Honour, violence and masculinity are closely linked in traditional criminology, and are combined with an ethnic profile of the offender. This article discusses the conclusion of these assumptions as ethnocentric, but also as a simplification of the gendered idea of honour. Beliefs about honour, which are reduced to the male gender, and understood as conductive to crime, disregard insights regarding violent females, and awareness about the significance of honour in marginalized groups. Furthermore, this contribution discusses the supplementary value of a critical gender perspective, for discussion in criminology about honour and crime.

When a person commits a severe crime in the Netherlands, for which he cannot be (fully) held responsible because of a mental disorder, a judge may impose a hospital order in a secured psychiatric institution. To make this possible, behavioural experts have to assess whether the suspect suffered from a mental disorder at the time of the crime. However, during this assessment a suspect has the right to remain silent. Since recent years the number of non-cooperating suspects is increasing. To solve this problem, the Secretary of State of Security and Justice has submitted a legislative proposal, which makes it possible to force health professionals to submit past medical records of the suspect to the behavioural experts for their assessment without his consent. This breaches the professional law of confidentiality. Following case law of the European Court of Human Rights, this can only be justified, if it complies with the principles of proportionality, subsidiarity and necessity. The legislative proposal does not comply with these principles, as alternatives are available. These are: improvement of the forensic psychiatric care, reduction of the duration of the treatment and extension of the behavioral research period.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is deeply rooted in the Chinese culture. Although thousands of animal and plant species are used for medicines legally, some medications contain more sinister elements; illegal animal or plant ingredients of protected species. What is the origin of this demand for rare species as medicine, who are involved in the trade and why is law enforcement complicated? This article will show that the illicit trade in TCM is a form of crime that transcends the borders of China and manifests itself in Western Europe. Various aspects of the trade are highlighted, including criminalization of the use of endangered species, western anthropocentrism and the cultural use of medicine, to understand this relatively invisible crime.