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by David Couper We live in a nation of big values and big ideas. Our Constitution proclaims certain rights to be inalienable – life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Of course, not all rights have been applied to all people at all times during our nation’s history. Nevertheless, our values are huge. The enormity […]
June 18, 2012 by CrimeCents
Want to see a cop dancing to “Billy Jean”? Busting out with some Michael Jackson-style moves? If that’s your wish, we’re in the wish-granting business today. Check it out: I saw this video at a recent law enforcement training. The speaker used the video first to get a laugh, but then to make a larger […]
May 1, 2012 by CrimeCents
The Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency and Prevention (OJJDP) just released a bulletin titled “Child and Youth Victimization Known to Police, School, and Medical Authorities.” Perhaps the most interesting finding is the size of the discrepancy between schools and police knowing about child victimizations. In general, school officials knew about victimization episodes considerably more often (42 […]
April 26, 2012 by CrimeCents
When Salecia Johnson, a six year old girl, was handcuffed by police for a “tantrum” at school, Milledgeville Police Chief Dray Swicord justified the action by saying, “Our policy is that any detainee transported to our station in a patrol vehicle is to be handcuffed in the back. There is no age discrimination on that […]
April 20, 2012 by CrimeCents
In the last several years, we’ve seen many states pass medical marijuana legislation, the growth of support for legalizing marijuana, and a whole lotta money wasted on marijuana arrests. The following graphs are created from 2010 FBI UCR arrest data (the most recent available), except where noted. There were an estimated 13.1 million arrests in […]
April 18, 2012 by CrimeCents
“The social costs of obesity may be overstated if obesity reduces the likelihood of arrest because the obese are less criminally active.” I read a lot of academic work in criminology, and few peer-reviewed sentences cause me to laugh out loud. That line from an article by Kalist and Siahaan generated a belly laugh. Their […]
April 12, 2012 by CrimeCents
You have to watch this video twice. The first time, you will be mesmerized by this law professor’s raw talent for averaging 22.6 words per second with an unmatched ability to simultaneously entertain, wave his hand around, chew gum, rub his belly, and pat the top of head without breathing. Okay, I exaggerated. But only […]
April 11, 2012 by CrimeCents
Stacy Knutson has reportedly worked for a small salary and tips at the Fryn’ Pan restaurant in Moorhead, Minnesota, for eighteen years. Eighteen years is an awfully long time. And waiting tables generates an awfully small income to help support a family of seven, including her husband and five children. Despite all this, Knutson is […]
July 17, 2012 by CrimeDime
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