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96
found guilty of conspiring to commit arson, and was previously convicted of food stamp fraud charges.286 He could serve up to five years in prison and face deportation following his prison term.
A black teenager in Lancaster, California, lied about being assaulted to cover his fight at school. The young man claimed that three skinheads jumped out of a car and attacked him shouting racial slurs. The “attackers” were wearing red suspenders and shoelaces, described to be “skinhead battle dress.”287 The boy’s mother contacted the local Hate Crimes Task Force and the media.288 The boy’s description to police was specific enough to ascertain that the assailants were skinheads, but vague as to details of height, weight, age, making finding the suspects difficult. Police noted this discrepancy and got differing stories from other students and doubted the boy’s account. The boy finally admitted to the fictitious story because it was believable on its face.289 The boy had fought with two classmates over a comment made about his sister. He lost the fight and his expensive braces were damaged. He feared the wrath of his mother over the fight he started and the cost of replacing the broken hardware.
Prejudice was once believed to be decreasing after the 1960s, with fewer and fewer academics focusing on the topic in areas such as psychology and sociology. This perceived decline in prejudice due to racial bias and other sources was
286 Ibid.
287Solomon Moore, “Black Youth Admits He Lied About Hate Crime; Hoax: Lancaster Student Who Claimed Three Skinheads Assaulted Him Confesses He Got Into Fight with Two Black Classmates,” Los Angeles Times, January 27, 2000, p. 3.
288 Ibid.
289 Believability is discussed by Curtis D. MacDougall in his book Hoaxes and presented in the introduction.
Object Description
| Title | An argument for the criminal hoax |
| Author | Pellegrini, Laura A. |
| Author email | user1963@yahoo.com; teachpolsci@yahoo.com |
| Degree | Doctor of Philosophy |
| Document type | Dissertation |
| Degree program | Political Science |
| School | College of Letters, Arts and Sciences |
| Date defended/completed | 2008-08-20 |
| Date submitted | 2008 |
| Restricted until | Unrestricted |
| Date published | 2008-10-13 |
| Advisor (committee chair) | Renteln, Alison Dundes |
| Advisor (committee member) |
Wong, Janelle S. Newland, Chester A. |
| Abstract | Hoaxes are part of the fabric of history. While many provide humor and lighthearted joy, the criminal hoax does not. To date, researchers have included aspects of the criminal hoax in larger academic works. This is an original typology that sets forth the criminal hoax as a distinct part of the larger field of law and public policy. This work provides newly created definitions including four distinct categories of hoaxes: the monetary hoax, the attention getter hoax, the hate crime hoax and the racial hoax. It further illustrates these types with actual detailed accounts of hoaxes and provides insights to each one. It makes policy recommendations concerning the four categories of needs: 1. legislative action, 2. a nationwide statistical database of hoax events, 3. media involvement, and 4. law enforcement training and action to deal with criminal hoaxes. Finally, it recommends further research to identify the causes and motivations of vipers. The ultimate goal of this project is to find ways to eliminate criminal hoaxes. |
| Keyword | criminal hoax; hoax categories |
| Language | English |
| Part of collection | University of Southern California dissertations and theses |
| Publisher (of the original version) | University of Southern California |
| Place of publication (of the original version) | Los Angeles, California |
| Publisher (of the digital version) | University of Southern California. Libraries |
| Provenance | Electronically uploaded by the author |
| Type | texts |
| Legacy record ID | usctheses-m1659 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Rights | Pellegrini, Laura A. |
| Repository name | Libraries, University of Southern California |
| Repository address | Los Angeles, California |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Filename | etd-Pellegrini-2397 |
| Archival file | uscthesesreloadpub_Volume26/etd-Pellegrini-2397.pdf |
Description
| Title | Page 102 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Full text | 96 found guilty of conspiring to commit arson, and was previously convicted of food stamp fraud charges.286 He could serve up to five years in prison and face deportation following his prison term. A black teenager in Lancaster, California, lied about being assaulted to cover his fight at school. The young man claimed that three skinheads jumped out of a car and attacked him shouting racial slurs. The “attackers” were wearing red suspenders and shoelaces, described to be “skinhead battle dress.”287 The boy’s mother contacted the local Hate Crimes Task Force and the media.288 The boy’s description to police was specific enough to ascertain that the assailants were skinheads, but vague as to details of height, weight, age, making finding the suspects difficult. Police noted this discrepancy and got differing stories from other students and doubted the boy’s account. The boy finally admitted to the fictitious story because it was believable on its face.289 The boy had fought with two classmates over a comment made about his sister. He lost the fight and his expensive braces were damaged. He feared the wrath of his mother over the fight he started and the cost of replacing the broken hardware. Prejudice was once believed to be decreasing after the 1960s, with fewer and fewer academics focusing on the topic in areas such as psychology and sociology. This perceived decline in prejudice due to racial bias and other sources was 286 Ibid. 287Solomon Moore, “Black Youth Admits He Lied About Hate Crime; Hoax: Lancaster Student Who Claimed Three Skinheads Assaulted Him Confesses He Got Into Fight with Two Black Classmates,” Los Angeles Times, January 27, 2000, p. 3. 288 Ibid. 289 Believability is discussed by Curtis D. MacDougall in his book Hoaxes and presented in the introduction. |
