“Criminal” is a strangely flexible word. It is a label that has been applied to individuals representing the extremes of human character, from murderers and petty thieves to Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. The notion of crime itself mirrors this malleability, with its definition shifting across eras and cultures. While crime has been a constant since the beginning of human society, criminals and their crimes are definite products of their time.
The recent events in Ferguson, Missouri and across the nation have exemplified this conceptual flexibility. The deaths of unarmed black men and women as well as the subsequent trials of the police officers responsible have demonstrated that in today’s society, the line between the criminal and legal, between the victim and perpetrator, is blurred beyond recognition. As a result, our nation has now been tasked with evaluating the justice of existing laws and their enforcement mechanisms, which will force us to reckon with longstanding histories of racism and violence and characterize our time and generation.
Moving closer to home, Harvard and other colleges have had to confront crime of a radically different nature in students’ calls for reexaminations of existing sexual assault policies. Here too, for better or worse, distinctions
are muddied. The student turns into criminal and victim, the administration into judge and jury. And once again, how each of these institutions chooses to move forward with these discussions will shape its image and set the tone for its campus.
In discussions of politics and policy, our understanding of crime must factor in this flexibility. Criminals are not limited to the outer echelons of society, and crimes do not occur in isolation. Legislation and government action must reflect as much. In this issue, the HPR tackles the complexities of this relationship between crime and society. In a powerful personal narrative, Tomi Adeyemi reflects on her experiences
as an African American in the United States. Alice Hu turns our attention to the criminal justice system, examining college-in-prison programs and recidivism rates. Kevin O’Donnell investigates the strategy behind the recent #BlackLivesMatter protests, interrogating the connection between the demonstrations and subsequent arrests of the protestors. Camila Victoriano broadens our view to include crimes against nature, bringing to light ongoing issues with international poaching legislation.
These articles—along with those
in our United States, World, Campus, Books and Arts, and Humor sections— present some of the most striking content produced by the HPR to date. In keeping with the tradition of the HPR, they are thoughtful, unique pieces that aim to challenge and excite our readers. They also, however, represent the innovation and dedication of the newly inaugurated Masthead 47 as well as the HPR’s reaffirmed commitment
to narrative-driven and investigative content.