On the run

The Star Tribune reported that two students at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota escaped with minor injuries after being assaulted by a group of five young men on bicycles. Prior to the assaults, a campus security guard indicated that the same men punched a woman who was walking near the campus. Shortly thereafter, a young man at a bus stop reported to have been assaulted by the same group of men after refusing to hand over his I pod to the group of men. Once more, another young man walking from his dorm apparently crossed the men, and when he refused to let them use his cell phone, the men punched him in the face and head. According to reports, none of the victims of the assaults were seriously injured nor were they linked in any way. A spokeswoman for Macalester College says the crimes are rather unusual for the neighborhood they occurred in, as it is known to be a quiet one. Thus far, there have been no arrests made.

With all of the information given in the article, these particular incidents could be considered as a combination of crimes of the rational choice and societal theory. The assaults are seemingly random acts of violence with no apparent motives other than wanting to display some sort of message through abuse. The offenders are aware of what they are doing, as they repeatedly act out the crimes. It’s quite possible that the group of men could feel unwanted or unequal upon society as a whole, thus initiating several attacks on complete strangers, some of whom would not turn over personal belongings. The message conveyed is, “Give me what I want, or suffer the consequence.”

If and when the offenders are arrested, there would certainly be plenty of reason and opportunity to utilize counseling and a highly resourceful program that would instill positive reinforcement. Dependent on whether or not the victims desire or have the ability to press charges, incarceration would perhaps be another way, if not the only way to get the offenders to account for their actions.

Complete Article: www.startribune.com