The study of criminal behavior in both the individual and within a given society.
Questions tagged [criminology]
210 questions
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Do murderers tend to return to the scene of the crime?
It is commonly heard that murderers (or other criminals) "always return to the scene of the crime".
Well, that's certainly false for all murderers. However, it is suggested that murderers do have a tendency to return to the scene of the crime.
Do a…
Saturn
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Do professional assassins exist?
It's a common trope in movies that certain people, either spies or mercenaries, specialize in assassination. (An apparently well-paying but wearing specialty, since generally the assassins are freshly retired before being dragged back in for one…
Larry OBrien
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Are "burglar codes" used to target homes for crime?
There is a common trope which has been going round for years that there are a series of chalk-marks used by burglars to indicate possible targets.
There have been multiple news stories about this over the years, which I believe make this notable
Is…
Jamiec
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Is kidney theft happening in real life?
From time to time, we heard about spine-chilling stories of kidney theft in various forms. There's some competing views out there, but I don't know which one to believe.
One negative point of view is that kidney theft is nothing more than an urban…
Metta World Peace
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Has a serial killer ever targeted a policeman's family?
It's an astoundingly common trope in TV and films for the 'third act' to be taken up with the serial killer antagonist kidnapping or targeting the protagonist's daughter/son/wife, etc.
Obviously the hero policeman invariably saves the day and we all…
Richard
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Are 30% of U.S. prisoners deaf or hard of hearing?
This article by a former corrections officer begins
An estimated 30 percent of offenders are deaf or hard of hearing, often referred to as the "invisible disability."
I find this super surprising, and can't tell where this is coming from in the…
Eli Rose
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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
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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
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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
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Do Roma people make up 60% of the Czech prisoners?
There is a common belief in Czech society that most of the prisoners in Czech Republic are Roma people. Wikipedia backs it up with a vague reference to a book from 1998:
According to Říčan (1998), Romani make up more than 60% of Czech prisoners and…
JonathanReez
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Does lengthening prison sentences reduce crime rates?
I have heard time and again that increasing the length of prison sentences produces little or no improvements in crime rates. It is said that increasing the probability of arrest after a crime has much better results.
Is there evidence for this…
josinalvo
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Does the "chalk code" exist?
I came across this image recently, that claims the existence of a code known by criminals. The post does not mention the area where this code is supposedly used, but it can be inferred it pertains to unorganized burglars.
It's easy to think that…
rath
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