Category: Crime

Myths about Serial Killers

The serial killers researched and presented in the killers list play well into myths presented in the article. For example, Gary Ridgway clearly fits into myth two as he is a white male in his thirties who killed around his home area. He was also a religious fanatic who specialized in killing prostitutes. These characters play into myth three as shown by Fox and Levin (1999). His other traits like early behavioural problems, lack of remorse, and insatiable sex drive all play into the myths.

Despite being a poor student, he was intelligent enough to avoid being caught by police and was even able to fool the polygraph. It was not until the discovery of DNA that police were able to link him to his past crimes. The other serial killers presented in the killers list also conform to the stereotypes presented in Fox’s and Levin’s (1999) article. For instance, John Gacy confirmed the stereotype that all serial killers are unusual. He had random blackouts and seizures, and obesity resulting from a heart condition that kept him out of sports. Just like all serial killers, he had a bad childhood. His father was alcoholic and abusive. He was careful to avoid being caught (Fox &Levin, 1999).

Social constructivism is the best perspective to look at serial killers. This is because it “constructs” reality of the crime by linking the serial killer to his crimes as opposed to the positivist approach that seeks to explain the behaviour of the serial killer by suggesting influence from external forces beyond his control. Positivism does not add any value to scientific knowledge.

Crimes in Serial Killing

The most typical crimes involved in Serial killing includes: rape, sodomy, mercy-killing, torture, and mutilation of victims. Although these could be the most mesmerizing kinds of serial killing, they are hardly the only ones. Many serial killer cases involved the use of a knife as evidenced by stab wounds in many victims of serial killing. Strangulation was also prevalent in some cases involving elderly victims.

In some cases, the killers used a gun or pretence of gun to force their victims into obedience. Male offenders also use hands or feet to injure their victim’s head and private parts. Several cases of serial killing involve abduction of victims form an outdoor location. Killing is done at that location or elsewhere. Victims killed at home were in most cases familiar with the offender (Fox & Levin, 1999).

Certain crimes were more likely to happen at certain places, at certain times, for example in the hospitals where the patients are vulnerable in their total dependency on their caretakers. This is evident in serial killing which is thrill motivated, where a growing number of murderers committed by hospital caretakers have been exposed in the years; although not in sexual motivation, these acts of murder are perpetrated for the sake of dominance nevertheless. Most self-proclaimed reformists are also motivated by thrill seeking but try to rationalize their murderous behaviour. Donald Harvey who worked as an orderly in Cincinnati-area hospitals confessed to killing more than eighty patients in a few years (Fox & Levin, 1999).

Most serial killers have a more opportunistic method of victim selection. To a certain extent, they are likely to prey on the most vulnerable targets such as prostitutes, hitchhikers, drug users and runaways, as well as hospital patients particularly the elderly and extremely sick. The most probable offenders include hospital caretakers, and those pretending to be after the prostitutes. Serial killers are generally white males in their late twenties or thirties who span a broad range of human qualities including appearance and intelligence (Fox & Levin, 1999).

Sexual sadism and an interest revealed in in-depth fantasies of domination make up the most common motive in serial killing. Serial killers also enjoy watching the screaming and squirming of their victims during torture. Most of the killers also rape, mutilate, and degrade their victims in order to feel powerful and dominant. These motives relate to the theories learnt as different theories explain different motives.

For example; mission-oriented has a motive to eliminate evil in the world while hedonistic is meant for pleasure. Power oriented is for dominance while visionary has a purpose to obey voices from God. The motives vary with age, race, gender, and class. For example, the whites and the youth kill for dominance and pleasure while the aged would kill to rid the world off evil and to obey spiritual voices. Most women kill for passion while men would still do the same for pleasure (Fox & Levin, 1999).

It is common for serial killers to hind behind masks of exemplary skills to avoid suspicion. Most have a personality disorder called sociopathy. They lack conscience, are non-remorseful, and only think of their needs and desires. Many serial killer cases are hard to solve as they lack motive and physical evidence required by police. Thus, the use of motive as a way of apprehending suspects is usually unproductive. Most killers do not leave any evidence making it difficult for police to link several murders as the work of the same killer (Fox & Levin, 1999).

The media plays a great role in reporting the facts of a serial killer to the public. However, covering a speculative commentary debate can be counter-productive and dangerous. Public commentary on an ongoing enquiry with partial or inaccurate information can impact negatively on the case and put people at great danger. The media helps the public to be aware of the serial murderers. They provide information on the serial killers and the type of crimes which they are associated with for the common good of all (Fox &Levin, 1999).

Reference

Fox, J., & Levin, J. (1999). Serial murder: Popular myths and empirical realities. In D. Smith & M. Zahn (Eds.), Homicide a sourcebook of social research (pp. 165 – 175). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Luka Magnotta, a star of adult video industry has become famous because he was charged and treated as the perpetrator of crimes with psychopathic and sickening nature (“Luka Magnotta, accused in infamous body-parts case, faces preliminary inquiry Monday” par. 1).

In 2013, the trial that looks at the matter has begun and is continuing today. The potential story is as follows. On the 25^th of May, 2012, Luka has invited his lover, Lin Jun, a 33 year old student from China. Luka then tied Lin to the bed, turned on a video camera and started stabbing Lin with an ice pick into the chest. He then commenced sexual acts on the dead body and allegedly ate some flesh of his victim.

The video was posted online for the public to see. The body was severed into limbs and different parts were sent into several institutions, including a school. After this Luka Magnotta went into hiding (“Luka Magnotta preliminary hearing suspended for the day”).

On May 26^th 2012, the police were notified of the video that showed the murder and following acts. The police decided it was a fake and disregarded the report. On May 29^th 2012 a torso was found in Magnotta’s home in a bag. At this time, Lin Jun was reported missing. The same day Conservative Party of Canada has received a parcel with a severed human foot.

The note in the parcel stated that six body parts were sent to different addresses and that the killer will not stop. At this time, Interpol became involved. On June 4^th, 2012, Luka Magnotta was arrested in a café in Berlin while he was reading an article about himself (“Disturbing specifics of Magnotta case a secret to all Canadians … except these people” par. 3).

On June 5^th, 2012 two schools have received parcels that had a strange and distinct odor. June 18^th of the same year, Luka Magnotta was extradited to Canada to receive trial. July 1^st, 2012, the head of the victim was found in a park. June 21^st, 2012 the hearing about the case was decided to be in March of 2013 (“Timeline of events: The Luka Rocco Magnotta case” par. 17).

The media has extensively covered the case and has received an extremely vast amount of attention. Social networks and websites have been abuzz about the case and the following has been increasing. Magnotta has even gained some fans (“Luka Magnotta Dedication” par. 1). The whole time Magnotta is denying his guilt and has appeared in court several times.

Even though there were some provisions to forbid the case going public, there are pictures and videos online that show the acts and pictures of the accused (Wilton 1). From the attention that the media has shown and the public outcry it is possible to conclude that the case is one of a kind.

Such cruelty has rarely been seen by the public. There are several examples in history, like Paul Bernard and Karla Homolka that have shown similar sickening and cruel acts towards other people. Magnotta showed some emotion and collapsed but sincerity is questionable (Sidhartha 1).

It is obvious that a person of sane mind would never be able to commit such acts. Someone who is able to go through the process is without a doubt a sick individual whose brain is malfunctioning.

The most disturbing fact is that the general public has access to the graphic contents and that the law makers and the government were not able to prevent such information from appearing on the internet (“Luka Magnotta seeks to have public banned from preliminary hearing next week” par. 1).

This shows how unorganized the society is and how news hungry the media of the world can be. The case is historically significant as it can be aligned with the torture and cruelty of the human kind towards itself.

Works Cited

Banerjee, Sidhartha. Luka Magnotta Collapses In Court During Preliminary Hearing. 2013. Web.

Disturbing specifics of Magnotta case a secret to all Canadians … except these people. 2012. Web.

Luka Magnotta, accused in infamous body-parts case, faces preliminary inquiry Monday. 2013. Web.

Luka Magnotta Dedication. 2013. Web.

Luka Magnotta preliminary hearing suspended for the day. 2013. Web.

Luka Magnotta seeks to have public banned from preliminary hearing next week. 2013. Web.

Timeline of events: The Luka Rocco Magnotta case. 2013. Web.

Wilton, Katherine. Luka Rocco Magnotta trial: Publication ban covers preliminary hearing. 2013. Web.

Introduction

Juvenile violence has been very rampant in recent years. Children kill fellow children in circumstances that can only be explained by psychological reasoning. With the contemporary juvenile social trends, we are bound to experience more and more of these alarming incidences. Reasons like heartbreaks in adolescence, school bullying, and broken homes have been used to explain many of these incidences but one is obliged to question their appropriateness in specific cases. In this essay, we analyze the Lionel Tate case, Eric Smith’s case, and the case of an unidentified juvenile from a news article. Let us start with Lionel Tate’s case.

Reasons for delinquency

Lionel Tate’s Case

Lionel Tate, 12 years old, was allegedly practicing the wrestling techniques he saw on television when he murdered 6-year-old Tiffany Eunice. This happened on the night of July 28, 1999, when his mother brought Eunick to their home to stay with her for the evening. His mother, Kathleen Grossett-Tate had gone upstairs and after a while, Tate came to inform her that Eunick was not breathing. Later medical examinations showed that Eunick had been severely tortured for several minutes before her death. Tate was to confess later that he jumped from the staircase to fall on her. She had major injuries including lacerations, ruptured spleen, damaged rib cage, a partially detached liver, brain contusions, and a fractured skull etcetera. The fact that a psychological checkup on Tate showed that he did not have any mental illness proves that his actions were due to the life experiences he had been through. He was shown to have poor control for impulse, resentment, high potential for violence, and an inability to control anger. These temperaments are normally evident in people who have undergone unpleasant life experiences and so they strive to protect themselves from undergoing such experiences again. This can be substantiated by the fact that after being put under home arrest, he walks with a knife. He was thus so obsessed with protecting himself that he insensibly tried to learn wrestling tricks with a kid and therefore severely hurt her and killed her. Next, consider Eric Smith’s case (Burns 1).

Eric Smith’s Case

At the tender age of 13, Eric Smith was convicted of the second-degree murder of a four-year-old Derrick Robie. Smith had stuck Derrick with rocks, stripped his body naked, and sodomized him with a stick. Smith was a loner and he lived in anger due to the bullying he encountered in school. At home, smith’s stepfather did not seem to care enough for his stepchildren it was even proved that he was sexually abusing Smith’s sister. It, therefore, follows that Smith did not have adequate parental love. It can thus be argued that Smith’s behavior was due to a psychological problem developed from his past experiences. At one point, he was asked why he Killed Derrick and he answered that he killed him because he enjoyed inflicting pain on another person rather than the pain being inflicted on him. This shows that he had undergone substantial abuse and he had developed a passion for revenge. This is indeed a serious psychological problem considering the fact that he directed his revenge on an innocent child and tortured the child’s body after killing him (Leung 1).

Reaction to the cases

The above-discussed cases show that juvenile violence can be confidently attributed to the life experiences of kids. In all these cases the juvenile criminals develop temperaments and mental problems due to problems in their social life. They develop anger and overprotectiveness of themselves from past mistreatments or abuse. This anger and overprotectiveness make them lead lonely lives and thus their condition is aggravated. This way, they develop psychological problems that enable them to commit murders and feel as if they are doing nothing wrong (Burns 1).

From Lionel Tate’s case, it is evident that he had been affected by past life experiences. The fact that he had uncontrolled anger, violence potential, resentment, and poor impulse control show that he had been affected by his past greatness. This could be due to the fact that he was being raised by a single mother and lacked paternal love. Tate had behavior problems that included stealing, fighting, and assault etcetera, and had been suspended from school fifteen times. This shows that he was protesting against a lot of aspects of his relations. He can therefore be considered to have had undergone several problems for him to develop this kind of defensiveness. Thus this acts as evidence that his past life had tremendous input on his development of violence. In Smith’s case, his bright red hair, freckles, and speech problems made him experience a lot of bullying and isolation in school. This made him develop the attitude that everybody was out to hurt him. At one point, he said that he closed his ears to what other people said about him. This way, he lost his emotion and became vengeful to the world for not appreciating him and always doing things to hurt him. His murder of Derrick is very queer and we get the impression that Smith was seriously sick psychologically. He is said to enjoy murdering the kid and the investigations that follow. Thus the psychological problems that smith developed were due to the experiences he had gone through the courtesy of his bright red hair, freckles, and speech problems (Leung 1).

Despite the apparent relation of the stated juvenile murder cases to the past experiences of the children, it can be argued that the abnormality of the behavior of these juveniles was due to inborn characteristics. Smith was born with bright red hair and freckles that had an enormous effect on his esteem and social life. This, arguably, led to his solitude that in turn made him develop psychological problems. These psychological problems can be primarily related to the murder of Derrick. On the other hand, Tate was naturally violent and thus he accidentally killed Eunick while satisfying the violent spirit in him (Martin 1).

The argument that the mentioned juveniles committed these murders due to past experiences is the most appropriate. This is because, although a kid may be born with temperaments, his/her life experiences affect his/her acquisition of the basic values in life like self-esteem, self-confidence etcetera. These values have a large impact on the psychology of a person and thus their presence/absence in a person’s life could form the line between a murderer and a nonmurderer. This argument however assumes that all people have the same stress management capabilities. It assumes that if any child was put through the conditions Tate and Smith were going through at the time of the murders, they would behave the same. This is not true since different people have different cushions for stress and social problems (Martin 1).

With this argument, these children are psychologically sick and they need therapeutic help. They should be given this help while behind bars until their conditions are proven to be stable. The efficiency of the therapy will depend on the accuracy in the identification of the problem. Somebody like Smith, now an adult, could be having the problems he had as a kid. His condition may have been worsened by the trials of correctional facilities. If his problem is not fully identified, he will not get adequate treatment and thus he will not be fit to go back to society (Burns 1).

Conclusion

With the prevailing rate of juvenile murders, society should have a closer look at such cases as Smith’s case and see what can be done to reduce the occurrence of these crimes. Juvenile social behavior should also be analyzed to see its contribution to the occurrence of such crimes. This will reduce the number of children behind bars and also reduce the number of innocent deaths that occur as a result of juvenile violence. We should thus make sure that we raise our children to be free from early childhood emotional problems and make sure that they are free from any kind of abuse. This will ensure that their psychological welfare is maintained throughout childhood and thus they will be free from developing violence.

References

Burns, Kari. “Lionel Tate.” 2006. Web.

Leung, Rebbeca. “Why Did Eric Kill?” 2004. Web.

Martin, Dutch. “No More Second Chances for Lionel Tate.” 2006. Web.

Overview

The routine activities theory of crime was first postulated by Lawrence Cohen and Marcus Felson. The scholars argue that the amount and distribution of predatory crimes – crimes committed against persons and in which the criminal tries to steal a valuable object – are directly related to the relations between three variables that replicate the routine activities of the American lifestyle. These variables include the existence of appropriate targets such as buildings that contain goods that are valuable and which can easily be sold; the lack of capable guardians for instance police, owners, and neighbors; and the presence of persons who are motivated to commit a crime. The existence of these three variables increases the possibility of the occurrence of a predatory crime. Targets are highly likely to be victimized if they are not well guarded and if they are rendered to a high number of motivated offenders. The increase in the availability and value of targets also increases the rate of crime (Felson & Boba, 2006). This paper aims to apply the routine activities theory of crime to a shopping center.

The Site

The site of analysis is a shopping center by the name “The Park Plaza Shopping Center”. The shopping center has many shops selling different types of products and services, from home appliances, groceries, office appliances, and electronic goods. The shopping center also has fast-food restaurants, the most widely-known one being McDonald’s. In addition, the shopping center has a branch of the Bank of America with an ATM machine. As a result, the shopping center is always a beehive of activity and serves different cadres of clients: home-keepers shopping for their families needs, businessmen and employees earning a living from the shops, and youths in pursuit of social activities with their peers.

Assessment of the Shopping Center as a Potential Criminal Site

The Park Plaza Shopping Center is indeed prone to high rates of crime due to the interrelation of three major factors. The first factor is the availability of suitable targets. The shopping center has many shops selling different valuable goods such as home appliances and electronic gadgets including phones and home theater systems. In addition, the majority of the shoppers who visit the shopping center have cars which they leave at the shopping center’s parking lot. This parking lot is large in size and caters to the needs of the high number of people who frequent the center daily. The goods as well as the cars are valuable in that a person can easily sell them and earn handsome proceeds from the sale.

The second factor that makes the shopping center prone to crime is the lack of guardians in the area (Schmalleger, 2008). Despite the large size of the shopping center, it lacks an adequate number of security guards to govern the area. Most of the security officials work within the shops of the center but not outside. In addition, the majority of the shoppers and employees leave their cars unattended in the parking lot. The lack of guardians creates a perfect environment for potential criminals.

The last factor that makes the shopping center prone to crime is the presence of motivated offenders. The center attracts all sorts of people, from genuine shoppers and employees to idle youths. Moreover, persons from different income-earning brackets can visit the center. This, coupled with the availability of valuable goods and lack of guardianship, motivates potential offenders to engage in criminal behaviors such as theft and burglary. Potential criminals can observe the routine activities of shoppers and employees, for instance, the time the shops are opened and closed, if the area is adequately patrolled during the day and at night, as well as the behaviors of the shoppers.

Measures Taken to Reduce Criminal Behavior at the Shopping Center

The Shopping Center has undertaken several measures to enhance security in the area. Unfortunately, the measures are taken focus only on internal security but not external security. First, all the shops have employed several security personnel who guard them. The security guards are based within the shops and protect the shops from looting or theft. In the parking lot and the compound of the shopping center, there is no security personnel in sight. The second security measure that has been taken by the shopping center involves the installation of surveillance cameras within the shops. The cameras are used by owners and management of the shops to observe what is going on in the shops. This helps to minimize and solve cases of shoplifting. At the Bank of America branch, the surveillance cameras are crucial in protecting customers from muggers as they withdraw their money. Unfortunately, the surveillance cameras only protect customers and employees while inside the shopping center. Once they leave the shops, they are prone to theft and violence due to a lack of protection.

Techniques That Would Reduce Property Crime Victimization at the Shopping Center

Enhancement of security at the shopping center can be achieved by minimizing access to valuable properties and increasing guardianship around the area. These can be done through: the installation of surveillance cameras around the shopping center, converting the open-area parking lot into a basement parking lot and increasing the number of security personnel patrolling the shopping center.

Increasing the number of security personnel

The management of the Park Plaza Shopping Center should increase the number of security personnel in the area. The focus should not just be on the protection of the valuable goods and money in the shops but also on the security needs of customers. Security personnel should therefore be hired to patrol the entire compound of the shopping center. These guards should be placed strategically on every corner of the shopping center and particularly near the entrance and exit points of the shops. The guards should not only be based at their locations but they should take turns in patrolling the entire area during the day and night. The sight of the security personnel around the area would act as a determent to would-be criminals. On the other hand, people who become victims of crime within and around the shopping center can easily get assistance from the security personnel in case of any criminal attempts. The high number of guards would facilitate the apprehension of criminals and therefore it would be difficult for criminals to escape.

Installation of surveillance cameras at the shopping center

Surveillance cameras can be installed strategically both within and outside the shopping center. The cameras would provide the security personnel with extra eyes in that they would be able to see what is going around the shopping center. Through the cameras, the security personnel can see and apprehend youths committing crimes such as mugging, theft, and car-jacking. Nevertheless, for the surveillance cameras to work effectively, they need to be monitored regularly. The shopping center should therefore employ personnel whose work is to monitor the cameras and report any suspicious activities. The surveillance cameras should also be of good quality and should produce clear images of people, goods, and the cars parked outside. Clear images will make it easy for the operators, security personnel and law enforcement officials to easily identify the persons and objects involved in a crime. The proper lighting should complement the surveillance camera system both during the day and at night when there is darkness. The use of surveillance cameras and alarms will minimize the rate of crime by making it difficult for the offenders to gain access to valuable properties (Siegel, 2009).

Converting the car parking into a basement parking lot

Most of the crimes committed at the shopping center take place within the parking lot. This is because of the lack of security personnel in the area and the fact that it is easy to attack and steal valuables from people when they are just about to enter into their cars. The shopping center can eradicate the opportunities of crime in this area by converting the open-space parking lot into a basement parking lot. Security personnel should then be placed at the parking lot and monitor the activities by ensuring that only the owners of the parked cars enter the parking lot. This can be achieved through the provision of car tickets to car owners.

These three techniques used together would significantly reduce the high crime rate at the Park Plaza Shopping Center by minimizing the accessibility of suitable targets, increasing the number of guardians in the area, and changing the overall environment into one that is hostile to criminal activities (Felson & Boba, 2006).

Reference List

Felson, M., & Boba, R. (2006). Crime and everyday life (4^th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.

Schmalleger, F. (2008). Criminology Today (5^th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Siegel, L. (2009). Criminology (10^th ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth.

Introduction

Cybercrime takes place online, and new methods of committing the cybercrime keep emerging because criminals look for easier ways to steal from unsuspecting internet users. Individuals or groups of people commit crime. The crime has increased because more people use the internet to do their shopping, banking or social networking such as Facebook and Twitter (Watson 1).

Cybercrime is committed by criminals that operate as communities and share tools and strategies on how to commit a crime. The criminals steal individuals’ identities and money. Identithe ty theft involves stealing of another person’s personal information and impersonation. Identity thieves steal information such as social security numbers, employer numbers, name, and passport numbers among others.

The stolen information enables criminals to steal money especially bank or credit card details. It is difficult to track down cybercriminals because of the anonymity nature of the internet. Criminals hack computers and operate them from a far location.

However, because each country has different cybercrime laws it becomes complicated to prosecute or track criminals in a different country. Cybercriminals use various methods to steal individuals’ identity and money because it is easier and less risky than the conventional methods of stealing for instance bank robbery.

Phishing sites

Phishing sites are fake websites criminals use to get personal information from internet users. Criminals send people the phishing sites as an attachment or link through emails. The user is tricked into opening the attachment or clicking on a link because it looks important.

Once they click the links or download attachments their personal information is stolen. Some phishing sites request users to enter personal information such as bank details, usernames and passwords. The users fall prey because the phishing sites look real and their personal information is stolen.

Malware

Criminals use malware to gain access to personal computers. They infect personal computers with malware. The malware enables them to steal personal information such as names, credit card, and bank account details. Using the stolen information the thieves are able to create a digital identity, and using it they can do anything that a user would do online and they succeed in committing cybercrime (Watson 1).

Botnet

Botnet is “a collection of internet-connected PCs which have been infiltrated by malware and remote-controlled by the botnet owner” (Waterson 1). The computers infiltrated with malware are used to steal personal information from internet users and identities. The criminals use the botnets and control them from a central location to send out phishing mails. Information harvested by the criminals is organized and ready for use.

The Botnet controllers are an organized community and some sell the stolen identities and use the rest to steal money from people. The owner of the botnet engages in renting out the botnet to the cybercriminals. The cybercriminals work hard to increase their botnets through infection of new computers to look for more internet users and steal their identities (Watson 1).

Stealing money using the stolen identity

Criminals use the stolen identities in various ways such as stealing money from accounts or creating bank accounts among other things. Moreover, the stolen personal information can be used in buying commodities online.

The cybercriminals use mules to assist in transferring money from bank accounts so that the money can get into the cybercriminals’ hands. Armed with stolen bank account details a mule is able to help the cybercriminals steal money. The mule then engages in forwarding “the money into another bank account to which in turn the mule gets to keep a small percentage of that stolen money” (Waterson 1).

Cybercriminals use online payment channels to move money from an individual’s bank account and then to their accounts. There can be linking of these accounts to the debit cards and the money can now be withdrawn using these cards through ATMs.

On the other hand, there can be transferring of big amounts of money into a fake account established by cybercriminals and this money is instantly withdrawn before the banks become suspicious (Waterson 1).

Moreover, some cybercriminals hack email addresses and send emails to the people in the contact list informing them that he owner of the email is stranded therefore needs financial assistance. The unsuspecting recipients may lose money if they send because they will send the money to the identity thieves (Katie 1). Some cybercriminals steal money by sending people emails that claim they have won a certain amount of money.

To claim the prize they are required to send their bank details to facilitate transfer to their bank accounts. Those who fall prey and send the details become victims often criminals who use the details to steal money from them. Some criminals send people spam mail and tell them they need help transfer a large amount of money, but they need the recipient of the email to give them bank details so that they can send the money to their bank accounts.

They can keep a portion of the money to entice them. A greedy unsuspecting user sends his or her bank details and his or her money is stolen. Some cybercriminals set up business scams and entice people to invest for high returns. People put funds in such online scams and after the criminals collect enough they pull down the websites and people lose their hard earned funds.

Protecting oneself from the identity thieves

Cybercrime is found to be a lucrative business, carried out by the organized criminal groups. Every person that uses the internet ought to ensure that they are protected by taking protective measures. One such measure is that the internet users need to be extremely careful when they click on the links found in their emails. Moreover, caution should be taken in regard to providing personal information, which is sensitive, online.

Such information includes the login details of the bank account. Users should know that their banks will never ask them personal information using an email and before filling in such information they should call to ascertain the authenticity of those emails. The users also need to be careful when posting personal information on the social media networks such as Facebook (Waterson 1).

The information users post on the social networks can be used by cybercriminals to recreate passwords that they can use to hack their accounts (Katie 1). They should also ensure that they keep changing their passwords often. Besides, they should be strong to avoid making it easy for criminals to guess them. Moreover, they should avoid using same passwords for different accounts like many users do (Katie 1).

Users should also scan USB and external disks to ensure they are not infected with malware that can be transferred to the computers and comprise they security online. They should also check if the website they use for banking is secure before they enter their login details. A secure website has a web address.

Moreover, the internet users should make sure that they have the basic “anti-virus protection software” on their PCs (Waterson 1). They also need to make sure that their PCs are protected with extra “data protection software such as AOL DataMask, provided by SentryBay, which safeguards against key logging, phishing, screen captures, etc” (Waterson 1).

Conclusion

Cybercrime has increased in the recent past and become more complicated. Thieves are stealing individuals’ identity online and using it to steal money. The popularity of social networks has helped cybercriminals to gather information about people and use it to hack their accounts and steal usernames and passwords.

The stolen information is used to impersonate people or create ghosts that steal money from individuals’ bank accounts and credit cards. Some use the credit cards to shop and the bill is charged to the owner. Stealing of identity is simple as people can do it anonymously and finding them is hard.

The methods that cybercriminals use to steal money keep changing. Thus, internet users and organs that fight cybercrime ought to be on the lookout. The users must be made aware of the methods that cybercriminals use and sensitized on how to protect themselves from falling victims of cybercrime. The agents that deal with cybercrimes should strive to stay a step ahead of cybercriminals to protect internet users.

Works Cited

Katie, Leslie. Hackers find new ways to steal your identity. 2010. Web.

Waterson, Dave. Cyber Criminals – How They Steal Your Identity and Your Money, 2013.

Introduction

Hatred refers to a deeply rooted emotional detest that an individual has against other people, ideas, or material objects. Hatred usually results from anger or a negative experience that a person has undergone. Emotions of hatred result into hate crimes and children are not an exception. A number of juveniles have been convicted of hate crime cases in various states of America, as well as, other parts of the world.

Hate crimes refer to criminal offenses, which are “motivated partly or entirely by a perception that the victim is different from the perpetrator”). Some of the differences that can lead to hate crimes include differences in race, gender, social status, and disability. This paper examines hate among juveniles. It also explores how juveniles develop hatred and the reasons why they are engaged in hate crimes.

How Juveniles Develop Hatred

Children learn emotions of hatred as they grow up. In their early stages of development, children learn through observation. A majority of children are usually keen to observe how people relate with one another, as well as, how their elders treat and relate to those who are different from them in terms of color, gender, and religion. Therefore, through observation children learn how to relate with others either in a positive or negative way.

For instance, a child who is exposed to hatred at an early age is likely to exhibit similar emotions. Consequently, children who have developed feelings of hatred usually direct the hate feelings towards their peers who are different from them.

Children also develop feelings of hatred by interacting with their peers at school. Most of the hate crimes committed by juveniles, results from hate groups formed at school. Members of the hate groups generally make their peers to believe that those who are different from them ought to be treated in a particular manner.

In most instances, the victims are harassed, assaulted, and intimidated because they are different from the rest. Victims of hate crimes develop similar feelings of hatred towards the perpetrators because of harsh treatment from their peers.

However, some elements of hatred in children can be termed as normal. For instance, “passing from one emotional state to another and expressing some intense emotional states is normal especially after puberty, when the mind goes through an extremely difficult period towards forming its personality” . Therefore, some children may portray emotions of hatred that does not result from prejudicial attitudes.

Nevertheless, teachers and parents should be keen to monitor the emotions of the children because intense emotions of hatred can affect their social relations with peers and other people. Psychologists consider it relatively normal for a child to develop feelings of hatred towards authoritarian parents or teachers who punish them more often and rarely reward them.

However, “when this hatred manifests itself through certain deviant and frequent acts, parents, teachers or those in authority must raise an alarm and communicate with the child, to find out what difficulties he is encountering and propose solutions” . Failure to address such problems might result into deviant acts, which are criminal.

Types of Hate Crimes among Juveniles

A number of children engage in hate crimes because of a number of reasons. For example, hate crimes can result from the desire to have thrill, for retaliatory purposes, and mission based purposes. However, for any type of hate crime the underlying factor for its cause is usually the differences in terms of race, religion, ethnicity, and gender that exist between the victims and the propagators of the hate crime.

Thrill Hate Crimes

Juveniles especially teenagers engage in hate crimes in order to satisfy their desire to have thrill or excitement. Most of the White teenage males involve themselves in hate crimes in order to have fun. Some of them engage in hate crimes even though they do not have any knowledge of the victims.

Latinos, Africans, and Asians are more prone to the hate crimes as opposed to the Whites. A good number of the thrill hate crimes involve assaulting of the victims or brutal attacks, which often results into hospitalization of the victims.

In the thrill hate crimes, the perpetrators invade their victims who are different from them. The reward for the “perpetrators is psychological, as well as, social”. The perpetrators usually aim at gaining control, having fun and receiving approval from their peers.

Defensive Hate Crimes

Juveniles also engage in hate crimes for defensive purposes. In most instances, the hate crimes are triggered by incidents, which act as catalysts for engaging in actions of hatred. Individuals commit most of the defensive hate crimes. The offenders feel justified for their defensive actions against those who are different from them. Some of the defensive hate actions can be physical assaults, or harassing language.

Retaliatory Hate Crimes

Retaliatory hate crimes results from the desire to revenge. In most instances, victims of a hate crime propagate the retaliatory hate crimes. An individual or a group can conduct a retaliatory hate crime. On several occasions, the attack is often conducted indiscriminately. For example, a group of teenagers who had previously been victims of a hate crime can single out any person from the target group.

Mission Hate Crimes

These hate crimes are instigated by a person or a group of people who believe that they are obligated to eliminate a particular group of people who are different from them. In a school set up, children can engage in a mission to eliminate their classmates, and peers whom they believe are different from them in terms of race, religion, and social status. The main objective is to make their environments a better place by eliminating the outcasts.

Hate crimes, which are mission based often leads to the creation of hate groups. Hate groups serve as a voice of the people and conduct hate mission attacks against their victims.

Hate groups can cause adverse effects especially in a school set up. Juveniles who form part of hate groups might make life unbearable for their schoolmates who are different from them. Therefore, school authority should always undermine any form of grouping amongst students that propagate hatred on prejudicial basis.

Consequences of Hate among Juveniles

Children who fall victims of hate crimes usually develop importunate feelings of fear. This can be attributed to the fact that most victims of hate crime are usually not aware of what they are required to do in order to avoid future victimization. Therefore, school authorities should protect children who have been victimized based on their race, ethnicity, religion, or gender. They should also reassure such students that they are valuable.

Victims of hate crimes especially children, normally develop low self-esteem because their peers perceive them as inferior. Consequently, the victims might be affected socially, emotionally, as well as, academically because they will often look down upon themselves. Therefore, it is the responsibility of teachers, parents, and the community at large to help such children believe in themselves.

Juveniles should be discouraged from perpetrating hatred on prejudicial basis because most of them do not have serious commitment to bigotry. Those who are in authority should also hold them accountable for committing hate crimes.

The public should condemn hate crime conducted by juveniles. Educators have the responsibility to take an initiative to reduce hate crime by designing programs, which aim at creating awareness about hate crimes among juveniles and the repercussions.

Conclusion

From the above discussion, it can be concluded that most juveniles develop emotions of hatred through their interactions with their peers and from their elders. A number of juveniles also engage in hate crimes for various reasons such as thrill, retaliation, and defense purposes.

Therefore, those in authority should guide children of various age groups on how to relate with their peers who are different from them. Parents are required to act as role models to their children. This will enable the children to develop the right attitude towards people who are different from them.

References

Altschiller, D. (2005). Hate crimes: A reference handbook. Chicago: Chicago University Press.

Jacob, J., & Potter, K. (2000). Hate crimes: Criminal law and identity politics. London, England: Oxford University Press.

Levesque, R. (2011). Encyclopedia of adolescence. New York, NY: Springer.

Both UCR and NCVS note that the rates of violent victimization have been on a downward trend in the past two decades. Specifically, from 1993 to 2010 there was a 70% decline in violent crime victimization (Truman, 2011). A similar trend was observed in the serious violent crime victimization rate, which declined by 73% to reach 5.4 per 1,000 persons age 12 or older in 2010 from 20.5 in 1993 (Truman, 2011). Another decline was witnessed in property crime victimization rates, which dropped from 318.9 per 1,000 households in 1993 to 120.2 per, 1000 households in 2010 (Truman, 2011).

Although both UCR and NCVS concur that the rate of violent and property crimes declined, they differ on the aspect of the number of all the crimes reported. While UCR noted a decline in the 2009-2010 periods, NCVS did not see a statistical significance in this decline (Truman, 2011). The variations arise from how the two institutions define crimes, their bases of calculating the crime rates, and methodology used in data collection and analysis (Department of Justice, 2004).

Historical precedent and explanation for the crime drop

There was an increase in incarceration between 1970 and 2000 (Ouimet, 2004). This saw the number of inmates in jails and prisons increase by over 500% (Ouimet, 2004). This might have caused a drop in crime rates. Other factors to this effect were economic growth that led to more jobs, a decline in drug trafficking, the institution of community policing, and community participation in drug eradication (Ouimet, 2004).

Theories

Social ecology: This theory focuses on community deterioration, disorder, and poverty as sources of crime. With economic growth, there was a reduction in poverty and more community involvement thus reducing crime rates.

Social bond theory: This theory focuses on ideas of why people do not indulge in crime. The concept of attachment to others as utilized in this theory may help explain how potential criminals got attached to the community and worked towards achieving community goals, thus deviating from crimes such as armed robbery.

Rational choice theory: Risks of committing a crime such as long-term jail sentences would outweigh the benefits the offender may be thinking of. Thus, incarceration and restrictive jail terms acted as deterrent factors for committing a crime.

The rational choice theory provides the most powerful explanation for the crime drop. This is because as noted earlier, the crime rate dropped more significantly when many people were jailed and there were restrictive jail terms. Therefore, potential criminals have to weigh their costs and benefits carefully.

Reference List

Department of Justice. (2004). The Nation’s Two Crime Measures. Web.

Jong, C. (2011). Bible online. Web.

Jrank,Inc. (2011). Moral and Religious Influences – Religion And Crime, Shame Penalties, Religion in Prisons, Prison Chaplains, Practicing Religion in Prison. Web.

Ouimet, M. 2004. Explaining the American and Canadian Crime Drop in the 1990’s. Web.

Qari, M. (2011). Quran online. Web.

Roszak, T. (2000). A Just War Analysis of Two of Deterrence. Ethics, 73 (2)100-109. Web.

Sampson, R., & Lauritsen, J. L. (2011). Violent Victimization and Offending: Individual-, Situational-, and Community-Level Risk Factors. Web.

Timmer, D. A., & Norman, W. (2011). The Ideology of Victim Precipitation. Web.

Truman, J. L, (2011). Criminal Victimization, 2010. Bureau of Justice Statistics. Web.

Ward, D. 2003. Victimless crimes. Web.

Computer forensics is essentially the process of applying computer analysis and investigation to determine possible evidence for legal purposes (Robbins, 2010). All the two guides give necessary standards whenever using electronic systems in circumstances that require the use of computer forensic to determine some elements that cannot be discerned by normal human-oriented approaches. Both the Electronic Crime Scene Investigation & Good Practice Guide for Electronic Based Evidence bear the principle fact that computers have evolved into devices that have entirely revolutionalized the way things can be handled; and that they can be used to do both good and bad things. This is a major similarity between the two guides that comes out clearly from the onset. They both allude that computer-based or rather electronic material can provide very useful information that can then be used to give leads in cases involving crime, both at the scene of the crime and even the post-crime events. These devices can track down evidence even out of the scene of the crime, thus providing much-needed deep insight into more details of a committed crime, especially when electronics are involved.

One major similarity is that both guides give a detailed step-by-step procedure of what to do at the crime scene once the responsible experts arrive. Though presented in different ways in terms of structure and layout, the two guides display a similar picture of the crime scene, the very first thing to do like looking around to identify which type of electronic equipment is available. According to the guides, some of the devices that can be found at the scene of the crime can vary depending on the nature of the organization. Examples of such devices are desktop computers, laptops and cameras. (Association of Chief Police Officers, n.d). These devices could be on or off and there are different ways to approach these different scenarios. The good Practice guide for computer-based Electronic Evidence for example suggests that for a computer that has been switched off; the area containing the equipment should be secured, any printers in progress allowed to finish and people moved away from any power supplies and computers. The Electronic Based Evidence guide indicates similar principles. It goes ahead to guide that the experts involved should go an extra mile to take notes of everything they do, observing changes seen in any device at the scene. Similarly, it also gives a step-by-step procedure regarding the conditions of equipment found like standalone computers and cameras (National Institute of Justice, 2001).

Perhaps the main difference that comes out between the two guides is the depth of the details given and the overall arrangement of the content. While the Electronic Crime Scene Investigation guide gives very fine details that can be understood by a layman, the Good Practice Guide for Electronic Based Evidence assumes that the reader of the material is already conversant with the topic and can follow on any complex computer terms. A good example is on page 32 of the Electronic Crime Scene Investigation guide, where clear pictures of the removable storage devices and media described are presented. Some of the devices in pictures include scanners and different types of printers.

In conclusion, both guides are on target at giving a perfect guide for computer forensics where a gathering of evidence at a crime scene is involved. Despite the obvious differences that exist, there are enormous similarities that come out, which agree with the general principle of computer forensics. Overall, they are great guides for professionals seeking rich guidance on computer forensic tasks.

References

Anonymous (n.d).Good Practice Guide for Electronic Based Evidence. Association of Chief Police Officers, National High-tech Crime Unit.

Anonymous (2001). Electronic Crime Scene Investigation: A guide for First Responders. Washington: U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice, 200.

Robbins, J. (2010). An Explanation of Computer Forensics. Web.

Public order crime refers to crimes that interfere with the general functioning of a society. This behavior is categorized as criminal because it is against social norms, values, and customs (Jrank, Inc, 2011). Public order crimes include prostitution, pornography, gambling, and abortion among others (Ward, 2003). Historically, society used religion to promote morality in individuals. Religion brings the concept of right and wrong concerning supernatural powers. Major religions of the world including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam define right and wrong actions in society. The bible and the Quran are considered holy books that have existed over the years. As such, they provide guidelines on moral standards in society.

Most religions condemn any sexual relations outside marriage. Prostitution is defined as sex that is done in exchange for money or favor between two people who are not married. As such, Islam for instance condemns sexual relationships between people who are not married and Prophet Mohamed states this rule in the holy Quran and Hadith (Qari, 2011). According to religion, sex that is exercised within marriage attracts reward from God. On the other hand, sex exercised outside marriage attracts punishment from God (Jrank, Inc, 2011). Christianity also forbids any sexual relations outside marriage. For instance, the bible says that all sexually immoral people will be destroyed for misusing the body that is the temple of Christ.

The two religions (Christianity and Islamic) also do forbid any sexual relations between people of the same sex. Homosexuality is termed as a sin by Christian and Muslims because sexual relation was made for purpose of procreation (Jrank, Inc, 2011). Jong (2011) says that homosexuality is also prohibited in the Bible. Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed because of immoral sexual behaviors such as homosexuality. Leviticus 20:13 says that any man that lies with a fellow man commits a sin and should be put to death (Jong, 2011).

Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy. The Quran and the bible highly forbid termination of pregnancy because of fear of sustaining the children. Quran 22:5 states that humans are created by God and only God has power over life (Qari, 2011). Anyone who terminates a pregnancy before the child reaches maturity will be punished (Jrank, Inc, 2011). Thus, Abortion is the destruction of life that is created by God and is equivalent to murder that is a great sin (Sampson and Lauritsen, 2011)

Reference List

Department of Justice. (2004). The Nation’s Two Crime Measures. Web.

Jong, C. (2011). Bible online. Web.

Jrank,Inc. (2011). Moral and Religious Influences – Religion And Crime, Shame Penalties, Religion in Prisons, Prison Chaplains, Practicing Religion in Prison. Web.

Ouimet, M. 2004. Explaining the American and Canadian Crime Drop in the 1990’s. Web.

Qari, M. (2011). Quran online. Web.

Roszak, T. (2000). A Just War Analysis of Two of Deterrence. Ethics, 73 (2)100-109. Web.

Sampson, R., & Lauritsen, J. L. (2011). Violent Victimization and Offending: Individual-, Situational-, and Community-Level Risk Factors. Web.

Timmer, D. A., & Norman, W. (2011). The Ideology of Victim Precipitation. Web.

Truman, J. L, (2011). Criminal Victimization, 2010. Web.

Ward, D. 2003. Victimless crimes. Web.

Deterrence is the process of discouraging wrongdoers from committing offenses in the future. There are two levels of deterrence, namely general and individual deterrence. One is focused on individual offenders, while another is focused on all offenders. Individual deterrence focuses on discouraging an offender from committing an offense again, while general deterrence focuses on discouraging all the criminals or anyone who wants to engage in criminal activity from doing so. Many sentencing commissions have been dwelling more on the specific deterrence. According to the Canadian sentencing commission, specific deterrence is usually affected by many factors, such as the rates of repeating offense by the offenders.

Specific deterrence has been continually used as a justification for punishment for offenders to discourage them from repeating the offense. This deterrence is usually sometimes very effective because the offender will get a very sharp punishment even though short, but it is very expensive because it is focused on an individual offender. General deterrence, on the other hand, is more practiced, and it is usually used for very severe crimes such as crimes of sexual assault, crimes of violence that cause bodily harm, and robbery.

Judges are usually advised to give general deterrence to such crimes, and in a case where their sentences do not give general deterrence, it is usually overruled by the courts of appeal. General deterrence usually involves a lot of legal sanctions being imposed. These sanctions are very costly, and therefore there is usually no reason to believe that the sanctions will deter all the crimes. The Canadian sentencing commission discredited general deterrence by stating that there is no guarantee that making an example out of a particular offender will have an impact on other potential offenders.

In the article, the ineffectiveness of general deterrence has been explained. It states that deterrence is based on rational decision making. It states that someone will do something after weighing its benefits and limitations. Severe crime offenders however do not follow this conviction. They engage in crimes because of their emotions such as anger and therefore deterrence is not a limitation to them engaging in the crime again. Change in the severity of penalties imposed on criminals does not guarantee reduction in rates of crime for example removing televisions from the cells of criminals will not necessarily reduce the rate of crimes as Canadians believe.

According to Cesare Beccaria who also championed for general deterrence agreed with the fact that making punishments brutal will not necessarily reduce crime rates. He argues that imposing savage punishments will make the public think that the justice system is also savage and this would undermine the effect of criminal prosecutions because there will be no difference between the criminals and the justice system.

The savage punishments can also make courts to rebel by finding other ways to punish the criminals or not to convict criminals at all. For general deterrence to be effective practically, there has to be certainty of punishment and this has led to fully stocked prison facilities with armed police. The punishments also have to be swift for general deterrence to work. For general deterrence to be effective in practice, it should not have several conditions because it will give the public a lot of expectations that it might not be able to fulfill. General deterrence however usually comes with certain conditions to it that will make the whole sentence very complex.