Copycat crimes is a hypothesis based on the social learning model that crimes are replicated and inspired by knowledge of similar crimes, especially crimes shown widely in the media. However, to date the evidence for the validity of this hypothesis is inconclusive.

New cyber bank heist story out of Stockholm raises specter of Sumitomo Mitsui Bank heist.

"The swastikas, I think, and the nooses, are really worrisome," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Thursday. "The trouble you have is, it tends to be one of these things that when one does it, there a lot of copycat stuff. ... I hope it's not changing -- the compassion, the tolerance and mutual respect that this city has built up over a long period of ti

After seeing the documentary on the so-called 4-year-old artist, the writer thinks about passing off one of her ideas for The New Yorker cartoon caption contest as her son's, who's 24.

"Mass shooters need to be held out as perverts. Mass shooting is a copycat crime, and no one follows a pervert. How our society portrays sex offenders is a useful and successful example. The same must be done to terrorists and mass shooters. People do follow evildoers; no one, however, follows a pervert"

A practical, commonsense way of reducing gun violence -- especially in the schools -- would be a federal law prohibiting, or at least seriously limiting, the interstate reporting of sensational gun crimes like Virginia Tech for five working days. The law would not ban local coverage but would help avoid deaths by copycat murders.