Capital Punishment Essays (1806 words) - Penology, Prison, Death Row

Capital Punishment Crime and Punishment From the beginning of time, crime has been evident in human existence, and from the first crime there has always been a punishment. ?And it came to pass, when they were in a field, that Cain rose up against his brother, Able, and slew him? (Genesis 4:8). This for many people was seen as the first crime. This crime did not go unpunished. Cain was then ostracized from his colony and sent to wonder as a vagabond and a fugitive for his crime (Genesis 4:14). He was also branded with the mark of a murderer. Therefore, the presence of crime in human life is inevitable. Defined in Webster's Dictionary, crime is, an act of violation against society and its laws. Punishment is the consequence of the crime. Crimes like fraud, burglary, assault, etc., are usually punished by prison terms. Murder, manslaughter, and homicide maybe punished by prison terms or death. Ways to be executed Electrocution-the three legged oak chair was constructed in 1923 by inmates and is still used today. (ironic isn't it?) The electrocution cycle is two minutes or shorter in duration. Voltage and amperage levels peak on three occasions. Maximum current is 2000 volts and 14 amps. The executioner is an anonymous, private citizen who is paid $150 per execution. The position of executioner was advertised in several Florida newspapers in 1978. Lethal Injection-execution by lethal injection involves the continuous intravenous injection of a lethal quantity of a short-acting barbiturate in combination with a chemical paralytic agent. A number of doctors have pointed out that drugs may not work effectively on diabetics or former drug users, whose veins may be hard to reach. In some cases minor surgery may be required to cut in to a deeper vein, according to medical testimony. More states use this form of execution than all US states. Gas Chamber-prisoner is restrained in a hermetically sealed steel chamber below which is a pan. Upon a signal, the executioner opens a valve, flowing hydrochloric acid into the pan. On a second signal, about 8 ounces of potassium cyanide crystals or tablets are dropped mechanically into the acid, producing hydrocyanic gas, which destroys the ability of blood hemoglobin to perform. Unconsciousness occurs within a few seconds if the prisoner takes a deep breath, and longer if he or she holds their breath. After pronouncement of death, the chamber is evacuated through carbon and neutralizing filters. Gas-masked crews decontaminate the body with a bleach solution and outgassed prior to release. An unwary undertaker could be killed if this is not done. States using this method: Arizona, California, Maryland, Mississippi and North Carolina. Hanging-prisoner is weighing prior to execution. The ?drop? is based on the prisoner's weight, to deliver 1260 foot-pounds of force to the neck. Essentially, the prisoner's weight in pounds is divided into 1260 to arrive at a drop in feet. This is to assure almost instant death, a minimum of bruising, and neither strangulation nor beheading. Properly done, death is by dislocation of the third or fourth cervical vertebrae. The familiar noose coil is placed behind the prisoner's left ear, so as to snap the neck upon dropping. States using this method: Delaware, Montana and Washington. Firing Squad-there is reportedly no protocol for the procedure which according to information involves a five man team, one of who will use a blank bullet so that none of them knows who was the real executioner. Since the reinstatement of the death penalty two prisoners have been executed by this method. Gary Gilmore in 1977 and John Taylor in 1996. There are only two states who use this method. They include Utah and Idaho. Who's in Federal Prison? statistics found in 1991 5% of prisoners were women 65% of prisoners belonged to racial or ethnic minorities 68% of prisoners were under age 35 96% of prison inmates were US citizens 59% of prison inmates has high school diplomas or its equivalent less than half of the inmates were sentenced for a violent crime (assault, murder, rape), a fourth were sentenced for a property crime (burglary, vandalism), about a fifth were sentenced for a drug crime (self explanatory) Who's in State Prison? statistics found in 1996 10% of prisoners were women (statistics show that prisoners were sexually or physically abused before

Cinderellas Male Gaze Essays

Cinderellas Male Gaze Essays Cinderellas Male Gaze Paper Cinderellas Male Gaze Paper Almost everyone in the world grows up reading, listening to, or watching fairy tales as a child. These fairy tales started out as entertaining stories, but as they were handed down from one generation to the next, they slowly became more than that. They have grown to be of great importance because they teach children how to act and present oneself in the world. One such fairy tale is Cinderella. On the surface, it seems to be a simple story about a young woman whose wishes come true. However, the story lso reflects the cultural expectations of womens behaviors and goals. Fairy tales are full of negative stereotypes of girls. It is common in fairy tales that the men are strong, smart, and in power. Women are portrayed as pretty, passive, and powerless. The women depend solely on a man to save them. After Cinderellas father passes away, she is stuck living with her evil stepmother and stepsisters. Cinderella suffers from all kinds of abuse from them without ever making a complaint. She is forced to slave away from sun-up to sun-down. All of her nice clothes are taken away from her and all she is given to wear are plain dresses and plain shoes. Along with this, Cinderellas stepsisters make fun of her and call her names. She is too weak to stand up for herself and say no, and her family knows this. They are not poor, by any means. They have enough money to hire someone to do all the chores, but they make Cinderella do the work for their own pure enjoyment because they all know she will.

News Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

News Media - Essay Example $1.7 million this according to the writers was to help fight the proposed rules that would tighten the security requirements for the chemical facilities. Other donors mentioned, Chevron Texaco, Aegon and Goldman Sachs which gave in excess of $8 million which were critical of spending and federal regulation. These donors were not made public according to the report since the Chamber of Commerce is a non-profit making organization. The advertising money was spent to criticize the Obama administration and influence Congressional elections that were coming up that fall. The chamber of commerce according to fillings of corporate foundations indicates that the chamber has relied on small collections from big corporate donors to finance its legislative and political activities. The chamber is opposed to legislation that would require organizations like it to make public all those who contribute money to their campaigning adverts. The chamber received $10 million from health insurance anonymously for the purpose of opposing President Obama’s health care policy. The chamber has increasingly in recent time taken more aggressive role in elections supporting Republicans 90% of the time. Making affiliates local chambers to accuse it of being too partisan. The organization in 2003 according to the writers had a budget of $130 million and in that particular year (2010) a budget of $200 million to spend. In that particular year the chamber together with its affiliates allocated $144 million on lobbying. According to the writers this makes the chamber the biggest lobbyist group in the United States. The authors view as expressed in the article is that Republican Party is buying their way into political posts using the largest lobbyist group doing their bidding. It is important to note the article was the headline of the New York Times at a time the congressional elections were just about to take place. It is clear according to the authors that money from interest groups is

Fortress Ltd Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Fortress Ltd - Coursework Example A promoter of a company is an individual who â€Å"undertakes to form a company with reference to a given project and to see it going, and who takes the necessary steps to accomplish that purpose (Twycross v Grant 1877, 469). On the facts, Adam undertook to form Fortress Ltd. for the express purpose of securing a security services project for the Olympic games. All indications are that Adam intends to supervise the project and to ensure that it is accomplished. The mere fact that he is securing the loan for the proposed company’s project substantiates his supervision of the project. Moreover, since the term promoter is essentially a business term, whether or not a person is a promoter is question of fact (Whaley Bridge Calico Printing Co. v Green 1880, 109). On the facts of the case for discussion and pursuant to common law, Adam is for all intents a purposes a promoter. In general a company cannot be held liable for the breach of a contract that was concluded prior to the co mpany’s incorporation (Kelner v Baxter1886 174). In cases where the contract was formed prior to the formation of the company, the person or promoters acting for the proposed company prior to its incorporation are generally liable in a personal capacity (Kelner v Baxter1886 174). ... This was particularly so when Section 36 (C) of the Companies Act 1985 overruled the decision in Kelner v Baxter and essentially codified the decision in Phonogram Ltd. v Lane (1982). Section 36(C) which was further amended by Section 51 of the Companies Act 2006 provided that pre-incorporation contracts would have effect provided there were no agreements otherwise. In the absence of an agreement excluding liability, both the company and the promoter acting as agent would be liable for breach of the contract in a personal capacity (Companies Act 1985, Section 36(C)(1)). Section 36(C) (1) however, did not clear up the confusion as there was some confusion as to whether or not it was necessary for the wronged party to know that the company had not yet been incorporated (Bourne 2011, p. 48). For instance it was decided in (Cotronic (UK) Ltd. v Dexonie 1991,721) that it must be shown that the defendant was purporting to act on behalf of a proposed company. In another case it held that li ability as mutually exclusive in that both the third party acting on behalf of the proposed company and the other contracting party were equally liable for breach of the contract (Braymist Ltd. v Wise Finance Co. Ltd. 2002, 273). In other words, there was no definitive rule of law determining when and if a promoter could be liable for a breach of a pre-incorporation contract. There were instances where a promoter could be liable only if it was clear that the other contracting party did not know that the company was incorporated at the time of entering an agreement. In other instances, liability was assigned to the promoter automatically (Savirimuthu 2003, 203). As the law currently stands, Section 51(1) of the Companies Act 2006 will apply to determine

The Birthright and the Human Storm (example of a title) Essay - 1

The Birthright and the Human Storm (example of a title) - Essay Example According to which a true woman must hold four cardinal virtues that are: domesticity, submissiveness, piety and purity. Women were not allowed to have sex with any other men except their husband, however, this restriction does not imply on men. It was considered as a sin if a woman gets involved with any other men. The sexual rights of women were also negligible in the 19th century. They can only have sex when their husbands wanted to have and were not allowed to show up their temptation. Followed by the Victorian age the gilded age was the era of growth and prosperity. In this era the women were not content with the cult of domesticity. Most women went to colleges to earn higher education and started to serve the society. Bobinot and his son Bibi were present at Friedheimers store when they sensed the emergence of a violent storm. Bobinot decided to stay at the store till the storm is gone. Calixta the wife of Bobinot, did not even notice the arrival of storm and thunder. When it turned much darker, Calixta went to close the door, there she found her ex-boyfriend Alcee and invited him in her home due to worsening weather condition. While staying at Calixta’s house Alcee made her recall all the sweet memories of their love and the passion they used to share. Flowing into the memories Calixta and Alcee forget about everything and get sexually involved reviving the old love and passion they had. In the meantime the author asserts that the storm gets also over. Bobinot and Bibi returned from the store after the weather gets settled. After coming back from Calixta’s place Alcee writes a letter to his wife suggesting her to stay in Biloxi as long as she wants. Clarisse felt good and free afte r receiving the letter. The author ends the story with a punch line, "So the storm passed and everyone was happy (Chopin 110)." The

Cathartic Effects of Aggression: Theories

Cathartic Effects of Aggression: Theories Tan Hui Min Psychology— the systematic study of mental and behavioural processes (Coon Mitterer, 2012)—stemmed from Wilhelm Wundt’s founding of the first laboratory in experimental psychology in 1979. Wundt presented his discoveries about the human mind and behaviour in public lectures and soon had halls of people learning about his theories and experiments (Abbott, 2012, para. 7). Some even started setting up their own experimental laboratories and taking up the new science (Abbott, 2012, para. 7). However, many people see psychology as common sense because psychological findings and research all seem self-evident (Dean, 2008). This essay will touch on three reasons as to why psychology is not just common sense based on a common sense topic that frustrated people tend to vent their anger on inanimate objects for mood repair. People who believe in the value of cathartic venting feel worse after aggression. Bushman, Baumeister, and Phillips (2001) conducted a study whereby a group of participants had their emotional states assessed immediately after manipulated provocations (p. 25). Provocations include receiving negative feedback of their essays and blasts of noises of high intensity from â€Å"another participant† during the competitive time reaction task (Bushman, Baumeister, and Phillips, 2001, p. 19-20). They found that participants were emotionally negatively affected by the stimuli and felt more hostile feelings towards the â€Å"provoker†. This is supported by Bohart’s (1980) study which found that after recalling about a recent incident that angered them, participants in the discharge group showed more anger and hostile attitudes compared to intellectual analysis, role play, and control groups, based on the level of aversive noise each participant gave as punishment to a subje ct whenever a mistake was made on the learning task (p. 193). A louder noise administered meant higher feelings of aggression. Ebbesen, Duncan and Konecni (1974) tested whether subjects who were being laid off their jobs would increase or decrease in verbal aggression compared to those who were leaving their jobs for other reasons when induced to aggress verbally against the company, their supervisor, themselves, or to talk about neutral topics. The results indicated that when angered subjects directed verbal aggression at a specià ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ c target, their subsequent verbal aggression increased only when it was directed at the same target. It was also discovered that individuals with higher levels of testosterone responded more aggressively to social provocations (Mehta Beer, 2009, p. 2363). Aggression is therefore relatively useless at getting rid of anger and frustration even though positive feelings are increased during the act of venting. Be it as it may, why is it that the ma ss media still constantly supportting the idea of the catharsis hypothesis through mediums like self-help books, magazines, and television (Shaffer Merrens, 2001)? Angry people feel better when venting their anger through a cathartic process. This popular belief is known as the catharsis theory (Bushman, Baumeister, Phillips, 2001, p. 18). The theory sees emotions as entities that will build up and cause internal pressure if they are not expressed, leading to physiological harm (Bohart, 1980, p. 192). The repression of negative feelings without release may be due to the fear of retaliation or punishment from the provocateur, like in the case of when the source is an employer, thus constraining direct aggression (Dollard, Doob, Miller, Mowrer, Sears, 1939). Aggression is any behaviour that is intended to inflict harm on an unwilling person (Bushman Anderson, 2001, p. 274). A study found that angry people did positively enjoy some of the cathartic activities, such as hitting a punching bag ( Bushman et al., 1999). Since catharsis supports rumination, which is study investigated whether if getting rid of anger by rumination works better than by distraction. angered participants hit a punching bag and thought about the person who had angered them (rumination group) or thought about becoming physically fit (distraction group). The venting of anger is thus considered a healthy act and people in anger would often hear advice like â€Å"let if off your chest† and â€Å"don’t bottle your anger up inside† from their friends (Bushman, Baumeister, Phillips, 2001, p. 18). The effectiveness of the expression of negative emotions on mood applies differently for different genders. Bushman, Baumeister and Philips (2001) conducted a study which examined how mood-freeze manipulation and pro-catharsis messages affect aggressive behaviour (p. 19). Half the subjects in the pro-cathartic group would read a counterfeit newspaper article supporting the venting of anger by hitting a pillow, while the other half in the anti-cathartic group would read one discouraging the venting of anger by hitting a pillow (Bushman, Baumeister and Philips, 2001, p. 25). Half of the participants in the mood-freeze manipulation group were told that the pill, Bramitol, would freeze their mood for an hour after consumption (Bushman, Baumeister and Philips, 2001, p. 20). The other half were free to control their moods. It was found that for women, the venting of anger improved their mood only when their believe that their moods are open to change, as observed from the female participan ts reporting that they felt more positive feelings following aggression in the changeable mood condition compared to those in the mood-freeze condition (Bushman, Baumeister, Phillips, 2001, p. 28). As for men, they were found to be generally more aggressive than women (Bushman, Baumeister, Phillips, 2001, p. 20) and that those who most believed in the efficacy of venting felt the least improvement in their moods after venting their anger in the changeable mood condition (Bushman, Baumeister, Phillips, 2001, p. 28). This observation can be supported by The evidence of how different men and women handle their emotions shows that the effectiveness of catharsis venting differs between genders. Angry impulses and hostile tendencies are not reduced by acting aggressively. It was found that when given the chance to aggress nonverbally against their tormentors, angry participants engaged in less nonverbal aggression afterwards (Doob, 1970; Doob and Wood, 1972; Konecni and Doob, 1972; Konecni, 1973). However, an opposite effect was witnessed for verbal aggression (DeCharms Wilkins, 1963; Kahn, 1966). the annoyer is still derogated and highly disliked at the end of the experiment (Konecni, 1973; Konecni and Doob, 1972). Konecni and Doob (1972) found that nonverbal aggression directed at a scapegoat reduced future nonverbal aggression directed at one’s tormentor. If verbal hostility does serve the same function as covert rumination about one’s plight, then generalization from scapegoat to tormentor might well be expected to occur. Doob (1972) found that nonverbal aggression directed at someone reduced future nonverbal aggression directed at one’s tormentor. Showed that verbally expressing one’s boiling anger toward a given entity increases subsequent verbal aggression towards the same entity but does not affect how their emotions are directed at others (p. 198-199) The angered subjects were more hostile towards the company after telling the personnel manager negative things about the company and that the increase in hostility was signià ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ cantly enhanced by the comparable interview session. However, in Bohart’s study, the overall difference between catharsis and the other measures narrowed over several sessions, suggesting that venting through a cathartic process requires time and practice in order for the dilution of negative feelings to be effective (Bohart, 1980, p. 194). This is probably the reason why the belief in catharsis survives today despite all the contrary research findings. In essence, the common sense belief in the efficacy of catharsis can be proven correct by some psychologists and otherwise by others. The field of psychology really involves data collection of human thought process and behaviour though scientific or observational means to prove a common sense hypothesis either correct or false. Many of our intuitions have been rectified through the years and like the intuition that the release of anger on a pillow lessens feelings of aggression, we cannot always depend on common sense to reason things. Psychology is therefore not just common sense, but also based on proper research, meticulous testing, and applications of theory. References Ebbesen, E. B., Duncan, B., Konecni, V. J. (1975). Effects of content of verbal aggression on future verbal aggression: A field experiment. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. 11, 192-204. Retrieved from http://konecni.ucsd.edu/pdf/1975%20Content%20Verb.%20Agg%20JESP.pdf

Affirmative Action Essay -- Race Racism

As a Christian, I believe in trying my hardest to empathize with those in suffering and oppression to the best of my all to human ability. If I am honest with myself and God, more often than not I fail. My experiences in History 313: Black American History, have left an indelible impact on me. One of the ongoing themes in our readings, lectures, videos and discussions has concerned Christianity and the Black American experience. Thus, I thought it fitting to write this paper looking at affirmative action through a Christian perspective. Looking at affirmative action’s original intent and ultimate goals from a Christian perspective is extremely fruitful because it allows honest discussion to take place without fear of partisan bias or special privilege for one race over another, which in turn makes it easier to talk about practical solutions. Before I say anything else, I would like to say three very important things. First, I am not African-American. Second, I believe all people are people. And third, I in no way, shape or form represent all Christian views on this topic. Speaking for all Christianity is beyond my ability no matter what the topic. My experiences are just like anyone else’s in that they are unique, but limited. Thus, I can only speak of being Christian personally in America. And even then, I cannot speak for all of American Christianity because I only know what it feels like to be an American Christian with German, Norwegian and Swedish blood running through my veins. However, if I employ empathy and compassion I can have at least some idea of the suffering that exists when it occurs to someone besides myself, especially since my own spiritual journey has been anything but smooth. And though ... ...re much to big to be fixed by a short essay. As mentioned before I am not African-American. Thus, I do not consider my thoughts authoritative on this subject. Still, I believe that people, regardless of the color of our skin, our willing to do as Jesus did and forgive one another for past transgressions and replace hostility with love for the sake of a brighter future. James Baldwin urged his readers to, â€Å"Cease fleeing from reality and begin to change it.† In that spirit I close with a quote from a speech given by Robert F. Kennedy on the night that Martin Luther King Jr. was tragically and unnecessarily shot and killed. Let us dedicate ourselves to what the Greeks wrote so many years ago: to tame the savageness of man and make gentle the life of this world. Let us dedicate ourselves to that, and say a prayer for our country and for our people. Affirmative Action Essay -- Race Racism As a Christian, I believe in trying my hardest to empathize with those in suffering and oppression to the best of my all to human ability. If I am honest with myself and God, more often than not I fail. My experiences in History 313: Black American History, have left an indelible impact on me. One of the ongoing themes in our readings, lectures, videos and discussions has concerned Christianity and the Black American experience. Thus, I thought it fitting to write this paper looking at affirmative action through a Christian perspective. Looking at affirmative action’s original intent and ultimate goals from a Christian perspective is extremely fruitful because it allows honest discussion to take place without fear of partisan bias or special privilege for one race over another, which in turn makes it easier to talk about practical solutions. Before I say anything else, I would like to say three very important things. First, I am not African-American. Second, I believe all people are people. And third, I in no way, shape or form represent all Christian views on this topic. Speaking for all Christianity is beyond my ability no matter what the topic. My experiences are just like anyone else’s in that they are unique, but limited. Thus, I can only speak of being Christian personally in America. And even then, I cannot speak for all of American Christianity because I only know what it feels like to be an American Christian with German, Norwegian and Swedish blood running through my veins. However, if I employ empathy and compassion I can have at least some idea of the suffering that exists when it occurs to someone besides myself, especially since my own spiritual journey has been anything but smooth. And though ... ...re much to big to be fixed by a short essay. As mentioned before I am not African-American. Thus, I do not consider my thoughts authoritative on this subject. Still, I believe that people, regardless of the color of our skin, our willing to do as Jesus did and forgive one another for past transgressions and replace hostility with love for the sake of a brighter future. James Baldwin urged his readers to, â€Å"Cease fleeing from reality and begin to change it.† In that spirit I close with a quote from a speech given by Robert F. Kennedy on the night that Martin Luther King Jr. was tragically and unnecessarily shot and killed. Let us dedicate ourselves to what the Greeks wrote so many years ago: to tame the savageness of man and make gentle the life of this world. Let us dedicate ourselves to that, and say a prayer for our country and for our people.