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Date: November 25, 2024 Mon
Time: 9:08 pm
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Results for armed forces
6 results foundAuthor: Camp, Roderic Ai Title: Armed Forces and Drugs: Public Perceptions and Institutional Challenges Summary: This essay proposes to briefly describe and analyze the evolution of the Army and Navy’s role in drug interdiction, focusing on the patterns that have emerged since 1995, when the Army accepted responsibility for that task without any internal opposition. This paper argues that Mexican national security priorities have shifted significantly, focusing on domestic security issues, specifically drug-related criminal activity and violence. In response to the government’s emphasis on drug-related crime, civil authorities have relied increasingly on the armed forces to carry out an aggressive anti-drug mission. The increased role of the military in carrying out these assignments has produced significant changes within the Mexican Navy and the Army, and in their relationship with the American armed forces. Citizen views of the Mexican armed forces as an institution, its performance of the anti-drug mission, and its reactions to increased levels of personal insecurity, have altered Mexican perceptions of national sovereignty and the United States’ role in their country. Finally, the role of the Catholic Church as an increasingly influential actor in government attempts to curb the drug cartels, as well as the source of potential conflict with the armed forces over growing numbers of human rights abuses, are essential to understanding the consequences of the military’s anti-drug mission. Details: Washington, DC: Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Mexico Institute: San Diego: University of San Diego, Trans-Border Institute, 2010. 33p. Source: Internet Resource: Working Paper Series on U.S.-Mexico Security Collaboration: Accessed September 1, 2010 at: http://wilsoncenter.org/topics/pubs/Armed%20Forces%20and%20Drugs.%20Camp.pdf Year: 2010 Country: Mexico URL: http://wilsoncenter.org/topics/pubs/Armed%20Forces%20and%20Drugs.%20Camp.pdf Shelf Number: 119716 Keywords: Armed ForcesDrug CartelsDrug EnforcementDrug TraffickingDrug Trafficking Control |
Author: Napo: The Trade Union and Professional Association for Family Court and Probation Staff Title: Armed Forces and the Criminal Justice System Summary: A survey conducted by Napo during the summer of 2009 found that 12,000 former armed service personnel were under the supervision of the Probation Service in England and Wales on either community sentences or on parole. Research published by Napo last year found that 8,500 former veterans were in custody at any one time in the UK, following conviction of a criminal offence. There are therefore twice as many veterans in the criminal justice system than are currently serving in military operations in Afghanistan. Indeed the total number of men and women in active service in all locations on 31-05-09 was 13,400 (not including Iraq). The Probation Service caseload on 31-12-08 was 243,000 including 165,000 on court order supervision and a further 47,000 on pre or post release from prison supervision. During the course of 2008, 205,000 persons started supervision. Napo’s survey would suggest therefore that at least 6% of those currently under supervision are former veterans. The custodial study of 2008 concluded that 8.5% of the prison population had an armed service record. Previous studies by the Home Office and the Ministry of Defence had found that the proportion of those in prison with a service record varied from between 4-6% (Home Office) to 16.7% (MOD). A 2007 study carried out by Veterans in Prison, based on prisoners self certification, concluded that 9% of all inmates were veterans. Details: London: Napo, 2009. 25p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 1, 2010 at: http://www.napo.org.uk/publications/Briefings.cfm Year: 2009 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.napo.org.uk/publications/Briefings.cfm Shelf Number: 120328 Keywords: Armed ForcesInmatesMilitaryParoleesVeterans |
Author: Moyano, Inigo Guevara Title: Adapting, Transforming, and Modernizing Under Fire: The Mexican Military 2006-11 Summary: Mexico’s armed forces are in the midst of a transformation to better perform in an ongoing war against organized crime. Their role and visibility have escalated considerably since President Felipe Calderon assumed office in December of 2006. Although the fight against organized crime is clearly a law enforcement matter, the absence of effective and accountable police forces has meant that the Army, Navy, and Air Force have been used as supplementary forces to defend the civilian population and enforce the rule of law. While the federal government has striven to stand up a capable police force in order to relieve and eventually replace the military, that possibility is still distant. Five years into the Calderon administration, the armed forces continue to be the main implementers of the National Security policy, aimed at employing the use of force to disrupt the operational capacity of organized crime. Their strong institutional tradition, professionalism, submission to political control, and history of interaction with the population mainly through disaster relief efforts have made them the most trusted institution in Mexican society. Mexico’s armed forces have long been used as an instrument of the state to implement all kinds of public policies at the national level, from emergency vaccinations, to post-earthquake rescue, to reforestation campaigns. They have been at the forefront of disaster relief operations in reaction to the calamities of nature, within and beyond their borders, with humanitarian assistance deployments to Indonesia, the United States, Haiti, and Central America among the most recent. The Mexican armed forces are quite unique, as they are divided into two separate cabinet-level ministries: the Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional (the Secretary of National Defense or SEDENA), which encompasses the Army and Air Force, and the Secretaría de Marina (the Secretary of the Navy or SEMAR), which comprises the Navy. The level of engagement with society and the results obtained from this division in military power confirms the utility of their independence. Their use as the state’s last line of defense has led to severe criticism from opinion leaders, opposition forces, international analysts, and human rights organizations. Their level of commitment remains unaltered and they have undertaken a number of significant transformations to better address their continued roles as the guardians of the State and protectors of the population. Details: Carlisle, PA: Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College, 2011. 53p. Source: Internet Resource: Letort Paper: Accessed September 29, 2011 at: http://www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pdffiles/PUB1081.pdf Year: 2011 Country: Mexico URL: http://www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pdffiles/PUB1081.pdf Shelf Number: 122957 Keywords: Armed ForcesMilitary ForcesOrganized Crime (Mexico)ViolenceViolent Crime |
Author: Phillips, Stephen Title: Former members of the armed forces and the criminal justice system: a review on behalf of the Secretary of State for Justice Summary: ▪ The vast majority of those who serve in the Armed Forces return to civilian life without problem and are less likely than their civilian counterparts to commit criminal offences. ▪ A small minority have difficulties and find themselves in trouble with the law. Their offending behaviour is unlikely to have been directly caused by their service in the Armed Forces, but is sometimes contributed to by their experiences and, on occasion, made possible by their training. Many service charities offer help to these individuals. ▪ Post-traumatic stress disorder is an overused explanation for the behaviour of this cohort of offenders, but poor mental health and substance misuse often contribute to their offending, alongside other risk factors such as homelessness and unemployment. ▪ The Armed Forces Covenant, which exists to recognise the sacrifices made by those who serve, requires the identification and appropriate treatment of this offender group at the earliest possible stage, both for their benefit and that of their families, as well as the public. Offenders should in future be asked at every stage of the criminal justice system whether they have served in the Armed Forces. ▪ Policy makers have previously been hindered by the absence of robust data enabling the identification of pathways effective in pre-venting offending on the part of those who have served in the Armed Forces. Such data must in future be routinely collected. ▪ Knowledge on the part of criminal justice professionals as to the needs of former service personnel is patchy and appropriate training a matter of luck. In future, all criminal justice professionals should have access to appropriate resources and training to enable effective intervention with former service personnel who have committed criminal offences. ▪ Not every custodial facility in England and Wales deals appropriately with, or permits its officers time sufficient to deal with, prisoners who have served in the Armed Forces. This hinders rehabilitation and resettlement efforts. The same is true of probation services. In future, appropriate schemes to deal with former service personnel serving custodial or community sentences must be rolled out on a national basis, drawing on current best practice in this area. ▪ Recently introduced Liaison and Diversion Schemes (which are due to be rolled out nationally in England by 2017/18) require the identification of effective pathways to prevent offending on the part of former service personnel. These efforts are important and should form a distinct part of the evaluation and development of best practice in this area. ▪ Lord Ashcroft's Veterans Transition Review contains a series of recommendations that are likely to have a positive effect in preventing offending by former service personnel. I understand from the Government's response to his review that many of these are now likely to be implemented. ▪ Some statutory agencies in England and Wales have established initiatives to identify and prevent offending behaviour on the part of former service personnel, principally by onward referral to third sec-tor and other support agencies. These schemes appear valuable and similar provision should be implemented nationally. ▪ A lack of national guidance to statutory agencies has previously hindered effective working with offenders who have served in the Armed Forces and led to piecemeal provision across England and Wales. To ensure consistency, a senior civil servant within the Ministry of Justice should be tasked to co-ordinate national policy, with the Secretary of State reporting annually to Parliament on progress in dealing with this offender group. ▪ There is limited evidence that courts established in the United States dealing specifically with offenders who have served in the Armed Forces are effective. The likelihood is that any effectiveness is the result of focussed interventions rather than the creation of such courts. Given the court system in England and Wales and the UK's smaller Armed Forces, such special courts are unlikely to be suitable for introduction here. Details: London: UK Government, 2014. 47p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 12, 2016 at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/389964/former-members-of-the-armed-forces-and-the-criminal-justice-system.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/389964/former-members-of-the-armed-forces-and-the-criminal-justice-system.pdf Shelf Number: 137471 Keywords: Armed ForcesPost-traumatic Stress SyndromeRehabilitationVeterans |
Author: Ford, Matt Title: Profile of Provision for Armed Forces Veterans under Probation Supervision Summary: This report builds on the Phillips Review into ex-armed forces personnel in the criminal justice system. Announced in January 2014 and published in November the same year, the Phillips Review aimed to 'identify properly the reasons for ex-service personnel ending up in the criminal justice system, to look at the support provided to them and how that support could be improved.' It covered both custody and the community, and made a series of recommendations. With respect to probation, these included: routine identification of veterans, as well as collection of data on offences convicted for and the factors and characteristics associated with their conviction; for the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) to publish guidance on how to address the needs of convicted veterans on probation within twelve months of the release of the Review; that NOMS work with service charities and other bodies to better coordinate support for veterans in criminal justice; and, that a senior civil servant within the Ministry of Justice should be appointed to have responsibility for ex-armed forces personnel involved with the criminal justice system, aiming to implement an identifiable national strategy in England and Wales for best practice in working with this group. The Phillips Review is underpinned by the Armed Forces Covenant, which states that no-one who has served in HM armed forces should face disadvantage in public or commercial services, and in some cases should receive special consideration. With respect to involvement with the criminal justice system, this would refer to how military service may relate to their conviction. Reforms to the probation service under the Government’s Transforming Rehabilitation agenda began during the period of Phillips. Under this programme the 35 old Probation Trusts were replaced by a single National Probation Service responsible for supervising 'high risk' convicted offenders, and 21 privately owned Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) which would supervise ‘medium’ to 'low risk' convicted offenders. Contracts to run these CRCs were awarded in December 2014, and these providers have since been building supply chains made up of public, private, and voluntary sector organisations which are subcontracted to supply services. Details: London: Forces in Mind Trust, Probation Institute and Centre for Crime and Justice Studies 2016. 43p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 11, 2017 at: http://probation-institute.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Veterans-Probation-Report-Final-PDF1.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://probation-institute.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Veterans-Probation-Report-Final-PDF1.pdf Shelf Number: 144822 Keywords: Armed Forces Community SupervisionPost-traumatic Stress Syndrome ProbationProbationersRehabilitationVeterans |
Author: Norton, Emma Title: Military Justice: Second-Rate Justice. Criminal justice, complaints and human rights myths in the armed forces Summary: Liberty has today published a comprehensive report on the military justice system, revealing that UK service men and women continue to be badly failed by the Armed Forces' in-house policing and legal systems, especially where rape and other serious offences are concerned. The new report has led Liberty to today launch the first-ever Armed Forces Human Rights Helpline, designed to offer free, independent legal advice to all current and former serving men and women and their families. CRIMINAL JUSTICE The report, "Second-Rate Justice", details significant flaws in the way the Armed Forces deal with some of the most sensitive and serious criminal cases involving service personnel. It damningly highlights the military's deep-rooted preference for its own internal and inadequate Service Justice System (SJS) - which includes the Service Police, the military's own police forces consisting of the Royal Military Police, Royal Naval Police and the RAF Police - and its hostility to outside scrutiny from more experienced civilian police and prosecutors. Despite the fact that the civilian justice system should take priority over the military system, the report demonstrates that this is not happening and paints a picture of a 'boys' club' approach to justice in the Armed Forces that prevents the impartial and effective investigation of some of the most serious cases. It details how: The Service Police are taking charge of investigations into alleged sexual offences including rapes, even though the legal presumption is that these should be dealt with by civilian police. In 2017 alone, 123 investigations were carried out by the Royal Military Police. Liberty believes that the majority of these should have been dealt with by the civilian police because they happened in the UK. Shockingly, a previous recommendation from Liberty that allegations of rape should always be investigated by civilian police has still not been acted upon. Some offences appear to be being downgraded to less serious offences, so that they can be dealt with internally and not go to court at all. For example, an allegation of sexual assault - which must be referred to the Service Police - may be reduced to battery which a Commanding Officer can deal with him/herself without referring it to the police at all. This practice must stop. The Ministry of Defence's inadequate methods of recording sexual crimes, and the downgrading of serious crimes to lesser offences, mean that the real scale of sexual offending in the Armed Forces is likely to be significantly higher than MoD statistics indicate. For example, the government department continues to refuse to record or publish any data at all about such serious sexual offences as creating or possessing indecent images of children, possession of extreme pornographic images, revenge porn offences, sexual communications with a child or criminal harassment offences. For the sake of accuracy, transparency and public confidence, data on the prevalence of these offences ought to be recorded and published. Conviction rates for rape in the military are even lower than civilian rates - which are already far too low. In 2017, just two of the 48 rape cases that made it to Court Martial resulted in a conviction. The new report makes 21 important recommendations which would ensure service personnel enjoy the same rights and protections as civilians. They include: Ensuring all serious criminal offences in the UK are investigated by civilian, not Service Police. Combining the three branches of the Service Police into a single force and embed them in civilian forces so that, when they must deploy abroad, they are sufficiently experienced, trained and supervised. Bringing the Service Police under the oversight of an independent expert supervisory body. Ensuring the independent Service Complaints Ombudsman is involved in serious cases of bullying, sexual harassment or racial or other discrimination at an early stage with her own fully-funded independent powers of investigation. Details: London: Liberty, 2019. 91p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed march 6, 2019 at: https://www.libertyhumanrights.org.uk/sites/default/files/LIB%2010%20Military%20Justice%20Report%2020_01_19.pdf Year: 2019 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.libertyhumanrights.org.uk/sites/default/files/LIB%2010%20Military%20Justice%20Report%2020_01_19.pdf Shelf Number: 154829 Keywords: Armed ForcesHuman Rights AbusesMilitary JusticeSex CrimesSexual Assault |