Am close to finishing my latest book, Privileged Killers, where I take plea bargains and parole board decisions to task. These are two phenomena that've dictated court and corrections culture for years. Hopefully this tutorial will help writers, criminology students, true-crime fans, and others understand these topics. Plea bargains are a win-win often. Suspects get to plead guilty to doing something less serious than what they've done in all likelihood. The joke is it's like copping to … [Read more...]
Physical child abuse and bullying.
Physical child abuse moves victims a step closer to being bullies and even perpetrators of violence, like child abuse, themselves. This website focuses on all aspects of this stark statement which links physical child abuse, bullying, and violent crime. Physical child abuse.* The following short post is adapted from Chapter One of The Bullying Antidote, a positive parenting guide by Louise Hart and Kristen Caven. That … [Read more...]
What does Bullying beget? Start of a multi-part series.
Karl here with an answer: Bullying begets violence: This is the first of a multi-part series of guest posts by two experts in the fight against bullying. In keeping with the themes of this website, they will at various times discuss the connection that violence, discrimination, and privilege have to bullying. It is often a way station to violence and the crimes of murder, rape, and the like. Dr. Louise Hart and Kristen Caven—my guest bloggers— have written The Bullying Antidote, a positive … [Read more...]
Cocaine, mental illness, trauma: What killed Carrie Fisher?
I'm working on a memoir tentatively titled Four Murders and a Funeral. In one of the murders, powdered cocaine plays a role. At least that's what the defendant and his attorney would like us to believe. Whether the drug was to blame for the murder and whether addiction was involved is part of the story I tell. Cocaine Carrie Fisher's use of cocaine never became much of a criminal justice issue. Some feel celebs get a pass for behavior that lands others of us in … [Read more...]
Criminologist Yablonsky carried switchblade before seeing the light.
Lewis Yablonsky honored me by writing the forward to my first book as a criminologist, Dealing with Violence back in the '70s. We taught together and enjoyed one another's company. He died in 2014.As part of a series on great colleagues and teachers, I offer this obit of Yablonsky by William Yardley. Lewis Yablonsky, teaching at California State University, Northridge, in 1984. His books include “The Violent Gang.” CreditGary Friedman/Los Angeles TimesSociologist and criminolgist."Lewis … [Read more...]
Crim Justice takes a hit with regard to older celebs.
What happens when crim justice, lookism, and celebrity meet face to face? Lady Justice peaks from under her blindfold and renders "modified" justice. Some would call it "in" justice. Crim justice takes a hit. We've explored attractiveness and sentencing in recent posts. Recently we looked at younger troubled stars. Here are a couple of examples of older troubled stars. That is, attractive people who've used their celebrity and wealth to game the justice system. The crim justice system pretty … [Read more...]
How US states rank regarding cyberbullying.
Out of 46 states in the U.S., including the District of Columbia, Michigan ranks number one for having the biggest bullying problems in 2016. The study conducted by Wallethub measured, among other things, bullying and cyberbullying prevalence and the impact of anti-bullying laws in states.Michigan had total score of 60.18 percent, followed by Louisiana with 59.43 percent. The state with the least bullying problems is Massachusetts, with a total score of 23.33 percent. According to the study, … [Read more...]