Culture and Society: Crime and Punishment

Many of my Alabama clients were on death row for crimes they were accused of committing when they were sixteen- or seventeen-year-old children. Just Mercy

I could find nothing in the incomplete newspaper records to suggest that he had been murdered, or even that the fire had been arson. Kindred

Although it doesn’t take a genius to get at your stuff, the good news is that the rate of burglaries is fairly slim: Only about 1 in 50 U.S. homes gets broken into each year. Washington Post

He could do no other than to oppose the law and to suffer the consequences for it. Long Walk to Freedom

At the end of three weeks the trial for William was held and he was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter

He had joined the police force because he wanted to solve crimes and arrest criminals. Hoot

The evidence already collected by April 15 confirmed that it was Booth who had shot Lincoln, and that he seemed to have several accomplices. Chasing Lincoln's Killer

“If I wrote something that hadn’t really happened, and I tried to sell it, I could go to jail. That’s fraud.” Slaughterhouse-Five

Any crime they committed was not investigated, giving them the power to arrest, harm, imprison, and kill without consequence. Nazi Saboteurs

“You are under arrest for intent to overthrow the government of this mission, murder the council members, and make yourself ruler.” Blood on the River

“Ding-dang it, woman, what you trying to say? Taking that child against her will? That’s what you done. You kidnapped that child.” Tuck Everlasting

"The murderer had to have a motive. How about this: A niece murders her rich uncle to inherit his money?" The Westing Game

“Mr. Noah, you’ve been accused of murder. You used witchcraft to kill David Kibuuka by causing him to be struck by lightning.” Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood

It would pain me to know that someone’s perpetrating violent acts on other people and getting away with them because I’m giving them box office support. Washington Post

I never did feel it again, for I never stole again; and what kept me from it was the knowledge that, for me, crime carried its own punishment. Black Boy

All died sudden or violent deaths brought on by their own recklessness or their own bad way of living. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

She had smuggled her equipment through a customs point. The New York Times

Plus the whole town saw him whitewashing the curse words he painted on the parking lot of St. Basil’s, so it’s not like vandalism isn’t already in his bag of tricks. Linked

On March 14, four days after the bombing, Bill Smith died—another victim of what had become known as the Osage Reign of Terror. Killers of the Flower Moon

He spent most of his time on the streets, where police stopped him for violations including trespassing, stealing a bike, and property crimes committed with his older brother and other older teens. Just Mercy