When we watch TV, go to the movies, or attend concerts (admittedly before Covid), we enjoy watching our favorite stars. But despite being role models for millions, celebrities sometimes break the law. The justice system's credibility then takes a hit when it all too often looks the other way. Of course, stars weaken the justice system's credibility because of their talent, charm, good looks, or wealth which shines so bright it often dazzles judges and juries. When judges and … [Read more...]
Bill Cosby’s special treatment by the justice system.
As you may've read in a former blog of mine, Bill Cosby and a few other top celebs got their just deserts over the last 25 years. But wait, suddenly it looks like Bill Cosby's special treatment finally materialized. So he joins the many other celebs who get special deals. Bill Cosby's special handling. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court recently sprung him from prison for sexually assaulting Andrea Constand in 2005. The case at first ended in a mistrial but resulted in a conviction when he was … [Read more...]
Elite school bias? Surprise report.
As readers of this blog know, I write often about discrimination of various sorts. My tendency is to spotlight discrimination in crim justice institutions. But I've written about other institutions such as the US Navy, the Catholic Church, and the like. Some American researchers just released a report on elite school bias. And it seems to put to rest, at least temporarily, an ongoing debate that intensified a number of years ago. Then, a lawsuit was filed against Harvard College, … [Read more...]
Settlement in James Franco’s Sex Misconduct case
I've followed a celeb who graduated from my high school for some years now. James Franco's been impressive. He was nominated for an Oscar in 2011, and has studied and shown promise as a filmmaker, writer, and painter.** These fields, except for acting, have been fields I've explored. And Franco's been involved with three universities I've attended - UCLA, Yale, and Columbia. Needless to say, he's intrigued me. But when he got into … [Read more...]
CRIME INVESTIGATION Tutorial—How True Crime Websleuths Do It – I
This is an introductory tutorial about true crime Websleuths, an online forum that allows all of us to play detective. In prior tutorials, I've tried to help both crime writers and criminal justice students understand how, say, the FBI goes about investigations. This blog shows you the basics of how to participate in true crime Websleuths. Later blogs will get into how the popular site has evolved and some of the hiccups it's experienced. The … [Read more...]
Crim Justice Reform +’s, -‘s, unintended consequences
We heard from both sides of certain 2020's crim justice reform issues last Monday. Below are a couple of samples of the pros and cons of parole reform, one of the many controversial reforms proposed nationwide.After that, I've included an example of what reformers must consider when proposing and implementing reforms. The example pertains to bail reform, something that shares characteristics with parole reform. The comments and video describe an unintended consequence of bail reform in the … [Read more...]
The saga of the Titanium Rib and Dr. Mel Smith
I've had a lifelong interest in discrimination and birth-defects stemming from being bullied for my once-nasal cleft-palate speech. Hence I was interested when college classmate Alain Gunn wrote The Titanium Rib. The Discrimination Angle The book is about a device that allows infants born with defective chests and lung function to live. And it's a true story of two dedicated surgeons —one being a black man who endured discrimination as a trailblazer entering the lily white ranks of … [Read more...]