It is generally believed that there is an instrumental relationship between problem gambling and crime such that some gamblers resort to illegal activity to recoup financial shortfalls resulting from their gambling. However, a clear understanding of the risk factors for the commission of crimes beyond financial stresses is absent in the literature. The aim of this review was to identify the nature of crimes perpetrated by problem gamblers and the factors that contribute to the commission of gambling-related crimes. A systematic review adhering to guidelines outlined in the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement searching eight databases-PsycINFO, Westlaw AU, Heinonline, Legal Source via Ebsco, Legaltrac via Gale, PubMed, Scopus, and Medline-was conducted. A total of 21 papers were included after screening and application of exclusion criteria. All studies examined reported crimes committed by problem gamblers, with a validated assessment tool measuring problem gambling. The review provided evidence that gambling-related crime typically consists of non-violent, income-generating offences. However, it also revealed that problem gamblers may commit violent crimes at a higher than expected rate, which may have been concealed by deliberate and unintentional under-reporting of gambling-related crimes. The causal relationship between problem gambling and violent crime, however, remains uncertain. Based on this review, suggestions are offered for the evaluation of perpetrators of gambling-related crime on a case-by-case basis, to better understand the relationship between gambling and crime and facilitate more frequent application of therapeutic jurisprudence in future.

Police perceptions of eyewitness impairment due to alcohol and other drug use: a cross-cultural comparison.Victims, witnesses, and suspects of crime are frequently intoxicated by Alcohol or Other Drugs (AOD) during the event. How intoxication is perceived by investigating officers, and the manner in which this is handled during interview procedures, can affect the quality of information obtained and therefore investigative outcomes. Various factors are likely to contribute to how intoxication is handled during the investigation of a crime, including standard procedures, familiarity with the effects of different substances, and cultural attitudes. While findings with respect to the effect of different substances on memory are still emerging, it is important to investigate whether police beliefs are consistent with available evidence. In this study, Australian and Indonesian police officers were surveyed about their perceptions of memory accuracy and credibility of victims and witnesses intoxicated with various substances (e.g., alcohol, cannabis, amphetamines, and opioids). A higher proportion of Australian police identified larger negative memory effects associated with alcohol intoxication. At the same time, Indonesian police were found to be more likely to report that intoxication with alcohol would make a victim or witness less credible.With regard to timing, across multiple substances, larger proportions of Australian police reported believing that information obtained from witnesses that were still intoxicated would be more accurate than if interviewed after they became sober. It is concluded that, in order to rectify misconceptions about the impact of AOD intoxication on memory and improve investigative practices, both Australian and Indonesian police would benefit from additional training on the effects of intoxication.

Victims of repeated incidents of abuse are often required to report incident-specific information about particular instances of the abuse. In the current study, we explored adults’ capability of such a task by examining the difference in memory for single versus repeated events that were either stressful or nonstressful. One hundred and twenty-two female participants engaged in either a single event or four highly similar events over a 4-week period. During each event, participants read and imagined themselves partaking in a hypothetical relationship scenario that consisted of either a domestic violence encounter (stressful group) or a closely matched neutral relationship encounter (nonstressful group). One week after the final scenario, participants completed recall and recognition questions about the target scenario. The findings revealed that although emotional stress had an enhancing effect on long-term memory, it did not interact with event frequency (single, repeated) for most memory measures. However, regardless of emotional stress, repeated-event participants struggled to report particular details about the target scenario, and showed greater source monitoring issues than single-event participants. Conversely, when a broader definition of memory accuracy was used that encompassed all experienced details, repeated and single event groups performed similarly. Together, the findings indicate that the testimonies of adult female complainants of repeated abuse will mostly likely consist of details that occurred across multiple experienced events, and that this will be similar regardless of whether emotional stress was or was not experienced during the event(s). The findings are discussed in terms of theoretical and practical implications.

No abstract

Since the 1960s, the United States developed ‘Reid interrogation technique’, and its variations have been widely used around the world. Due to its interrogative and confession-driven nature – and thus the increased risk of false confessions – many countries (including Australia) have since moved away from this model towards the UK-developed PEACE-approach. This article will utilise case studies and forensic psychological research to explain how coercive techniques used during police interviews increase the risk of false confessions. It will then describe the implementation of investigative interviewing in Australia by presenting an analysis of those state and territory police manuals which are publicly available.

Research into juror perceptions regarding the impact of intoxication on eyewitness memory and credibility is scarce for substances other than alcohol. However, jurors are frequently told to draw on their personal beliefs and experience with intoxicating substances to infer their impact on the case. It is therefore important to investigate laypeople's perceptions regarding witness and victim intoxication across a range of substances, and whether these perceptions are associated with substance familiarity. Participants (n = 470) completed a survey assessing familiarity and use of different substances, as well as perceptions regarding effects on the memory and credibility of intoxicated victims and witnesses. While participants most frequently reported believing that alcohol, hallucinogens, and polysubstance use of alcohol and cannabis have large negative effects on memory, they more frequently reported that they do not know the extent to which cannabis and cocaine affect memory. In addition, attitudes were found to vary based on substance familiarity.Differences with respect to the perceived impact on memory and credibility of various substances have relevance to court proceedings, particularly in terms of voir dire procedures and whether an expert witness may be required to educate the court on the impacts of different forms of intoxication.

To examine the effects of high and low false prevalence information from different sources on false beliefs, subjects took part in two sessions. In the first session, subjects rated the plausibility of different childhood events, how confident they were that they had experienced those events and their memories of those events. In the second session, 2 weeks later, subjects received high prevalence information about one target event and low prevalence information about another. Subjects received the information in a third-person description, a newspaper article, or cohort data about previous students' experiences, or they received no information. High prevalence newspaper and cohort information increased subjects' plausibility ratings compared to no information and third-person descriptions. High prevalence newspaper information also increased subjects' belief ratings. Our findings contribute to the growing literature demonstrating the role of false high prevalence information in the development of false beliefs.

No abstract