...to provide a review of the literature and empirical research regarding past and present studies of female offenders, the chivalry hypothesis, the differences in male and female convictions, and to answer the enduring question: Is chivalry dead? While this paper does not incorporate all of the literature available, it does offer a good snap shot of many pertinent studies conducted regarding these topics and the issues pertaining to them. Female Offenders Then and Now Over the years, the empirical evidence supporting the position that women offenders are treated less harshly than their male counterparts has been at best inconsistent. (Burnett, 1994: Coombs, 1995: Denno, 1994: Johnson & Nagel, 1994: Klein & Kress, 2014). The writers of these studies used a variety of theses to explain the leniency. Some suggested women are treated with chivalry and thus given lighter sentences for similar offenses created by men. While others suggested the leniency was due to the majority of females in the court system are first time offenders. In 1994, Kathleen Davy published Gender, Crime and Punishment. In the book she explores whether men and women who are convicted of similar crimes, are punished differently. Davy utilized forty male and female pairings of similar crimes, analyzed the court cases and concluded women participate in less serious crimes and this is the only factor in their lenient sentencing; concluding gender is not a factor. Coombs (1995) conducted...
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... Introduction: Discrimination is the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different groups of people or things because of their race, gender, ethnicity, or belief. Sense the founding of the United States and even well before it, discrimination has been the source or strife and conflict in society. Whether this is because of one side’s belief of racial superiority or because of cultural diversity, the fact remains that it is a problem that continues to exist even today. One area I think that bares special mention to how discrimination has continued to exist to this extent is the criminal justice system. Sense the day the Emancipation proclamation was first declared in 1863 to the era civil rights movement (1954-1968), we’ve made many strives in accepting numerous cultures, but where does that leave today? There are three areas of discrimination that bare special intention, institutionalized discrimination, contextual discrimination, and individual acts of discrimination, what they mean and how they compare with the concept “pure justice”. Pure justice is the conceptual belief that there is no discrimination at any place or time in the criminal justice system. But does such a principle exist in the world of criminal justice, and how much of it is really the case? Institutionalized Discrimination: Institutional discrimination is the disparity of an individual or group of people that results from the rules of firms, schools, government, markets, or society as a means or controlling...
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...continuous exposure to community violence and previous personal trauma exposure, may have a higher prevalence of PTSD and other mental health disorders. As a result, living in these environments could increase the likelihood of poor social and developmental outcomes, including but not limited to increased anxiety, aggression, depression, and social withdrawal. There are numerous factors that contribute to this hypothesis: African Americans were six times more likely than Whites to be murdered or victimized (Fox & Zawitz, 2002). These include low socioeconomic status, trauma exposure, lack of cultural competency, lack of diversity in the mental health-care work force; the fragmentation of mental health services to include a mix of disparities in private plans’ coverage of mental health services, public insurance and safety net programs, federal laws, and financial barriers. Lack of trust for physicians and health care providers; exposure to urban stressors such as poverty, racism, and violence can also be barriers. In a previous study, researchers (Breslau, Chilcoat, Kessler & Davis (1999), examined the prevalence of PTSD in individuals exposed to previous trauma. The study showed that African Americans who reported previous trauma exposure were at a higher risk of experiencing PTSD than those that had no previous exposure. Another study (Alim, Graves, Mellman, Aigbogun, Gray, Lawson,...
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...Caribbean Human Development Report 2012 Human Development and the Shift to Better Citizen Security Caribbean Human Development Report 2012 Human Development and the Shift to Better Citizen Security Copyright © 2012 by the United Nations Development Programme 1 UN Plaza, New York, NY 10017, USA All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without prior permission. ISBN: 9789962688082 Website: http://www.regionalcentrelac-undp.org/en/hdr-caribbean Editors: Robert Zimmermann, Carol Lawes and Nanette Svenson Cover design: Timothy Bootan and Juan Manuel Salazar Design and Layout: Miguel Nova y Vínculos Gráficos Printed in Panama by Inversiones Gumo, S.A. For a list of any errors or omissions found subsequent to printing please visit our website. No consultation has been carried out in Guyana. The data on Guyana have been obtained through public sources and the UNDP Citizen Security Survey 2010. Caribbean Human Development Report 2012 Helen Clark Administrator United Nations Development Programme Rebeca Grynspan Associate Administrator United Nations Development Programme Heraldo Muñoz Assistant Administrator and Director of the Regional Bureau for LAC United Nations Development Programme Freddy Justiniano Director a.i. Regional Centre for LAC United Nations Development Programme Niky Fabiancic Deputy Director Regional...
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...Program states that more than 650,000 ex-offenders are released annually from a state or federal prison. The Department of Justice has implemented a re-entry program; this is when offenders make a transition from prisons and/or jails. The cost of housing an inmate in a federal or a state correctional facility is approximately $20,000 to $25,000 per year. The re-entry population consists all individuals that are returning to society who have been convicted of a criminal offense. These individuals have served time in a federal, state, or local level. Research outlines an effective correctional intervention maintains resources should focus on high risk offenders. Ex-offender are less likely to retain gainful employment, they are less educated, and they have a higher risk of substance abuse and mental health issues. Many of the prison reentry programs varies in methodology, range and scope; however, the best programs according to research are reentry programs that begin during incarceration phase and continues through the reintegrating phase. The United States government needs to be responsible for assisting ex-offenders in becoming a viable and successful candidate in society. These...
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...Introduction The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) is the principal federal program through which the federal government sets standards for juvenile justice systems at the state and local levels. It provides direct funding for states, research, training, and technical assistance, and evaluation. The JJDPA was originally enacted in 1974 and even though the JJDPA has been revised several times over the past 30 years, its basic composition has remained the same. Since the act was passed in 1974, the JJDPA focused solitary on preventing juvenile delinquency and on rehabilitating juvenile offenders. Since the original enactment of the JJDPA in 1974, the periodic reauthorizations have been controversial, as the Act's opponents have sought to weaken its protections for youth, reduce prevention resources, and encourage the transfer of youth to the adult criminal justice system. The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act follow a series of federal protections, known as the "core protections," on the care and treatment of youth in the justice system. The four "core protections" of the act are, the Deinstitutionalization of Status Offenders (DSO), Sight and Sound separation, Jail Removal, and Disproportionate Minority Confinement (DMC). The "DSO" and "Sight and Sound" protections were part of the original law in 1974. The "Jail Removal" provision was added in 1980 in response to finding youth incarcerated in adult facilities resulted in "a high suicide...
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...“liberty and justice for all.” Yet, the United States houses 25 percent of the world’s inmates even though it only houses five percent of the world’s population (Martensen, 2012). Additionally the fundamental concept of the United States Criminal Justice System is that an individual is “innocent” until proven guilty. This makes one question whether, people in the United States are really held to this standard, or are certain people more prone to crime in the land of opportunity and freedom? Our society is built around the societal norms of the dominant white group and racial and ethnic inequalities are intertwined in every aspect of our society causing minority groups to struggle against a society built around white privilege. Prevalence Minorities in comparison to their population in the United States are incriminated at a higher rate than Whites. Spohn (2000) stated that “a majority of the studies reviewed…found that African Americans and Hispanics were more likely than Whites to be sentenced to prison, even after taking crime seriousness and prior criminal records into account” (as cited in Hartney & Vuong, 2009, p.10). In 2010, racially the United States population identified as being comprised of 196.8 million Whites who identified as White alone (69.1%), 38.9 million Blacks or African Americans (12.6%), and 50.5 million Hispanics (16.3%) (2010 Census Brief, 2011). However, Of those federally sentences in the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, 36.7 % or 68,180...
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...Abstract The aim of this dissertation, which is based on secondary research involving analysing a range of books, journal articles, Government publications, newspaper articles and videos, is to critically examine the position of the victim in the criminal justice system. The paper looks at the role of political interests in establishing victimfocus policies and the direction towards their placement at the heart of the justice system. This includes the managerialistic values, modernization of the Government and covering-up of punitive measures taken against the offender that all point to the political rhetoric around the centeredness of the victim. Furthermore, the view of traditional justice is accounted for in order to get a grasp of the many underlying factors that can be attributed to the so called rebirth and the consequent concentration on the victim. The paper firstly discusses characteristics of victims, the impact of crime on victims and also their needs for a better understanding of who they are and what can be done to help them. Particular attention is drawn to stereotypes associated with victims and constructions of the ideal victim. Secondly, the adversarial nature of English justice and implications for victims are discussed, as well as some tensions between the interests of the offender and the victim, and the opposed nature of the two. Procedural and service rights especially play an important role in defining whether victims are given appropriate...
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...CHAPTER 7 DEVIANCE AND SOCIAL CONTROL Deviance 171 Social Policy and Social Control: Illicit Drug Use in Canada and Worldwide 193 What Is Deviance? 171 Explaining Deviance 175 Social Control 182 Conformity and Obedience 182 Informal and Formal Social Control Law and Society 186 Crime 185 187 Types of Crime 188 Crime Statistics 190 The Issue 193 The Setting 193 Sociological Insights 193 Policy Initiatives 193 Boxes RESEARCH IN ACTION: Street Kids 183 sOCIOLOGY IN THE GLOBAL COMMUNITY: Singapore: A Nation of Campaigns 186 TAKING SOCIOLOGY TO WORK: Holly Johnson, Chief of Research, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Statistics Canada 192 Cigarette smoking has become stigmatized in Canada. This newspaper advertisement, sponsored by Health Canada, reverses the typical advertising strategy of equating smoking with sexiness. 169 H eidi Fleiss was in her late twenties when she was arrested for operating a call girl service. At the time, her pediatrician father had reacted flippantly, “I guess I didn’t do such a good job on Heidi after all.” Later, he would be convicted of conspiring to hide profits from his daughter’s call girl ring. Fleiss had dropped out of school when she was sixteen and established a liaison with a playboyfinancier who gave her a Rolls-Royce for her twenty-first birthday. In her early twenties, Fleiss interned in the world of prostitution by working for Madame Alex (Elizabeth Adams)...
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...National Policy Committee and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the American Society of Criminology. Ronald Weitzer, Professor of Sociology, Dana Coleman, Research Assistant, and Sarah Benatar, Graduate Research Assistant at the Institute on Crime, Justice, and Corrections at George Washington University provided substantial assistance in the preparation of this document. Introduction Capital punishment is among the most hotly debated issues in American politics. Passions run high for both those who want the death penalty abolished and those who seek to preserve or expand its use. What follows is a summary of key issues in the death penalty debate, research findings on the application of capital punishment, and a discussion of policy considerations. The American Society of Criminology (ASC) is greatly concerned with the death penalty and its application in the United States. This year, ASC President Ronald Huff and the ASC Executive Board authorized the ASC’s National Policy Committee (NPC) to develop a policy paper that would focus on the death penalty issue. The ASC Board has emphasized that the NPC paper would not speak for the Society but to its membership. The recommendations contained in this report reflect a concern that the Society needs to set a research agenda that is independent of the federal government and perhaps independent of conventional wisdom. The NPC hopes that this paper will stimulate a healthy and...
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...Chapter I Problem And Its Background “There is no single cause of crime that is sufficient to guarantee its occurrence: yet opportunity above all others is necessary and therefore has as much or more claim to being a root cause” Marcus Felson Introduction Police operations cover the mission-critical aspects of a police organization: policies, institutional arrangements, processes and resources for the performance of the policeman’s main functions. Police Operations encompass a wide range of activities, particularly patrol and traffic operations, implementation of special laws, command and control, civil disturbance, disaster management, terrorism, deployment of troops, internal security operations and community-oriented policing, with due regard to human rights. Police Patrol has always been the backbone of protecting the public, and as far back as society had begun to get organized into groups and communities, mankind has always had people to patrol, to show a strong presence, as well as be on the look-out for danger at all levels, and then be able to respond. And if it wasn't for the Police patrolling your neighborhood, your local community and even your entire city, then the little world that you live in, would become Survival Of The Fittest. We must tell you that in all the world of defense, police patrol is the best way for the police to defend us. High police visibility discourages criminals. Normally, criminals think twice before executing their plans if there is...
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...Globalization & Women Komal (4789) Ruchi (4875) Lavanya (4642) WHAT IS GLOBALIZATION? It is the process of creating languages, services, and products that apply not just to an individual neighbourhood or city or country, but to the whole world. While one interpretation of globalization has to do with equal exchange and sharing of goods and services between countries and cultures, the reality of a globalized world is much different. Globalization is a phenomenon that crosses and erases geographical and political borders and makes all countries start to look the same. As a result of globalization, local products, services, and cultures disappear into a global culture, a culture defined not by the global citizenry but rather the world's economic and political superpowers - mostly North America-owned corporations. How does economic globalization work? Economic globalization is fueled by international trade agreements signed between nations. The goal of these agreements is to get rid of barriers to trade by allowing companies to move their factories to countries with the lowest labour and environmental standards, countries where they can produce their products the cheapest...
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...* * * Global Perspective What Causes Domestic Violence? Domestic violence may start when one partner feels the need to control and dominate the other. Abusers may feel this need to control their partner because of low self-esteem, extreme jealousy, difficulties in regulating anger and other strong emotions, or when they feel inferior to the other partner in education and socioeconomic background. Some men with very traditional beliefs may think they have the right to control women, and that women aren’t equal to men. This domination then takes the form of emotional, physical or sexual abuse. Studies suggest that violent behavior often is caused by an interaction of situational and individual factors. That means that abusers learn violent behavior from their family, people in their community and other cultural influences as they grow up. They may have seen violence often or they may have been victims themselves. Children who witness or are the victims of violence may learn to believe that violence is a reasonable way to resolve conflict between people. Boys who learn that women are not to be valued or respected and who see violence directed against women are more likely to abuse women when they grow up. Girls who witness domestic violence in their families of origin are more likely to be victimized by their own husbands. Alcohol and other chemical substances may contribute to violent behavior. A drunk or high person will be less likely to control his or her...
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... Table of Contents Course Description (Catalog) | This course examines a diverse sample of social problems facing the United States today, and it identifies how these problems affect and are affected by our institutions and culture. The sociological perspective and key theories will be used to understand the beginnings of the civil society, how problems develop and are defined, and the role of social change (particularly contemporary technological innovation). Key social problems covered will include social stratification/inequality, crime, drug abuse, prostitution, aging, infectious disease, family violence, health care, racial/ethnic conflict, terrorism, etc. Sociological research on social problems will be explored, and social policies to remedy the negative consequences of these issues on society will be discussed. Table of Contents Course Scope | This 8-week course is a critical analysis of the social problems in contemporary America. The course examines the history, dynamics, and structural persistence of social problems. This course will help students develop an understanding of how social problems are defined; when/where/how and why interventions are developed for the...
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...The Hunger Games: Action-film feminism is catching fire Lisa Schwarzbaum Burning up Jennifer Lawrence’s Katniss Everdeen is both strong and vulnerable – a new kind of action heroine who has powered The Hunger Games: Catching fire to a $158m US debut. (Lionsgate) Jennifer Lawrence’s Katniss Everdeen is a new type of female action film icon, and moviegoers should be very excited about that, writes Lisa Schwarzbaum. As Catching Fire ignites on movie screens around the world, this is what we know about the 21st Century heroine called Katniss Everdeen: she is strong but also soft. She is brave but she has doubts. She is a phenomenal fictional creation, yet is real enough that moviegoers can draw inspiration from her values, her resourcefulness, and her very human inner conflicts. And she is played by Jennifer Lawrence, who appears not only to be handling her current duties as Hollywood’s finest model of well-adjusted millennial female stardom but doing so with charm. Everdeen and Lawrence: golden girls both. Personified in Lawrence’s lithe movements and cool, focused gaze, Katniss is a brave, resourceful and independent-minded fighter; but she is also a troubled and vulnerably guilt-ridden human being. Nina Jacobson, the producer of the Hunger Games film franchise, puts it this way: “She is a singular heroine in that the burden of survival weighs on her. She has a ton of survivor’s guilt. And she keeps surviving.” Girl on fire It is strange that behaving like a well-adjusted...
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