Crime and Punishment

Lacking Perspective

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Things are pretty grim. Armed gunmen are getting bolder. Agents of the duly elected government are at risk, with many of them being assassinated in front of their families. Police officers are specifically targeted, often being kidnapped so they can be tortured to death. The message is simple: Join the side of law and order and you will be killed. The favorite method of execution is to behead the victim, a tactic favored by terrorists.

Sounds like the most overwrought prose from a journalist describing the situation in Iraq, or maybe the Palestinian Territories. But I’m talking about the drug war being waged in Mexico at this very moment. The Washington Post article behind that last link states that 600 people have died this year.

I doubt very highly that either their figures or analysis of the situation is accurate. I have reason to believe that things are much worse. StrategyPage.com states that over 1,200 people have been killed this year. What is most alarming is that the drug gangs are actively recruiting regular Mexican Army deserters, men that have had training in combat, weapon use, and who are able to plan and carry out complex operations.

There are a few questions about this situation that need to be asked. The most important is: How did the drug gangs manage to become so powerful that they are able to take over whole towns, defy the Federal government, and assassinate important officials?

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Measuring Crazy

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One of my professors once made the startling statement that, “one cannot measure speed.” This came as something of surprise to those of us who had speedometers in our cars. Yet, the professor had made a profound point. In science, it is vitally important to know exactly what phenomenon one actually measures. Especially in the arena of public policy, we often act as if we have accurate measurements of phenomena when we actually do not. I think the problem is especially bad when it comes to the question of mental health.

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Miscarriages of Justice

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(Re this and this.)

Here’s another case that deserves renewed scrutiny.

Frank Fuster is still in prison despite numerous holes in the case against him, and despite the fact that the “investigative” techniques used to elicit the testimony of young children that convicted him have been discredited. Unfortunately, Fuster is a creepy guy without many friends, so it seems unlikely that any Florida governor will consider reexamining his case, much less pardoning him or commuting his sentence.

The Fuster case reminds me of Bill Weld and the Amiraults. What’s the point of giving executive-branch officials the pardon power if they won’t use it for unpopular defendants? Isn’t that one of the main justifications for the pardon power — that it’s a remedy for miscarriages of justice committed against unpopular defendants such as accused child molesters?