Crime journal entries and analysis

Crime Journal

"Second person in 'toxic tush' case posts $5,000 bond" appeared in The Miami Herald Thursday November 24. The article provides an update in the "toxic tush" case, in which several individuals posed as plastic surgeons only to cause irreparable harm to their victims. The latest suspect was arrested in Miami Gardens and posted a $5,000 bond. His name is Corey Alexander Eubank, and is 40 years of age. A resident of Hollywood, Florida, Eubank is currently awaiting trial. He is being accused of assisting the primary suspect in the case. Oneal Ron Morris is the primary suspect in the case. Thirty years of age, Morris is a transsexual who identifies as being female. The charges that Morris faces are "practicing healthcare without a license while causing serious injury," (Ovalle, 2011). Officers say that Morris is accused of injecting "patients" in her care with a "toxic cocktail" that "left her in the hospital in critical condition," (Ovalle, 2011). The toxic slurry injected into the clients included "a mix of cement, mineral oil, Fix-a-Flat tire sealant and Super Glue." The clients were intending to receive a buttocks enhancement surgery. Officers currently know of two victims, both female, who came forward. Both survived the ordeal.

There are several issues at play in the "Second person in 'toxic tush'" story. One issue is the sad state of affairs when women are desperate enough to purchase black market medical services to make their butts bigger. Linked to this issue is the view that consumers need to be far more educated than they are about plastic surgery and finding qualified physicians. As I read the story, I have compassion for the victims because I understand they probably could not afford to go to a more reputable physician. Being lured by the promise of beauty at a cheap price, the victims were only following what millions of Americans fall for daily when they buy pills, lotions, potions, and other nonsense marketed as weight loss or other panaceas. Most of these products have not been scientifically tested. Yet consumers continue to waste their money on such products rather than go to the gym. Thus, there is a fascinating sociological aspect of this crime story.

To conform to the prevailing social standards of beauty, women like the victims in this case are willing to go to extreme lengths. The story therefore raises difficult questions related to victims' roles in crime. Criminologists should still question what is essentially a controversial slant in cases like these: victims sometimes do play important roles in enabling crimes to take place. Thankfully, the victims in this case survived but they are no doubt scarred emotionally and physically by the experience. We cannot blame the victims entirely, but must acknowledge the importance of personal responsibility in cases such as these. To use a possibly inappropriate analogy, a person who leaves their laptop alone in the school library can only blame herself or himself if the machine is stolen.