Would my eighth-grade typing teacher be proud of me now?

Well, that assumes she’s still alive, cares about the quirks of her former students, and, frankly, remembers me at all.

Let me take you back a few decades. Grade eight typing class was one of my numerous academic struggles. My thirteen-year-old hands just wouldn’t cooperate with the commands my brain sent them. I can still picture the look of disdain on my typing teacher’s face as I sheepishly handed in my assignments.

I felt I was doomed to a life of hand-written notes, letters, and term papers, Fast forward ten years, and typing became a significant part of my daily routine.

Not surprisingly, this blog is one of the many activities that put those typing skills to good use.

Since starting the blog, at the end of each calendar year, I provide a list, links, and brief description of the most popular blog posts I wrote over the past 365 days.

And I see no reason now to break with tradition. So here they are:

Every discipline has a number of foundational books, corrections is no different, and most experts studying jails, prisons, etc. have a list of their favorite works. Thus, I figured that the time was ripe to share mine more widely. Not only would I typically share this list with my graduate students, but I might give this list to give people I communicate with behind bars who are interested in this sort of thing. P.S. This post generated a handful of suggestions from other scholars.

Tyre Nichols and the reality of police reform in the United States

On January 7, 2023 Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old unarmed African-American man was stopped by Memphis police officers, who were part of the controversial SCORPION tactical squad, and beaten to death. This incident, like so many similar ones in recent years would have been quickly ignored, but the fact that this model of aggressive policing had, in recent years, been criticized because of its inability to produce results, the violence it engaged in, and legal suits raised not just moral and ethical questions, but called into question the way that contemporary policing was being conducted in some jurisdictions in the United States. It appeared that police were simply going through the motions, rarely test their actions, and that police are not strategic.

Some low hanging fruit is just rotten

Life, and more specifically careers and creative work are full of conscious and unconscious choices, and some are better than others. Creatives, entrepreneurs, etc. are often advised to choose projects that appear easy to accomplish. But equally important is the reality that the return on investment with these endeavors are sometimes not really worth the actual investment of resources (esp. time). The blog post attempts to explore the vicissitudes of this issue.

On the importance of Ted Robert Gurr’s WHY MEN REBEL

Since starting the blog, I have written a few posts about books and movies that I believe are interesting and pivotal. I thought it would be prudent to write one on one about the most important books that motivated me to pursue my masters degree. Not only did Why Men Rebel prompt me to consider and start graduate school, but I purposely sought out to work with Gurr, and can legitimately say that he was one of my first academic mentors. Not only is Why Men Rebel, a highly cited book, but it kicked off his career, and those of many scholars focusing on conflict studies.

Questioning Graffiti and Street Art as acts of resistance

Graffiti and Street Art are pervasive in most urban locations, and it appears as if almost everyone has an opinion on whether they like it and who and why they do it. But few people question their assumptions surrounding their opinions on this subject. One of the most significant opinions about graffiti and street art revolves around the meaning and purpose of this act of vandalism. This post tries to dissect the often romantic perspective that graffiti and street art are primarily acts of rebellion, protest or resistance. The reality is that there are lots of different types of graffiti and street and practitioners too, and to make broad sweeping generalizations about why people engage in this activity is foolhardy to say the least.

Should Criminologists partner with local criminal justice agencies to conduct research?

One of the recurrent questions prospective job candidates for academic jobs in Criminology/Criminal Justice and junior criminologists face is should they collaborate on research with or for a local criminal justice agency. This post explores both the advantages and disadvantages of this type of decision.

Does earning a degree in Criminology/Criminal Justice allow someone to get away with murder?

Another issue concerns using the information gleaned from formal instruction in the field of Criminology/Criminal Justice to assist one in malicious behavior. On December 30 2022, a graduate student in the doctoral program in Criminology at Washington State University, was charged with murder of four Idaho State University students. Not only do these types of sorts of stories titillate the public imagination, but frequenly force certain members of the public to ask just what people learn in the typical criminology/criminal justice curriculum.

Should aspiring Criminologists join the prominent learned societies in their field of study?

In trying to navigate the complicated nature of most trades and professions one of the questions is should you join a professional organization, which one is best, and what are the costs and benefits of doing so? This post applies this question to the subject area of Criminology/Criminal Justice.

Should You Earn a PhD in Criminology/Criminal Justice or an Allied Field?

Earning a Ph.D. is a resource intensive endeavor, but how do you make the best choice and minimize risk in choosing what to study and where?. Thus, one of the logical questions, particularly if you live in the part of the country, or a country where a PhD in Criminology/Criminal Justice does not exist, is what are the potential cost-benefit calculations you might confront if you decide to persue doctoral studies in an allied field?

Exploring how graffiti and street art calls attention to social justice issues

Similar to the post that looked at graffiti and street art as resistance, this one considered whether this type of vandalism is done to further social justice issues. The short answer is some of it is, and some of it does not. The post tries to identify the contexts where we see graffiti and street art more prominently throughout the urban landscape as a commentary on social justice issues.

Wrapping Up

In closing, I want to express my sincere gratitude to my family, friends, and colleagues who have generously provided constructive feedback on selected draft posts before publication. Heartfelt appreciation also goes out to all my readers, particularly those who have taken the time to respond, share suggestions, and contribute their valuable experiences related to the topics I’ve explored.

Your ongoing engagement and support have been instrumental in shaping the direction of this blog.

Thank you for being a vital part of this community, and here’s to another year of growth and shared experiences.

As I look ahead to 2024, I hope to maintain the same level of productivity and creativity as I did in 2023. I’m dedicated to delivering content that is compelling, thought-provoking, and occasionally evoke genuine moments of laughter throughout the journey.

Photo Credit

Photographer: Kiran Foster

Title: Typing

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