5^th International Conference on Forensic Research & Technology Oct 31- Nov 02, 2016 San Francisco, California, USA

Biography:

Jeanne Marie Stumpf-Carome completed her PhD at University of California, Berkeley, following an MA in Anthropology, Case Western Reserve University in 1978 and an MS in Urban Studies, Cleveland State University in 1980. She has pursued Post-graduate study at the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland from 1999 to the present. She is an Associate Professor teaching anthropology and sociology course. She is a Fulbright Scholar during 1988-89 in Singapore. She is the country specialist for Amnesty International USA, for Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei from 1996 to present. She is the first Executive Director of The Flats Oxbow Association in Cleveland, Ohio.

Abstract:

Aspects of ongoing research exploring ecotourism practices related to “saving” endangered primates from extinction are considered in this presentation. Between July, 2008 and July 2015, ecotours to Sabah, Rwanda, Kenya, Madagascar, and Uganda were undertaken. The specific focus of these travels has been to explore the tourist’s participation in ecotourism practices geared toward the rehabilitation of orphaned and/or rescued primates, including environmental solutions, such as, habitat protection of endangered primates, i.e., orangutans, mountain gorillas, chimpanzees, and lemurs. This presentation focuses on several features of ecotourism travel and practices: location, logistics and participation. In light of the consideration of emerging infectious diseases relating to zoonotic transmission, wildlife-to-human and/or human-to-wildlife, this presentation is offered as an opportunity for a forensic window for possible vectors of transmission. Ecotourism specific locations are usually out-of-the-range of local travel for the tourist while within a biome unique to wildlife which is “exotic” enough to be domiciled in zoological and research settings worldwide, and either unique by declining numbers and/or designation at some level of endangerment. Already, there is a rich literature emphasizing location and emerging pathogens which underscores these issues. Explored are some of the characteristics required to participate in this form of tourism, e.g., physical, financial, social, and emotional Highlighted, as an aspect of this specialized travel, are participant experiences encountering wildlife. Although the activities are designed for group participation, variations in participation exist as described. This author’s experiences in these varied settings are expanded upon in consideration of possible vectors for disease transmission

Biography:

Mihaela Brooks is the CEO of Investigative Research and Development Analytics of Canada and member of the American Investigative Society of Cold Cases. She collaborates with the Romanian IntellPsy Academy – Forensic Psychology Department and other Romanian institutions and professionals.

Abstract:

Only recently there were studies aimed at determining the elements of staging at crime scene. With homicide offenders being more forensically aware, it is essential to understand the crime scene action. Unlike other crime scenes, the staged crime scene displays the offender’s effort to stage a monothematic or polythematic crime with the sole intention of misdirecting the investigation.

A successful verbal and physical evidence crime scene staging represents a miscarriage of justice: the case is unsolved, the offender is not apprehended and free to offend again, the law enforcement agencies waste time and resources, and the families of the victims rightfully “feel cheated by the system.” The interdisciplinary homicide investigation coupled with the medical examiner’s findings need to identify the red flags indicative of staging. Although more research is necessary to determine the elements held in common by staged crime, from an investigative standpoint, it is essential to understand what staging is, what it entails, the types of alterations and how to detect the motive behind the act of staging

Biography:

Eve E Carson earned a BSIM from Purdue University. He volunteers on a crisis line for abuse victims, and is a speaker on criminal justice and abuse topics.

Abstract:

Forensic sociology is the analysis of evidence and research to determine negligence in criminal or civil cases. There is only limited research going on at present. Learning from the findings in past cases leads to innovative technology, reform, and procedures for crime resolution. Evidence contamination is not isolated or a rare event, but instead arises from systemic defects. The Innocence Project lists misconduct of Government actors as a contributing cause. The very people who are responsible for ensuring truth and justice, law enforcement officials and prosecutors, lose sight of these obligations and instead focus solely on securing convictions. While many law enforcement officers and prosecutors are honest and trustworthy, criminal justice is a human endeavor and the possibility for negligence, misconduct, and corruption exists. Forensic sociology identifies evidence contamination that undermines our justice system, and negates the forensic science of dedicated professionals in the pursuit of crime resolution. The Innocence Project lists common forms of misconduct. My study will illustrate with specific examples how misconduct was applied to the unresolved 1981 Joan Webster case. Common forms of misconduct by law enforcement officials include: 1. Employing suggestion when conducting identification procedures; 2. Coercing false confessions; 3. Lying or intentionally misleading jurors about their observations; 4. Failing to turn over exculpatory evidence to prosecutors; 5. Providing incentives to secure unreliable evidence from informants. Common forms of misconduct by prosecutors include: 1. Withholding exculpatory evidence from defense; 2. Deliberately mishandling, mistreating or destroying evidence; 3. Allowing witnesses they know or should know are not truthful to testify; 4. Pressuring defense witnesses not to testify; 5. Relying on fraudulent forensic experts; 6. Making misleading arguments that overstate the probative value of testimony.

Biography:

Lucy Love is the Assistant Medical Director for Mountain Healthcare, a major provider of forensic medical services for complaints of sexual assault in the UK. She has been a Sexual Offences Examiner for 20 years including the evaluation of child sexual abuse and she regularly appears in court as an expert witness. She is a recognized trainer of Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners and Pediatric Medical Examiners in the UK.

Abstract:

DNA testing technology has rapidly advanced and is now so sensitive that it brings with it a risk of contamination, which could potentially lead to a miscarriage of justice. I reviewed environmental monitoring data from six SARCS [Sexual Assault Referral Centres] in the UK between 2013 and 2015 to assess contamination levels. Appropriate measures to reduce contamination in SARCs were then considered, in line with new guidelines produced by the Forensic Regulator for the UK.

Biography:

Roxann Wright is currently the Clinical Forensic Psychology Doctoral candidate at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology – Los Angeles. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology for the Helping Professions and a Master’s in Forensic Psychology. She is a member of the Golden Key and Psi Chi Honor Societies. She currently works as a therapist with court ordered clients at the Ness Counseling Center, a non-profit for court ordered and voluntary low income client. She will soon be joining the San Fernando Valley Mental Health Centers for Older Adult Services, providing mental health care for the elderly. She hopes to work for the court system, correctional system and/or law enforcement in the roles of assessment and psychological services upon graduating.

Abstract:

Teletherapy is the newest way computers can help to promote mental health services to a wider audience in the comfort of their own homes. One of the hardest parts of engaging in therapy for the average person is getting into a therapist chair at a time that is not conflicting with work and life schedules. Most therapist keep standard office/business hours. This limits the time that you can see your therapist and often includes taking off from work or can interfere with family/ social engagements. Mental health care should not hinder a person’s life but enhance it. Another bane for therapy can be the distance the person may have to drive to their desired therapist. This could tack on up to two hours to drive time especially in a larger city such as Los Angeles or San Francisco. By removing the one of the many barriers to mental health, psychologists can access a larger amount of the population to ensure that everyone has access to care. This session will discuss the pros and cons of the teletherapy industry focusing on innovation and future efficacy.

Biography:

Corena de Ber has completed her PhD in 2004 and holds the position of Senior Medical Scientist and Senior Lecturer in the Division of Medical Virology of Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa. She started research on SUDI cases in collaboration with Forensic Pathology in 2009. She has published 32 papers, of which 3 were on SUDI. She has successfully supervised 18 Post-graduate students and is currently supervising 2 PhD, 2 MSc and 1 Honours BSc students. She serves on the Editorial Board of Annals of Forensic Research and Analysis and on several national review boards.

Abstract:

Sudden and unexpected death in infancy (SUDI) is an under-researched field in South Africa. Identifying causes of death remains challenging despite full medico-legal investigations inclusive of autopsy, scene visit and ancillary studies. Viral and bacterial infections have been implicated repeatedly as risk factors for SUDI, but no standard laboratory investigation protocol exists in South Africa. SUDI cases from the Tygerberg Medico-legal Mortuary are being collected since 2014 and investigated for respiratory viruses and immunological markers of infection. Swab and tissue samples from the lungs and trachea are screened for histology and viral infections and blood from the heart is used to measure markers of infection in serum. More than 250 cases have been collected to date and demographic information confirmed several risk factors that correspond with the literature. Although multiplex PCR assays produce higher positive yields for respiratory viruses than routine shell vial culture, the incidence is very low. However, increased immunological markers, such as C-reactive protein, can suggest systemic infection or inflammation prior to death. It is not possible to measure viral loads on post-mortem samples, and virology results need to correlate with moderate to severe interstitial pneumonitis on lung histology to suggest a viral cause of death. Immunological markers are now being investigated to assess the presence of non-specific infection or inflammation prior to or at the time of death, due to the high incidence of negative virology results. Preliminary findings reconfirmed the need for different approaches in order to determine the cause of death in SUDI cases.

Biography:

Roxann Wright is currently the Clinical Forensic Psychology Doctoral candidate at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology – Los Angeles. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology for the Helping Professions and a Master’s in Forensic Psychology. She is a member of the Golden Key and Psi Chi Honor Societies. She currently works as a therapist with court ordered clients at the Ness Counseling Center, a non-profit for court ordered and voluntary low income client. She will soon be joining the San Fernando Valley Mental Health Centers for Older Adult Services, providing mental health care for the elderly. She hopes to work for the court system, correctional system and/or law enforcement in the roles of assessment and psychological services upon graduating.

Abstract:

Video training is bringing valuable training services to those within a budget. With the advent of technology and live streaming services, psychologists can offer seminars and trainings aimed at educating first responders, mental health practitioners and medical practitioners valuable resources to help them understand the challenges of a person in a mental health crises. Online courses have increased the ability to obtain CE credits from the comfort of the home and the flexibility of schedule that many who are in public service need. Hundreds of streaming and video services have become part of the communication and learning tree for continued education in America as well as Internationally. The access to video training can allow for on the job training sessions guided by a manager or facilitator playing the videos in sequence to facilitate a training seminar. The increase of use of video services serves to advance the field of psychology by collaborating with the important partners in battling mental health suffering.

Biography:

Siri Aas Rustad is a Senior Researcher at the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) and holds a PhD in Political Science from the University of Trondheim, Norway. Her research interests include conflicts related to natural resources, post-conflict natural resource management, extractive industries in fragile areas, sexual violence related to natural resources and the geography of conflict.

Abstract:

The natural resource abundance of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has featured in policy debates as the prime example of ‘conflict minerals’ driving conflict-related sexual violence. This narrative has dominated how the conflict in the eastern part of the country has been portrayed in the media and by high-level policy-makers. Despite increased attention to research on mining and gender, systematic analyses of the links between mining, conflict, and sexual violence are scarce. This paper contributes to filling this gap by exploring how artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) and sexual violence are related in Eastern DRC. We combine new subnational data on the geographical location of ASM sites with detailed survey data from the 2013/2014 Demographic and Health survey of women aged 15-49 on their exposure to sexual violence committed by their intimate partners and by others (non-partners). The results indicate that women living in close proximity to ASM are indeed more likely to experience sexual violence of both types, although the effect is stronger for non-partner sexual violence. In the Kivus and Maniema, the risk of experiencing non-partner sexual is particularly high for women that live close to a mine with the presence of an armed actor.

Biography:

Stephen J. Morewitz is an Associate Professor with experience of over 18 years in assessing disability/stress, rehabilitation, sexual harassment profiles, sexual harassment impact, and sexual harassment policies/procedures. He is an author of the book, SEXUAL HARASSMENT & SOCIAL CHANGE (1996) and other publications in the areas of psychosocial disability, stress, and assessment. He is a consultant to organizations in sexual harassment prevention and program development. –I Who's Who in Medicine & Healthcare, 1999-2000, Who's Who in America, 1999-2000, and other honors, Certified behavioral scientist.

Abstract:

Researchers are increasingly studying the ways in which the police determine foul play in cases involving death, arson, missing persons, abuse and neglect, and other possible crimes. Using the results of The Police Classification of Foul Play Project, the following study relies on a case series of death incidents in which a body is found at the site of the death incident. The results from the case series reveal that the police are more likely to classify a death incident as involving suspected play rather than due to natural causes when a body is found at the death incident site. This study analyzes other socio-demographic, psychological, and physical factors that may affect the ways in which police suspect foul play in death cases related to bodies that are found at death incident sites.

Biography:

Armon J Tamatea is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Psychology at Waikato University and former Senior Advisor for psychological research with the Department of Corrections, New Zealand. Some of his research and practice interests include criminal justice and forensic psychology, institutional violence, psychopathy and personality disorders, the role of culture in psychological practice, gang communities, and intervention with serious violent and sexual offenders. He currently divides his professional time between teaching, research, clinical practice, and supervision

Abstract:

Forensic and correctional psychology as applied disciplines, have made significant advances in its efforts to develop more empirical, standardized, and consistent approaches to managing offenders. Despite this, these psychologies derive from a cultural basis that privileges certain types of knowledge and promotes certain forms of practice that are incommensurate with the outlook and realities of some offenders and their communities. Just as crime occur in a cultural context, so do community responses to crime. This presentation discusses cultural difference in relation to the services that correctional psychologists offer to indigenous peoples. It is argued that peoples who have experienced the significant, long-term, and often negative, impacts of colonization warrant special attention due to the sustained injustices that have been endured – and yet, the application of psychology to criminal justice concerns, as is currently practiced, has not reached the level of conceptual maturity required to address the spectrum of localized criminal justice issues that offenders from these communities often present with.

Biography:

Armon J Tamatea is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Psychology at Waikato University and former Senior Advisor for psychological research with the Department of Corrections, New Zealand. Some of his research and practice interests include criminal justice and forensic psychology, institutional violence, psychopathy and personality disorders, the role of culture in psychological practice, gang communities, and intervention with serious violent and sexual offenders. He currently divides his professional time between teaching, research, clinical practice, and supervision.

Abstract:

Gangs have been part of New Zealand communities since the 1950s and because of the relationship between gang membership and crime, these groups have been an ongoing focus for Police, Courts, Corrections, and local government, resulting in a number of policies and practices across these agencies designed to address antisocial behaviour or even ban collective assembly in public places. International research indicates that involvement in gangs increases an individual’s risk of offending behaviour, not least due to socialisation into a community that holds and supports pro-criminal norms. However, these groups are also likely to be burdened by histories of socioeconomic disadvantage and structural inequality. While the behaviour of these groups poses a challenge to law enforcement and criminal justice institutions, their marginality means that there are other less visible impacts that membership can exert on members themselves and their families with regard to personal (e.g., self-concept, identity), family (e.g., parenting, education, health), and social (e.g., employment, crime reduction) outcomes. Whilst much has been said about these groups in the popular media, research with gang communities in New Zealand is sorely lacking. Understanding the negative effects that are consequent to gang involvement as well as pathways out involves an understanding of gangs in the context in which they exist. This presentation discusses key issues and the development of methodologies to understand specific factors that act as barriers to valued outcomes and pathways to better facilitating outcomes such as reduced crime, reduced violence, and enhanced family and social cohesion.