Aim: The aim of the briefing notes on foreign law enforcement literature is to find sources that provide thought-provoking messages for researchers. All the reviews in issue VIII have this virtue.
Methodology: Among the theoretical subjects, it is worth noting that the autonomy of police science and its close relationship with public administration is a matter of debate. The problem can be read about in József Beke’s review. Tibor Bánáti stresses the importance of scientifically proven methodology when he talks about recommendations on interrogation tactics which, without a solid and proven theoretical basis, could jeopardise the effectiveness of investigations. Elliot Aronson and Carol Tavris wrote about the obstacle of establishing the material truth in their book published in 2009 in Hungarian. In criminology, methodological requirements are the so-called Daubert criteria: scientifically proven methodology, published results, setting of error margins, critical reception.
Findings: The demanding research work cannot avoid uncovering the dysfunctions of the institutions, especially when such serious issues arise as discrimination appearing in the actions of the authorities, which can only be curbed after a thorough investigation. Bernadett Bacsó’s paper provides information on this endeavour. The phenomenon of prejudice against the Islamic religion and against citizens of Muslim origin often arises. Krisztián Kakócz quotes an author who warns that sometimes it is our lack of kno wledge of concepts that lies behind exclusionary attitudes towards foreigners. There are lessons to be learnt from a dogmatic analysis of the legal concepts of trafficking and smuggling, especially when combined with a criminological perspective. The delineation of guilt and vulnerability in the relevant crime categories can only be successful in this way, as confirmed by the foreign research presented by Mónika Herczeg. The Observer concludes with a presentation by Tamás Molnár on the criminology of climate change. He describes a book that „clearly points to the fact that the prevailing socio-economic and ideological interests and the system that serves them pose the greatest threat to the environment.” Ferenc Irk, the most prominent domestic practitioner of the topic, has recently published a book on the metamorphosis of the exploitation of man and his environment.
Value: Foreign literature emphasises the most important virtues of law enforcement research when it affirms the autonomy of scientific thinking and the responsibility of the researcher, and requires a well-established, widely published methodology that takes into account the margins of error. According to the definition in Volume XVIII of Révai’s Great Dictionary, science is „a system of critically validated, i.e. true, knowledge about a subject.” Autonomy does not tolerate the silencing of critical discourse, and the assumption of responsibility is a precondition for theory to develop solutions in cooperation with practice in order to avoid infringing and ineffective official interventions.