Abstract The first part of the paper examines the arguments of the pro-legalization side, focusing on those who argue that the drug can have medicinal purposes. The next part then examines the potential dangers of legalized marijuana use, both to the individual and to public health, in general. In the conclusion, the paper argues that marijuana use is not a "victimless" crime. The potential dangers that marijuana presents to individual and public health are best upheld by keeping marijuana illegal.
From the Paper "Recent ballot initiatives in states like California and Oregon asking for the decriminalization of marijuana use reveals a growing public acceptance of marijuana. The perception that marijuana is not dangerous has made drug enforcement even more difficult. Indeed, the debate over marijuana goes beyond health concerns, and touches issues such as crime and privacy as well."
Abstract The legalization of marijuana has been a topic of controversy for several years. Many proponents of the drug argue that marijuana should be legalized for both medical and recreational use. Others say that it should at least be decriminalized, meaning that the penalty for growing or possession of marijuana would be a simple fine, rather than jail time. This paper examines the controversial aspects of legalizing marijuana in an effort to present a strong argument in favor of legalizing the drug. The paper presents six valid reasons for legalizing the drug, as well as background statements to support these arguments.
From the Paper "The legalization of marijuana could help the U.S. economy by opening up new jobs. While the government would make a lot of money in taxes, sales and distribution costs, legalization would also cause the price of the drug to decrease, which means more people could afford it. According to estimations, if marijuana were legalized, and prices were cut in half, marijuana sales could gross anywhere from $50-$53 billion dollars (Rosenthal and Kubby, 2003). This money would no doubt stimulate the U.S. economy and create new jobs. These jobs would lower unemployment rates in the country, and open up more opportunities for employment in hemp and glassware industries."
Abstract This paper relates that the General Affective Aggression Model (GAAM) is one of the leading theories in the field of aggression, which argues that exposure to violent video games can increase short-term aggression (20 minutes following exposure to a video game) over long periods of time. The author states that the experimental hypothesis is that children who play violent video games are more likely to be more aggressive on the playground. The paper describes a research design with three experimental groups consisting of randomly selected 8 to 10-year-old boys and girls. The experimental group plays a violent video game (e.g., Kung Fu), one control group plays a non-violent video game (e.g., Ms. Pac Man) and another control group will consist of children that did not play a video game.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Literature Review
Proposed Study
Methods and Statistical Analysis
Participation
Design and Procedures
Discussion
Conclusion
From the Paper "Certainly, the literature available notes several limitations on this type of study. One important constraint is that this experimental design does not allow researchers to determine the effect of video game violence in a 'real' or 'playful environment. Goldstein notes that voluntary exposure to violent video games may have a different effect than enforced exposure on aggression. In the lab, video games are not entered into in a playful frame of mind, as they are in the 'real' world. However, the need for a controlled, experimental situation in this experiment makes such a distinction difficult."
Abstract This paper discusses two main types of identity theft: account takeovers, when thieves steal existing accounts such as credit cards and use them; and "true name" fraud, stealing the entire identity, which is more dangerous because thieves may get replacement driver's licenses, start new accounts, get mortgages, jobs, and entire lives based around this stolen credit. The author points out that identity theft is very problematic and troubling for the victim because it can take months or even years for the victim to realize that something is wrong, and by that time, it may be too late to do anything about it. The paper urges persons to protect their private information and stay actively involved with their credit reports and bank accounts so that they have the earliest possible warning of the crime.
From the Paper "?Identity theft is one of the fastest-growing crimes in America.? Every year over 900,000 people have their identity's stolen. The FTC, a leading law enforcement agency that deals with identity theft, estimates that on just one of the many national hotlines there will be about 200,000 calls a year. Between 1992 and 1997 inquires regarding identity theft put into the TransUnion Credit Bureau Fraud Victim Assistant Department was multiplied almost 15 times over as it went from 35,000 complaints to 523,000."
Abstract With all the many advances in technology, there will most likely be issues that will affect policing in the future. How will new technologies affect the individual police officer? Will he have input about what technology is used? What about the management of police agencies? How will they respond to the issues of civil liability in the future? How do technological advances affect the community itself? Will they embrace it or reject it? This paper addresses these questions and provides answers to them.
From the Paper "Police personal carry the utmost importance in departments, especially in larger departments. It seems now that everything now and way back when seems to be climbing gradually into the future. For the most part, larger departments appear to be tightening their grip on micromanagement. Supervisors are somewhat becoming ignorant to the fact of what their officers need."
Abstract In the past three decades, a veritable revolution has occurred in U.S. criminal law. It has taken place for the most part at the federal level where the number of crimes with which individuals can be charged has grown rapidly. Once there were only three named federal criminal acts: treason, piracy, and counterfeiting. Now there are thousands of federal laws and regulations, and the violation of any one of them, no matter how unintentional and harmless the transgression, can lead to years of imprisonment for the convicted person.
From the Paper "The large number of offenses, especially those criminalizing the vices, has led some people to question whether or not the criminal law is being overused to achieve moral purposes. This situation, called overcriminalization, occurs when behaviors are made illegal even though they do not cause great societal harm and are not regarded as criminal by a significant portion of society."
Abstract Probation and parole programs are highly criticized in modern society. Are they just excuses for lowering prison populations or do they actually work in rehabilitating offenders? This paper looks into the ethics of probation and parole programs and offers some critique of the programs.
From the Paper "Today's criminal justice system is supposedly the best that America has ever had. However, there are always ethical issues in dealing with those among us who have the urges to commit crime. Probation and parole are two ways of dealing with an offender without keeping him or her in prison. When an offender is let out on parole, then he or she is being released from prison before his or her full sentence has been carried out. Probation is a program that was made as an alternative to imprisoning an offender. This paper will examine the probation and parole programs and offer a personal opinion of their efficiency and relevancy in the criminal justice system."
This paper discusses plea bargaining, a procedure whereby the prosecution and the defense negotiate to reach a resolution outside of the court, resulting in the defendant usually agreeing to plead guilty to a lesser charge or punishment.
Abstract This paper explains that the most common argument on behalf of plea bargaining is that it reduces the courts? heavy caseloads by ensuring that most criminals enter a plea of guilty, thus eliminating the need for time-consuming trials. The author points out that an argument against plea bargaining is that the public usually favors a disciplinary policy for the handling of criminals in society and wants to see everyone pay for the crime committed. The paper relates that plea bargaining denies the defendant his constitutional right to a trial by jury and asks him to waive his rights against self-incrimination and the right to confront witnesses against him.
From the Paper "By having plea bargaining, we are insuring that criminals have to do at least some time for the crime they have committed. Plea bargaining is beneficial to defendants because they use it to reduce the uncertainty and severity of sentencing. If the defendant pleads guilty in return for a compromise, the defendant avoids the risk of a maximum sentence following a guilty verdict at a trial. Other important advantages to plea bargaining is that it allows the defendant a chance to admit their guilt and show some responsibility for the actions they have committed. By allowing a defendant to enter into a plea bargain and plead guilty, the system is shielding victims for having to testify at a trial that may be difficult for them. A trial usually means that a victim will have to relive what happened to them and may damage them."
Tags: caseload, judge, disciplinary, responsibility, rights
Abstract For more than two decades, researchers, clinicians, and juvenile justice program administrators have become increasingly concerned about the link between substance abuse and juvenile crime. This paper shows that, due to this connection, various programs are being implemented across the United States to treat the juvenile offenders in order to help deter substance abuse. In turn, this should also help deter future criminal actions.
From the Paper "By way of comparison, law enforcement authorities arrested just over four thousand teens for rape and two thousand one hundred and seventeen for homicide. In other words, the police arrest teens for liquor law violations, drunkenness and disorderly conduct at forty-five times the rate they arrest juveniles for murder and rape combined. Many of these juveniles could have avoided the system, but substance abuse has pulled them in. The worst part is, arrests of juveniles for liquor law violations are up sixteen percent, drunkenness arrests are up fourteen percent, and disorderly conduct arrests are up fifteen percent. The statistics for underage alcohol abuse keeps increasing, which means that more and more juveniles are being put into the system and many have not been receiving the correct treatment."
Abstract This paper explains that violence is one of the main results of jail overcrowding because the guards, who are suppose to keep control of the inmates, are grossly outnumbered by the criminals; therefore, control can slip out of their hands, which leads even more violence. The author believes that criminals who commit serious crimes, like rape or murder, need to be punished for the significance of their crime, even with longer sentences; but less serious crimes, like minor drug offenses, do not need jail time to be punished. The paper states that imprisoning nonviolent offenders often causes more damage than punishment or rehabilitation because short-term inmates often do not receive the rehabilitation they need and become corrupted by the experience of being in jail.
From the Paper "Stealing a few children's videos gave one man in California fifty years to life in prison, while another man received twenty-five years to life for trying to steal a few golf clubs. Does this seem logical? Maybe not to many Americans but in California this occurs quite often. In fact, "more than 7,000 state inmates are serving three strikes sentences of 25 years or more." California has a "Three Strikes Law" that became official on March 7, 1994. This law comes into play when a criminal has one or more prior felony convictions. The second time a criminal commits a felony, their mandatory sentence can be doubled; the third time, the criminal can receive a sentence of twenty-five years to life in prison."
This paper covers some recent research into white-collar crime and ties it in with the rational-choice theory of crime. This paper focuses more on the causal aspect of white-collar crime than on the outcome aspect of it.
Abstract This paper discusses how the existing stereotype of a white-collar offender as a high-ranking executive may be flawed. The demographics of white-collar offenders suggest most of them are middle-class white males. It looks at the theories as to why such people would commit these crimes and explains that most theories center on the rational-choice decision making process because of the protracted and diligent nature of white-collar crimes. It further discusses how, within the white-collar inmate community, there also appear to be two separate pathways to white-collar crime: one marked by previous run-ins with the law before turning to white-collar crime, and the other one marked by no run-ins with the law.
From the Paper "White-collar crime has gained increased notoriety in recent years with the downfall of Enron, WorldCom, and insider trading by Martha Stewart. Despite its increased awareness in the public, its etiology is not well known. One of the main reasons for criminologists' naivete regarding white-collar crime is the lack of scientific research on the topic. The relative lack of data arises from an array of political, sociological, penological, and funding issues. The data that is available to researchers indicates that the existing stereotype of white-collar crime offenders is flawed."
Abstract The American criminal justice system executes a larger number of children than the rest of the world combined. This paper contends that the juvenile death penalty is completely blatantly racist in its structure, design, and application and is legally more arbitrary and capricious than the death penalty for adults.
Outline
Juvenile Death Penalty Is Racist
Juvenile Death Penalty Is Irrational
Juvenile Executions Contradict Treatment of Juveniles Generally
The Human Element of Juvenile Executions
Supreme Court Finally Strikes Down Juvenile Executions
From the Paper "But most critically, the error of executing children cannot be fully comprehended until one examines the individual cases of children who have been executed by the various states in America. Invariably, the children the state executes have four common characteristics: (1) they were often mentally ill or mentally retarded at the moment they committed they crime; (2) they were themselves the unfortunate victims of horrifying sexual and physical abuse; (3) they were victimized by a society which has one of the most stifling child poverty and infant mortality percentage-rates on Earth and which assigns many minorities to existences of hopelessness and grinding poverty; and, (4) they were represented by inexperienced, unskilled, uncaring and incompetent attorneys."
Abstract The writer of this paper examines the various social situations and experiences encountered, in the area of law enforcement, which influence and mold the personalities of police officers. This paper delves into the long-standing personality theory that dictates which particular traits are patterned within an individual's personality. The writer of this paper explores and details the shared personality traits evident among police officers, including their desire to help others, as well as the need for respect and dignity normally associated with the profession. This paper discusses the relevant published research, which states that certain individuals choose a career in law enforcement for a variety of reasons, including: Job security, wages and benefits as well as a clear career path.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Review and Discussion
General Concepts of Police Personality
Nature versus Nurture: Socialization and On-The-Job Experiences
Men Police Officers: Status, Gender and Personality
Conclusion
References
From the Paper "Based on the status model of personality, there is a distinct "pecking order" in place in virtually all police departments across the country that helps initiate newcomers to the profession into the field; new recruits to the force will ignore this hierarchy at their peril. According to Gerber, the high-status officer in each partnership type will be perceived as having more instrumentally oriented (dominating and instrumental) traits and the low-status officer will be viewed as having more expressive traits. In addition, the status model predicts that officers' perceptions of their personality traits will be affected by group status-the overall status of their partnership in relation to other kinds of partnerships. In her review of Gerber's analysis, Monago suggests that this study showed that sex category and work experience played instrumental roles in personality adjustments."
Tags: law, enforcement, career, profession, traits, personality, research
Abstract This paper presents five major arguments in favor of the abolition of the death penalty. The arguments include that the death penalty is not an effective deterrent, it weakens society, and it forecloses restitution or reconciliation.
From the Paper "If this very moment you were asked to serve on a jury in which there was a high probability that if convicted the defendant would receive the death penalty would you do it? If you are inclined to say yes ..."
Abstract This paper looks at the importance of communication for the hostage negotiator. It looks at different types of communication and how they are used in such situations. It looks at active listening, talking, acting, empathy, trust, and therapeutic communication.
From the Paper "Effective communication skills are the most important asset for a hostage negotiator. Communication with the hostage-taker is essential and must be done in a very non-threatening and empathic manner to try and prevent harm to the hostages..."
