MetaFilter posts tagged with criminals

Czech Surgical Castration for Sex Offenders - Good Idea?

shivohum — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 12:49:07 -0800

The Czech Republic offers surgical castration as a "voluntary" option to sex offenders, whose rate of recidivism in some studies then drops precipitously. Officials at the Council of Europe are outraged, calling the punishment "invasive, irreversible and mutilating." Atul Gawande noted 10 years ago that, despite his reservations, castration works - at least against a subclass of offenders: the pedophiles and sadists.

The Many Faces of Crime

terranova — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 13:13:24 -0800

In one of the largest jewelry heists in history, robbers -- at least two wearing women's wigs and dresses -- relieved a Harry Winston boutique of $108 million worth of diamond rings, necklaces, and watches. Despite criminal investigation teachings that robbers "have better things to do with their money than to buy an array of masks and disguises" and will opt for functional attire, many thieves express themselves creatively and impractically through costumery, dressing as Dracula and Black Father Christmas, a tree, Greek prime ministers, clowns, and ghosts, while others cover their faces with duct tape, cookie dough, drywall, and baking-flour-and-ketchup. Minimalists just wear men's underwear and women's thongs on their heads.

The end of net nuetrality.

Mr_Zero — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 20:38:15 -0800

FCC to investigate Comcast's traffic-management practices. The AP and the EFF both have confirmed that they do interfere with some certain file sharing technologies. Previously.

criminals, corpses & crime scenes - a vintage collection

madamjujujive — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 05:50:03 -0800

Crime and punishment - a curiously compelling and quirky collection of historic crime photos, including unusual mugshots, corpses & crime scenes. A few favorite characters: idle and disorderly persons; "something amazing" about Harry; a cocky quartet; an illicit drug trader who "drives his own motor car and dresses well"; a subject who refused to open his eyes; charged with conspiring to procure a miscarriage; and guilty of unlawfully possessing cocaine.
This is just one of many marvelous vintage image sets from a historical consultant from Amsterdam - a mammoth treasure trove!

oh what tangled webs we weave....GOP Rep McHenry's roomies, and more

amberglow — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 14:14:13 -0800

McHenry and his "roommates" -- GOP Rep Patrick McHenry (NC), co-owner of a DC home with Scott G. Stewart, former chair of the College Republican Nat'l Cttee (and bilker of many senior citizens), received a DC home-ownership reduction improperly. McHenry's actual home in North Carolina was apparently also home to quite a collection of young men: (convicted fraudulent voter) Michael Aaron Lay, Neil Everett Capano, Matthew Allen Hamilton, and (multiple violations, including "death by vehicle") Jason Jent Deans. Also, McHenry's 04 consultant Ralph Gonzales was one of the men involved in a recent FL murder/suicide, and links to Robert Drake, the killer (political work in NC and escort service connections), are still being documented. Stay tuned! There's other same-sex homeowner news too--Condi Rice and Randy Bean (they also share a line of credit). Under Don't Ask, Don't Tell, same-sex home ownership is enough to get a DADT investigation/witchhunt going. Ralls said on September 14 . "SLDN is aware of cases where servicemembers have been investigated for owning a home with a person of the same gender." McHenry is a staunch supporter of the policy that prohibits openly gay or lesbian Americans to serve in the nation's armed forces. Big big roundup on McHenry here at Pam's House Blend (much much more dirt and crimes)== Untangling the latest GOP gay scandal with Mike Signorile

...a book fraught with the romance and colour of human lives which, if not always of the most exalted, are certainly among the most vivid.

papakwanz — Fri, 02 Feb 2007 18:11:33 -0800

The Newgate Calendar. "THE deeds of ancient robber outlaws and of highway-men -- what a treasure-house pierced with windows for the imagination!" Read about the lives of notorious criminals of days past, such as Sawyney Beane, murderer and cannibal; Daniel Dawson, race-horse poisoner; John Tayler and Thomas Martin, body snatchers; or the infamous Mary Frith, also known as Moll Cutpurse, a cross-dressing, pistol-wearing, tobacco-smoking rogue and the real life inspiration for Daniel Defoe's Moll Flanders.

Breaking news

growabrain — Sat, 04 Feb 2006 09:31:54 -0800

Newsfilter: $75,000 in Bull Semen Is Stolen From Frederick Farm. Oy Vey. (via)

Lots of lockups

Gyan — Wed, 27 Jul 2005 10:54:09 -0800

The Prison Policy Initiative conducts research and advocacy on incarceration policy. Some interesting data include the proliferation of prisons in the US over the last century, disenfranchisement of potential black voters, global incarceration rates and percentage of US population under control of the criminal justice system.

A place for everything...and the ability to track it.

mystyk — Wed, 16 Feb 2005 12:55:33 -0800

GPS to the rescue! With all the hoopla over California's proposal to tax consumers by adding GPS trackers to cars, has anyone thought about more useful things like tracking criminals on probation?
What do you think? Is this useful, or just a slippery-slope? (via /.)

Don't hang up on Texas!

wfrgms — Tue, 07 Dec 2004 19:34:12 -0800

Have a good day Ms. Beyer! "Before you are rude to another telemarketer, you should keep in mind that he or she has your phone number and your address." Texas Telemarketer sends a threatening letter to a hanger-upper.

Correctional Evolution

lightweight — Fri, 03 Sep 2004 03:13:09 -0800

New Behaviour Correction - The North American penal systems are outdated. If we look to the UK, evidence of specific punishment points to a new method of behavior correction. The current NA system seems incredibly unspecific when we punish a host of crimes by sending people to the same cage.

Twisted Reality 0.1 Beta

jopreacher — Tue, 29 Jun 2004 12:26:04 -0800

Policing Virtual Reality. Wired reports on Sociolotron(NSFW). A MMORPG that allows gamers to rob, rape, and kill other players. Being a gamer, I understand that actions in an MMORPG aren't "real" but how far can you take it?

"Lord Foucault is an admitted rapist. He does it on impulse -- for the thrill of it and for the feeling of control he has over his female victims." Is this any different than running around and killing dwarves?

Down boy! I said, DOWN!

CunningLinguist — Fri, 11 Jun 2004 16:13:55 -0800

The Son of Sam has a blog. Most recent entries are here.

DuPoint stolen coin collection.

stbalbach — Mon, 05 Apr 2004 20:53:10 -0800

For 36 years, Harold Gray has been on an extraordinary mission -- to recover what may be the most famous stolen coin collection in the United States. Since October 1967, when five hooded gunmen invaded the Coconut Grove estate of chemical empire heir Willis Harrington duPont, binding the family with silk neckties and stealing the valuable coin collection from duPont's safe, Gray has been on the case. ''We remain,'' he says today, ``in hot pursuit.''

Lateral Science

crunchland — Thu, 25 Sep 2003 06:41:33 -0800

Galvanic Experiments on the Dead Body of a Criminal : The macabre electrical reanimation of Matthew Clydesdale`s hung body. Excerpts from The Young Man's Book of Amusement (1854). Just one of the fascinating "weird science" entries at Lateral Science.

Rap Not Music to Whitey's Ears

turbanhead — Tue, 19 Aug 2003 13:05:17 -0800

Rap Not Music to Whitey's Ears A group of alleged white extremists facing treason charges in South Africa has complained about being forced to listen to "black" music while on remand in prison.

sentence pun here

serafinapekkala — Wed, 16 Jul 2003 08:04:36 -0800

Man sentenced to read "To Kill A Mockingbird." For spitting at a cop and disorderly conduct, a PA man is jailed and required to read and write a report on Harper Lee's classic. What other books might be fit punishment for certain crimes? (via Obscurestore)

Hold off those wedding bells, Einstein.

spazzm — Wed, 09 Jul 2003 21:01:27 -0800

Geniuses and criminals 'fade' after marriage. Men are most creative and competitive before they settle down, resulting in a drop in both academic output and criminal records after tying the knot.

GangRule - organized crime in NYC and in Boston

madamjujujive — Tue, 24 Jun 2003 05:29:10 -0800

GangRule - the history of organized crime in New York City. A growing database of photos, biographies, newspaper clippings and family trees from 1890 on. And for the godfather trackers among us, there's also Boston Mafia, which includes the history of a notorious contemporary fugitive, lately in the news via testimony from his brother, Billy Bulger.

50 year anniversary of the Rosenberg's execution

jokeefe — Fri, 20 Jun 2003 16:04:52 -0800

Robert Meeropol, the younger son of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg, writes about his parents. I'm suprised nobody else posted about this yesterday--June 19th was the 50th anniversary of their execution for espionage.
The executions at Sing Sing on June 19, 1953, ended a sensational Cold War case that still symbolizes the years when McCarthyism held sway and the government's word was accepted more readily than today. It was the first execution of civilians for espionage in U.S. history and it reverberated into the issues of dissent, anti-Semitism and capital punishment.
Pete Seeger and others comment here; the Guardian here. The Committee to Reopen the Rosenberg Trial (which features representations of the couple by Picasso, among others) notes that:
In August of 1993, members of the American Bar Association Section of Litigation re-enacted the 1951 trial of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. A moot trial was conducted with expertise and meticulous concern for accuracy. The unanimous verdict of the twelve jurors was "Not Guilty." This "trial" and its dramatic outcome was widely reported by the media - for one day only.

Go To Jail

Ron — Tue, 15 Apr 2003 09:16:29 -0800

Sixth-grader goes to jail for stomping in a mud puddle. Police called it a proper arrest.

Great French Prison Escapes.

Mo Nickels — Mon, 14 Apr 2003 16:05:20 -0800

Another great French prison escape. Two members of an international drug smuggling ring hijack a helicopter, abseil into the prison exercise yard, and resuce a third man. Also, “last month, a commando-style gang used plastic explosives and a rocket launcher to blow its way into a prison near Paris and free a convict serving a sentence for organized crime. In a separate attack, men brandishing what turned out to be a fake rocket launcher freed another crime kingpin from a prison in Borgo on the Mediterranean island of Corsica.” In August, a man secretly replaced his brother, a Basque separatist leader, in prison.

3 strikes your out

thedailygrowl — Sat, 08 Mar 2003 11:56:55 -0800

What About Three-Strikes-and-You're-Out for Corporate Criminals? California State Senator Gloria Romero recently introduced a bill that would hold California's law-breaking corporations to the same standard to which the state holds its law-breaking citizens. Three strikes and you're out. (original link from Robotwisdom)

Stupid criminals

MediaMan — Wed, 26 Feb 2003 13:04:50 -0800

Boneheads of the Year - The year may only be just shy of two months old, but these two Massachusetts men have already wrapped up the award for 2003. Really, how dumb can TWO people be?

Belleville housing inspections

nofundy — Fri, 13 Dec 2002 09:15:10 -0800

The Overcrowding Police

Belleville inspectors and armed police officers show up without search warrants to check for occupancy code violations, and ticket people who don't let them in -- a practice experts say is unconstitutional.
.....
Invite friends over, babysit your grandchildren or allow relatives to spend the night in Belleville and you risk an armed police officer turning up at your door to search your home and give you a ticket. Enforcement teams consisting of a housing inspector and a police officer do not obtain search warrants before showing up to check for occupancy code violations, a Belleville News-Democrat investigation found.