Pros & cons of allowing or preventing contact between adopted children & biological parents. Looks at legal aspects, ethics, value systems and the impact on children & parents.
3,150 words (approx. 12.6 pages), 14 sources, 1997, $ 111.95
From the Paper "What rights under law should adopted children be given concerning obtaining information about their biological parents? This paper endeavors to formulate an answer to this question by examining the literature on open and closed adoption.
To this end, the paper first explores empirical research and conceptual arguments in favor of open adoption; this exploration is followed by an examination of research and arguments in favor of closed adoption. The final section of the paper analyzes both arguments and formulates a conclusion concerning open and closed adoptions in general as well as concerning the open adoption principle regarding whether adoptees should have the legal right to obtain information about their biological parents in particular."
From the Paper "Alexander Hamilton was one of the authors of The Federalist Papers and set the groundwork for the way the court system would be shaped by the U.S. Constitution. It was in Federalist Paper No. 78 that Hamilton formulated the justification for judicial review. Hamilton endorsed the idea of judicial review and offered a foundation for its acceptance.
In No. 78, Hamilton first discussed the issue of the mode of appointing judges, then the tenure by which they would serve in office, and then the division of the judiciary authority between the different courts to be created. Earlier, the writers of The Federalist Papers had considered the need for there to be three branches of government as part of a scheme of checks and balances, and each branch was to operate somewhat autonomously while at the same time serving as a check on the power of the..."
From the Paper "Police have increasingly been called into the public educational setting to insure the safety of high school campuses. Many school districts have their own police departments, or "school police," who head security departments on campus. Their credibility as police officers helps to insure a safe environment in which learning can take place. Drugs, weapons, on-campus brawls, and traffic problems are less likely when students see that the full force of the law is at hand. Background information on school police in some communities will provide an introduction to what many believe is the best solution to crime in today's high schools. At the same time, however, issues of search/seizure, random drug testing, locker searches, and strip searching have been brought to the forefront by the advent of tightened security measures and an increase in crime. The..."
From the Paper "The Criminal Justice System
This paper will analyze the criminal justice system in America today. The discussion will focus on whether the existing criminal justice system fails to reduce crime. The paper will explore what author Jeffrey Reiman means when he states that "we can make more sense our of criminal justice policy by assuming certain acts as criminal and other harmful acts as noncriminal, and by diverting valuable resources away from social programs that could reduce crime." Moreover, the discussion will consider the role which the currently existing legal and criminal justice systems play in maintaining a socio-economic system with structural features that generate high levels of crime and juvenile delinquency. This paper will also describe some of the causes and sources of crime in contemporary U.S. society. Finally, the text.."
From the Paper "The insanity defense has been a controversial legal tactic for centuries. The centuries-old idea that mentally ill criminals should not be held responsible for their actions has infuriated observers of American law. Those who seek a get-tough approach to crime see the insanity defense as legal fakery, one more tactic in a defender's bag of tricks.
Jeffrey Dahmer, John Hinkley, Jr., David Berkowitz, and Jack Ruby, among many others, will forever be linked in the public mind by their courtroom use of the insanity defense as much as by their infamous deeds. In his The Insanity Plea: The Uses and Abuses of the Insanity Defense, Winslade adds the following high-profile criminals to the roster of those who have attempted to use such a defense: Dan White, Prosenjit Poddar, Leonard Smith, Tex Watson, Robert Torsney, and James Grigson."
From the Paper "The criminal justice system, in the United States, contains elements of racism. This is especially apparent in the mandatory jail sentencing legislation for illegal drug charges. A sentencing disparity exists, between individuals, arrested for crack cocaine and powdered cocaine possession. This sentencing disparity is the result of mandatory sentencing guidelines, which require different lengths of jail terms for conviction of possession, of the different forms of cocaine. The law, as it is written, has racial implications. The words, of the law itself, are not racially discriminatory, but the application of the law, and the sociological effects of the law are racially discriminatory. The reasons behind the law and the discriminatory aspects of the law are varied. These background issues will need to be addressed in order to find a solution to.."
Protection of disabled workers. Provides a definition of the law. Looks at issues of discrimination, employment practices, compliance, workplace accommodations and corporate policies.
1,800 words (approx. 7.2 pages), 7 sources, 1997, $ 63.95
From the Paper "Introduction
Individual workers have often looked to the government for protection against what they consider unfair hiring or promotional activities by employers. Discrimination based on race, gender, religious affiliation and other differentiating factors has been generally outlawed, and affirmative action (among other policies) has been implemented in many areas to redress previous wrongs. One of the groups which has sought protection and accommodation are those individuals with disabilities, although that term does not specify the types of conditions which render a person disabled. This research examines the Americans with Disabilities Act, how a company might comply with the Act, and the actions which could be taken with regard to the Act."
From the Paper "Introduction
Federal employees are not covered by many of the same regulations to which employees in private industry are subject, and many among the general public associate "bureaucrats" with federal employees. The federal government is often perceived as being unwieldy, inefficient, and a bastion of employees who would not be able to perform effectively in private industry. In 1978, Congress tried to address these concerns with the Civil Service Reform Act (CSRA), the last major overhaul of the federal employment system. In the intervening 20 years, the Act has been both lauded and criticized for its effects with even its supporters calling for additional reform. This research examines the Act and its effects over the past two decades from a human resource management perspective."
From the Paper " McCAIN-FEINGOLD BILL AND FEDERAL CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM
This research paper discusses proposals to reform the financing of federal political campaigns in America, primarily focusing on the bill sponsored by Senators John McCain (R-Ariz) and Russell Feingold (D-Wisc), S. 25, the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 1997, the reasons why it was introduced, how its principal provisions would change present law, its likely impact, why it has failed to pass in the Senate and alternatives.
The McCain-Feingold bill is designed to remedy partially the defects in the present scheme for regulating federal campaign contributions and spending by curbing some of the abuses revealed in recent campaigns. It failed because of Republican opposition and Senate stratagems which have prevented it from being debated and voted on in the Senate; however, the only lasting solution to.."
Examines conflicts between rights of individuals & govt. pursuit of criminals. Examined in terms of search & seizure, war on drugs, technology and forefeiture laws.
1,350 words (approx. 5.4 pages), 5 sources, 1999, $ 47.95
From the Paper " No specific right to privacy is formulated in the U. S. Constitution. Yet, various aspects of privacy are touched on in the provisions of the first, fourth, fifth, and other amendments. Privacy issues related to law enforcement would, ordinarily, be worked out over time. But, in the present climate, with an enormous crime rate and the always-current politicizing of drug-related crime, the privacy rights of suspected criminals have become a major issue. Criminal justice approaches to drug crime are preemptive, proactive, and generally guided by the paradigm of a "War on Drugs." In this war, the rights of suspects and defendants are, increasingly, abrogated by law enforcement officials, courts, and legislators who believe that the crime problem is significant enough to warrant setting aside a few personal freedoms. Unfortunately, though this feels intuitively.."
Examines 1973 Supreme Court decision's immediate & long-term effects on evolution & refinement of abortion law. Examining issues of funding, minors & consent and the age of the fetus.
3,375 words (approx. 13.5 pages), 83 sources, 1999, $ 119.95
From the Paper " ROE V. WADE: ITS IMPACT AND AFTERMATH
This report examines the effect of the decision of the Supreme Court in Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973) on the law of abortion in the United States and discusses the aftermath of that decision and subsequent Supreme Court and other decisions since 1973.
Roe v. Wade constitutionalized at the federal level the debate over the legality of abortion and thereby overrode all but one state statutes which criminalized or otherwise regulated abortion. In the decade after that decision, efforts by pro-life forces to reverse or limit its impact largely failed, but pro-life forces were able to establish the constitutionality of efforts by Congress and state legislatures to limit public funding for abortions. Since 1988, due to changes in the.."
From the Paper "This research paper examines how the evidence in this case was used by the jury to find the defendant, O. J. Simpson, not guilty. The predominantly black and female jury took less than four hours to arrive at its verdict. Such a speedy decision appeared to many to be strange behavior after a case which took nine months to try and involved 1015 pieces of evidence, 45,000 pages of transcript and scores of witnesses (Behind 27). This led many observers to conclude that the jury had ignored a 'mountain of evidence' against Simpson and had voted to acquit based on its emotional biases and external perceptions unrelated to the evidence. A more accurate interpretation would be that the jury made up its mind before it began its deliberations and found that a reasonable doubt existed as to Simpson's guilt, largely because..."
From the Paper "Public Administration and Politics
This paper will discuss the relationship and interplay between public administration and politics. The first part of the paper will briefly discuss the traditional roles of administration and the separation of administration from electoral politics. The second part of the paper will discuss the role interest groups have come to play in the formulation of public policy as a result of their relationships to administrative agencies.
Politics play a unique role in the administration of public policy in democracies. Democratic governments are ruled by politics; they must adhere to the will of the electorate or else run the risk of being voted out of office. This means that all functions of a democratic government are somehow influenced by the political ..."
From the Paper "Introduction
Most Americans have only a rudimentary understanding of monopolies, but they associate monopolies with "bad" companies. While it is true that monopolies can exercise a considerable amount of market power, it is also true that there are few true monopolies in the American economy; the threat of additional competition makes it difficult to sustain a monopoly for a long period of time. In recent years, the computer industry has been the target of several anti-trust actions by the government. The first of these concerned a hardware manufacturer, IBM, in which the manufacturer eventually prevailed, but only after a costly legal battle which spanned decades. Currently, Microsoft, a leading manufacturer of operating systems and applications for the microcomputer, finds itself battling anti-trust actions and facing a long legal battle ..."
Abstract "The 1991 beating of California motorist Rodney King will have an impact on law enforcement for years to come. The videotape of the beating, broadcast nationwide, resulted in public outrage over police brutality. The City of Los Angeles appointed a special commission to investigate whether brutality was widespread within the police department.
From the Paper "The 1991 beating of California motorist Rodney King will have an impact on law enforcement for years to come. The videotape of the beating, broadcast nationwide, resulted in public outrage over police brutality. The City of Los Angeles appointed a special commission to investigate whether brutality was widespread within the police department. Police departments across the country likewise reviewed their own policies on excessive force. Despite these efforts, citizen complaints about police brutality have increased since the Rodney King beating.
Police are allowed to use force during the course of their daily activities. Force can be used to make arrests, maintain order, or keep the peace. The important thing is that the police officer is able to gain control of the situation. How the officer gains control is left up to his or her judgment: "In ..."