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Date: April 18, 2024 Thu
Time: 2:04 pm
Time: 2:04 pm
Results for disasters
7 results foundAuthor: Hurricane Katrina Fraud Task Force Title: Hurricane Katrina Fraud Task Force: Fifth Anniversary Report to the Attorney General Summary: When it was established in September 2005, the mission of the Hurricane Katrina Fraud Task Force was to deter, prevent, detect, and punish fraud related to the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. Subsequently, as other hurricanes and disasters, both in and beyond the Gulf Coast region, gave rise to similar patterns of fraud, the work of the Task Force has expanded to provide assistance to United States Attorney’s Offices and federal investigative agencies and Inspectors General in providing a national mechanism for receiving and referring complaints from the public about suspected fraud. In 2010, for example, the earthquakes in Haiti and floods in New England and Tennessee prompted immediate response by the Task Force and its members. In the five years since Katrina, United States Attorney’s Offices across the country have shown remarkable persistence and dedication in continuing to pursue disaster-related fraud. From September 8, 2005 through September 1, 2010, 47 United States Attorney’s Offices across the country have charged more than 1,300 people with various hurricane fraud-related crimes. Depending on the severity of the offenses and the economic losses they caused, some defendants, particularly ringleaders of major schemes, received significant terms of imprisonment, while others – often individuals with no prior criminal records – were convicted of felonies but received sentences of probation and restitution. The Task Force’s record in this regard continues to demonstrate the importance of sustained commitment to disaster-fraud prosecution, not only to seek just punishment for offenders but also to deter others from engaging in similar conduct. Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, 2010. 38p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 8, 2010 at: http://www.justice.gov/criminal/katrina/docs/09-13-10katrinaprogress-report.pdf Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: http://www.justice.gov/criminal/katrina/docs/09-13-10katrinaprogress-report.pdf Shelf Number: 119885 Keywords: DisastersFraudHurricane Katrina |
Author: Amnesty International Title: Aftershocks: Women Speak Out Against Sexual Violence in Haiti's Camps Summary: The January 2010 earthquake devastated Haiti. Since the earthquake, the specific needs of girls and women living in camps relating to the prevention of and response to gender-based violence have been inadequate. The risk of rape and other forms of gender-based violence in Haiti's camps has increased dramatically in the past year. This report highlights the protection needs of women and girls in camps against the background of research undertaken by Amnesty International and other organizations on violence against women and girls after the earthquake. Details: London, UK: Amnesty International, 2011 Source: Internet Resource, AMR 36/001/2011: Accessed on December 8, 2011 at: http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/AMR36/001/2011/en/57237fad-f97b-45ce-8fdb-68cb457a304c/amr360012011en.pdf Year: 2011 Country: Haiti URL: http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/AMR36/001/2011/en/57237fad-f97b-45ce-8fdb-68cb457a304c/amr360012011en.pdf Shelf Number: 123533 Keywords: DisastersFemale VictimsRefugee CampsSexual Violence (Haiti) |
Author: Stickeler, Charles Nickolas Title: A Deadly Way of Doing Business: A Case Study of Corporate Crime in the Coal Mining Industry Summary: To this point, research on corporate crime has been, for the most part, overlooked by mainstream criminology. In particular, corporate violations of safety regulations in the coal mining industry have yet to be studied within the field of criminology. The purpose of this thesis is to examine the crimes of a coal mining corporation, a corporation whose business decisions led to the worst coal mining disaster in forty years, along with the deaths of twenty-nine men. This thesis will utilize a case study format in order to illustrate the crimes committed by this corporation. Previous literature covering the history of coal mining safety in the United States, the political economy of coal, and theoretical explanations of corporate crime will be reviewed. The crimes detailed in this case study will then be explained using Contextual Anomie/Strain Theory. The criminal liability of corporations, potential ways to reduce corporate crime in the coal mining industry, as well as limitations of this study and directions for future research in this area will also be discussed. Details: University of South Florida, 2012. 91p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed November 23, 2012 at: http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5427&context=etd Year: 2012 Country: United States URL: http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5427&context=etd Shelf Number: 126951 Keywords: Coal Mining IndustryCorporate Crime (U.S.)Criminal LiabilityDisastersWhite-Collar Crime |
Author: Beckley, Amber L. Title: The Effect of Hurricanes on Burglary in North Carolina Counties, 1999-2003 Summary: Hurricanes and tropical storms cause much harm and extensive damage. Their effect on crime is interesting as their precise timing is unpredictable. Yet, there is a limited body of research on this effect. This thesis examines the effect of hurricanes on burglary in North Carolina counties for a five year period between January 1999 and December 2003. It considers both routine activity theory and social disorganization theory to explain how crime may change after a disaster. The results indicate that some social disorganization components interact with a hurricane to produce an effect on burglary. The routine activity proxies used were not significant, but this could have been the result of numerous limitations. Future directions for research include improving and expanding data sources and incorporating alternate theories. Details: College Park, MD: University of Maryland, College Park, 2008. 96p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed December 10, 2012 at: http://drum.lib.umd.edu/handle/1903/8537 Year: 2008 Country: United States URL: http://drum.lib.umd.edu/handle/1903/8537 Shelf Number: 127195 Keywords: BurglaryDisastersHurricanes (U.S.)Routine Activity TheorySocial Disorganization Theory |
Author: Queensland. Department of Community Safety Title: Sustaining the unsustainable : Police and Community Safety review, final report. Summary: The Police and Community Safety Review (the Review) was initiated by the Minister for Police and Community Safety in late 2012. The Review commenced on 2 January 2013 against the background Queensland public sector reform and a restructure of the Queensland Police Service undertaken by the recently appointed Commissioner.The Terms of Reference for the Review are attached. The review was to cover the two departments within the Minister's portfolio i.e. the Queensland Police Service and the Department of Community Safety. It is to be noted the Department of Community Safety is comprised of a number of discrete operational agencies - the Queensland Ambulance Service, Queensland Corrective Services, the Queensland Fire and Rescue Service (which incorporates the Rural Fire Service) and Emergency Management Queensland (which incorporates the State Emergency Service). The portfolio of Police and Community Safety has a combined budget of approximately $4 billion and more than 25,000 full-time equivalent staff. Given the size and complexity of the portfolio, the review team has taken the approach, in consultation with the Minister, to focus on interoperability across the portfolio and issues that impact on interoperability and good practice. Hence the review does not focus in detail on individual agencies, and instead is concerned with issues that prevent efficiencies, effectiveness and interoperability across the portfolio of Police and Community Safety. The Queensland Commission of Audit Report and the Callinan Review of the Crime and Misconduct Commission were also delivered during the course of the Review, as was The Malone Review into Rural Fire Services in Queensland 2013 (The Malone Review) on Rural Fire. In addition, the Queensland Government had commenced a review of the various air services contracted to several different Government agencies. The Review has been conducted independently of these initiatives, although the Review team has provided advice to the Minister on the outcomes of the Malone Review. The Review is only a review, not an Inquiry and hence had no powers to apply to its processes, such as calling for submissions and taking evidence. We relied solely upon the goodwill and cooperation of government agencies, employee representative groups, academics and other persons with a genuine desire to improve the delivery of front line services. For example, the Commissioner, South Australian Police provided a very comprehensive submission to the Review. Additionally, on 6 February 2013 the Minister for Police and Community Safety wrote to the Review team requesting the review team include in its final report a review of the 2013 flooding events, limited to the Review Terms of Reference. The Review team wrote to each agency and also received several representations although there was no general call for submissions. We sought to understand the strategic alignment of each agency as well as the level of interoperability. The Review team conducted interviews across the state with representatives from all of the portfolio agencies. The Review team either met with or conducted video conferences with several interstate and overseas agencies in Victoria, New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory, Western Australia, South Australia and the Commonwealth agencies, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Canada. The team visited, Gatton, Cairns, Townsville, Mareeba, Emerald, Rockhampton, Logan, Gold Coast, Pine Rivers, Bundaberg and many districts within the Brisbane metropolitan area. In all, 265 interviews or meetings were conducted. During the course of conducting the Review, several submissions were made to the Public Sector Renewal Board and an Interim Report was delivered to the Minister on 27 March 2013. As sections of this report on each of the agencies were completed, they were sense checked wherever possible with members of the relevant agency and then released to government, as we were very much aware of the impending 2013-14 storm season. It is clear that over recent times most of the Department of Community Safety agencies have featured prominently in what have been a series of high profile natural disaster responses, criminal investigations, public order events and tragic fires. Some of these events have resulted in multiple deaths and/or injuries. It follows that the portfolio is a critical one for both the government and the Queensland community. It is a portfolio of agencies that is often at the centre of news stories and is therefore always high in profile. Details: Brisbane: Department of the Premier and Cabinet, 2013. 361p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 24, 2014 at: http://statements.qld.gov.au/Content/MediaAttachments/2013/pdf/Police%20and%20Community%20Safety%20Review%20Report.pdf Year: 2013 Country: Australia URL: http://statements.qld.gov.au/Content/MediaAttachments/2013/pdf/Police%20and%20Community%20Safety%20Review%20Report.pdf Shelf Number: 131795 Keywords: DisastersPolice AdministrationPolice PerformancePolicing |
Author: Leonard, Herman B. Dutch Title: Why Was Boston Strong? Lessons from the Boston Marathon Bombing Summary: On April 15, 2013, at 2:49 pm, an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. Three people died, and more than 260 others needed hospital care, many having lost limbs or suffered horrific wounds. Those explosions began about 100 hours of intense drama that riveted the attention of the nation. The response by emergency medical, emergency management, and law enforcement agencies and by the public at large has now become known colloquially as “Boston Strong.” This report, through analysis of selected aspects of the Marathon events, seeks lessons that can help response organizations in Boston and other locales improve preparation both for emergencies that may occur at “fixed” events like the Marathon and for “no notice” events like those that began with the murder of Officer Collier at MIT and concluded the next day with the apprehension of the alleged perpetrators in Watertown. The report is primarily based on a series of intensive interviews conducted in the summer and fall of 2013 with senior leaders of major law enforcement, emergency management, and emergency medical organizations who candidly shared their experiences in and insights about these events.Viewed as a whole, the events following the Marathon bombing posed enormous challenges. The response spanned geographic boundaries, levels of government (local, state, and federal), professional disciplines, and the public and private sectors, bringing together in both well-planned and spontaneous ways organizations with widely varying operating norms, procedures, cultures, sources of authority, perspectives, and interests. The research points strongly to the fact that the emergency response following the bombing in Boston and the events in Cambridge and Watertown at the end of the week were shaped to a substantial degree by the multi-dimensional preparedness of the region. Response organizations have undertaken detailed and careful planning for the many fixed events like the Marathon that are staged annually in the Boston area. They have seen to the development of both institutional and personal relationships among response organizations and their senior commanders, ensured the adoption of formal coordination practices, regularly held intra- and cross-organization drills and exercises, and generated experience during actual events. Importantly, the senior commanders of these organizations seem to have internalized the “mindset” of strategic and operational coordination. The research also suggests that the major contributing factors to much of what went well – and to some of what went less well – were command and coordination structures, relationships, and processes through which responding organizations were deployed and managed. The response organizations – particularly at senior levels – demonstrated effective utilization of the spirit and core principles of the National Incident Management System (NIMS), mandated by Congress in 2002 but still a work in progress in many areas of the country. But the many highly positive dimensions of inter-organizational collaboration in the Boston response are juxtaposed with some notable difficulties in what might be termed “micro-command,” i.e., the leadership and coordination at the street level when individuals and small teams from different organizations suddenly come together and need to operate in concert. The integration of NIMS into the practices and cultures of emergency response agencies is a work in progress – very promising but still incomplete, particularly at the tactical level of operations. Details: Boston: Harvard Kennedy School, Program on Crisis Leadership, 2014. 67p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 21, 2014 at: http://www.hks.harvard.edu/var/ezp_site/storage/fckeditor/file/pdfs/centers-programs/programs/crisis-leadership/WhyWasBostonStrong.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://www.hks.harvard.edu/var/ezp_site/storage/fckeditor/file/pdfs/centers-programs/programs/crisis-leadership/WhyWasBostonStrong.pdf Shelf Number: 132099 Keywords: Boston Marathon BombingCrisis ManagementDisastersEmergency PreparednessEmergency Response Terrorism |
Author: Carter, Rebecca L. Title: The Blessed Placemakers: Violent Crime, Moral Transformation, and Urban Redevelopment in Post-Katrina New Orleans. Summary: This doctoral dissertation is an ethnographic and social-geographic examination of peacemaking and placemaking in the urban delta. It traces the ways in which people dwell within unsettled and liminal places at the edge or margin of change, working to creatively remake their lives and worlds despite persistent conditions of vulnerability and loss. Based on two years of comparative fieldwork in New Orleans, it reveals the challenges, ways of being, and transformations that emerge in the aftermath of disaster, in the midst of recovery and redevelopment, and in response to ongoing social problems, particularly the impact of urban violence. While violent crime has long been a problem in New Orleans, it has particular significance in the post-disaster setting. People are asking: How do we stop the violence and reclaim our lives and city? And in particular, what are the values - moral, ethical, religious and other - that should carry us forward? The dissertation follows four local moral and religious communities who address these questions, immersed in active and embodied processes of healing and reform for self, community, city, and society. Case studies include a Catholic "peace prayer" group praying for an end to violence and the moral conversion of non-believers; practitioners of Haitian Vodou conducting "anticrime ceremonies" in targeted city neighborhoods; a Baptist church leading anti-violence and grief recovery ministries; and an Episcopal social justice ministry focused on the restoration of humanity for all victims of violence. Their rich narratives demonstrate that peacemaking and placemaking are driven by the acquisition, application, and promotion of distinct moral and religious bodies of knowledge. Expanding on existing investigations of moral geographies and forms of indigenous 'wisdom,' therefore, the research finds that it is through these site-specific forms of urban 'wisdom' that residents work to reconcile the past while refashioning the present and future. Local moralities extend through larger religious and other sheltering institutions to support the growth and promotion of moral and religious frameworks to guide urban redevelopment and reform. The efforts of these groups, including the obstacles they face, reveal the complexity of moral and religious civic engagement, in vulnerable urban settings. Details: Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan, 2010. 403p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed April 13, 2016 at: https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/handle/2027.42/78861/rlcart_1.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/handle/2027.42/78861/rlcart_1.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y Shelf Number: 138654 Keywords: DisastersReligionUrban Areas and CrimeUrban ViolenceViolent Crime |