Just For Fun!

I thought I'd offer a couple of just-for-fun clips to lighten everyone's Hump Day.

First up, to be somewhat politically relevant, here's the newest senator from Minnesota, Al Franken, doing a truly remarkable Stupid Human Trick on Letterman's show in 1987 (fast-forward to the 6:30 mark):



Impressive, no? Whether you're thrilled by, appalled at, or indifferent to Franken's election to the U.S. Senate, we can all agree that he is likely among a very, very small group of elected officials who can draw the Lower 48 freehand from memory, let alone in two minutes! (h/t TPM)

Next, something that has no relevance to current affairs whatsoever -- which is precisely why I love it. Folk artist Billy Jonas has lots of great kids' songs, which you can check out his MySpace page here. One of my favorites, though, is "What Kind of Cat Are You?" -- a hilarious brain teaser of a song. I'll admit to being stumped by the engine one and the tunnel one, but not (if I may brag a bit) by the Moon Shadow one. (Many thanks to my parents' record collection for knowing that one!)



Enjoy! And, if you dare, check out the sequel to this song, "What Kind of Dog Are You?," on the MySpace page. It's a lot tougher -- you have to name kinds of dogs, cows, pigs, and yaks(!).

Happy Hump Day!

Details Emerge in McNair Slaying

If you happened to successfully wade through the incessant media coverage of MJ's memorial services and Sarah Palin's "quitting-so-I'm-not-a-quitter" resignation, you may have seen that the police have released several details about the slaying of ex-NFL quarterback Steve McNair:

• McNair was shot four times: twice in the head and twice in the chest;
• McNair's girlfriend, Sahel Kazemi, also was fatally shot once in the head;
• The semiautomatic pistol found at the scene was lying underneath Kazemi's body, and was purchased by her two nights before the killings;
• Kazemi and McNair -- married father of four -- were pulled over late Thursday night, hours before she reportedly purchased the gun. Police charged her with a DUI; Kazemi reportedly told officers that she had been "high" from a "hookah situation;"
• Authorities do not believe that the crime scene had been "cleaned up" between the time of the shootings and the discovery of the bodies.
  

Hmmm. Although Kazemi's death has not yet been classified pending ballistics tests, it certainly appears to be a murder-suicide. If that proves to be true, this case would be highly unusual as intimate partner murder-suicides are far more commonly perpetrated by men against women, rather than the other way around. I will update as more details emerge. (P.S. This story makes me miss our former contributor The NY Kid, whose "beat" was stories about sports and crime. Shout out to you, Kid!)

P.S. Speaking of MJ, it only seems apropos for the GBOC to honor the King of Pop by...what else? Linking to his "Smooth Criminal" video.

Update: Just as we suspected.

Happy Fourth of July!

Happy Fourth of July, everyone! (And, for our Canadian friends, Happy Belated Canada Day!)

Hope you all enjoy the festivities wherever and however you're celebrating!

The Ricci Verdict & Sotomayor's Confirmation

Anybody have thoughts about whether, or how, the Supreme Court's decision in the Ricci case will affect the confirmation of nominee Sonia Sotomayor? SCOTUSBLOG's Tom Goldstein doesn't think that the Court's 5-4 reversal of the Second Circuit's ruling will be a deal-breaker, nor does Salon's Glenn Greenwald, though others disagree. (Here is a great roundup of commentary on the Ricci ruling from various sources -- left, right, and otherwise.)

Perhaps more to the point, should it affect her confirmation?

Shocking Gun Violence in Detroit

On Tuesday, Detroiters -- who experience more than their fair share of gun violence -- saw an especially brutal crime play out in broad daylight: two gunman, faces concealed by dark t-shirts, blasted a crowd of teens waiting at a bus stop with fire from semi-automatic handguns. Seven people were injured in the shooting, which happened on Detroit's west side near Cody 9th Grade Academy after summer classes had ended. Five of those seven victims are Detroit Public Schools students.

The attack was captured on surveillance video, seen below. The gunmen appear at the 0:44 mark entering from the left side of the screen. (Warning: contains disturbing images.)



There is speculation that the attack was gang-related, though other reports suggest that it may have stemmed from an altercation at the school. One suspect, 18-year old Jamel Turner, turned himself into police on Wednesday; police are still searching for the other gunman and the driver of the getaway car, a green minivan.

This crime is shocking, even by Detroit standards. (The shooting received some national media attention, and I suspect it will continue to do so.) The image of the two masked gunmen, arms outstretched and weapons drawn, running up behind a crowd of unsuspecting citizens is not easily erased from one's mind. That it happened in the middle of an otherwise ordinary day in a U.S. city -- not Baghdad or Fallujah -- makes it all the more surreal, though the terrorism comparison may be apt.

While this shooting is an extreme case -- unusual in its boldness and brutality -- the threat of gun violence is constant in many Detroit neighborhoods, as it is in urban neighborhoods from Baltimore to Los Angeles. This makes me simultaneously appreciate and doubt the research we as criminologists do on urban gun violence. On the one hand, I think PSN, Project Ceasefire, et al. are important programs that can result in real, measurable reductions in gun crime. On the other hand, I am skeptical that any program (or programs) can be truly effective in the long term as long as the socioeconomic and sociopolitical conditions that engender urban gun violence -- extreme poverty and joblessness, crumbling infrastructure, drug infestation, racial inequalities, etc. -- persist.

My colleagues who study gun crime can offer far more insight into these matters than I can. I'm not quite sure what I make of this case, other than to feel shocked and saddened like everyone else.

Late Update: Turner is set to be released for insufficient evidence.

Haiku

Just in case you forgot to read the most recent copy of ACJS today, check out this haiku from John Klofas. Enjoy!

Haiku For Statisticians in Love
John Klofas

Exogenous one
Outside my analysis
The path not taken
*******************************
One standard deviation
Thirty-four point one percent
Close enough for love
*******************************
Regression can be mean
Till and toil work the soil
Count now begin again
*******************************
Living fair in Chi Square
Have good relationships there
More than meets the eye
*******************************
The perfect correlation
How can there be such a thing
More than similar?


**Breaking news, Sharks Stalk Prey like Serial Killers

Madoff Receives De Facto Life Sentence

You have likely heard by now that Bernie Madoff was sentenced to 150 years in prison for masterminding the massive fraud -- the "longest, largest, and most widespread Ponzi scheme in history" -- that devastated the lives of the investors whose savings he swindled.

150 years -- that's a long time. The maximum sentence, in fact. As NPR reports, it is equivalent to one day in prison for every $1.2 million Madoff stole in his $65 billion scheme. And it all but guarantees that Madoff will spend the rest of his life behind bars:

Mr. Madoff, looking thinner and more haggard than when he pleaded guilty in March, stood impassively as Federal District Judge Denny Chin condemned his crimes as “extraordinarily evil” and imposed a sentence that was three times as long as the federal probation office suggested and more than 10 times as long as defense lawyers had requested...

In remarks before announcing his decision, Judge Chin acknowledged that any sentence beyond a dozen years or so would be largely symbolic for Mr. Madoff, who is 71 and has a life expectancy of about 13 years.

But “symbolism is important for at least three reasons,” he said, citing the need for retribution, deterrence and a measure of justice for the victims.

So Madoff essentially received a life sentence for a crime that did not involve loss of human life. This may seem fundamentally unfair, until you consider the effect of Madoff's crimes on his victims' lives. While it is true that no victims died as a result of the fraud, their lives -- at least as they knew them -- nevertheless were abruptly ended:

Nine victims, some choked by sobs or swiping at tears, told the court of the damage he had caused, describing him as a psychopath and a monster who had destroyed their lives.

“It feels like a nightmare that we can’t awake from,” said Carla Hirschhorn, a physical therapist who said her daughter was juggling two jobs in her junior year to help pay for college expenses that their lost savings were supposed to cover.

Michael Schwartz, who said Mr. Madoff had stolen money set aside to sustain his disabled brother, expressed the hope that “his jail cell will become his coffin.”

What's your take? Is this a fair sentence, befitting the crime? Do you agree that it is largely a symbolic sentence, or (as Mr. Madoff's attorney argued) an act of "mob vengeance"? Personally, I'm not losing any sleep over this sentence. If we can sentence teenagers to die in prison without questioning our societal ethics, then we can certainly do the same for a grown man who understood full well that he was ruining lives with his greed.

GBOC Lightning Round: Looooong Overdue Edition

Hello, loyal readers. Please enjoy another GBOC lightning round. As always, please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!

Item 1: Rick Rosenfeld on the Economy & Crime
In several prior posts we've considered what effect (if any) the recession will have on patterns and rates of offending, especially violent crime. Recently, ASC President-elect (and Velma's colleague) Rick Rosenfeld spoke to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch about this very topic:

Reports of crime were down across the nation last year — especially in the Midwest — but the St. Louis area saw a mixed bag, according to figures released by the FBI on Monday and other available data.

The national crime rate continued a downward trend started in 2007. But an expert who tracks local and national crime statistics said the data provide few clues about how the global recession might have influenced crime rates.

"If one were going to see crime increases, one would have expected to see them later in the year last year and into the first part of 2009," said Richard Rosenfeld, a criminologist with the University of Missouri-St. Louis, and president-elect of the American Society of [Criminology].

I don't have much to add, other than that I appreciate Rosenfeld's clear, consice discussions of crime statistics. For more of his media commentaries, see here and here.

Item 2: "AG Holder Vows Science-Based Crime Policy"
I saw this headline about Holder's remarks to the NIJ in my Ted Gest e-mail a few weeks ago and was ecstatic! Here's an excerpt:

President Obama has renewed our nation’s commitment to rely on science in the development of public policy. He understands, as do I, that sound judgment derives from solid evidence. Moreover, we understand that the production of such evidence requires resources. As a result of this understanding, the President’s 2010 budget calls for increased investment in scientific research, including criminology.

Woo hoo! The word "criminology" appeared in a description of President Obama's proposed budget! How exciting is that? Finally, I thought, there might be some recognition at the federal level that criminal justice policy is often divorced from empirical research, especially where drug policy is concerned. But then I wondered if my excitement wasn't a bit misplaced; after all, isn't this step just a necessary corrective? More importantly, what does it say about the state of contemporary U.S. crime policy that we are celebrating the announcement that policy decisions will now be based on actual research? It sort of begs the question: what are these decisions based on now? Intuition? Fear? Personal beliefs? A giant Magic 8-Ball?

Item 3: Chris Brown Sentenced
Chris Brown struck a deal with prosecutors earlier this week just hours before the hearing in his assault case was set to begin. Brown avoided prison time for assaulting then-girlfriend and fellow pop star Rihanna back in February. However, in exchange for pleading guilty to felony assault he was sentenced to five years' probation, a year-long domestic violence class, and six months of "community labor" . He also was ordered to stay at least 50 yards away from Rihanna for the next five years (though the restriction was lessened to 10 yards for industry events at which both singers are present).

It will be interesting to see whether or how this story develops: will the two reuinte? Will there be a lot of publicity during his community service? (I'm thinking TMZ cameras at his trash-pickup sessions or something). Stay tuned, I guess.

Jena Six Back in the News

I was just listening to CNN and heard that 5 of the 6 defendants in the Jena 6 case are close to entering pleas relating to the case. I was curious if any of the six were charged with hate crimes and was surprised to find out that the answer to this question was no. Even more surprising, my very quick scan of the news articles I searched indicated the only "hate crime" discussion was around the original incident when the noose was hung from the tree. It seems that this original incident did not result in hate crime charges because of the age of the defendants (all juveniles not eligible to be certified as adults - fyi, I am embarrassed to say I only recently learned juveniles cannot be charged in federal court....good or bad I will not conclude. I just didn't realize that was the case).

Maybe there was a discussion on charging the "Jena 6" with hate crimes (age notwithstanding) and I missed it, but I simply cannot believe anyone would conclude this did not meet any such definition. For what is worth, I don't think anyone should be charged with hate crimes, including the Jena 6. I think it is quite simply the worst piece of federal (political) legislation ever written. Ok, maybe "worst" is a bit strong but it is close at a minimum.

PS: Dr. H, I MISSED the man-step post you did a while back. That quite simply is the best commerical of all time! As you suggest, you need to lighten up!