Criminal Law & Process – Page 30 – Marquette University Law School Faculty Blog

Milwaukee Residents Give Solid Marks to Police

Post author:Michael M. O'Hear
Post published:January 28, 2015
Post category:Criminal Law & Process Milwaukee Public Race & Law

Last week, the Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission (of which I am a member) released the results of its first-ever survey of citizen attitudes toward the police. Although the survey identified a few areas of concern, the overall tenor of citizen attitudes seems positive.

Conducted for the FPC by UWM’s Center for Urban Initiatives & Research last summer, the survey involved telephone interviews of 1,452 Milwaukee residents. As detailed in the CUIR’s report, the survey respondents were reflective of the city’s diversity in racial composition and in other respects.

The report’s lead finding is that about three-quarters of Milwaukee residents report that they are at least somewhat satisfied with the Milwaukee Police Department, while only about nine percent said they were “not at all satisfied.” These findings are notable for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that fully one-quarter of the respondents reported being stopped by the police in the past year. One might suppose that this group would be predisposed to negative evaluations of the police. However, the vast majority (71%) of those stopped felt that they were treated fairly. The MPD has significantly increased its number of stops in recent years, but it does not appear that involuntary contact with the police normally leads to hard feelings by the person stopped.

Given recent racial tensions in Milwaukee and nationally regarding policing practices, it is especially important to note the racial patterns in survey responses.

Pet DNA Used to Help Solve Crimes

Post author:Melissa Love Koenig
Post published:January 17, 2015
Post category:Criminal Law & Process Legal Practice Public

As this public radio show discusses, DNA from pets is increasingly being used to help solve crimes. Investigators can take DNA samples found at a crime scene, such as hair, and have it tested to match a victim’s pet. A match can link a perpetrator to the crime if, for instance, the DNA of the victim’s pet shows up on the assailant’s clothes. As noted on the show, the field of veterinary forensics is growing, and while the DNA testing is expensive, it can make a big difference in solving a case. In addition to animal DNA, plant DNA and viral DNA has also been used in criminal cases.

A Social Trust Theory of Criminal Law, Part III

Post author:Michael M. O'Hear
Post published:January 6, 2015
Post category:Criminal Law & Process Public

The first two posts in this series are here and here. In this concluding post, I will share some thoughts regarding the various mechanisms by which criminal law potentially enhances social trust.

Deterrence: The criminal law’s deterrent threats help to make people feel more secure. It seems to be a matter of widely shared intuition, and not without basis, that the possibility of punishment will cause many individuals to think twice before harming or endangering others. The difficulty with deterrence is this: just because the threat of some punishment tends to reduce the frequency of undesirable conduct or outcomes does not mean that the threat of more punishment will achieve further gains.