Against Capital Punishment Essays - Crime, Misconduct, Penology

Against Capital Punishment ?At 8:00 p.m. it was nearing the end of John Evans' last day on death row. He had spent most of the day with his minister and family, praying and talking of what was to come. At 8:20 he was walked from his cell down to the long hall to the execution room and strapped in the electric chair. At 8:30 p.m. the first jolt of 1900 volts passed through Mr. Evans' body. It lasted 30 seconds. Sparks and flames erupted from the electrode tied to Mr. Evans' leg. His body slammed against the straps holding him in the chair and his fist clenched permanently. The electrode then burst from the strap holding it in place. A large puff of gray smoke and sparks pored out from under the hood that covered his face. An overpowering stench of burnt flesh and clothing began pervading the witness room. Two doctors then examined Mr. Evans and declared that he was not dead. The electrode was then refastened and Mr. Evans was given another 30-second jolt. The stench was nauseating. Again the doctors examined him and found his heart still beating. At this time the prison commissioner, who was talking on the line with Governor George Wallace of Alabama, was asked to cancel the execution on the grounds that Mr. Evans was being subject to cruel and unusual punishment. The request was denied. At 8:40 p.m. the third charge of electricity was passed through Mr. Evans body. At 8:44 p.m. he was pronounced dead. The execution took 14 minutes. Afterward officials were embarrassed by what one observer called the ?barbaric ritual.? The electric chair is supposed to be a very humane way of administering death, if there is one? (Zimring, & Hawkins, 1986, p.1). Every Western Industrial nation has stopped executing criminals, except the United States. Most Western nations have executed criminals in this century, and many were executed after World War II. Then executions suddenly decreased (Clay, 1990, p.9). This is partly because the people in many European countries might have been tired of killing from the war. In most cases the countries and states that stopped capital punishment followed with its formal abolition shortly after (Clay, 1990, p.10). One reason that the United States did not end capital punishment at this time is partly due to the fact that the war was never fought on our soil and US citizens had not all lived through the death and destruction of WWII personally. Some think that the United States should have followed Europe's lead and abolished capital punishment; some think it never should. The truth of the matter is, the United States should cease the use of capital punishment in both federal and state prisons. Capital punishment is immoral and unethical; it degrades society, and lowers the value of a human life. It does not deter murder, it is not economically efficient, and its effects are irreversible. There is not one good reason to keep executing wrongdoers in the United States or anywhere else. Capital punishment goes against the morals and standards that our country is based upon. A punishment that inflicts harm on a person can hardly be good or moral if it is purposeless. A punishment may be given to a wrongdoer for one or a combination of the following reasons: (1) to protect the community from the criminal returning to previous activity, (2) to rehabilitate the offender; and (3) to restore the moral order breached by the violation. Capital punishment is not required to accomplish any of these purposes. Other alternatives work better or at least as well (Robinson, 1999, October 7). Killing is not the answer (Bender& Leone, 1987 p. 63). Recently some states have been implementing life without parole as an alternative to death. This has proven just a successful as the death penalty for punishment. It prevents criminals from returning to society, and is less expensive than capital punishment (Vila & Morris, 1997, p.255). Another study shows that over 80% of those serving li fe sentences will never commit another crime, and well over 80% will never again commit a capital offense (Bedau, 1999, November 10). These statistics clearly show that other forms of punishment are successful in the deterrence

Sculpting Earths Surface Presentation

Sculpting Earths Surface Presentation Introduction The geographic features that define the Earth, such as volcanoes, trenches, mountains and even the physical locations of various continents, have been defined by the motions created as a result of the plates that make up the Earth’s crust. These plates that have been estimated to be fifteen in number drift on the molten rock which surrounds the core of the earth (Rackley, 2008).Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Sculpting Earth’s Surface Presentation specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It is the collision of these plates that lead to the formation of various features such as the mountains, and the trenches. Other than the processes of collision mentioned herein, erosion from both the wind and rain and other movements like glaciers also contribute to the sculpting of the Earth’s surface. Sculpting of the Earth’s surface can therefore be understood as the process through which vario us features tend to be created on the surface of the earth (Rackley, 2008). The rest of this report presents sculpting analysis, and finally gives the conclusion. Analysis of earth sculpting The processes that lead to the sculpting of the surface of the Earth have been attributed to the violent collisions that exist between the tectonic plates and the fragments of the rocky outer shell that are constantly in motion. The best example to demonstrate this is the southern part of Africa. In this region exists one of the world’s largest plateau of over one thousand miles both in depth and across. Despite having this feature that has been observed to slowly rise over the past period, geologic evidence collected by various researchers has demonstrated that this part of Africa and environs have not experienced a tectonic collisions for over four hundred million years (Ritseme, 2001). Source: Gurnis, M., (2001). Sculpting of the earth from Inside Out. Scientific American Inc.Advertis ing Looking for report on geology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The diagram above represents a mental map that combines measurements of thousands of vibrations caused by earthquakes that have been believed to travel through the planet. Blue areas in blue color represent the cold, dense rock that is believed to have experienced a quick movement, yellow, representing hot but less compact rock that is believed to have experienced slower movement. The sculpting features can therefore only be attributed to some vertical motion by a large chunk of the earth’s surface. Other examples that would support this premise are evidently observed from the vast stretches of the North America and Australia which are believed to have been bowed down some thousands of years ago and suddenly reappeared (Gurnis, 2001). Geologists have extensively studied the central layer of the planet Earth, a region believed to be a scalding; hot rock is found just below some jigsaw combination of tectonic plates and stretches much deeper to about 1800 miles away from the outer edge of the earth’s iron core (Gurnis, 2001). Earlier studies indicated that the differences in the mantle temperature result in the solid rocks creeping features. However, the scientific relationship that exists between the molasses like structures (that results in creeping features) and the rise to the vertical motions could not be substantiated (Ritseme, 2001). Moreover, progress in understanding of the same has been enabled due to the inventions of powerful computer models that have the ability of combining snapshots of the mantle in the present day with various clues into how such processes could have occurred (Gurnis, 2001). The African superswell mystery was among the easiest and first explainable structures with these computers. These Southern African features were attributed to the mantle, which having been creped could churn, and roil like hot soup pot, ready to boil. The low density of the rock, which appeared to be very hot, made the resultant boiling material buoyant, thereby ascending slowly while the colder and denser rocks tend to sink until the heat that escapes the molten core warms the material enough to make it rise repeatedly. The motions that appear in a three dimension are called convectional and are believed to create a horizontal motion experienced by the tectonic plates (Ritseme, 2001). Conclusion The Earth’s interior constant motions in its mantle can therefore be attributed to the constant drifts, surface movements of the Earth’s surface and other physical features experienced. This points out to the fact that such processes happening in the interior part of the earth give the greatest danger to the life-possessing species on the Earth.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Sculpting Earth’s Surface Presentation specifically for you for only $16.0 5 $11/page Learn More Reference List Gurnis, M., (2001). Sculpting of the earth from Inside Out. Scientific American Inc. Web. Rackley, S., (2008),. The earth’s surface’ weathering process. USA: Scientific American Inc. Ritseme, J., (2001). Indonesian down welling. California institute of technology. USA: Scientific American Inc.

Fidelity Investments partnership with schools Case Study - 2

Fidelity Investments partnership with schools - Case Study Example One of the benefits accruing from Fidelity Investments’ partnership with Citizen Schools is the improvement of its employees’ team building skills. Another benefit is that the partnership enabled majority of Fidelity employees who participated in the apprenticeship exercise to improve their public speaking, communication, and presentation skills. Through participation in the program, both the employees and the entire Fidelity Investments Company got fulfillment for influencing vulnerable students positively. The partnership helped Fidelity Investments employees develop and others to sharpen their leadership skills. It was beneficial for some Fidelity executives to sit in the schools’ top decision-making body, the leadership board (Discussion Case: Fidelity Investments’ Partnership with Citizen Schools 424). Lastly, offering apprenticeship services for the areas in which they were experts made Fidelity employees feel relevant in the real life and might have helped them reflect on how much they knew. A risk with this partnership is the overworking of Fidelity employees or disruption of work schedules. Fidelity employees could be overworked because they worked both in their company and in the Citizen Schools teaching. Work schedule might have needed modification in order to accommodate time for Fidelity employees to teach at Citizen Schools. The two-way flow of benefits between Fidelity Investments and Citizen Schools is one of the things that qualify the partnership as an example of strategic philanthropy. This is because the partnership helped improve Fidelity employees’ skills while benefitting Citizen Schools with labor from these employees. Secondly, the partnership helped build higher profiles for both Citizen Schools and Fidelity Investments.  

5 & 6 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

5 & 6 - Coursework Example Despite the debatable assertion that it is important to apply the â€Å"assembly line justice† concept because of the large caseloads compared to the resources and personnel needed to handle them, there are a myriad of considerations that are overlooked. Using assembly line justice means that cases do not get individual attention and there are not questions of fact or law that are raised and as such, dispositions in such cases are just routine. This concept is particularly unjust because, important aspects of a case may be overlooked and as such the dispositions made may be unjust or cruel, despite the fact timely closure for both victim and perpetrator is given. This is because defendants and appellants rights to trial are denied; most cases end with a plea bargain, usually of guilty simply because the court considers the cases routine (Neubauer and Fradella 123). Additionally, this concept of assembly line justice has shifted the focus of courts from the traditional due process procedures, whereby, the courts’ actors, specifically defense attorneys and prosecutors, were required to prove their cases beyond any reasonable doubt before any resolutions can be achieved or reached to courts trying to reach resolutions without any adjudication (Neubauer and Fradella 124). Therefore, using the assembly line justice concept on the mere argument that it helps deal with the issue of excessive caseloads is neither here or th ere, since it clearly overlooks other fundamental aspects of the court system including the rule of law, local legal systems and the relationship with organization. Therefore, the use of assembly line justice is not just and should not be used. Q #2: The Supreme Court has decided that prosecutors (Chapter 6) are to be immune from civil lawsuits arising from them acting in their official capacity. Without this type of legal protection, it was feared prosecutors would hesitate to do their jobs because they would be scared of

The Pursuit of Happiness Essay Example for Free

The Pursuit of Happiness Essay The 2006 movie The Pursuit of Happyness, featuring will smith and real-life son Jaden Smith received significant financial success both during its original release and subsequent DVD edition. Inspired by the memoirs by self-made millionaire Chris Gardner together with Quincy Troupe, the film features the challenges of pursing the â€Å"American dream†, a challenge more easily associated with foreigners or immigrants to the country. The inspirational value of the movie is one of the reasons for its appeal. In the story, Gardner is portrayed as having employment is al subject to the social change faced by the unemployed. Though the premise of the story is not unique, the films approach illustrating how the collective impact of small social challenges can lead to homelessness highlights the concern of the spiraling social exclusion most middle class Americans have to deal with.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Gardner’s joke to his son regarding the drowning man who turned down the rescue of two boats in favor of waiting for God himself to save him is a testimony to the philosophy that he believes was key to his success. Similar to the adage that God helps those who help themselves, Gardner points out that one should not be so proud as to accept the help of others even if they do not compare to one’s expectation of the help that one needs. Moreover, Gardner’s story to his son encourages him to see the hand of God behind the opportunities, good and bad that comes his way going beyond corporeal or mystical manifestations.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There are key moments in the film where this can be most apparent. One of the early moments where this is seen is when he asks a man going out of a Ferrari what he did for a living and how he did it. The encounter, in real life with then top stockbroker Bob Bridges, led to Gardner’s introduction to a career in stock trading. Gardner again illustrates this idea in his interview with the internship position where he had to convince the panel to accept him though he came underdressed to the interview. Another example is portrayed in the daily rush father and son would always have to make at the end of the day to be able to get s a lot in the church shelter as well as the times when he sought â€Å"creative† ways of finding a place to spend the night in with his son which included railway station bathroom, subways and busses. The other scene that brings the deliver the same message was when the light of the bone density machine was being repaired by Gardner. But the most poignant illustrations of the philosophy behind Gardner’s quip are delivered by the conversations between father and son such as in Gardner’s lecture to his son regarding pursuing one’s dream despite others’ negative opinion viewing the city.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   At many points in the picture, Gardner is portrayed as someone who is driven to the edge but is able to keep himself from totally falling into despair. His moments of self-pride in the movie are always resolved to have negative consequences such as having to run from a taxi driver and missing a slot in the shelter due to lending his boss cab fare. Often he is shown to have to swallow his pride to seek shelter or care but remains committed to alleviating his situation with his son as best he can and to not be dependent on welfare or the charity of others. Gardner’s view of helping one’s self emphasizes self-reliance but also self-realization. He points out that to be able to triumph from challenges: one has to be able to commit one’s self on doing so and pursuing every opportunity that comes. This implies the need to actively seek ways to accomplish such an objective, improving one’s self and learning from others and to persist regardless of failure. Work Cited The Pursuit of Happyness. Dir. Gabriele Muccino. Perf. Will Smith, Jaden Smith, Thandie Newton. Sony Pictures. 15 December 2006.

What The Human Genome Revolution Could Mean For Me And The Rio Grande V

What The Human Genome Revolution Could Mean For Me And The Rio Grande Valley The human genome revolution will have as big an impact on the average person as it does on the scientist researching it. Millions of people throughout the world will benefit from this experimentation. Understanding genetic material and the ability to pinpoint errors in genes, may lead to the prevention of many genetic diseases. The ultimate goal is to use research to develop new ways to treat, care, or even prevent the thousands of diseases that afflict humankind. Although the scientific community delivers many contributions to this scientific accomplishment, the road to a new age of disease free human life is long and rocky with struggles and disbelief. Whether inherited or resulting from the body’s response to environmental stresses, all diseases have a genetic component. The advances in this field hold an excellent future for treating and curing genetic diseases. Scientists can do this by using normal genes to supplement defective genes and to bolster immunity t o disease. In the Rio Grande Valley, an area dominated by Hispanic ancestry, many genetic diseases, such as diabetes, are common illnesses suffered by many people. According to the Mendelian Laws of Heredity, diabetes is an inherited disease, resulting from a recessive trait and affecting millions of people throughout the United States, especially people of Hispanic origins. When the body cannot make full use of some foods we eat, mainly carbohydrates of sugars and starches, a large gland under the stomach called the pancreas does not make available enough insulin to burn these foods as energy or sto... ...ent of most, if not all, human diseases.† The human genome revolution affects the Rio Grande Valley and myself because it will help to treat and prevent genetic diseases that others and I may be afflicted by. This research is important, especially to couples, because every baby born deserves a chance in life in a disease free world. The research is also significant to those who suffer from diabetes; they too deserve a life free of physical illnesses and constant medical care. In my life, I personally know and love many people that have been affected by these genetic diseases and helping them receive treatment will be the greatest gift of love I could ever offer. I know there are also many people that feel the same, because everyone has a special person in their life, a family member, friend, peer or acquaintance that will benefit from this remarkable research.

Titian’s Venus and the Lutenist

Titian, Venus and the Lutenist Titian’s Venus and the Lutenist depicts Venus laying in a courtly setting set on a larger pastoral landscape. The intertwining of both courtly and pastoral is common in the high Renaissance and appropriate for the painting as Venus is the queen of love, beauty, and nature. The painting was very possibly a wedding gift to a nobleman or ruler, and the theme of marriage is reflected in Venus’ ring and the wreath of flowers that Cupid places above her head. Trademarks of the courtly, such as jewelry and sumptuous clothing, are inscribed with pastoral features.Indeed, Venus is set upon a pastoral and natural landscape because â€Å"there is none among [living things] which has not been derived from love as from its first and most reverend father. † (Bembo, Gli Asolani) By setting her indoors, laying on luxurious fabrics, Titian glorifies and places a higher value on Venus. It seems to set a hierarchy where she is at the top, and nature a nd humanity are underneath. She lays beside a nobleman playing the lute, which is in itself a courtly instrument and he is gazing at her in admiration.By portraying the nobleman as young, Titian gives Venus an almost maternal quality, playing on the idea that she is the mother of all things (she is occasionally compared to Mary. ) She is also set apart from the scene in the background by the difference in the activities being performed by the figures. In the background can be seen nymphs and satyrs dancing freely, in contrast to the higher, more civilized Venus in the foreground. Titian resolves contradictory values of the sixteenth century by ennobling and glorifying a figure of great sexuality and underlining Venus’ influence on all of nature through the larger pastoral landscape.