Do Street Light Poles Reduce Crime?

It's easy to hide when it's dark everywhere, said Reverend Carey, standing on a dark street in Oakland, California. Crime, he said, can't be prevented when people can't see the criminals.

The debate on whether or not a lighted street at night reduces crime has flared anew, as frightened residents across the country have flooded local city councils with requests for more streetlights on city streets.

Research has indicated that more streetlights reduces crime.

Streetlights act as a natural deterrent and watchman, insisted Brandon Welsh, a professor of criminology at Northwestern University. Studies show that streetlights will reduce crime by 20 percent and more at night. These streetlights also give residents a feeling of ownership over their neighborhoods and a sense of pride, Welsh said.

However, tough budget times have cities scrambling to cut costs, and turning off street lights is one solution. This action has placed city councils in direct conflict with chiefs of police who insist that more light means less crime.

For example, Oakland has seen a large increase in murders this year. So far, 85 people have been murdered in the city this year. That's up 25 percent from the previous year.

The previous Oakland police chief requested more streetlights in the high-crime areas of Oakland. That lighting helped in reducing crime. The chief said that when criminals want to commit a crime, they want to do it in darkness.

Because of the increased crime, the reverend has organized neighborhood watch groups to guard their neighborhoods. To do that, though, requires more light, the reverend said. People can't report criminals if you can't see their faces, he added.

The increased crime that Oakland is experiencing is replicated in other cities across the United States.

The equation is simple: More lights mean less crime, according to an analysis published by the Campbell Collaboration.

The review by Campbell looked at 13 different studies of street lighting in the United States and England and found that improved street lighting cut crime by 21 percent, as compared to areas where street lighting wasn't improved.

Street lighting was more effective in England, where crime fell by 38 percent. The drop in crime in The United States was 7 percent, although the studies used by Campbell were much older than those from England.

The Campbell study surmised that better street lighting also increased community pride. This community pride generated neighborhood solidarity that established an "informal social control" to reduce crime.

Peter Wendt is a writer and researcher living in Austin, Texas. Over the years he has become an authority on electrician Austin TX. If you would like to learn more about this subject, then the author recommends a visit to Quantum-electric.com.

Maritime Crime Scenes - Crime Scenes on the High Seas

Investigating crimes aboard ships at sea

News stories reporting on piracy along the Somalia coast sparked a world-wide cry for conformity in the training of investigative personnel. The most complex factor is, "Just who is in charge?" The complexity may emanate from a scenario such as this: a hijacked ship may be owned by a Dutch shipping company, flagged in Panama, manned by Filipinos and liberated by German Special Forces.

Coordinating law enforcement activities across the globe is a daunting task, and an acceptable outcome depends of good coordination from investigating agencies and the judicial system where the crime occurs. The US Naval Criminal Investigative Service (USNCIS) and Europol recently joined forces to ensure effective prosecution of the criminal element by conducting a joint meeting in The Hague. These combined forces developed guidelines spelling out how to properly investigate maritime criminal acts.

These guidelines propose a uniformly consistent approach by combining standard, accepted crime scene investigative techniques. Additionally, state-of-the-art forensic examination of crime scene evidence is outlined. The NCIS/Europol alliance looks toward biometric and personal identification techniques such as fingerprint and DNA evidence as causing an increase in the potential for maritime piracy convictions across the board.

It is estimated that nearly 15% of the world's oil production as well as 20% of world trade passes through the Gulf of Aden. Food supplies and other essentials like medical and manufacturing parts and supplies are also directly disturbed by acts of piracy. Much of all of this traffic, estimates say 80%, is bound for European countries.

Maritime piracy is a major issue causing considerable concern with the skyrocketing of the shipping costs that include insurance rates and basic operational costs. A major source of income for Somalia has become piracy-related activities worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

All agencies cite the need for professional, in-depth training for crime scene investigators (CSIs). While each country offers varying levels of exposure to the basic essentials, The International Association for Identification (IAI), the world's oldest and largest forensic identification group, offers recognized training and certification programs for CSIs.

The IAI requires training hours that range from a minimum of 48 hours of instruction and a 200-question examination for a Certified Crime Scene Investigator, up to 144 hours of instruction and a 400-question test for a Certified Senior Crime Scene Analyst.

This is all well and good for organized law enforcement, but what happens from the time the crime or act of piracy occurs until a trained CSI reaches the scene or vessel involved? Most often the actual crew of the ship in question can make or break any later criminal proceedings. Experts note that a crime occurring on a freighter would be handled differently than a passenger ship. It is a much simpler matter to "Secure the Crime Scene" until trained investigators arrive on a freighter, but crew members on a cruise ship will be motivated to "clean up the mess" so as not to alarm, annoy or disturb the passengers.

One major cruise line reported that during a two-year period, 102 sexual harassment cases and 113 cases of sexual assault were reported.

CNN reports that, "...though cruise companies don't display crime statistics to the public, they are required to report serious incidents involving Americans to the FBI and U.S. Coast Guard. Salvador Hernandez, deputy assistant director at the FBI in 2007, told lawmakers that the FBI opened 184 cases on crimes that occurred aboard cruise ships between 2002 and early 2007."

The cruise lines, however, consider those numbers quite small when considering that about 64 million passengers were on-board during that same five-year time frame.

The need for some sort of crime scene training for crew members-particularly those working at on-board security-is a necessity

Such training is slow to evolve, and the certification requirements for Ship and Vessel Security Officers (SSO/VSO) that serve on cruise ships is mainly based upon regulatory standards that fail to offer any guidance or standards relating to basic law enforcement activities and crime scene investigation protocol. This lack of technical knowledge and needed experience in performing those tasks needed for properly processing crime scenes often hampers any follow-up investigation, as well as any resulting prosecution and resolution of the charges in criminal court. For more information on crime scene investigation visit: Crime Scene Tech Blog

Expert author Don Penven is a freelance writer and photographer based in Raleigh and Morehead City, NC

White Collar Crime Offenses: What You Need to Know

These are offenses which are widely categorized, and not always easy to definitively pinpoint on any one individual or business entity. As such, if you have been accused of a crime of this nature, then it is imperative that you understand the allegations which have been made against you and take immediate action to obtain sound legal defense for the criminal proceedings to come.

Business and government officials alike are those who are susceptible to being slammed with an accusation of committing a white collar offense. In 1939, Edwin Sutherland defined white collar offenses as fraudulent behaviors with a financial backing. Since then, the term has been used nationwide to describe an array of behaviors, from embezzlement to identity theft, and everything in between. These types of crimes very often overlap with corporate crimes as the opportunity to commit actions of copyright, forgery, bribery, and the like are much more prevalent within the business/ corporate sectors of society. It is important to recognize, however, that just because the opportunity to commit these types of actions exists does not mean that those who have been accused are necessarily guilty.

Generally, officials don't enforce strict limits on the application of these types of offenses. Rather than strictly defining the behaviors which will be categorized as a white collar crime, they instead allow for a broad range of illegal offenses to fall within the category, classifying them by the type of crime and the topic of the crime. For example, property crimes, economic crimes, and even health and safety crimes can all be violations that may be classified as a white collar offense. This is true when these types of actions include behaviors such as fraud, identity theft, embezzlement, etc. which have been justifiably classified as a white collar offense. However, a different approach is taken when the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is involved in this branch of the law. Under jurisdiction of the FBI, crimes of this nature are deemed as "those illegal acts which are characterized by deceit, concealment, or violation of trust and which are not dependent upon the application or threat of physical force or violence." Again, this could involve any number of a wide range of illegal activities, some for which offenders may have been unaware that they were committing. Whether under the jurisdiction of the FBI or not, it is not outside of the realm of possibility for individuals to be falsely accused of this type of behavior.

One of the most difficult aspects of white collar offenses is the very nature of the crime. There are several situations in which illegal activity could be committed under circumstances which were unintended to be unlawful. Because white collar crimes naturally involve money and high-end business transactions, there is cause for involvement that may be innocent in nature. In these instances, one or more persons could be a part of a larger scheme of which they were previously unaware. Therefore, arrests and accusations for this offense must be expertly defended against in the court of law.

Classifications of this type of crime are also often dependent on the type of offender. Unlike other illegal behaviors which are capable of being committed by any person, of any class, white collar crimes are almost always associated with individuals of a high socioeconomic status or social class. Business professionals, computer gurus, and government officials are persons in positions of power, thereby making them the ones most likely to have the means to commit these types of crimes. Unfortunately, these positions often land the persons in them in deep trouble with the law if they are the ones accused of a white collar crime. Although it may be unfair, it is often quickly assumed that behaviors of this nature are ones which were committed by those in the positions of the most power. Strong legal defense will need to be obtained in order to prove that this is not necessarily the case.

Occupational, organizational, and corporate transactions are often under a great deal of scrutiny, for these are the positions in which individuals are more likely to commit a white collar offense. However, classification in this category is dependent on more than the nature of your job (i.e. what you do on a daily basis) and the social class under which you fall. Therefore, accusations, arrests, and criminal proceedings must be based upon more than simply the aspects of your career and the socioeconomic status of your being. Unlawful behaviors of embezzlement, money laundering, and the like are ones which could be committed under your name without you being aware of the totality of what is happening. Therefore, they are ones that must be strictly monitored and vehemently defended when you have been accused of any action such as those described above. The best way to do this is by obtaining a criminal lawyer who can defend your rights and freedoms in the face of the incriminating accusations that have been made in your name.

Goldman & Associates is a Chicago based criminal law firm that is experienced in all matters of the law. As such, attorneys at the firm are ready to take on the defense cases of those who have been criminally accused in the state of Illinois. From probation violations, to theft crimes, to white collar crimes, there is virtually nothing out of the scope of practice for each associate at the firm. Intensely aggressive and unwavering defense will be provided to you when you choose to work with a defense lawyer from Goldman & Associates. In fact, the legal team has garnered a reputation for aggressive and affordable defense that cannot be rivaled. Whatever the accusations against you may be, you can rely on the steadfast defense tactics from a Chicago criminal attorney at Goldman & Associates. Skilled as criminal defender in the courtroom and persuasive negotiators outside the courtroom, there is almost nothing that this winning team cannot help you with when you are in need of sound legal defense. To learn more, do not hesitate to contact the firm at 847-868-3730.

Internet Crimes: Definition and Penalties

An internet crime, or cybercrime, refers to any illegal practice that involves the use of a computer or network, or targets a computer or network. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, their key priorities in regards to cybercrimes are: computer intrusion, online predators, piracy, and fraud. Computer intrusion costs individuals and companies billions of dollars every year. By breaking into personal computers, laptops, and networks, hackers can disrupt and sometimes permanently damage vital computer systems. The reasons for computer intrusion vary from the theft of personal information to illegal business practices to terrorism.

Child pornography and online predators are another important focus of the FBI. The Innocent Images National Initiative is part of their Cyber Crimes Program and is dedicated to fighting the spread of child pornography online. It is against federal and state laws to make, own, sell, or distribute any pornographic materials that contain minors. Although each state is different, even the possession of one picture can lead to five years in prison. As one of the fastest growing crimes on the internet, it can be used for a number of purposes. Pedophiles view it, but others use it to prepare children for child prostitution, an act known as child grooming. 18 U.S.C. Chapter 110, Sexual Exploitation and Other Abuse of Children, states that violators can be punished by fifteen years in federal prison.

A crime that has garnered a mass amount of media attention is that of piracy: intellectual property theft. Intellectual property includes: music, books, movies, art, inventions, phrases, designs, and more. Materials that are protected by copyright or trademarks are illegal to copy or distribute without permission. Penalties for piracy vary based on the amount copies or distributed. The FBI has been working on educating the public regarding the seriousness of this crime and the fact that it is theft.

Lastly, another widespread internet crime is fraud. Fraud is a broad category of crimes that involve dishonest acts. When misrepresentation occurs on the internet, it becomes a cybercrime. The most common reason for fraud is monetary gain and can be civil or criminal in nature, depending on the law of the state. The main types of fraud are: identity theft, credit card fraud, bankruptcy fraud, and securities fraud.

If you have been accused of any type of internet crime, it is highly encouraged that you speak with a legal professional as soon as possible. As these crimes can be investigated by government agencies, you need a strong legal representative to be on your side. Time is crucial, so do not wait to get the help you need.

The Miller Law Firm has over twenty years of experience in criminal defense law. With a former assistant state prosecutor on their team, they have the skill and ability to handle even the most complex and serious criminal cases. By speaking to a Sarasota criminal attorney from their team, you could receive the strong legal representation you need to get your case dismissed. From drug crimes to DUI to sex crimes and theft crimes, they have handled hundreds of criminal cases. You deserve professional and high-quality legal defense and they could be able to help you get your life back on track and retain your freedom. To learn more about how they can help you, contact a Sarasota criminal lawyer from their firm. They are available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, so call today or visit their website at http://www.sarasotacriminaldefenselawfirm.com.

Riots Reveal Organized Crime Power in Brazil

Last weekend, Brazilians living in the greater Sao Paulo metropolitan area witnessed one of the country's largest prison riots in the past five years, organized and orchestrated by Sao Paulo's largest criminal faction, the First Capital Command (PCC in Portuguese).

When Sao Paulo state authorities transferred some 756 PCC leaders, the PCC criminal enterprise, led by Willians Herbas Camacho (a.k.a. Marcola), implemented its plan to start riots in dozens of prisons in Sao Paulo and around the country. They took advantage of the unusually lax security environment over the weekend when some 10,000 prisoners were given a day pass to visit families on the outside for Mother's Day, and thousands more civilians entered prisons to visit inmates on the inside.

As one prison after another fell under the control of rioting inmates, the hostage count rocketed into the hundreds. Meanwhile, organized attacks on police stations around Sao Paulo kept security forces busy defending themselves. At the same time, masked gunmen commandeered city buses, ordering them evacuated before burning them to the ground.

The weekend's total included over 250 separate attacks on police stations, stores, and other establishments. There were 115 people killed, including 32 policemen and prison guards and 71 gang members. Another 49 people were injured. Some 215 hostages were taken in 73 prison riots that occurred in prisons across Sao Paulo, Parana, Matto Grosso do Sul, Brasilia, and Bahia, according to Brazilian daily Folha de Sao Paulo. Over 80 public transport buses were burned and one metro station was attacked, leaving over five million people without public transport. On 15 May, as millions of people fled home in the early afternoon, Sao Paulo became a city of gridlock spanning 203 kilometers of roadways.

Over the weekend, as the violence raged on, Brazilian Justice Minister Marcio Thomas Bastos offered the service of 4,000 soldiers, part of a National Force trained to help contain the security problems in Brazilian states. But Sao Paulo Governor Claudio Lembo, filling in for presidential candidate Geraldo Alckmin, refused to accept federal help. Bastos made the trip from Brasilia to Sao Paulo to again offer federal assistance during a close-door meeting on Monday, 15 May. But again it was refused.

By 16 May, as quickly as the violence had started, it ended, and most prisons were back in the control of state authorities, and policemen were no longer the target of random attacks. The Sao Paulo daily newspaper, O Estado de Sao Paulo, reported on 16 May that the state government had reached an agreement with the PCC. Government officials continue to deny that claim, but it is possible such negotiations were a last-resort option for state officials clearly caught off guard by a highly organized criminal network, one many believed had been dismantled years ago.
Brazilian organized crime The PCC began to take shape in 1993, when prisoners incarcerated in Taubate state prison in Sao Paulo organized themselves to fight against deplorable living conditions and more rights within the prison system. Over the past 13 years, this organization has grown into one of the country's most powerful prison criminal networks, controlling activity within dozens of prisons in Sao Paulo and around the country, as well as important sales points and transport routes for drugs and guns flowing into Brazil from source countries such as Paraguay, Bolivia, Colombia, and Suriname.

The PCC became more active outside prisons in 1999, when Rio's top criminal organization - the Red Command (CV in Portuguese) - formed an alliance with PCC members who lived in Heliopolis, a shantytown located in the southeastern zone of Sao Paulo, according to a Rio de Janeiro Federal Police officer who asked to remain anonymous. Through this alliance, the CV sought to shift some of its drug trafficking activities from Rio de Janeiro to Sao Paulo. In Rio, CV leaders had been constantly harassed by police who exacted an extortion tax for allowing favelas (shantytowns) to be used as drug sales centers and contraband transshipment points. Additionally, the PCC in 1999 was a large criminal organization with more manpower than economic activity. Its alliance with the CV increased earnings for the PCC in Sao Paulo, while opening a new pool of man power for the CV to defend its turf from rival gangs in Rio de Janeiro.

Together, the two gangs control the drug trade in Brazil's two largest cities. They operate gun smuggling routes out of Paraguay and purchase weapons from corrupt policemen and military soldiers in Sao Paulo and Rio. High-level members of these gangs, especially the CV, continue to conduct a weapons-for-cocaine barter with members of the leftist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) based in the Colombian Amazon.

As recently as 30 April, three Colombians opened fire on a Brazilian patrol on the Rio Negro, a branch of the Amazon river that begins in an area of the Colombian Amazon reportedly controlled by the FARC. Brazilian authorities claim that the rifles were stamped with the Brazilian military coat of arms. The men were followed to the Colombian city of San Felipe, where their arms were confiscated. Brazilian Federal Police investigators told ISN Security Watch that they believe the arms were part of a cache of weapons to be traded for cocaine that traffickers would transport to Sao Paulo and Rio.

Red Command leader Fernandinho Beira-Mar is considered to have been one of the first Brazilian criminals to trade weapons for cocaine with the FARC. He was arrested by Colombian authorities in April 2001 and immediately extradited to Brazil. Yet the recent incident on the Brazilian-Colombian border in the Amazon indicates that five years later, this criminal exchange program still continues to supply the CV and the PCC with pure, Colombian cocaine.

Brazilian organized crime is just as powerful within the prison system as it is on the outside. And as the battle continues to dismantle these criminal networks, the occasional mega-rebellion reminds Brazilian authorities and civilians that the security sector here has a long way to go before it has any significant control over organized crime. These rebellions also highlight the superior communication networks operated by Brazilian organized crime.
Communication is fundamental When Fernandinho Beira-Mar was transferred from his prison cell in Rio de Janeiro after he orchestrated a prison riot there in September 2002 to mask the assassination of rival gang leaders, authorities found a number of luxury items including silk pajamas. But what surprised them more was the number of abandoned cell phones. Reports from Rio de Janeiro daily, O Globo, claim that Beira-Mar used up to a dozen cell phones to communicate with lieutenants and other subordinates in his black market network of guns and drugs shipments and sales.

In a similar fashion, leaders of the PCC use cell phones to communicate with one another between prisons and between prisoners and gang members on the outside. Both the Civil Police and the Federal Police operate listening posts, which enable security officials to piece together actionable intelligence on plans for rebellions and other gang operations. However, the use of two-way radios has made that task much more difficult.

In both Rio and Sao Paulo, two-way radios are used by criminals to relay messages to other incarcerated gang members and members on the outside. In some cases, one prisoner calls via cell a subordinate on the outside who uses a two-way radio to transmit the message to a third individual who then uses another cell phone to pass along the message to its recipient in another prison, reports O Globo. Each node on the communications chain may use any number of cell phones or two-way radios, making tracking the signals very difficult.

Attempts to block cell phone signals in Rio and Sao Paulo have been ineffective.

In the middle of the Mother's Day weekend riots, requests to shut down cell phone towers used by criminals to relay signals were presented to Brazil's telecommunications regulatory body when Marco Antonio Desgualdo, the head of the Sao Paulo state Civil Police, met with this body, called Anatel, on 15 May. The Folha de Sao Paulo reported that after the meeting Desgualdo announced that authorities would not be able to shut down cell towers without the acquiescence of telecommunications companies.

These same companies - Vivo, Tim, Telefonica, Embratel, and Nextel - complain that shutting down the towers would mean an unacceptable disruption of service for their law-abiding clients. Nothing short of a court order would shut down the towers, a legal instrument that takes too long to obtain.

In some prison systems, cell phone signal blockers are used, but they are quickly rendered obsolete by the rapid pace of technological advancement in cell phone systems.

The battle between Sao Paulo authorities and the cell phone companies to shut down towers in the event of security needs began in February 2001, when PCC members used cell phones to orchestrate simultaneous riots in 29 prisons across Sao Paulo. Security officials failed to win the battle then, too, but no one knew that such decisions five years ago would eventually facilitate the most violent uprising of Brazilian organized crime in years.
Corruption and politics Even as blocking cell signals and other methods to impede communication between criminals evolves into what may become a viable solution, many believe that such time is wasted on treating a problem that is not central to the real reason why the PCC was able to orchestrate such a widespread reign of disorder and rebellion. Corruption and politics, two of the usual suspects behind systemic dysfunction in democracies, are at the center of Brazil's security problems.

Bribes paid to security officials at all levels keep leaders of the PCC and the CV well informed of official planning. When authorities planned to move over 700 of the PCC leaders to a more secure prison environment to avoid what they learned was a planned Mother's Day rebellion, the PCC reacted by launching its rebellion two days early, disrupting the prisoner transport and a host of other activities planned to prevent the rebellion.

Low salaries exacerbate corruption because policemen and some lower-ranking members of the military are more likely to sell weapons from poorly organized stock piles to make ends meet. Over 70 per cent of the weapons used by Brazilian organized crime were made in Brazil. Many of them are sold to Paraguay where they enter the black market before returning to Brazil. Yet a significant amount are sold to criminals directly from stockpiles of seized weapons.

When budgets must be prepared, politics dictate who gets what slice of the pie. From 2004 to 2005, the Brazilian federal government reduced resources for the country's Penitentiary Fund by 37 per cent. This fund oversees the overall improvement and maintenance of Brazil's prison system. Meanwhile, the government of Sao Paulo state diverted from public security spending some US$81.3 million in the last five years. It was a decision in the reduction of security spending at the Sao Paulo state level that was likely made after the 2001 prison riots in that state.

Commenting on the event, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio "Lula" da Silva said it was a demonstration of the power of organized crime in Brazil. His comments underline the fact that Brazilian organized crime is a force that has grown to threaten Brazilian cities as well as the nation. With links to organized crime in Paraguay and Suriname, and a thriving barter system with Colombia's FARC soldiers, the PCC and CV may soon become internationally known as a criminal network that has grown too big for Brazil's security system to handle.

Sam Logan (http://www.samuellogan.com) is an investigative journalist who has reported on security, energy, politics, economics, organized crime, terrorism, and black markets in Latin America since 1999. He is currently completing his work on Nice Guys Die First, a forthcoming non-fiction narrative about organized crime in Brazil.

Crime, Criminality, Prisons, and Punishment - Think Tank Topic

No real think tank can be legitimate without addressing the serious issue of crime in human society. Indeed criminal activity, corruption, and unethical behavior may be an innate part of the human species, that is to say deception seems to be hardwired into the human brain, but it needs to be minimized if we are all going to get along together and make this all work. That is if indeed, we are to have a cohesive society and civilization which will be ongoing.

Not long ago, I was discussing this with an acquaintance, who also believes that crime is a serious issue. Is it the most serious issue of all? Perhaps, or perhaps not, but it does affect every single thing we do in our society, it permeates all industries and is pervasive in all aspects of government. It is a real challenge and a real problem, however it may not be as bad as we think. Often the media in their haste to cause chaos and controversy, and sell more newspapers blows many of the criminal events out of proportion.

Crime in the United States has gone down, but recently I have wondered if future solar flares will increase human brain activity, agitation, and therefore aggression. In other words, during times of solar minimums there is less crime and during times of solar maximum there is more crime, and more conflict, perhaps even more wars in the world.

On another related topic consider this; due to the fact that we have digital cell phones, and everyone carries them around, it's much more difficult for a criminal to get away with something than it was in the past. And because of this fewer criminals are willing to commit acts because they know they will be caught. Still, crime presently in the United States is at an all time low, except for the drug violence that is coming from over the border.

Normally when foreclosure rates go up 1% crime climbs by 2.2% for every 1% additional, however there seems to be anomaly in the data this time around, and the foreclosure rate is at an all-time high but there is a divergence between this trend, when looking at past data. Many criminologists have asked why.

Perhaps, some of that has to do with the television shows of detectives, crime work, and forensics, meaning that people are too afraid to get caught because they think the forensics will catch them because of their DNA, and therefore, the only crimes that occur are ones that are planned out weeks in advance, but since most crimes are done spur of the moment. And a lot of them just don't end up happening because the risk/reward, or the risk of being caught is just too great. Of course, this is all speculation with no empirical evidence to back me up, but it is something to consider.

The computers are getting better and the GIS/GPS systems with data interfaced artificial intelligence software is helping city police departments know where crime may occur, it also helps the FBI with probability and that means resources can be used more wisely. The only thing we have to worry about is that we may someday not have enough for criminals to support the huge amount of police force that we have, but as we create more laws, we inevitably create more criminals, and it becomes a vicious circle.

Many people want to decriminalize things like drugs and other things, while others wish to increase the laws to make certain hate speech a crime. Eventually we have too many rules and too many laws, and therefore, we have fewer freedoms, and it's something we need to watch. It really appears that we are graduating far too many criminal justice majors in the United States from our colleges and universities. This is also a problem. I hope you will consider all this.

Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank. Lance Winslow believes it's hard to write 20,000 articles; http://www.bloggingcontent.net/ - Note: All of Lance Winslow's articles are written by him, not by Automated Software, any Computer Program, or Artificially Intelligent Software. None of his articles are outsourced, PLR Content or written by ghost writers.

Sex Crimes - Personal Responsibility for Criminal Behavior

Why do people commit crimes? Answer, because they want to. Criminal behavior is the expression of deviance within all of us. Basically, criminals are us, and we are them. Some do minor things, like run a stop sign, cheat on their taxes, or take property from their employer. Others do serious acts of criminal behavior that cause death, trauma and destruction. The criminal underworld is composed of all kinds of people. Like you and me, they come from all walks of life. And, they are not much different than the rest of so called "law abiding" citizens. Criminals are males, females, young, old, single, married, etc. Of special interest to law enforcement is the area referred to as sex crimes. In this regard, again the criminological question arises about the nature of sex crimes and the reason for their commission. Often, the various media, politicians and some in law enforcement assert a causal connection between such crimes and adult oriented entertainment. In reality, there is no scientific data to support such a connection. But, what is the "want to" within the rubric the human psyche? Or, instead of the "want to", the so called "desire, urging, yearning," and so forth often heard from so many criminals. That's an age old question that may defy conventional explanation.

Many studies have tried over the years to draw a direct correlation. Basically, there is none. Keep in mind, people act in criminal ways because that is their preference. We need to alert to spurious notions about such behavior. Criminals serving long terms in prison, or facing execution, have sometimes indicated a connection exists. But, you have to wonder about their motivation. After all, criminals will tell you whatever you want to know. Making stuff up and lying about their intentions is generic to the criminal. Their opinions on matters of criminal behavior should be taken a suspicious. In short, behavior is not a notion of some simply mirroring behavior they viewed in a magazine, video or on television. Criminal behavior is more than "monkey see - monkey do". Just like other crimes, sex crimes are acts of opportunity, personal motive, individual gain versus risk and ability. These criminal acts stem from premeditation and the individual pursuit of power and control over other people. Crimes involving a sexual dimension represent innate motives of personal expression. In fact, in some countries, the dramatic increase in adult materials has shown a corresponding decrease in sex crimes.

Some researchers have pointed out that criminals would probably lose interest in doing something that was made legal by society. Rape, for example, is not motivated by sex. Instead, sex is a weapon, but the motive relates to power, anger, aggression and violence. Crimes boil down to issues of gain, opportunity and ability. As such, criminal acts of a sexual nature concern potency, power and perception on the part of the perpetrator. Criminals are people who refuse to obey the law and act in a responsible manner. In order to obtain the personal gain, the criminal pursues the exhibition of his or her fantasy world. This might include playing con games with potential victims. He or she may capitalize upon exceptional interpersonal communication skills. Criminals may assert a façade of decency in order to snare their objective. Using various skills, they may find intimidation often works.

Like a bully, the criminal seeks out those who appear vulnerable. They learn early how to manipulate others. Domination and taking something raises the excitement level to heightened degrees. Sex crimes become an expression of anti-social behavior. According to some researchers, criminals who commit sex crimes show a significant resistance to changing their "deviant behavior patterns". In spite of various treatment approaches, success rates with such criminals remains extremely low. And, on top of that, there is little definitive evidence that shows treatment reduces repeat behavior. But, before they are caught, why do they commit such acts? A host of reasons have been suggested. Is it genetic, hormonal, or social? What is the gain they received from the commission of heinous acts of brutality?

Criminal behavior demonstrates the offender's ability to carry out his or her need to fulfill a fantasy. The inner workings of an individual's psyche can defy the imagination. Freedom of choice is at the core of criminal behavior. The criminal's motives become an extension of their personality. At a crime scene, this is the signature by which the criminal defines his or her actions. Behaviors are motivated by internal desires that stem from the fantasy life of the individual. The passion or power behind the motivation to commit an act of deviance or criminal behavior relates to basic desires of control, dominance, anger, revenge and displays of perceived inadequacy. As such, our crime control strategies and tactics must consider what really motivates the criminal. The who, what, where, why and how, provides the basis for the continuum by which solve the puzzle of criminal behavior.

Manipulation, domination, power and control become expressions of the complex internal thinking by which perpetrators act out sexual proclivities. Everyone has sexual motivations. Not everyone carries them into the reality of injuring another person. These inclinations are most likely associated with behavioral learning processes, social interaction, personality and psycho-physical dynamics. The personality is the strongest factor. This is important from a criminological perspective. Yet, in spite of the overall interaction of the person's makeup, the decision-making processes are important. People do things out of their own desire to do them. Desire, opportunity and ability become influential aspects in deciding on a course of action. That course of action may hurt or kill another person. Human sexual behavior is connected to the psychological state of the individual.

For some, crime has a sensual nature. Criminal behavior expresses a seductive attraction for committing crimes. For those who choose to commit crimes, the apparent rewards for such actions are more pleasurable than the apparent risks. The process involves weighing the gain minus the pain. This plausible benefit over the risks delivers a positive reinforcement for the perpetrator. Criminality becomes a hedonistic approach to life's experiences. Human efforts are aimed at maximizing the rewards and minimizing the potential penalties. To the criminal, crime is a way by which sexuality becomes expressive. Fantasies inside are released to the external reality. The motivation is stimulated by the satisfaction of criminal behavior.

In many acts of violence, criminals seek out victims to express issues of power and control. These elements relate to domination, enslavement and supremacy. In addition, there is a cause/effect connection in acting core fantasies within the individual's ideation. Sexuality, while not necessarily the weapon, becomes the "vehicle" by which violence and death are inflicted. Offenders may demonstrate similarities among different acts of criminal behavior. At the same, there may also be differences in the behaviors expressed by the criminal behavior. "Signatures" unique to the individual criminal may be left behind at the crime scene. The challenge is understanding what the message means. Such efforts fall on the investigative resources available to foster crime solution.

Sex crimes are perpetrated by people intent on carrying out their personal fantasies. Sexually offensive behaviors that violate established legal constraints emanate from the fantasy life of the perpetrator. Fantasies are the basis, or templates, by which the criminal will implement his or her plans. Criminals mentally sketch out, or otherwise rehearse how they intend to commit certain acts. In this planning process, the criminal will consider his or her motives, means and opportunities, given their individual skill levels. Within their mental calculations, they contemplate what it will be like to actually do the crime. This mental "role play" seldom satisfies the real fantasy going on in their thinking processes.

So, planning is essential to their motives and intentions to inflict their desires upon others. If caught, the criminal can be expected to assert all manner of defenses, rationalization or excuses. He or she will try to be very persuasive in minimizing the criminal behavior. Victims and the crimes are sometimes referred to as "things" or "objects" in order to devalue the significant of what the criminal did. And, further investigation will often reveal there were other victims prior to the perpetrator being caught. Power and control, using sex as a weapon, are key elements in the ideation of the criminal. Overall, the criminal does not empathize with the condition, position or importance of the victim. In the mind of the criminal, only he or she is important. Dominating and blaming the victim is essential to the acting out of the fantasy. Criminals will defend themselves by saying the victim "wanted it". Every effort will be made to deflect, deceive and avoid the truth.

Criminal behavior, in particular sex crimes, is directed toward the ends justifying the means. To the criminal, he or she strives to get what they want by whatever means possible. Excuses will be plentiful. Especially when they get caught. They will begin building the basis of a justifiable defense. In time, they will be so convincing that they will become the victim. The true victim will be forgotten, in the public's rush to be sympathetically gullible. Yet, desire, opportunity, ability and vulnerable victims remain central to the ingredients of criminal behavior. The challenge for society and the criminal justice system will be understanding the games criminals play. Human sexuality is at the core of criminal behavior inclinations. In order to ensure a high level of public safety, criminals must be held accountable and punished to fullest extent of the law. There can be no exceptions, regardless of socio-economic or political status.

Bio-Sketch - Randy Gonzalez
http://www.drgonzo.org
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Randy Gonzalez has been an active member of the criminal justice field for the past 39 years. He has been a police officer, deputy sheriff, and police instructor, as well as a private detective. Dr. Gonzalez has been a former police chief and police academy director, and serves as a professor of criminology on the faculty of a major private university. Dr. Gonzalez holds B.A. and M.A. degrees in Criminology, an M.P.A. degree in Public Administration, a Ph.D. in Philosophy.