... that number sixty percent were charged of non-violent crimes. Many of these crimes are drug related in nature. Starting in the 1970's the Federal Government started an initiative to lock up people convicted of drug offenses and other non-violent crimes. Because of these initiatives prison populations have risen by three hundred and eighty percent. To put that in perspective the ... cost of their house arrest, and attend rehabilitation classes. House arrest provides numerous advantages over the prison system. First, it costs the government much less money to sentence someone to house arr...

• Word Count: 710
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

1) Describe how the US court system is structured: The US court system has a dual system operating on federal and state levels. Starting at the bottom of the state level are trial courts of limited jurisdiction. These courts only handle lawsuits for small amount of money, traffic cases, and misdemeanors. The next level ... a specific period of time. Their release is not tied to parole boards or participation in treatment programs. The last type of sentencing is mandatory sentences. Every state has this sentence. This type of sentence is determined by statutes and requires that a certain pena...

• Word Count: 2266
• Approx Pages: 9
• Grade Level: High School

... 100,000 people by 1998, the Figure had jumped to 758 per 100,000 -- a rise of over 350 %. More and more people today are starting to think that something is terribly wrong when a modern, civilized nation must confront statistics like these. The American public is demanding an end to this ... be justified on its own goodness, rather than by some pragmatic result it brings about. The governor and legislature of New York State evidently agree with this contention, for they enacted a death penalty law in the face of falling rates for murder and other serious crimes. Currently there are two ....

• Word Count: 1244
• Approx Pages: 5

... racial minorities and the poor. And finally, they say that executions only further degrade our society. I believe that capital punishment should be continued because it is rightful retribution, it lowers taxes, and gives closure to victims families. The death penalty is rightful retribution for criminals such as murders ... and serial rapists. Any person who kills another with no regrets or rapes innocent victims continuously, does not deserve to live in a luxurious American penitentiary or anywhere else for that matter, they ... it would eliminate a fair amount of tax money going to t...

• Word Count: 448
• Approx Pages: 2

... six months after the first, eight months after initial start of probation. This interview would be identical to the first with two exceptions. First, they would not ask the offender about information on there demographics and criminal history before there arrest because it would not have changed from the first interview. Second, they asked much more about their lifestyle during their six ... first interview. Finally, all of the information was gathered from the interviews and the PO's reports and the researchers put together charts showing the history of the offender's criminal activity...

• Word Count: 646
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... from discussions about economic, moral, and legal reasons both supporting and doubting the use of the death penalty. It was a truly heated debate starting with the legality of the death penalty. One of the most prevalent objections to the death penalty is its possible violation of the eighth amendment. According ... no benefit. In states such as Texas, Florida, and California the death penalty can cost up to six times as much as a life sentence would cost. In California, only two inmates have been put to death since the latest Supreme Court decision in 1976. Estimates say that California...

• Word Count: 1591
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... society for the last twenty years, starting back in 1976 during the Furman v. Georgia trial. The Furman v. Georgia case was about three black men that received the death penalty for the murder and/or rape of white people. It was argued against because two of the men were sentenced ... since 1973 there have been 102 people in 25 states that have been released from death row with evidence of their innocence. In many of these cases, the convict was proven innocent because somebody confessed to committing the crime. Considering that an extremely small percent of escaped murderers would ... ...

• Word Count: 916
• Approx Pages: 4

A new social problem that is starting to become very serious in America is school violence. Ever since the shootings at Colorado's Columbine High School, the media has paid a great deal of ... the paper was quite disturbing. One line went as follows, -Make every shot count. Life is cheap, ammo is precious."" He is now being charged with "planning a violent act- which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. According to McWhirter's level of risk I feel that Brian would be placed at "Remote Risk- for several reasons. Looking ... family stays as strong as they have been. The article des...

• Word Count: 526
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... and Nigeria. In Nigeria the executions are done in public by a firing squad. The convicted are executed slowly, by firing bullets at intervals, starting at the ankles. In Islamic countries the condemned are stoned to death. But there are special rules for these executions; (Amnesty International article1), ... to get away with what they have done. If such a deterrent was found then criminals would have second thoughts of commiting the crime because they would think that they might get caught. Criminals who plan their crimes very carefully, won't be deterred by the death sentence because t...

• Word Count: 1084
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... licensing of firearms in Canada first took place in 1892. Prior to 1892 all that was needed in Canada to avoid a six-month jail sentence was a reasonable cause to fear assault against life or property. In 1892 was the first government step in licensing firearms. A basic permit ... rarely an enforced offence. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police kept records of those purchasing firearms. Handguns had to be re-registered every five years starting in 1939. It also became an offence to alter the serial numbers on guns as records were kept and gun transactions were being monitored. ... gun contr...

• Word Count: 1949
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School