Читать книгу Criminology For Dummies - Steven Briggs - Страница 107

In 2008, eight people from an organized gang were indicted in New York for a five-year crime spree in which the defendants allegedly impersonated police to take drugs and cash from large-scale cocaine dealers. The crimes occurred across five states and netted more than $20 million worth of cocaine and $4 million in cash. More than 100 cocaine dealers were victimized.

According to court papers, the robbers sometimes conducted police-style traffic stops of cocaine dealers who were transporting drugs or money. In other cases, the robbers invaded cocaine dealers’ homes and bound family members with duct tape and handcuffs, sometimes holding them hostage for days. One victim recounted how the robbers applied pliers to his testicles and threatened to squeeze if he didn’t reveal the location of large caches of cocaine. Other victims reported being tortured, including having their heads held under water to force them to talk. After the cocaine was located, the gang sold the drugs on the streets of New York.

At the opposite end of the spectrum from physical abuse, some parents may not discipline their kids at all. If a child is never reigned in after misbehaving, he may be less likely to learn proper boundaries or decision-making skills. Later in life, that kid may be less able to conform to society’s rules, including laws against violence. (In Chapter 11, I discuss in more detail the causes of all crime.)