law

Researchers have been increasingly focusing on the science behind interrogation techniques and confessions — and emerging criminal justice system data patterns — with the hope of better understanding how false confessions are produced and how to limit the chances innocent persons are imprisoned.

What is the relationship between firearm availability and murder rates? It’s a complex question, and answering it involves weighing a number of variables.

The U.S. Constitution has been a respected model for governance around the world for two centuries. According to a 2012 study by scholars from Washington University and the University of Virginia School of Law, as of 1987, 160 of 170 international constitutions were based at least partially on it. But 25 years later, is this still the case as constitutions continue to be written and revised?

From the Scholars Strategy Network, written by Bruce Western, Harvard University; and Becky Pettit, University of Washington, Seattle.

In 1948 the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; since then, the world has seen both widespread progress and continuing human rights abuses in various countries. Numerous factors determine states’ decision to uphold or ignore international norms; one is a state’s involvement or membership within intergovernmental organizations (IGOs).

An often-cited reason for the importance of media freedom is that it can promote a government’s respect for human rights. Around the world, however, media freedom and democratic societies are not uniquely associated with each other; some democracies have government-controlled media, while some autocracies have allowed free media. Consequently, the true effectiveness of free media within different regime types in promoting respect for human rights is open to question.

Tell a journalist that understanding how to read a financial statement could lead to some story ideas, and they’ll likely run as far away as possible. He or she got into writing for a living to avoid numbers.