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Prof. Furlow's White Boards

31 Aug, 96 tweets, 72 min read

Join me at 1pm, cst, today: Did One Group of Undercover Cops Try to Arrest Other Undercover Cops?

Police chief: "This is probably one of the most embarrassing things in this department since I’ve been appointed."

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #MeasuringCrime

Good afternoon Criminology fans, I'm here in the home office, excited to get started talking about the #MeasurementOfCrime, I have to show off my very handsome office mate ...

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #MeasuringCrime

Let's start with a thinking challenge, which of the following age groups is the most likely to be victimized?

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley

So while crime might be complex to define, where do we get started?

#MoraineValley #CRJ105

Last week, we played a virtual game to see how similar are views were about different behaviors

#MoraineValley #CRJ105

I think our biggest disagreement was that taking a candy bar from a store ... is theft.

But an employee taking a ballpoint pen home from work for personal use ... well, don't we all do that?!

#MoraineValley #CRJ105

So YOU tell me ... what's the difference?

What makes one act of taking something that belongs to you okay but the other is not?

#MoraineValley #CRJ105

I'm not saying either vantage point is wrong ... rather that even our understanding of WHAT is a crime is complex.

#MoraineValley #CRJ105

So if we don't necessarily all agree on what behaviors should be crimes, how to we even start measuring what crime does occur?

Good thing we're on the case! #MoraineValley #CRJ105

Some of us got pretty defensive at the idea of taking a pen home from the office ... might be a crime!

#MoraineValley #CRJ105

Even the textbook definition of crime offers many complexities beyond simply "right v. wrong" or "good v. bad"

#MoraineValley #CRJ105

Let's take on a THINKING CHALLENGE: Are today's youth some of the most violent of all time?

#MoraineValley #CRJ105

The reason I ask is the Juvenile Super Predator Theory

#MoraineValley #CRJ105

One of the best Ah-nold films?

#MoraineValley #CRJ105

More academically speaking (and more on point) are you familiar with the Juvenile Super Predator Theory for the '90s?

#MoraineValley #CRJ105

@PBS

If you're unfamiliar, check out this video from @PBS @retroreport: Retro Report on PBS, Correcting the Myth of the Superpredator

pbs.org/video/retro-re…

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley

In short, the #SuperPredator theory presupposed that youth at the start of this century would become the most violent of all time

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley

Subsequently, we saw an incredible increase of the number of juveniles incarcerated AND the increased length of prison sentences

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley

This issue was still discussed in the most recent presidential debates

themarshallproject.org/2020/11/20/sup…

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley

Modern calls for Criminal Justice reform can be argued as needed due to the increase of mass incarceration in part to the theory

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley

Many have argued that this theory was not only flawed, but has had a significant racist impact, much of which the system has not be able to correct even to this day

nbcnews.com/news/us-news/a…

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley

THINKING CHALLENGE: Who is responsible for the super predator myth & it's perpetration

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley

Why is the myth of the juvenile #superpredator important today?

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley

To better understand crime trends & stats, we need a systematic, scientific approach to behavior & looking at the numbers

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley

American criminal law scholar Jerome Hall has developed the theory that a human event, in order to qualify as a crime, must meet the following seven basic requirements

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #ElementsOfCrime

The Act Requirement:

Before any human behavior can qualify as an act, there must be a conscious interaction between mind and body, a physical movement that results from the determination or effort of the actor. #CRJ105 #MoraineValley

The Legality Requirement:

If one wants a person to adhere to a standard, the person has to know what that standard is. #CRJ105 #MoraineValley

The Harm Requirement:

Every crime has been designated as illegal to prevent something bad, a given harm, from happening #CRJ105 #MoraineValley

THINKING CHALLENGE: Can you think of an illegal act that does not result in harm to the actors ... or society?

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley

Let me know in the comments below!

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley

The Causation Requirement:

Causation requires that the actor achieve the result, the harm, through his or her own effort.

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley

Mens Rea:

The “Guilty Mind” Requirement Every crime, according to tradition, requires mens rea, a “guilty mind.”

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley

The Concurrence Requirement:

The concurrence requirement states that the criminal act must be accompanied by an equally criminal mind

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley

The Punishment Requirement:

An illegal act coupled with an evil mind still does not constitute a crime unless the law subjects it to a punishment.

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley

One of the greatest debates in all of Criminal Justice often revolves around the severity of punishment for proscribed crimes

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley

What are the major elements of Actus Reus?

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley

Far fewer convictions have been obtained than crimes reported or even prosecuted.

One of the principal reasons is that not all elements of the crime charged could be proven in court

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley

Each of these defenses simply negates the existence of one (or more) of the elements of the offense charged:
~Insanity defense
~Defense of Infancy
~Defense of mistake of fact
~The legality requirement
~Duress
~Necessity
~Self-defense
~Defense of property

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley

Lawyers and criminologists have searched for a system of grouping the many types of crimes into coherent, rational categories, for ease of understanding, of learning, and of finding them in the law books

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley

THINKING CHALLENGE: What types of crime are you most interested in learning about?

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley

THINKING CHALLENGE: What types of crime are the most prevalent?

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley

THINKING CHALLENGE: What types of crime cause the most harm?

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley

There are three major reasons for measuring characteristics of crimes and criminals

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley

THINKING CHALLENGE: What is the dark figure of crime?

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley

Without ordering these measurements in some purposeful way, without a theory, a systematic set of principles that explain how two or more phenomena are related, scientists would be limited in their ability to make predictions from the data they collect
#CRJ105 #MoraineValley

To test a given theory, researchers might begin with the hypothesis.

Next they would collect facts, observations, and other pertinent information... called data

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley

THINKING CHALLENGE: Can the measurement of crime help reduce crime?

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley

The second objective of measurement is to enhance one’s knowledge of the characteristics of various types of offenses.

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley

Depending on what questions they are asking, criminologists collect their data in a variety of ways: through:
~ survey research,
~ experiments,
~ observation,
~ and case studies

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley

@MVCCLibrary

Have you taken the time to see all the Criminal Justice research already at your fingertips via @MVCCLibrary?

Using Available Data in Research: lib.morainevalley.edu/main/databases…

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley

I thought we could play a little game.

Who's in?

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #MeasuringCrime

We are going to take a look at a series of news stories, you tell me if the story in question is a TRUE CRIME or an URBAN LEGEND ...

Let's go! #CRJ105 #MoraineValley #MeasuringCrime

Did the FBI Warn That Smart TVs Might Spy on You?

Warnings to consumers about various products often accompany the holiday shopping season.

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #MeasuringCrime #TrueCrimeOrUrbanLegend

Did a fart give away an offender's position to police?

Sometimes the facts are smellier than fiction!

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #MeasuringCrime #TrueCrimeOrUrbanLegend

The children's TV show 'Barney & Friends' was based on a 1930s serial killer.

Barney the dinosaur is based off of a man named Barney that in the 30's would go to the park dressed as a dinosaur to draw kids to him

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #MeasuringCrime #TrueCrimeOrUrbanLegend

Who Was Jack the Ripper?

Evidence points that Jack the Ripper may have been one & the same with the US's first serial killer, H.H. Holmes

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #MeasuringCrime #TrueCrimeOrUrbanLegend

License Plate Lookout

All police cars, marked and unmarked, have a tag identifying them as law enforcement, such as they have “L” as the final letter of their license plates.

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #MeasuringCrime #TrueCrimeOrUrbanLegend

A free web site allows users to track the location of any cell phone?

The mobile phone tracker, Zabasearch, it’s great, using a satellite map to track any connected mobile phone with coverage anywhere in the world!

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #MeasuringCrime #TrueCrimeOrUrbanLegend

Woman Injected with Knockout Drug at Gas Station

A woman approached by a stranger at a gas station was injected with a knockout drug via a handshake

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #MeasuringCrime #TrueCrimeOrUrbanLegend

Death of Rachel Hoffman

A popular meme claims 23-year-old Rachel Hoffman was murdered by drug dealers after she was pressured to turn informant over a small possession charge.

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #MeasuringCrime #TrueCrimeOrUrbanLegend

Did Florida Residents Really Find Porn-Filled Easter Eggs in Mailboxes?

The Easter Bunny would not approve.

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #MeasuringCrime #TrueCrimeOrUrbanLegend

Was a Woman With ‘Chronic PMS’ Arrested on Suspicion of 189 Murders?

A routine review of content labeled satire.

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #MeasuringCrime #TrueCrimeOrUrbanLegend

Did One Group of Undercover Cops Try to Arrest Other Undercover Cops?

Police chief: "This is probably one of the most embarrassing things in this department since I’ve been appointed."

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #MeasuringCrime #TrueCrimeOrUrbanLegend

@snopes

Thanks to the @snopes True Crime page for the research behind these hard to believe stories

snopes.com/fact-check/cat…

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #MeasuringCrime #TrueCrimeOrUrbanLegend

@MVCCLibrary

Did I mention (ahem, I did!) that you can fact-check nearly ANY crime stat right at the end of your own fingertips via @MVCCLibrary

Using Available Data in Research: lib.morainevalley.edu/main/databases…

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley

Television, Hollywood, and media can sometimes complicate the 'crime' picture

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley

THINKING CHALLENGE: What form of media is MOST misleading when it comes to the Criminal Justice system, crime, and the impact on our daily lives?

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #MeasuringCrime

THINKING CHALLENGE: What form of media is MOST accurate when it comes to the Criminal Justice system, crime, and the impact on our daily lives?

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #MeasuringCrime

To estimate the nature and extent of crime in the United States, researchers rely primarily on the Uniform Crime Reports, data compiled by the police; on the National Crime Victimization Survey, which measures crime through reports by victims; and on various self-report surveys

THINKING CHALLENGE: Would you admit your own criminal behavior in an anonymous survey?

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #MeasuringCrime

Behind each crime is a criminal or several criminals. Criminals can be differentiated by age, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic level, and other criteria.

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #CrimeTrends

In any given year, approximately half of all arrests are of individuals under the age 25; second, gang membership is ordinarily confined to the young

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #CrimeTrends

Longitudinal studies of a particular group of people over time should enable researchers to uncover the factors that distinguish criminals from noncriminals and those that differentiate criminals in regard to the number and kinds of offenses they commit.

fox6now.com/2020/07/22/pur

Except for such crimes as prostitution, shoplifting, and welfare fraud, males traditionally commit more crimes than females at all ages

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #CrimeTrends

Researchers agree on the importance of age and gender as factors related to crime, but they disagree strongly about whether social class is related to crime

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #CrimeTrends

THINKING CHALLENGE: In your assessment, which factor is most significant to crime trends?

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #CrimeTrends

Poverty is the largest driving force behind the "Pipeline to Prison" crisis, exacerbated by race. More than 2,200 children are born uninsured every day. And about 800,000 pregnant women are uninsured

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #CrimeTrends

@frontlinepbs

In 2012, FRONTLINE spent months following four young children as their families struggled with financial ruin.

pbs.org/video/poor-kid…

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #CrimeTrends @frontlinepbs

Studies have shown that children who do not get the early intervention, permanence, and stability they need are more likely to act out and fail in school because they lack the skills necessary to succeed

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #CrimeTrends

Children in the most economically depressed communities are at high risk of low achievement and attainment and are often stuck in under-funded, overcrowded schools

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #CrimeTrends

Four in ten of the children who are abused or neglected get no help at all after their initial investigation. More than 800,000 children are in foster care each year, about 513,000 on a single day

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #CrimeTrends

Studies have reported that as many as three-fourths of incarcerated youth have mental health disorders and about one in five has a severe disorder.

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #CrimeTrends

One-size-fits-all zero tolerance school discipline policies are transforming schools into a major point of entry into the juvenile justice system as children are increasingly arrested on school grounds for subjectively and loosely defined behaviors

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley

Statistics on race and crime show that while African Americans constitute 13.2 percent of the population, they account for over 38 percent of all arrests for Index crimes. Other statistics confirm their disproportionate representation in the criminal justice system

#CRJ105

Are black neighborhoods under more police surveillance than white neighborhoods?

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #CrimeTrends #RaceAndCrime

The bill has come due for the unpaid debts the United States owes its Black residents, says Dr. Phillip Atiba Goff, CEO of the Center for Policing Equity (CPE):

ted.com/talks/dr_phill…

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #RaceAndCrime

Of the crime trends we introduced today, which would you like to learn more about?

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #CrimeTrends

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Be sure to grab some extra credit points by sharing your favorite meme of what it's like to go to school online or the best meme to summarize taking this class in your Week 02 reply!

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