Criminal Justice 📍

“Don’t name them” – Criminologist asks journalists to help stop mass shootings

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“Don’t name them” – Criminologist asks journalists to help stop mass shootings

A prohibition on law enforcement and District Attorneys on discussing criminal trials prior to start makes a lot of sense. This will protect the privacy of both victims and accused, and avoid prejudicing juries. While private citizens have a first amendment right, police officers and District Attorneys are government employees and be prohibited form discussing sensitive matters. This would stop the media frenzy, because the media would be kept in dark. But then again, it would make it hard for police and District Attorneys to go the politicians and demand more resources to fill more patronage jobs and get more toys.

"In our research, Eric Madfis and I have identified three major consequences of the media coverage. One, it creates a kind of competition for mass shooters to maximize the number of victims they kill. The second is that it’s rewarding these offenders with fame and attention, which is often what they want – it serves to give them a legacy. Even if they die, they may be remembered, according to their distorted views, as someone who mattered, as a somebody rather than a nobody."

"Apart from that, the media advertises the behavior. So regardless what kind of behavior it is, if you want to increase it, the best way is to advertise it. When it comes to mass shooters, that advertising produces what’s known as both contagion and copycat effects. Contagion essentially means that the ideas about committing this type of attack spread through society and permeate the minds of at-risk individuals. And copycat effects have been documented among many offenders who have specifically identified previous mass shooters as role models."

Murder Weapons By State In 2016

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This map shows the murder rate by state, with detailed statistics when you click on a state. Alabama and Florida are excluded on this map as these states don't report the necessary data to the US DOJ. Fields ending with '_1' represent the number of murders per million residents.

Data Source: US DOJ / FBI. Unified Crime Reporting System. Murders, by Weapon-type. Table 12. https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2016/crime-in-the-u.s.-2016/topic-pages/violent-crime/murder

Study Shows That Cities Are Safer Than Rural Areas, Despite Crime

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Study Shows That Cities Are Safer Than Rural Areas, Despite Crime

"Now it’s true that the risk of homicide is greater in big cities than it is in the countryside. But the study, which analyzed 1,295,919 deaths from injury between 1999 and 2006, found the rate of dying from an unintentional injury is over 15 times higher than that of homicide for the population as a whole. Whether you live in rural areas or the city, you’re much less likely to die from a gunshot wound — either from someone else or self-inflicted — than you are in a simple accident. Especially car crashes, which make up the bulk of unintentional injury deaths — motor-vehicle-injury-related deaths occurred at a rate that is more than 1.4 times higher than the next leading cause of death."

They thought they were going to rehab. They ended up in chicken plants

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They thought they were going to rehab. They ended up in chicken plants

"McGahey had heard of Christian Alcoholics & Addicts in Recovery. People called it “the Chicken Farm,” a rural retreat where defendants stayed for a year, got addiction treatment and learned to live more productive lives. Most were sent there by courts from across Oklahoma and neighboring states, part of the nationwide push to keep nonviolent offenders out of prison. Aside from daily cans of Dr Pepper, McGahey wasn’t addicted to anything. The judge knew that. But the Chicken Farm sounded better than prison."

"A few weeks later, McGahey stood in front of a speeding conveyor belt inside a frigid poultry plant, pulling guts and stray feathers from slaughtered chickens destined for major fast food restaurants and grocery stores. There wasn’t much substance abuse treatment at CAAIR. It was mostly factory work for one of America’s top poultry companies. If McGahey got hurt or worked too slowly, his bosses threatened him with prison. And he worked for free. CAAIR pocketed the pay."

‘We’re Trying To Do The Right Thing’

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Riding With ICE: ‘We’re Trying To Do The Right Thing’

"Under President Trump, ICE agents are told to arrest anyone in the country illegally. Since Trump's executive order in January, calling for more aggressive enforcement of immigration laws, ICE arrests have skyrocketed and the agency plans to hire more agents."

"Immigrants without legal status "should be afraid," according to Thomas Homan, the federal agency's acting director."

"But that tougher stance has put the agency on the hot seat. Immigrant advocates say ICE agents are fearmongering and arresting people who only broke the law to come to the U.S. for a better life. The agents say they're misunderstood and that they simply want to enforce the law."