Bulletin Reports

Transnational Organized Crime

Transnational organized crime (e.g., illegal migration, trafficking in women and children, theft of and trafficking in automobiles, software piracy, and money laundering) has increased in such volume and scope that it now threatens national and international security. The report by Y.A. Voronin discussed some of the political, ideological, and human rights differences in establishing measures to fight transnational crime, especially in favorable climates, such as states with weak and corrupted justice systems. It also indicated that many efforts were being made to address the problem. One intervention law enforcement has used involved decreasing the demand for illegal commodities and services by increasingly legalizing such products and commodities—inevitably limiting the effect and spread of criminal rings and their activity. Another effective control measure in several countries involved strict regulation and licensing of various economic activity, especially bank and other financial services that attract money laundering. Grant 1999-IJ-CS- 0014, funded in collaboration with the Department of State can be found at http://www.ncjrs.org/ rr/vol1_5/14.html. Copies of the full report are available from the National Criminal Justice Reference Service 800-851-3420.

Medical Records as Legal Evidence

A study by N.E. Issac et al. of 96 medical charts of 86 abused women who, together, made a total of 772 visits to two Boston hospitals, revealed that poorly documented medical records resulting from misconceptions between the legal and medical communities could hurt abused women’s legal cases. Results of the study showed that both groups held many misconceptions about each other’s role in responding to domestic violence that prevented important collaboration efforts between them. Medical records were not being used effectively because of such factors as difficulty and expense in obtaining them, illegibility, incompleteness or inaccuracy, and fear that the information would be more harmful than helpful. Many health care providers were confused about whether, how, and why to record domestic violence information in medical charts. Detailed information was recorded for only 24 percent of the 772 visits. In an effort to be neutral, some health care providers used language considered more detrimental than helpful in a legal case. More information on this study can be found at http://www.ncjrs.org/rr/vol1_5/18.html or from the National Criminal Justice Reference Service 800-851-3420.