Category Archives: Victimless Crimes

Endless vilification of marijuana becoming senseless

Guy W. Farmer's animosity toward all things marijuana knows no bounds. Using phrases such as "dumping hundreds of sorry stoners into the streets" amounts to nothing but yellow journalism.

Hey, Guy, why not mention all the "abusive alcoholics" running amok while you're at it? As always, Guy can't bring himself to criticize alcohol or tobacco, which are two legal drugs with far worse health consequences than marijuana.

Guy constantly condemns marijuana edibles, presumably in order to "protect the children." Why doesn't Guy have as much outrage about the alcohol industry with its alcoholic "treats" such as root beer, orange and cream sodas I now see everywhere? How about letting parents be responsible instead of outlawing things through a nanny state?

One more thing to think about, the five top entities against legalizing marijuana are pharmaceutical corporations, police unions, private prison corporations, prison guard unions, and the alcohol industry.

Pharmaceuticals want to sell their drugs (with dangerous side effects), police receive funding to battle pot, prisons want bodies to profit from and alcohol doesn't want competition to their drug. It's pretty simple, all of these entities stand to lose money if marijuana is legal.

Criminalizing alcohol was a disaster during prohibition and so is the ongoing criminalization of marijuana today. Jailing people for victimless crimes is insane. Folks who enjoy a toke or two for relaxation or medication should be allowed to do so legally and in no way deserve to be constantly attacked and vilified by the likes of Guy Farmer.

Alan Banfield

Carson City

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Letters to the editor for Tuesday, March 28, 2017 - Nevada Appeal

By: Andrew Franklin

Ina recent debate, SGA vice presidential candidate Jad Shalhoub stated, In light of this recent event that happened, you know, were going to have to meet with UCFPD and were going to have to beg them the question: do they feel like theyre spending too much of their resources toward victimless crimes.

Shalhoub continued, While theyre raiding bars, writing [minor in possession citations], you have people breaking into cars back where they could be patrolling. And so, given this recent incident, this is going to be a huge argument that were going to present as to, you know, what should we prioritize in the defense of students and student safety.

Shalhoubs comments reference an event that occurred Tuesday, March 21st when 36 cars were broken into near Lake Claire Apartments and on-campus Greek housing.

When asked to comment, the UCF Police Department responded bluntly, One thing has nothing to do with the other.

Courtney Gilmartin, UCFPD Public Information Officer, stated, UCFPD partners with the Orange County Sheriffs Office on an underage drinking and noise complaint detail called SNAP. Though its not always students favorite effort, we know based on data that drinking and parties are precursors to serious crimes (aggravated assaults, sexual assaults, DUIs, etc.); enforcing the law and preventing crime are what we do.

SNAP is an overtime detail, Gilmartin continued. Therefore, no on-duty patrol resources are being directed there. SNAP typically runs on the weekends, and it wasnt in effect early Tuesday when the auto burglaries took place.

Once UCFPD received a 911 call about the burglaries, officers arrived in under a minute and made every effort to apprehend the suspects.

I look forward to letting our community know that those responsible are behind bars, and our detectives are working diligently to make that happen, continued Gilmartin.

Shalhoub runs with Joshua Boloa on the ticket Josh and Jad. Their opponents are Nick Larkins and his running mate Cristina Barreto. Polls will be open March 27th-29th.

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UCFPD Responds to Accusations of Misused Resources by SGA Candidate: One thing has nothing to do with the other. - KnightNews.com

Last October, dozens of refugees remained stranded in Calais after authorities announced the closure of Calais Jungle. In a report from the Guardian, over 1,000 refugees remained, including more than 100 children, with many facing the prospect of having nowhere safe to sleep.

Yet, with French and U.K. officials accusing each other of not doing more to sort the situation out, the Jungle became a poignant representation of Europes failure to tackle the migrant crisis.

One organization is stepping forward with blockchain ideas and solutions designed to address some of the barriers that they perceive to be standing in the way of social, political, and economic freedom, not only for refugees but for other disenfranchised populations.

Launched in February 2016 by founder and CEO Julio Alejandro, London-based Humanitarian Blockchain is the worlds first DIY e-governance consultancy project that is attempting to tackle social and global problems using blockchain technology.

Speaking to CCN, Alejandro, a U.S. and U.K. foreign correspondent for Mexican-based newspaper, Exclsior, said:

[Our goal is to] provide financial, communicational, and organizational independence to refugees and the organizations that help them with decentralized, accessible, and non-jurisdictional blockchain technologies.

The organization is attempting to achieve this goal through its four liberating technologies: bitcoin Visa debit cards, Estonia e-residences for high-skilled immigrants, a DAO model for HR NGOs, and non-biometric, reputation-based, digital identities.

Out of the 30 blockchain-for-good use cases Humanitarian Blockchain has mapped, they have identified 30 organizations, mainly startups, that use a combination of these technologies. Furthermore, Alejandro states that costs are reduced by not developing in-house solutions, but by outsourcing actualizations and improvements with cheap implementation.

The cost of the e-residences and a bitcoin Visa debit card is 120 while the cost of implementing a DAO no-managers model and automated Smart Contracts for a small HR NGO is 1,000. Humanitarian Blockchain is planning on using BitNations Pangea identity system, which is free, once its ready this year.

In consultation with organizations and governments within Europe, Alejandro is examining and promoting the benefits of blockchain technology, analyzing the local ecosystem, and looking at its needs and opportunities for future development.

Last September and October, Students for Liberty asked Alejandro to give lectures and talks in ten countries. In November, he debated on anonymity, untraceability, and decentralization for the European Commission legislation body in Prague before taking his discussion to Tel Aviv and Beirut at the beginning of the year.

By focusing on people that theyve identified as oppressed, Humanitarian Blockchain aims to serve as contractors and consultants, teaching and implementing pilot projects for social good in complex ecosystems; to match blockchain developers, who might be living in London or New York, with organizations that request their help; and to participate in social competitions that promote humanitarian, social, and political uses of blockchain technology.

Even though the Calais camp disappeared last October, back in June, Mexican-born Alejandro undertook a social experiment pilot when he went to Calais.

At the end, there were two things that he noticed.

Firstly, posing as a Syrian refugee living in The Jungle, Alejandro found it difficult to pay in a coffee shop with a bitcoin debit card. He said that the issue of having no fixed addressed or job meant that merchants were more likely to ask questions, suspicious of where a refugee may have received the card and how money was put on it for a refugee to use.

He said:

As a brown, heavily bearded, Muslim-looking male, I was denied service and was asked to leave [places of business].

Secondly, they discovered that the inhabitants of the Jungle were often African and Asian economic immigrants hoping to remain anonymous and underground, rather than the highly-publicized refugees from Syria.

He added:

With limited capacities to teach or implement this project in mass scale we decided to re-adapt our strategy into a smaller group: young, anonymous immigrants with risk of radicalization.

As such, the organization identified three types of people that it is aiming to help: political dissidents, victimless crimes, and rehabilitating those who have committed serious crimes, but cant reinsert into society or the job market, forcing them underground or being radicalized into violent activities.

Alejandro believes that digital identities will help oppressed communities regain their dignity. As they wont be government sanctioned, he says that reputation-based identities will eliminate violence in case of wrong doing.

He states:

In a post-nation world, if you commit a crime you would get your reputation downgraded. ID and reputation systems are the preventive method towards crime and punitive behavior.

He concludes by adding, that with the use of digital identities, businesses, audiences and stores can ban or limit access for a person into a place, instead of having them sent to prison.

Featured image from Shutterstock.

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Humanitarian Blockchain and its Liberating Technologies for Refugees - CryptoCoinsNews

Extended feature on four Rockford mayoral candidates. 3/24/17

Rockford voters will choose a new mayor April 4. Mayor Larry Morrissey decided last year he wouldnt run for re-election, after 12 years in office.

Democrat Tom McNamara, Republican Brian Leggero, Independent Ronnie Manns, and Independent Rudy Valdez want your vote -- if you live within the City of Rockford, that is. The four have participated in several public forums in the days leading up to the election, including a packed hall at Rockford University.

Meet the Candidates

Republican Brian Leggero is a Rockford native: he spent 26 years in the music industry in California and now runs an internet services company back in his hometown. Leggero says he wants to be mayor so he can restore pride in the city and give every resident a voice in the community.

Independent Ronnie Manns visited his mother in Rockford in 1991 after wrapping up his career in the Marines, got a job, and never left. He has his own logistics business. Just as he served and protected the American people during his time in the Marines, he says he looks forward to serving and protecting the people of Rockford.

Democrat Tom McNamara is probably the most familiar candidate to Rockford residents. Hes an alderman and an insurance agent, and his father was mayor of Rockford from 1981 to 1989. McNamara says his citys battles with crime and neglected neighborhoods inspired him to run for mayor. He says hes the candidate who can provide the bold, new, inclusionary, and collaborative leadership to lead us out of this.

Independent Rudy Valdez moved to Rockford from Chicago in 1987 and established himself in management and education in the aerospace industry. He says his management skills paired with his experience serving on boards will help him help the city rise to its potential. He says the city needs a strong and proven leader, and he has the experience to bring people together.

Crime

The candidates for mayor rank crime among their top issues, if not the top issue. Ronnie Manns says hed like to see cameras in crime hotspots, monitored by police. He says thats a cheaper solution than other technologies being recommended, such as a gunfire-tracing system. Manns says hiring additional police officers in Rockford or the county should not be priorities. He says its smarter to use the current police force better.

Brian Leggero calls hiring more police a knee-jerk reaction to crime. He says police need to be used more efficiently, with more of a focus on violent crime instead of victimless crimes. Leggeros crime-fighting plan includes restoring street lights to areas where they were removed by the city, encouraging concealed carry of fireamrs, and making police scanner traffic available to the public again.

Rudy Valdez says the city needs to get its police force back up to full strength before talking about adding more officers. He says the police chief and sheriff work well together and have brought more county deputies in to patrol Rockford. Hed rather see money spent on prevention, pointing to a program in Elgin hed like to replicate. He says its a social service unit made up of social workers instead of sworn officers. They ride along and help deal with cases involving mental illness, domestic violence, and substance abuse.

Tom McNamara says crime is the biggest issue in Rockford, and hed like to see more officers hired. But hed also like to see the current officers used more effectively. He says thats why City Council doubled the police departments budget for training and is looking into advancing technology. McNamara says a more holistic approach needs to be used to prevent recidivism and youth crime. He points to a new Rockford Housing Authority police unit as a good collaboration because its paid for by the RHA.

Business and Development

The next mayor of Rockford will help decide the future of projects started under the current administration -- and gets to come up with some of his own. Brian Leggero opposes a planned downtown hotel and conference center that is up for a vote before city council next week. He says Rockford city government should leave projects like these up to the private sector. We must support a process that is thorough and inclusive to all instead of being negotiated between the mayor and a few special interests.

Leggero says he wants a thorough review of the citys Tax Increment Financing, or TIF, districts because he thinks theyve been poorly managed. He says regulations need to be reviewed to make the city more business-friendly.

Tom McNamara says that, as a city council member, he saw that TIF districts were not being used properly, so he brought in objective professionals to review them. As for small business opportunities in the city, he says it calls for a more personal approach. He wants economic development staffers assigned to new businesses and businesses that want to expand so they can be helped directly throughout the process.

Rudy Valdez says its important to think big and long-term. And that means regional collaborations. And Valdez says that means more business. Valdez says the recently-approved indoor city market is a good idea, but it took too long.

Ronnie Manns says hed like to go about revitalizing the city in another way: He wants more money in citizens pockets so they can spend it in their community.

Attracting and retaining The In Crowd

What makes a city hip and attractive to the rest of the world? Its ability to attract and retain young people. Rudy Valdez says he talks with young entrepreneurs, and they feel ignored by their city government. He says its time to pay attention to their needs. He says the city could use a business liaison to work with them. Then hed work on changing some ordinances to ease burdens on businesses.

Ronnie Manns has something he calls the Made In Rockford plan. Under it, the city would find ways to support creative young people while they develop their ideas and businesses.

Brian Leggero says innovation is important; he says he just spoke with a young man who wants to start a school for writing computer code. But he thinks solving the citys most basic problems is the real key to attracting young people to Rockford. Its back to crime, high property taxes, and schools.

Tom McNamara says there are a number of things the city has done to make the city more appealing to young people, including the pedestrian-friendly Smart Streets program to improve connectivity between neighborhoods. He says the city still needs to invest more in neighborhoods and the downtown area and develop more creative home ownership programs. Most important, he says, its time to start trusting young people and put them into leadership positions.

Democrat Tom McNamara, Republican Brian Leggero, and Independents Ronnie Manns and Rudy Valdez are all running for Rockford mayor on the April 4 ballot. One of them will replace Independent Larry Morrissey, who decided not to run after three terms as mayor.

Thanks to WREXand Rockford University for access to the audio system during the debate.

Read more:

Crime And Development Dominate Rockford Mayor's Race | WNIJ ... - WNIJ and WNIU

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Posted: Mar 23, 2017 12:01 AM

The rule of law should be a no-brainer: cities are for citizens. The very concept of politics is based on the word polis, and that means citizen. We the People in the U.S. Constitution refers to citizens, men and women who recognize their rights, which come from God.

Whats one way to take power away from We the People? Erode the meaning and privilege of citizenship. And thats what Californias Democratic Party is doing. Just when I thought that the Democrats in California (and apparently Colorado, too) had already gone too far, now they add another layer to the rampant perversity.

Kevin De Leon, anchor baby turned State Senate President (whose family members are illegals, relying on fraudulent documents to survive) is going to steal every resource from California taxpayers to fund his illegal alien paradise. Who says illegals are discriminated against? They are running the government of California into the ground! Two pieces of legislation are on the horizon. If youre not careful, they could be coming to a state near you.

Senate Bill 6 will transfer tax dollars to provide legal counsel to illegal aliens facing contentious court hearings as they await deportation. Check this out: we have spiking crime rates throughout the state of California. Even in my nice and calm South Bay home, property crimes are rising, especially property crime. Sandra Duran was just killed in a hit and run in the North Hills section of Los Angeles by an illegal alien.

Illegal immigration is not a victimless crime, and a sanctuary state will not guarantee safety for anyone. Except, of course, the politicians who want to score points with La Raza, LULAC, and other Hispandering special interest groups who will keep their Brown Power puppets in power for as long as possible. This is the essence of corruption: a set of laws for one group of people, and a set of laws for everyone else. This is beyond shameful. This is beyond intolerable.

And once again, immigration remains an untouchable third rail in California. Deal with it, Republicans and Democrats alike. Stand up for the rule of law, dammit! Governor Pete Wilson was right to champion Prop 187 in 1994. I wish he had continued to champion that initiative. Even then, California was not a Lily Wasp-like state. That means men and women of every color are all Americans and they just want whats best for their kids and their future.

Guess what? 70% of Californians oppose sanctuary cities, and that includes 60% of Democrats! Even the registered Democratic votersin California, mind youare waking up to how their own party is leaving them behind.

One would think that the growing list of dead Californians would finally wake up the voters to the dangers implicit in sanctuary cities. One life killed by an illegal alien is one too many, but here are 8 lives lost forever:

California was a not a sanctuary for these individuals.

Statistics have outlined that at least 25 people a DAY are killed by illegal aliens in this country.

California Democrats want to turn the Golden State into a Sanctuary state? How about deporting illegal aliens and putting Americans first? Heres another great idea: let law enforcement enforce our laws.

Yes, I know this bid for sanity is a bit complicated for liberals, but the basic tenet of any government is this: protect our rights. And the California Democratic supermajority is not on board with even this, but rather protecting the privileges of a well-connected minority of elitists and La Raza activists.

There is hope, however. The Democrats cannot lose one vote in the state senate to maintain their very slim supermajority. Three years ago, four state senators were arrested, convicted, and/or sentenced for various felonies (voter fraud, gun-running, whatever). Some current Democrat members are feeling the heat like they never have before. I already visited my state assemblyman (a Democrat who had voted against the misguided California (Mis)Trust Act of 2013).

But bigger guns, literally and figuratively, have raised their voices against SB 54s collective immorality. In spite of a long list of proponents for this awful bill, two key organizations have not compromised, but are fully opposed:

The opposition from these two groups was enough to stave off emergency passage.

Four Southern California county sheriffs oppose SB 54, including the somewhat squishy Jim McDonnell of Los Angeles. Why do I target the former police chief of Long Beach? Yes, hes my sheriff. More importantly, though, not even two months ago, he was on record supporting the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors decision to provide legal aid to the countys illegal alien population, and McDonnell affirmed he had no intention in going after illegals living in LA solely because of their immigration status.

But now he opposes the entire state taking on LA Countys proposals. What gives? In his view, preventing communication of any kind between ICE officials and state law enforcement would lead to ICE officials sweeping through neighborhoods and arrest more illegals, not just the violent ones in LA County jails.

Unbelievable! I would like to believe that McDonnell really does care about enforcing our immigration laws, and simply does not want the rising spike of various crimes against Angelenos. Unlike LAPD Chief of Police Charlie Beck (who stands with the illegals, rather than the legal residents) McDonnell is elected by the people in the county. More deaths like Sandra Durans might have cut his re-election chances in half.

No American should allow this. Sanctuary cities are dangerous, racist, and outright wrong. I have written before that California was already a sanctuary state. SB 54 will make that designation seriously official, cutting off all communication between state and federal law enforcement regarding illegal aliens in California.

Originally posted here:

California (and America)--Wake Up: No Sanctuary States! - Townhall

16:03 Tuesday 21 March 2017

A man caught with a "grotesque" collection of images of abuse of children as young as four has been spared jail.

Police found an illegal haul of 583 pictures, including two "live video" files, when they raided Gary McCann's home after a tip-off in September 2015.

Newcastle Crown Court heard all but the two video files had been deleted from the 49-year-old's computer but he had the software required to get them back.

The court heard a youngster featured in one video was aged between four and six.

McCann, of Sackville Road, Springwell, Sunderland, initially claimed he knew nothing about the sickening images and told police that other people had access to his computer.

He later pleaded guilty to three charges of making and possessing indecent photographs of children.

Judge Amanda Rippon told him: "You had obviously viewed all 583 images and you had retained two live video files for future viewing.

"You must understand, and make no mistake that these images are images of sexual abuse of children.

"Every time someone watches them the child is abused again. These are not victimless crimes.

"These are real images that you are watching, of real children being abused in the most grotesque and horrific ways.

"If people like you did not download and look at these files and images, it would not continue."

Shaun Routledge, defending, said McCann has a history of significant health problems, had a serious stroke after his arrest and has no similar convictions on his record.

Mr Routledge said McCann accepts he has done wrong and is willing to address his issues.

He added: "He understand he has been completely and utterly stupid."

McCann was sentenced to nine months imprisonment, suspended for two years, with rehabilitation requirements.

He was ordered to sign the sex offenders register and abide by the terms of sexual offences prevention order, both for 10 years.

Read more:

Sunderland man kept "live video" of "grotesque and horrific" sex attacks on children as young as four - Sunderland Echo

By Dave Hoesly

Vehement Agreement. That was my reaction upon reading the Debating Doctors piece in Sunday's Gaston Gazette.

Although Id expected a Point/Counterpoint kind of series, the doctors agreed at least on the issue of Free Speech - and I cannot agree more with their article.

I especially liked their comment about college campuses, where freedom of expression is now much under attack by those who claim to be offended by speech (or writing) with which they disagree. Bad ideas need to be fought by promoting better ideas, not by censoring the vermin spouting the bad ideas! Indeed, campus censors offense at my words would be exactly canceled by my offense at their intolerance!

It will be fascinating to see if the doctors adopt such a laissez faire attitude toward other issues in future debates, for example: victimless crimes, free trade and firearm ownership! Heck, if they advocate freedom in those areas, Ill send them an application for membership in the Libertarian Party!

Dave Hoesly is chairman of the Gaston County chapter of the Libertarian Party.

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Letter: Vehement agreement - Gaston Gazette

The Ministry of Justice began identifying veterans as they entered the prison service in January 2015. Photograph: Anthony Devlin/PA

More than 2,500 former members of the armed forces entered the prison system last year, with experts warning a disproportionate number were being jailed for serious violence and sexual offences.

According to the Ministry of Justice, veterans represent between 4% and 5% of the UK prison population, raising concerns about the impact of the Afghanistan and Iraq campaigns on mental health issues in the armed forces.

The historic murder conviction against Alexander Blackman, a British marine who shot dead a seriously wounded Taliban prisoner in Afghanistan, was quashed this week and replaced with one of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility. Blackmans lawyers argued that he had adjustment disorder at the time of the killing after serving for months on the frontline in terrible conditions.

The MoJ began identifying veterans as they entered the prison service in January 2015 after concerns about the management of ex-service personnel were raised in a review of the criminal justice system.

The figures show that former members of the armed forces accounted for 721 of the first receptions from July to September 2015, the first period for which figures were released.

The numbers appear to have fallen since, with 545 arriving in the system in the same period a year later. In the year leading up to last September, 2,565 veterans were jailed.

When the data collection was first announced in December 2014, the then justice secretary Chris Grayling said it would help identify veterans at the earliest opportunity, so that we can take a more tailored approach to help them turn away from crime.

Frances Crook, the chief executive of the Howard League, said that several factors contributed to the number of veterans entering the prison system, including alcohol abuse and post-traumatic stress disorder. Research by the Howard League found that 25% of ex-service personnel were in prison for sexual offences, compared with 11% of the civilian prison population.

Crook said: Members of the armed forces represent about 5% of the prison population, but they represent a disproportionate number of serious violent offences and sexual offences, and that raises questions that need answering. These are not victimless crimes. They have a terrible effect of the victim.

Sue Freeth, the chief executive of the charity Combat Stress which supports veterans with mental health issues, said that the Ministry of Defence had done more in recent years to help service personnel. Things are improving partly because there is less stigma, and partly because there are simply a lot of people affected so people know more about it. People are coming for help earlier, too, which is important.

She said it was critical that families were supported, as well as those operating in dangerous situations. We see children who are effectively part-time carers. It affects everyone.

Richard Streatfeild, who served in Afghanistan in 2009 and wrote Honourable Warriors: Fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan, said that problems often emerged after soldiers had left the army.

Streatfeild said: You see people start to drink too much, and then there are discipline issues, and then the relationship goes, and then suddenly theyre really struggling.

When theyre still in the army, they are easy to identify, and everyone knows what is going on. But it is when they transfer to civilian life that it gets very complicated because people dont realise what they have been through.

During six months in Helmand province, Streatfeild and his men engaged in more than 800 firefights and were the target of more than 200 improvised explosive devices. Ten men in his company were killed and 50 were wounded.

Prof Sir Simon Wessely, the president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists and co-director of the Kings Centre for Military Health Research, said it was important to acknowledge all the factors affecting soldiers mental health.

He said: We know that most service personnel dont come back with mental health problems, though nearly all of them come back as different people. They are changed by their experiences, but that is not a mental health problem.

Its never just about what happens on the battlefield, its about an interaction between the people we recruit, what happens to them, and the societies that come back to. Its always a combination of all three.

Patrick Rea, a director of PTSD Resolution, said that the charity saw criminality and substance abuse among ex-service personnel.

Most veterans are very disciplined, so their behaviour tends to be very self-harming, he said. They quite often find us because their partner has told them: You have to get help because I cant do anything more.

But they do need to want help, too. A lot of veterans dont believe they can get better, so they live in a state of distress. They soldier on. I would just like to tell them that they can get better. There is a way.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence said: Most former service personnel return to civilian life without problems and are less likely to commit criminal offences than their civilian counterparts, but were determined to help those who fall into difficulty, and last year awarded 4.6m to schemes targeted at tackling this issue.

The government has enshrined the Armed Forces Covenant in law to make sure veterans are treated fairly and receive the support they deserve, including with mental health issues, getting on the housing ladder, and applying for civilian jobs.

Help us understand more about this issue. If you or anyone you know has been affected by PTSD or mental health issues on active service or after leaving the armed forces, wed like to hear from you. Share your stories here.

View original post here:

More than 2500 former soldiers jailed last year - The Guardian

A crime is defined as any act that is contrary to legal code or laws. There are many different types of crimes, from crimes against persons to victimless crimes and violent crimes to white collar crimes. The study of crime and deviance is a large subfield within sociology, with much attention paid to who commits which types of crimes and why.

Crimes against persons, also called personal crimes, include murder, aggravated assault, rape, and robbery.

Personal crimes are unevenly distributed in the United States, with young, urban, poor, and racial minorities arrested for these crimes more than others.

Property crimes involve theft of property without bodily harm, such as burglary, larceny, auto theft, and arson. Like personal crimes, young, urban, poor, and racial minorities are arrested for these crimes more than others.

Hate crimes are crimes against persons or property that are committed while invoking prejudices ofrace, gender or gender identity, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or ethnicity. The rate of hate crimes in the U.S. remains fairly constant from year to year, but there have been a few events that have caused surges in hate crimes. In 2016, the election of Donald Trump to president was followed by ten days of hate crimes.

Crimes against morality are also called victimless crimes because there is not complainant, or victim.

Prostitution, illegal gambling, and illegal drug use are all examples of victimless crimes.

White-collar crimes are crimes committed by people of high social status who commit their crimes in the context of their occupation. This includes embezzling (stealing money from ones employer), insider trading, tax evasion, and other violations of income tax laws.

White-collar crimes generally generate less concern in the public mind than other types of crime, however in terms of total dollars, white-collar crimes are even more consequential for society. For example, the Great Recession can be understood as in part the result of a variety of white-collar crimes committed within the home mortgage industry. Nonetheless, these crimes are generally the least investigated and least prosecuted because they are protected by a combination of privileges of race, class, and gender.

Organized crime is committed by structured groups typically involving the distribution and sale of illegal goods and services. Many people think of the Mafia when they think of organized crime, but the term can refer to any group that exercises control over large illegal enterprises (such as the drug trade, illegal gambling, prostitution, weapons smuggling, or money laundering).

A key sociological concept in the study or organized crime is that these industries are organized along the same lines as legitimate businesses and take on a corporate form. There are typically senior partners who control profits, employees who manage and work for the business, and clients who buy the goods and services that the organization provides.

Arrest data show a clear pattern of arrests in terms of race, gender, and class. For instance, as mentioned above, young, urban, poor, and racial minorities are arrested and convicted more than others for personal and property crimes. To sociologists, the question posed by this data is whether this reflects actual differences in committing crimes among different groups, or whether this reflects differential treatment by the criminal justice system.

Studies show that the answer is both. Certain groups are in fact more likely to commit crimes than others because crime, often looked to as a survival strategy, is linked to patterns of inequality in the United States. However, the process of prosecution in the criminal justice system is also significantly related to patterns of race, class, and gender inequality.

We see this in the official arrest statistics, in treatment by the police, in sentencing patterns, and in studies of imprisonment.

Updated by Nicki Lisa Cole, Ph.D.

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Types of Crimes - Overview and Discussion

West Virginia is trying to improve its grade on laws regarding human trafficking. According to the website, Shared Hope which provides grades of all 50 states relating to trafficking laws, West Virginia received a "D" in 2016.

Last week, however, the West Virginia Senate passed House Bill 2318, introduced by Delegate John Shott, R-Mercer, which creates felony offenses and penalties for using a person in forced labor, debt bondage and commercial sexual activity. It also creates a felony for patronizing a person to engage in commercial sexual activity and provides immunity from prosecution for minors who might otherwise be prosecuted for prostitution.

Shepherdstown Police Chief Mike King feels that stiffer penalties are appropriate to try to slow the problem.

"Does anybody think that things will change if we arrest a person for trafficking and he goes to court and gets a slap on the wrist and a fine? It's not going to change a thing. He's just going to pick up and move to a different location and open business again," said King.

In areas just outside of West Virginia, this problem is more common, but trafficking is on the rise, not only nationally, but globally as well.

Traffickers see this crime as low-risk, high reward due to the lack of prosecutions and even the low probability of being caught.

King admits that trafficking can be difficult to identify. "A problem with sex trafficking and prostitution is that the victims don't always see themselves as victims. They often refer to their trafficker as a 'boyfriend' and say that they are in a relationship." King continued, "It is coming to light, with the training that is happening now, that this is not a victimless crime. It was looked at as a victimless crime for many years. The law isn't blurry, but each case is.

King says that all of his officers have had training on identifying trafficking, and that the state now does require training. However, he's not sure prosecutions will see an increase just yet.

"Unfortunately, this is a crime right now that is relatively low on the list of things to do for investigative units because the drugs are so rampant right now with all of the overdoses we have. There's so much pressure for that kind of activity to be squashed," said King. "It's a pretty high probability that there are drugs involved wherever there is sex trafficking. "The drug problem is easier to identify and to make make arrests to shut it down."

With the spotlight on the opioid problem in our area and with budgetary constraints in the state, it remains to be seen if there will be dedicated investigators to address the issue of sex and labor trafficking in West Virginia. However, with awareness on the rise, law enforcement officials feel certain there will be more cases brought to light in the panhandle.

Sargent Will Garrett from the West Virginia State Police Crimes Against Children Division is one of three officers in that division who cover all seven counties in the panhandle.

Garrett said, "We are constantly getting cyber tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children on a monthly basis for possible child solicitation on the internet and possible child prostitution. Every now and then, we might get something for an alleged human trafficking event, but that's few and far between right now."

Garrett continued, "What we do has an impact, but it's just the tip of the iceburg."

According to Garrett, statewide in 2016, the West Virginia Crimes Against Children Division had over 900 cases.

His unit conducted a successful sting operation in Berkeley County for the Eastern Panhandle in 2016 as well, the largest one to date for the West Virginia State Police.

"We ended up getting about seven individuals who traveled or attempted to travel to bring themselves withing the presence of a minor for the purposes of having some sort of sexual interaction," said Garrett.

According to statistics from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, one in six endangered runaways reported to NCMEC in 2016 were likely sex trafficking victims. A shocking 86 percent of these likely sex trafficking victims were in the care of social services or foster care when they went missing. Many of these children runaway to meet someone that they have engaged with online or are picked up, groomed for trafficking, then solicited.

"We are trying to make some headway," said King, "but we are starting down a long path that has no end in sight."

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West Virginia improving on legal penalties for trafficking - News ... - Shepherdstown Chronicle