"Controversies in Criminology and Criminal Justice" discusses the issue of plea bargaining, the use of psychics in crime investigations, personalizing firearms, e-mail scams, and terrorism. No single day passes without news reports on firearm-related deaths, terrorist attacks, unsolved murders, internet scams, and plea bargaining. These issues always provoke feelings of anger and utter despair. Here, the author addresses these controversial and sensitive issues in an easy to understand manner without any restraint.
Plea bargaining is a process whereby an agreement is made between the prosecutor and the defendant, in which the defendant agrees to plead guilty or no contest, and the prosecutor, in return, agrees to dismiss some of the charges, reduce a charge to a lesser charge, or recommend to the judge to give a particular sentence. Dr. Ebisike argues that the disadvantages of plea bargaining far outweigh the advantages and calls for the abolition of plea bargaining.
Should psychics be used in crime investigations? Is there a scientific basis to psychic abilities? Should psychics be allowed to testify in courts? Ebisike argues that psychics should be used in crime investigations, but should not be allowed to testify in court, because their method lacks adequate foundation as to be introduced into the courtroom as evidence at the moment. Examples of cases where psychics assisted in crime investigations have been discussed.
Personalizing firearms involves designing firearms with personalized identification technology so that only the authorized user(s) can fire the gun. After a critical examination of the different ways of personalizing firearms, Ebisike maintains that equipping the trigger of firearms with sensors that can identify the authorized user through fingerprint is the best option. Taking a costs-benefits approach, the author also argues that the benefits of personalizing firearms far outweigh the costs.
Billions of dollars have been scammed out of many people throughout the world through e-mail scams. This raises several questions. Who falls for these scams? Are some victims to be blamed? What can be done to stop these scams? After outlining the warning signs of 419 e-mail scams, the author maintains that most of the victims are to be blamed and calls for the prosecution of some of these victims. Ebisike supports the idea of using digital identity cards.
Terrorist attacks are like earthquakes. We do not know when they will happen, but what we do know is that they are likely to happen. Therefore, we have to prepare for them. Is there a link between past criminality and terrorist potential? This question has been addressed. After discussing the various ways through which terrorist groups end, the author states that Al-Qaeda seeks unobtainable goals and will eventually disintegrate.
