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Significant Modification of Abuse Law

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Significant Modification of Abuse LawDrug abuse is one of the depriving offenses in America that significantly affects the society as well as the individual users. Various laws have been put in place where the drug users have punished accordingly regarding the law. However, the act of jailing and casting various punishment to the victims raise the disturbing question. Does punishing the users have any impact on a life of the offenders or is just subjecting suffering to them? What are the other ways to make the victims better after the jail term and rectify their bad behavior as they get back to the community? Many of these drug traffickers in America have used the substances for a long time and are addicts. Therefore, the point of interest is that apart from the users just being punished there can be a mechanism where for a significant portion of their jail term they can be taken to a rehab where they can rectify their behavior (Kerrison, page 11). In this paper, the pro and cons of changing the law regarding drug abuse in a way that the victims can spend part of it serving the jail term and the other half on rehab are discussed into an In-depth extent.

It is right that they deserve the punishment for their unlawful deeds, but they are nation’s civilians whom after the jail term are supposed to be productive to the society. From the point of view, the current law is not fair as to the offenders as they are citizens as well as brothers and sisters to various people in the community who would like to see a change in their lives. Change is inevitable and for the nation to develop both socially and economically productive solution has to be put into action. The point of interest regards incorporating the law that will do not only state punishment to drug users but also efficiently state they should be taken to rehab (Arora et.al page 136). For instance, there before when establishing the law, the forefathers had an intention of making the offenders rectify their behaviors in the term of punishing them so that they can realize their mistakes. However, as time goes, it is evident that the victims do not change their character and after the jail terms, they continue with the same behavior of abusing the substance.

Substances are addictive, and they also have long-term effects on the users as well as the community. For instance, through passive smoking non-smokers are significantly affected by the nicotine available in cigarettes. The addicts experience lots of health implications and hallucinations that the possibility of committing crimes are high. Also, they require finances to purchase the drugs which are at many times costly as the drug traffickers take high risks when they are supplying them, and in return, they expect high profits. Therefore, the addicts at many times found in criminal activities such as robbery and burglary so that they can get the money to purchase the substance. The family, as well as other community members, suffer significant consequences as they are the victims of all these misconducts done by the drug users. Thus, rectification of the drug users’ behavior during their imprisonment is a valid thing that immediate actions are supposed to be taken (Johnson, et al. page 4).

The act of introducing rehab session as a part of jail term has its pros and cons which make different people come up with a different point of views and arguments. To begin, with are the advantages of rectifying the law regarding punishing drug users in America overpowers the repercussions. It is true that the users are offenders of law, and they deserve the punishment, but taking them to the rehab will not only help them to cease from the unethical behavior but also shapes their life and changes the character. Rehab centers in the country play a vital role in the community as they derive the pessimistic users from substance addiction into a drug-free lifestyle. Many people fall into the trap of drug use unaware mostly due to peer pressure and depression as a way of relieving stress. Therefore, it is morally upright to help them change their behavior and get back to the community productive.

Also, taking the prisoners to rehab gives them a chance to meditate and think about their future as well as that of the society as they are taught the effects of substance to their well-being as well as the community in general. The rehab centers have been primarily put in place to shape and change drug addicts. Therefore, there are experts in guidance and counseling who knows how to approach drug addicts as well as how to psychologically change their perspective regarding the use of the substance. It is right that not all drugs are prohibited in the country, but the fact remains that with abuse all the substance are hazardous to human health. For instance, the experts may decide to regulate the rate at which the addict take drugs up to a point where they can comfortably survive without their use (Chie et.al page 90). The case is different with imprisonment as the drug user has no option apart from entirely ceasing from drug use during the jail term where many ends up suffering to the extent of demise.

Furthermore, apart from being taught the technicalities of surviving without substance abuse in the rehab, the drug addicts are equipped with moral values as well as discipline and how to approach the community comprehensively after the session. Ethnicity is the key to discipline and well-being in the society. Thus the rectification of the moral deprivation due to drug use is a sound action. The victims will be taught on how to stay together with family, relative and other community members without the ego of disownment. The family, as well as society at large, are for the rectification of behavior, and that is the primary reason behind putting the law in action.

On the other side, the act of taking the prisoners to the rehab for a significant portion of imprisonment has its disadvantages. First, the government will incur extra cost for the programs and other operations to be carried out during the process. However, with sufficient results that are beneficial to the society, it is worth to incur the extra cost. Also, it is clear that the act of drug abuse will increase as people will be confident that even after addiction they will get out of it for free by the government. It is correct, but the better part of it is that the jail term, as well as punishment, remains in place. First and foremost the offenders have to serve their jail term as per the law and the only change expected is an addition of the rehab bit. It is common that all things have pro and cons, but it is prudent to go for the ones that their benefits suppress the shortcomings.

As discussed above, the act of changing drug abuse law in a way that the offenders be spending half of it serving a jail term and the rest of the rehab is sound and beneficial to the society. However, the burden of changing the behavior of drug addicts should not be put aside only for the government but should also be an individual responsibility of accepting the victims back into the community as well as showing them a right path toward ethical conducts.

References

Arora, Hobinder, et al. “Evaluation of socio-demographic profile of the drug abusers visiting drug deaddiction centre at Faridkot, Punjab.” Journal of Advanced Medical and Dental Sciences Research 4.2 (2016): 136.

Chie, Qiu Ting, et al. “substance abuse, relapse, and Treatment Program evaluation in Malaysia: Perspective of rehab Patients and staff Using the Mixed Method approach.” Frontiers in psychiatry 7 (2016): 90.

Johnson, Byron R., et al. “Faith and Service: Pathways to Identity Transformation and Correctional Reform.” Finding Freedom in Confinement: The Role of Religion in Prison Life (2018): 3.

Kerrison, Erin M. “Exploring how prison-based drug rehabilitation programming shapes racial disparities in substance use disorder recovery.” Social Science & Medicine (2017).

The Black Panther Party’s Ten Point Plan

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The Black Panther Party’s Ten Point Plan

The speakers of the 10-point program or plan are Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale. Both of these men were the founders of the Black Panther Party. The party was founded for the sake of providing self-defense to the Black community and especially with focus on armed self-defense, nationalism and socialism of the Black community at a time when racism was at its peak. Its formation was in October of 1966. The establishment of the Black community’s destiny was at the forefront of the direction of the party and the motivating factor amidst the ongoing racial issues.

The speakers are trying to communicate the need and importance of freedom and access to rights for the Black community as a way of bringing equality for them in a similar manner as the White community enjoys it. They are trying to convince those in power that they are just as entitled to all these rights as everyone else who gets to enjoy them freely. While communicating this, the speakers are also trying to bring to light the line that exists between the Black and White communities, identifying how racism remains pronounced for the Black community and how this has made it difficult for them to live at ease and in peace (Calloway).

This topic is of great concern to the speakers since they have been the victims of racism before and they are, therefore, creating a platform for all members of the Black community where their needs and difficulties can be heard. It is a matter that they have had enough of and they are hoping that the mobilization of the Black folk would mean that the creation of this platform would increase the volume for the change that they need and want as a way of creating equality across the United States. The topic is also of a great concern since it affects the livelihood of the Black community members and how they get around their lives on a daily basis. Airing this concern and having adjustments made as a result would mean more freedom for the community on their day to day lives and being placed on the same pedestal as the White community. This would eventually lead to communities that work together for the good of themselves and the country at large.

The speakers of the Ten Point Program are addressing the White racist government of America, which has been continuously victimizing the Black community within the United States of America. The demands that the speakers make within the plan are all those that the government is required to meet for its people without bias. However, these needs are only being met for the White community while leaving out the Black community to fend for its self while enabling the White community to remain racist in all views. The government is supposed to help out its people by ensuring that there is freedom for all, employment is provided to all, provide compensation for those who have suffered in the hands of the government, provision of decent housing and provision of education. On top of this, the government is required to end brutality by the police, to try all men fairly and provide the basics of life to all. The speakers want to be heard by the government that has been biased against their community while making it clear that color ought not to be the reason for divide or treating others differently (Courtright).

The mode or medium of communication that has been applied by the speakers is the written version. The speakers took to an approach that would be easy for the people from the black community and others to subscribe to. At the same time, this written option would easily have access by the public given the fact that it was published within the party’s newsletter, accessible by many, if not all, of the members. This greatly relates to their purpose of being heard and seeking freedom while putting across the message of equality to the government. Having the written work published would mean that both the members of the Black community and the public at large would catch a glimpse of the writing so that the government would know that it is in the limelight and it would not get to deny facts put across.

The three types of appeal are evident in the ten point program. Logos is used in the case of the demand for the forty acres and two mules, the speakers are trying to bring sense to the table by sharing the fate that the Black community suffered, comparing this to the case of the Jews who suffered an ill fate and were compensated. It would then only make sense if so many Americans suffered a fate that the government was liable to, thus demanding an overdue debt for their troubles. Ethos has been used in the case of the plea of exempting the Black men from military service for defense with the White men already exempted, for the sake of killing other people of color. This is morally wrong since the government is using victimized Black people to kill others who have been victimized too, while excluding the Whites in the process. The speakers use pathos to show the audience the pitiful sight that the Black community has to go through. In the process, the appeals have been used to the pain and trials that the Black community goes through and identify why these struggles have to come to an end given that they are inhumane.

References

Calloway, Carolyn R. “Group Cohesiveness in the Black Panther Party.” Journal of Black Studies 8.1 (1977): 55-74.

Courtright, John A. “Rhetoric of the gun: An analysis of the rhetorical modifications of the Black Panther Party.” Journal of Black Studies 4.3 (1974): 249-267.

Recruitment Methods

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Recruitment Methods

Organizations always consider the best methods that can provide them with the most qualified and fit candidates for specific job postings. Recruitment methods, by definition, imply the means that organizations use and apply in reaching out to their specific potential job seekers. Simply methods, these are just methods used for establishing relationships and contacts with the organization’s potential candidates (Gummadi 18). The digital world and transitioning in life implies that recruitment and selection is done from different perspectives. For instance, digital media, like social media and other social networking sites are used for recruiting employees by sending or posting advertisements. However, the gig economy also implies that people are most likely to meet at events and as such, develop or create networks (Faliagka et al. 153). These are equally exploited by organizations and businesses to recruit their employees. Yet, much attention has been directed towards interviews through mobile phones and videos, proper and direct way for comprehensive screening and evaluation or assessment of the employee. Therefore, in a modern-day organizational and job market, despite the availability of different recruitment methods, mobile phone and video interviews have become central to effective recruitment of the employees.

The changing modern environment, especially as it concerns to business management and how organizations are run, implies that modern recruitment methods must be considered. One such is networking events including seminars, open houses, job fairs, Human Resource events, and conferences (Gummadi 18). They have been identified as the perfect source of recruiting interns and job candidates. Yet, body shopping, as a direct recruitment approach, has equally been exploited as a way of recruiting individuals into the organization (18). This is a method whereby individual organizations set up the future employment talent pool. Hence, for any prospective employer, these organizations are then approached for recruiting skilled and trained talent. As such, it has led to the emergence of employee leasing, whereby the organizations are engaging in the commercialization of the recruitment process.

The advent of technology, as such, has made it easier for organizations to communicate with people and this explains why social media, as social networking sites, have become a vital method of recruiting employees. For instance, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are full of job seekers and most companies advertise their impeding or upcoming vacancies (Faliagka et al. 153). One of the major sites of recruiting professionals is LinkedIn, a professional site where people post their profiles, including professional and career objectives and CVs. This platform has played a key role for organizational recruitments, especially targeting the most qualified as the site rates individuals based on the completeness of their profiles, which in this case, entails a focus on specific attributes like their past job experiences, references, referrals and, specific areas of knowledge and development. In so doing, it is one of the best sites that make social media an important tool for recruitment. Yet, verification of the profiles could be a challenge and this explains why social media is sometimes questioned as to the best method for recruiting employees’ vacancies (Faliagka et al. 153). Still, recruitment, through social media has been advanced into innovative ways, including selection or recruitment methods through apps like Tinder, Bumble, Snapchat as well as Spotify in hunting talent.

A more effective way of recruiting and selecting employees is by consulting the employer review sites. Times have changed and a digital word whereby everything can be possibly reviewed and rated online, even employers, recruiters have not been missing out on this as a most effective and viable approach to understanding and learning about their employer (Silberman 505). As such, with the modern-day job seekers, there are better means and approaches to researching about the company’s perks, culture, pros, cons, and pay. These reviews are used by prospective employees seeking to work for their employees. The same applies to employers who use specific sites and databases to search for information concerning their prospective candidates.

Technology also offers companies and organizations with the best incentives and methods for evaluating and assessing their prospective candidates through video interviewing and mobile recruitment. As a strategy, mobile recruitment is a must consideration for any company operating in the contemporary business environment (McColl and Marco 637). Millennials and Generation Z are more inclined to use their mobile phones and consider it a means of engaging or interacting with people. This is also applied with organizations in presenting information about job vacancies, incoming recruitment, and training opportunities. As such, a mobile-responsive approach to recruitment implies that it will be considerably easy to access the current breed of busy job-seekers and the company enjoys the benefits of not missing out on the best, qualified, and the most talented candidates (Chhabra and Vandana 24). This also explains why video interviewing is finding its use in contemporary recruitment and selection, especially a new recruitment method that has rendered it much easier for employers to screen through their candidates while equally guaranteeing the convenience in the process and also a positive experience. Video interviews are the best forms of recruiting the candidates because it is easier for the employer to ask as many questions as possible, while at the same time, studying the prospect’s body language and even personal presentation. This method is effective because it reduces on-site interviews while at the same time improving the comprehensiveness of the screening process.

As shown above, different recruitment methods exist for companies and employees. An employer will only consider a method that provides comprehensive and detailed information about its prospective employees or candidates. This explains why technology is being exploited as the best approach and method for recruitment and selection. Yet, more concern has to be directed towards proper time for screening, face-to-face engagement, and understanding the strengths and weaknesses of the candidates. In so doing, mobile and video interviewing are considerably the best recruitment methods. This is because the methods allow detailed screening and evaluation or assessment of the candidate. Furthermore, they allow firsthand experience and engagement with the respective candidates, to understanding and assess their communication skills, both verbal and non-verbal. The interviews also allow the candidates to express themselves while at the same time ask for clarifications. Therefore, in a modern-day organizational and job market, mobile phone and video interviews have become central to effective recruitment of the employees.

Works cited

Chhabra, Anu, and Vandana Ahuja. “Recruitment Trends in the Contemporary Era.” Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Human Capital and Information Technology Professionals. IGI Global, 2018. 24-37.

Faliagka, Evanthia, Maria Rigou, and Spiros Sirmakessis. “An e-recruitment system exploiting candidates’ social presence.” International Conference on Web Engineering. Springer, Cham, 2015.Gummadi Dr. Ravi Kumar. Recruitment and Selection Practices of It Companies in Andhra Pradesh – A Study of Select Units. Zenon Academic Publishing, 2015.

McColl, Rod, and Marco Michelotti. “Sorry, could you repeat the question? Exploring video‐interview recruitment practice in HRM.” Human Resource Management Journal 29.4 (2019): 637-656.

Silberman, M. “Operating an employer reputation system: Lessons from Turkopticon, 2008-2015.” Comp. Lab. L. & Pol’y J. 37 (2015): 505.

Crime and Deviance

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Introduction

The increasing rates of crime have been a cause for worry and concern in the United States, as well as other parts of the world. Recent times have seen an intense concentration of scholars with providing an explanation of the incidence of crime as is the case for Routine Activity theory. The theory requires the presence of three elements for the occurrence of crime. First, there must be a motivated offender who has criminal intentions, as well as the capacity to act on that inclination. Second, there should be an appropriate target or victim. Third, a capable guardian with the capacity to prevent the occurrence of the crime would be absent. However, this theory has over time been modified through the inclusion of the fourth component, which is the absence or existence of a handler. The handler component involves a two step-process where, social bonds would be developed in the society, and, an individual related to a potential offender controls the individual to adhere to social bonds.

As concerning rape, Shannon cautioned against reducing crime to a product of crime as that would that would legitimize the crime while discrediting the victims, thereby making it inevitable.

Shoplifters may neutralize their guilt by denying their responsibility in the act, denying having caused any injury or harm to any individual, denying the victim and justifying the action as a retaliation, condemning the condemners, appealing to higher loyalties, defining the behavior as common, and defending the act as having been necessary, or justifying the action by comparing it with other serious crimes, as well as postponing the thought of the actions.

The tobacco industry may be seen as a deviant actor, as it continues advertising its products while ignoring the harmful effects that it has on individual health of active and passive smokers. Some examples of deviance in the food industry include deception as to the components of their products, and excessive use of additives.

Using an app to locate charging point

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Executive Summary

Having in mind the problems that people go through to charge their phones, we came up with a phone app that enables people to know exactly where public chargers are located without asking. The App works the same way in which a ‘friend-finder’ works. The product itself is £45 and we will sell it to customers for 140 but it increases depending on what the companies want to add to the product. However they are promotions deals if is a big organization want to buy more5 the price will reduce for the 6th product.

The following are the names of the team members and their roles.:Ruari JespersenRyan Brownie-got plantRuari Jespersen-Resource InvestigatorLaila Idris-Team workerJulia Wolff Durango-Shaper or implementer Ali ashmeel-implementer

Introduction

On the off chance that an individual live in an occupied city, or you’re gathering a charger in one, utilizing a particular area on this app can help keep away from disarray so you both wind up at same spot. Case in point, there may be five Starbuck’s in a six square range, so it’s best to know precisely which one is the gathering place. With the latest overhaul, you can get headings to a charger’s present area – which is particularly helpful if the addressing place needs to change because of activity or street terminations. Your charger won’t even need to send you the area information all alone, and the Google+ application has it accessible to you in the event that they are offering area information (Ludwig, 2012). Prepared to look at the new gimmick? Here’re the means by which: You will require to have the latest rendition of Google+ (4.4) to utilize the new gimmick that offers route to the areas of chargers.

Find my charger helps you recognize places with phone chargers. It’s the ideal approach to track chargers whether you’re shopping in a shopping center, going to the exhibition hall, outdoors in nature or en route to getting together at this current year’s best-ever party! For families, it offers genuine feelings of serenity. There’s no compelling reason to continually instant message youngsters or different relatives to figure out where they are and in the event that they are sheltered (Pogue, 2009). With Find My charger, it won’t take long to make sense of where your chargers really are and help them get to where should be. It’s a simple to utilize charger locator and individual’s discoverer application (Perez, 2012).

The app is interesting in light of the fact that it is the main application that gives you a chance to tell particular individuals your area without television to your whole interpersonal organization, and without being followed. With Apple’s such applications, when you impart your area to somebody it tracks all over the place you go so you must be cautious whom you impart to. The app is incredible when you need to tell simply a couple of individuals where you are at a particular minute, and yet you would prefer not to be followed uncertainly subsequently. For instance you could utilize The app to welcome several chargers to go along with you for a beverage, you could tell a couple of relatives where you are while you’re say voyaging, or you could let a collaborator know where you are to get together for lunch. Additionally as opposed to selecting the same chargers to impart to each one time, you can make custom records on The app for less demanding gathering sending – for instance I could have records for chargers, colleagues and family and with simply several clicks let each one gathering know at discrete times where I am and what I’m dependent upon (Ludwig, 2012).

Start-up Methodology

By starting this project, the main aim is to reduce inconveniencies caused by lack of phone charging systems in many places. The subject from the beginning has been helping a youthful, urban demographic have positive, genuine encounters. With the first form of Pinchit, we arranged arrangements on the best occasions and exercises in SF for individuals to get out and exploit the city. Pinchit was mainstream in SF – we had hockey stick development in income and endorsers yet there was savage rivalry in the space from other arrangement destinations, numerous with a great deal more wander financing and the space sort of fallen. The following emphasis of Pinchit, a social scrapbooking site for occasions, likewise meant to help individuals have incredible encounters yet we needed to concentrate just on the best substance paying little mind to whether an arrangement was accessible (Ludwig, 2012).

Strengths

One thing we find out about frequently from individuals utilizing the app with chargers is that chargers come into your encompassing region a great deal more regularly than you would suspect and this has prompted numerous serendipitous meet ups that wouldn’t have happened.

The app is truly uniting chargers. When you see a charger is just a piece or two away, you generally go the endeavor to get together rapidly and make proper acquaintance. There is likewise a mental viewpoint where seeing chargers on a guide, regardless of the fact that they’re far away, sort of rouses you to close the crevice and get together with them all the more regularly.

Weaknesses

It is risky to charge phones in public places

There is risk of damaging a phones battery due to constant charging

Charger seller will develop an idea that the public chargers are pushing them out of business.

We need to make the best conceivable area imparting the app for individuals to effortlessly let others know where they are and associate securely and secretly with chargers, family or even fans. We think The app does area offering right to the ideal mix of protection and control for individuals to feel great utilizing the application to tell chargers where they are and get together all the more frequently and the objective in 2014 is to distinguish what sorts of individuals need The app the most and enhance the application for them. For instance, we’ve begun working with craftsmen and games groups who will utilize The app to send exceptional substance to their fans to captivate and prize them for their devotion. Craftsmen, groups or promoters could run challenges and let fans send in labels demonstrating help, then effortlessly remunerate them with tickets, exceptional substance, or an opportunity to get together or get backs the ape passes just to give several situations.

There are such a variety of innovations making it simpler to do things remotely, so maybe The app can be an imperative counter-compel in that helps unite individuals simply minimal all the more regularly restoring a bit of genuine eye to eye genuine human connection. This is a truly effective motivation for us to make an incredible item.

Our reason was that by giving individuals apparatuses to gather and the best nearby substance – most loved restaurants, bars, and things to do – that the item would spread virally and in the long run neighborhood organizations could promote on Pinchit. The site got to around 100k month to month clients basically in SF, however growing to different urban communities was a great deal more troublesome in light of the fact that we needed to restart in every new city. We additionally confronted savage rivalry in the space from many nearby sites, and applications and locales all went for helping individuals find extraordinary neighborhood things.

In the wake of attempting to stretch past SF, we needed to turn and take care of an issue that we felt nobody else was truly dealing with or doing right. We needed to stay in the nearby/ social space and keep concentrating on the same youthful urban demographic (which is basically ourselves). From chipping away at Pinchit, we understood that arranging meeting up with chargers can be a burdensome process regarding attempting to discover where everybody is and where individuals ought to go, and no application fit the requirement for secretly letting a couple of chargers where you are without being followed so we simply dove in and started building an application which has advanced to The app (Perez, 2012).

We’ve brought numerous lessons with us from Pinchit. One undeniable lesson is that everything is going versatile. An expanding number of clients from Pinchit were getting to the substance from their telephones rather than PCs. The second lesson is to deal with a truly particular agony point that nobody else has verged on doing right. In a truly packed space like every day arrangements or nearby revelation, there is almost no edge for lapse – you need to execute perfectly for individuals to switch over to your administration and you need to make an administration that is 10x superior to any contenders and having a greater war-midsection than any contenders does not hurt either (Perez, 2012). An alternate technique is to concentrate on tackling a truly particular issue that nobody else is doing, and even a little, incline group can get mass reception rapidly and succeed with an incredible item. Foursquare is turning to substance disclosure making tracks in an opposite direction from the “check-in” and we haven’t seen any other individual important who is truly pondering area imparting, so there is a gigantic open door for The app to hit the nail on the head.

In conclusion, I would say we’ve taken in the criticalness of staying lean at the early sthe appe on the grounds that it’s simpler to move rapidly. We’ve had standards of the “lean startup” fortified in distinctive courses through experience, for instance, we trust in having short discharge cycles and emphasizing rapidly. This permits us to get quick criticism and continue enhancing the item into an incredible administration that individuals love and “need to have” in light of the fact that it fits an exceptional need (Ludwig, 2012).

References

Siegler, MG (June 11, 2008). “Analyst: There’s a great future in iPhone apps”. Venture Beat.

“”App” voted 2010 word of the year by the American Dialect Society (UPDATED) American

Dialect Society”. Americandialect.org.

Pogue, David (November 4, 2009). “A Place to Put Your Apps”. New York Times.

Yetisen, A. K., Martinez-Hurtado, J. L., et al (2014). The regulation of mobile medical

applications. Lab on a Chip, 14(5), 833-840. dx.doi.org/10.1039/C3LC51235E

Ludwig, Sean. December 5, 2012. venturebeat.com, study: “Mobile app usage grows 35%, TV &

web not so much”

Perez, Sarah. July 2, 2012. “comScore: In U.S. Mobile Market, Samsung, Android Top The

Charts; Apps Overtake Web Browsing.” techcrunch.com

Matthias Böhmer, Brent Hecht, Johannes Schöning, Antonio Krüger, and Gernot Bauer. 2011.

Falling asleep with Angry Birds, Facebook and Kindle: a large scale study on mobile app usage. In: Proceedings of the 13th International Conference on Human Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices and Services (MobileHCI ’11). ACM, New York, NY, USA, 47-56.

“Mobile apps revenues tipped to reach $26bn in 2013”. The Guardian. 11 October 2013.

VisionMobile, Plum Consulting, “European App Economy” analyst report, September 2013

Crime And Media Images Of Crime Are Becoming As Real As Crime Itself

Crime And Media: Images Of Crime Are Becoming As ‘Real’ As Crime Itself

Introduction

Any discussion on the close resemblance between images of crime and real crime itself is basically a study of the relationship between agents of images of crime which is mass media and agents of real-life crime. The relationship between these two closely-alike agents needs to be closely examined and clear boundaries set. However, recent trends of real-life crimes shows such examination may bear little fruits as crime images portrayed in popular media have turned into precursors of real-life instead of serving their intended role of invoking moral panic. As a matter of fact, recent research shows that not only are images of crime closely similar to crime itself, but that images of crimes lead to the crime itself (see for example Leishman and Mason, 2002; Leitch, 2003a; 2003b; 2003c). There is a general contention that young people tend to associate themselves with popular film characters and even go to the extent of emulating some of their behaviour traits. This essay seeks to explore how images of crime are becoming as ‘real’ as crime itself. This will be achieved by way of giving examples. Overall, it will be argued that the mass media has failed to induce moral panic and instead has turned to be the popular knowledge repository where would-be criminals learn their first criminal skills.

Relationship between Crime Images and Real-Life Crime

The mass media portrays crime in a rather problematic manner. There is a growing concern among theorists and criminologists alike that mass media have become more of a cause and not a deterrent of crime (ASC, 2010; Brain, 2002; Chancer, 2005). However, Reiner (2007) posits that this trend is not new. While giving the case of Magistrate Patrick Colquhoun, Reiner shows that as early as the 18th century, mass media was perceived as a major precursor of crime. He claims that in a landmark ruling, Magistrate Patrick pointed out that since the media is perceived by majority of the people as a lens through which one can look into the outside world as well as a mirror through which one can polish their images, then the recent cases of crime among the young people could be because many people especially the young look at film characters as role models which should be emulated. These sentiments are shared by Leitch (2003b), who claims that young people lack a strong sense of judgment and are easily beguiled into following popular film characters even when their moral standing is weak. Moreover, Leitch (2003a) argues that though portrayals of crime in the mass media are meant to instil moral panic among the audience, this is not always the case as recent crime trends indicate – young people develop a liking of criminal characters instead despising them. Specifically and while drawing from Leitch (2002: 15), it is true that,

Crime films operate by mediating between two powerful but blankly contradictory articles of faith: that the social order that every crime challenges is ultimately well-defined, stable, and justified in consigning different people to the mutually exclusive roles of lawbreakers, law enforcers, and the victims who are the audience’s natural identification figures; and that every audience member is not only a potential victim but a potential avenger and a potential criminal under the skin.

Media portrayal of crime is biased and may at times attract criminal sentiments. Though the above statement by Leitch (2002) was made in an attempt to define what a crime film entails, one cannot fail to see that the perceptions drawn by crime film audience could actually be retrogressive to the very gist of crime films. For instance, crime films that are constructed from the perspective of the criminal who ends up evading law enforcers are most likely to portray crime as a good thing among the young audience whose content analytical skills are not well developed. Since according to Reiner (2007), content analysis is an art and a science that requires high levels of cognitive capability and great moral composure, it is only wise to reason that the young audience may fail to grasp the moral of a crime film and blindly believe that the society expects them to exhibit hardcore characters as a normal way of day-to-day survival in their respective societies. Leitch (2003c) supports this sentiments by positing that though crime films are meant to be educative on matters of morality and law, most are times when they are interpreted wrongly especially those films with complex storylines. Overall, it is arguable that like many other literary works, crime films are full of scriptural fallacies that tend to mislead the audience into believing that one can engage on crime and get away with it.

Media portrayal of crime is not consistent with the actuality. A content analysis of the reporting of crime in newspapers, official statistical reports as well as in radio and television programmes by Reiner (2007) shows a systematic and rather intentional disparity between crimes reporting and the actuality. Specifically, there is a disparity between the reported offenses, the crime victims, the offenders and the roles played by law enforcers in the crime in question. Usually, these differences are revealed when authorities commission a statistical survey. Nevertheless and as Leitch (2002) shows, at times such surveys gather accurate data but their interpretation and reporting is again not impartially carried out. Many studies have documented this problem and have gone ahead to show that this disparity is partly responsible for the escalating cases of criminal activities in poor working class neighbourhoods where access to authentic information may be a big challenge. For instance, Leitch (2003a; 2003b) argues that the overrepresentation of crime creates a hardcore-mentality among poor neighbourhood youths who in turn form vigilante groups for self protection. Over the course of time, these vigilante groups generate into criminal gangs especially if their purpose is defeated when official crime combat teams made up of elite police squads take over to crash criminal elements. Moreover, Reiner (2007) shows that overrepresentation provokes law enforcement agencies to roll out extreme measures which sometimes may be oppressive as to elicit negative sentiments among the youths who may in turn become run-away belligerents.

The contemporary society mediatises almost all major behavioural indicators. A paper presented in the ASC annual meeting in San Francisco in 2010, argues that in a world characterised by multi-mediatisation of cultural and ethical values, one’s moral standing is a function of the media they consume. Specifically, the article attaches the contemporary crime trends to the mediatisation of the justice system – human experience from a justice system is approached broadly from the popular culture (media) representation. These sentiments seem to be influenced by what Greer (2010) refers to as “media criminology” or the link between the intended functions of the mediatisation of crime and the actual results of such mediatisation. Specifically, it can be inferred that indeed, the media is a good tool for crime prevention especially when it is utilised rightly, however, it is clear here that since almost every human experience has been mediatised, there is the likelihood that some mediums such as the internet are wrongly misunderstood. For example, there are a lot of crime related video games circulating in the computer world and many youth have grown popular with them. Brain (2002) confirm this contention by arguing that as opposed to other mediums such as television and news papers where the audience only views or reads crime news, videos games have a major impact on their audience as they require one to actively take part, practice and perfect a game.

There is a very narrow distinction between fiction and fact crime images in the contemporary mass media. Due to their popular nature among the young and middle aged population, the production of crime related films has become a multimillion dollar industry – today, film producers outdo each other in producing literary works out of almost every major criminal justice related activity including the recent trend of terrorist activities (ASC, 2010). A latest book by an alleged member of the team of SEAL marines who took part in the successful killing of Osama bin Laden exemplifies this argument. This competition has however made it very hard to distinguish between what constitutes a true story and factual one. While drawing from past studies done by Leishman and Mason (2002), Reiner (2007) argues that some crime films are just too entertaining and influential as to beguile the audience that they are indeed real. For example, any film showing the abduction and the subsequent killing of Osama may sell millions of copies in a short time. Moreover, while drawing from Chancer (2005) postulation that the images of characters portrayed in films are etched in the minds of the viewers and irrespective of whether they are true or fictitious, one only imagines how Osama sympathisers will react towards the western culture when such a film is realised. These sentiments are shared by Lawrence (2000) and INNES (2001) in their accounts of the O.J. Simpson trial, assault of Rodney King and the CCTV records of Jamie Bulger killing. All these images can be precursors to criminal activities depending on one’s cognitive and content analysis capabilities.

Contemporary crime, from a “media criminology” standpoint occurs in a systematic manner. In his work Reiner (2007) argues that contemporary crime can be conceptualised into the following core theoretical frameworks. Arguably, these frameworks spans the length of time one takes to familiarise themselves with a literary work and the actions they take as advised by these literary works (ASIC, 2010; Brain, 2002; Chancer, 2005). They include labelling, motive, means, opportunity and absence of control. The media cannot be said to be a framework in itself but it helps to unbundle the frameworks. Labelling entails the portrayal of certain characters as criminals in crime films. Since most of these characters are given the “main actor” tag, it is only wise to argue that they have a lasting mark on their audience (Reiner, 2007). On the other hand, most psychological and legal studies agree that criminal activities are aggravated (see for example, ASC, 2010; Brain, 2002; Chancer, 2005). This aggravation amounts to motives. One can form a motive after watching an emotionally wrenching film, such as the capture, sentencing, and hanging of Saddam Hussein. On the other hand, means entails the flexibility with which one can access various media platforms to access new knowledge. For example, Reiner (2007) shows that the murder of Jamie Bulger was influenced by a popular video in the 1950s called child’s play. Criminal opportunity manifests in the ease with which the media presents new methods and types of crime. One can watch many crime documentaries showing different homicides perpetuated in different locations and put such methods into practice (Chancer, 20055). The proliferation of internet enable mobile devices presents this opportunity at the tap of a button. There is much freedom today in most societies when it comes to accessing informative mediums such as the internet. This leads to avoidable crimes. This is true since has been noted that controls prevent crimes (Brain, 2002; Chancer, 2005), For instance, cases of rape can be reduced if underage children are barred from accessing pornographic materials.

Nevertheless, “mediatised criminology” is entirely not tied to the above conditions. Recent works by ASC (2010) and Greer (2010) reinforce this contention by clarifying that the order in which these conditions are structured in not always rigid, sometimes, crime can take place without a clear motive, without labelling, without a clear opportunity, or even in instances when there is clear control. Here, the authors suggest that the mediatisation of crime does not necessarily take place a long a formal line, rather an offender can just wake up one day and decides to set their neighbours property on fire because they saw a film depicting a celebrity such as the controversial Italian and Manchester City footballer, Mario Ballotelli was reported to have set his own house on fire for setting firecrackers in his bathroom.

Conclusion

There is no doubt that crime films contribute to real-life crime. This easy has argued that crime films clearly label some characters as criminals through the roles they are assigned to play. Such labelling draws much meaning especially when it is accompanied by motive, means, and the opportunity to put what has been learned in a film to practice. This is exacerbated by the lack of control on what people can watch as anyone can access an amateur movie through online applications such as you tube. That crime films are usually biased and far from the actuality makes these conditions to be easily realised. Moreover, since people look at media as a tool for social procreation, people especially the young might want to put into practice what they learn from crime films. This is true since it has become very hard to differentiate between a factual and a fictitious literary work.

References

AC (Nov. 2010), Mass Media and the Social Construction of Crime: A Critique and Implications for the Future, Article presented at the Annual Meetings of the ASC, San Francisco, November 2010, available at: HYPERLINK “http://www.greggbarak.com/whats_new_6.html” http://www.greggbarak.com/whats_new_6.html (accessed September 4, 2012).

Brain, C. (2002), Advanced psychology: applications, issues and perspectives, Cheltenham, Nelson Thornes.

Chancer, L. S. (2005), High-profile crimes: when legal cases become social causes, Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.

Greer, C. (Ed.) (2010), Crime and media: A reader, London, UK: Routledge Publishers Limited.

Lawrence, R.G. (2000), The Politics of Force: Media and the Construction of Police Brutality, Berkeley: University of California Press.

Leishman, F., and Mason, P. (2002), Policing and the Media: Facts, Fictions and Factions, Cullompton: Willan.

Leitch, T. (2002), Crime films,New York, NY: The Press Syndicate of the University Of Cambridge.

Leitch, T. (2003), ‘Basic instinct and the erotic thriller’, In Crime Films: Genres in American Cinema, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 146-169.

Leitch, T. (2003), ‘Fury and the victim film’, In Crime Films: Genres in American Cinema, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 79-102.

Leitch, T. (2003), ‘Murder on the orient express, blue velvet and the un-official detective film’, In Crime Films: Genres in American Cinema, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 170-191.

Reiner, R. (2007). ‘Media made criminality the representation of crime in the mass media’, in M. Maguire, R. Morgan and R. Reiner, The Oxford handbook of criminology, New York, NY: Oxford University Press, pp. 376-416.

Should Abortion be banned

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Should Abortion be banned?

The question of whether abortion should be banned has been discussed for a long time, yet an agreement is yet to be achieved (Rebar, 2022). Religious and personal beliefs are amongst the critical factors that determine the practice of abortion. Considering that abortion is a crucial element that affects the health of women in the reproductive age, it is important to exhaustively discuss the question, determine the most suitable decision, and evaluate its related health advantages, to determine its fitness for implementation.

Abortion should not be banned; rather, the government system should focus to provide safer abortion services for women, to enhance their quality of lives. The majority of Americans agree that women should have the right to choose and decide on matters that affect their wellbeing. Majority of the population are also moving more toward supporting “safe, legal, affordable” abortion. Considering the health of women in the reproductive age, the future of our society, and the welfare of our children, we must support legal abortions and work towards making it easier to obtain. Legalizing abortion gives women the freedom and access to obtain a safe abortion. It is predicted that one in three American women will have an abortion by age 45, but only if they are wealthy enough to afford it. The majority of women who seek an abortion come from the working class and rely on public health providers for their medical care. If abortions were illegal, these women would have nowhere to turn except to unsafe clinics and back-alley practitioners; thus, endangering their lives. Legalizing abortion will enable women to seek quality services from experienced practitioners, and encourage them to confidently seek counselling to make correct decisions concerning pregnancies; more so the unwanted ones.

However, antiabortion activists in the society support that abortion should banned, and argue that abortion is murder and it is unethical (Hughes, 2022). The activists think that abortion should be restricted and they want to impose laws that prevent the procedure from being performed. In 1967, in a legislative debate for legalization of abortion, an antiabortion activist argued that the act is selfish, inhuman, and against the religious beliefs (Hughes, 2022). Antiabortion activists emphasize more on the religious obligations rather than the wellbeing of individuals. In my opinion, religious beliefs and practices should not deny people the right to make important decision; more so, those that affect their health. Religion definitely plays a significant role in the decision-making process, where Christians are against abortion for religious reasons, for example, the Catholic Church argues against abortion on religious grounds; however, many Christian churches have changed their position on abortion due to the advancement in technology and science. Religious practices and beliefs should therefore not be allowed to hinder the achievement of optimum health for women.

The health benefits of legal abortion include being able to avoid an unwanted pregnancy, and the physical, mental, and social effects of a pregnancy (Rebar, 2022). The major benefit for the woman is that if she is able to receive an abortion, it will give her secure knowledge about her body’s capacity for the pregnancy (Rebar, 2022). Additionally, in a society where abortion is not legal and affordable, there will be more unwanted pregnancies; thus, further increasing incidences of unplanned pregnancies that lead to abortions (Rebar, 2022). In comparison to other developed countries such as Singapore and Japan, there are more illegal abortions than legal ones (12% as opposed to 1%); therefore, not providing women with safe abortions has resulted in greater number of deaths due to unsafe abortions (4.5% as opposed to 0.1%) (Rebar, 2022).

In conclusion, abortion should be legalized since banning it simply risks the health of women, who have the right to choose what is best for them. It will positively impact the health of women, and will protect their rights, as banning would only force them to seek dangerous and illegal abortions.

References

Hughes, R. (2022). Tiny You: A Western History of the Anti-Abortion Movement. https://academic.oup.com/jah/article-abstract/108/4/879/6564972Rebar, R. W. (2022). Abortion and Me. Obstetrics & Gynecology, 10-1097. https://journals.lww.com/greenjournal/Fulltext/9900/Abortion_and_Me.446.aspx

Crime Fighting Strategy

Crime Fighting Strategy

Introduction

What is crime? Many definitions have been provided to define crime. There are many variations depending on what the type of crime committed. Therefore crime is based on anything that is contrary to the criminal justice of any nation or country. Crime is an offence committed by an individual against the state laws or set of conditions that protect basic the community. The society is made of certain aspects that maintain and manage order amongst its members. In order to maintaining peace, unit and harmony Smartt, U. (2006), it was devised to implement various clauses that explain what is to be carried out if a crime is committed, therefore a criminal justice system is developed. Therefore crime can be an offence that is punishable by the law.

Therefore due to the existence of a criminal justice system it has become efficiency to uphold the trend of punishing law offender and criminals. Therefore a criminal justice is the grouping of various governmental set standards and institutions that uphold the common agenda of maintaining peace and order in the society. Through the various institutions that have been established by the government are, court systems that are used to pass judgment to various criminal offenders, correctional facilities that act as basic institutions, to provide discipline and keep out of dangerous individuals from the public and society. Finally there are law enforcers such as the police, military personnel and other justice institutions that make the laws for punishing individuals with criminal intent, Smartt, U. (2006). 

In order for the criminal justice to exist, it has become essential to implement certain crime fighting strategies that can act as means of maintaining order and peace in a society without using the power of law. Consequently in order to safely implement these criminal justice systems, it has developed different strategies that maintain the aspect of developing a better means and way of controlling crime. There are many strategies that have been used by various systems in order to control crime in the community. Since there are many reasons that may certainly force individuals to break laws and standards set by various community leaders and their government, it is therefore important to establish leadership and responsibility forums that seek to educate everybody on how to be responsible, Baker, T. E. (2009).

Crime Educating Forum

This is a better strategy in the current dynamic world. It creates a better understanding of the world of criminal justice in any responsible governmental, Keyes, L. C. (1992). . There are many strategies that cannot be quantified as providing a person with the knowledge of making reason ahead of everything. Others may argue that anybody with a better reasoning can still commit a crime. Therefore it is important to develop a reasonably means of developing a criminal justice that first educates the society of the importance of maintaing a crime free society. In the community development there are rules that engage various people about the responsibility of following rules and set standards, Baker, T. E. (2009). Therefore the policy behind this strategy is to outsource the many resources of law and criminal justice in order to educate the public on what is to be done when certain measures are broken. Regardless of the crime committed, correctional means may differ depending on the crime committed. Therefore with first hand information and a department committed to creating a better and crime free society, this is the perfect policy that will seek every person and individual in upholding an outstanding criminal justice system.

Purpose of this policy

The main objective of developing this policy is to educate the public and society on the importance of developing a well educated and fundamental society that upholds law. In order to encompass a community or society, it has become fundamental and essential to form an educative program that can be integrated into our society’s common agendas. This will create a better frontal that helps in maintaining the balance of leadership and justice. How does one improve the desire of maintain a better society? Education has become a paramount resource nowadays that will maintain order and harmony, Keyes, L. C. (1992). .

Theory of the policy

There are many theories that cab grouped in the study towards achieving and proposing this policy. In order to oversee the power of knowledge it is important to gain understanding and then acting on the conscience of that idea. Committing crime cannot be regarded as the fundamental idea of lacking reasoning and power of making sound decisions. Therefore this is a policy developed from the theory of knowledge and understanding the consequences of committing a certain crime, Keyes, L. C. (1992). Furthermore it is encouraging to learn that among the many strategies that have been developed they are all based on achieving the integrity of the society and criminal justice. Passing judgment can be seen as thing of integrity and not persuasion.

Anticipated benefits

The strategy should be able to provide basic ideas about developing a resourceful atmosphere and community that seeks the power of knowledge and unity. Taking into account the many reasons and beliefs about criminal justice, through better understanding and following of the rules, will help achieve an integral justice system. This system will be viewed with an idea that is essential and for the betterment of the community.

Advantages and Disadvantages of the policy

The policy has many ideas and advantages that can be viewed as means to promote the general community. Therefore some of the benefits will include;

Developing a better society that understands the common goals of justice

To avoid and reduce the number of crime offenders in the community

To enhance integration and cohesion among society members

To enhance the importance of objectivity and justice for the society, Keyes, L. C. (1992). 

Although there are many benefits, it may have contrary effects on the society

Although education is fundamental, it can’t cure ignorance that many societies face about leadership and the power or rules.

Educating every individual in the society may be a tedious work that many volunteer may deem unnecessary

Sometimes education may be different interpreted by many people hence it may lack meaning to others

Not all community members are literate to understand the concept being presented, Keyes, L. C. (1992).

Implementation plan

How can the community and government implement this educating policy? There are many issues that many governmental bodies can use to implement this policy. The government and justice institutions may integrate this policy through education forums in the public and schools. Presenting different talk shows in the public and community gathering is a better way of creating cohesion and integration among community society. Hosting public forums is essential in developing a clear resource center, Baker, T. E. (2009). This resource center will have sufficient resources and educating the society about crime and its effects if not well developed and monitored. Employing community volunteers to educate society from one area to another in order to implement the common goal of teaching and educating the public about law and crime.

References

Baker, T. E. (2009). Intelligence-led policing: Leadership, strategies, and tactics. Flushing, NY: Looseleaf Law Publications.

Davies, M., Croall, H., & Tyrer, J. (2009). Criminal justice. New York: Pearson Longman.

Keyes, L. C. (1992). Strategies and saints: Fighting drugs in subsidized housing. Washington, D.C: Urban Institute Press.

Palmiotto, M. (1999). Community policing: A policing strategy for the 21st century. Gaithersburg, Md: Aspen.

Purpura, P. P. (1996). Criminal justice: An introduction. Boston: Butterworth-Heinemann.

Smartt, U. (2006). Criminal justice. London [u.a.: SAGE.

The baby’s first year’s causal study is trying to determine how reduction of poverty causses changes in brain development

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The baby’s first year’s causal study is trying to determine how reduction of poverty causses changes in brain development. The research study was conducted on randomized mothers within the United States, who were given unconditional cash gifts, and others were made to receive larger amounts of money which could help change their day-to-day lives, and most likely increasing their monthly income by 20% to 25% (TED Salon, 2019). The research was committed to determine whether poverty reduction helps to improve the cognitive, emotional, and brain development of a child within their first three years of life.

The neuroscientists are trying to understand whether the cost-effective way to help children living in poverty would be to give their mothers more money that would first help to reduce the poverty level. The researchers postulate that the level of family income affects a child’s brain structure; such that, children born in disadvantaged families have been found to have a smaller surface area of the brain cortex, while those from non-disadvantaged families have larger surface area (TED Salon, 2019). Thus, their study is to understand the effectiveness of poverty reducing in improving the brain development of a child.

The study is trying to produce a hypothesis that would support that reducing poverty would promote the child’s brain, cognitive, and emotional development. If the hypothesis is established, the researchers intend to use the study results to address and inform debates about social servicesthat have a greater influence on millions of families with young children within the USA. The results would be used to prove that addressing poverty will mean that children born in poverty today will have a promised brighter future (TED Salon, 2019).

Information learnt from this study is important because it helps to promote the understanding on how poverty affects the child’s brain development. It also helps to communicate the message that issue of brain development can be tackled through provision of better lifestyles for the families that are affected by poverty itself. By focusing to improve the brain development of children, the study will help to reduce inequalities and to achieve the objectives of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). This study is also significant because its results will help to build up the evidence on how poverty affects development of children’s brain, and how it can be addressed. Understanding what poverty does to a child’s brain development is important since there are millions of children who live in poor conditions within the US. Besides, poverty’s effects on child’s brain development is a critical factor in other social issues, not only educational outcomes, but also job employment. Hence, the study will hep to build a more comprehensive view of poverty and its effect on the neurological wellbeing of a child., as well as their cognition and socio-emotional competence.

This information can be used to enhance family economic stability and well-being through the support that would be provided by the welfare system after the study’s results inform on the effectiveness of addressing poverty. This will help to reduce poverty and improve brain development of the children which will result in improved academic performance; thus, increasing chances of employment. As a result, the wellbeing of families will be improved since the children will be made independent.

Studies show that children from low-income families are confronted with risk factors such as impaired physical health, mental health problems as well as exposure to toxic substances at home. These factors in turn lead to decreased cognitive and socio-emotional development of these children which may lead them into crime and substance abuse. By addressing the problem of poverty, the brain development of a child will be enhanced; thus, improving the child’s academic performance and reducing further involvement in crime.

References

TED Salon. (2019, January). How does income affect childhood brain development? [Video file]. https://www.ted.com/talks/kimberly_noble_how_does_income_affect_childhood_brain_development

Crime- Juvenile Delinquency

Crime- Juvenile Delinquency

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Introduction

Sociologically, crime and deviance can be viewed as the externalities or acts that are harmful to the individual and society at large, which are prohibited and punishable by law. Each and every social setting has mores, values, beliefs and expected standards that govern interaction of the members and in the long run help to streamline coexistence. For an action to be classified as crime it must be engagement in an activity that sways away from mores and standards of expected behavior accompanied by intentions of the errant which is mostly motivated by strict societal exceptions. In the analysis of social order, institutions within a given social setting and structures have defined social practices that maintain, conserve and enforce ways of interactions and behavior in order to reproduce those conditions that are capable of continually reproducing conditions essential for its own existence (Inderbitzin, Bates & Gainey, 2013). This implies that different institutions will have different definitions of crime and different mechanisms of control or course of action in case there is violation; the conditions affecting the changes and magnitude of committing these crimes and the form of legal or penal responses made by that institution. Juvenile delinquency on the other hand can be viewed as a classification of crime that is associated with young people that is, individuals younger than the statutory age of majority. This age will differ with countries and economies, social institutions and structures as the independence of expected behavior varies and depending with the nature and severity of the crime committed, juveniles can be tried or punished as adults. This paper will evaluate juvenile delinquency from a sociological perspective by use of theories and other sociological insights in a bid to understand various concepts of and offer solutions to this classification of crime since at this age control and management of behavior is paramount to curb regional and international crimes in now and in future.

In human growth and development, there are transitional stages which are characterized by various psychological needs and wants and puberty, as the age bracket of our interest, has personal challenges that can promote development of crime and other violations of social order. For instance, in cognitive development, individuals’ at this age bracket are more abstract than egocentric enabling individual to reason and think in a wider perspective with which the executive functioning of thoughts and cognitive skills control and coordinate thoughts and behaviors. Sociological and behavioral studies suggest that thoughts, notions and perceptions developed at this stage of life significantly impact individual’s future life by shaping one’s character that plays a major role in personality formation. It is in this stage of social development that adolescents form personal identities with egocentrism influencing the self-conscious desire to feel important/ recognition in social groups and enjoy social acceptance (Nofziger, 2010). Theories suggest normalcy as part of development rather than formation but the cognitive process of change in both content of one’s thoughts and structure about one’s self makes it more of a formation and thus control and management of traits such as self-awareness and self-control will lead to wise decisions during the stage and in transition to adulthood.

Researchers suggest two types of juvenile delinquency, repeat offender; defined as life-course-persistent offender who starts showing anti-social / aggressive behaviors in childhood to adolescence and continues to adulthood and specific offender also known as adolescence-limited offender whose anti-social and aggressive behaviors begins and ends during the adolescence period. For good parenting and societal nurturing, it is important for stakeholders to account for behavioral changes from childhood to later stages of development in a bid to evaluate the course of action for respective individual. For instance, by understanding the behavioral changes one can identify an adolescent-limited individual by analyzing his/her post-adolescent actions such as less pathology, dropping of criminal/ aggressive activities once the adolescence is over and other problematic issues such as substance abuse and financial dilemmas, characterized at both adolescence and adulthood for those who were delinquent than those who were not (Moshman, 2011).

Causes

Sociologically juvenile delinquency can be attributed to two major factors of personal/cognitive development and external factors with personal growth/cognitive factors largely influenced by process of growth and development which can be tamed or untamed depending with the approach implemented. For instance, experts view juvenile crimes to be disproportionately committed on sex differences with boys more susceptible than girls; attribute that feminism theories suggest as ideologies of masculinity that make boys feel strong, powerful and aggressive necessitating competition, which in the process of asserting and expressing their masculinity end up in anti-social and criminal behaviors (Silvestri & Crowther-Dowey, 2008). Other factors within the development can be social and economic class of these adolescents as they grow up with the observations that the ones from low social status and who in one way feel social or racial disaggregated are prone to juvenile delinquency. This is naturally manifested in the process of growth and development which with effective control and management from parents and other social institutions can be tamed and managed in the long run. External factors include family factors and peer influence with family factors taking form of parental supervision; disciplining and punishing, parental conflicts and separations, parental abuse and other parent-child relationships influence the susceptibility of the child to juvenile delinquency. Peer influence on the other hand fall under differential association and cultural organization with observations that in a group context, existence of culturally complex communal institutions such as schools, churches and social group, coupled with peer pressure can lead to children diverting their focus to crime (Gelfand, Chiu & Hong, 2011).

Risks and Mitigation

Risks involved with juvenile delinquency include behavioral and cognitive problems such as extreme criminal behaviors of rape, murder and other violent behaviors in childhood or adolescence and other cognitive problems in adulthood such as substance abuse and poor financial and time management, low intelligence and impulsiveness, gratification, restlessness and lack of empathy in adulthood. As part of mitigation, effective parenting such as consequence-based discipline; parents should avoid neglect so as to know and monitor child’s activities and actions, they should be reflective on justifying the discipline actions to avoid authoritative and harsh discipline to the children as they grow and they should give attention to their children especially on mental and psychological needs necessary for upright development.

Conclusion

Juvenile delinquency as a subtype of crime cannot be ignored in that ineffective management can lead to developmental problems which can necessitate crime in a wider perspective both in childhood and in adulthood. This can be tamed and managed by proper parenting and strengthening of social institutions; which as a sociologist, understanding the process of growth and development in conjunction with adaptability in the social institutions will go further in reducing the cases of juvenile crimes for societal, regional and international peace and coexistence.

References

Moshman, D. (2011). Adolescent rationality and development: Cognition, morality, and identity. New York: Psychology Press

Silvestri, M., & Crowther-Dowey, C. (2008). Gender & crime. Los Angeles: SAGE.

Nofziger, S. (January 01, 2010). A Gendered Perspective on the Relationship Between Self-Control and Deviance. Feminist Criminology, 5, 1, 29-50

Gelfand, M. J., Chiu, C., & Hong, Y. (2011). Advances in culture and psychology. New York: Oxford University Press.

Inderbitzin, M. L., Bates, K. A., & Gainey, R. R. (2013). Deviance and social control: A sociological perspective. Los Angeles: SAGE.