About Kenneth Padowitz

Kenneth Padowitz is a Fort Lauderdale, FL., based criminal defense attorney.

Air Pollution and Violent Crime: Is There a Link?

Previously viewed as manifestation of evil, criminality is now being studied as a cause of prevalent factors in a criminal’s environment. There have been recent studies linking the increase of criminal elements with how it is being influenced by society. But a new study is putting the blame on a more chemical level – air pollution. Violent Crimes and Air Pollution – The Correlation The National Bureau for Economic Research, according to its recent study, is trying to make a link between the rise [...]

Air Pollution and Violent Crime: Is There a Link?2024-07-29T17:00:25+00:00

Displaced Aggression Theory | Road Rage

Displaced Aggression Theory What is Displaced Aggression? Displaced aggression can occur when someone cannot aggress towards the source of incitement or provocation, so instead takes it out on something else and behaves aggressively towards another individual that had nothing to do with the initial conflict. According to Bushman in a 2005 study, "Aggression is displaced when the target is innocent of any wrongdoing but is simply in the wrong place at the wrong time." The individual may need to constrain any aggression when dealing [...]

Displaced Aggression Theory | Road Rage2024-07-29T15:41:16+00:00

Forensics, Schools and Election Year

Even numbered years are usually election years, and 2018 is no exception. Among other offices under consideration this year are several openings in Parkland school board in Broward County. School board elections are not usually so heated, but this one reflects the emotional atmosphere left by the Parkland school shooting. A Little Background On February 14, 2018, troubled 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz opened fire in a high school in Parkland, Florida. Before his shooting spree was over, he murdered seventeen people and wounded seventeen others. [...]

Forensics, Schools and Election Year2024-07-29T15:34:21+00:00

Some Forensic Alertness Can Be Practiced by Anyone

Boredom Therapy is one of those crazy Internet ad/story websites that require visitors to click through several pages to get a heartwarming story about a child, a dog, a cat, a wild animal or the elderly. One of their stories details an incident where a Walmart service desk worker was alert and used her forensic instincts to help an elderly man. The story details an elderly fellow who was just getting ready to celebrate Christmas with his grand kids when he gets a call. [...]

Some Forensic Alertness Can Be Practiced by Anyone2024-07-29T15:27:18+00:00

Veterinary Pathologists as Forensic Experts

What do an abused beagle and a battered wife have in common? Why would it be useful to have samples of confiscated black rhino horn and illegal ivory carvings? When is the death of a bald eagle a crime, and when is it a natural event? These questions and more can be answered by veterinary pathologists who act as forensic experts. Veterinary Forensics Dr. Melinda Merck, D.V.M., explains, “Vets are natural detectives. We have to figure it out … every time a patient comes [...]

Veterinary Pathologists as Forensic Experts2024-07-29T15:18:39+00:00

Rational Choice as a Theory of Crime

Rational choice is a prominent theoretical model in many fields of research, though many criminologists continue to doubt its applicability as a general theory of crime. Much of this skepticism can be attributed to the over-simplification of the model, and the methodologies utilized when testing it in research. Rational choice theory is conceptually broader than many researchers believe it to be, and those who explore it often leave out important variables in their testing. Numerous studies have been conducted, the findings of which [...]

Rational Choice as a Theory of Crime2024-07-29T15:14:34+00:00

Cultural Influence On Crime

One can take many different stances when asked to determine the causes of criminal activity. One area of research that has been gaining popularity views crime as a product of the culture or subculture to which one belongs, rather than strictly blaming it on individual differences. In other words, enculturation plays an important role in the development of criminal behavior; this argument is supported by recent research that will be further discussed, and the disparity in rates of crime between different cultures and [...]

Cultural Influence On Crime2024-07-29T15:06:40+00:00

What Does Forensic Psychology Make of the Jacksonville Landing Shooting?

Anyone who has ever played a video game or been in the same house with people who do play is aware that player participation can become tense. But video game competitions aren’t usually on the list for sporting events that are likely to erupt into violence. But on a Sunday afternoon, August 26th of 2018, a young man from Baltimore created a “first” in video gaming. He used a handgun to open fire on the active players, murdering two and injuring many more. [...]

What Does Forensic Psychology Make of the Jacksonville Landing Shooting?2024-07-29T14:59:02+00:00

Eyewitness Memory and Misidentification at Trial

When forensic psychology was being established in the late 1870s, among the top topics that got scrutinized was the examination of eyewitness memory. According to the website of History of Forensic Psychology, Albert Von Schrenk-Notzing was the first psychologist to play the role of expert witness during a court hearing in 1896. The case being tried was about a man who allegedly murdered three women. Based on his research on memory and the human mind’s inclination to suggestions of others, Von Schrenk-Notzing claimed [...]

Eyewitness Memory and Misidentification at Trial2024-07-29T14:50:25+00:00

Eyewitness Testimony and Memory Biases

Eyewitness Testimony – What Is It? If two individuals stand as witnesses of the same event, will their testimonies be the same? Will they tell and describe the event that transpired without any contradictions? When a person witnessed a crime, untoward incident, or other events that need legal support, a testimony from the eyewitness is necessary. The eyewitness will later appear before the court and tell the details of what he/she witnessed on that fateful day. The entire process may be more complicated [...]

Eyewitness Testimony and Memory Biases2024-07-29T14:04:25+00:00
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