US Prison System Essays

US Prison System Essays US Prison System Essay US Prison System Essay The variances that exist in the modern prison system of the United States can be found on a larger scale compared to any other country. The country has the largest prison system in the world, and the growing population in prisons continues to pose an enormous problem to the system, as the issue of overcrowding poses as a significant hitch to prisoners. Accommodating prisoners arising from a variety of crimes ranging from murders to misdemeanor offenders has made the prison system to become a huge premise of punishment, where those who are released get back in jail within a short time. Housing a large number of prisoners than other countries, the United States does not find it easy as it spends billions on the prison system each year (Moehling Piehl, 2009). Moreover, the crime policy that has led to mass incarceration has not made the country equally safer. The country continues to lead in crime rate in regards to comparable countries and still ranks high on the global scale (Hancock , 2000). US Prison System Problems Americas prison system faces a broad range of challenges, mainly occurring in the fact that the country does not practice any other solution to punish other than incapacitation. The combination of criminal warehousing and the stringent criminal policies within the country are the main causes of prison overcrowding, enormous budgetary cost, failure of reduced crimes, and significant levels of repeated offenders. This means that the country is in need of an immediate inquiry. While the United States is struggling with problems within its criminal justice system, some countries have managed to employ practices that have effectively led to crime rate reduction and a significant maintenance of prison population (Hancock, 2000). After America had gained independence, they adopted their thoughts, and this resulted in new ways of convicting individuals and federal and state responsibilities. At the time crime according to Americans resulted due to the disparity in wealth and classes. With this thought, they believed that crime would decline since they were a nation primarily built on class mobility and equality. The country also felt that the vile and gruesome methods employed by the English men to fight crime were counterintuitive to crime reduction. They questioned the use of harsh punishment and capital death to curb crime since it was a belief that a man harshly punished would result in doing the same offense again (Moehling Piehl, 2009). The use of capital punishment, severe punishment, and English monarchical laws diminished in the minds of Americans, and their strong need for social order actively grew. Then the concept of prison was one that struck a complete balance, where the punishment exercised was just convenient enough to dissuade crime and a better way to rehabilitate wrongdoers. Prison received proper finance and adopted procedures that facilitated proper rehabilitation. Pennsylvania Plan and Auburn Plan were the most popular adapted prison plans. The Auburn Plan provided inmates with sleeping quarters, common dining rooms, and workshops. The prisoners were not allowed to talk with one another, and each one of them had to stick to a daily labor program. The Pennsylvania Plan ensures, on the other hand, ensured prisoners are isolated during their full sentence. Following the plans the prisons were oddly quiet; thus the Americans felt that the jail was convenient for behavior change and when released after s everal years, the inmates would have a socially accepted moral conduct (Hancock, 2000). Prison Punishment The kind of punishment practiced during this time, shows two transitions including the abolition of physical punishment and promoting a social relationship with the public. Rehabilitation replaced physical punishment and establishing of structures with convenient plans saw stringent efforts employed to restore the conduct and behavior of criminals. With the isolation and total control of prisoners, the public developed a lesser view of the prison experience. Concurrently, an illusionary division erupted between the public and prisoners; this increased the disgrace and introduction of branding for those individuals who went through penitentiary (Brent Kraska, 2011). Prison focused on rehabilitation as the primary focus of changing the conduct of inmates; however, the society grew more disapproving of those who went through the prison system and cutting relations with them. By 1865, the transformation and reformation that existed in the American prison system faced an entirely different transition as cases of corruption, overcrowding, and cruelty infiltrated the system. Most prisons employed the conventional Auburn plan that allowed a communal area of work and meals. However, this plan was not purely forged for rehabilitation for cost consciousness. As the revenues for prisons continued to decline the conditions in prisons continued to deteriorate, thus a call for reforms was in order at that time. The consequence, for this encounter, included fixed maximum sentences and undetermined sentencing. Thus prisoners were able to participate in reformative actions. After that, they would later receive sentences in regards to proof of reformation (Hancock, 2000). The progressive era saw the realization of real rehabilitation. Reformations were taken into great consideration, and efforts to change and impact on the behavioral change in regards to politics was also the highlight of the time. The trends realized in behavioral science gave a clear outline of corrupt behavior, together with psychological and social treatments. Progressives proposed individual treatment of inmates, arguing that it was the right cure to prevent them from engaging in future crime. Their idea was well lived, and this era produced psychotherapeutic treatment aimed to change prisoners, a great atmosphere within the community, allotted time for communication visits, and eventually the Federal prison system (Hancock, 2000). History of Prisons After the Second World War, prisoners rights got more attention, and they were completely enforced. John F. Kennedy, the newly elected president at that time, instituted policies that were for the minorities and poor, and after that infiltrate into the prison system. The presidents policies led to a civil rights movement and concurrently played a significant role in the history of American prisons. Then on, prisoners began to demand recognition of their civil rights and therefore the Civil Rights Act and writ of habeas corpus were adapted. The writ of habeas corpus was a policy that gave criminals the power to challenge convictions that did not satisfy their constitutional rights. The Civil Rights Act ensured prisoners are free from abuse, and they are allowed to practice religious and legal rights. According to the 1967 Presidents Crime Commission Report, prisoners would not commit to being able to engage in crime activities, while serving their time. However the deplorable conditio ns in the prison do not offer complete preparation for the offenders to re-enter the society after completing their sentence, rather it makes them deploy destructive and manipulative behaviors (Brent Kraska, 2011). The reforms employed after the report did not last for long, thus failure and dissatisfaction ensued. A combination of reform failure and the increase of incarceration rates caused an increase in prison population in the 1970s. At this time the state, federal, and local governments replaced indeterminate sentencing with determinate sentencing making each categorical crime have a minimum sentence that was mandatory. Determinate sentencing came up as a measure to reform criminals and the belief that criminals needed to be separated from the rest of the society. Looking at the measure taken, this could only mean that the number of sentences would increase as lengthy sentences also increased. This measure continued through the 1990s and saw an increase in incarcerations, leading to the doubling of prison populations. This exhilarated the problem of overcrowding (Moehling Piehl, 2009).

A Brief Overview and Description of Geography

A Brief Overview and Description of Geography The science of geography is likely the oldest of all sciences. Geography is the answer to the question that the earliest humans asked, Whats over there? Exploration and the discovery of new places, new cultures, and new ideas have always been basic components of geography. Thus, geography is often called the mother of all sciences as studying other people and other places led to other scientific fields such as biology, anthropology, geology, mathematics, astronomy, chemistry, among others. (See other Definitions of Geography) What Does the Word Geography Mean? The word geography was invented by the ancient Greek scholar Eratosthenes and literally means writing about the earth. The word can be divided into two parts - ge and graphy. Ge means the Earth and graphy refers to writing. Of course, geography today means much more than writing about the Earth but its a difficult discipline to define. Many geographers have done their best to define geography but a typical dictionary definition today reads, The science of the Earths physical features, resources, climate, population, etc. Divisions of Geography Today, geography is commonly divided into two major branches - cultural geography (also called human geography) and physical geography. Cultural geography is the branch of geography dealing with human culture and its impact on the Earth. Cultural geographers study languages, religion, foods, building styles, urban areas, agriculture, transportation systems, politics, economies, population and demographics, and more. Physical geography is the branch of geography dealing with the natural features of the Earth, the home of humans. Physical geography looks at the water, air, animals, and land of the planet Earth (i.e. everything that is part of the four spheres - the atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere). Physical geography is closely related to geographys sister science - geology - but physical geography focuses more on the landscapes at the surface of the Earth and not what is inside our planet. Other key areas of geography include regional geography (which involves the in-depth study and knowledge of a particular region and its cultural as well as its physical characteristics) and geographic technologies like GIS (geographic information systems) and GPS (global positioning system). An important system for dividing the subject of geography is known as the Four Traditions of Geography. History of Geography The history of geography as a scientific discipline can be traced back to the Greek scholar Eratosthenes. It was further developed in the modern era by Alexander von Humboldt and from there, you can trace the history of geography in the United States. Also, see the Timeline of Geographic History. Studying Geography Since the late 1980s, when the subject of geography was not well-taught throughout the United States, there has been a revival in geographic education. Thus, today many primary, secondary, and university students are choosing to learn more about geography. There are many resources online available to learn about studying geography, including one article about earning a college degree in geography. While at the university, be sure to explore career opportunities through internships in geography. Great Studying Geography Resources: Branches of GeographyCapitals of Every CountryGeography GlossaryQuestions and Answers About GeographyGeography Facts, Lists, and TriviaMaps and Geographical Information About Every Country (including blank outline maps)Top 10 Reasons to Study Geography (Humor) Careers in Geography Once you start studying geography, youll want to look into various careers in geography so dont miss this article specifically about Jobs in Geography. Joining a geographic organization is also helpful as you pursue a geographic career.

Talent Development and Capability in Sunny Optical Dissertation

Talent Development and Capability in Sunny Optical - Dissertation Example When the four dimensions of emotional intelligence pursuant to Coleman’s model are examined, the value for talent retention and attraction is obvious. These four dimensions of emotional intelligence are the cornerstone of â€Å"effective primal leadership† (Pahl 2008, p. 8). Leaders will not be able to manage their emotions if they are not aware of their own emotions. As a result, their ability to cope with and manage organization relationships will be compromised. Also tied to self-awareness is self-confidence. A confident leader inspires trust from within the organizations. This is important because, talented employees are more likely to remain with an organization lead by a self-confident leader (Pierce and Newstrom 2002). The self-management dimension of emotional intelligence is also important to talent retention and attraction because it is tied to control of one’s emotions and will likely be accompanied by transparent leadership, the ability to adapt, high achievement, initiative and optimism. What this means is that by being transparent, Wu exhibits key elements of trustworthiness: honesty and integrity. Being able to adapt means that Wu has the necessary ability to adapt to the new labour law and low available talent and to overcome these challenges. Achievement means that Wu has the determination to enhance performance and talent and to meet these objectives. Being possessed of initiative, Wu is ready to act and to take advantage of any opportunity that arises (Pahl 2008). Social awareness is perhaps the most important trait associated with emotional intelligence for resolving the challenges for SO. Social awareness involves empathy and manifests the basic ability to sense and predict the emotions of others and to show understanding and interest... The paper demonstrates how the emotional intelligence is a good way to retain and attract talent and thus if channelled properly. The drive to attract and retain talent is important for the success of any organization. Ultimately, organizations will stand or fall on its talent. The key issues are whether or not Wu and the remainder of the management team at SO are making the correct decisions relative to where to invest finances and human capital and whether or not they have the wherewithal to ensure that the organization is innovative and competitive. This report identifies the challenges for achieving this objective and recommends ways that SO can overcome these challenges to meet its talent retention goals. As a result of the difficulties associated with coming into direct contact with leaders, the following recommendations are made so that SO capitalizes on its CEO’s emotional intelligence for the purpose of retaining and attracting talent. To start with, SO is a knowledge intensive organization with its emphasis on quality products and innovation. Finally and more importantly, as the paper says, Wu should take steps to ensure that he is personally available to his staff so that they can be influenced by his emotional intelligence. It is not enough that he meets weekly with other management. In the meantime, funds and resources should be allocated to training and education so that all staff members will have the opportunity to develop talent.

Sexual harassment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Sexual harassment - Research Paper Example For example, it is unlawful to harass a female employee, through making remarks that are offensive to the nature of women in general. Different from the traditional conception of sexual harassment, the harassing party and the victim can either be a man or a woman, and in other cases they can also be of the same sex. Despite the fact that the law does not prohibit offhand comments, teasing, or the isolated cases that are relatively subtle, harassment is illegal (Lawoko et al., 2004). This is, especially, the case when it is severe and frequent, to the extent that it makes the work environment offensive or hostile; it is considered illegal when it can lead to adverse decision-making relating to the employment of either parties (Bimrose, 2004). The adverse effects of sexual harassment include the demotion of the victim or the loss of employment, and the harasser can be a supervisor to the victim, a supervisor in another line of work, a co-worker or an external party, including a customer (EEOC 2014). This paper will explore the nature of sexual harassment, its characteristics and the experiences of sexual harassment. The main source of information for this report was the wide variety of databases for articles and publications about the area of sexual harassment: these databases include Emerald, Proquest, BIDS Ingenta, SpringerLINK, ScienceDirect, Business Source Premier and Inform Global. To offer focus to the search, different search terms were used, including sexual harassment, gender harassment, workplace violence and sexual harassment training. A majority of the sources related to the key terms were from Australia and the US – the focus of many of the sources was healthcare workers, particularly among nursing staffs (Privitera et al., 2005). Mott and Condor (1997) reported that during the 1990s, 85 percent of the studies done on sexual harassment had been carried out in the US, and that more than 70 percent of the total had used students

Citizenship :: Economics

Citizenship There are plenty of reasons for schools sending us to work experience. I believe that work experience gives us pupils a taste of the world of work. This would show and give the pupils a rough idea of how working life is. Also it will help them in the future on what they would be interested to achieve and what they would desire to be. In Kelmscott School they send us to work experience in Year 10. I worked in T.K. Maxx during my work experience. In my work experience I was an Associate. This meant I had to help do things around the building such as tagging, cleaning, tidying up and picking up stocks. The reason why I chose this job was because I wanted to learn new skills. The skills I hoped to acquire were to be punctual every day, work without supervision, work as a team member, and meet targets and deadlines and to use my time well so that the job gets done. Another reason why I chose this job was because of the location. It was near to my house. I chose this job in my school by doing a questionnaire first to help to identify areas of interest related to work. Then we had job categories where we were able to choose our placement from. I chose the job category Retail. These had jobs such as working in Sainsbury’s, HMV, and T.K Maxx etc. The job I chose made it suitable for me because I had personal qualities for instances I am a good communicator. I will have needed this because I had to speak to the general public. Also I am an excellent team worker so I will be able to work as a team member and work with others. In my work experience I hoped to achieve the following targets; to be able to arrive on time; to work as team member; to work without being supervised; to meet targets and deadlines and use the time well to complete the job told. During my work experience I did a number of different things. I was tagging nearly everyday. I had to tag things like clothes, shoes and other equipments. At first this was hard and I did a couple of items of clothing wrong, because I placed the tag in the wrong place. After a while I got used to it and according to my boss did an excellent job. I did 14 rails of clothes and I surpassed my target which was 10. After a day or two I started something different. I did what you call

Main Theories of Aggression

Outline and assess the main theories of aggression Aggression is an act of hostility with deliberate intention to harm another person against his or her will. Some psychologists believe that aggression is an important aspect of our evolutionary ancestry and it is understood better in that context, whereas others believe that aggression is best explained in physiological terms e. g. the imbalance of hormones or neurotransmitters in the brain. There are many definitions used to explain why humans/ animals become aggressive (http://www. essortment. com/all/whatisaggress_rxeo. tm). In the social learning theory (SLT) of aggression, Bandura (1962) suggested that the expression of aggression is learnt through social learning not ignoring the fact that the potential for the human aggression was biological. Bandura claimed that we learn specific aggressive behaviours for example, the form in which the aggression takes and how it is addressed to the target. Skinner, 1953 suggested that a chil d learns the aggressive behaviour through direct reinforcement while Bandura argues that a child learns by observing role models indirectly. Moreover, the SLT can be used to explain other behaviours such as eating disorders, personality etc. Research carried out by Phillip (1986) suggested the daily homicide rate in the US almost increased in the following of a major boxing match this suggested that the viewers were imitating the behaviour they watched from their ‘role models’. This clear shows that the SLT can also be used to explain the behaviour of both the children and adults. This is because aggressive behaviour is witnessed at home and at school as well as through the media i. . reading books, watching television and listening to a certain type of music. By observing the consequences of other’s actions, children learn the aggressive behaviour indirectly. This whole process is known as the ‘vicarious reinforcement’ whereby a child learns the likely outcome of the aggressive behaviour and from that observation; they obtain the behaviour that is considered appropriate. Not only does a c hild learn the behaviour but the child also observes if the behaviour is worth repeating. In the future, the child is likely to repeat the behaviour when the expectation of a reward is greater than the expectations of being punished (Bandura, 1962). Looking at the Bobo doll studies, Bandura et al found that children who watched an aggressive model became more aggressive and imitated the behaviour portrayed by the model. This is clear evidence to support the SLT for the fact a child learnt the aggressive behaviour by observing the ‘role’ model. On the other hand, the aggression was imposed towards a ‘doll’ affecting the reliability of the conclusion because this was a ‘still’ figure that could not use self-defence. As a result to this, Bandura repeated the study using a film of woman hitting a live clown, therefore this influenced the children to also hit a live clown when given the opportunity. This can explain the cultural differences, for the fact that societies such as the US are highly violent compared to other pygmies of central Africa who manage to live in cooperative friendliness (Aronson, 1999). These findings could be explained by the differences due to social learning whereby the different societies influence the behaviour of the two cultures. However, people also react differently in term of different situations because aggressive behaviour is rewarded in certain situations than others (i. e. Competitive sports such rugby, boxing etc. ). The appropriate behaviour is learnt for particular situations. Moreover, aggression could also be explained as a result of the loss of personal identity this could be due to the relative anonymity of being in a crowd or wearing a uniform. The Stanford Prison Experiment illustrates this effect; this is whereby Zimbardo showed how the guards who were deindividuated by mirrored glasses and uniforms behaved aggressively towards the prisoners. The Stanford Prison Experiment is an empirical support for the deindividuated theory because it shows how the behaviour of the ‘normal’ students changed after they had been assigned to adopt the role of guards. However, the brutality could be explained in terms of the perceived social roles because they were not shown the exact way that the ‘actual’ guards behaved. Psychologist Zimbardo believes that deindividuated people are likely to behave aggressively because the loss of a sense in the individual can lead to reduced self- restraint. This in turn leads to impulsive and deviant behaviour and a less concern over negative evaluation from others. Being anonymous in a crowd has the psychological consequence of reducing restraints and increasing behaviours that are usually inhibited. Prentice- Dunn and Rogers (1982) suggested that an increase in aggressive behaviour following deindividuation might be caused by the reduced privacy rather than public self- awareness, i. . becoming less self-aware rather than being anonymous to others. A problem for the theory is that deindividuation does not always lead to aggression, and may actually lead to pro-social behaviour. In a meta- analysis of 60 studies of deindividuation, Postmes and Spears (1998) found that deindividuation does not always lead to aggression for example, an individual part of an angry mo b is likely to behave aggressively while a member of a peace rally is likely to become to peaceful. This clearly shows that frustration leads to aggression. Frustration determines whether aggression is effective in that situation. Dollard et al (1939) outlined the frustration-aggression theory suggesting that frustration leads to aggression and that aggression is forced by the aggression. Therefore, aggression is the consequence of generalised physiological arousal.

Conjugation Of Besuchen