Crime and Justice International Magazine - Sam Houston State University

The developing relationship between law enforcement and the Intelligence Community has taken a major step forward with the launching of an initiative which will bring together experts from both disciplines to examine the parallels between criminality and terrorism-more specifically, the signatures that both discriminate among and between groups and those which transcend culture, language, ethnicity, and geography. The goal is to inform and influence the tradecraft of analysis by leveraging the knowledge and experience historically resident, yet in many cases under-utilized within the domain of law enforcement. Read the rest of this entry »

Police officers often exceed their official mandate in carrying out their duties. Sometimes this is a very good thing; sometimes it’s not so good at all.

This officer deserves a commendation for remaining incredibly cool while “under fire.”

Police are expected to bring charges against the owner of a pet python that strangled a 2-year-old Florida girl in her crib, killing her.

According to police, the snake’s cage was not locked as mandated by Florida law, and the owner did not have a required permit to own the snake. You be the judge: Has this family been punished enough, or should criminal charges be filed? And if so, what sentence would you pass?

Sentence will be passed down today on Bernie Madoff for his multi-billion-dollar Ponzi scheme, which defrauded thousands of investors of their savings. The Madoff scandal has been called the largest investment fraud ever carried out by a single person.

The defense in the case is arguing that 12 years in prison is enough punishment for the 71-year-old Madoff, while the prosecution is aiming for a 150-year sentence that would guarantee he stays in prison for the rest of his life.

You be the judge: Are either of these sentences appropriate? What sentence would you pass? Should old age be a factor in deciding the length of a prison sentence?

Controversy is brewing in Oklahoma over two videos showing an altercation between an EMT and an Oklahoma State Trooper. Did this officer cross the line? Or were his actions justified?

Share your comments below the videos.

Today I want to take you into the realm of Artificial Intelligence and look at its potential to create an impact in the fight against terrorism.

The aim of AI (artificial intelligence) is to get at what is happening when one’s mind silently and invisibly chooses, from a myriad of alternatives, which one makes most sense in a very complex situation. In many real-life situations, deductive reasoning is inappropriate, not because it would give wrong answers, but because there are too many correct but irrelevant statements which can be made; there are just too many things to take into account simultaneously for reasoning alone to be sufficient.

— Douglas Hofstadter, Godel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid

Today, artificial intelligence (AI) is a concept that is too big to ignore and too exciting to deny. We should not be frightened by it—either its “hype” or its implied shortfalls—but rather should use it as an aid in the development of practical tools. The concept has a wider application than computer systems alone and should be viewed as a vehicle that helps us to think about the way in which we reason, how we draw inferences from given facts, and what rules we use to tie those facts together.
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