From the Paper "Death Penalty for Juveniles--A Pro Stance
The thesis of this research paper is that the death penalty should be applied to juvenile offenders who commit murder at age 16 and, in appropriate cases, at even younger ages. The basis for this position is the inherent right of American society to protect itself against the savage youth in its midst which is responsible for the rise of violent juvenile crime in America.
1. Permitting prosecutors and juries to consider imposing the death penalty on juvenile offenders who commit heinous crimes such as murder and rape is neither immoral nor illegal.
Facts. In the United States, a person younger than 18 who commits a crime is considered to be a juvenile offender. Thirty-nine states now allow the death penalty to be applied to some crimes. Eleven others and the District of Columbia prohibit the.."
Examines conflicting sociological theories on causes & effects. Provides definitions, labeling, the effect of alcoholism, genetics vs. environment and differential association.
2,025 words (approx. 8.1 pages), 7 sources, 1997, $ 71.95
From the Paper " INTRODUCTION
The association between society's explanations for the causes of crime and delinquency and society's responses to crime and delinquency are not always obvious to the public, but clearly such an association must exist. We address issues based on the way we view issues. However, the perception the public has of crime is not always clear, and the public does not necessarily consider the question of cause in a direct and specific fashion. Put another way, the public demands a response to crime based on the perception it has of crime at a given moment, and this perception changes over time. The public perception of the cause of crime is not necessarily rational. It is instead often based on emotional responses--when people are more afraid of crime, for instance, they demand a harsher response toward the criminal in..."
From the Paper ""CRACK BABIES": DEVELOPMENT, CHARACTERISTICS, OUTCOMES, & IMPLICATIONS
Introduction
This research examines the syndrome of so-called ?crack babies.? The examination focuses on the development this condition, the characteristics of these subjects in both their infancy and later childhood, social outcomes for these subjects, and the implications of the "crack babies" syndrome for social work.
This researcher served as a drug and alcohol counselor for pregnant women with addicted fetuses for a period approximating one-year. This experience led to the selection of the "crack babies" syndrome as the focus for this research.
From the Paper "Dorothy Allison, in her novel Bastard Out of Carolina, tells the story of Ruth Anne "Bone" Boatwright from her birth to the age of thirteen. Bone's story is one of poverty, loneliness, fear, anger, hunger, and especially physical and sexual abuse at the hands of her second stepfather, "Daddy Glen." Her mother protests at the time of the physical beatings Bone receives, but she is a partner in the crime because she does nothing about it until it is too late and the girl is finally raped and terribly beaten by Glen.
Bone finds friendship, role models and/or solace in her aunts and uncles, her sister, her friend Shannon, and in gospel music and the church. These people and things keep her going in the midst of the escalating abuse she receives from Glen.
Bone's story is as much the story of her mother, however, ..."
Analyzes this psychological concept. Examaines its significance in child development, the role of the mother, theories, functions, types and styles and physical contact.
1,800 words (approx. 7.2 pages), 5 sources, 1999, $ 63.95
Abstract Attachment is defined as the strong affectionate tie that we feel for the special people in our lives. It leads us to feel pleasure and joy when we interact with them and comfort when they are near us during stress. The infant's desire for closeness to other people is considered one of the most striking characteristics of infancy.
From the Paper "ATTACHMENT
Introduction
Attachment is defined as the strong affectionate tie that we feel for the special people in our lives. It leads us to feel pleasure and joy when we interact with them and comfort when they are near us during stress. The infant's desire for closeness to other people is considered one of the most striking characteristics of infancy. Beginning manifestations of attachment include the infant's tendency to send positive emotional signals and seek physical closeness preferably to the primary caregiver; these behavior are evident by the middle to the end of the first year of the child's life. The infant's attachment to the caretaker serves as the prototype for later social relationships. Attachment provides closeness and comfort ..."
Abstract This is persuasive essay on Megan's Law and how it is unjust to the offender. It examines what the goals and intentions of the law are and how they seem not to be effective. Argues that the law restricts individual's privacy and causes mass panic among the public.
From the Paper "President Clinton signed Megan's Law on May 17, 1996. The law is named after seven year old Megan Kanka, who was raped and murdered by a twice convicted sex offender (Miller 1998). There are two main goals of the law. One is the Sex Offender Registration, whereby each state and the federal government are compelled to register persons who have been convicted of sex crimes against children. The second goal of the law is Community Notification. Under this goal, each state and the federal government are compelled to make available to the public private and personal information on convicted sex offenders (http://www.meganslaw.org)."
Abstract This paper debates which is better, nature or nurture, in light of the recent advances in bio-medicinal aspects of the human genome which means the possibility of treating illnesses such as cancer, congenital hearing loss and tumors through modification of abnormal cell function either through transfer of functioning genes or gene therapy. It discusses how recent research does prove that the genetic or impact of "nature" on human physiology and behaviour is very strong but also puts forward the 'nurture' point of view that the "nurture" theory that suggests that genetics can only determine characteristics and intelligence but not social environment, which does play an important role in developing learned behavior.
From the Paper "Advocates of the "nurture" theory emphasize on the important role played by acquired and learned behavior from the environment. In support of this theory are several experiments such as Marler's work on the development of bird song, which showed that within the same species of white crowned sparrows, there are regional variations in bird song (Halliday & Slater, 1983). Though most of the experiments, including the work done by Garcia & Koelling (1966) on "taste aversion learning" and the Wells experiments on sepia attack behavior, do establish that behavior can be learned, they also failed to conclusively establish that any rein forcer is equally effective in increasing the frequency of response (University of Plymouth Online)."
This paper discusses graffiti as a social phenomena and an art form; "graffiti" is the plural noun form of the word "graffito" which means to scratch, to scribble or to write.
Abstract The paper details the history of graffiti, the taggers (people who make graffiti), the law, the culture, the music, the style, the types and the international appeal. The paper concludes that most graffiti is created from a person's unique ideas on what looks good to them; therefore, graffiti has to be considered an art form regardless if it is showcased in a museum or on the streets.
From the Paper "Wanting to be popular among fellow taggers and the rest of their community, taggers had to find ways to become more noticeable than their competitors through the 70's did. They did this by changing their writing style from standard lettering to more artistic forms of lettering, such as bubble and calligraphy, and by making their tags larger. Making the tags larger was a great task at first because "the standard nozzle width of a spray can is narrow". Therefore, taggers began swapping caps from other aerosol products in order to get larger nozzle width. "
Abstract This paper examines how due to the shift in society over the years, a rising proportion of children are being raised in single parent homes. It analyzes the detrimental effects on a child bought up in a single parent home, whatever the circumstances may be and how juvenile delinquency, in particular, is a frequent consequence of this arrangement. Juvenile delinquency is not just a personal or familial problem, it is a social problem as well and research has shown that is even more of a problem for minorities. The minority child growing up without a father or mother increasingly sees crime and anti-social behavior in general, as the road to success. It uses the State of New Jersey as an example of cities that have been hard hit by economic depression, population decline, crime, out-of-wedlock births and single parenthood and evaluates the new minority culture of drugs and crime which is not only entrenched but is growing continually worse. Each new generation witnesses conditions worse than those seen by its predecessor.
From the Paper "In effect, these children become indoctrinated into a culture that is distinct from that of the general population. Once the child of a single parent household is firmly on the path to a life of crime, he develops all the inherent defects associated with that lifestyle. It is a lifestyle that is counter to established authority and norms. The larger world of the majority middle class comes to seem alien and untrustworthy. (Rabrenovic) The child, first as a teenager, and then as an adult, moves into the sphere of the drug dealers, and the gangs ? into the upside down realm of the slums. It is a world in which sex and violence play a central role. Few in such an environment put any break on their own desires and impulses. "
From the Paper " Approximately 50 high school students (25 males and 25 females) will be administered the Parental Sport Pressure Questionnaire (PSPQ) developed for this study and the Sport Competition Anxiety Test for Children (SCAT-C), developed by Martens (1982). Students who score above the median on the PSPQ will be assigned to the High Parental Sport Pressure Group (HPSP), and students who score at or below the median will be assigned to the Low Parental Sport Pressure group (LPSP). The t-test for correlated groups will be used to determine if a statistically significant difference (p ?.05) exists between the two groups in competition trait anxiety as measured on the SCAT-C. It is hypothesized that students who score above the median on the PSPQ will report significantly higher mean levels of (...)"
From the Paper "The purpose of this paper is to discuss television advertising and its affect on children, particularly in light of the fact that children have a difficult time differentiating between advertising and programming, much of which today is of a violent nature. In addition, the research will review what kinds of protections there are for children versus the rights of advertisers and television stations, and what have been the positions of consumer groups and governmental agencies with respect to television advertising and children. Television, both from a programming and advertising point of view, is having a dramatic, and some believe negative, impact on child development. Therefore, it is important to look at steps parents can take to respond to the barrage of advertising stimulation received by their youngsters."
From the Paper "Alcohol is the most widely used drug in America. It is over twice as popular among college students as marijuana and over five times as popular as cocaine. Yet the general perception is that these other drugs are a more serious problem. In 1988, more than 10,000 young people between the ages of 16 and 24 died as a result of its use. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the growing problem of adolescent alcoholism in America. Included in the research will be a definition of the problem, a review of the facts, statistics and studies developed on the problem and suggested solutions.
As a misunderstood drug, alcohol has received the least publicity. Yet, .... therapist and acknowledged expert on children of alcoholics, except for a brief period in the 1960s, alcohol has always been the number-one drug ... "
From the Paper "The federal government has set up The Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) as a way to deal with the rising problems associated with improper nutrition during pregnancy. In so doing, however, WIC has witnessed the rise of a once little known or understood problem called Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). The purpose of this paper will be to discuss FAS, including a description of the illness; its cause; the demographic characteristics of its sufferers; the methods of treatment and/or of coping with its corresponding problems; and the current thinking for lowering the number of FAS cases.
Though most pregnancies are uneventful, more than half a million women a year are at increased risk during pregnancy, labor and delivery, and usually it is the baby whose health or life is at stake (4:4). The creation of WIC was established to ... "
Examines the significance and roles of play in child development, creativity, socialization, cognition, symbolism, rules-learning, modeling and fantasies.
3,375 words (approx. 13.5 pages), 10 sources, 1995, $ 119.95
From the Paper "Early childhood researchers have regarded children's play as highly valuable in the developmental process. Theorists such as Piaget, Vygotsky, Parten, and Smilansky have all stressed the importance of allowing children, in essence, to "practice" for later developmental stages by acting out what may appear to be inconsequential play; in reality, children are rehearsing for more complex developmental roles. In addition, play has been strongly linked to creativity, which, in turn, has been linked to intelligence. Clearly, then, an analysis of the value of children's play, whether it be dramatic play, group play, individual play, or creative play, is an investigation into an essential component of the process toward later development.
A broader definition of learning is necessary if play is to receive the credit it deserves in the classroom. As Stone (1995) ..."
Abstract This paper discusses how sexual education in high school has been a controversial subject since the very inception of sexual education programs and how a recent expansion of risky sexual activities in teenagers argues that it is time to take another close inspection of the issue. It examines how opponents of sexual education in schools claim that that it promotes promiscuity and liberal sexual attitudes whereas supporters of sexual education believe that programs reduce the incidence of sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies, and often take the place of parents who are unwilling to discuss sex with their teenagers. It reviews different pieces of literature and shows how evidence appears to support the view that sexual education does not increase sexual promiscuity.
From the Paper "Supporters of sexual education in the schools also have intelligent and compelling arguments for their cause. Firstly, they note that sexual education plays an important role among teenagers who are already sexually active. Certainly, it appears that large numbers of teenagers are already engaging in sexual activity. Alarmingly, close to one in four teenagers will contract an STD by the age of 21 (SexAboutT.net). Supporters of sexual education note that students will likely continue to remain sexually active, and that sexual education gives them the information needed to make sexually responsible choices."
