The study of criminal behavior in both the individual and within a given society.
Questions tagged [criminology]
205 questions
11
votes
1 answer
Are a third of the crimes in Italy committed by migrants?
The Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini is being criticized after numerous racist assaults happened after he introduced his anti-immigration policy:
Italian Far Right's Salvini Under Fire After Black Athlete Hurt in Attack (NYTimes).
Asked…
LordCommander
- 121
- 6
11
votes
0 answers
Are chain gangs a deterrent to crime?
Various states have or recently had chain gangs, in which groups of prisoners perform physical or menial work in public while wearing chains/shackles. Supporters claim that it acts as a deterrent - either to the individual workers as a deterrent to…
ff524
- 10,181
- 6
- 47
- 60
11
votes
1 answer
Would anyone other than Hillary Clinton be imprisoned for improper data access?
It's a common claim in social media that Hillary Clinton should be convicted of criminal charges and sentenced to a prison term because of how she accessed classified information. A notable claim to this effect has been made by Donald Trump:
Look,…
Will
- 740
- 9
- 18
11
votes
2 answers
Has a bone marrow transplant caused confusion in criminal investigations?
Dr. Azita Alizadeh wrote an 'Ask a geneticist' column about how patients with a bone marrow transplant will end up with at least two different sets of DNA in their body - DNA from their blood (which comes from the bone marrow) might not match the…
Ebbinghaus
- 279
- 1
- 9
11
votes
3 answers
Did two people get arrested for "manspreading"?
I've read in multiple places that two men have been arrested in New York for "manspreading", sitting on the subway with legs spreading.
It seems quite unbelievable. First of all, I don't think people are arrested for travelling without a ticket,…
Sklivvz
- 78,578
- 29
- 321
- 428
11
votes
1 answer
Does China have the death penalty for spammers?
Does China have the death penalty for spammers?
Example claim: Welcome to the United States of Canada.
Chinese law, for example, permits executions for sending spam, and
harvesting of the guilty party's organs.
(Note: I'm asking about the death…
Andrew Grimm
- 38,859
- 36
- 141
- 342
11
votes
1 answer
Are the innocents in US prison a single digit percentage?
There is controversy on whether there are a few percents of innocent people in US jails or much less.
For example according to the Innocent project
Q. How many innocent people are there in prison?
A. We will never know for sure, but the few studies…
Quora Feans
- 2,637
- 1
- 19
- 29
11
votes
0 answers
Can a Bitcoin Exchange manipulate the exchange rate in a way that defrauds its users without consequence?
Bitcoin is an Internet currency with no centralized bank or agency underpinning it. I only recently heard about it and I've been trying to understand how it works and if it is safe, however this is a huge question well beyond my expertise.
There are…
Ian
- 917
- 6
- 17
11
votes
1 answer
Can handcuffs be picked with a single hand while handcuffed?
Many movies and series show people wearing handcuffs picking them using a small hidden piece of metal, like a bobby pin, paperclip, broken glasses, tweezers and more.
Can this be done in real life, with handcuffs that are used by police and other…
SIMEL
- 29,037
- 14
- 123
- 139
10
votes
0 answers
Are democrats more likely to commit crimes then republicans in the United States?
Ted Cruz during in interview with Hugh Hewitt claimed that democrats are more likely to commit violent crime than republicans.
He apparently is getting this statistic from a study on three states entitled Annals of the American Academy of Political…
Torsten Gang
- 217
- 1
- 5
10
votes
1 answer
Was there a spike in hate crimes after the Brexit referendum?
Was there a spike in hate crimes after the Brexit referendum?
Example claim: 'Horrible spike' in hate crime linked to Brexit vote, Met police say
A “horrible spike” in hate crime after Britain’s vote to leave the
European Union was at least…
Andrew Grimm
- 38,859
- 36
- 141
- 342
10
votes
1 answer
Are there 10 time more home invasions in the UK than the USA?
In this interview (0:35 mark) Ann Coulter argues that:
... home invasions are 10 times higher in Britain than they are in this country [US]
Are there any evidence to support this claim?
SIMEL
- 29,037
- 14
- 123
- 139
9
votes
1 answer
Psychological pricing: reducing theft?
Possible Duplicate:
The origin of “99 cents”
On Wikipedia, the article for psychological pricing (ending prices in -99 or similar) gives the following suggestion for why it is done, as opposed to the psychological aspect behind it.
Others have…
Thomas O
- 11,908
- 7
- 53
- 72
9
votes
1 answer
Is the Stockholm Syndrome a real effect?
BusinessInsider writes in Stockholm Syndrome could be a Myth:
The New Yorker's new profile of kidnapping survivor Elizabeth Smart makes an intriguing point about Stockholm Syndrome: It isn't a recognized psychiatric disorder.
[...]
"There is very…
Christian
- 33,271
- 15
- 112
- 266
9
votes
1 answer
How reliable is identification via DNA matching?
For example, how did they identify Osama bin Ladin? How can they identify with such confidence a DNA match?
How can you compare DNA against a sister and determine that it is indeed Osama bin Ladin?
The man could have been a relative, not a perfect…
mathaix
- 207
- 1
- 2