CRIMES WITHOUT CONSEQUENCES: EXPLORING THE METAVERSE AS A CRIMINAL FRONTIER

A Note by Doyeon Oh

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A conception of digital worlds in the form of virtual and augmented realities has been a science-fiction vision since the 20th century.[1] As of 2023, that vision has become more than just a reality.[2] Established tech giants like Meta and Google are already taking the next step in developing the “metaverse”—a universal platform promising a fully immersive real-life experience within a network of multiple virtual worlds.[3] Theoretically, the metaverse will allow users, or their “avatars,” to live, work, and socialize as they would in the real world.[4] Casual users may think of it as a “digital playground;” others may see potential business opportunities.[5] Ideas of its use are limitless and exciting,[6] and the metaverse hype seems more than deserving.            

However, this exciting prospect brings forth a dangerously overshadowed issue: violent crimes.… Read the rest

Specters of the Privatized Punishment: Erosions of Civil Liberties in Juvenile Prisons

By Kelly Chen

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As juvenile offenders have been increasingly incarcerated in private prisons in the United States, issues have emerged regarding the material and legal impacts of the new privatized settings. In similar vein, this Note considers the pressing issue of how infringement on the civil rights of juvenile offenders are troubling collateral consequences of private juvenile correctional and detention centers that primarily strive to meet certain business goals. By examining the historical trajectory of private juvenile facilities and detailing their longstanding precarious living conditions and institutional practices and analyzing the constitutionality of the privatized penal state, this Note argues that private juvenile prisons, as they operate today, should conclude. In favor of structural changes that instill principles of rehabilitative or restorative justice, this Note asserts that community-based, progressive models of juvenile imprisonment should become the new alternative.… Read the rest