Criminal Justice

Just imagine for a moment if you would. You Just finished a long hard week of work, and you are looking forward to the reward of going out for a night on the town. You go home get cleaned up, put on your sharpest outfit and head over to your dates house to pick her up. Nothing could be more perfect. The evening air is the right temperature with just enough breeze to catch your cologne and waft it through the air.

And the evening itself is enough to remember because of the moons reflection off of the newly harvested fields and ever-flowing creeks. It would seem as though this would be the perfect setting to a wonderful date. And yes it would be, except for the traumatic experience, which encountered one of my closest friends on the ride home, after dropping his date off. He was on his way home and in between towns when my friend saw a truck pulled over to the side of the road. Hood up, doors open, and the truck itself turned towards the ditch on the side of the road.!

Being from the small town he was from he believed in always giving a helping hand to those in need. Especially when he knew people in his community had been there for him before in his time of crises. He was flagged down by an individual that had told him they had a blow out on their vehicle and that the passenger was injured and would greatly appreciate his help. My friend stepped out of the vehicle and around the passenger side of the parked truck, and before he knew it he had a gun drawn upon his chest and a man now demanding money instead of help.

My friend complied and gave the man his wallet and money he had just eamed to get him through the weeks ahead. The assailant then ordered my friend to turn his back toward him and walk back to his vehicle. When my friend heard this he knew it meant his life was in eminate danger and if he turned around he was as sure as shot. So when he started backing up facing the assailant heading toward his vehicle, WHAM he was hit.!

He told me impact of the bullet felt like he was hit by a sledgehammer and it’s piercing of his skin felt as though a white hot poker had been rammed through him. The assailant left my friend for dead not realizing he had not fatally wounded him. My friend did fully recover but still has the scars to remember what had happened that night.

When my friend first told me this story, I always though it was ironic how at the time conceal to carry laws in Texas, where this incident took place, were months away from being passed. I always pondered the idea what if he were allowed to carry a gun at the time this happened. Or even if he didnt want to carry one, would it of deterred this individual from attacking my friend based on the premonition that he may have one on his person. Today there are many crimes in which I believe would be deterred and in fact be drastically reduced if we were to impose conceal and carry laws in this state.

Today 31 states now have right to carry laws, respecting the fundamental individual right of self- defense by allowing people to carry firearms for protection against criminals. 127 million Americans, nearly half the u.s. population, including 60% of handgun owners, live in right to carry states (H. Sterling).

In a landmark study Prof. John r. Lott and David B. Mustard of the University of Chicago, found that allowing citizens to carry concealed weapons deters violent crimes and it appears to produce no increase in accidental deaths. If those states which did not have right to carry concealed gun provisions had adopted them in 1992, approximately 1,570 murders; 4177 rapes; and over 60,000 aggravated assaults would have been avoided yearly. On the average, right to carry states have 26% less total violent crime, 20% less homicide, 29%less rape, 39% less robbery and 22% less aggravated assault.

Many people today have many misconceptions about the right to carry laws being enacted. Take for example of Texas. Before implementing their right to carry laws many citizens raised questions about minor incidents escalating into killings as the concealed carry law placed more guns in irresponsible hands. Concerns that were also raised were that criminals would be undeterred by an increase in armed citizens. Both of these predictions were wrong.

According to the Violence Policy Center, Licensees were 5.7 times less likely to be arrested for violent offenses than the general public, which amounts to 127 persons per 100,000 versus 730 per 100,000. Licensees were 13.5 times less likely to be arrested for non-violent offenses than the general public 386 per 100,000 versus 5,212 per 100,000. No licensee had yet been arrested for negligent manslaughter.

If the law were to be proposed for this state many would ask what are some of the strict guidelines which would be imposed to be a permit holder. Almost all states follow this set of standards. One must be 21 years of age, submit a photo and fingerprints for a background check, pay a training fee and take more than eight hours of course work. In addition to these preliminary processing steps, applicants must pass both a written test covering laws pertaining to deadly force and gun safety, and a shooting accuracy test.

In the early 1990’s Texas’ serious crime rate was 38 percent above the national average. Since then serious crime in Texas has dropped 50% faster than for the nation as a whole. Texas is just one of the few states that has seen great results from this bill being enacted despite some of the public’s concerns for what turned out to be misconstrued thoughts and ideas. Just as in Florida a few years back when their conceal to carry law was enacted, and results were blatantly obvious when the criminals were no longer attacking local citizens. But moving on to the individuals they knew couldn’t carry concealed weapons, the tourists. That’s why so many rental car agencies have tried to conceal their cars as not being part of any type of rental agency, for their customers protection.

The information in this speech was intended to make you think a little bit more about society and the preventative measures we can take to deter some of the crimes committed today. I just wanted to clear up any of the misconceptions or preconceived notions you may or may not of had about concealed weapons laws. So next time a bill is proposed in the state make sure you know all of the facts before it gets vetoed. Thank-you.

In the world of research, specifically criminal justice research there are many practices, patterns, ideas, and other perceived notions that have already been uncovered and accepted as factual knowledge. Common sense, opinion, and bias also factor into the total equation of criminal justice research. Main themes to consider during the course of such research are ethics and standards in the overall context of the research that is being conducted.

Crime and criminal justice related concepts are ever changing and develop over time. It is important to understand current trends as well as having a vision for the future of the field. For these reasons, it is of vital importance to have updated research readily available to understand and to combat growing or problematic crime trends. Therefore, it is important that research can be conducted at any reasonable time and on nearly any subject with a certain few exceptions. Research should be conducted at any time and on any subject so long as the research is done ethically, the research is conducted in a professional manner, subjects have the right to be confidential, there is free and open access of the findings, the results are not skewed based upon bias or discrimination, and that there is no deception involved during the course of the research.

Other important factors to consider are the type of analysis being conducted whether it be crime, intelligence, operations, or investigative; and what the purpose or the intent of the research is. For example, it is important to consider the target group or subject of the research. If the goal of the research is to determine why crime is occurring, why certain individuals are carrying out criminal acts, or recidivism, than convicted offenders should be used as subjects at any given time within the noted ethical boundaries. However, if crime victims are the subjects of research, it is crucial not to re-victimize those individuals during the course of any research. It is the responsibility of the researcher in those cases to create a hypothesis, research design, and collect data in such a way as to not further traumatize or victimize those who are already victims.

As long as the research conforms to the established standards and conforms to ethical procedures, it is also important to ensure that research is free of plagiarism and research fraud. It is my opinion as well that any participants in the research that are not convicted offenders or inmates are either voluntarily participating in the research, provide consent, or are properly compensated. Confidentiality is also an important consideration for innocent participants and especially for victims. Researches must consider the risk-benefit ratio while conducting their research.

In conclusion, criminal justice research is an important aspect to current crime trends as well as the future direction of the criminal justice field. Research helps us to understand certain aspects of social and human impact on crime. The research needs to be conducted on an as needed basis. While this research is important it is also important to follow certain ethical and professional standards that have been set. Furthermore, certain individuals such as victims and innocent participants need to be granted certain protections and confidentiality to avoid re-victimization. Overall, so long as these procedures and precedents are followed it is important for any research to be conducted when necessary to help further the advancement of the field.

People W. Jennings: a classic murder and burglary case typical to dockets in courts across the nation. On the early morning of Monday, September 19th, 1910 at around 2 am, Clarence B. Hiller, his wife, and four children were sound asleep in their two-story home in Chicago Illinois, when Mr. Hiller groggily woke up to re-light the family gas light. As he approached the head of the stairs, he came across an intruder where both men fought, falling head-first down the stairs, and Mr. Hiller was shot twice and died within minutes. Thomas Jennings (the suspect) was out of luck that night, coming across four officers waiting to go home who questioned him and took him into the station, unaware of the murder that had just taken place.

The Pickens neighbors ran to the Hiller home, awakened by the screams of Mrs. Hiller and her children, along with nearby officer Floyd Beardsley who had also heard the screams and was trying to find where they came from. One of the daughters, Clarice, let the men in. Three undischarged revolver cartridges and two leaden slugs along with sand and gravel particles were found near Florence’s bed (where Jennings had tried to molest her). It is important to note that on the same night just before the shooting, an intruder had also entered the McNabb house a few houses down where he tried to molest Mrs. McNabb, which her daughter was of witness to; and even earlier on that night around midnight, Clarence Halsted reported an intruder also tried to enter his home about a mile from the Hiller home; but the intruder managed to escape before a fight could ensue.

Unluckily again for Mr. Jennings, the Hiller home was recently painted two days before the murder, including the back porch through which he had entered a kitchen window; an imprint of four fingers of his left hand was discovered on the porch railing, and this piece was taken into evidence. Jennings having previously violated parole, had fingerprints already on file; thus it was an easy match to confirm. The main legal issues that Jennings’s defense attorney brought up were first, allowing the testimony of Halsted, Mrs. McNabb, and Jessie McNabb because they argued evidence of one offense cannot be admitted in support of another offense, as well as the uncertainty of the identification of the defendant in the testimonies; second, whether this new fingerprint identification technique was accurate and if it would even be legally admissible in the Illinois court if it was since it had never been used before in the United States; and finally, the defense tried to point out that the expert testimony on the fingerprints was not admissible.

The courts responses to the defense’s issues raised was the following: first and foremost, it was true that evidence for one offense cannot be used to support another; but like many rules, there were exceptions to this. Whatever testimony directly shows the defendant guilty of the crime charged is admissible, even if it may show him guilty of another and distinct offense. Admissibility is determined by the connection that the facts have with the offense charged. Secondly, although it was the middle of the night and very dark at the time the forced entries occurred in the multiple homes, it was frequently held in cases that a witness may “testify to a person’s identity from his voice or from observing his stature, complexion, or other marks”. Thus, in this case, the testimony identifying Jennings was admissible, and the weight of each was to be determined by the jury. Third, the accuracy of the fingerprints and the enlargements was not questioned; nothing had been decided on this prior, so Justice Carter decided that because fingerprint evidence was being used successfully and reliably in other parts of the world, it would be ignorant to not take that into account here. Not to mention four expert witnesses testified to more or less the same thing about the fingerprints from very accredited institutions, and all informed the jury of their knowledge they otherwise would not have known. Roughly a year later, Jennings was sentenced to death by hanging. People v Jennings was a monumental case where the first ever fingerprints were used as evidence in the United States, and paved the way for future forensic evidence. This method has definitely endured the test of time in our legal system and is still used in the same way in comparison to when it was first introduced in this country, despite its controversies. With such information-rich evidence, fingerprint evidence was finally legitimized through this case for use in the U.S

Now, On January 7th, 2002, defendant Carlos Ivan Llera-Plaza and his two codefendants Wilfredo Martinez Acosta and Victor Rodriguez were indicted on various drug and murder charges. Llera-Plaza participated in a hot drug distribution ring the government referred to as RCDO, or ‘the Rodriguez-Cacerez Drug Organization,’ transporting cocaine from Puerto Rico to Philadelphia for sale to the infamous RCDO and further selling by the group on the streets; Llera-Plaza also carried out a series of murders to further the goals of the RCDO. Throughout the period being charged for in the indictment, the RCDO was making roughly $100,000 per week selling over five kilos of crack cocaine and powder cocaine. The supply of cocaine for the RCDO came from various locations outside of Philadelphia, where Llera-Plaza had traveled to and was deemed the supplier.

With extensive pre-trial hearings, the most important and relevant evidence here that Carlos Ivan Lllera-Plaza and his two codefendants moved to suppress was the testimony of four Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) fingerprint analysts linking them to the crimes. Their defense argued that this form of expert evidence failed to meet the Daubert and Kumho standards of admissibility and expert testimony in respect to Federal Rule of Evidence 702, as interpreted by the United States Supreme Court. In response to this, the United States moved the court to admit fingerprint evidence at trial, and take judicial notice of the uniqueness and permanence of fingerprints. Both sides agreed to resolve these motions on the basis of a similar previous case, United States v. Mitchell. After reviewing the transcripts of that hearing and taking note of the arguments from the parties in Llera-Plaza, presiding Judge Louis H. Pollack took judicial notice of the uniqueness and permanence of fingerprints but found that the FBI’s method of allocating fingerprints to individuals did not meet Daubert’s testing, peer review, and standards criteria, and that information as to the rate of error was not known. In addition, the court decided that expert witnesses could not testify as to their opinion that a print belonged to a specific individual. With that being said, the court did not prevent the government from using the fingerprint evidence entirely, but rather specified that the testimony by the qualified experts through skill and experience may describe how the rolled and latent fingerprints at issue in this case were obtained, show and identify to the jury minute details with magnification of the prints if necessary, and point out similarities and differences between the prints.

In essence, Judge Pollak ruled that because fingerprint analysis had not been subjected to rigorous testing, an expert could testify to the similarities between prints but could not conclusively tell a jury that one print matched another; it was not a legitimate form of scientific evidence. This decision delighted defense attorneys but sent an earthquake throughout the forensic/criminal justice community, which had been relying on fingerprint evidence as sound evidence for roughly one hundred years. The United States attorney’s office in Philadelphia moved for a reconsideration of the ruling, stating that it would undermine the prosecution’s effectiveness in this and in other cases and that the ruling was flawed. The defense, on the other hand, stated that this reconsideration would not be necessary due to the fact that the additional evidence the government wanted to introduce was nothing new to the case that was not already known, and it would be an erroneous decision.

Six weeks later, after three days of testimony, an evidentiary hearing, and research on England’s fingerprinting laws, Judge Pollack wrote a new opinion where he concluded that if these methods are sufficiently reliable in England (and other parts of the world) under careful scrutiny, they should be found equally reliable in federal courts of the United States. ”In short, I have changed my mind”. Some might argue that Judge Pollack was out of his mind for daring to challenge a standard that had stood the test of time and had been accepted so easily but we know better now. Are fingerprints really a good source of evidence? Are they reliable, and is it true that no two are alike? Judge Pollack’s initial ruling may just have been the better one, but the backlash he received might just have been enough to place him back in line with the many judges that have ruled in favor of fingerprint evidence. The admissibility of People v Jennings was back in business.

I put myself in the situation of the investigators in he TV shows and think of what I would actually do. My dad used to work in the department of CSS for the Texas police Department so I have some background knowledge and terminology of what is going on. I frequently asked questions and I felt like I somewhat knew the life of a crime scene investigator. They get calls in the middle of the night and they have to go out to the scene. Let is a very stressful and traumatizing job. When it comes down to the two shows of First 48 and CSS, they deal with crimes that involve murders and have investigation element.

CSS is full of trained investigators trying to examine the evidence. They find the missing pieces that will solve the case. “A criminal investigator is a person who conducts investigations for criminal cases. This person is responsible for collecting and assessing evidence for a case to pinpoint guilty parties. If you have ever watched an episode of CSS, you have seen criminal Basic Carnally Investigation 2 investigators in action. The ones In the real world do roughly the same work, but they don’t always have dramatic cases to deal with. This explains the Job of a criminal investigator and the Job duties will vary depending on what type of crime there is. When It comes to every crime scene, it goes through steps before It Is considered solved or unsolved. If It Is unsolved, they have tried numerous times to solve the case, but had no leads or no witnesses. The steps are evaluating the case,collecting the evidence,analyzing the forensics, identifying the suspect, if you have a suspect, interrogate him/her, then you bring the case to court for trial and lastly, depending on if the criminal investigators did their Job right justice will be served.

Most investigators want to put the suspect in Jail, but that is not always the case. I explain the procedures and process of a crime scene investigator because this is what the the show CSS deals with. Though, CSS is not like Law and Order where they interrogate a suspect, go to trial , and show if the suspect goes to Jail or not. CSS has added drama and it deals more with investigating the actual crime scene. It is a scripted TV show and you can tell some of the scenes are over dramatic and side of the road on a highway.

It is about how the team of investigators find out the woman was once a man who underwent a sex change. They investigate and go out figuring out the life of transgender. The way they showed reconstruction of the crime scene is how they would picture the crime in their head. They focused on the evidence in the car and they Basic Criminal Investigation 3 tried to find the fabrics in the car if there was any evidence left behind. They find out who the suspect is, but they do not let the viewers know what happens to the suspect. They have the viewer assume.

When they show how the evidence is transferred on to a body part, that is when determination and special effects come into play. They show the victim in the crime lab, and they investigate the possibilities f what may have happened. This episode was more realistic because they found the killer in a reasonable time because the suspect confessed. Usually, they would find out the suspect in the same amount of time, but it was unrealistic. SSL makes up more their unrealistic scenes by doing what actual Crime scene investigators do.

Watching an Episode of the First 48, this episode was on 9/7/12 and it was about a scene that occurred in Dallas Texas and two friends were walking in the woods and discover a dead body. Let was near the rail road tracks and they call the police. It was ruing May 5th. The body was burned and it had no arms. It is missing the head and hands. The criminal investigator has experience of 19 years. First 48 is based on real life situations and and it is filmed on site, This show focuses more on catching the criminal and investigating what happened within the first 48 hours.

This is more realistic because the time frame is actually a real scenario. There is no determination to it. This is actual real life homicides that happen in different cities. The investigators actually use forensic evidence, and witnesses to find the suspect. Though only says 48 hours, it goes on more than that and could even lead into years. The investigate the body and Basic Criminal Investigation 4 they actually go into the scene. They did not show any crime lab or any special investigating on the body.

They focused on more investigating the case and how it happened. Watching both shows there are definitely more differences than there are similarities. When it comes to CSS, they find the body to open up the show rather than scene and then they take the body to the forensic lab. They actually take the time to observe the body and find out possibilities and theories of what could have happened in the lab. That is how they portray the scene by going through what they think had happened.

Watching First 48, it actually a whole real life scene. Someone calls the police, they set up a crime scene, and they start to investigate instantly. They take the body to the forensic lab. Both shows are different in a way where CSS actually shows you what they do in the lab, and First 48 does not show you the lab and they focus more on the crime scene. The two shows both have reconstruction crime scene, UT the way CSS does is that they dramatist the scene of the evidence.

You can tell that there are unrealistic possibilities in CSS rather than watching First 48 where everything is what would actually happen. Both shows used the proper equipment for the scene. SSL is a lot shorter and the way they find the suspect is unrealistic because they show it in a half an hour time frame rather than an actual 48 hours. SSL leaves you wanting more as well as First 48, but First 48 will always be in favor of real Crime scene investigators because it is documentary based rather and a Hollywood reality TV show.

Essay Title: With the use of at least 3 real life stories reported in newspapers, discuss the response of the Northern Ireland Criminal Justice System to victims of corporate crime. There is no time limit on the stories and they may be accessed via the internet. Within this essay I will look to discuss victims of corporate crimes experiences within the Criminal Justice System. In order to do this I will first define the Criminal Justice System and then corporate crime.

I will then address the task by using 3 real life stories about victims’ experiences of the operation of the Northern Ireland Criminal Justice System. The Criminal Justice System (CJS) is a series of practices and institutions that are used “to deliver justice for all, by convicting and punishing the guilty and helping them to stop offending, while protecting the innocent. It is responsible for detecting crime and bringing it to justice; and carrying out the orders of court, such as collecting fines, and supervising community and custodial punishment” (frontline. jsonline. gov. uk) In criminology, corporate crime refers to ‘crimes committed by corporations, or by influential individuals within corporations, where the illegal act is carried out with the intentions of furthering the goals of that organisation. ’ (Newburn. 2007. 946-947) Experiences within the criminal justice system are undoubtedly going to vary with each person’s own experiences and perception. Some may hold the view that it is a just and worthwhile organisation while others will not share the same optimism.

For example, there is an article in the Belfast Telegraph about the rape in Colin Glen Forest Park. The incident took place on the 12 April 2008. The article shows the complete dissatisfaction and faith within the criminal justice system but praises the work of the PSNI. The victim stated that the days between her reporting the crime and attending the trial she had no contact or information relating to the trail until just 2 week before hand “The criminal justice process leading up to the trial was not much better from a victim’s perspective.

I did not hear from my prosecuting barristers until two weeks before the scheduled trial — leaving me to spend 11 months in confused anxiety about the prospect of testifying. ” “How can rape victims be expected to assist the criminal justice system in convicting their attacker, when there isn’t even a proper counseling service to help them through this very harrowing process? ”(www. belfasttelegraph. com) It is easily seen from this specific example that the criminal justice system is simply focused on one thing, which to convict the criminal and punish them accordingly.

There seems to be no regard to the victims feelings, concerns or anxieties, but simply referrals and advice, on where to go to achieve help and comfort in an attempt to deal with the traumatic event of being raped. “No one told me that a service like Victim Support existed until a few weeks before my trial (and 10 months after my attack). ” (www. belfasttelegraph. com) (2009) It has been seen as standard practice to observe that the ‘victim’ has long been the forgotten party in criminal justice as the Colin Glen Forest Park victim’s story demonstrates.

Victims appear very often appear as complainants and applicants for compensation, or as a witness giving evidence, but thereafter they are unfortunately very much neglected. It is only recently that the victim now forms the focus of a substantial area of enquiry within criminology. There is now a requirement for sufficient attention to be paid to the needs and rights of the victims. (Newburn. 2007. Pg. 342) Crimes vary in their nature and therefore the impact of the crime on the victim can vary also.

Goodey (2005: 121-2) lists a range of emotional, material and social needs that victims may need to have met in the aftermath of crime. This list consists of: reassurance and counselling; medical assistance; financial and practical assistance to secure property; information about case programs; guidance about what to expect in court; the chance to express how the crime affected them; and information about the release date of the offender. (Newburn. 2007. Pg. 353) In is only in recent years that these needs of victims have been taken into account and there is now such a thing called ‘victims policy’.

This policy ensures that the needs of the victims are being met and there is now a substantial raft of services now provided to protect the victim and their rights. (Newburn. 2007. Pg. 358) Duff (1988) argues that there are two discernible trends which illustrate the impact of the ‘victim movement’ on the Criminal Justice System. The first is the introduction of state funded compensation schemes. These schemes had the aim of trying to strengthen the relationship between the offender and the state. The second was the introduction of compensation by the offender to the victim.

This aimed to increase the importance of the victim-offender relationship. This therefore became the start of criminal injuries compensation, and it was through these schemes that the needs of the victims were officially being recognised. (Newburn. 2007. Pg. 358) In 1959, the government published ‘Penal Practice in a Changing Society’; this is what resulted in the setting-up of a party which were to examine the proposal of introducing the schemes for payment of compensation to victims of violence. The proposal was then passed and was called the ‘Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme’, also known as CICS.

It came into operation on the 1st August 1964. (Newburn. 2007. Pg. 358) An example of a recent payment of compensation to a victim is that of Lucas Da Costa, 32, while working for Lindon foods meat processing company, suffered severe head injuries when he was hit by 255 kilos of crates as he lifted them using an electric pallet truck at the Granville Industrial Estate plant on 25 February 2010. The father-of-four was rushed to hospital and then transferred to the Royal Victoria Hospital where he was treated for bleeding onto the brain as well as multiple fractures to his skull and facial bones.

Linden Foods Ltd pleaded guilty to breaches of health and safety legislation at a previous hearing at Omagh Crown Court, in the case which was brought against the company by the Health and Safety Executive. The company were ordered to pay ? 25,000 after an employee was left “close to a vegetative state”. (www. u. tv. co. uk) Also Northern Ireland Water has been fined ? 2,000 after pleading guilty to polluting a major river. A blockage in the sewerage system caused poisonous discharge to pollute the Six Mile Water River at Clotworthy Bridge in Antrim.

The fine was imposed on 4th May 2011 at Antrim Magistrates Court where NI Water pleaded guilty to making a polluting discharge to a waterway and breach of consent. Antrim mayor Pam Lewis welcomed the fine saying she hoped it would act as a deterrent. (www. belfasttelegraph. co. uk) In another incident, two construction companies have been fined over the collapse of a building owned by the Law Society in Belfast. The building collapsed in March 2008, injuring six workers. JH Turkington and Sons Ltd and Ripley Developments Ltd were fined a total of ? 1,000 for health and safety breaches. A Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) investigation found that the collapse of a temporary supporting structure, known as false work, caused the incident. It was estimated that approximately 150 tonnes of concrete, 25 tonnes of steel reinforcing bars and four tonnes of false work all came down in the collapse. (www. bbc. co. uk) This increased recognition of victims needs developed even further; there became an increased desire to protect children who had been victims.

Many of the child victim’s experiences were particularly traumatic itself; never mind the trauma of having to give evidence in court also. After numerous protests, the requirement in ‘The 1988 Criminal Justice Act’ was abolished that stated that the child had to give evidence in court. This was enforced in order to protect the child and instead the use of video recordings was introduced. (Newburn. 2007. Pg. 362-363) In 1986 in government then took the decision to provide core funding to victim support.

In the first years the scheme mainly focused on the victims of conventional crimes, such as burglary. During the 1980s they became progressively more involved in providing support for a wider range of victims. This came to include victims of racial harassment, families of murder victims, rape and serious sexual assault. Victim support demanded that victims had the right: to be heard; to be kept informed about the progress of ‘their case’; be protected by law enforcement agencies; to receive compensation as well as ‘respect, recognition and support’. Newburn. 2007. Pg. 363-364) This led to an increased interest in victims within the criminal justice system. Victims support started running a series of victim/witness support programmes in seven Crown Court centres, and now, the organisation provides a witness service in every criminal court in England and Wales. The first victim’s charter was published in 1990. This was the first acknowledgement that some victims may have entitlements (not rights) because of their victimisation. In 1996 the second victim’s charter was published.

The charter covered police responsibilities for providing information to victims, familiarisation with the courts, together with details of the complaints procedures if the standards set out were not met. From this charter victims could expect to get: contact details for police officers and leaflets on ‘Victims of Crime’, information on case progress, chance to explain how the crime affected them, information on the offenders release, treatment and support if attending court as a witness, expenses for attending court, and also emotional and practical support. (Newburn. 007. Pg. 364-365) In 2002, a White Paper, ‘Justice For All’, was published by the Home Office. Its aim, it said, was to rebalance the Criminal Justice System in favour of the victims, witnesses and communities. Their aim was to increase detection rates, reduce delays, and increase the conviction rates. (Newburn. 2007. Pg. 365 & 669) Northern Ireland has numerous areas in which victims can receive support. These include the PSNI Victim support, The Public Prosecution Service, NICS, PBNI Victim Information Scheme, and The Prisoner Release Victim Information Scheme.

These aim to help people affected by any type of crime. They provide emotional support, information and practical help to victims, witnesses and others affected by crime. (www. victimsupportni. co. uk) The Northern Ireland Justice Minister made this response in July 2010. “Northern Ireland must have a Criminal Justice System which puts victims and witnesses at the core. As part of this, it is of paramount importance that victims are provided with the necessary support and that they have confidence in the service they are receiving”.

Although many improvements to victim support had been made, there are still many changes to be made. The NI Criminal Justice System has made commitments for 2010/2011 to: provide victims and witnesses with easier access to information; ensure that specific and timely information is provided to victims and witnesses in relation to their cases; continue to work with relevant voluntary agencies; recognise and be responsive to victims and witness’ individual needs and also to make victims and witness’ views made know to the CJS.

It seems to be a simple solution to ensure that the victims of crimes should be put at the fore front of the investigation, ensuring that they receive the best care and guidance possible in an attempt to raise the comfort and awareness of the conviction process, therefore raising the belief in the criminal justice which in turn, will allow other victims to follow suit thus raising the level the convictions, instead of concentrating on just the legal aspects of getting the conviction, which seems to be the case at present.

People are very often not aware of the services and support groups available to them in the event of a crime, and they are relaying on the people within the legal profession and their knowledge and the CJS to inform them of such services. It’s bad enough that they have to suffer at the hands of the criminals, but to suffer at the hands of the criminal justice system is totally unacceptable. It is beyond doubt that the criminal justice system needs a reform, so that it takes into account all aspects of crimes, from the victim to the sentencing.

They may see an increase in assistance from the victims if they focus their attention on them rather than being simply focused on one thing, which to convict the criminal and punish them accordingly. Bibliography Newburn, T. (2007) Criminology. Cullompton. Willan Publishing. (frontline. cjsonline. gov. uk) http://www. belfasttelegraph. co. uk/lifestyle/bt-woman/as-a-tourist-in-belfast-my-rape-was-shock-news-so-why-did-you-forget-about-it-and-me-so-quickly-14484709. html#ixzz15CJWLv3H

Having no element for Mens Rea, consequently permits punishment on those that may be blameless to a crime. With that fact, there is definitely a wide range of controversial pro’s and con’s. I personally am unbiased either way regarding this topic, for any and all concerns I feel are legitimate. What I will set forth here is unbiased opinion and facts to all pro’s and con’s.

In this world there are many regular civilians and citizens that may encounter, in some form or another, an inconvenience, mishap or even loss on many degrees’ due to someone’s negligence or culpable liability. Which will lead me to one’s take on the pro’s or benefit to the existence of strict liability crimes. First and foremost, when someone is hurt or harmed, they want recourse and they want it from whomever is liable, or from the closes person to that liable party. So they care nothing about ones blamelessness or mental intent, which in this case the law would not hold prudent anyway.

To them and to the law “public health and safety come first. ” For them an act alone is all that would actually need to be proved. For if that were not the case, then the possible victims would not have any remedy under the law. Further more, the benefits to society outweighs the cost of punishing those that may have no true blame. As for the con’s in strict liability offenses, one might argue that being held liable without subjective or objective fault may be a violation to the U.S. Constitution. Where this stipulation actually contradicts the Model Penal Code (MPC) etc. on criminal liability and the stature of concurrence.

Further more, with there being no actual or effective means on protection against strict liability or accidents, leaves a broad range of exceptional blameworthiness. Where “they” could say “we are the victims! ” adversely this could jeopardize society and not protect it, thus curtail much human (especially professional) activities etc. at the fear of any possible culpable negligence. So here I have just a few to name the least, of pro’s and con’s on strict liability. So as you see we all have some legitimate place or say in this very controversial matter. For all people: individuals, civilians, families, cooperations, businesses, functions, police force and all professionals have some form of risk here. Overall I think the law on strict liability is well needed and the sacrifice’s are well worth the gains… for better of for worse.

In order to succeed at something so selective and challenging you must understand the cause and truly feel the duty it brings to you. Those that possess the characteristics for becoming a police officer could not do anything but be a police officer, its something you’re born with and that you feel. It chooses you, you do not choose it. For many in this world the thought of crime scares them. It brings out the fear Of violence, drugs, and the images of some Of the worst places or scariest people this world has to offer. It gives officers of law enforcement it gives the Houghton of opportunity to make a difference.

The times in which most run away, officers of law enforcement run towards. To be a police officer it is not about the paycheck, it is not about the power it gives to you over another citizen. Its the ability to make a difference and impact society, the ability to be a part of something bigger than yourself. Being a police officer is not something you chose to do; it is something that chooses you. It’s not just a job, it’s a lifestyle, its not just a paycheck but a way of life, those that are destined to become police officers don’t “turn it off’ after their shift is over, hey don’t call out sick, and they don’t work regular hours.

Police officers sacrifice; they sacrifice their time off, time with family and friends, but most of all they sacrifice themselves and their own well being for the good of those in which they vow to protect and serve, they sacrifice through every single way possible and in some cases they make the ultimate sacrifice. The life of a police officer is not for the faint of heart. It’s not for someone who doesn’t fully feel and know in their heart that there is no other profession or road of life they could be on other than that of an officer of the law.

Ever since I was a child have been infatuated with the police and law. Remember as a child running around my grandparents neighborhood playing “reliever” with my friends and always wanting to be the team tasked with capturing the other kids, or riding our bikes around the neighborhood pretending to pull one another over and issuing fake tickets, sometimes even arresting each other and using the cheap plastic handcuffs from the drugstore to put the “suspect” into custody.

One of my most vivid memories and the one I believe captured my attention to truly make me feel that coming a police officer was the life path I was destined to take was watching cops with my grandmother. I remember fondly sitting on my grandfathers lay-z-boy becoming instantly fascinated with the different traffic stops and dispute calls the police would perform. I remember every episode, I would become so engrossed with what was happening and the different calls the officers would go on that I would imagine was with them and going along as a fellow officer assisting in the arrests.

Throughout my life, my opinions and personality changed. Every three years it seemed I was a totally efferent person than the one before, but one thing that always remained was that wanted to be involved in law enforcement in one way or another, I wanted to be a part of the brotherhood and to make a difference, I knew that had the ability both intellectually and integrity wise to get through law school and become a lawyer but knew from a young age sitting in an office wasn’t what I wanted to do, I wanted to impact my community in a positive way through law enforcement, I wanted to be down on the street, in the thick of it. Anted to see and handle the crime and the thugs first hand; I wanted to be he face Of law enforcement. The characteristics of the job that made most people deflect away are what attracted me the most. The long hours, the threat of danger and adrenaline rushes, even the middle class pay grades, they all intrigued me and made me want this type of lifestyle even more.

As I got older looked into law enforcement more and more and with much more scrutiny and detail, I heard the positives and negatives, the risks and the rewards, and the one thing that always stuck out in my mind was the fact that no matter what I heard or what learned about the career, never lost interest. I never became deterred, I always carried myself as someone who wanted a future career in law enforcement. While some of my friends got into trouble growing up and during high school I made sure to keep my nose clean.

I always spoke to everyone with respect and a professional tone, I took my part time jobs seriously and I made good impressions on all those that I met. Felt, and still do feel, that you cannot make a leader, leaders are born. I firmly believe the same goes for police officers, you cannot take anyone and transform them into a police officer, you can only hope that those that possess the qualities of police officer realize their gift and pursue the career.

This mentality has driven me to change myself physically, mentally, and it has also caused me to change the views of those around me. When I was younger and I brought up the fact that I would like to become a police officer my parents were not thrilled. They did not want me to spend my career in danger handling the worst people that society has to offer. They wanted me, like most parents, to become a doctor or lawyer, have a comfortable life both financially and personal safety wise. Knew that was better suited for being a police officer out on the street.

I did not care about the money or social sacrifices I would have to make, but most importantly I did not value my personal safety over those that looked up to me, this I believe is a huge quality and characteristic of police officers, to wake up every day and know that you may have to lay down your life in order to protect a complete stranger, not everyone could do this. I learned that I possessed this quality during my years as a high school athlete, I played goalie for my high school lacrosse team.

I played a different position prior to high school but my freshman year the captains came to the am and asked for someone to step up and play goalie, I was the only one in my class to raise my hand. In all of sports, a lacrosse goalie is ranked as one of the top 3 most dangerous positions because the solid rubber ball in the sport travels at a speed of 80 to 95 MPH. The goalie wears almost no pads other than a helmet, chest pad, gloves, and an athletic cup. Throughout a season a goalie suffers severe contusions all over their body and on top of this, they are the last line of defense for their team.

The position is a high risk- low reward position. If the team wins, they overlook your saves and focus on he players who scored the winning goal but if you lose everyone looks at you for the amount of goals you let in. Most importantly the position is chaotic, hectic, loud, and fast paced and you need to make a decision quickly. The average goalie has . 2 seconds to make a decision during a game. Therefore you must possess the ability to think quickly on your feet, read, evaluate, and act on a situation extremely fast. This is a huge characteristic of a being a police officer. New that the position was not for everyone, if it was easy everyone would do it was my philosophy, did not question why no one else raised their hand hat day at tryouts but rather did the job knowing that others relied on me. The same applies for that of a police officer. Police officers don’t consider the dangers of the job they do, the risks they take every day and the low rewards that come with the job. The greatest reward is something no one else can see, it’s something you feel. It’s knowing that you are part of select brotherhood of others that do everything they can, and then some, to make the world safer.

There are many different forms of law enforcement in the world. I have chosen to pursue the route of a field officer, someone who goes out and tops crime first hand. I have looked at becoming a lawyer or someone who is a part of the processing aspect of law and the one field of law enforcement that speaks to me and attracts me above all others is that of a field officer, or police officer. I have said before that those that are police Officers do not know why they wish to be a police officer, they just know that it is something that has chosen them.

I have looked at the different law enforcement agencies on all levels from federal to state to local. Have narrowed it down to two different possible agencies that am pursing and hoping to be employed tit, these are, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Delaware State Police. The FBI is on the federal level while the ADS is on the state level. Each have their own responsibilities, mission statements, duties, and specialized departments within. Before I pursue a career with either of these departments I am attending college and receiving a bachelors degree in “Criminal Justice”.

After college commencement I will be enlisting in the United States Marine Corps Officer Candidate School and serving my country on the national level as a united States Marine Officer for 4 to 6 years of my life. I have chosen the Marines because they claim to be the best. Their motto is ‘The few, the Proud, the Marines”. This has always struck me in a positive, almost challenging way. Other military organizations ask you to join them giving you a list of opportunities and rewards they can give you.

The Marine Corps challenge you to join them, they tell you what you can do for them and earn for yourself in the process, they offer the hardest and longest training process out of all the military services and, just like the ADS, they claim to be the best organization out there. Eve always wanted to be a part of the best unit can be. Always wanted to be the best of the best. Feel that there is no other option then to push yourself to the Max and to never Stop trying to get better at everything you possibly can. Eel that obtaining a college degree and becoming an officer in the Marine Corps will help separate me from others in the selection processes of both the FBI and the ADS. Both of these organizations have rigorous and intense selection processes taking on average at least a year to go through both select candidates for specialized training to transform them into effective and capable tools of law enforcement. Eel whole heartedly that the Marine Corps will help prepare me for the discipline and training will endure during the selection process and training periods of both the FBI and the ADS, should I be accepted into these organizations.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, is a federal police organization that focuses on neutralizing and preventing crime that are too large and diverse for police agencies on the local and state levels. Their mission statement is, “To protect and defend the United States against terrorist and foreign intelligence threats, to uphold and enforce the criminal laws of the United States, and to provide leadership and criminal justice services to federal, state, municipal, and international agencies and partners. (Federal Bureau of Investigation, mission statement, 201 2) The FBI has numerous specialized units; in fact, it’s safe to say that they are nothing but specialized units that all work together under one name and for the same cause, to protect the United States. The FBI has field units in security, SWAT, drug enforcement, national security, air security. They also have law units that investigate and chase down some of the country’s worst criminals; they sometimes go global in order to track threats against the United States.

You can be a linguist and handle language barriers, field agents, they also have a hostage rescue team. The FBI selection process is unbelievably intense there are seven steps to the process. There is the online application process which is the first step and gets your name in the system along with your accomplishments and attributes. Then comes the written test portion which covers your situational judgment skills along with your logical reasoning skills. The second phase Of testing includes a written paper testing portion along with an interview from a anal of FBI board members.

The next phase is a conditional letter which must be written by a member of the FBI board and approved, giving you permission to continue and take the physical testing portion of the selection process. This tests your ability to run in both a sprint and a timed mile run and do sit-up and pushup in timed fashion. If you complete and pass these qualifications you are submitted to go through a thorough background check by the FBI and if everything in your background check checks out you are submitted to go through a medical examination to see if you are in proper hysterical health to be an agent in the FBI.

The selection process for the FBI is rigorous, in depth, and competitive. They select only the best candidates and those that they think will perform the job to the best of their abilities to help out the bureau in every way possible. The Delaware State Police, ADS, is a state level organization that specializes in the governing three counties in the state of Delaware. Unlike other state police agencies, the ADS not only patrol high ways and enforce traffic violations, they also handle all other police priorities that local police agencies handle as well.

The average Delaware State Trooper on a typical day will handle traffic violations and answer domestic dispute calls. They handle crimes ranging from felonies to misdemeanors. The ADS have canine units, detectives, undercover units, scuba units, SWAT units, air units, and patrol officers. As a Delaware State Trooper you can be a part of any of these units as long as you apply and pass the testing for each. The mission of the ADS is, “To enhance the quality of life for all Delaware citizens and visitors by providing professional, competent, and compassionate law enforcement services. Delaware State Police, Mission Statement, 2012). Like the FBI, the ADS selection process is insanely rigorous and intense, it takes roughly a year to complete and over 1000 applicants apply and out of those, only 23 are selected to become Delaware State Troopers (Tap. 1st class Jewell, A. 2012). The selection process contains a written process after being accepted from an online application. Once the written process is done an oral board interview is conducted.

If you pass that you are then submitted to the physical fitness portion of the selection process and tested on your ability to reform sit-ups, pushup, and a timed mile run. If you pass the physical fitness portion you are then submitted to undergo a polygraph exam and fill out a background investigation packet while also being investigated by the police department’s investigation unit and interview teams. If all of this is completed and you pass, the ADS will decide on whether or not to admit you to the Delaware State Police Training Academy located in Dover, Delaware.

In review of both of these organizations have decided that I will pursue a career with the Delaware State Police as primary career source and the Federal Bureau of Investigation as a secondary career source, as I reviewed and compared both of these organizations have sided with the ADS because of their primary cause which is helping make the community safer on more of a local and state level rather than focusing on a national level. Want to help the people in my community and perform the tasks and duties that are required of the Delaware State Police more so than the Federal Bureau of Investigations.

I have failed to list the pay grades of both of the organizations as in my personal beliefs I do not feel that is important, in becoming a ember of law enforcement, such a police officer, it is not about the money. Police officers do the job because it is a calling, the fact that the job pays you is a bonus, police officers don’t go into work because of the paycheck they go into work every day with the intentions of doing something good for the community and impacting it in a positive way, they chose this career not because of the pay but because they wouldn’t be able to do anything else.

If you hear the call Of law enforcement there is no escaping it, you must answer it and until you do so you will not feel fully and truly satisfied. This isn’t just a bob but a lifestyle. As stated above, I plan on obtaining a 4 year bachelors degree in criminal justice and serving 4 to 6 years in the SUMS. I feel that taking this route before pursuing my career as a Delaware State Trooper will better prepare me both mentally and physically for my tasks as a police officer, as it will also help me standout in the selection process.

I have also gone on multiple “ride-along” with the Delaware State Police and seen firsthand the day to day calls and activities of a State Trooper. This career has called me and I am in the process of answering it, one step at a time. Eve kept my nose clean and stayed out of trouble, I will not jeopardize myself and my future career with reckless behavior. “If it was easy, everyone would do it’- unknown, that quote sums up my entire attitude towards life, I choose to perform the jobs, duties, and tasks that most do not wish to perform. Eel it as my duty and a sense of guilt comes over me when I do not fully undergo and take down these tasks. Believe this is the mentality most police officers and those that have heard the calling feel. The undoubted need and want to help, they undertake the jobs that most would not. In times of peril it is the police, firemen, paramedics, and military personnel that run toward the danger. This is something that cannot be explained by anyone in any of these fields; it is something that is understood as special and unique to a certain breed of individual.

Police officers don’t question the thought of chasing an armed suspect down a dark alley, they just do. Firemen don’t wonder why they go into a burning building as others run out, they just do. Paramedics and military personnel don’t realize that they are saving lives by risking their own well being, they just do. The sense and feelings of being in one of these positions cannot be explained, many of times my parents, family members, and friends have asked me, “Tom why do you want to be a Marine? Or Police Officer? And every time I tell them the exact same thing, “If you have to ask me, you wouldn’t understand”. No one besides a police officer understands why they do it, risk their lives for complete strangers for low amounts of pay, long hours, and low social rewards. They don’t do it for any of the reasons above, they do it because it’s their duty, it’s who they are, and it’s ingrained in heir blood and DNA The ability to be a police officer is a unique and special trait; it’s not just a career but a lifestyle.