I Was An Innocent Bystander..

Does being a bystander make you innocent? In my opinion, the phrase "innocent bystander" is an oxymoron. It's nearly impossible to have a bystander that is innocent. When you witness a crime, whether it's a stabbing, a burglary, or simple bullying, what would you do? Would you go for help? Would you get in the middle and attempt to stop it? Would you pretend you saw nothing and keep your head down? Though many of us would like to exclaim, "Oh, of course I'd help them," often times, that's not what would actually happen. We, as humans, don't know what to do. We'll take a look with the murder of Kitty Genovese..


Kitty Genovese was a young woman who was stabbed to death near her home in Brooklyn, New York. The public reaction was probably the most compelling aspect of this case - the most intriguing. However, because of the way the public reacted, the bystander effect was developed. Thirty-eight people watched and listened to her as her perpetrator knifed her to death though not one of them did anything about it. BUT WHY?? Following are the reasons why people do nothing when someone else is in need. (This is more likely to happen, interestingly enough, if there are more people around).

1. Because there are so many other people around, there is a diffusion of responsibility. Everyone believes that someone else will take care of the problem.
2. People need to behave in socially acceptable ways. When other people fail to react, they take that as a sign that they should also fail to react.

Don't be a bystander. They're not innocent. Be a hero. Beat the wretched bystander effect.

Striving to Succeed in Law!!

As I've mentioned in my "About Me" section, I plan on majoring in criminology/pre-law for undergrad and then advancing on to law school with hopes of eventually becoming a prosecutor. Although requirements will be different for all schools and all majors, I can share some of the requirements for the state school I plan on going to for majors like mine and ones similar to it.
For IUP (Indiana University of Pennsylvania):

1. Crimonology/Pre-law - This is said to be one of the most appropraite majors for a person pursuing criminal justice. By taking this major, you'd recieve the preperation needed for law school as well as the qualifications needed for a career in criminal justice. There are five required crimonology classes plus you'd have to choose two from the following categories: The Criminal Justice System, Critical Issues in Criminology, and Diverisity Issues in Criminology. The department also offers courses that focus on law, such as Survey of Courts and the Criminal Justice System, Law, Social Control and Society, and Criminal Law. For the Pre-Law track, courses would include seven that cover English, Business, Economics, History, Philosophy, and Political Science.
2. English/Pre-law - With this major, you'd be encouraged to design your own course of study including literature, lauguage, and writing. After the basics, you'd focus on a specific track (Film Studies; Language Studies; Literacy, Textual, and Cultural Studies, Writing Studies, or English Pre-law). If you choose to go the English Pre-law track, you'd be focusing primarily on persuasive communication, interpretation, relationships among language, and cultural power.
3. History/Pre-law - Here you would choose to study a broad range of topics such as colonial America, medieval Europe, ancient Greece, Native Americans, early China, the Civil War, Russia, and the Middle East. Because this is a pre-law course you would also take classes covering criminology, economics, history, philosophy, and political science.
4. Political Science/Pre-law - These classes will prepare you for a career in government. Several areas you'll choose from include American Studies, Political Theory, Public Policy and Administration, International Studies, and General Political Science. In addition, you'll take courses covering business, criminology, economics, English, history, and philosophy.

As you can see, there are tons of different majors you can choose for undergraduate school if you are planning to go into the criminal justice field. These are not all of the majors that include a pre-law track at IUP, but they are most of them. However, as I said, these are only the programs at IUP - a Pennsylvania state school. You can check out any other majors at any other schools by looking on their websites under "Academics."

As far as I'm concerned, I'm going to IUP for Criminology/Pre-law!! It's a good thing I like school. Sounds like I'm going to be there for quite a long time!! (:

info from iup.edu

Lucifer Effect Pt.2 (Stanford Prison Study)

The Standford Prison Experiment was conducted by Phillip Zimbardo and designed to test the Lucifer Effect which states that every person has to make a decision at some point between good and evil. In order to go through with this experiment, Zimbardo turned the basement of the Standford psychology department into a prison. Students volunteered to do the experiment and he informed them that if they quit at any time, the experiment would be ruined. All students, eager to participate, signed up and met for instruction.

Zimbardo randomly decided who would serve time as a prisioner and who would be "employed" as the guards. One split up, the guards were given a list of directions that they had to follow or the experiment would be terminated. These were the directions given to them:

1. Maintain law & order
2. Avoid physical violence
3. Prevent prisoner escapes

This was all they were given. How were they to maintain law and order and avoid physical violence at the same time when the prisoners get out of hand? How would YOU keep order? I suppose at first I would try talking to them. When that fails, I would probably threaten them, keeping it secret that I would not be allowed to use physical violence. After that, I suppose I would act as all the rest of the guards did - falling victim to the Lucifer Effect. Just like th majority of guards, once put in that place, I would end up believing that's who I am though it's not true.

The outcome of the Standford Prison Study? Well, as most psychology studies do, the experiment created more questions than it provided answers to. However, the study did show the "degeneration and breakdown of established rules and morals dictating exactly how people should behave towards others." It showed that, with the right conditions, people with abandon their values and morals, deindividualize others, and act out in pure cruelty.

This study is now becoming more popular due to the Abu Ghraib scandal and techniques used at Guantanamo Bay.

As a wise teacher of mine once said, "Psychology is interesting. Unfortunately, we only study the worst in human behavior."

Travelling Around Crime Pt.2

Again, here are more city rates. However, these are the cities and small towns that you'd probably rather steer clear of. I know I would! 


The worst, big cities for crime are:

1. Tucson, AZ - some of the highest property rates, especially larceny, claim this area. However, the murder rates are low.
2. Memphis, TN-AR-MS - here is the nation's second highest crime rate, especially with robbery and assault. Again, though, the murder rate is low.
3. Miami, FL - Miami's crime rate is the highest in the nation, again with robbery and assault. The murder rate is low.
4. Phoenix-Mesa, AZ - this area has the highest auto crime rate in the nation.
5. Little Rock-North Little Rock, AR - here, is the highest rate of property crime, especially larceny.

The worst, medium cities for crime are:

1. Myrtle Beach, SC - this area has the highest rate of crime in the nation due to a high rate of violent and property crime. The rates of assaults, burglary, and larceny are particularly high.
2. Montgomery, AL - the murder rate here is significantly high, as if the rates of robbery, burglary, and larceny.
3. Laredo, TX - while larceny rates are high, the rates of murder and forcible rape are significantly low.
4. Waco, TX - here burglary and larceny are the problem. Like Laredo, the rates of murder and rape are low.
5. Wilmington, NC - here, is the second-highest rate of burglary in the country. However, the rates of forcible rape and assaults are low.

The worst, small cities for crimes are:

1. Topeka, KS - Topeka has the highest rate of property crime among cities with fewer than 200,000 people. The rates of robbery and larceny are especially high.
2. Pine Bluff, AR - this area has a high murder rate and the ninth-highest rate of robbery in the nation.
3. Monroe, LA - there is a significant rate of violent and property crime, especially with assault and larceny.
4. Alexandria, LA - here is the fourth-highest violent crime rate in the nation. Murder and assault are a problem, but the rate of forcible rape are low.
5. Florence, SC - Assault and larceny rates are high, but the murder rates are particularly low. 

When in these places, I'd keep a leash on my children and pepper spray in my purse!! Just in case!

Travelling Around Crime Pt.1

Did you ever wonder where the best and worst cities are for crime - small, medium, and large? Thanks to bestplaces.net, I can share those with you and give my personal input.  The best, large cities for crime are:

1.  Nassau-Suffolk, NY - this place has the second-lowest overall crime rate in the nation. 
2. Middlesex-Somerset-Hunterdon, NJ - this city low has both a very low rate of murder, as well as a low rate for larceny. 
3. Ventura, CA - Ventura has one of the lowest larceny rates in the country & also low property crime.
4. Monmouth-Ocean, NJ - here there is a very low auto theft rate and an overall low rate of property crime. 
5. Bergen-Passaic, NJ has an especially low rate of forcible rape and larceny.

The best, medium cities for crime are:

1. Danbury, CT - this place has the lowest overall crime rate in the nation and a low property crime rate.
2. Stamford-Norwalk, CT - the area has one of the lowest property crime rates in the US.
3. Johnstown, Pa - here there is an especially low property crime rate. Although the murder rate is a little higher than one might expect, it is still much lower than much of the US.
4. Dutchess County, NY - fortunately, there is a very low burglary rate here.
5. Portsmouth-Rochester, NH-ME - there are low property and violent crime rates here, however, there is a significant number of forcible rapes. 

The best, small cities for crime are:

1. State College, PA - State has a low crime rate overall. However, the burglary rates and auto theft rates are some of the lowest of the nation.
2. Steubenville-Weirton, OH-VW - both property and larceny rates are very low here.
3. Wheeling, VW-OH - while property rates are extremely low here, murder and assault rates are just a bit higher than you might expect. 
4. Pittsfield, MA - not only does this area have one of the nation's lowest murder rates, there is also an exceptionally low rate of larceny. There is a significant number of forcible rapes, however.
5. Wausau, WI - like Pittsfield, murder and larceny rates are extremely low. Violent crime rates are also low. 

Keep these in mind when travelling and/or searching for a new place to settle down!

Characteristics Of A Killer

What does it take to be a killer? Do you share some of the same characteristics? I know I do! Maybe we all do? According to Dr. Phil, here are some facts and statistics defining the qualities of killers.

• Over 90% are male. 
• Their IQ's tend to be in the "bright normal" range. Most of them are fairly intelligent. 
• They tend to struggle through school and have trouble holding down jobs.
• More often than not, the jobs they acquire are as unskilled laborers. 
• They tend to come from markedly unstable families. 
• As children, many of their fathers abandon them and the mothers raising them are overly controlling. 
• Often times, their families have criminal, psychiatric, and/or alcoholic histories. 
• Most times they hate their fathers and mothers.
• Commonly, they are abused as children - psychologically, physically, and/or sexually. Usually, the abuser is a member of the family.
• Many have early records of psychiatric problems and spend time in institutions as children.
• Often, they have a high rate of suicide attempts.
• From an early age, most of them are fascinated by voyeurism, fetishism, and sado-masochistic pornography.
• More than 60% of killers wet their beds until past the age of 12.
• Many of them are intensely interested in fire, if not arsonists.
• Also, they are involved with sadistic activity and/or torturing small animals.    

How many of these characteristics do you have? I have eight of the fifteen qualities. How many does it take to be create a killer? Are these rock solid? Find out more at www.drphil.com.

Lucifer Effect Pt. 1

If you're like me, you think about all the different aspects of a given situation. Take an arguement, for example. I'd analyze each person's story and the evidence backing each story up before making a decision deciding for or against someone. Law is the same; there are so many different angles and aspects to view. In this post, I'm going to take a look at what is known as the Lucifer Effect.

The Lucifer Effect is a psychology concept stating that every ordinary person faces a point where they must make a choice that pushes the guidelines of normal and falls into good or evil. The choice they make turns them into either a hero or a villian. Each person is ordinary until this choice is made, however, there are influential factors that can cause a person to be more susceptible to choose either good or evil. Conformity is one of the biggest social influences. We can either conform to the good taking place or the evil. For example, Jim Jones convinced his followers to conform to one another when drinking the Kool-Aid that they knew would end their lives. Also, Charles Manson persuaded his Family to kill innocent victims by using conformity.

Phllip Zimbardo, the expert on the Lucifer Effect, has put together a ten-step program to make sure that you are not falling into the trap of choosing evil over good.

1. You have to be able to admit and accept the mistakes you make.
2. Be mindful. Do not let yourself proceed through life on autopilot. This is how smart people end up doing dumb things.
3. Be responsible.
4. Do not allow others to intimidate or deindividualize you. Be yourself - the best you can be!
5. "I respect Just Authority, but rebel against Unjust Authority."
6. Value your independance. Group acceptance is something all will yearn for, but remember how important independance is as well.
7. Do not let the way things are framed scare you into any situation.
8. Remember there is always a future. Think about consequences.
9. Don't sacrifice your personal freedoms for a false sense of security.
10. Be strong enough to oppose unjust systems.

Follow these ten steps and you'll be a hero in no time!

info courtesy of lucifereffect.com; picture courtesy of google images