Abstract This paper examines Durkheim's anomie concept in relation to human nature, its social context, and its relation to suicide. The paper also discusses Durkheim's contemporary protegees and takes a look at how the anomie concept is viewed today is assessed.
From the Paper "In attempting to understand the origins and consequences of Durkheim's conception of anomie, it is important to consider his view of human nature. Coser (1962) points out that Durkheim believed there is no human nature without society. What people thought, how they perceived the world, how they conceived of their relationship to the world?all these things were shaped by participation in society."
Abstract This paper compares and contrasts the relative merits of situational and social approaches to crime prevention. The writer takes us on an exploratory journey through the definition of each and then illustrates different situations that the approaches could be used for.
From the Paper "Crime is a topic that can make the most secure person nervous. We work hard and we have homes and the thought of someone invading our safety and security is something that can shake the most stoic amongst us. Crime prevention has become a key focus in recent years and the prevention methods have undergone serious study. Crime prevention can general be divided into two categories, social and situational. Social prevention involves neighborhood groups and other means of societal teamwork while situational prevention is about preventing a crime in one instance through private means and methods. Each approach has a place in today's society and each approach has merit. The key to the most effective prevention of crime is to understand the approaches and use them at the right time. Crime prevention that involves citizens as well as law enforcement personnel will be the key to a safer future. One of the most important aspects of crime prevention is reducing the opportunity for a crime to be committed."
Abstract The following paper discusses theories of criminal punishment and examines the advantages and disadvantages of incapacitation. The advantages and disadvantages of community programs are also reviewed and crime prevention strategies that work, do not work, and that are promising are also discussed. Finally, this paper concludes with a proposal to improve the effectiveness of incapacitation and community programs.
From the paper:
?Supporters of deterrence believe that if punishment is imposed upon a person who has committed a crime, the pain inflicted will dissuade the offender (specific deterrence) and others (general deterrence) from either repeating the crime or from committing similar crimes. Incapacitation deprives offenders of the ability or opportunity to commit further crimes that harm society. Rehabilitation seeks to prevent future criminal behavior by providing offenders with the education and treatment necessary to eliminate criminal tendencies, as well as the skills to become productive members of society.?
Abstract This essay reflects on the way in which the the war on drugs is a losing battle in the United States. It suggests a strategy that focuses on the adverse medical affects of drugs on the body, rather than a militaristic one.
From the paper:
?The lawful government of Panama gave its permission for the United States to invade their country to achieve military objectives that were in the interest of the U.S. government. Once the U.S. armed forces invaded Panama, agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration arrested Noreiga and extradited him to the U.S. for trial.?
Abstract The following paper looks at several research studies and other discussions that outline both sides of the issue of community policing. The writer then makes a recommendation based on the research studied.
From the paper:
?Beginning in the mid 1990's the government began approving community-policing grants across the nation. The funs were used to allow precincts to hire additional officers and implement community policing programs of various basic operations. The government asked cities that wanted to participate to submit grant proposals and to detail how the money would be used(Community, 1997). On the basis of many factors including the grant report, the city size and the crime rate in the area the government then handed out funds to begin programs. The grants were for a certain amount of time and then the cities that participated would be expected to continue to fund the community officers with their own budgets.?
Tags: implement, program, grants, federal, government, operation, residents, officers, community
Abstract This paper is a biographical overview of J. Edgar Hoover and his role as director of the FBI. The author details his five decades of reform, power and how he abused it. The paper also examines his controversial personality and lifestyle.
From the paper:
"The life and legacy of J. Edgar Hoover is a subject of countless books, files and theories. Rumors surrounding this man run rampant. He single-handedly created the FBI we know today, but through a scheme of illegal and amoral activities. Hoover was the most effective and powerful director of the FBI, from 1924 to 1972. He created the FBI as a separate and distinct faction of the Department of Justice, and garnered public support for his activities. He fought communism, espionage, foreign sabotage, and organized crime. Ruthless in his ways, cunning in his schemes, Hoover's influence on past and current laws and enforcement goes unchecked and unmatched by any other."
Abstract This paper is a detailed discussion of Islamic criminal law, its sources, its application, and its conflict with international law and human rights. The author examines both primary and secondary sources of Islamic law, and describes Hudud, Tazir and Qesas crime and punishment. The paper also focuses on the historical background of Muslim law.
From the paper:
?Islam means "submission" or "surrender" to the will of Allah. For the more than one billion Muslims of the world, this means submission to a comprehensive code of law governing every arena of life: social, political, economic, and religious. In Islam there is no separation of church and state, no distinction between religion and politics; Government, law, and religion are unified. Some would argue that Islamic law is not fully practiced in any part of the Islamic world. While this may be true, twenty-three nations have either declared Islam to be the state religion or declared the religious writings of Islam to be the principal source of law.?
Abstract The paper discusses the assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy and examines the possibility of either the Mafia or the CIA to conspiring to kill President Kennedy. he author writes that the murder of Lee Harvey Oswald, discrepancies in the Warren Report, use of different firearms and ballistic information and key things missing in autopsy photographs all suggest a cover-up.
From the Paper " On November 22, 1963, the thirty-fifth President of the United States, John Fitzgerald Kennedy was assassinated. Seven days later on November 29, 1963, the newly sworn in President, Lyndon B. Johnson, formed a commission that would investigate the assassination. The Warren Commission, as it would later be known, was to evaluate all leads and facts surrounding both the assassination of the President and the assassination of his alleged assassin. After the investigation was complete, the information found was to be reported to the President. The Commission gave their findings to the President in the form of the Warren Report, as the chairman of the Commission was Earl Warren. President Johnson had appointed Warren, the former chief justice of the United States, to head up the Commission. The Commission was able to compile much of its information with the help of Federal agencies, the city of Dallas, and thousands upon thousands of testimonies from people associated with the case. The Commission concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald was the lone assassin of President Kennedy and that Jack Ruby had killed Lee Harvey Oswald."
Abstract This paper examines the history of the legalization and prohibition of marijuana. It discusses the arguments for and against legalizing marijuana, and along with this, the legality of alcohol and cigarettes' consumption. This paper recommends the legalization of marijuana in exchange for making alcohol and cigarettes usage illegal.
From the Paper "The debate over whether to legalize marijuana has been one of the most controversial issues dividing courts, the federal government, state governments, and voters. In 1996, Arizona and California voters overwhelmingly approved the legalization of marijuana for medicinal purposes. Propositions 200 and 215 represented a dramatic shift from a previously united federal and state front against illegal drugs to one where state governments and voters are now at odds with the federal government over the medical use of controlled substances. Rather than focusing on how to improve and maintain the long-standing war on drugs, the policy issue has now become: who controls America's drug laws- courts, the federal government, state governments, or the voters? In addition, the legalization of marijuana poses other questions: Does legalizing marijuana undermine the seemingly endless federal war on drugs by moving towards greater tolerance of marijuana and other drugs? Is more research necessary to determine the benefits or hazardous effects of marijuana? Would legalizing marijuana open the floodgates to legalizing other controlled substances such as heroin or LSD?"
Tags: illegal, drugs, state, governments, war, on, drugs, federal, government, marijuana, heroin
Abstract This paper uses a rational-choice economic approach to analyze hateful behavior in a manner that would be consistent of a crime scene statistician. The theoretical model predicts that hateful activity decreases with increases in (i) the market wage rate, (ii) the value of time, (iii) age, and (iv) law enforcement activity. The theory is tested on U.S. state hate-crime data and the empirical results provide convincing support for the model.
From the Paper "Until recently, the United States had been relatively immune from the destructive consequences of international hate. After the September 11th bombings, hate crimes toward any and all racial minorities who even appeared to be from the Mid-East increased exponentially. Hateful behavior, both foreign and domestic, has become a major social problem in the twenty-first century. America's future in terms of crime and, for this model: hate crime, will in large part depend upon law enforcement and crime scene professionals understanding the forces that transform hate into acts of violence"
Tags: crime, violence, vengence, revenge, racism, antisemitism, ethnic, data, theory
Abstract This pape looks at what kind of pornographic material in being transmitted via the Internet, and how available and accessible is child pornography to these pedophiles. The author discusses the methods the government, parents and communities have undertaken to protect children from this rapidly increasing sub-culture.
From the Paper "Since the widespread use of the Internet began, public safety, specifically relating to the safety of children has become a major issue and highly debated topic. The Internet has become an international gateway for child predators to produce and distribute child pornography. It allows these people not only to have limitless boundaries for its promotion, advanced technology for its production, but to be able to form a virtual community, hosting forums, newsgroups and providing vast resources for their fetishes. It is suggested that not only are these sites readily available and easily accessible for public viewing, but are also being protected under legislation. Various methods of exposing and deterring these predators have been created, ranging from anti-child pornography websites to parental control software to new and stricter laws and harsher punishments both for the consumers and creators. It is interesting to examine what is myth and what is truth regarding this phenomenon. Realistically, what kind of pornographic material in being transmitted via the Internet? Why? How available and accessible is child pornography to these "kiddy pornophiles""
Abstract This paper gives a factual account of the development of police corruption to the peak it is at today. It speaks of the social contract by which police are to abide, remaining small and dedicated to preserving the safety and law of the land. However, explains the author, as time went on the police force came to be increasingly relied on as an instrument of political and racial power. Recently, police brutality is especially directed to certain American racial and political minorities. This paper concludes that riots and outbursts against police brutality from the minorities will continue until the government puts an end to police corruption.
From the Paper "America's founding fathers were militant revolutionaries. This nation was built upon social contract theory, the idea that the government exists by the will of the people and that they are obligated to obey only so long as that government operates in a moral fashion and in the best interests of its subjects. For many years the police forces of this nation followed the spirit of a social contract, remaining small and dedicated to preserving the safety and law of the land. However, as time went on the police force came to be increasingly relied on as an instrument of political and racial power. World War I saw the beginning of the police as an anti-protest and anti-civil rights weapon. Their roles in putting down political and racial protest came to maturity during the 1960s, as they turned their fire against war protests and race riots. In recent years, the blatant racist and political nature of police power has hidden behind a shield of anti-terrorist and anti-drug action. The ACLU writes that, ?From the outset, the war on drugs has in fact been a war on people and their constitutional rights, with African Americans, Latinos and other minorities bearing the brunt of the damage.? Racial profiling and police brutality daily threaten the lives of American racial and political minorities, while the government turns a blind eye. ?The see-no-evil policy of the feds toward police violence comes at a time when the number of police abuse complaints has soared nationally. The Department gets about 15, 000 complaints yearly.? "
Abstract This paper analyzes prison language, prison inmates and prison gangs. It looks at the use of such dialects in other cultures and situations and how they came about.
From the Paper "In every culture, language differs in some manner, more in some than others. Language can be defined as a means of communication in which vocal sounds are combined into meaningful units to convey thoughts and feelings. Language can differ from culture to culture no matter how far apart they are from each other or how they differ. Take for instance, ebonics, a specialized language used solely by African-American people in the inner city, and although it is made up mostly of slang, it actually gets taught in some schools. People living in the same block may not understand the language, and the same can be said of prisoners located in our cities, who have their own language. In prison, inmates have a language that is entirely unique and cannot be compared to any other language, called argot, which would sound like meaningless babble to the common person, but this code is necessary knowledge to all prison inmates and guards."
Abstract This paper takes a thorough look at the drug MDMA (ecstasy). It characterizes the types of people who use it and uses case studies and medical data to explain the effects of the drug and dangers of its use. The writer also explores the problems in controlling its distribution.
From the Paper "A large proportion of young people in the world today are users of the drug MDMA, or ecstasy, for a simple reason: it provides them with access to an experience that they value. Yet the majority of first-time users has no access to reliable information about the drug and relies on folklore for guidance; many regard the drug as completely harmless, sometimes even beneficial. Unfortunately, ecstasy use can prove fatal, as it has on many occasions. Besides the fact that the drug itself causes several unfavorable short- and long-term effects, many of which remain unknown, the actual content of doses sold on the streets is questionable. The processes of manufacturing and distributing ecstasy are quite inexpensive, and hold much appeal for criminals seeking out a lucrative niche in the drug market. The difficulties in classifying the drug ecstasy have caused complications in creating legislation for the control of its distribution and use; the number of abusers is constantly growing. Ecstasy is one of the most popular, yet dangerous drugs on the underground market today."
Abstract A discussion of the laws that protect prisoners in the U.S., and laws that limit the protection of those rights. The writer provides a brief overview of the general situation in correctional facilities, then analyzes violence by guards against men, women and children in facilities, and the preventive measures that are not taken by authorities to improve the situation. The writer discusses prisoner-on-prisoner rape, and the responsibility of prison authorities to take preventive measures. The paper then considers why governmental agencies care so little about prisoners? rights. It concludes with some recommendations on how the U.S. can better assure the humane and just treatment of all prisoners.
From the Paper "Societies imprison people for a number of different reasons: as punishment, for the safety of society, and for rehabilitation purposes. Whatever the reasons, a free and equal society must mete out this punishment fairly, justly, and humanely. A democratic society must be aware that prisoners are especially vulnerable to all sorts of abuses, as they are stripped almost completely of their rights, and are at the mercy of the state and its prison authorities."
Tags: abuse, child, gaurd, prisoner, prisoners, rape, rights
