[Publib] Ugly battle has librarians in Oak Brook turning

[Jesse Ephraim]

>Would anybody care to venture the proportion 
>of male to female felons?   I recall my old 
>probation caseload was about 95% male.  

Felony rates are a determination of "vileness?"  There are more people
who could be considered ethnic minorities in prison than "white" ones.
Does that mean that members of minority groups are inherently more
"vile" than "white" people?

Courts are more likely to convict men than women (and give them harsher
sentences), even when the same crime is committed.  They are also more
likely to convict members of ethnic minorities than "white" people (with
harsher sentences) for the same crimes.  

How are you defining "vile," by the way?  I would agree that the man in
the original article is "vile," but I wouldn't automatically apply it to
someone who may have simply made a single bad decision in his or her
life.

>Cops have been profiling for years--they just look for young men.  
 
If you focus on one particular demographic, then you are likely to find
most of your troublemakers in that demographic, because you aren't
paying enough attention to the other ones.

Jesse Ephraim

Director, Roanoke Public Library
308 S. Walnut
Roanoke, Texas 76262
(817) 491-2691
jephraim at roanoketexas.com