Crime & Justice

How many people does it take to make up a street gang?

krisenthia — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 13:38:59 -0400

THREE.

“Street gangs are defined by the National Alliance of Gang Investigators as groups or associations of three or more persons with a common identifying sign, symbol, or name, the members of which individually or collectively engage in criminal activity that creates an atmosphere of fear and intimidation.”

http://www.nagia.org/

#three is also the magic number of murders that a person must commit (with a cooling off period in between each incident) in order to be defined as a serial killer.

Prison Slang 101

krisenthia — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 11:58:00 -0500

brake fluid: psychiatric meds such as liquid Thorazine

chin check: to punch an inmate in the jaw to see if he’ll fight back

diaper sniper, chi-mo, chester, short-eyes: child molester

jack book: any magazine with pictures of women

the monster: hiv

ninja turtles: guards dressed in riot gear

robocop: guard who writes up every infraction, no matter how small

six-five: warning that a guard is approaching

stainless-steel ride: lethal injection

13 1/2: 12 jurors, 1 judge, and 1/2 a chance; seen in prison tattoos

ding wing: mental health ward

boneyard : The visiting trailers, used for overnight visits of wives and/or families.

catch a ride :To ask a friend with drugs to get you high. “Hey man,
can I catch a ride?”

fish: A new arrival, a first-timer, a bumpkin, not wise to
prison life.

"Children of Rage – Beth Thomas and Mary Flora Bell"

krisenthia — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 12:36:00 -0500

"Children of Rage – Beth Thomas and Mary Flora Bell":

[Click title link above for a great post on Child of Rage Beth Thomas]

“Beth poked pins into her brother and into the Thomas’s pets. As she got older, on a particularly violent occasion she smashed her brother’s head into the cement floor of their basement until he needed stitches to close a gash in his forehead. Beth’s intention was not merely to harm her brother but to kill him. She often voiced her desire to kill her entire family including her parents.”

Child of Rage: Full Documentary

krisenthia — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 12:32:23 -0500

Child of Rage: Full Documentary:

“Are people afraid of you Beth?”

“Uh-huh.”

“At night time, what do you parents do to your door?”

“Lock it shut… because they don’t want me to hurt [my brother]”

“Are [your parents] afraid that you might hurt them?”

“Yep.”

“Would you, Beth?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“When would you do it?”

“Night time… because I don’t like them seeing me do it, but they can feel me do it.”

“And what would you to them, Beth?”

“Stab them…with a knife”

US teen tells how he killed his mother and sister after...

krisenthia — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 15:51:00 -0500

US teen tells how he killed his mother and sister after Halloween movie inspired him to murder his family

Jake Evans, 17, wrote a chilling four-page confession describing in detail the night of the killing
Said he watched Halloween movie three times that week and stole his grandpa’s gun
He said his family were turning into ‘people he hates’ and his sister was racist
Father and two other sisters were out of town at time of shooting

Jeremy Bentham is the founder of modern utilitarianism and the...

krisenthia — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 19:36:10 -0500

Jeremy Bentham is the founder of modern utilitarianism and the ‘greatest happiness principle.’ He also had a morbid sense of humor. His most bizarre coup came after his death in 1832. As stipulated in his will, Bentham’s embalmed body was dressed and placed on display in a glass cabinet in the hallways of University College London. His body is still there today and, apparently, it is still wheeled in to preside over the annual meeting of university administrators. Bentham is listed on the minutes as “present but not voting.”

PBS Timeline: Thirty Years of America's Drug War

krisenthia — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 19:10:17 -0500

PBS Timeline: Thirty Years of America's Drug War

Official Halloween Hotline

krisenthia — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 22:16:37 -0500

Official Halloween Hotline:

“Since 1983, the Halloween Candy Hotline has helped restore the public’s confidence in Halloween and kept the lines of communication open, should law enforcement officials or poison control centers receive a report of alleged candy tampering.

What is the hotline?
The Hotline is an 800 number staffed by NCA employees that police, sheriffs, and poison control centers can call for help in handling the complaints of alleged tampering of candy products. We take down the relevant information and then forward it on to the company whose product is involved so that your company and the officers can establish a line of communication.

Hotline Number: 1-800-433-1200

A call to the Hotline can help clear up any confusion and avoid unnecessary public alarm in the community. Hopefully, police will reach for our phone number rather than contact the local television station. THIS HOTLINE IS NOT FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC. IT IS STRICTLY FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY.”

False claims of Halloween candy tampering from the '70s & '80s

krisenthia — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 22:05:00 -0500

“In 1970, a 5-year-old boy from the Detroit area found and ate heroin his uncle had stashed. The boy died following a four-day coma. The family attempted to protect the uncle by claiming the drug had been sprinkled in the child’s Halloween candy.

In a 1974 case, Timothy O’Bryan, an 8-year-old boy from Deer Park, Texas, died after eating a cyanide-laced package of Pixy Stix. A subsequent police investigation eventually determined that the poisoned candy had been planted in his trick-or-treat pile by the boy’s father, Ronald Clark O’Bryan, who also gave out poisoned candy to other children in an attempt to cover up the murder. The murderer, who had wanted to claim life insurance money, was executed in 1984.”

Media and the myth

“Despite the falsity of these claims the news media promoted the story continuously throughout the 1980s, with local news stations featuring frequent coverage. During this time cases of poisoning were repeatedly reported based on unsubstantiated claims or before a full investigation could be completed and often never followed up on. This one sided coverage contributed to the overall panic and caused rival media outlets to issue reports of candy tampering as well.

By 1985, the media had driven the hysteria about candy poisonings to such a point that an ABC News/Washington Post poll that found 60% of parents feared that their children would be injured or killed because of Halloween candy sabotage.

Advice columnists entered the fray during the 1980s and 1990s with both Ann Landers and Dear Abby warning parents of the horrors of candy tampering.

“In recent years, there have been reports of people with twisted minds putting razor blades and poison in taffy apples and Halloween candy. It is no longer safe to let your child eat treats that come from strangers.” –Ann Landers”Somebody’s child will become violently ill or die after eating poisoned candy or an apple containing a razor blade.” –Dear Abby

This collective fear also served as the impetus for the “safe” trick-or-treating offered by many local malls.”

Best friends. Truman Capote (In Cold Blood) + Harper Lee (To...

krisenthia — Sun, 24 Jun 2012 19:24:00 -0400

Best friends.

Truman Capote (In Cold Blood) + Harper Lee (To Kill a Mockingbird)

The NYPD Tapes: Inside Bed-Stuy's 81st Precinct

krisenthia — Sun, 24 Jun 2012 19:10:00 -0400

The NYPD Tapes: Inside Bed-Stuy's 81st Precinct:

“…A police officer in a Brooklyn precinct became gravely concerned about how the public was being served. To document his concerns, he began carrying around a digital sound recorder, secretly recording his colleagues and superiors.”

-The NYPD Tapes, from the Village Voice 2010

“The Moral Side of Murder” Justice lectures at...

krisenthia — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 11:20:00 -0400

“The Moral Side of Murder”

Justice lectures at Harvard by Michael Sandel

The History of Fingerprinting “1903 – The William West –...

krisenthia — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 00:11:39 -0400

The History of Fingerprinting

“1903 – The William West – Will West Case at a Federal Prison in Leavenworth, Kansas, changed the way that people were classified and identified.

When a man named Will West entered the Leavenworth Prison System, in 1903, he was “booked” into the prison, as all other inmates. His face was photographed, and his Bertillion measurements were taken. Upon completion of this process, it was noted that another inmate, known as William West, who was already incarcerated at Leavenworth, had the same name, Bertillion measurements, and bore a striking resemblance to Will West.

The incident called the reliability of Bertillion measurements into question, and it was decided that a more positive means of identification was necessary. As the Bertillion System began to decline, the use of fingerprints in identifying and classifying individuals began to rise. After 1903, many prison systems began to use fingerprints as the primary means of identification.”

(click on picture for linked source)

"Those without the Capital get the Punishment."

krisenthia — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 15:11:29 -0400

“Those without the Capital get the Punishment.”

- orig. source unknown,

recited by Jeremy Irons, actor and activist with Amnesty Int’l

http://front.moveon.org/jeremy-irons-those-without-the-capital-get-the-punishment/

Frontline video: "Burden of Innocence"

krisenthia — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 15:05:10 -0400

Frontline video: "Burden of Innocence":

“After years of wrongful imprisonment, what awaits men who are released after their innocence is finally proven?”

"A jury consists of twelve persons chosen to decide who has the better lawyer."

krisenthia — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 15:27:55 -0400

“A jury consists of twelve persons chosen to decide who has the better lawyer.”

- Robert Frost,

American poet 1874-1963

FBI - Forensic Hair Comparison

krisenthia — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 15:23:00 -0400

FBI - Forensic Hair Comparison:

Hair evidence is one of the most common types of evidence encountered in criminal investigations.

"Every criminal leaves something of himself at the scene of the crime — something, no matter..."

krisenthia — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 22:47:22 -0400

“Every criminal leaves something of himself at the scene of the crime — something, no matter how minute — and always takes something of the scene away with him.”

- Dr. Edmond Locard

Crime Scene Sketching Kit

krisenthia — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 21:22:26 -0400

Crime Scene Sketching Kit

"Anything seems commonplace, once explained."

krisenthia — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 16:43:03 -0400

“Anything seems commonplace, once explained.”

- Dr. Watson to Sherlock Holmes