Helena Machado
Universidade do Minho, Sociology, Faculty Member
- Social Studies of Forensic Genetics, Sociology of Crime and Deviance, Social Studies Of Science, Forensic Genetics, Criminal Justice, Surveillance Studies, and 11 morePublic Understanding Of Science, Ethnography (Research Methodology), Ethnomethodology, Race and Ethnicity, Ethics, Biopolitics, DNA Evidence and Databases, Biocitizenship, Behavioral Neuroscience, Genomics, and Biobanksedit
- Full Professor of Sociology at the Institute for Social Sciences, University of Minho. Her current research criticall... moreFull Professor of Sociology at the Institute for Social Sciences, University of Minho. Her current research critically engages Social Studies of Science and Technology, ethics, and criminological perspectives to explore the challenges emerging from the uses of genetics in contemporary modes of governance of criminality. She has written extensively about societal and ethical implications of criminal DNA databases, media discourses about DNA technologies, and public views on these topics. Helena’s current research has a focus on the transnational genetic surveillance of criminalized populations through police and judiciary cooperation in the EU.edit
Introduction International policy imperatives for the public and patient involvement in the governance of health data coexist with conflicting cross-border policies on data sharing. This can challenge the planning and implementation of... more
Introduction International policy imperatives for the public and patient involvement in the governance of health data coexist with conflicting cross-border policies on data sharing. This can challenge the planning and implementation of participatory data governance in healthcare services locally. Engaging with local stakeholders and understanding how their needs, values and preferences for governing health data can be articulated with policies made at the supranational level is crucial. This paper describes a protocol for a project that aims to coproduce a people-centred model for involving patients and the public in decision-making processes about the use and sharing of health data for rare diseases care and research.
Methods and analysis This multidisciplinary project draws on an explanatory sequential mixed-methods study. A hospital-based survey with patients, informal carers, health professionals and technical staff recruited at two reference centres for rare diseases in Portugal will be conducted first. The qualitative study will follow consisting of semi-structured interviews and scenario-based workshops with a subsample of the participant groups recruited at baseline. Quantitative data will be analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Inductive and deductive approaches will be combined to analyse the qualitative interviews. Data from scenario-based workshops will be iteratively compared using the constant comparison method to identify cross-cutting themes and categories.
Ethics and dissemination The Ethics Committee for Health from the University Hospital Centre São João/Faculty of Medicine of University of Porto approved the study protocol (Ref. 99/19). Research findings will be disseminated at academic conferences and science promotion events, and through public meetings involving patient representatives, practitioners, policy-makers and students, a project website and peer-reviewed journal publications.
Methods and analysis This multidisciplinary project draws on an explanatory sequential mixed-methods study. A hospital-based survey with patients, informal carers, health professionals and technical staff recruited at two reference centres for rare diseases in Portugal will be conducted first. The qualitative study will follow consisting of semi-structured interviews and scenario-based workshops with a subsample of the participant groups recruited at baseline. Quantitative data will be analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Inductive and deductive approaches will be combined to analyse the qualitative interviews. Data from scenario-based workshops will be iteratively compared using the constant comparison method to identify cross-cutting themes and categories.
Ethics and dissemination The Ethics Committee for Health from the University Hospital Centre São João/Faculty of Medicine of University of Porto approved the study protocol (Ref. 99/19). Research findings will be disseminated at academic conferences and science promotion events, and through public meetings involving patient representatives, practitioners, policy-makers and students, a project website and peer-reviewed journal publications.
Research Interests:
This article is about the governance of expectations of forensic DNA phenotyping (FDP) innovations in Germany used for the prediction of human externally visible traits such as eye, hair, and skin color, as well as biological age and... more
This article is about the governance of expectations of forensic DNA phenotyping (FDP) innovations in Germany used for the prediction of human externally visible traits such as eye, hair, and skin color, as well as biological age and biogeographic ancestry. In 2019, FDP technologies were regulated under the label “extended DNA analysis”. We focus on the expectations of members of the forensic genetics’ community in Germany, in anticipation and response to those of regulators who advocated for such technologies. Confronted with regulators’ expectations of omnipotent technologies and the optimistic promise that they will enhance public security, forensic geneticists responded with attempts to adjust such expectations, specifying limits and risks, along with a particular logic sorting matters of concern. We reflect on how forensic geneticists’ govern expectations through forms of distributed anticipatory governance, delimiting their obligations, and distributing accountability across the criminal justice system.
Research Interests:
Wearing face masks is recommended as part of personal protective equipment (PPE) and as a public health measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19 pandemic. Their use, however, is deeply connected to social and cultural practices, and has... more
Wearing face masks is recommended as part of personal protective equipment (PPE) and as a public health measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19 pandemic. Their use, however, is deeply connected to social and cultural practices, and has acquired a variety of personal and social meanings. This article aims to identify the diversity of socio-cultural, ethical, and political meanings attributed to face masks, how they might impact public health policies, and how they should be considered in health communication. In May 2020, we involved 29 experts of an interdisciplinary research network on health and society to provide their testimonies on the use of face masks in 20 European and 2 Asian countries (China and South Korea). They reflected on regulations in the corresponding jurisdictions as well as the personal and social aspects of face mask wearing. We analyzed those testimonies thematically, employing the method of qualitative descriptive analysis. The analysis framed the four dimensions of the societal and personal practices of wearing (or not wearing) face masks: individual perceptions of infection risk; personal interpretations of responsibility and solidarity; cultural traditions and religious imprinting; and the need of expressing self-identity. Our study points to the importance for an in-depth understanding of the cultural and socio-political considerations around the personal and social meaning of mask wearing in different contexts as a necessary prerequisite for the assessment of the effectiveness of face masks as a public health measure. Improving the personal and collective understanding of citizens’ behaviors and attitudes appears essential for designing more effective health communications about COVID-19 pandemic or other global crises in the future.
Research Interests:
Public involvement in the governance of epidemiological and public health studies can foster needs-driven research, enhance participants’ recruitment, reduce attrition and improve the quality of and ethics in research and surveillance.... more
Public involvement in the governance of epidemiological and
public health studies can foster needs-driven research, enhance
participants’ recruitment, reduce attrition and improve the
quality of and ethics in research and surveillance. However, it
can also reinforce health inequalities if it fails to ensure public
representation across socioeconomic gradients. This study
aimed to assess patients’ and carers’ preferences for involvement
in collective health data governance, and its associated
factors, to strengthen the evidence base for policy
development.
public health studies can foster needs-driven research, enhance
participants’ recruitment, reduce attrition and improve the
quality of and ethics in research and surveillance. However, it
can also reinforce health inequalities if it fails to ensure public
representation across socioeconomic gradients. This study
aimed to assess patients’ and carers’ preferences for involvement
in collective health data governance, and its associated
factors, to strengthen the evidence base for policy
development.
Research Interests:
Forensic DNA Phenotyping (FDP) is a set of techniques that aim to infer externally visible characteristics in humans – such as eye, hair and skin color – and biogeographical ancestry of an unknown person, based on biological material. FDP... more
Forensic DNA Phenotyping (FDP) is a set of techniques that aim to infer externally visible characteristics in humans – such as eye, hair and skin color – and biogeographical ancestry of an unknown person, based on biological material. FDP has been applied in various jurisdictions in a limited number of high-profile cases to provide intelligence for criminal investigations. There are on-going controversies about the reliability and validity of FDP, which come together with debates about the ethical challenges emerging from the use of this technology in the criminal justice system. Our study explores how, in the context of complex politics of legitimation of and contestation over the use of FDP, forensic geneticists in Europe perceive this technology’s potential applications, utility and risks. Forensic geneticists perform several forms of discursive boundary work, making distinctions between science and the criminal justice system, experts and non-experts, and good and bad science. Such forms of boundary work reconstruct the complex positioning vis-à-vis legal and scientific realities. In particular, while mobilizing interest in FDP, forensic geneticists simultaneously carve out notions of risk, accountability and scientific conduct that perform distance from FDP’ implications in the criminal justice system.
Research Interests:
Forensic DNA phenotyping is a genetic technology that might be used in criminal investigations. Based on DNA samples of the human body found at crime scenes, it allows to infer externally visible characteristics (such as eye, hair and... more
Forensic DNA phenotyping is a genetic technology that might be used in criminal investigations. Based on DNA samples of the human body found at crime scenes, it allows to infer externally visible characteristics (such as eye, hair and skin colour) and continental-based biogeographical ancestry. By indicating the probable visible appearance of a criminal suspect, forensic DNA phenotyping allows to narrow down the focus of a criminal investigation. In this article, drawing on interviews with forensic geneticists, we explore how their narratives translate contemporary focus on criminal molecularized bodies. We propose the concept of (de)materialization to approach three aspects of the forensic geneticists' views. The first regards considering bodies as mutable entities. The second relates to socially contingent meanings attributed to bodies. The third regards to controversies surrounding data reliability. By reflecting upon the (de)materialization of criminal bodies, forensic geneticists juxtapose the defence and unsettling of forensic DNA phenotyping claims.
Research Interests:
This article explores the fluid and flexible forms of constructing suspicion, which take shape in transnational governance of crime through forensic DNA databases. The empirical examples are the views of professionals engaged with the... more
This article explores the fluid and flexible forms of constructing suspicion, which take shape in transnational governance of crime through forensic DNA databases. The empirical examples are the views of professionals engaged with the so-called Prüm system. This technological identification system was developed to enable DNA data exchange across EU Member States in the context of police and judicial cooperation to control cross-border crime and terrorism. We argue that suspicion is constructed through forms of deterritorializing and reterritorializing assumptions about criminality linked to the movements of suspect communities across the European Union. Transnational crime management is configured through narratives of global expansion of criminal mobility, technical neutrality of DNA identification and the reliance on criminal categorizations of particular national populations.
Research Interests:
Background Systems for large-scale data exchanges are playing a pivotal role in the governance, surveillance, and social control of criminality in different parts of the world. Analysis This article explores the case study of the Prüm... more
Background Systems for large-scale data exchanges are playing a pivotal role in the governance, surveillance, and social control of criminality in different parts of the world.
Analysis This article explores the case study of the Prüm system, which is a technological system for the exchange of DNA data among several European Union (EU) countries. Making use of the concept of data journeys, it addresses how the transnational exchange of DNA data in the EU implicates the construction of categories of suspicion.
Conclusion and implications The article shows how supranational- and national-level notions and attitudes over the ownership of data shape data journeys, and it discusses the societal implications of datafication and emerging data justice issues.
Analysis This article explores the case study of the Prüm system, which is a technological system for the exchange of DNA data among several European Union (EU) countries. Making use of the concept of data journeys, it addresses how the transnational exchange of DNA data in the EU implicates the construction of categories of suspicion.
Conclusion and implications The article shows how supranational- and national-level notions and attitudes over the ownership of data shape data journeys, and it discusses the societal implications of datafication and emerging data justice issues.
Research Interests: Prum Treaty and DNA data
Assiste-se hoje à crescente visibilidade do designado Big Data. Trata-se de uma técnica que agrega conjuntos massivos de dados, manuseando um volume assinalável de informação, que é analisado a uma velocidade sem precedentes e em tempo... more
Assiste-se hoje à crescente visibilidade do designado Big Data. Trata-se de uma técnica que agrega conjuntos massivos de dados, manuseando um volume assinalável de informação, que é analisado a uma velocidade sem precedentes e em tempo real. Enquanto fenómeno social, apresenta três vertentes: a interação entre tecnologia (maximização do poder computacional e precisão algorítmica), as potencialidades de análise (identificação de padrões) e os valores sociais e culturais que rodeiam o Big Data (nomeadamente, a crença generalizada que grandes conjuntos de dados oferecem fontes de conhecimento e de previsão mais objetivas e fundamentadas).
Big Data pode ser uma fonte de racionalização de acontecimentos, com potencial para aumentar a eficiência e melhorar a precisão da previsão em várias áreas da vida social. No entanto, pode aprofundar desigualdades sociais e económicas pré-existentes e apresentar desafios diversos à privacidade e outros direitos fundamentais. Além disso, a conjugação massiva de dados heterogéneos pode levar a conclusões erradas. A quantidade de dados recolhidos não corresponde à representatividade dos mesmos, mas antes à abrangência da cobertura sobre a vida contemporânea dos indivíduos. Assim, pode também potenciar a produção de desinformação sobre os titulares dos dados recolhidos, por conduzir a conclusões erradas.
Procurando contribuir para este campo de análise, o presente texto apresenta um estudo empírico realizado junto de diferentes profissionais em 25 países da União Europeia, que visou mapear e compreender as representações sociais acerca da potencial aplicação de Big Data no campo da investigação criminal. O objetivo central foi aceder às suas expectativas em relação ao potencial impacto das tecnologias na luta contra a criminalidade transfronteiriça. Nestas representações sociais, os diferentes entrevistados tecem considerações éticas acerca do fenómeno Big Data, contribuindo para o debate contemporâneo em torno dos direitos, liberdades e garantias.
Big Data pode ser uma fonte de racionalização de acontecimentos, com potencial para aumentar a eficiência e melhorar a precisão da previsão em várias áreas da vida social. No entanto, pode aprofundar desigualdades sociais e económicas pré-existentes e apresentar desafios diversos à privacidade e outros direitos fundamentais. Além disso, a conjugação massiva de dados heterogéneos pode levar a conclusões erradas. A quantidade de dados recolhidos não corresponde à representatividade dos mesmos, mas antes à abrangência da cobertura sobre a vida contemporânea dos indivíduos. Assim, pode também potenciar a produção de desinformação sobre os titulares dos dados recolhidos, por conduzir a conclusões erradas.
Procurando contribuir para este campo de análise, o presente texto apresenta um estudo empírico realizado junto de diferentes profissionais em 25 países da União Europeia, que visou mapear e compreender as representações sociais acerca da potencial aplicação de Big Data no campo da investigação criminal. O objetivo central foi aceder às suas expectativas em relação ao potencial impacto das tecnologias na luta contra a criminalidade transfronteiriça. Nestas representações sociais, os diferentes entrevistados tecem considerações éticas acerca do fenómeno Big Data, contribuindo para o debate contemporâneo em torno dos direitos, liberdades e garantias.
Research Interests:
PURPOSE:Regulation of payment to gamete donors varies substantially across countries. The development of an ethically sustainable governance system of payments in gamete donation demands that the preferences of different stakeholders be... more
PURPOSE:Regulation of payment to gamete donors varies substantially across countries. The development of an ethically sustainable governance system of payments in gamete donation demands that the preferences of different stakeholders be heard. This study intends to contribute to improving the understanding of payment to gamete donors by analysing the views of donors and recipients about the preferred form of payment and its associations with their sociodemographic characteristics. METHODS:This cross-sectional study included 70 donors and 172 recipients recruited at the Portuguese Public Bank of Gametes (July 2017-June 2018). Participants completed a self-reported questionnaire. Views about the preferred form of payment were collected through a multiple-choice question and an open-ended item. Associations were quantified through χ2 tests; content analysis was conducted with the open-ended answers. RESULTS:Both donors (48.6%) and recipients (40.7%) considered that reimbursement is the preferred form of payment to ensure solidarity-based motivations to donate. This option was followed by compensation for non-financial losses (41.4% of donors; 33.7% of recipients) based on gender equity. Preference for a fixed reward (22.7% of recipients; 8.6% of donors) was less frequent among younger donors and married/living with a partner or employed recipients, being based on the promotion of equality. CONCLUSION:In the context of the search for cross-border reproductive care and gamete circulation across countries, the findings from this study claim for the need to create solutions for payment to gamete donors that take into account gender equity and are simultaneously sensitive to donor's actual expenses and further health complications.
Research Interests:
Under EU Law, Member States are compelled to engage in reciprocal automated forensic DNA profile exchange within the so-called Prüm system. Presently, 25 operational EU Member States exchange DNA data within the Prüm system to combat... more
Under EU Law, Member States are compelled to engage in reciprocal automated forensic DNA profile exchange within the so-called Prüm system. Presently, 25 operational EU Member States exchange DNA data within the Prüm system to combat terrorism and cross-border crime. This article discusses the perceived risks and benefits of the Prüm system on the basis of a set of 37 interviews conducted in 22 EU countries, with 47 professionals operating the system (the National Contact Points – NCPs). The perceived benefits relate to the intensification of tools for combating transnational criminality; development of standardisation and harmonisation of forensic DNA testing procedures; and reinforcement of professional cooperation. The perceived risks are associated to the possibility that individuals may be prosecuted on the basis of false positives; the lack of available data to measure the effectiveness of the Prüm system; and the different modus operandi of police forces and judicial authorities. Our results reveal that perspectives on the risks and benefits of the Prüm system significantly vary according to the type of work performed by the NCPs. Our data shows a more complex range of perceived benefits and risks than those suggested in previous studies about the Prüm system.
Research Interests:
No seu belo ensaio A Ideia de Europa, George Steiner romanticamente eterniza e descreve uma Europa que se enaltece como multicultural, cosmopolita, solidária e sem fronteiras. Mas esta é também uma Europa que se confronta com os fantasmas... more
No seu belo ensaio A Ideia de Europa, George Steiner romanticamente eterniza e descreve uma Europa que se enaltece como multicultural, cosmopolita, solidária e sem fronteiras. Mas esta é também uma Europa que se confronta com os fantasmas do seu passado, perante os atentados que temos testemunhado em França, em Espanha, na Bélgica, no Reino Unido, e que nos deixa, a nós Europeus, surpreendidos com a nossa própria memória sem dela conseguirmos tirar ilações e lições. Somos rápidos na leitura moral e geopolítica destes atentados e somos lestos no recurso a tecnologias securitárias que desejamos objetivas e científicas. Somos velozes na construção de muralhas. Somos audazes na declaração de quem pertence ou não ao grande reino da civilização e do progresso.
Research Interests:
This study aims to assess the quality of online health information about gamete donation based on a quantitative analysis of websites from fertility-clinics in Portugal. All websites providing information about gamete donation were... more
This study aims to assess the quality of online health information about gamete donation based on a quantitative analysis of websites from fertility-clinics in Portugal. All websites providing information about gamete donation were comprehensively screened in June 2017. The reliability and usability of 43 webpages were assessed through the Website Information Evaluation Instrument from the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP). None of the webpages met the purpose, content development, and updating criteria set by the ODPHP. Several shortcomings were observed: limited accessibility for users with disabilities, lack of simplified user experiences and easy search functionality, and lack of users' interaction with content. The quality of online information on gamete donation in fertility-clinics' websites requires improvement to become user-friendly. The development of specific guidelines and periodic evaluations of these websites using sensitive instruments, merging quantitative and qualitative assessments, is required to guarantee the quality of information that aims to improve reproductive health literacy through people-centered communication.
Research Interests:
Background Forensic DNA testing is a powerful tool used to identify, convict, and exonerate individuals charged of criminal offenses, but there are different views on its benefits and risks. Knowledge about public views on forensic DNA... more
Background
Forensic DNA testing is a powerful tool used to identify, convict, and exonerate individuals charged of criminal offenses, but there are different views on its benefits and risks. Knowledge about public views on forensic DNA testing applied in the criminal field is socially valuable to practitioners and policymakers. This paper aims to synthesize quantitative evidence about the factors that influence public views on forensic DNA testing in the criminal field. Based on a systematic search conducted in January 2019, a scoping review was performed, targeting studies presenting original empirical data that were indexed in Web of Science and PubMed. The two authors performed eligibility and data extraction.
Results
The 11 studies were conducted mainly in European countries (Italy, Portugal, Serbia, Spain, Switzerland) and the remaining derived from the USA and New Zealand. Non-representative samples were mostly used to explore the benefits and risks of criminal DNA databases, criteria for insertion and retention of DNA samples and profiles, knowledge, willingness to donate a DNA sample, and custody. The value of forensic DNA databases in protecting society from crime was emphasized. Concerns about improper access to forensic genetic data and risks to civil liberties associated with its uses were expressed. The scarce literature on Forensic DNA Phenotyping and familial searching revealed the same trend of positively valuing forensic DNA testing. Only factors related with socioeconomic position were assessed by more than two studies. Results suggested that public views on forensic DNA testing are influenced by the level of education, age, and exposure to law enforcement occupations although not in a straightforward manner.
Conclusion
Further empirical research should assess standardized factors related with social and structural levels (e.g., scientific literacy, public trust in the justice system and concerns about victimization or police activity) and be performed in different national jurisdictions to enable generalization and comparison of findings. It is needed to expand empirical studies on public views about the commercialization of forensic science and the use of recent controversial techniques and new transparency and accountability models.
Forensic DNA testing is a powerful tool used to identify, convict, and exonerate individuals charged of criminal offenses, but there are different views on its benefits and risks. Knowledge about public views on forensic DNA testing applied in the criminal field is socially valuable to practitioners and policymakers. This paper aims to synthesize quantitative evidence about the factors that influence public views on forensic DNA testing in the criminal field. Based on a systematic search conducted in January 2019, a scoping review was performed, targeting studies presenting original empirical data that were indexed in Web of Science and PubMed. The two authors performed eligibility and data extraction.
Results
The 11 studies were conducted mainly in European countries (Italy, Portugal, Serbia, Spain, Switzerland) and the remaining derived from the USA and New Zealand. Non-representative samples were mostly used to explore the benefits and risks of criminal DNA databases, criteria for insertion and retention of DNA samples and profiles, knowledge, willingness to donate a DNA sample, and custody. The value of forensic DNA databases in protecting society from crime was emphasized. Concerns about improper access to forensic genetic data and risks to civil liberties associated with its uses were expressed. The scarce literature on Forensic DNA Phenotyping and familial searching revealed the same trend of positively valuing forensic DNA testing. Only factors related with socioeconomic position were assessed by more than two studies. Results suggested that public views on forensic DNA testing are influenced by the level of education, age, and exposure to law enforcement occupations although not in a straightforward manner.
Conclusion
Further empirical research should assess standardized factors related with social and structural levels (e.g., scientific literacy, public trust in the justice system and concerns about victimization or police activity) and be performed in different national jurisdictions to enable generalization and comparison of findings. It is needed to expand empirical studies on public views about the commercialization of forensic science and the use of recent controversial techniques and new transparency and accountability models.
Research Interests:
The exchange of forensic DNA data is seen as an increasingly important tool in criminal investigations into organised crime, control strategies and counter- terrorism measures. On the basis of a set of interviews with police professionals... more
The exchange of forensic DNA data is seen as an increasingly important tool in criminal investigations into organised crime, control strategies and counter- terrorism measures. On the basis of a set of interviews with police professionals involved in the transnational exchange of DNA data between EU countries, this paper examines how forensic DNA evidence is given meaning within the various different ways of constructing a police epistemic culture, it is, a set of shared values concerning valid knowledge and practices normatively considered adequate and legitimate. The police epistemic culture is fuelled by multiple dynamics of boundary work, revealing how police professionals involved in international cooperation (i) define their specific core activities and competencies; (ii) construct particular understandings of valid knowledge and how it should be produced; (iii) enact the police epistemic culture in contrast to the epistemic cultures of the judicial authorities and forensic scientists.
Research Interests:
Familial searching is a technology that detects genetic relatedness. The term is generally used to refer to searches conducted in criminal DNA databases to identify criminal suspects through their connection with relatives. Beyond... more
Familial searching is a technology that detects genetic relatedness. The term is generally used to refer to searches conducted in criminal DNA databases to identify criminal suspects through their connection with relatives. Beyond criminal investigation purposes, familial searching might also be used for the identification of unknown bodies and missing persons. The United Kingdom and Poland are cases that illustrate the variability of familial searching meanings, uses, and regulations. In the United Kingdom, familial searching is regulated by exceptionality and is mainly used for the identification of suspects in serious criminal cases. In Poland, familial searching is regulated within the framework of expanding the scope of its application to the search and/or identification of missing persons. Drawing on interviews with diverse key stakeholders in the United Kingdom and Poland, we address the ethical controversies of familial searching in the field of criminal investigation and in the domain of missing persons together. We argue that the views of stakeholders about the ethical controversies of familial searching lead to prescribing specific notions of social risks, public good, and the accountability of the state.
Research Interests:
The use of photography in representing the criminal body has long been a focus of interest in the social sciences, especially so when exploring the historical evolution of criminal identification practices. By contributing to the emerging... more
The use of photography in representing the criminal body has long been a focus of interest in the social sciences, especially so when exploring the historical evolution of criminal identification practices. By contributing to the emerging field of visual criminology, this article explores current practices around photography of prisoners in the everyday contexts of the prison space. Drawing on a qualitative study conducted with prisoners, prison guards and probation officers in three Portuguese prisons, we analyse how different social actors construct the criminal body. This construction is explored through the meanings attributed to prisoners' photographic portraits used for their identification. In particular, we discuss how their photographic documentation acts as a classification device and a visual representation of the criminal. We argue that this representation, by portraying elements of unworthiness, unpleasantness and immutability, plays a significant role in the parole board's decisions and produce an embodied sense of identity and perpetuation of stigma.
Research Interests:
Under EU Law, Member States are compelled to engage in reciprocal automated forensic DNA profile exchange for stepping up on cross-border cooperation, particularly in combating terrorism and cross-border crime. The ethical implications of... more
Under EU Law, Member States are compelled to engage in
reciprocal automated forensic DNA profile exchange for
stepping up on cross-border cooperation, particularly in
combating terrorism and cross-border crime. The ethical
implications of this transnational DNA data exchange are
paramount. Exploring what the concept of ethics means to
forensic practitioners actively involved in transnational DNA
data exchange allows discussing how ethics can be
addressed as embedded in the sociality of science and in
the way scientific work is legitimated. The narratives of
forensic practitioners juxtapose the construction of fluid
ethical boundary work between science and non-science
with the dynamic management of controversies, both of
which are seen as ways to lend legitimacy and objectivity
to scientific work.
Ethical boundary work involves diverse fluid forms: as a
boundary between science/ethics, science/criminal justice
system, and good and bad science. The management of
controversies occurs in three interrelated ways. First,
through a continuous process of reconstructing delegations
of responsibility in dealing with uncertainty surrounding the
reliability of DNA evidence. Second, threats to the
protection of data are portrayed as being resolved by blackboxing
privacy. Finally, controversies related to social
accountability and transparency are negotiated through the
lens of opening science to the public.
reciprocal automated forensic DNA profile exchange for
stepping up on cross-border cooperation, particularly in
combating terrorism and cross-border crime. The ethical
implications of this transnational DNA data exchange are
paramount. Exploring what the concept of ethics means to
forensic practitioners actively involved in transnational DNA
data exchange allows discussing how ethics can be
addressed as embedded in the sociality of science and in
the way scientific work is legitimated. The narratives of
forensic practitioners juxtapose the construction of fluid
ethical boundary work between science and non-science
with the dynamic management of controversies, both of
which are seen as ways to lend legitimacy and objectivity
to scientific work.
Ethical boundary work involves diverse fluid forms: as a
boundary between science/ethics, science/criminal justice
system, and good and bad science. The management of
controversies occurs in three interrelated ways. First,
through a continuous process of reconstructing delegations
of responsibility in dealing with uncertainty surrounding the
reliability of DNA evidence. Second, threats to the
protection of data are portrayed as being resolved by blackboxing
privacy. Finally, controversies related to social
accountability and transparency are negotiated through the
lens of opening science to the public.
Research Interests: Ethics and Boundary Work
This paper presents a study of the 5-year operation (2011–2015) of the transnational exchange of forensic DNA data between Member States of the European Union (EU) for the purpose of combating cross-border crime and terrorism within the... more
This paper presents a study of the 5-year operation (2011–2015) of the transnational exchange of forensic DNA data between Member States of the European Union (EU) for the purpose of combating cross-border crime and terrorism within the so-called Prüm system. This first systematisation of the full official statistical dataset provides an overall assessment of the match figures and patterns of operation of the Prüm system for DNA exchange. These figures and patterns are analysed in terms of the differentiated contributions by participating EU Member States. The data suggest a trend for West and Central European countries to concentrate the majority of Prüm matches, while DNA databases of Eastern European countries tend to contribute with profiles of people that match stains in other countries. In view of the necessary transparency and accountability of the Prüm system, more extensive and informative statistics would be an important contribution to the assessment of its functioning and societal benefits.
Research Interests:
This qualitative study analyzed couples’ perceptions about the factors that contextualize informed consent regarding embryo cryopreservation, through 34 semi-structured interviews, in Portugal. Data were analyzed according to the... more
This qualitative study analyzed couples’ perceptions about the factors that contextualize informed consent regarding embryo cryopreservation, through 34 semi-structured interviews, in Portugal. Data were analyzed according to the principles of grounded theory. The results revealed the following needs: timely provision of detailed, accurate and intelligible information about the costs of cryopreservation, embryo storage limit and embryo disposition; reinforcement of physical privacy; availability of time to reflect about embryo disposition and disclosure of users’ identities. The conditions of administration of the informed consent appear to threaten three of its fundamental elements: information, voluntarism and reflection. The development of professional and ethical guidelines is necessary to ensure the implementation of a consent process characterized by practices of counseling and information adapted to patients’ needs and expectations.
Research Interests:
Neste artigo são exploradas as narrativas dos inspetores da Polícia Judiciária (PJ) relativamente aos processos de vigilância e identificação de suspeitos de crime. Recorrendo a uma perspetiva teórico-metodológica do tipo interpretativo e... more
Neste artigo são exploradas as narrativas dos inspetores da Polícia Judiciária (PJ) relativamente aos processos de vigilância e identificação de suspeitos de crime. Recorrendo a uma perspetiva teórico-metodológica do tipo interpretativo e qualitativo, deseja-se mapear o sentido e compreender o significado que os inspetores da PJ atribuem às suas práticas no decurso da investigação criminal. A aplicação da ciência e da tecnologia na investigação criminal exige uma reflexão em torno dos impactos que estas acarretam. Apesar do potencial uso da ciência e tecnologia na investigação criminal, confrontamo-nos com uma série de obstáculos que nos demonstram os limites deste processo de cientifização. As novas tecnologias de recolha e manuseamento de informação sobre suspeitos e condenados por crime complementam os meios tradicionais de investigação criminal, criando-se assim uma figura híbrida do detetive policial. ABSTRACT In this paper we explore the narratives of the Portuguese Criminal Investigation Police (Polícia Judiciária) about surveillance and identification aimed at crime suspects. Through an interpretive and qualitative theoretical-methodological perspective, we aim to understand the views of these agents concerning police practices of criminal investigation. The application of scientific knowledge and the technology to criminal investigation requires a reflection of its impacts. Despite the potential use of science and technology in criminal investigation, we face a set of obstacles that shows the limits of this scientificization process. The new technologies of collection and use of information about suspects and convicted offenders complement the traditional means of criminal investigation, thus creating a hybrid figure of detective.
Background: There is growing consensus that individual genetic research results that are scientifically robust, analytically valid, and clinically actionable should be offered to research participants. However, the general practice in... more
Background: There is growing consensus that individual genetic research results that are scientifically robust, analytically valid, and clinically actionable should be offered to research participants. However, the general practice in European research projects is that results are usually not provided to research participants for many reasons. This article reports on the views of European experts and scholars who are members of the European COST Action CHIP ME IS1303 (Citizen's Health through public-private Initiatives: Public health, Market and Ethical perspectives) regarding challenges to the feedback of individual genetic results to research participants in Europe and potential strategies to address these challenges. Materials and Methods: A consultation of the COST Action members was conducted through an email survey and a workshop. The results from the consultation were analyzed following a conventional content analysis approach. Results: Legal frameworks, professional guidelines, and financial, organizational, and human resources to support the feedback of results are largely missing in Europe. Necessary steps to facilitate the feedback process include clarifying legal requirements to the feedback of results, developing harmonized European best practices, promoting interdisci-plinary and cross-institutional collaboration, designing educational programs and cost-efficient IT-based platforms, involving research ethics committees, and documenting the health benefits and risks of the feedback process. Conclusions: Coordinated efforts at pan-European level are needed to enable equitable, scientifically sound, and socially robust feedback of results to research participants.
Introduction Decision-making on embryo disposition is a source of distress and is subject to change over time. This paper analyses the willingness of couples undergoing in vitro fertilization to donate cryopreserved embryos for research... more
Introduction
Decision-making on embryo disposition is a source of distress and is subject to change over time. This paper analyses the willingness of couples undergoing in vitro fertilization to donate cryopreserved embryos for research from 15 days after embryo transfer to 12 months later, taking into account the influence of psychosocial, demographic, and reproductive factors.
Materials and methods
Prospective longitudinal study, with 74 heterosexual couples undergoing in vitro fertilization in a public fertility centre in Portugal, recruited between 2011 and 2012. Participants were evaluated twice: 15 days after embryo transfer and 12 months later.
Results
A significant decrease in patients' willingness to donate embryos for research over time was observed [86.5% to 73.6%; relative risk (RR) = 0.85; 95% CI 0.76–0.95]. A higher education level (>12 years) [adjusted RR (RRadj) = 0.79; 95% CI 0.64–0.96], considering research on human embryos to be important (vs. very important) (RRadj = 0.59; 95% CI 0.39–0.85) and practicing a religion less than once a month (vs. at least once a month) (RRadj = 0.73; 95% CI 0.53–1.00) seemed associated with unwillingness to donate embryos for research over time. Change towards non-donation happened mainly among couples who first considered that it was better to donate than wasting the embryos. Change towards donation occurred mostly among those stating that their priority at time 1 was to have a baby and who became pregnant in the meantime.
Conclusions
Quality of care guided by patients' characteristics, values, preferences, and needs calls for considering the factors and reasons underlying couples' willingness to donate embryos for research over time as a topic in psychosocial guidelines for infertility and medically assisted reproductive care.
Decision-making on embryo disposition is a source of distress and is subject to change over time. This paper analyses the willingness of couples undergoing in vitro fertilization to donate cryopreserved embryos for research from 15 days after embryo transfer to 12 months later, taking into account the influence of psychosocial, demographic, and reproductive factors.
Materials and methods
Prospective longitudinal study, with 74 heterosexual couples undergoing in vitro fertilization in a public fertility centre in Portugal, recruited between 2011 and 2012. Participants were evaluated twice: 15 days after embryo transfer and 12 months later.
Results
A significant decrease in patients' willingness to donate embryos for research over time was observed [86.5% to 73.6%; relative risk (RR) = 0.85; 95% CI 0.76–0.95]. A higher education level (>12 years) [adjusted RR (RRadj) = 0.79; 95% CI 0.64–0.96], considering research on human embryos to be important (vs. very important) (RRadj = 0.59; 95% CI 0.39–0.85) and practicing a religion less than once a month (vs. at least once a month) (RRadj = 0.73; 95% CI 0.53–1.00) seemed associated with unwillingness to donate embryos for research over time. Change towards non-donation happened mainly among couples who first considered that it was better to donate than wasting the embryos. Change towards donation occurred mostly among those stating that their priority at time 1 was to have a baby and who became pregnant in the meantime.
Conclusions
Quality of care guided by patients' characteristics, values, preferences, and needs calls for considering the factors and reasons underlying couples' willingness to donate embryos for research over time as a topic in psychosocial guidelines for infertility and medically assisted reproductive care.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Between 2011 and 2012, 213 heterosexual couples undergoing fertility treatments in a Portuguese public fertility centre were systematically recruited to assess factors associated with willingness to donate embryos for research. Data were... more
Between 2011 and 2012, 213 heterosexual couples undergoing fertility treatments in a Portuguese public fertility centre were systematically recruited to assess factors associated with willingness to donate embryos for research. Data were collected by questionnaire. Most couples (87.3%; 95% CI 82.1 to 91.5) were willing to donate embryos for research, citing benefits for science, health and infertile patients. Almost all couples (94.3%; 95% CI 89.8 to 96.7) reached consensus about the decision. Willingness to donate was more frequent in women younger than 36 years (adjusted OR 3.06; 95% CI 1.23 to 7.61) and who considered embryo research to be very important (adjusted OR: 6.32; 95% CI 1.85 to 21.64), and in Catholic men (adjusted OR 4.16; 95% CI 1.53 to 11.30). Those unwilling to donate reported conceptualizing embryos as children or living beings and a lack of information or fears about embryo research. Men with higher levels of trait anxiety (adjusted OR 0.90; 95% CI 0.84 to 0.96) were less frequently willing to donate. Future research on embryo disposition decision-making should include the assessment of gender differences and psychosocial factors. Ethically robust policies and accurate information about the results of human embryo research are required.
Research Interests:
There is scarce knowledge about the influence of the professional group, education, and age on public perspectives on the risks and benefits of forensic DNA databases. Based on data collected through an online questionnaire applied to 628... more
There is scarce knowledge about the influence of the professional group, education, and age on public perspectives on the risks and benefits of forensic DNA databases. Based on data collected through an online questionnaire applied to 628 individuals in Portugal, this research fills that gap. More than three quarters of the respondents believed that the Portuguese forensic DNA database can help fight crime more efficiently and develop a swifter and more accurate justice, whereas only approximately half thought that it could deter and prevent crime. Lack of security and control over access to data and the future unforeseen misuses of genetic information were the most relevant risks selected by the participants. Health care and life sciences professionals were more likely to agree with all the benefits, as opposed to those working in the field of law enforcement. More educated and older participants disagreed with benefits more often. Concerns with the risks increased with age.
The purpose of this study was to compare the sociodemographic and psychosocial characteristics reported by female in vitro fertilization (IVF) patients interviewed alone or with the partner in heterosexual couples. During 12 months... more
The purpose of this study was to compare the sociodemographic and psychosocial characteristics reported by female in vitro fertilization (IVF) patients interviewed alone or with the partner in heterosexual couples. During 12 months (2011–2012), all patients undergoing IVF or intracytoplasmic sperm injection at one public reproductive medicine unit, in Portugal, were interviewed on the day of the diagnosis of pregnancy, being recruited 221 women interviewed with the partner and 92 interviewed alone. Interviewers collected data on sociodemographic and obstetric characteristics; and anxiety, depression, social support and partner relationship were collected by self-administered questionnaires. χ2 test was used to assess the independent association between the categorical variables and being interviewed alone or with the partner. For continuous variables, mean or median differences were compared by the t-test or the Mann–Whitney test, according to data distribution. No statistically significant differences were found in the self-reporting of depression, anxiety, social support and partner relationship or in sociodemographic and obstetric characteristics between women interviewed alone or with the partner. Although women interviewed alone were older and more frequently had children than women interviewed with the partner, no significant associations were observed. Thus, having a male partner present in the research setting during a self-administered questionnaire seems not to influence women’s responses to psychosocial measures. Other outcomes and settings need to be evaluated to support evidence-based guidelines for research on infertility.
The public’s understanding of forensic DNA databases remains undertheorized and few empirical studies have been produced. This article aims to address this omission by exploring the answers to an open-ended question taken from an online... more
The public’s understanding of forensic DNA databases remains undertheorized and few empirical studies have been produced. This article aims to address this omission by exploring the answers to an open-ended question taken from an online questionnaire regarding the reasons for individuals’ voluntarily accepting or refusing to allow their DNA profile to be included in the Portuguese forensic DNA database. The analysis is undertaken from the perspective of biological citizenship and the simultaneous empowering and disempowering effects of surveillance. The results indicate a pragmatic ethical framework that is linked to the cultural and emotional elements of altruism, resistance, stigma, and social representations of what is beneficial or harmful to the individual and to society. These subjectivities are anchored in commonplace images and metaphors for genetics, DNA, and forensic science that circulate in the messages transmitted by the media which pervade everyday life; hierarchies of trust in science and the justice system; and moral categories associated with the individual self-judgment in relation to crime, surveillance, and social order.
Research Interests:
The ethical aspects of biobanks and forensic DNA databases are often treated as separate issues. As a reflection of this, public participation, or the involvement of citizens in genetic databases, has been approached differently in the... more
The ethical aspects of biobanks and forensic DNA databases are often treated as separate issues. As a reflection of this, public participation, or the involvement of citizens in genetic databases, has been approached differently in the fields of forensics and medicine. This paper aims to cross the boundaries between medicine and forensics by exploring the flows between the ethical issues presented in the two domains and the subsequent conceptualisation of public trust and legitimisation. We propose to introduce the concept of 'solidarity', traditionally applied only to medical and research biobanks, into a consideration of public engagement in medicine and forensics. Inclusion of a solidarity-based framework, in both medical biobanks and forensic DNA databases, raises new questions that should be included in the ethical debate, in relation to both health services/medical research and activities associated with the criminal justice system.
The establishment of the length of embryo storage has been based on socio-political criteria, translating into different regulations, guidelines and health care policies worldwide. This mixed-methods study aimed to assess the opinion of... more
The establishment of the length of embryo storage has been based on socio-political criteria, translating into different regulations, guidelines and health care policies worldwide. This mixed-methods study aimed to assess the opinion of patients about the embryo storage time limit, and the perception of the criteria underlying the establishment of the storage period. Between August 2011 and December 2012, 534 IVF patients from Portugal participated in a quantitative questionnaire and 34 couples were interviewed. Overall, 38% of participants preferred the duration of 4–5 years, 38% extended it beyond 5 years and 23% indicated 3 years. Having experienced at least one previous cycle was directly associated with agreeing with a duration of storage longer than 5 years, for both women and men. Having children was inversely associated with longer duration of storage, among women. One-third of the 34 interviewed couples stated that their knowledge concerning embryo storage was insufficient. Nevertheless, all the interviewees reported at least one possible reason for the legal establishment of the storage period offered to them, highlighting financial costs and decreased embryo quality. There are misconceptions and gaps in awareness of cryopreservation, which may shape patients' opinions. Accurate information regarding policy on storage of embryos is needed.
Research Interests:
The creation and expansion of forensic DNA databases might involve potential threats to the protection of a range of human rights. At the same time, such databases have social benefits. Based on data collected through an online... more
The creation and expansion of forensic DNA databases might involve potential threats to the protection of a range of human rights. At the same time, such databases have social benefits. Based on data collected through an online questionnaire applied to 628 individuals in Portugal, this paper aims to analyze the citizens’ willingness to donate voluntarily a sample for profiling and inclusion in the National Forensic DNA Database and the views underpinning such a decision.
Nearly one-quarter of the respondents would indicate ‘no’, and this negative response increased significantly with age and education. The overriding willingness to accept the inclusion of the individual genetic profile indicates an acknowledgement of the investigative potential of forensic DNA technologies and a relegation of civil liberties and human rights to the background, owing to the perceived benefits of protecting both society and the individual from crime. This rationale is mostly expressed by the idea that all citizens should contribute to the expansion of the National Forensic DNA Database for reasons that range from the more abstract assumption that donating a sample for profiling would be helpful in fighting crime to the more concrete suggestion that everyone (criminals and non-criminals) should be in the database. The concerns with the risks of accepting the donation of a sample for genetic profiling and inclusion in the National Forensic DNA Database are mostly related to lack of control and insufficient or unclear regulations concerning safeguarding individuals’ data and supervising the access and uses of genetic data.
Nearly one-quarter of the respondents would indicate ‘no’, and this negative response increased significantly with age and education. The overriding willingness to accept the inclusion of the individual genetic profile indicates an acknowledgement of the investigative potential of forensic DNA technologies and a relegation of civil liberties and human rights to the background, owing to the perceived benefits of protecting both society and the individual from crime. This rationale is mostly expressed by the idea that all citizens should contribute to the expansion of the National Forensic DNA Database for reasons that range from the more abstract assumption that donating a sample for profiling would be helpful in fighting crime to the more concrete suggestion that everyone (criminals and non-criminals) should be in the database. The concerns with the risks of accepting the donation of a sample for genetic profiling and inclusion in the National Forensic DNA Database are mostly related to lack of control and insufficient or unclear regulations concerning safeguarding individuals’ data and supervising the access and uses of genetic data.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
“Intensive parenting” ideologies have been increasingly disseminated in popular culture, expert discourses, and social policy. These have impacted particularly mothers owing to their actual or presumed central role in child rearing. One... more
“Intensive parenting” ideologies have been increasingly disseminated in popular culture, expert discourses, and social policy. These have impacted particularly mothers owing to their actual or presumed central role in child rearing. One of the main features of these ideologies is an increasing apportioning of rights and responsibilities to families without taking into account the resources needed to sustain the work of caring according to dominant social expectations. Drawing on 20 interviews in a Portuguese female prison, this article explores how mothering is enacted by underprivileged and criminalized women. Data show a complex web of tensions between the norms implicit in “intensive parenting” ideologies and the actual practices, which imprisoned mothers can accomplish. In their mothering from prison, women enact vulnerable resistance to the penal policies that undermine their primary role in child rearing. That is, prisoners creatively negotiate a space within which they can define themselves as “good mothers.”
Research Interests:
RESUMO: Explorando o carácter genderizado e socialmente situado do conceito de parentalidade, este artigo analisa, através das narrativas de pais e mães reclusas, as formas alternativas de exercício da paternidade e maternidade no... more
RESUMO: Explorando o carácter genderizado e socialmente situado do conceito de parentalidade, este artigo analisa, através das narrativas de pais e mães reclusas, as formas alternativas de exercício da paternidade e maternidade no contexto prisional. Os dados sugerem que as diferenças e desigualdades de género se materializam, antes e durante a reclusão, em diferentes cenários de envolvimento para mães e pais com percursos desviantes. Os resultados também evidenciam como se reconfiguram os laços parentais num contexto distanciado das configurações tradicionais e ao qual se somam os impactos criados pelo controlo penal.
ABSTRACT: "Alternative forms of parenting: fatherhood and motherhood in prison context". Exploring the gendered and socially situated nature of the concept of parenting, this article analyzes, through the narratives of prisoners who are parents, the alternative ways of mothering and fathering in the prison context. The data collected suggest that gender differences and inequalities materialize, before and during imprisonment, in different sce- narios of involvement for mothers and fathers with offending paths. They also show how parental ties are reconfigured in a context apart from traditional family configurations and marked by the impacts created by penal control.
ABSTRACT: "Alternative forms of parenting: fatherhood and motherhood in prison context". Exploring the gendered and socially situated nature of the concept of parenting, this article analyzes, through the narratives of prisoners who are parents, the alternative ways of mothering and fathering in the prison context. The data collected suggest that gender differences and inequalities materialize, before and during imprisonment, in different sce- narios of involvement for mothers and fathers with offending paths. They also show how parental ties are reconfigured in a context apart from traditional family configurations and marked by the impacts created by penal control.
Research Interests:
RESUMO Este artigo aborda a natureza relacional e socialmente situada da paternidade, captando os múltiplos sentidos que ser pai pode assumir em contextos distanciados das configurações familiares tradicionais, através das narrativas de... more
RESUMO
Este artigo aborda a natureza relacional e socialmente situada da paternidade, captando os múltiplos sentidos que ser pai pode assumir em contextos distanciados das configurações familiares tradicionais, através das narrativas de homens envolvidos nas malhas da justiça, mas posicionados em contextos sociais e simbólicos diferenciados: pais presos preventivamente e pais envolvidos em processo civil compulsório de investigação de paternidade. Sugere-se que existe uma teia complexa de tensões entre as ideologias de género dominantes e as práticas reais que podem ser concretizadas pelos pais, que descortina múltiplos cenários de paternidades fragmentadas e agrega variadas formas de construir e vivenciar o papel de pai.
ABSTRACT
Fragmented fatherhood: Gender, emotions and biogenetic and prison (dis)connections. This article explores the relational and socially situated nature of fatherhood by focusing on the multiple meanings that being a father may assume in contexts apart from traditional family settings, through the narratives of men involved with the justice system, but positioned in differentiated social and symbolic contexts: fathers who are prisoners on remand; and fathers involved in compulsory paternity investigation ordered by courts. We suggest that there is a complex web of tensions between the dominant ideologies of gender and the actual practices that can be fulfilled by men who are fathers, which reveals multiple scenarios of fragmented fatherhood and embody various forms of perceiving and experiencing being a father.
Este artigo aborda a natureza relacional e socialmente situada da paternidade, captando os múltiplos sentidos que ser pai pode assumir em contextos distanciados das configurações familiares tradicionais, através das narrativas de homens envolvidos nas malhas da justiça, mas posicionados em contextos sociais e simbólicos diferenciados: pais presos preventivamente e pais envolvidos em processo civil compulsório de investigação de paternidade. Sugere-se que existe uma teia complexa de tensões entre as ideologias de género dominantes e as práticas reais que podem ser concretizadas pelos pais, que descortina múltiplos cenários de paternidades fragmentadas e agrega variadas formas de construir e vivenciar o papel de pai.
ABSTRACT
Fragmented fatherhood: Gender, emotions and biogenetic and prison (dis)connections. This article explores the relational and socially situated nature of fatherhood by focusing on the multiple meanings that being a father may assume in contexts apart from traditional family settings, through the narratives of men involved with the justice system, but positioned in differentiated social and symbolic contexts: fathers who are prisoners on remand; and fathers involved in compulsory paternity investigation ordered by courts. We suggest that there is a complex web of tensions between the dominant ideologies of gender and the actual practices that can be fulfilled by men who are fathers, which reveals multiple scenarios of fragmented fatherhood and embody various forms of perceiving and experiencing being a father.
Research Interests:
Analisam-se os argumentos usados pelas organizações de ética portuguesas na regulação da investigação em embriões de origem humana. Recolheram-se documentos produzidos entre 2006 e 2010. Procedeu-se à análise temática de conteúdo, e as... more
Analisam-se os argumentos usados pelas organizações de ética portuguesas na regulação da investigação em embriões de origem humana. Recolheram-se documentos produzidos entre 2006 e 2010. Procedeu-se à análise temática de conteúdo, e as estratégias discursivas foram estudadas a partir de uma abordagem semântica da informação. Discutiram-se o estatuto do embrião abstrato (ser humano/pessoa ou artefato biológico/neoestrutura laboratorial) e os critérios que devem nortear as boas práticas e equilibrar expectativas e riscos na investigação em embriões, coexistindo argumentos heterogéneos oriundos da bioética principialista, laica e interventiva. Importa incorporar no debate as perspetivas de quem tem que decidir o destino de embriões concretos.
The political and financial investments in the implementation of forensic DNA databases and the ethical issues related to their use and expansion justify inquiries into their performance and general utility. The main function of a... more
The political and financial investments in the implementation of forensic DNA databases and the ethical issues related to their use and expansion justify inquiries into their performance and general utility. The main function of a forensic DNA database is to produce matches between individuals and crime scene stains, which requires a constant input of individual profiles and crime scene stains. This is conditioned, among other factors, by the legislation, namely the criteria for inclusion of profiles and the periods of time and conditions for their retention and/or deletion. This article aims to provide an overview of the different legislative models for DNA databasing in Europe and ponder if wider inclusion criteria – and, consequently, database size – translates into more matches between profiles of crime scene stains and included individuals (performance ratio). The legislation governing forensic DNA databases in 22 countries in the European Union was analysed in order to propose a typology of two major groups of legislative criteria for inclusion/retention of profiles that can be classified as having either expansive effects or restrictive effects. We argue that expansive criteria for inclusion and retention of profiles do not necessarily translate into significant gains in output performance.
Research Interests:
This text discusses some aspects of the local configurations of social representations and uses of DNA technology in criminal investigations in Portugal. The approach to the sociotechnical network which aligns forensic science with state... more
This text discusses some aspects of the local configurations of social representations and uses of DNA technology in criminal investigations in Portugal. The approach to the sociotechnical network which aligns forensic science with state governance policies, criminal investigation practices and laws, and the cultural imaginaries surrounding DNA and criminal investigation work is based on the concepts of biolegality and the forensic imaginary, which are, in turn, anchored in notions of biocitizenship and bioidentification, respectively. An interpretative and qualitative theoretical-methodological perspective has been adopted, based on an analysis of legislation and an understanding of the meanings and relevance attributed to the use of DNA technology by members of the Portuguese Criminal Police. The objective is to discuss aspects of the local tensions created by processes involving the export of DNA technology, which has its origins in societies and cultures with different traditions of technology governance, regulation of criminal investigation procedures and submission of evidence in court.
Research Interests:
Neste texto discutimos alguns contornos das configurações locais das representações e usos sociais da tecnologia de DNA na investigação criminal em Portugal. A abordagem da rede sociotécnica que alinha a ciência forense com políticas de... more
Neste texto discutimos alguns contornos das configurações locais das representações e usos sociais da tecnologia de DNA na investigação criminal em Portugal. A abordagem da rede sociotécnica que alinha a ciência forense com políticas de governação estatal, as leis e as práticas de investigação criminal e os imaginários culturais em torno do DNA e do trabalho de investigação criminal é realizada a partir dos conceitos de biolegalidade e de imaginário forense, por sua vez ancorados, respetivamente, nas noções de biocidada-nia e de bioidentificação. Adotou-se uma perspetiva teórico-metodológica de tipo interpre-tativo e qualitativo fundamentada em análise de legislação e na compreensão de sentidos e significados atribuídos à utilização de tecnologia de DNA da parte de elementos da Polícia Judiciária. O nosso objetivo é discutir algumas modalidades de tensões locais criadas por processos de exportação da tecnologia de DNA, que têm a sua origem em sociedades e culturas com diferentes histórias de governação de tecnologia, de regulação das práticas de investigação criminal e de produção de prova em tribunal.
Official technical and scientific recommendations on standard procedures and quality control in the field of testing of paternity do not cover issues relating to methods of subjects’ identification in the processing of paternity... more
Official technical and scientific recommendations on standard procedures and quality control in the field of testing of paternity do not cover issues relating to methods of subjects’ identification in the processing of paternity investigations that are compulsory for the individuals – parental testing ordered by courts. The aim of this paper is to explore the main issues posed to forensic laboratories when collecting samples for court ordered paternity investigation and therefore contribute to the ongoing debate on social and ethical implications of parental testing and open up new dimensions of this practice. The data was collected from a qualitative study carried out in forensic laboratories in Portugal, based on interviews conducted with forensic experts. The methods for identifying individuals during sample collection are unspecified and heterogeneous and raise several concerns that need to be addressed by common recommendations and an ethically informed code of conduct. Our results indicate that it is needed to start an interdisciplinary discussion about subjects’ identification in that context. These practices demand a more effective coordination between courts of law and forensic laboratories and national guidelines for good practices in the case of paternity testing in judicial proceedings.
Drawing on interviews with prison inmates in Portugal, the aim of this paper is to contribute towards a more practical approach and greater sensitivity to the situatedness of the so-called CSI effect by examining the heterogeneous... more
Drawing on interviews with prison inmates in Portugal, the aim of this paper is to contribute towards a more practical approach and greater sensitivity to the situatedness of the so-called CSI effect by examining the heterogeneous elements involved in the construction of meanings for forensic science and technology. It discusses the ways in which this particular group's representations of forensic genetics reveal forms of exposure to, but also distancing from, the cultural images circulated by the media. The results indicate that, given that they are in an advantageous position for acquiring knowledge of these issues, this group is relatively skeptical of fictionalized portrayals of DNA technology as infallible and as the most powerful tool that can be used to solve crime. Prison inmates construct a grounded assessment of forensic technologies that derives from the position they occupy in the real world of crime and criminal investigation.
Research Interests:
Within the context of the use of DNA technology in crime investigation, biosecurity is perceived by different stakeholders according to their particular rationalities and interests. Very little is known about prisoners' perceptions and... more
Within the context of the use of DNA technology in crime investigation, biosecurity is perceived by different stakeholders according to their particular rationalities and interests. Very little is known about prisoners' perceptions and assessments of the uses of DNA technology in solving crime.
To propose a conceptual model that serves to analyse and interpret prisoners' representations of DNA technology and biosecurity.
A qualitative study using an interpretative approach based on 31 semi-structured tape-recorded interviews was carried out between May and September 2009, involving male inmates in three prisons located in the north of Portugal. The content analysis focused on the following topics: the meanings attributed to DNA and assessments of the risks and benefits of the uses of DNA technology and databasing in forensic applications.
DNA was described as a record of identity, an exceptional material, and a powerful biometric identifier. The interviewees believed that DNA can be planted to incriminate suspects. Convicted offenders argued for the need to extend the criteria for the inclusion of DNA profiles in forensic databases and to restrict the removal of profiles.
The conceptual model entitled criminal genomic pragmatism allows for an understanding of the views of prison inmates regarding DNA technology and biosecurity.
To propose a conceptual model that serves to analyse and interpret prisoners' representations of DNA technology and biosecurity.
A qualitative study using an interpretative approach based on 31 semi-structured tape-recorded interviews was carried out between May and September 2009, involving male inmates in three prisons located in the north of Portugal. The content analysis focused on the following topics: the meanings attributed to DNA and assessments of the risks and benefits of the uses of DNA technology and databasing in forensic applications.
DNA was described as a record of identity, an exceptional material, and a powerful biometric identifier. The interviewees believed that DNA can be planted to incriminate suspects. Convicted offenders argued for the need to extend the criteria for the inclusion of DNA profiles in forensic databases and to restrict the removal of profiles.
The conceptual model entitled criminal genomic pragmatism allows for an understanding of the views of prison inmates regarding DNA technology and biosecurity.
O conceito de crise é particularmente caro às Ciências Sociais. E é-o não apenas no domínio da ciência económica ou política, mas também da Sociologia, da História, da Antropologia, da Educação, da Geografia e da Comunicação. Se no campo... more
O conceito de crise é particularmente caro às Ciências Sociais. E é-o não apenas no
domínio da ciência económica ou política, mas também da Sociologia, da História,
da Antropologia, da Educação, da Geografia e da Comunicação. Se no campo da
saúde, ela é entendida como uma perturbação momentânea, uma circunstância de
anormalidade que afeta o funcionamento regular de um organismo, no campo social,
para onde se transporta com o mesmo sentido, a crise também diz respeito a uma
certa ideia de interrupção, de descontinuidade, de alteração – por vezes, abrupta –
das condições de vida. A metáfora da crise, explica R. J. Holton, terá sido transposta
para a reflexão sobre a sociedade como uma forma de perspetivar “as perceções de
patologia social, de colapso social e de desorganização” (Holton, 1987, p. 504). É
para o corpo social um fenómeno equivalente ao que fragiliza o corpo físico quando
confrontado com a ameaça da enfermidade.
Na sua vocação compreensiva, as Ciências Sociais têm colocado a noção de crise
em perspetiva em quase todas as dimensões da vida. Ao procurarem explicar as
dinâmicas sociais como processos sujeitos à mudança e à transformação, estas
ciências têm desenvolvido a ideia de que as crises são, não apenas momentos
de disrupção dos valores instituídos, mas também pontos de viragem histórica e
civilizacional. A retórica da crise, que entra no campo das Ciências Sociais pelo prisma
da Economia e pelos efeitos da quebra das lógicas de produção, comercialização e
consumo, assim como pela identificação de episódios de instabilidade política e
de conflitos, domina todo o discurso sobre a modernidade. As definições comuns
identificam o conceito de crise como sinónimo de impasse, de perturbação, como
contexto de perigo ou tensão, como fase de rutura em relação a hábitos ou crenças,
ou ainda como carência ou escassez. Em todas estas declinações, a abordagem da
crise oferece-se ao cientista social como um problema e como um desafio.
Num ensaio publicado em 1976 na revista Communications, Edgar Morin sugeria que
“a noção de crise se propagou no século XX por todos os horizontes da consciência
contemporânea” (Morin, 1976, p. 149). Constatava então que não havia “domínio
ou problema que não estivesse assombrado pela ideia de crise: o capitalismo, a
sociedade, a família, os valores, a juventude, a ciência, o direito, a civilização, a
humanidade” (Morin, 1976, p. 149). Pela ciência ou pelos média, a perspetiva da crise
estende-se hoje à notícia da crise ambiental, da crise dos refugiados, da crise dos
sistemas de informação, da crise de confiança, da crise da cultura e do pensamento.
A perceção de que toda a experiência humana está sujeita à prova da crise tem
no entendimento de que as próprias Ciências Sociais (e as Humanidades) são um
ramo de conhecimento que também se descobre em situação crítica, por insuficiente
reconhecimento público e dificuldades de financiamento.
O debate sobre a crise (ou as crises) é, portanto, um debate atual que reclama da ciência
um exercício permanente de reflexão. Cientes de que o que comanda o progresso é
também o que instaura paradoxalmente novas precariedades, os cientistas sociais
assumem hoje a responsabilidade de analisar os fatores que desencadeiam as
crises, de avaliar os seus efeitos e de propor estratégias de governabilidade que, não
resolvendo em definitivo a “origem da ameaça”, recomendam a sua incorporação como parte do processo de desenvolvimento. A problematização da crise não é um
fim em si mesmo; é, antes a assunção necessária do imperativo de deslocação para
diante. É por isso que as Ciências Sociais são, não apenas ciências úteis, mas também
ciências emancipatórias e transformistas.
Com esta convicção, reunimos neste volume um conjunto de leituras que apresentam
a experiência da crise como uma experiência transversal. É esse o ponto de
originalidade desta obra, que reúne contributos de vários membros da comunidade
do Instituto de Ciências Sociais da Universidade do Minho. O tema da crise tem
sido apresentado na produção científica em abordagens específicas da economia,
da política, do jornalismo, da educação, da cultura. Neste livro, porém, juntamos a
perspetiva de diferentes disciplinas, assumindo a multiplicidade do próprio conceito
de crise.
Num registo breve, cada capítulo é um convite à reflexão da diversidade de
experiências e problemáticas sociais da crise. Assumida em título como uma
noção plural, a noção de crise(s) é aqui encarada ora como fatalidade ora como
oportunidade. Todos os capítulos se afinam pela mesma nota: a de que a crise é
central à análise crítica das sociedades. Os 22 ensaios que compõem este volume
situam esta problemática em contextos vários: na perspetiva histórica da saúde,
na demografia, na economia, na comunicação, nas instituições, no ambiente, na
tecnologia, na cultura, nas migrações, nos territórios, na educação e na ciência.
Como todas as obras coletivas, Sociedade e crise(s) não esconde a heterogeneidade
de estilos. E pelo momento que a Humanidade atravessa neste ano de 2020, também
não é indiferente à crise sanitária provocada pela COVID-19. A pandemia não era
propriamente o pretexto de partida para esta coletânea. No entanto, em quase
todos os textos a referência à experiência extraordinária da situação epidemiológica
tornou-se inevitável. Porque nela se acentuou o sintoma de todas as outras crises
a cujos efeitos não escaparão as próximas gerações. Assinalando o 44º aniversário
do Instituto de Ciências Sociais, a edição deste livro tem também um propósito
celebrativo e de partilha do que somos enquanto comunidade científica. Que o leitor
encontre nestas páginas razão bastante para um saber inquieto que nada tem de
conformista.
domínio da ciência económica ou política, mas também da Sociologia, da História,
da Antropologia, da Educação, da Geografia e da Comunicação. Se no campo da
saúde, ela é entendida como uma perturbação momentânea, uma circunstância de
anormalidade que afeta o funcionamento regular de um organismo, no campo social,
para onde se transporta com o mesmo sentido, a crise também diz respeito a uma
certa ideia de interrupção, de descontinuidade, de alteração – por vezes, abrupta –
das condições de vida. A metáfora da crise, explica R. J. Holton, terá sido transposta
para a reflexão sobre a sociedade como uma forma de perspetivar “as perceções de
patologia social, de colapso social e de desorganização” (Holton, 1987, p. 504). É
para o corpo social um fenómeno equivalente ao que fragiliza o corpo físico quando
confrontado com a ameaça da enfermidade.
Na sua vocação compreensiva, as Ciências Sociais têm colocado a noção de crise
em perspetiva em quase todas as dimensões da vida. Ao procurarem explicar as
dinâmicas sociais como processos sujeitos à mudança e à transformação, estas
ciências têm desenvolvido a ideia de que as crises são, não apenas momentos
de disrupção dos valores instituídos, mas também pontos de viragem histórica e
civilizacional. A retórica da crise, que entra no campo das Ciências Sociais pelo prisma
da Economia e pelos efeitos da quebra das lógicas de produção, comercialização e
consumo, assim como pela identificação de episódios de instabilidade política e
de conflitos, domina todo o discurso sobre a modernidade. As definições comuns
identificam o conceito de crise como sinónimo de impasse, de perturbação, como
contexto de perigo ou tensão, como fase de rutura em relação a hábitos ou crenças,
ou ainda como carência ou escassez. Em todas estas declinações, a abordagem da
crise oferece-se ao cientista social como um problema e como um desafio.
Num ensaio publicado em 1976 na revista Communications, Edgar Morin sugeria que
“a noção de crise se propagou no século XX por todos os horizontes da consciência
contemporânea” (Morin, 1976, p. 149). Constatava então que não havia “domínio
ou problema que não estivesse assombrado pela ideia de crise: o capitalismo, a
sociedade, a família, os valores, a juventude, a ciência, o direito, a civilização, a
humanidade” (Morin, 1976, p. 149). Pela ciência ou pelos média, a perspetiva da crise
estende-se hoje à notícia da crise ambiental, da crise dos refugiados, da crise dos
sistemas de informação, da crise de confiança, da crise da cultura e do pensamento.
A perceção de que toda a experiência humana está sujeita à prova da crise tem
no entendimento de que as próprias Ciências Sociais (e as Humanidades) são um
ramo de conhecimento que também se descobre em situação crítica, por insuficiente
reconhecimento público e dificuldades de financiamento.
O debate sobre a crise (ou as crises) é, portanto, um debate atual que reclama da ciência
um exercício permanente de reflexão. Cientes de que o que comanda o progresso é
também o que instaura paradoxalmente novas precariedades, os cientistas sociais
assumem hoje a responsabilidade de analisar os fatores que desencadeiam as
crises, de avaliar os seus efeitos e de propor estratégias de governabilidade que, não
resolvendo em definitivo a “origem da ameaça”, recomendam a sua incorporação como parte do processo de desenvolvimento. A problematização da crise não é um
fim em si mesmo; é, antes a assunção necessária do imperativo de deslocação para
diante. É por isso que as Ciências Sociais são, não apenas ciências úteis, mas também
ciências emancipatórias e transformistas.
Com esta convicção, reunimos neste volume um conjunto de leituras que apresentam
a experiência da crise como uma experiência transversal. É esse o ponto de
originalidade desta obra, que reúne contributos de vários membros da comunidade
do Instituto de Ciências Sociais da Universidade do Minho. O tema da crise tem
sido apresentado na produção científica em abordagens específicas da economia,
da política, do jornalismo, da educação, da cultura. Neste livro, porém, juntamos a
perspetiva de diferentes disciplinas, assumindo a multiplicidade do próprio conceito
de crise.
Num registo breve, cada capítulo é um convite à reflexão da diversidade de
experiências e problemáticas sociais da crise. Assumida em título como uma
noção plural, a noção de crise(s) é aqui encarada ora como fatalidade ora como
oportunidade. Todos os capítulos se afinam pela mesma nota: a de que a crise é
central à análise crítica das sociedades. Os 22 ensaios que compõem este volume
situam esta problemática em contextos vários: na perspetiva histórica da saúde,
na demografia, na economia, na comunicação, nas instituições, no ambiente, na
tecnologia, na cultura, nas migrações, nos territórios, na educação e na ciência.
Como todas as obras coletivas, Sociedade e crise(s) não esconde a heterogeneidade
de estilos. E pelo momento que a Humanidade atravessa neste ano de 2020, também
não é indiferente à crise sanitária provocada pela COVID-19. A pandemia não era
propriamente o pretexto de partida para esta coletânea. No entanto, em quase
todos os textos a referência à experiência extraordinária da situação epidemiológica
tornou-se inevitável. Porque nela se acentuou o sintoma de todas as outras crises
a cujos efeitos não escaparão as próximas gerações. Assinalando o 44º aniversário
do Instituto de Ciências Sociais, a edição deste livro tem também um propósito
celebrativo e de partilha do que somos enquanto comunidade científica. Que o leitor
encontre nestas páginas razão bastante para um saber inquieto que nada tem de
conformista.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
s bases de dados genéticos forenses têm criado impactos assinaláveis nos sistemas de justiça, um pouco por todo o mundo. A partir de contributos de especialistas provenientes de diferentes áreas disciplinares – antropologia, biologia,... more
s bases de dados genéticos forenses têm criado impactos assinaláveis nos sistemas de justiça, um pouco por todo o mundo. A partir de contributos de especialistas provenientes de diferentes áreas disciplinares – antropologia, biologia, direito e sociologia – este livro discute as questões éticas, jurídicas, políticas e sociais associadas à criação, utilização e expansão deste tipo de bases de dados, em diferentes países: em Portugal, Espanha e Brasil. Desenvolve-se uma reflexão crítica em torno da conciliação e equilíbrio entre o inegável valor das bases de dados genéticos forenses na investigação criminal e a ponderação dos riscos que se colocam em termos de direitos humanos e no plano da reprodução de desigualdades sociais e da discriminação social e étnica.
Research Interests:
Partindo de um conjunto de reflexões desenvolvidas por especialistas e académicos de diferentes áreas disciplinares – da genética forense, ciências policiais, direito, sociologia, antropologia e psicologia forense – que espelham saberes e... more
Partindo de um conjunto de reflexões desenvolvidas por especialistas e académicos de diferentes áreas disciplinares – da genética forense, ciências policiais, direito, sociologia, antropologia e psicologia forense – que espelham saberes e práticas de diferentes áreas de conhecimento e de atuação profissional, este livro procura responder à questão: Quais as potencialidades e os limites da ciência e da tecnologia no combate ao crime?
Os olhares heterogéneos e interdisciplinares condensados nesta publicação apontam para algumas convergências, nomeadamente, o reconhecimento do elevado potencial da ciência e da tecnologia para a investigação criminal. Contudo, são igualmente identificados os principais obstáculos colocados nas práticas de terreno da investigação de criminal: a legislação que dificulta a agilização de processos de investigação e acesso à informação; as divergências na interpretação da lei; os fatores que dificultam a recolha e preservação de elementos de prova; a burocracia que fragiliza a eficiência dos procedimentos; as fragilidades da formação técnica na área da ciência e tecnologias forenses de vários atores do sistema judiciário.
Os olhares heterogéneos e interdisciplinares condensados nesta publicação apontam para algumas convergências, nomeadamente, o reconhecimento do elevado potencial da ciência e da tecnologia para a investigação criminal. Contudo, são igualmente identificados os principais obstáculos colocados nas práticas de terreno da investigação de criminal: a legislação que dificulta a agilização de processos de investigação e acesso à informação; as divergências na interpretação da lei; os fatores que dificultam a recolha e preservação de elementos de prova; a burocracia que fragiliza a eficiência dos procedimentos; as fragilidades da formação técnica na área da ciência e tecnologias forenses de vários atores do sistema judiciário.
Research Interests:
Um teste genético permite, hoje, atingir a “certeza” da paternidade biológica. A tecnologia do DNA abriu a possibilidade de se passar a definir a paternidade não somente com base nos afetos e relações entre as pessoas, mas também (ou... more
Um teste genético permite, hoje, atingir a “certeza” da paternidade biológica. A tecnologia do DNA abriu a possibilidade de se passar a definir a paternidade não somente com base nos afetos e relações entre as pessoas, mas também (ou principalmente) a partir de laços biogenéticos. A partir de uma explicação acessível dos procedimentos técnicos da aplicação da genética na investigação do parentesco, este livro apresenta uma discussão de diversos aspetos – éticos, sociais, políticos e jurídicos – relacionados com os testes de paternidade. Para tal, conta com a colaboração de cientistas sociais e de especialistas em genética; e baseia-se em estudos realizados em diferentes países, nomeadamente, Alemanha, Austrália, Brasil e Portugal.
Research Interests:
Nas duas últimas décadas, o debate em torno das relações entre os tribunais e a comunicação social tem estado no epicentro da discussão pública sobre o estado da justiça (e da democracia) em vários países. Esta compilação de trabalhos de... more
Nas duas últimas décadas, o debate em torno das relações entre os tribunais e a comunicação social tem estado no epicentro da discussão pública sobre o estado da justiça (e da democracia) em vários países. Esta compilação de trabalhos de especialistas ingleses, norte-americanos e portugueses pretende ser um contributo para alargar o âmbito da análise crítica e reflexão sobre os encontros e desencontros entre a justiça e os média, tendo como objectivo familiarizar o público português com outras dimensões possíveis da discussão: desde a importância das emoções no direito e na administração da justiça criminal; aos impactos da cobertura mediática de casos criminais nas representações sobre justiça, ordem social e nos chamados “julgamentos mediáticos”; passando por perspectivas mais dirigidas ao futuro da justiça e seus operadores em paisagens crescentemente mediatizadas e assentes no poder de difusão de novas tecnologias, que colocam desafios às relações entre os tribunais, a polícia e os média, procurando interrogar, inclusivamente, o papel dos cidadãos neste cenário de mudança.
Research Interests:
This book is the first of four books based on a series of symposia funded by COST, which is an intergovernmental framework for the promotion of European Cooperation in the field of Scientific and Technical Research. It draws on both... more
This book is the first of four books based on a series of symposia funded by COST, which is an intergovernmental framework for the promotion of European Cooperation in the field of Scientific and Technical Research. It draws on both historical and contemporary European case-studies to offer a sophisticated account of the relationship between gender and well-being. The authors focus on key discussions of the changing conceptions of well-being from early twentieth century calculations of the relationship between income and the cost-of-living, to more recent critiques from feminist writers. Their fascinating answers allow them to significantly challenge the issue with the idea that well-being is not only associated with income or opulence but also relates to more abstract concepts including capabilities, freedom, and agency of different women and men and will be of considerable interest to economic and social historians, sociologists of health, gender, sexuality and economists.
Research Interests:
Este livro mobiliza uma perspectiva sociológica crítica para explorar modos contemporâneos da governança da criminalidade por via da genética forense. Helena Machado e Rafaela Granja abordam um conjunto de temas útil à compreensão do... more
Este livro mobiliza uma perspectiva sociológica crítica para explorar modos contemporâneos da governança da criminalidade por via da genética forense. Helena Machado e Rafaela Granja abordam um conjunto de temas útil à compreensão do lugar e do papel da genética nos sistemas de justiça criminal, bem como os desafios sociais, éticos e políticos subjacentes. Em particular, as autoras exploram os usos da genética para identificar suspeitos criminais ou para prever o comportamento humano e os riscos para a privacidade e direitos humanos associados, a expansão da vigilância transnacional e o uso do big data. O livro integra também a análise de tecnologias controversas que têm o potencial de consolidar a criminalização e estigmatização de determinados grupos sociais, indivíduos e famílias, bem como fazer recrudescer manifestações racistas baseadas na biologia. Redigido numa linguagem acessível, este livro destina-se a estudantes, pesquisadores e profissionais de diversas áreas – da Sociologia, Criminologia e outras ciências sociais ao Direito e à Genética Forense.
Research Interests:
This open access book explores how biometric data is increasingly flowing across borders in order to limit, control and contain the mobility of selected people, namely criminalized populations. It introduces the concept of bio-bordering,... more
This open access book explores how biometric data is increasingly flowing across borders in order to limit, control and contain the mobility of selected people, namely criminalized populations. It introduces the concept of bio-bordering, using it to capture reverse patterns of bordering and ordering practices linked to transnational biometric data exchange regimes. The concept is useful to reconstruct how the territorial foundations of national state autonomy are partially reclaimed and, at the same time, partially purposefully suspended. The book focuses on the Prüm system, which facilitates the mandatory exchange of forensic DNA data amongst EU Member States. The Prüm system is an underexplored phenomenon, representing diverse instances of bio-bordering and providing a complex picture of the hidden (dis)integration of Europe. Particular legal, scientific, technical and political dimensions related to the governance and uses of biometric technologies in Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal and the United Kingdom are specifically explored to demonstrate both similar and distinct patterns.
Research Interests:
The introductory chapter offers a detailed description of the themes that the reader can expect to find in this book and a discussion of the social and academic relevance of the role and use of forensic genetic technologies in the... more
The introductory chapter offers a detailed description of the themes that the reader can expect to find in this book and a discussion of the social and academic relevance of the role and use of forensic genetic technologies in the criminal justice system. This introductory chapter provides the key concepts for the discussion of how developments in the application of forensic genetics can be understood as part of wider shifts in how the governance of criminality is enacted and made visible through the symbolic power invested in science and technology.
Research Interests:
The real heroes of television crime shows in the twenty-first century are no longer police detectives but forensic technologies. The immense popularity of high-tech crime television shows has changed the way in which crime scene work is... more
The real heroes of television crime shows in the twenty-first century are no longer police detectives but forensic technologies. The immense popularity of high-tech crime television shows has changed the way in which crime scene work is viewed. The term 'CSI-effect' was coined to signify a situation where people's views and practices have been influenced by such media representations, e.g. judges and jurors putting more weight on forensic evidence that has been produced with high-tech tools - in particular, DNA evidence - than on other kinds of evidence. While considerable scholarly attention has been paid to examining the CSI effect on publics, jurors, judges, and police investigators, prisoners' views on forensic technologies and policing have been under-explored. Drawing on a research sample of over 50 interviews carried out with prisoners in Portugal and Austria, this groundbreaking book shows how prisoners view crime scene traces, how they understand crime scene technologies, and what effect they attribute to the existence of large police databases on their own lives, careers, and futures. Through critically engaging with STS, sociological and criminological perspectives on the use of DNA technologies within the criminal justice system, this work provides the reader with valuable insights into the effect of different legal, political, discursive, and historical configurations on how crime scene technologies are utilized by the police and related to by convicted offenders.
Research Interests:
A tecnologia de DNA e sofisticadas bases de dados policiais são apresentadas como uma "máquina da verdade" em séries televisivas como o CSI, ganhando centralidade no imaginário coletivo sobre a investigação criminal. Como se situam... more
A tecnologia de DNA e sofisticadas bases de dados policiais são apresentadas como uma "máquina da verdade" em séries televisivas como o CSI, ganhando centralidade no imaginário coletivo sobre a investigação criminal. Como se situam indivíduos condenados pela prática de crimes perante este "super-herói tecnológico"? Tendo por base entrevistas realizadas a reclusos portugueses e austríacos, neste livro interrogam-se as estruturas sociais, culturais e políticas que sustentam a forma como se articulam, nos dias de hoje, tecnologia, vigilância e controlo social. As opiniões dos presos sobre as tecnologias forenses projetam representações e experiências sobre o trabalho da polícia e dos tribunais, ao mesmo tempo que desvendam processos identitários fragmentados e trajetórias de exclusão e estigmatização sociais.
Research Interests:
Conferir um sentido sociológico à justiça significa encará-la não como um simples ideário concretizado nas disposições do direito, mas como um conjunto de relações sociais, numa sociedade espacial e historicamente situada. Este livro... more
Conferir um sentido sociológico à justiça significa encará-la não como um simples ideário concretizado nas disposições do direito, mas como um conjunto de relações sociais, numa sociedade espacial e historicamente situada. Este livro interessa a estudantes, professores, investigadores, profissionais forenses, jornalistas e qualquer cidadão empenhado em compreender as interacções entre o direito, a justiça e os modos como os média se apresentam na contemporaneidade como um «novo» espaço na pluralidade jurídica.
Research Interests:
Este livro visa responder às seguintes questões:Poderá a tecnologia servir como instrumento para expandir a eficácia da justiça e consolidar a cidadania? A ciência e a tecnologia aplicadas à justiça poderão expressar o nível e intensidade... more
Este livro visa responder às seguintes questões:Poderá a tecnologia servir como instrumento para expandir a eficácia da justiça e consolidar a cidadania? A ciência e a tecnologia aplicadas à justiça poderão expressar o nível e intensidade de democraticidade das sociedades contemporâneas? Quais as presentes e futuras configuração das «justiça tecnológica», no plano nacional e internacional? E o que significa verdadeiramente essa expressão? Quais os seus principais actores, ideários e artefactos? Quais as virtualidades, limitações e potenciais riscos que decorrem da aplicação no sistema judiciário de instrumentos como a tecnologia de ADN e as novas tecnologias de comunicação e informação?
Research Interests:
Por que é que determinados indivíduos cometem crimes e outros não? Por que é que alguns são classificados como criminosos e outros não? Por que é que os homens tendem a praticar mais o crime do que as mulheres? Quais podem ser as... more
Por que é que determinados indivíduos cometem crimes e outros não? Por que é que alguns são classificados como criminosos e outros não? Por que é que os homens tendem a praticar mais o crime do que as mulheres? Quais podem ser as responsabilidades da sociedade perante o criminoso: punir, tratar ou reinserir? Como é que evoluiu a visão social sobre o crime, da Antiguidade aos dias de hoje? De que fontes de informação e técnicas de pesquisa dispõem os investigadores na área da abordagem sociológica do crime? Que teorias se desenvolveram no seio da Sociologia para explicar a ocorrência do crime e as codificações do criminoso?
Este livro apresenta algumas respostas possíveis a estas questões, deixando em aberto pistas de estudo e de análise do fenómeno do crime na vertente das relações sociais e institucionais.
Redigido numa linguagem acessível, é um manual de ensino e aprendizagem na área da Sociologia do Crime, seguindo as novas metodologias pedagógicas preconizadas pelo denominado Processo de Bolonha. Trta-se de um texto que pode interessar a estudantes e a docentes do ensino superior, de áreas diversas como a Sociologia, a Criminologia, o Direito, a Antropologia, a Psicologia Social, o Serviço Social, a Reinserção Social e a Animação Sócio-Cultural.
Este livro apresenta algumas respostas possíveis a estas questões, deixando em aberto pistas de estudo e de análise do fenómeno do crime na vertente das relações sociais e institucionais.
Redigido numa linguagem acessível, é um manual de ensino e aprendizagem na área da Sociologia do Crime, seguindo as novas metodologias pedagógicas preconizadas pelo denominado Processo de Bolonha. Trta-se de um texto que pode interessar a estudantes e a docentes do ensino superior, de áreas diversas como a Sociologia, a Criminologia, o Direito, a Antropologia, a Psicologia Social, o Serviço Social, a Reinserção Social e a Animação Sócio-Cultural.
Research Interests:
O Sofrimento Oculto. Causas, Cenários e Vivências da Infertilidade tem como objectivo facultar aos leitores uma abordagem ampla e multifacetada do fenómeno da infertilidade, desenvolvendo, além dos aspectos sociais e culturais, também a... more
O Sofrimento Oculto. Causas, Cenários e Vivências da Infertilidade tem como objectivo facultar aos leitores uma abordagem ampla e multifacetada do fenómeno da infertilidade, desenvolvendo, além dos aspectos sociais e culturais, também a vertente médica, legal e ética. Esta obra preocupa-se em definir vários conceitos básicos ainda não esclarecidos de forma clara, tais como os de saúde reprodutiva, infertilidade, fertilidade, fecundabilidade e esterilidade, e através de entrevistas a casais em situação de infertilidade centra a sua atenção nos projectos de maternidade e de gravidez, nos motivos da ausência de realização da consulta de infertilidade, na avaliação dos tratamentos e serviços médicos, nos impactos da situação de infertilidade gerados na vida dos casais, bem como nas suas vivências familiar e social.
Constitui um documento de reflexão para cientistas sociais e profissionais de saúde, tentando fazer a ponte entre saberes médicos e saberes sociais inerentes a esta problemática, saberes um pouco dissonantes até ao presente.
Constitui um documento de reflexão para cientistas sociais e profissionais de saúde, tentando fazer a ponte entre saberes médicos e saberes sociais inerentes a esta problemática, saberes um pouco dissonantes até ao presente.
Research Interests:
Os tribunais surgem como garantes fundamentais da defesa dos direitos dos cidadãos. A aplicação da lei pretende-se neutra e objectiva. Mas os tribunais também reproduzem e consolidam desigualdades sociais, nomeadamente entre mulheres e... more
Os tribunais surgem como garantes fundamentais da defesa dos direitos dos cidadãos. A aplicação da lei pretende-se neutra e objectiva. Mas os tribunais também reproduzem e consolidam desigualdades sociais, nomeadamente entre mulheres e homens. Moralizar para identificar apresenta a investigação judicial de paternidade como um contexto que revela as visões dos legisladores e magistrados de como deveriam ser as mulheres, por via de procedimentos normalizadores, que surgem associados a um viés sexista presente nos usos de exames científicos para determinação da paternidade biológica. Conclui-se que a cidadania das mulheres em Portugal permanece limitada e condicionada, em particular em situações em que há uma acumulação de vulnerabilidades associadas à posição de classe, à dependência económica ou laboral e a comportamentos sexuais e procriativos considerados desviantes.
Research Interests:
The real heroes of television crime shows in the twenty-first century are no longer police detectives but forensic technologies. The immense popularity of high-tech crime television shows has changed the way in which crime scene work is... more
The real heroes of television crime shows in the twenty-first century are no longer police detectives but forensic technologies. The immense popularity of high-tech crime television shows has changed the way in which crime scene work is viewed. The term 'CSI-effect' was coined to signify a situation where people's views and practices have been influenced by such media representations, e.g. judges and jurors putting more weight on forensic evidence that has been produced with high-tech tools - in particular, DNA evidence - than on other kinds of evidence.
While considerable scholarly attention has been paid to examining the CSI effect on publics, jurors, judges, and police investigators, prisoners' views on forensic technologies and policing have been under-explored. Drawing on a research sample of over 50 interviews carried out with prisoners in Portugal and Austria, this groundbreaking book shows how prisoners view crime scene traces, how they understand crime scene technologies, and what effect they attribute to the existence of large police databases on their own lives, careers, and futures.
Through critically engaging with STS, sociological and criminological perspectives on the use of DNA technologies within the criminal justice system, this work provides the reader with valuable insights into the effect of different legal, political, discursive, and historical configurations on how crime scene technologies are utilized by the police and related to by convicted offenders.
While considerable scholarly attention has been paid to examining the CSI effect on publics, jurors, judges, and police investigators, prisoners' views on forensic technologies and policing have been under-explored. Drawing on a research sample of over 50 interviews carried out with prisoners in Portugal and Austria, this groundbreaking book shows how prisoners view crime scene traces, how they understand crime scene technologies, and what effect they attribute to the existence of large police databases on their own lives, careers, and futures.
Through critically engaging with STS, sociological and criminological perspectives on the use of DNA technologies within the criminal justice system, this work provides the reader with valuable insights into the effect of different legal, political, discursive, and historical configurations on how crime scene technologies are utilized by the police and related to by convicted offenders.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
This book is the first of four books based on a series of symposia funded by COST, which is an intergovernmental framework for the promotion of European Cooperation in the field of Scientific and Technical Research. It draws on both... more
This book is the first of four books based on a series of symposia funded by COST, which is an intergovernmental framework for the promotion of European Cooperation in the field of Scientific and Technical Research. It draws on both historical and contemporary European case-studies to offer a sophisticated account of the relationship between gender and well-being. The authors focus on key discussions of the changing conceptions of well-being from early twentieth century calculations of the relationship between income and the cost-of-living, to more recent critiques from feminist writers. Their fascinating answers allow them to significantly challenge the issue with the idea that well-being is not only associated with income or opulence but also relates to more abstract concepts including capabilities, freedom, and agency of different women and men and will be of considerable interest to economic and social historians, sociologists of health, gender, sexuality and economists.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
This chapter examines the ways in which infertility is a condition that can comprise both individuals' and families' sense of well-being and the extent to which this varies according to different gendered expectations.
Research Interests:
O presente texto analisa as representações sociais em torno da criação e utilização de uma base de dados genéticos forense em Portugal, com objetivos de identificação civil e identificação criminal, a partir da... more
O presente texto analisa as representações sociais em torno da criação e utilização de uma base de dados genéticos forense em Portugal, com objetivos de identificação civil e identificação criminal, a partir da organização de dois grupos focais com estudantes universitários que frequentavam licenciaturas das áreas científicas das ciências sociais e humanas e das ciências naturais e exatas. Os resultados obtidos evidenciam modalidades de cidadania biológica que projetam a construção de identidades de tipo tecnocientífico dirigidas às tecnologias genéticas forenses,que se caracterizam por surgirem ancoradas numa hierarquização de saberes e áreas científicas e que serve de referencial simbólico pelo qual os estudantes se posicionam face ao tema.
Research Interests:
In this paper, we analyse the gender differences in the assessment of paternity testing ordered by courts of law in Portugal. A representative sample of 146 men and women who undergo paternity testing ordered by the... more
In this paper, we analyse the gender differences in the assessment of paternity testing ordered by courts of law in Portugal. A representative sample of 146 men and women who undergo paternity testing ordered by the courts per year was chosen. The results show that both women and men attributedhigh importance to the scientific evidence of paternity, although women ascribed less importance to paternity testing than men.With regard to the reasons justifying paternity tests, 98.5% of men valued their financial obligations while 90.5% of women emphasized the importance of proving to the father that they are not lying. Men were more likely to expect positive outcomes concerning the child-father relationship after learning the results of the paternity test.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
No âmbito deste texto propomo-nos discutir a ideia de que tanto a justiça como os media projectam uma moral social e política, aqui entendida como a projecção de uma determinada visão do mundo, destinada a impor determinados padrões de... more
No âmbito deste texto propomo-nos discutir a ideia de que tanto a justiça como os media projectam uma moral social e política, aqui entendida como a projecção de uma determinada visão do mundo, destinada a impor determinados padrões de ordem e de consenso social. Os julgamentos mediáticos e os dramas públicos criados pelos encontros entre a justiça e o media ilustram exemplarmente essa moral e consolidam uma visão do mundo que se adapta às diversas audiências. Numa primeira parte, discutimos as propostas teóricas da moral da justiça apresentadas por Durkheim e Habermas. Numa segunda parte, concretizamos os conceitos de julgamento mediático e de drama público, reflectindo sobre as consequências desses fenómenos na percepção pública da criminalidade e na avaliação que os cidadãos fazem dos tribunais e do sistema de justiça criminal em particular.
Casos de investigação criminal com grande destaque mediático potenciam focos de tensão entre os media e os agentes judiciários. A conversão do potencial dramático do exercício da função judicial em dramas mediáticos contribui para a... more
Casos de investigação criminal com grande destaque mediático potenciam focos de tensão entre os media e os agentes judiciários. A conversão do potencial dramático do exercício da função judicial em dramas mediáticos contribui para a amplificação da noção de uma justiça lenta, débil e ineficaz na sua função de identificar e castigar os trangressores. Além disso, os media podem exercer funções concorrentes do exercício de justiça em moldes de uma justiça meta-popular, assente no imediatismo, dramatismo e apelo à emoção. A partir do caso recente do desaparecimento de Madeleine McCann, analisamos os discursos e representações veiculados na imprensa portuguesa acerca da investigação criminal, procurando perspectivar o impacto da cobertura mediática na construção da percepção pública de culpabilidade ou de inocentação de um indivíduo.
Research Interests:
Conceitos como “poder”, “desigualdades sociais” e “classes sociais” são fundamentais para as ciências sociais, nomeadamente para a Geografia, na medida em que as diferentes formas físicas e humanas de apropriação e de transformação dos... more
Conceitos como “poder”, “desigualdades sociais” e “classes sociais” são fundamentais para as ciências sociais, nomeadamente para a Geografia, na medida em que as diferentes formas físicas e humanas de apropriação e de transformação dos espaços traduzem relações de poder e as desigualdades sociais presentes nas estruturas sociais, que se espelham e se interpenetram com as estruturas espaciais. Atendendo ao papel basilar de autores clássicos no desenvolvimento da análise sociológica do poder e das desigualdades sociais, expomos neste texto as principais dimensões da teoria das “classes sociais” (Karl Marx) e da “estratificação social” (Max Weber).
Atendendo às mais recentes configurações da administração da justiça em Portugal,nas suas articulações com as novas tecnologias de comunicação e informação e com a ciência forense, desenvolvem-se considerações teóricas... more
Atendendo às mais recentes configurações da administração da justiça em Portugal,nas suas articulações com as novas tecnologias de comunicação e informação e com a ciência forense, desenvolvem-se considerações teóricas potenciadoras da análise sociológica das relações entre as mulheres e os tribunais, no tempo presente.
Considerando a objectivação sexual específica do fenómeno da prostituição feminina emPortugal, pretendemos analisar a forma como os discursos e as práticas provenientes da esfera do Direito e da Ciência constroem representações sociais em... more
Considerando a objectivação sexual específica do fenómeno da prostituição feminina emPortugal, pretendemos analisar a forma como os discursos e as práticas provenientes da esfera do Direito e da Ciência constroem representações sociais em torno da prostituição que, embora ideologicamente diferenciáveis, se revelam complementares e socialmente eficazes na acção de disseminação de ideias dominantes acerca dos corpos e da sexualidade femininos e do lugar das mulheres na sociedade.
Este artigo aborda alguns aspectos do fenómeno social das mães solteiras com filhos dependentes, no contexto europeu actual (1960-1990), nomeadamente os significados políticos da situação de mãe solteira num contexto de crise do Estado... more
Este artigo aborda alguns aspectos do fenómeno social das mães solteiras com filhos dependentes, no contexto europeu actual (1960-1990), nomeadamente os significados políticos da situação de mãe solteira num contexto de crise do Estado Providência, salientando-se ainda alguns dos mecanismos que as sociedades accionam para avaliação moral do comportamento das mulheres que procriam fora do casamento. Partindo de dados demográficos relativos aos nascimentos fora do casamento nos países originais da "Europa dos Doze", são interpretadas algumas tendências gerais de recente evolução da situação das famílias "monoparentais" chefiadas pela mãe. Tentou-se também distinguir alguns traços específicos da evolução deste fenómeno em Portugal ao longo do século XX. A nossa tese parte do pressuposto de que a condição social de mãe solteira é fortemente condicionada por noções estereotipadas de "género", pois existe evidentemente uma grande diversidade de situações, as quais estão ainda por determinar de um modo exaustivo no que respeita ao caso português.
In a recent special issue of the journal on new trends in forensic genetics, Manfred Kayser contributed a review of developments, opportunities and challenges of forensic DNA phenotyping (FDP). In his article he argues that FDP... more
In a recent special issue of the journal on new trends in forensic genetics, Manfred Kayser contributed a review of developments, opportunities and challenges of forensic DNA phenotyping (FDP). In his article he argues that FDP technologies—such as determining eye, hair and skin color—should be considered as akin to a "biological witness" with the potential of providing more accurate information than traditional eye witnesses. We share with Manfred Kayser the goal of supporting the scientific progress of forensic genetics. We are, however, less convinced by the assumption that the power to improve the safety of our society lies simply (or even primarily) in technology. Technologies are—as decades of research in Science and Technology Studies have shown—never merely material vehicles of progress. Instead they are a multi-faceted conglomerate of scientific and societal practices. In other words, technology is always technology-in-practice. This is exactly the reason why the ethical evaluation of technological innovation, when done well, is such a difficult trade: a merely principle-driven ethics—although it may be easiest to do—never grasps and addresses the messiness of how technologies are understood and used in the real world. It is in this light that we are concerned about Kayser's call to expedite FDP research, when coupled with his narrow treatment of both personal safety and individual rights. Such a reductionist understanding cannot capture the richness of ethical discussions about notions such as individual freedom, autonomy, and solidarity. Rather, it foregrounds technology without giving due consideration to wider ethical, legal and social dimensions as well as issues around the practical implementation of FDP technologies.
Research Interests:
Assiste-se hoje à crescente visibilidade do designado Big Data. Trata-se de uma técnica que agrega conjuntos massivos de dados, manuseando um volume assinalável de informação, que é analisado a uma velocidade sem precedentes e em tempo... more
Assiste-se hoje à crescente visibilidade do designado Big Data. Trata-se de uma técnica que agrega conjuntos massivos de dados, manuseando um volume assinalável de informação, que é analisado a uma velocidade sem precedentes e em tempo real. Enquanto fenómeno social, apresenta três vertentes: a interação entre tecnologia (maximização do poder computacional e precisão algorítmica), as potencialidades de análise (identificação de padrões) e os valores sociais e culturais que rodeiam o Big Data (nomeadamente, a crença generalizada que grandes conjuntos de dados oferecem fontes de conhecimento e de previsão mais objetivas e fundamentadas). Big Data pode ser uma fonte de racionalização de acontecimentos, com potencial para aumentar a eficiência e melhorar a precisão da previsão em vá-rias áreas da vida social. No entanto, pode aprofundar desigualdades sociais e económicas pré-existentes e apresentar desafios diversos à privacidade e outros direitos fundamentais. Além disso, a conjugação massiva de dados heterogéneos pode levar a conclusões erradas. A quantidade de dados re-colhidos não corresponde à representatividade dos mesmos, mas antes à abrangência da cobertura sobre a vida contemporânea dos indivíduos. As-sim, pode também potenciar a produção de desinformação sobre os titula-res dos dados recolhidos, por conduzir a conclusões erradas. Procurando contribuir para este campo de análise, o presente texto apresenta um estudo empírico realizado junto de diferentes profissionais em 25 países da União Europeia, que visou mapear e compreender as representações sociais acerca da potencial aplicação de Big Data no campo da investigação criminal. O objetivo central foi aceder às suas expectativas em relação ao potencial impacto das tecnologias na luta contra a criminalidade transfronteiriça. Nestas representações sociais, os diferentes entrevistados tecem considerações éticas acerca do fenómeno Big Data, contribuindo para o debate contemporâneo em torno dos direitos, liberdades e garantias.
Research Interests:
In a recent special issue of the journal on new trends in forensic genetics, Manfred Kayser contributed a review of developments, opportunities and challenges of forensic DNA phenotyping (FDP). In his article he argues that FDP... more
In a recent special issue of the journal on new trends in forensic genetics, Manfred Kayser contributed a review of developments, opportunities and challenges of forensic DNA phenotyping (FDP). In his article he argues that FDP technologies—such as determining eye, hair and skin color—should be considered as akin to a "biological witness" with the potential of providing more accurate information than traditional eye witnesses. We share with Manfred Kayser the goal of supporting the scientific progress of forensic genetics. We are, however, less convinced by the assumption that the power to improve the safety of our society lies simply (or even primarily) in technology. Technologies are—as decades of research in Science and Technology Studies have shown—never merely material vehicles of progress. Instead they are a multi-faceted conglomerate of scientific and societal practices. In other words, technology is always technology-in-practice. This is exactly the reason why the ethical evaluation of technological innovation, when done well, is such a difficult trade: a merely principle-driven ethics—although it may be easiest to do—never grasps and addresses the messiness of how technologies are understood and used in the real world. It is in this light that we are concerned about Kayser's call to expedite FDP research, when coupled with his narrow treatment of both personal safety and individual rights. Such a reductionist understanding cannot capture the richness of ethical discussions about notions such as individual freedom, autonomy, and solidarity. Rather, it foregrounds technology without giving due consideration to wider ethical, legal and social dimensions as well as issues around the practical implementation of FDP technologies.
Face ao incremento da mobilidade de pessoas no espaço da União Europeia (UE) e a uma escala global, a criminalidade transnacional apresenta-se, cada vez mais, como uma fonte de preocupação política. De forma a dar resposta a potenciais... more
Face ao incremento da mobilidade de pessoas no espaço da União Europeia (UE) e a uma escala global, a criminalidade transnacional apresenta-se, cada vez mais, como uma fonte de preocupação política. De forma a dar resposta a potenciais riscos para a segurança pública, tecnologias forenses, como o DNA, têm sido mobilizadas no âmbito de práticas governamentais de expansão de bases de dados de informação que visam vigiar e controlar populações e indivíduos “suspeitos”.
A este respeito destaca-se o facto de a UE ter criado um sistema transnacional para partilha automatizada de informação genética forense com vista a prevenir e combater a criminalidade organizada e transfronteiriça, o terrorismo e a imigração ilegal.
Com base numa análise de documentos de natureza diversa destinados a debater a criminalidade transfronteiriça no espaço Europeu, a presente comunicação visa compreender significados morais e políticos de gestão do risco e de populações suspeitas.
Os dados revelam que a monitorização transnacional de "populações suspeitas" envolve a produção de uma ampla gama de “novas” formas de controlo social que atuam sob a égide da neutralidade da ciência e tecnologia, pelas quais são (re)construídas categorias que agregam novas e “velhas” formas de suspeição e discriminação. De processos de materialização e quantificação da criminalidade transfronteiriça emergem categorizações de suspeição que reproduzem conceções dominantes de risco e segurança pública, ao mesmo tempo que vulnerabilizam os grupos sociais mais afetados por desigualdades económicas e políticas.
A este respeito destaca-se o facto de a UE ter criado um sistema transnacional para partilha automatizada de informação genética forense com vista a prevenir e combater a criminalidade organizada e transfronteiriça, o terrorismo e a imigração ilegal.
Com base numa análise de documentos de natureza diversa destinados a debater a criminalidade transfronteiriça no espaço Europeu, a presente comunicação visa compreender significados morais e políticos de gestão do risco e de populações suspeitas.
Os dados revelam que a monitorização transnacional de "populações suspeitas" envolve a produção de uma ampla gama de “novas” formas de controlo social que atuam sob a égide da neutralidade da ciência e tecnologia, pelas quais são (re)construídas categorias que agregam novas e “velhas” formas de suspeição e discriminação. De processos de materialização e quantificação da criminalidade transfronteiriça emergem categorizações de suspeição que reproduzem conceções dominantes de risco e segurança pública, ao mesmo tempo que vulnerabilizam os grupos sociais mais afetados por desigualdades económicas e políticas.
Research Interests: Social Control and Crime
By focusing on genetic surveillance technologies used to fight crime, we want to explore ethical concerns that bring challenges to a responsible governance of these technological innovations. Responsible governance faces the challenge of... more
By focusing on genetic surveillance technologies used to fight crime, we want to explore ethical concerns that bring challenges to a responsible governance of these technological innovations. Responsible governance faces the challenge of balancing between potential risks and benefits of surveillance – which are conceived differently in each country with regards to their empowering and disempowering effects.
We draw on controversies which have accompanied the emergence and expansion of forensic genetic surveillance technologies in two different countries: Portugal and the UK. While UK has been characterized as the “maximum surveillance society” it also has generally experienced broad public controversy on contested technologies. In Portugal the political rhetoric emphasized the improvement of the efficacy of the justice system, and the establishment of the national forensic DNA database has been accompanied by silent public acceptance, a symptomatic companion in the Portuguese surveillance system.
Using Jasanoff’s analytical concept of ‘civic epistemologies’ we will analyze how the development and establishment of forensic DNA databases aiming at surveillance and tracking of “criminal populations” in Portugal and in the UK are rooted in different ways of public knowing. Finally, we conclude with suggestions how to rethink democratic and responsible governance of forensic genetics technologies.
We draw on controversies which have accompanied the emergence and expansion of forensic genetic surveillance technologies in two different countries: Portugal and the UK. While UK has been characterized as the “maximum surveillance society” it also has generally experienced broad public controversy on contested technologies. In Portugal the political rhetoric emphasized the improvement of the efficacy of the justice system, and the establishment of the national forensic DNA database has been accompanied by silent public acceptance, a symptomatic companion in the Portuguese surveillance system.
Using Jasanoff’s analytical concept of ‘civic epistemologies’ we will analyze how the development and establishment of forensic DNA databases aiming at surveillance and tracking of “criminal populations” in Portugal and in the UK are rooted in different ways of public knowing. Finally, we conclude with suggestions how to rethink democratic and responsible governance of forensic genetics technologies.