Behind These Bars

As I have tweeted, this has been an exciting time in Criminal Justice policy reform.  There have been several articles recently about prison conditions, specifically in California.  There is rampant overcrowding, thus causing what litle resources are available to be spread even thinner amongst the incarcerated.  There is one school of thought that says these people are criminals and do not deserve anything.  basically lock them up, throw away the key and the conditions of the prisons should not matter.  As you can probably guess, i am not one of those people.  Committing a crime does not suddenly make a person less human, less deserving of basic necessities.

I recently read an Editorial in the New York Times about the deplorable conditions in many California prisons.  Many incarcerated persons suffer from mental illness and the inability for prisons to address their needs is a major problem not only in California but nationwide.The article also highlights a shift in approaches to crime reduction.  Mass incarceration has done little to reduce crime, in fact it may lead to increased levels of recidivism.  Some believe that housing all criminals together can give the opportunity to hone a person's approach to crime and to in essence become a better criminal.  It is also possible that the stigma of a criminal record will lead to fewer, if any, legitimate opportunities to make money, leading to vicious cycle of crime and incarceration.

With this shift in the coverage of prisons, I am not surprised it was also necessary to show just how bad and undeserving "these people" are.  In my research, I also came across an article about  Walker posting to his facebook account.   Perhaps it is the conspiracy theorist in me, but I believe this story was brought to light to tamper or dampen the coverage of the deplorable conditions.  As if to say, well look what "they" do when given a little freedom within these bars.  

Finally, I also found an article about the language we use to discuss people who commit crime.  As a proponent of the labeling theory, I try to be cognizant of the labels we attach to people and the stigma these labels bring.  However, even in writing this post, my first instinct is to call the people about whom I am writing "prisoners".  

In the back of my mind, i always remember the quote from Sister Helen Prejean "What if we were all defined by the worst thing we had done."

New Orleans On My Mind

I was a junior in college when Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in August 2005.  At first I could not fully grasp the brevity of the situation.  I was shocked, dismayed and saddened by the devastation and the racial and socio-economic ills it brought to the surface.  I vividly remember standing in line at McDonald's in the student union and the people in front of me were talking about all "those people" in New Orleans looting. "Those people" had Black faces like mine.  At no point did they consider maybe they're stealing sneakers because the ones they waded through infested water in were ruined.  Maybe they were stealing diapers because their crying babies needed them.  Maybe they were stealing TVs to sell them and get some money to get out of the Superdome.  No.  "Those people" were criminals and not deserving of  help.

And then there was the Danziger Bridge. Though we will never truly know what occurred, NPR provides a strong rundown.  The corruption of the already marred image of New Orleans Police Department further showed the unrest and discord that simmered below the surface of this city.  But alas, Michael Hunter was sentenced to 8 years for his part the coverup. Does that seem just?

Worthwhile Victims

Recently, I watched a special titled "In the Shadow of Laci Peterson." It was about several pregnancy crime victim cases that occurred in the same time frame as the infamous Laci Peterson case. As a bit of a crime media observer, I'm also interested in the intersection of race, class, victimology and media coverage.  Who are the victims they chose to shine the spotlight of the media upon and the impact of that glare in the likelihood the case will be solved.  I remember all of the media coverage of the Peterson case and Natalee Holloway and I am always struck by the victims that are never seen. The faces never constantly splashed across the headlines of magazines.

I am sure this is a topic I will revisit in future posts. This topic was swimming around in my head and i just wanted to share, dear reader.

The Thoughtful Criminal

Recently, I read a short blurb in the Washington Post Express about a mugger who returned the stolen wallet and cell phone to the victim after the victim divulged that he was unemployed.  The short mention was meant to be humorous I assume but it made me think about our current economic times and criminality. 

At the beginning of this recession, I remember hearing about a rash of crimes that would ensue.  When people lose their jobs, they commit crime was the very basic premise. That did not occur with this widespread recession.  I always wonder what circumstances in a person's life lead them to crime.  Because, at the risk of sounding like a bleeding heart liberal (which I have been called many times and I am not ashamed), I truly believe people are intrinsically good and circumstances in their lives lead them to do bad things, to harm their fellow man.  And this particular case confirms that to me.  Both people in the situation are hurting, the mugger and the victim.  Based on his reaction, I will assume the mugger is in a similar situation or knows people who are, and he is desperate.  He understood the plight of the victim and did not want to victimize him further.

Though I obviously responded to this story in a different manner than intended, it furthered my belief in the good of people.  And warmed my cold, black heart just a little. :-)

Mommie Dearest

Back in the day, I watched Nancy Grace religiously.  Then the Casey Anthony case began and I lost interest.  The wall to wall coverage of every mundane fact made me realize she might just be the "ambulance chaser" as critics have long espoused.  And then came Investigation Discovery, the channel that makes my casual criminologist's heart soar.  One episode of the Wicked Women series was called "When Mothers Kill" or something along those lines.  It was fascinating to say the least.  Yet there has never been a show devoted to daddies killing.  Is it because Mommy is the nurturer and society cannot imagine a woman not loving her children, or *gasp* not wanting them.  I am in no way making light of women who coldly, viciously murder their children, I just wonder why it is a phenomenon that must be singled out?  Everyone is not meant to have children. That goes for men and women.

On Being Against the Death Penalty

Today Brandon Rhode was set to die.  Before the state could take his life, he chose to attempt to take his own.

To be clear, I am wholeheartedly against capital punishment.  Both as a casual criminologist and morally.  Often people say that must be because I have never been a victim of crime or known a murder victim.  That is not the case.  My sister's best friend, a close family friend, was murdered.  I was against the death penalty before her death and I am still against it after I help my sister pick up the pieces.  I will never advocate the killing of another human being, no matter the wrong they have done.  It serves no purpose, it deters no crime.

And then there's the possibility of executing an innocent person.  I thought the criminal justice system believed it is better to let a thousand men go free, than incarcerate one innocent person.  Guess not. Maybe that only exists in my idealistic mind.  My freshman year of college, I had the opportunity to hear Sister Helen Prejean speak and one quote stuck with me to this day.  "What if we were all judged by the worst thing we had ever done."  Though the rehabilitation of people on death row can be debated.  The most cynical arguing that everyone "finds religion" in jail but society is not helped, only harmed by the use of capital punishment in the United States. All of the world is looking at us and how does this make us look?

If I ran television stations, I would play The Life and Times of David Gale  on a day like today.  To force whomever is watching to see how easily an innocent person can be executed.

The Black (Wo)Man Did It!!!

As you have all heard, the story of the Vancouver, WA woman, Bethany Storro, who claimed to be the victim of some freak attack with acid. And that is was fake, a hoax, a big bold faced lie. I was watching the coverage of the case on Jane Valez Mitchell's show on HLN and she asked one of the commentators about the detailed description Ms. Storro gave of her attacker. The man brushed it off and went into a rant about the emotional turmoil Ms. Storro must be under and poor her etc. Interesting. Many people do not want to talk about why in this elaborate attention-seeking scheme, she chose to describe a black female who attacked her because she was jealous of her beauty *read whiteness*. Setting the stage for this to be a hate crime. Why? Why has there been no discussion as far as i have seen, of the racial implications of this case specifically?

The first case that I can recall during my lifetime of the convenient black description of a nonexistent perp was in the Susan Smith trial. She has the opportunity to describe any type of carjacker that she wanted, since the person did not exist and she chose a Black man. I'm sure there are more cases but Susan Smith popped into my mind instantly. Why is it acceptable to always pin your faux crime on a Black person and any Black person will do? I just remembered the case of Charles Stuart in Boston who killed his pregnant wife and pointed the finger at a Black man. The case garnered sympathy initially as well as a wide spread round-up of Black men in Boston.

What about our society accepts this perception of Black criminality and that the best way to deflect away from your own guilt in perpetuating the crime is to say 'The Black (Wo)Man Did It!!"?

Introduction

Hello dear reader! I am the budding criminologist!! For as long as I can remember, I have had a weird fascination with crime, specifically serial killers. I decided to parlay that interest into an Bachelor of Arts in Criminology and Criminal Justice. As an undergrad, I branched out beyond the serial killer realm of criminology into studying the intersection of race, gender, sexuality, socioeconomic status, etc, basically any marginalized group in society, and crime policy. I wanted to understand the impact of one's position in society on the way their criminality was perceived, shaping their interaction with the criminal justice system. I will use this blog to further explore criminal justice policy topics that I come across and other "crime-y" topics that I want to share.

ENJOY!