while sharp-weapon use reduced its odds (OR = 0.31). Findings reveal the interplay between method rationality (weapon efficiency) and emotional context (gendered violence) and underscore structural factors such as rural socioeconomic precarity. The study advocates culturally grounded criminological frameworks integrating offender profiles with crime scene dynamics for improved violence prevention and investigation.

ABSTRACT Although Batterer Intervention Programs (BIPs) are a common approach for addressing intimate partner violence (IPV), their effectiveness remains questioned. Characteristics of BIPs’ implementation are recognised as consequential, but studies remain scarce and are mainly from high-income countries. To address this gap, a process evaluation was conducted to identify facilitators and barriers to BIP implementation in the Dominican Republic. Semi-structured interviews (N = 17) were undertaken in person with managers and facilitators at BIP sites and practitioners in criminal justice and partner agencies. Our results found similar challenges to those reported in Western countries (e.g. ineffective integration of evidence-based principles, funding constraints, limited training, unmotivated participants, one-size-fits-all approach, weak multi-agency coordination) and others specific to the Dominican Republic (e.g. programme expansion without resources, poor coordination across programme sites, inappropriate referrals, lack of risk assessment tools, digital data issues). Practical implications for BIPs operating in different areas, but especially non-Western resource constrained contexts, are discussed.

ABSTRACT Public satisfaction with the police is a critical indicator of police legitimacy and effectiveness. However, research on the predictors of public satisfaction with the police in post-war countries, such as Somalia, remains limited and underexplored. This study examined the impact of police accountability, performance, and professionalism on public satisfaction with law enforcement in Mogadishu, Somalia. Using online survey data from 519 local residents in Mogadishu, Somalia, the study employs a structural equation model (PLS-SEM) to test the proposed relationship among the study constructs. The result showed that perceived police accountability is not significantly related to public satisfaction with the police. However, the findings revealed that perceived police performance and professionalism significantly predict public satisfaction with police. Specifically, police professionalism emerges as the strongest predictor, underscoring the importance of ethical conduct, training, and service delivery in rebuilding public trust. These findings contribute to the growing body of literature on policing in post-war contexts, providing practical implications for policymakers and law enforcement agencies seeking to enhance public trust and satisfaction with the police. By addressing the unique challenges of Somalia’s post-war environment, this research provides valuable insights into the predictors of public satisfaction with police services. It underscores the importance of prioritising professionalism and performance in police reform efforts.