Whether it be for business or pleasure, most of us have stayed in a hotel or motel. Although it's not home, we still expect good accommodations to at least make us feel at home. I have simple tastes and only need a bed and a shower. Today, we usually feel safe when we stay overnight while traveling.

Everyone has heard of human trafficking; everyone knows that children are trafficked from city to city within the UK for sexual exploitation, right? Where did you get your understanding from? The news? A poster? A colleague or friend? So, what is trafficking? Who is a victim? Who is an offender? Is the media a cause of moral panics around trafficking?

Living the Movie

An undistinguishable chatter filled the room. Someone was speaking on the Secret Service’s earpiece and he listened intently while touching his right ear. Then, he looked at both women and they gave him their undivided attention.

For 17 years Kathleen Folbigg has been imprisoned at Silverwater Correctional Centre, New South Wales for the deaths of her 4 children. The evidence that convicted her was circumstantial and relied heavily on the harrowing diary entries of a grieving mother. Kathleen Folbigg has always maintained her innocence. Now genome sequencing of Kathleen and her 2 daughters reveals a genetic mutation that indicates the children died of natural causes.

When people hear the names of the most notorious criminals, they cringe a little. Well, what about the criminals that not many people have heard about? What will they do when they hear those names?

Alcatraz

In the 1980s crime in New York City had reached almost epidemic proportions. Apparently, New York was suffering by increased immigration and as a result a much younger population and, added to that, New Yorkers were hit hard by welfare cuts. It wasn’t safe to travel the subway and you would be advised not to go to certain areas, particularly after dark. Yet, by the end of the 1990s the city had cleaned up its act and saw a dramatic fall in the rate of crime.

So... when I saw this dramatic re-telling of the ordeal of the Central Park 5 being advertised on Netflix, I was already pretty sure that it was going to be must-watch television. I was also extremely apprehensive about seeing the events through the eyes of these five kids (now grown men) and being able to emotionally process it all. The case (and the legal and societal issues it brings to the forefront) kind of hits close to home for me as a parent, and as an African-American man. I'd seen the Ken Burns documentary on the Central Park 5 a while back, so I was already very familiar with the case, and some of the very problematic issues it brought to the table for the American public to address. Systemic racism, classism, and lack of accountability for law enforcement and agents of the legal system were all things that were at the forefront of the documentary. Ava Duvernay did an excellent job of showing the social and personal toll this case had on these men and their families, as well as the greater impact that the institutions of the law and media played in that accrued trauma. Every episode of this mini-series was visceral and traumatic. Whether it was the very public shunning of Yusuf Salaam, Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, and Raymond Santana upon their release from custody as adults, to the entire fourth episode being devoted to the ordeal of Korey Wise's experiences at Riker's Island as an adult, the entire progression of the series takes a huge emotional toll on the audience watching it.

I am a criminal, I heard that so often that I believed it. My mother told me that my father was killed in a shootout with the police, so I grew up with this idea in my head of who I was based on things I was told. Turns out that my father died almost thirty years after my mother told me that he did. I grew up dirt poor and my step father was physically abusive to me and my sister. We moved to a new city every couple of years, I always felt that I did not fit in. Kids, being who they are, would tease me about my Goodwill clothes and my parents ugly car. I started to steal candy from the local store early on and I learned that if I gave candy to the kids that they would like me or at least pretend to. As I got older I began to associate money with acceptance. I never felt like I was good enough for people to just like me, so I bought friends often by stealing and hustling.

13. Montauk Beach Home—Bernie Madoff

WARNING: This case involves shocking violence against two children, by another child. This isn't for the faint of heart.

How is it a scenario that plays into our worst nightmare, ends up being one of the most successful formulas in story telling?

I first read this book when I was about fifteen years’ old and it was because I had seen it in the local library but it was a tattered copy and so, I bought my own - intact. From not even opening the book, I felt like this was an important text. I wrote the following about it in my diary even before actually reading the book: “there’s something strange about this book. It’s as if it is asking me not to read it but it’s pulling me in. Something about the phrase ‘in cold blood’ sounds unnerving and dangerous. I’ve heard a bit about it but I was never sure to rely on other people’s verdicts of novels. Apparently though, according to some people - this isn’t really a novel at all. Then what is it?” That was the question I had asked: “What is it?” It isn’t really a novel because it isn’t really fiction and, as I know after many re-reads over the years, it isn’t entirely accurate either and so, it isn’t a non-fiction novel. It is an embellishment of the truth for the sake of entertainment and so, it is half and half, something that humans have been doing for centuries. Yet, it is entirely new. It is the new, modern version of criminal justice novels. It was true-crime and this is where I had first encountered a book of which the entire genre would come to change everything about what I believed literature could be. I would be obsessing over true crime for near a decade afterwards and it would be because of “In Cold Blood”. The first question you always ask yourself when you read “In Cold Blood” for the first time and that was the same question I asked myself when I finished the book. I wrote in my diary: “This was a strange book, I’ve never really read anything like it. The moment I finished it, I just sat there thinking about the same question over and over again - ‘what happens if it’s all entirely true?’”

U.S. prosecutors have charged two wanted Chinese nationals linked to Beijing for their alleged involvement in a global hacking operation that targeted hundreds of companies and governments for more than a decade, stealing sensitive information.

In April of 2020, Eminem had a confrontation with a terrifying encounter with an intruder in his Michigan home. The rapper was living in Clinton Township, Michigan when on April 5, 2020 he woke up due to his home alarm.

If you grew up during the 70s, you probably watched a program called Hee Haw. It had jokes, dancing and singing from many legendary country performers like Loretta Lynn, Buck Owens, Randy Travis, and countless other country stars. I have never been a fan of country music, but I enjoyed Hee Haw as a kid.

Countess Elizabeth Bathory de Ecsed (1560-1614) was a Hungarian noblewoman and reputed serial killer from the noble family of Bathory, who owned land in the Kingdom of Hungary. She had been labelled by the Guinness World Records as the most prolific female murderer, though the precise number of her victims is debated. Bathory and 4 collaborators were accused of torturing and killing hundreds of young women between 1585 and 1609. The highest number of victims cited during Bathory’s trial was 650. However, this number comes from the claim by a serving girl named Susannah that Jakab Szilvassy, Countess Bathory’s Court official, had seen the figure in one of Bathory’s private books. The book was never revealed and Szilvassy never mentioned it in his testimony. Despite the evidence against Elizabeth, her family’s importance kept her from facing execution. She was imprisoned in 1610 within Cachtice Castle, and immured in a windowless room until her death 4 years later.

As a student in International Law and Political Science, I’ve been brainwashed with the importance of the Rule of law as a barrier to the arbitrary exercise of power, and I must admit that I really did believe in it. The Rule of law is a principle of governance in which all persons, institutions and entities are equally accountable to laws that are publicly promulgated, equally enforced and independently adjudicated, I was taught throughout my ten-year-long studies. Now I’m involved in a political sex scandal, I can assert that the Rule of law is disturbingly, substantially malleable in France, especially when it comes to the idea of equality before the law. I’m glad I was able to confront this reality before I finish my studies: from an intellectual student, I now have the opportunity to become an intelligent woman.

On Saturday, September 10, 1983, linesman Dick Wertheim was struck and killed by a tennis ball while he was officiating the junior boys title match between Stefan Edberg and Simon Youl at the U.S. Open.

It’s hard not to notice the lone head, up on a shelf next to a diaphonized hand, when you enter the anatomical theatre at the University of Lisbon’s Faculty of Medicine.

An undistinguishable chatter filled the room. Someone was speaking on the Secret Service’s earpiece and he listened intently while touching his right ear. Then, he looked at both women and they gave him their undivided attention.

Cars zipped by endlessly as he observed the movement of Agents that were assigned to secure the perimeter around the Parliament. Richard stared at the front doors as they swung open. He raised the silenced barrel of the rifle from the windowsill and aimed the crosshairs on the person exiting the building. He used the thumb of his right hand to press a button on his watch to start the chronometer. Then he hit it again to pause the time as soon as the person disappeared behind a tree.

London was awakening to a damp and gloomy day. The air coming in the room was so heavy with humidity that it became difficult to breathe. It was under such conditions that Richard Maxwell walked to the corner of the vacant room and looked out the window. The city was covered with a mist that caused the street to look eerie.

Whether it be for business or pleasure, most of us have stayed in a hotel or motel. Although it's not home, we still expect good accommodations to at least make us feel at home. I have simple tastes and only need a bed and a shower. Today, we usually feel safe when we stay overnight while traveling.

When people hear the names of the most notorious criminals, they cringe a little. Well, what about the criminals that not many people have heard about? What will they do when they hear those names?

On August 19, 2003, Lanny Davis made a 700-mile trek from Missouri to Fort Benning, Georgia. He had received a disturbing call from the Army. His son, Specialist Richard Thomas Davis, had gone AWOL and not shown up for duty.

The picture I chose for this post is only there because the guidelines for posting a picture are quite specific and I only have photos that are too poor or too rich in quality to post, so I found an image of a fish pooping. I am also required to add a photo or video to each post, so this could be a fun little adventure for all of us.

In the first part of this article previously published, I explained the beginning of the prison service and the intentions of its use. I also raised the social harm perspective as an alternative to the retribution currently in use.

According to Justice and Prisons (2011a), prisons are fundamental in the criminal justice system as they ensure that offenders face justice and are sanctioned for unlawful activity. The primary aim of prisons is providing prisoners with assistance and rehabilitation opportunities in a humane way. There are International standards which state that reformation and social rehabilitation should take place humanely and without torture to prevent social harm occurring within the system. Justice and Prisons (2011b), identifies the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment as a few of many standards which prisons must adhere to. They also express that women, children and those with mental health needs require a more personal approach than the one size fits all belief (Justice and Prisons, 2011b).

Everyone has heard of human trafficking; everyone knows that children are trafficked from city to city within the UK for sexual exploitation, right? Where did you get your understanding from? The news? A poster? A colleague or friend? So, what is trafficking? Who is a victim? Who is an offender? Is the media a cause of moral panics around trafficking?

For 17 years Kathleen Folbigg has been imprisoned at Silverwater Correctional Centre, New South Wales for the deaths of her 4 children. The evidence that convicted her was circumstantial and relied heavily on the harrowing diary entries of a grieving mother. Kathleen Folbigg has always maintained her innocence. Now genome sequencing of Kathleen and her 2 daughters reveals a genetic mutation that indicates the children died of natural causes.

In Unhinged, struggling single mom Rachel (Caren Pistorius) just can't catch a break. Her ex seems to have the better divorce lawyer, she's always running late, her career is slipping, and her day is only about to get worse. When she takes a detour to try to get her son (Gabriel Bateman) to school on time, she has a little road rage altercation with a disgruntled driver (Russell Crowe). Little does she know, this man has nothing left to lose, and he decides to stalk her, leaving a trail of destruction in his path.

Despite being sidelined by COVID-19, Booze, Broads, and Blackjack has raked in the awards from film events on both sides of the US. It's a mob thriller film that presents the skill and on-screen power of veteran actor Vincent Pastore of The Sopranos fame. The film also shows that what happens in Vegas doesn't always stay in Vegas.

If you’re as obsessed with true crime stories as I am, you know the frightening concept of regular people suddenly turning homicidal. In some cases, we could have seen it coming. A past riddled with indications of sadism. Earlier indications of mental health issues. But occasionally, people just break bad. Their friends and families are baffled. They would tell the authorities that he seemed like such a gentle soul, he didn’t seem like the type of person who could have done something so terrible.

Doing a narrative of a younger version of a famed older character is a tricky business. Without going into which ones worked and which ones did not, and why, let's just say that some of them, maybe even most of them, did not.

With Joan Ferguson's return to prison imminent, and Ruby Mitchell failing to return from her Day release on time, tensions are running high in Wentworth when episode 8x05, 'Fugitive' begins.

There was no murder in We Hunt Together 1.4. But the build-up to it made for an outstanding episode, since it unveiled and moved forward lots of crucial things.