Ladies Of St. Paul's Briefing Paper: "Sentencing policy and practice in Northern Ireland- The apparatus and methodology of the criminal justice system in Northern Ireland, as here in the United States, is indeed a complex and vast topic for exploration. However a concise and revealing depiction of sentencing policy and practice within Northern Ireland is perhaps best achieved through analysis of an actual example. As Confucius said: "One ... ]. The case was found in a "Petty sessions- court. The pair were jointly charged with theft of 2x24 packs of lager from a supermarket under the Theft Act ...

• Word Count: 2567
• Approx Pages: 10
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... adult residents vary from a low of 6 per 100,000 in Maine to a high of 91 in California. The states that have the highest rates of drug offender admissions relative to population are: California, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington. Nationwide, drug offenders are sent to prison at a rate, correspondent to population, that is 13% ... higher than the rate for violent offenders (ww.hr.95., 2001). As stated earlier, it seems that the prison and correctional systems are very disproportionate when ... to use violence as a means of...

• Word Count: 4763
• Approx Pages: 19
• Has Bibliography

... or selling small amounts of drugs (Hart 2002). State-level momentum for alternatives to incarceration has been gaining force since 1996. Voters in both Arizona and California have overwhelmingly approved measures mandating that first and second time nonviolent drug possession offenders receive drug treatment instead of incarceration (Mitner 2001). Arizona's Proposition 200, passed in 1996, remains the national model ... for this type of drug policy reform. According to the Arizona Supreme Court, the initiative has resulted in a system that provides for " safer communities and more subst...

• Word Count: 2815
• Approx Pages: 11
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... my own opinions on the subject. Crime is usually defined simply as a violation of the criminal law. Deviance is a much wider and vaguer concept than crime and is therefore more difficult to define. Deviance exists in relation to what is considered `normal` in a society. Crime & deviance are ... overlapping in categories because criminal acts are often viewed as deviant acts. (Wincup E 1999) Social problems are prominently political problems. They are identified and shaped in an ongoing political process. What is regarded as a problem by one group may not be perceived in this way by anot...

• Word Count: 2617
• Approx Pages: 10
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... his book, Marshall MacLuhan stated that " Everybody experiences far more than he understands. Yet it is experience, rather than understanding, that influences behaviour, especially in collective matters of media and technology, where the individual is almost inevitably unaware of their effects upon him", ( Mcluhan, Marshall; H.Lapham Lewis 1994). This is an all round example of the how the ... of moral panics; their actions is 'regarded as a barometer to test the health or sickness of a society'. While reviewing collective behaviour in their book Social Construction and Deviance, Er...

• Word Count: 2855
• Approx Pages: 11
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... The Second Amendment states: "A well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed." Most gun control activists focus in isolation on the beginning of the amendment where the founders wrote that ... Heller, for example, shot down a handgun ban in Washington D.C. In that case, the Court determined that individuals have the right to purchase and own handguns for sport and self-defense purposes. Later, in McDonald vs. Chicago, the Court applied this ruling to the rest of the country (Smith 6). Handguns ...

• Word Count: 2867
• Approx Pages: 11
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... suggest that the deterrence approach to discipline neither prevents nor reduces incidents of violence. This further suggests that this approach can have the reverse effect on students and lead adolescents to commit more offenses in the future. The policies have shown a deteriorating effect on educational achievement. The American Psychological Association released a report ... report sought to answer was "to what extent are zero tolerance policies developmentally appropriate as a psychological intervention, taking into account the developmental level of children and youth?" (Skiba et al,...

• Word Count: 4044
• Approx Pages: 16
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Graduate

... their either violent or neutral video game, they were unknowingly measured on the amount of hot chili sauce they added to their food (Hollingdale and Greitemeyer). The idea of the study, which tested if creating a personalized avatar affected violent behaviors, showed that an increased amount of sauce ... sauce administered was considerably increased" (p. 1866). Even when controlling for other variables, the results stayed consistent. We have seen again and again studies that show there is an increase of aggression correlated with violence in video games, but more importantly we see the l...

• Word Count: 2700
• Approx Pages: 11
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... within an organization. Additionally, explanations for police corruption may be "personalistic ", institutional, or systemic. The personalistic explanation describes corruption as a result of rotten apples where personal values and beliefs determine the performance of an officer. This can be prevented by a proper recruitment process to ensure corrupt individuals are prevented from entering the police force. The factors that ... viewpoint looks at the pressure placed on the police by society that provokes corruption. The root of this issue can be found in the interaction between the poli...

• Word Count: 2665
• Approx Pages: 11
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... facilitation or commission of a variety of offenses planned or undertaken to generate material benefits or financial gain, has the potential for violence or intimidation to facilitate its criminal activity and it consists of three or more members. Street gangs are different from these typical organized gangs because they typically identify with a particular geographic area (territory, or turf), largely ... of the qualifications that they have determined would be consideration of a person associated with organized crime. They must have been directly or indirectly involved in a gang-motiva...

• Word Count: 3749
• Approx Pages: 15
• Has Bibliography

... two major factors discussed in the article that negatively impact an individual's relationship with their family. Police officers were studied because, their jobs ranked as one of the most stressful and exhausting professions. When an officer is emotionally affected by a bad situation the officer's mood often is carried home to family members. Physical exhaustion is another factor that plagues police ... criminals because, they do not meet a prejudged racial profile. A critical incident as defined in lecture as a life threatening situation where an officer must quickly asses the risk for...

• Word Count: 3727
• Approx Pages: 15
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... is reviewed by a judge or a court administrator at a juvenile court detention hearing (Ibid). Adjudication  The juvenile court judge must review all the evidence presented at a hearing and determine whether to sustain or reject the allegations made on the petition (Ibid). Disposition  At a hearing, the juvenile court judge reviews the recommendations of all concerned parties concerning ... in a less severe manner than is that for other dispositions. The youths rehabilitation program is greatly facilitated by keeping the youth in the community, living at home and if feasible attendin...

• Word Count: 2997
• Approx Pages: 12
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... Harry Blackmun declared in 1994: "When we execute a capital defendant in this country, we rely on the belief that the individual was guilty, and was convicted and sentenced after a fair trial, to justify the imposition of state-sponsored killing. . . . My 24 years of overseeing the imposition of the ... the fact that people with this impairment who break the law are more likely to be caught, more likely to confess and be convicted, and less likely to be paroled. It may also be that some of the people with mental retardation who are serving prison sentences ... ill in a care facility. In...

• Word Count: 5114
• Approx Pages: 20
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... used to explain the motivations of the individual who does not come from an economically disadvantaged background yet still becomes involved with the lucrative drug trade. Although hereditary physical and psychological traits are generally ruled out as independent causes of crime, psychological states are believed to determine an individual's reaction to his environment. The arguable value of ... tertiary prevention refers "to strategies that are intended to prevent the recurrence of crimes-. A good example of tertiary prevention includes victim-offender mediation, rehab centers for mari...

• Word Count: 2766
• Approx Pages: 11
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... providing substantial claims for eliminating the death penalty. There are a few common arguments that I will briefly address their inadequacy. A commonly presented argument is that the death penalty is cruel and unusual punishment. Gerald H. Gottlieb states that capital punishment has been found to violate the Eighth Amendment by ways of "gas chamber, gun, rope or electrical chair" (197). Today lethal ... take the consequences" (29). The second condition he states is that the death penalty can only be applied by a just state. A just state is one who gives freedom and equality, and applies...

• Word Count: 2800
• Approx Pages: 11
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... ten states with the highest rates of Federal agents accused of misconduct. The rates of misconduct incidents per 10,000 officers for Arizona and California are 15.22 and 14.36 respectively. These statistics are based on cases heard in courts from 1989 to May 1999. Like the cases investigated during the ... of the top ten political units. However, Alaska occupies the first position with a rate of 53 deaths per 10,000, and other Northern states like Montana, New Hampshire and North Dakota are among the top ten states with the highest mortality. The deep South is not exclusively the most dan...

• Word Count: 5510
• Approx Pages: 22
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... as each group wanted control of specific territories and illegal activities (illegal alcohol, bookmaking, extortion, and gunrunning). The 30's and 40's had a strong presence of European-derived gangs. After WW II, African-American, Puerto Rican, and Mexican-American gained power, especially in the northern cities. In the 50's, gang warfare between African-American and Hispanic gangs peaked in big cities like Boston ... , Detroit, Philadelphia, Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles. Female gangs also erupted in the 50's. By 1961, it was estimated ... Rocksprings (Walston, 1999, p. 48)." The...

• Word Count: 4105
• Approx Pages: 16
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... can be narrowed to three main reasons: a statewide frontier mentality, pro-death penalty legislation, and poor legal representation. A strict attitude of discipline resonates throughout Texas and originates from its days of southern confederacy and plantation slavery. Marquart believes the South has a vastly different perspective than its Northern neighbors, "It's a frontier mentality that is at the core of it ... ,"" and adds that there exists a "fundamental line between right and wrong, between good and evil- (Rowen 6). The demographics of Texas ... attorney based in San Francisco who...

• Word Count: 4933
• Approx Pages: 20
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... , worked as a copy messenger at The Indianapolis Star, got a job at the Bureau of Motor Vehicles and, in 1971, married Julie, a high school journalism instructor. They had three kids and eventually opened two thrift stores. It was a Hoosier success story, but some people thought Herb had quirky habits. No one knew ... one man's story of how a man he met in a gay bar had taken him to a Hamilton County home with an indoor swimming pool and talked about the pleasure of having sex while choking his partner. The informant couldn't locate the house. Three more young homosexuals disappeared. In...

• Word Count: 2582
• Approx Pages: 10
• Grade Level: High School

... seen as a land of health but as a dark precinct of social pathology. Wide publicity is given to the states rate of alchohalism, drug abuse, and suicide "clear evidence that California is now the land of failed dreams and broken promises- ( Rawls 12). Many feel the only way to curb ones activity is to insist by the three strikes law. However, the fact ... being unconstitutional (along with Proposition 21, which is also under going a similar Constitutional challenge), has not stopped prosecutors from "throwing the book- at three-strikes defendants. California has been debating this three-...

• Word Count: 2677
• Approx Pages: 11

... I figured why not be your own boss so I asked around and soon found myself buying knock off designer shirts. I could sell them for a fraction of the price that the companies could and make some money. After a summer doing that and making good money I found out that these companies don't like you selling clothes with their names on them. Who could blame them! Quickly I got ... myself out of that business and went back to carpenter work along with painting on my own. This seemed ... . Another program working well in the US is the DARE program (Drug Abuse Resistance Education). This progra...

• Word Count: 4766
• Approx Pages: 19
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... it "Was designed in 1940's, when "serious" offenses included truancy, curfew violations and fistfights", while nowadays, the law has to deal with gang-related crimes, murders, rape cases, and many other violent offenses (Wilson 1). There is also a terrifying record Wilson presented which shows that "During 1990's murder was mostly committed in California by a 17-year-old" (Wilson 1). That means the law lost its ... power and effectiveness as the time went by. One of the objectives of Proposition 21 ... is to rehabilitate and educate the teenage offenders who have not committed serious ...

• Word Count: 2799
• Approx Pages: 11
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... Huddleston shows that Juvenile Drug courts reduce substance abuse and delinquency. The last court looked at was DWI courts. The findings show that DWI courts reduce impaired driving among participants. Burns' observations came mainly from the drug courts, but also touching on veteran's courts and homeless courts, in California. She first explains California's Proposition 36 which expanded the use of court-supervised ... drug treatment and the effect it played on the states courts. "The kind and amount of judicial supervision is very different in the original drug court than in the Prop ....

• Word Count: 4011
• Approx Pages: 16
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... wrongly convicted. A twenty-three year study conducted by Columbia University Law Professor James S. Liebman states that "American capital sentences are so persistently and systematically fraught with error" (Liebman et al., par. 2). In "A Broken System: Error Rates in Capital Cases, 1973-1995," Liebman found ... did not remember anything about Mr. Spaziano or the crimes until police removed him from a juvenile detention center, dropped pending breaking and entering charges, and then refreshed his memory through suggestive hypnosis sessions. Mr. Spaziano was convicted by a jury which reco...

• Word Count: 2692
• Approx Pages: 11
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... a judge, they can only care about another mans life so much, especially if the judge doesn't know him personally. A similar situation happened to a California man. This man, Kenneth E. Gay was wrongly accused of shooting down a San Fernando Valley Police officer in the early 1980's. Judge Jeffery Wyatt's ruling, ... dollars. That is three times more than a price for keeping a person in a prison for the rest of his life. The death penalty costs California $90 million annually beyond the ordinary costs of the justice system - $78 million of that total in incurred at the trial level (Sacra...

• Word Count: 2542
• Approx Pages: 10
• Grade Level: High School