Skeptics Stack Exchange
Skeptics Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [criminology]

The study of criminal behavior in both the individual and within a given society.

205 questions
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Is the USA murder rate at a high? Specifically is it at a 45 year high?

Current US President Donald Trump is on record as repeatedly saying that "The murder rate is the highest it's been in I guess 45-47 years." Is that true?
ReasonablySkeptical
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Were there 18 school shootings in the US from Jan 1 to Feb 14, 2018?

CBC Radio (Canada) reported earlier this evening that the Florida shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School "was the 18th school shooting in the U.S. since the beginning of 2018.". On its face this seems a bit unlikely; also due to the fact…
jkf
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In the US, are illegal immigrants more likely to commit crimes?

Trump has claimed numerous times that part of the reason we need to close the border is that the illegal immigrants are prone to crimes. I want to check these claims. Are illegal immigrants more prone to committing crimes then the average US…
dsollen
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Are crime rates up by 10% in Germany?

On June 18th and 19th, 2018, the President of the United States, Donald Trump tweeted that the crime rate in Germany has increased: (1) Tweet from June 18th, 2018 (2) Tweet from June 19th, 2018 Has the crime rate in Germany increased by 10%…
hiergiltdiestfu
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Did two crisis actors both claim to be the father of the same child killed in the Uvalde, Texas shooting?

A friend-of-a-friend posted a BitChute video on my friend's Facebook wall: Two crisis actor "fathers" share the same daughter in Uvalde, Texas The description states: NBC and CNN interview two different crisis actors who claim to be the same…
Oddthinking
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Is it illegal for regular US citizens to possess or read the Podesta emails published by WikiLeaks?

While referring to the the Podesta emails which were leaked by WikiLeaks this week, CNN's Chris Cuomo said on live TV: Also interesting is, remember: It's illegal to possess these stolen documents. It's different for the media, so everything you…
Lisa B
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Can 1 in 1,000 black men expect to be killed over the course of their lifetime by the police?

In Last Week Tonight of June 8th, 2020, John Oliver mentions that 1 in 1,000 black men can expect to be killed by the police. At 5:05 : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wf4cea5oObY I have tracked the source to Edwards, Lee & Esposito, 2019, "Risk of…
nautilus
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On average in the US, is there a mass shooting 9 out of every 10 days?

Reading the New York Times today, I came across this very amusing "tourism video" touting the benefit of visiting/moving to Australia, namely, "You Won't Get Shot". Don’t Get Shot in America. Live in Australia! At ~1:25, the actor states, In your…
anongoodnurse
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Have phone scammers recorded "Yes" statements to fraudulently authorise payments?

A number of sources claimed that phone scammers would trick people into saying "Yes" on the phone, record it, and use that to fraudulently authorise payments. Here is a January 2017 Fortune magazine article: Scammers are increasingly using this…
Oddthinking
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Did a thief think he could conceal his identity from security cameras by putting lemon juice on his face?

McArthur Wheeler, a man who robbed two banks after covering his face with lemon juice in the mistaken belief that, because lemon juice is usable as invisible ink, it would prevent his face from being recorded on surveillance cameras. Is this…
Rowan Freeman
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Do 1 in 2 Swiss citizens have guns and do they have the lowest crime rate?

I came across a facebook post by an Australian political party that states 1 in 2 citizens in Switzerland have guns Lowest crime rate in the world Are the above two statements true? (source)
user1605665
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Are black Americans responsible for more than 50% of homicides?

I have read comments and articles (an example) that claim that African-Americans are responsible for more than 50% of all homicides in the United States of America. How credible is this claim?
Sakib Arifin
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Is gun control effective?

I have seen numerous arguments about gun control, in the sense of laws restricting gun ownership or possession, and whether widespread gun possession affects crime rates, and each side is happy to pull out studies that are favorable to their side. …
David Thornley
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Has the marijuana black market in Colorado increased since the state repealed its state laws prohibiting it?

Jeff Hunt, the Vice President of Public Policy at Colorado Christian University, wrote in a recent opinion piece in USA Today: In the years since, Colorado has seen an increase in marijuana related traffic deaths, poison control calls, and…
GreenMatt
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Is the death penalty an effective deterrent?

There is a lot of clutter from anti-death penalty sites, which makes it hard to find all the research. They often cite statistics like those explained in this website, including the chart below that shows that murder rates in states without the…
Dogmafrog
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