Thread by @michelle_furlow

Join me at 10:30am, cst, tomorrow, 9/6: 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 MORNING Criminology fans, I'm here in the home office, excited to get started talking about the #MeasurementOfCrime, who else is feeling the return to work after the long weekend?

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #MeasuringCrime

Well coffee up, we have a lot of fun concepts to discuss this morning ...

I hope you join me as we take a look at Chapter 02, #TrueCrimeVSUrbanLegend and the #MeasurementOfCrime

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #MeasuringCrime

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

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

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

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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?!

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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?

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

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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

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

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

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The reason I ask is the Juvenile Super Predator Theory

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No, no, no, not THAT Predator. But still one of the best Ah-nold films, imho.

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

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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…

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

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

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This issue was still discussed in the most recent presidential debates

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

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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 #CriminalJusticeReform

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…

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

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

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

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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.

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Mens Rea:

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

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The Concurrence Requirement:

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

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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.

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

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What are the major elements of Actus Reus?



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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

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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

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

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

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

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

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THINKING CHALLENGE: What is the dark figure of crime?

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

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

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

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

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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

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/databases/crim…

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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

The babysitter and the man upstairs is a classic legend and is prevalent enough in popular culture that it’s become a staple trope in the horror genre

#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

Chances are, you heard a white van mentioned at least once when getting the stranger danger talk as a child. It’s a well-worn story that men who kidnap children offer them candy to lure them into white vans

#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

The Hook Man is a classic legend. A couple parks on a lover’s lane and hears a news report over the radio that a man with a hook for a hand has escaped from the local asylum

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #MeasuringCrime #TrueCrimeOrUrbanLegend

The Hook Man is a classic urban legend. A couple parks on a lover’s lane and hears a news report over the radio that a man with a hook for a hand has escaped from the local asylum

#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

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

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

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

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

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #CrimeTrends

And if you made it THIS far, for this week's extra credit bonus, add your favorite gif/meme/image of what it's like to go to school ONLINE ...

#RatingProfFWB #CRJ105 #MoraineValley

How would you grade today's discussion?

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley

Thank you for your time & interest, it is duly noted, & greatly appreciated.

#ProfessorFurlowWhiteBoards #CRJ105 #MoraineValley

@UnrollHelper