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Criminology
In this excerpt from "Strange Stability," Benjamin Wilson explores how the concept of "deterrence" went from explaining criminal behavior to becoming a nuclear strategy.
A researcher weighs in on who’s accountable, when and why, in the eyes of the law — and whether the measures work as intended.
In the murder trial of Dan White, the defense touched on diet as a cause for White's actions. It has become known as the "Twinkie defense."
Public mass shooters almost always have worldviews shaped by the "3 Rs": rage, resentment, and revenge.
Is it genes or their special bond that drives identical twins to offend at similar rates?
About three out of every four people arrested in the U.S. are men. That rate is similar across the world.
Do you really need a monstrous upbringing to make monsters?
Would you confess your crimes to a skeleton with "an unnatural ghastly glow"? One inventor thought you would.
Memory, responsibility, and mental maturity have long been difficult to describe objectively, but neuroscientists are starting to detect patterns. Coming soon to a courtroom near you?
Are psychopaths cold-blooded murderers? Not usually.
Soviet researchers studied crime through a Marxist-Leninist lens. Under Lenin, a humanitarian approach to criminality briefly emerged, but dissipated when Stalin rose to power.