As the beneficiary of an innovative cleft-palate team at Seattle Children's Hospital, I'm always interested in the progress being made regarding cleft palate surgeries. The innovation in my day was approaching the birth defect as a team effort from the minute a baby is born. Heretofore, most doctors did cleft palate surgeries without the input of dentists, orthodontists, speech therapists, and others involved in the decade-long treatment of the defect. [Contested Cleft … [Read more...]
How race may still affect outcomes despite opportunities.
I had the pleasure last month to meet Jimmy Hatch for the second time in several years. He's a decorated, wounded Navy Seal vet.** He started Yale four years ago as a "nontraditional" student at age 52. He stood out on campus because of his age and definite real world prep as opposed to the often prep-school prep of his much younger young classmates. Hatch came to the attention of a trio of Yale classmates who run a monthly zoom forum featuring interesting people to showcase. … [Read more...]
UNTOUCHABLE and PRIVILEGED KILLERS
During the run up to the publication of Privileged Killers early next year, I've received many nice endorsements. They're also called "Advance Praise" which publishers solicit and put in the opening pages of many books. Advance Praise For Privileged Killers. I've received "blurbs so far from criminologists, sociologists, true crime writers, and criminal justice personnel so far. An example is the one from the last category: "When it comes to crime writers, you've got your wannabes … [Read more...]
Insanity in court cases: Test, Fakery – Part I
As I worked on the footnotes for my soon-to-published Privileged Killers, I wondered how much the insanity test had changed recently. The case I write about in my book, one among a few homicides, showed how a killer got off easy using a mental illness defense. So, insanity is on my mind. In fact, I recently blogged about the speculation that Bryan Kohberger, the suspect in the brutal Idaho stabbing deaths of four, might use mental illness as a defense. Definitions of Insanity. There’ve … [Read more...]
Does the Baldwin and Hutchins ‘Rust’ deal warp justice?
I've been busy traveling of late, and so must rush to get this post out amid acclimating to being back home and at my desk. Thus, my desk, my yard, and now the Baldwin and Hutchins deal require urgent attention.So, I'll simply curate this story about actor Alec Baldwin's deal re the Hutchins killing. On this website, I've tried to follow many other high profile celebrity cases to see if justice prevails. For example, here and … [Read more...]
“Seduced By A Sociopath” by Chrissy Handy
A new article discusses the issues raised by a recently released book, Seduced by a Sociopath. The article and book provide a case study relevant to the posts I wrote here and here over the last few months. Amanda Cable wrote the article earlier this month, and I've decided to print it in its entirety. Enjoy...if you can. "Did you meet your perfect new partner just as you were feeling vulnerable? Did he or she sweep into your life when you needed them most – after a split, a loss or a … [Read more...]
CRIME INVESTIGATION Tutorial – How the FBI used fingerprint ID tactics to nab MLK’s Assassin.
As I've done from time to time, I'm starting another tutorial series. This one's for everyone, but specifically for crime writers and students of criminology, crim justice, and forensics. For writers, it's intended to help them incorporate fingerprint ID tactics in their novels. And, as they - and the teachers of students like you - know, it's a good way to introduce a topic is via a story. ID tactics So I'm starting off this series with a story. It's about how the FBI … [Read more...]