Crime: The CJ Professor Explains

I'm listening to this song by Nina Simone this morning as I read "Race, Punishment and the Afterlife of Mass Incarceration" by Reuben Jonathan Miller. I hadn't heard of her before reading this book and I am so grateful to learn about her music, and it adds context to criminal justice over time, from a powerful voice.

Why? (The King Of Love Is Dead) (Unedited version from original live concert) Provided to YouTube by RCA/LegacyWhy? (The King Of Love Is Dead) (Unedited version from original live concert) · Nina SimoneForever Young, Gifted And Black: ...

I pray that Nancy Guthrie is found safe and hopefully unharmed.

As every day passes, I worry more and more that she is harmed.

Please if you do not already do this, “target hardening” is critical. Target hardening makes it harder for potential offenders to commit crime.

I don’t understand why it was so easy for this man (or men- I assume multiple peple were involved) to take Nancy Guthrie.

PSA: Lock your doors. Set your alarms when you go to bed. If you do not have a home security system, get a quote. Add sensors for any glass that is broken, especially on the first floor. Leave your porch light(s) on. Have multple cameras and ensure they are 🚩recording🚩 for a 🚩sufficient time period🚩

I personally have 7 cameras at my household. I know, it may seem like overkill but it has helped us retrace footsteps several times. We usually use it for watching wildlife, but have also used it to helps neighbors track down what happened, corroborating events in the neighborhood like stolen packages, suspicious vehicles, lost pets, etc… A few of our cameras are interior and for household communication or checking on pets when we are away, but 5 of them are specifically for household 🚨 security and surveillance 🚨 in case *anything* ever happens…. and it does not cost much at all. It is an expensive upfront investment but cost efficient after you are setup. It is worth it to have hardwired cameras with a DVR that saves footage for more than a week like some cameras. 🎥

This is not an ad for any particular company. Just get one that will monitor and call the police if you don’t answer when they call to check on you.

Thank you Congressman Joaquin Castro for your diligence in this matter! So glad to hear this has happened, but what kind of resolution will they receive after going through this ordeal? Probably nothing, which speaks to our state of society right now. Prayers for Liam, his family and all of the others in situations exactly like theirs.

Everyone loves to say Trump is transparent and has media in the White House every day, but not much is actually said and he has rolled back support for body cams. Body cams only reduce use of force claims and provides protection for officers in the event there is a question about a situation. Cutting funding for body cams is the opposite of transparency.

We can all have differences of opinions, but facts are facts. We need to have ICE wear body cameras. Did you know that most of the time, body cameras help protect officers? Sure, it helps with transparency also, but if there is a question as to what happened, it can be cleared up by the body cam footage. Police can absolve themselves easily. Biden had expanded the use of body cams, while Trump rescinded those orders. Why?

The fact remains that the helps protect police against baseless complaints and helps clear up any misunderstandings. If we could only have true evidence on what happened with Liam Conejo Ramos instead of relying on something that someone said. We need body cams. We need accountability.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the Pretti shooting, and the reactions to it, and I want to say something carefully and respectfully. This isn’t about mocking anyone or claiming moral superiority. It’s about acknowledging something we know from , , and history: the human brain is deeply shaped by the information environment it lives in.

When people are repeatedly exposed to the same messaging—especially when it is emotionally charged, fear-based, or tied to identity—the brain begins to interpret familiarity as truth. This is a well-documented phenomenon in cognitive science known as the illusory truth effect. Over time, repeated narratives can become mental shortcuts, replacing critical evaluation with emotional reflex.

After the shooting, we’ve seen how quickly misinformation and partisan framing took hold. Instead of pausing for facts, empathy, and accountability, many responses seemed pre-scripted. That doesn’t mean people are evil or incapable of compassion. It means they are operating inside a media ecosystem that constantly reinforces one version of reality while discrediting all others.

Research also shows that when political identity becomes deeply tied to a person’s sense of belonging, contradictory information doesn’t feel like new data—it feels like a personal attack. The brain’s threat response activates, and reasoned evaluation becomes harder. At that point, defending the group can take priority over seeking the truth.

From a democratic perspective, this should concern all of us. A functioning democracy depends on shared facts, empathy for victims, and a willingness to hold power accountable—no matter which party is involved. When any movement becomes immune to evidence or moral scrutiny, we all lose something important.

This isn’t about left vs. right. It’s about whether we still believe truth matters more than loyalty, and justice matters more than ideology. If we care about the future of this country, we have to be willing to recognize when people are being psychologically conditioned by repetition and fear—and have the courage to interrupt that cycle with facts, compassion, and accountability.

Let's talk about The University of Idaho student murders, another set of victims who should not be forgetten. You'll notice though, that I won't mention the perpetrators name. Research has shown that some of these individuals seek notoriety. They want to go down in history... I will not and do not give them that 'fame'.

This case first caught my eye because the perpetrator was a Ph.D. student at the time, a student of criminal justice in fact. It's not often you hear about 'well-educated' people committing crimes, and certainly not mass murder. This fact made this case even more shocking. How could someone pursuing a Ph.D. commit mass murder?

Most people initially labeled this horrific act as “random" and said it was a case of "wrong-place-wrong-time", but when you look closer, the randomness falls apart:

1. The Victim–offender relationship: Did you know most of the time that victims and offenders are not strangers? The victims were not “strangers in the night", at least from the perpetrator's perspective in this case. In every other sense of the words, they were strangers. However, digital footprints, repeated proximity, and prior surveillance behavior suggest he had a fixation on at least one of the victims, and he was familiar with their Instagram photos.

2. Location: The house where the victims were murdered was known for its accessibility. There was visibility of routines and minimal guardianship. It was well-known as a 'party house'.

3. Timing: Late-night hours, predictable sleep schedules, and repeated prior visits to the area by the perpetrator point to planning, not impulse. Additionally, it was reported he turned off his phone (as to not have his location tracked) during the murders that happened between 4 a.m. and 4:25 a.m.

Thankfully, trash was obtained and DNA matched the DNA on the sheath left behind at the scene.

Texas: Did you know you can check the app to get an idea if you're facing a power outage? Their 6 day projection looks good. We should not be in a situation where demand exceeds capacity, which is a good thing. But, check out pricing right now. If you're in the red zones (mostly all of Texas) you will be paying large amount for ANY energy you're using right now.

Let’s not forget about Baby James, San Antonio.

The defendant, D’Lanny Chairez, didn’t go to trial. She took a plea in August 2025 for 20 years, but will likely be out well before those 20 years are up. Her current projected release date is April 2041.

Taking a plea is not unusual—over 90% of cases end in plea deals, not just in San Antonio but throughout the nation.

Understanding plea bargaining explains most “surprising” outcomes. Did the outcome of this case surprise you?

Welcome! I’m a criminal justice professor. I post crime stories with real explanations—no sensationalism & no rumors presented as facts.

Occasionally I will share my reading recommendations & I will be doing a once I have 50 followers. The first winner will get to pick from The Silent Patient, Verity or The Girl on the Train 📚

Welcome and stay warm ❄️