soc exam 4
Average yearly cost of a federal prisoner
$31,286 - For life (say, 40 years) = $1.25 million
Deforestation
Between 1990 and 2015 lost an area about the size of South Africa
minority disadvantages in court system
Black and Latino defendants are disadvantaged compared to whites when it comes to pretrial detention, plea offers, and sentences of incarceration - Especially strong for blacks charged with felony violent crimes and drug crimes
The case of Pennsylvania
Black defendants 4x as likely to get the death penalty under the same Circumstances
black offenders and parole
Black offenders wait longer for parole than white offenders - Controlling for legal, individual, and community characteristics
rates of black people killed by police
Black people are 3x more likely to be killed by police than white people
black vs white convictions
Black people are more likely to be wrongfully convicted than white people - More likely to spend longer in prison before being exonerated
homocide and race
Blacks and whites are equally victims of homocide, but murders of blacks far less likely to be executed (77% whites, 15% blacks)
sexual assault cases
Blacks serving time for sexual assault are 3.5x more likely to be innocent than whites - Bulk explained by white victims that mistakenly identify black assailants
Declining Arctic Sea Ice
Both the extent and thickness of Arctic sea ice has declined rapidly over the last several decades.
Cause of Dead Zones
Can occur naturally but largely created by excessive nutrient pollution - Farming and industrial pollution - Many along US East Coast, Great Lakes, Gulf of Mexico - At least 405 worldwide (there were 49 in 1960) - Chesapeake Bay - one nearly 3.2 million Olympic-size swimming pools - Loss of tens of millions of fish Bad news for fish, for humans who eat fish, for other seafood that need fish to survive
Argues for transforming the world economy in just a few years to avoid the most serious damage
Damage would cost $54 trillion Politically unlikely to happen - Would require heavy taxing or prices on carbon dioxide emissions - Trump has vowed to increase the burning of coal
Death Penalty: Arbitrariness
Defendants accused of similar crimes are given different penalites (some life some death)
The New UN Report 2018
Describes worsening food shortages and wildfires, mass die-off of coral reefs, as soon as 2040. - Written by 91 scientists from 40 countries who analyzed more than 6,000 scientific studies
same crime arrests blacks vs white
Federal sentences for black males are 20% longer than whites
lack people killed by police in America this year were suspected of violent crime and allegedly armed
Fewer than 1 in 3
atmospheric carbon dioxide levels
For centuries the atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have never excedded a line but now (since 1950) it is far above
Indoor air pollution
Gases like carbon monoxide, radon Household products and chemicals Building materials like asbestos, formaldehyde, lead Allergens like insect and animal droppings Tobacco smoke Mold and pollen Indoor smoke from cooking and heating fuels
Shrinking Ice Sheets
Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets have decreased in mass. Antarctica ice mass loss rate has tripled in last decade - Greenland: losing an average of 281 billion tons of ice per year - Antarctica: losing an average of 119 billion tons of ice per year
United States incarceration rates in NATO
Highest incarceration rate among founding NATO members - 700/100,000
Police are at risk as well
In 2016, 147 on duty deaths
states with reviews of race and the death penalty
In 96% of states , there was a pattern of either race-of-victim or race-of-defendant discrimination, or both
Hurricanes will become stronger and more intense.
Intensity, frequency, and duration of North Atlantic hurricanes, as well as the frequency of the strongest hurricanes, have increased since the 1980s and are projected to continue.
Change will continue over this century and beyond.
Magnitude depends on our activity and how sensitive the Earth's climate is to it
Marijuanna Arrests
Marijuana rates of use are similar between blacks and whites, but arrest rates are very different - Blacks are much more likely to be arrested
Dilemma of democratic society
More crime control = less due process More due process = less crime control
Enviroment Nov. 2017
More than 1600 scientists from 184 countries published a second letter as a warming to humanity - If things are not changed, the plant will sustain substantial and irreversible harm - Many enviromental problems have gotten worse since that letter
Outdoor air pollution
Noxious gases, ground-level ozone, tobacco smoke, Mold and pollen
Decreased Snow Cover
Satellites show the amount of spring snow cover in the Northern Hemisphere has decreased over the past 5 decades and is melting earlier.
Increased temps cause
Shortage in food crops Intense storms Sea level rises
Climate change
Since 1970, carbon dioxide emissions have increased by 90% (i.e. almost doubled) - 78% comes from fossil fuel combustion - Coal to heat homes, cars that use gas, industrial processes, human activity
Ocean Acidification
Since the Industrial Revolution, the acidity of surface ocean waters has increased by 30% due to humans emitting more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and then being absorbed by the oceans.
highest death penalty rate
South has the highest number of executions (80%) and highest murder rate
Due Process Model (suspects' rights)
Stresses the need of the CJ system to protect suspects from mistakes and deliberate deception/bias by police and other CJ actors
Extreme Weather Events
The number of record high temp events in the US has been increasing, while the number of record low temp events has been decreasing, since 1950. - We have also had increasing numbers of intense rainfall events ("100 year" storms).
Temperatures will continue to rise.
The temperature rise will not be uniform or smooth across the country (or globe) or over time because human-induced warming is superimposed on a naturally varying climate.
Black Population Percentage Rates
US population: 13% Arrests: 28% Arrest- Related Homicides by Police: 32%
United States jail population compared to other countries
United States locks up more people, per capita, than any other nation (2.3 million)
Disagreement over the amount of carbon tax
Washington State tried to pass a $15-per-ton tax, did not pass Obama recommended $50-per-ton, Trump $7-per-ton tax The UN report recommends between $135- and $5,500-per-ton tax
report that police often stop people for no reason in their city
blacks are more likely (54%)
Burning oil, coal, and natural gas
create 82% of US greenhouse gas emissions. China emits the most per country, but the US emits the most per person. (5% of the world's population, 20% of its gases).
juveniles serving life without parole
disproportionately people of color - 38% of population vs 77% of convicted population
Levels of crime in US cites
do not make it any more or less likely for police to kill people
heat-trapping nature of carbon dioxide and other gases
has been long-demonstrated.
on duty deaths of police
have decreased
Newark, Nj and St.Louis, MO
have very similar populations however 0 black people were shot in Newark compared to 16 in st. louis
History of climate change
it has always changed throughout history - The modern climate era (post Ice Age) began about 7,000 years ago, with the beginning of human civilization
Washington state
jurors 3x more likely to recommend death sentence for a black defendant than for white in similar case
Unarmed victims of police killings
more likely to be minorites
Louisiana
odds of death sentence 97% higher if victim was white than if victim was black
North Carolina
odds of receiving death penalty rose by 3.5x when victim was white
Purpose of carbon tax
reflect the actual cost of burning carbon, ensuring companies and ultimately consumers pay for the external costs they impose on society. - Climate change causes heat waves, flooding, droughts, wildfires - economic costs paid by homeowners, farmers, and the government - NOT the energy companies that produce the gases
How we get our data climate change
satellites and other technology used by scientists to examine the big picture.
If greenhouse gas emissions continue at the current rate
the atmosphere will warm up by as much as 2.7 degrees F (1.5 C) above preindustrial levels by 2040. Will inundate coastlines Will intensify droughts Will intensify poverty
Frost-free season will lengthen.
the growing season in the US is projected to continue to lengthen.
California
those convicted of killing whites 3x more likely to be sentenced to death than those of killing blacks - More than 4x more likely as those convicted of killing Latinos
The evidence is compelling
we live in a green house
Dead zones
where sea animals suffocate and die
Fresh water
- 26% reduction in amount of fresh water available per capita since 1992 - Predicted that by 2030, water scarcity will displace between 24 and 700 million people - Population growth, industrialization, urbanization, increase in water consumption - Tripling of water demand over the last 50 years - 20% of world's aquifers are being over-exploited
Animals disappearing
- 29% reduction in number of animals in the world since 1992 - Sixth mass extinction event
Race of Defendant and Race of Victim Effects (Probability of a Death Sentence)
- Black Defendant, Nonblack Victim (highest probability) - Black Defendant, Black Victim - Nonblack Defendant, Nonblack Victim - Nonblack Defendant, Black Victim (lowest probability)
Glacial Retreat
- Glaciers are retreating almost everywhere around the world. -Alps, Himalayas, Andes, Rockies, Alaska, and Africa
Sea Level Rise
- Global sea levels rose about 8 inches in the last century. - The rate of sea rise in the last 20 years is nearly double that of the last century and is accelerating annually.
Rising global temperature
- Helped by human activity - 2016 warmest year on record (136 years) - 10 warmest years on record have been since 1998
Fish
- Increasing appetite for fish, harder to catch - Large drop in harvest of wild-caught fish - 2006 study found all species of wild seafood could collapse within 50 years - if more not done to protect them 2,300 species listed as endangered or threatened
innocent blacks vs innocent whites
- Innocent blacks 12x more likely to be convicted than innocent whites - Innocent blacks 7x more likely to be convicted of murder than innocent whites - These cases are 22% more likely to involve police misconduct than those involving white defendants
Prosecutors more likely to bring first-degree murder charges and seek the death penalty
- Juries more likely to recommend death sentence when victim is white, too - Some evidence death penalty more likely if victim is female, wealthy (not as strong)
Crime Control Model (arrest and punishment)
- Key concerns are apprehension and punishment of criminals - Stresses the CJ system's need to capture and process criminals in the most efficent manner possible
Changes in precipitation patterns.
- More winter and spring precip is projected for the northern US, less for the Southwest - Recent trend towards increased heavy precip events will continue.
The current warming trend matters because of it's intensity and cause
- Proceeding at a rate that is unprecedented, occurring roughly 10x faster than the average rate of ice-age-recovery warming - 97% of climate scientists agree that climate-warming trends are very likely due to human activities
Death penalty cases are expensive
- State pays for all costs through appeals -Average cost is $1-2 million beyond cost of noncapital case ending with a life sentence
no deterrent effect
- States with the death penalty do not have lower homicide rates - States that have eliminated the death penalty have not seen a rise in homicide rates - States that established the death penalty did not see a decrease in homicide rates
More droughts and heat waves.
- Summer temps are expected to continue rising, reduction of soil moisture is projected for much of the western and central US in summer. - What used to be single-day, once-in-20-year extreme heat days are projected to become every 2-3 years over most of the US.
Warming Oceans
- The oceans absorb much of the heat. - The top mile of ocean has warmed more than .4 degrees F since 1969.
Sea level will rise 1-4 feet by 2100.
- This is the result of added water from melting land ice and expansion of seawater as it warms. - Storm surges and high tides are expected to combine with sea level rise to increase flooding.
Police are allowed to shoot under two circumstances
- To protect their life of the life of another innocent party - To prevent a suspect from escpaing, but only if the officer has probable cause to think the suspect poses a dangerous threat to others
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
-1,300 independent scientific experts from all over the world - Concluded there's a more than 95% probability that human activities over the past 50 years have warmed the Earth. - Industrial activities upon which we depend have raised atmospheric CO2.
Global Temperature Rise
-Average surface temp of Earth has risen about 1.62 degrees F since late 19th century - Driven largely by increased carbon dioxide and other human-made emissions - Most of the warming occurred in the last 25 years
Death Penalty: Mistakes
-More than 4% of inmates sentenced to death in the US are innocent - More than double the percentage of capital defendants who were exonerated over a 30 year period (1.6%) - 164 people have been exonerated from death row (current avg. is 5/yr
Scientific consensus that the main cause of warming is human expansion of the greenhouse effect.
-We are changing the natural greenhouse, which is made of several key gases. - Burning fossil fuels like coal and oil has increased the concentration of atmospheric CO2.
ratio of men report unfair treatment by police in the past month
1 in 4 black men
Number of executions since 1976
1,463 On the decline, peaked in 1999 at 98, currently 20 (2016)
US population percentages
13% black 17% hispanic 63% white
Death Row Exonerations
164 (most recent 11/5/18)
Enviroment 1992
1700 scientists signed the "World Scientists' Warming to Humanity"
Racial Gap has grown substantially
1960: 1000 (B) 600 (H) 260 (W) 2010: 4400 (B) 1800 (H) 700 (W)
A higher precentage of black and latino traffic stops result in searches
2.3% white 6.3% black 6.6% Latino
10 hottest years globally
2007-2016, has been increasing each year, sharpest increase in 2017
unarmed victims
30% of black victims were unarmed in 2015 compared to 19% of white victims
All people killed by police
31% black, 12% hispanic, 52% white
Felony Convections by Race
32.4% of black men 4.6% of Hispanic men 1.6% of white men
Population spikes
35% increase in human population since 1992
People killed by police while not attacking
39% black, 12% hispanic, 46% white
Death penalty and Race of Defendant
55.8% white, 34.4% black, 8.2% Hispanic
Percent that feel police in their community treat black less fairly than whites
70% blacks 35% whites
non-convicted population
70% of people in local jails are not convicted of any crimes - The "not convicted" population in American jails is larger than most countries total incarcerated population
Increase of dead zones
75% increase in number of dead zones since 1992 (first letter) - Marine life either dies or is driven away due to lack of oxygen
death penalty and race of victim
76% white, 15% black, 7% Hispanic
Carbon Tax
A fee that a government imposes on any company that burns coal, oil, or gas.
evidence against no deterrent
A few studies found a short-term decrease in homicides immediately following a highly publicized execution-A few found an increase - "brutalization effect"