The Principle of Charity in Critical Thinking

The Principle of Charity is an important critical thinking method wherein a person is expected to become “charitable” toward the position and arguments that he or she opposes, which means that a person must give opposing views and arguments fair and honest interpretation. This principle does not imply that one should agree with an opposing […]

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Semester Reflection

As the semester started, I had set my mind that I was destined to achieve a lot. During the start of the semester, I had several difficulties writing English assignments especially in terms of grammar. During the first week of the semester, I sat down, organized my thoughts and comprehended that throughout the semester, I […]

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Police and Critical Thinking

As a police officer it is our role to observe, think about, and solve problems objectively and systematically. Police officers attend a variety of scenarios when working as a general duties officers it is our job to discover the truth; this requires the use of critical thinking and the scientific method of investigation to find the truth. When attending a job and conducting an investigation into a crime or offence police must utilise these skills as critical thinking and the scientific method of investigation go hand in hand with one another.

In particular, to be able to make effective use of the scientific model, you need to be a critical thinker (Osterburg & Ward 1992 pp 11). Using the Scientific Method of Investigation requires police to identify the problem on arrival, then to form a hypothesis as to what has happened as well as possible suspects and motives. By collecting further data, police can then review their original hypothesis and start to make an evidence based conclusion on the incident at hand.

The whole point of police investigations whatever the crime or incident is to arrive at the truth (Miller,L & Connelly,M. 1996). There are six steps to the scientific method of investigation. (Becker, RF, 2000, p. 7) The six steps are state the problem, create a hypothesis, collect all data, test the hypothesis, continue to collect data and finally arrive at a theory. By adhering to this method it provides framework that best assists police in discovering the truth about what happened in a structural, factual and reliable way. PPP232 Topic 3) In this essay I will be critiquing the way the police officers have investigated the assault on Mr Lee that took place and how the officers have used both critical thinking and the scientific method of Investigation, to gather all evidence available to find the truth, in an ethical manner. When applying the first stage of the investigation to the scenario the officers attending the scene are approached by the licensee of the Chiefly Hotel. Denise Spence informs Senior Constable Baltrow that a barman who works in her hotel has been assaulted.

Previous experience and observations are both factors which aid us in identifying a problem; this is known as ‘inductive reasoning. ’ In this case, I believe, both factors come into play for Senior Constable Baltrow. Senior constable Baltrow then begins to question the licensee. During the questioning process a male appears from down the street who seems to be out of breath. This male Gary Rawlings, states to police he has just chased a male who assaulted Dan Lee. It appears Mr Rawlings has a lot of valuable information about the assault.

By using Denise and Gary’s evidence the Officer in charge is able to identify that a male has been assaulted and taken to Bathurst hospital. The problem has now been identified and the Officers can use their initial observations and the current information they have gathered to begin to form the hypothesis. “A working hypothesis is like an incomplete puzzle that comes together a piece at a time. ” (Becker, 2000. pp. 4). After forming a logical hypothesis that the victim was assaulted by a male, it is now up to the officers to “Collect Further Data”.

Whilst collecting data the Officers will be identifying, utilizing and evaluating various sources of information and evidence collected at the scene to help support their hypothesis. Both the statements give evidence to prove the assault took place but police have no information as to why the assault happened. Constable Buchman points out to Senior constable Baltrow that there is CCTV footage available. In collecting data it is also crucial for the police to be able to link all the evidence presented from witness, victim and available evidence from the crime scene.

The next step in the investigation is to interpret the data and test the hypothesis. The statements made by the witnesses may change the officer’s hypothesis from ‘was the assault carried out intentionally or was in self-defence, the CCTV footage will provide officers with valuable evidence to support their hypothesis. For the officers to come to a decision, about their initial hypothesis, it requires critical thinking about their line of investigation. Critical thinking is an integral part of the scientific method of investigation.

It is the examination and test of propositions of any kind which are offered for acceptance, in order to find out whether they correspond to reality or not. (Nixon, Stefanovic, & O’Conner, 2009, p. 74). The concept of critical thinking includes inductive and deductive reasoning. Inductive reasoning is the process of arriving at a conclusion based on a set of observations. In itself it is not a valid piece of evidence as it can lead to assumptions, stereotypes and prejudices about a suspect. It can also lead to tunnel vision.

Deductive reasoning is using the evidence and information at hand to create specific facts and ideas about what occurred during an incident. Its use can help create a hypothesis to help investigators advance in an investigation. It is a starting point for an investigation not a conclusion and an integral part of the scientific method of investigation (PPP232 Module 3). It is not your job to punish: your job is to discover the; who, what, where, when, how and why of an event, and then to report the matter to another authority (Court, Coroner, DPP, Workcover etc).

This is the key role of investigation – discovering the truth of the matter and this subject strives to expand your knowledge and skills so you become an effective, professional and ethical investigator. The data that the investigating police were provided with through the investigation process was able to offer police with a sequence of events, before, during and after the incident. The data collected by the police has ensured that the witnesses version of events, matched up with the CCTV footage at the scene.

This shows how important evidence is in the investigation process as it allows police to correctly identify and charge suspects according to law. The officers in the scenario believe they are dealing with an assault. To help investigate the crime further the officers will now gather additional data. The officers collect the CCTV footage which will play vital part in the investigation. A description of the suspect is given to Senior constable Baltrow and is broadcasted over the police radio.

The officer in charge then proceeds further into the investigation when he is informed about a piece of wood which was used in the assault. The Officer locates the piece of wood and records, photographs and collects this evidence. The next stage of the investigation is to take statements from the witnesses, victim, to obtain a copy of the CCTV footage, and search the area for further witnesses or evidence. Police would then send out Forensic service Group to see if there is any further evidence they can obtain from the scene.

The CCTV footage obtained will confirm the witness’s versions. The police now attend Bathurst Hospital to speak with Mr Lee and Catherine James about what occurred at the Chiefly Hotel. Their statements will be a vital part of the investigation. Police observations of Mr Lee’s injuries are consistent with the statements gathered. Police take statements which confirm and support the facts gathered about the assault. Over the radio police get a call stating that a male has been caught trespassing on a property.

On arrival the person of interest appears to match the description of the accused involved in the assault at the Chiefly hotel. Applying critical thinking to the new evidence given about a male attempting to break into a property at Bathurst, police now have the suspect allowing for the investigation to begin. The officers are able to caution the offender and begin questioning Jason Priest about the assault. During the questioning process the accused states that the victim came up to him and assaulted him with the piece of wood.

Using the CCTV footage the police will now have to view the footage to test this theory. At this stage of the investigation the officers believe they have sufficient data to support their decision on arresting the accused. The Officers will now need to collate any further evidence which would be beneficial to their case such as the victim and witness statements, CCTV footage, forensic evidence from the scenes and the photo identification back at Bathurst Police Station. The data which has been collected is all evidence that meets the description and identifies the suspect.

Now that the police have obtained vital information they are able to place the two men out the front of the Chiefly hotel. The victim and first witness supplied important information to the Officers which allowed them to start the investigation, the officers were able to obtain sufficient data to support what type of offence was committed. The only barrier could be the witnesses may drawback from an investigation as they could be affected by emotion, threats, or fear to give their true account on what happened. The responding officers are in a position not only to influence the victim’s feelings, perceptions and assessments regarding the victimisation experience, but whether the victim will assist in the prosecution of the case. ’ In this prosecution the CCTV is important as it shows who has the piece of wood and the method in which it was used, intent or self-defence. The CCTV footage helps the officers comprehend what has occurred and collaborate the versions that have been represented by the witnesses. Police have obtained 3 forms of evidence: Real, Original and Documentary.

Real evidence is an object, something tangible that is found at a crime scene or is related to an offence. In this scenario an example of real evidence is the piece of wood that was used by the accused as a weapon in the assault. Original evidence is evidence given by a witness, a statement and anything said by a person in relation to the offence and what they saw. Police obtained statements from Denise, Catherine James and Mr Lee. Documentary evidence is anything that can be classed as a document. Relating to this scenario the officers took photos of the weapon in the assault and collected CCTV footage from Denise the licensee of the hotel.

From gathering and assessing all evidence police can now “Draw an Evidence Based Conclusion”. It is now up to the officers to use critical thinking to link all pieces of evidence to the crime to find the truth. By individualising each piece of evidence found, the officers can identify what each piece of evidence means, determine the reliability of the evidence and what range of conclusions can be drawn from it. By collecting further data, police can then review their original hypothesis and start to make an evidence based conclusion.

When undertaking any role as a police officer it is important to maintain professionalism by acting in an ethical manner, The” Code of Conduct and Ethics” and “Statement of Values” provide guide lines for police to adhere to when undertaking this role. Police must always act in an ethical manner throughout their role as a police officer. Everything a police officer does is under scrutiny from fellow officers, victims, witnesses and of course the public, which is why it crucial that police act in an ethically sound manner.

The “Code of Conduct and Ethics (CCE)” and “Statement of Values (SOV)” provides a framework in which the police are to operate. In this scenario the police have embraced the expectations from both the CCE and the SOV. The 3 main points of the CCE addressed in the scenario are: the officers “behaved honestly and in a way that upholds the values and the good reputation of the NSW police” and “acted with care and diligence”. The officers throughout the incident acted professionally, and made numerous decisions during the investigation some ethically correct and others which could have been dealt with differently.

One of the decisions made which I believe to be unethical was not to IPE the person of interest. Section 201(2)(c) of LEPRA clearly states an officer must inform a person of their name, place of duty and give evidence that they are police officers if not in uniform before exercising any power. Failure to abide by this legislation deems all powers that are exercised unlawful. Due to the officers failing to abide by this safeguard the arrest would be considered unlawful. This could possibly see the collapse of the case in court and see a crime go unpunished.

Another factor is that tunnel vision occurred when the officer in charge was questioning the witness at the scene. An example of the officers not thinking critically and letting tunnel vision take over is when the officer in charge broadcasted the description of the male wanted for the assault. At that stage the officers only assumed that an assault has occurred. Police also broadcasted a description of the accused over police radio, this was done without fully investigating and assuming that the witness was telling the truth.

Police should have reviewed the CCTV footage from the hotel to ascertain that an assault had occurred and the description of the accused was correct. It seemed to me that officers performed fairly well. They sufficiently investigated the matter and were able to arrest the suspect for further in It is easy for us to watch this scenario unfold on DVD and criticise the actions and decisions of the two officers. However when you are placed in real life situation you need to focus on what will be in the public’s best interest and what ethical decisions will need to be made.

It is important to remember that investigation is not a game with winners or losers it is a search for the truth based on the gathering of information in a fair and ethical manner. I believe that the Officers were able to provide a framework that best assisted them to the truth of the crime. In conclusion “Critical thinking” and the “Scientific Method of Investigation” are fundamental partners in criminal investigation. Together they form a “logical and scientific format” (Activity 6. 1) that enables an investigator to form logical conclusions based on the collected evidence.

Critical thinking allows for conclusions coming forth from a number of different perspectives. Together this way of thinking is important in investigations as it aides investigators in answering questions and reconstructing the past. Often police are placed in a situation that requires them to solve a crime or identify an offender who committed an offence. The fact that the community have placed police in that role means it is the police who are accountable for finding the truth, and this is the basis of investigation – for police to search for the truth.

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Reflection Essay on Critical thinking

In today’s modern society, critical thinking is one of the essential skills needed to be acquired by mankind for his survival. To think critically means to be able to look beyond the conventional way of looking at things and to be able to see underneath the underneath; to not accept things simply as they are, but rather to extend one’s vision further until a well-justified conclusion or answer to an argument has been attained. Critical thinking involves in-depth evaluation and processing of information which are in the form of propositions, statements, and arguments and are claimed by other people as true.

Its goal is to be able to draw conclusions on the validity of these statements by examining the offered evidences and by relying solely on facts and pure logic. Since it is a method of drawing conclusions, it requires proficiency in various information gathering skills such as observation, research, interrogation, and investigation. The main question now will be how to think critically and how to apply critical thinking in everyday living. As a scientific process, Critical thinking can be conducted in a stepwise pattern.

The first thing to do in thinking critically would be to clarify the problem or argument. This step simply requires us to have a concise definition of the problem and its significance. The second step involves gathering information which can be used in solving the problem. This step includes learning more about the nature of the problem, looking at its causes and searching for possible remedies. The method of information gathering can be done by researches, experiments investigations or simply by mere observation. Step three is evaluation of the presented evidences.

It involves answering questions such as: (1) Where did the presented evidences come from, and how can their validity be supported? (2) What biases can be expected from the sources of the presented evidences? (3) Are the evidences statements of facts or are they presented merely as opinions? The fourth step is the method of making alternative solutions for the problem. This involves creating an orderly list of possible solutions based on the gathered data and analyzed evidences. The final step is the testing and implementation of the best solution from the list of possible solutions.

Now that we have learned what critical thinking is and how we can practice it, it’s about time we think about how this knowledge can be put into good use. Critical thinking has a wide range of applications, from analyzing a simple advertisement, to making heavy decisions such as what career to pursue or what business to invest at. A critical thinker will indeed always have the advantage when it comes to decision making as compared to conventional thinkers. As for one, a person that does not think critically would easily be persuaded by advertisements, therefore these kind of people have high risks of being falling into false advertising.

Whereas, a critical thinker would choose not to immediately believe at whatever is stated in an advertisement, rather, a critical thinker would take the time to make observations, and gather more information in order to prove whether what is claimed by the advertisement is true or not. Thus critical thinkers are those who are more likely to be successful in life. There was this instance when I was still working as a student assistant, that thinking critically spelled for me the difference between success and disaster. I arrived in the office early that day at around eight in the morning.

My superiors have not arrived yet and I’ve had to open the office myself. Minutes later, a man dressed up in formal attire arrived at the office and said that he was sent by one of my superiors to get her laptop for her. The guy said that it was really urgent, and that I should move quickly and get the laptop for him. The guy looked decent and seemed to know what he was saying, he even knew where the laptop was located, and was claiming that it was my superior that told him where he could find it, it was difficult not to trust him.

It was a good thing that I’ve taken the time to think critically at that time, I decided to call my superior on her mobile phone in order to confirm if she did send the guy. When the guy noticed that I was going for the phone, he was shocked and he immediately ran away. I was able to contact my superior and she told me that she has not sent anybody to our office. We reported the incident to the authorities and hours later the suspect was caught. Just imagine what could have happened if I’ve chosen to make the wrong decision. Not only would I be out of the job, I would have been forced to pay for the Laptop.

Success has its price, and it’s definitely going to take more than luck to reach its peak. On the trail towards success, every decision you make is crucial because one mistake could mean the end of everything. Therefore, it is important to keep in mind that whenever we make decisions, it is never enough to just think; think critical. WORKS CITED: Guffey, M. E. (1995-2005). Five Steps to Better Critical-Thinking, Problem-Solving and Decisio-Making Skills. Retrieved March 18, 2007, from http://www. westwords. com/GUFFEY/critical. html Thinking Critically. Retrieved March 19, 2007, from http://www. studygs. net/crtthk. htm

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Developing Critical Thinking

Be able to critically assess own beliefs, attitudes and value systems THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BELIEFS, VALUE AND ATTITUDES Beliefs, attitudes and values are three little words that have and make a massive impact on who we are as individuals, who we are as people, and even how the world is viewed by ourselves and others. A belief is something that individuals or groups think, such as believing in a god. Where a Value would be the living life in the ways a religion expects, this value will be made from the belief that the person or group has in their God.

The attitude towards this would be the feelings, beliefs and behaviour tendencies towards this, for example praying, reading the holy book, towards others that do not believe or have a different set of morals or beliefs etc. Values To me a value is a principle, a standard or even certain qualities that individuals, people or even groups hold. These values/principles are one of if not the most important things. These values/principles help to guide us a people and individuals. By guide I mean how we live our lives, what we base our decisions on.

A Value is usually produced via a belief. This belief would normally be related to worth of an idea or a particular type of behaviour. For example I see great value in always being polite, however somebody that has always got what they wanted or have had a different up bringing may not place very little or any value on being polite. These values can influence our decision making and often the support we give our clients. In a work or professional environment as individuals we should ensure that we do not try to influence our customers decisions based on our values.

As individuals we build our values from various sources and life experiences, these can be influenced by family, friends, workplace, educational facilities, life events such as death, financial issues. Religion, music etc. You do also have dominant values; these values are normally widely shared amongst groups, communities, religion or family. Although these dominant values are exactly that, the same dominant value may not be as important to another group or society. Belief

A belief as previously stated can help or lead to a specific value, these beliefs usually come from real life experiences, but as individuals we often forget the original experience is not the same as what is currently happening now. For example I Believe that Tottenham Hotspur is the best football team in the world, this is based on falling in love with the team in the early 1980’s. Realistically though over recent years Tottenham struggled even being in a relegation battle. This shows that there were at least 19 teams better than them. It does not however change my belief that they are the best football team.

Our beliefs and values make a massive impact on our lives they can affect how we are perceived, they can affect the quality of our work and even impact on all our relationships family and friends. Rightly or wrongly as individuals we all tend to believe that our beliefs are based on reality when actually in reality our beliefs are based on past experiences. Beliefs actually start to govern what and how we experience things such as watching a football game, or even working, these beliefs that we hold as individuals and groups though can make up part of our identity, who we are and how we live our lives and therefore are very important.

Attitude Attitude we all have it, and we all claim to know someone with a bad attitude. What is an attitude whether it is good or bad or even indifferent. The word “attitude” can refer to a lasting feeling, belief and behaviour tendencies directed towards specific people, groups, ideas or even objects. An attitude tends to be a belief about something, it usually describes what we as individuals deem as being correct (positive) or incorrect (negative) way of doing something.

For example my attitude towards people who steal is one of contempt is a negative attitude. As far as I am concerned I have no sympathy for them or remorse if they get caught. That said the thief maybe a first and one time offender and has other issues I do not know about so my attitude towards that is based on a very stereotypical generalisation, as it is something I would not do. However the fact that I would not do it shows that my attitude toward not stealing is a positive one.

It is possible though that our own attitudes can be so strong that we become ignorant to other peoples values, opinions and needs. A strong attitude is often referred to as a value, where as an attitude with little significance or importance, are often described as opinions. Beliefs, values, attitudes and the impact on my behaviour. There are just several beliefs, Values and attitudes that I hold that impact on my behaviour, not just to the way I act towards my everyday tasks, but also the way I act around my team and my customers/clients and suppliers.

The first is manners, I believe that people should treat others the way they wish to be treated themselves, so regardless of the situation I am always polite, courteous and professional in my approach. The value I hold regarding customers and clients, they are king and without them there would be no us as a company. I believe my team are the most important factor within our branch, so they are consulted about any major decisions we implement, just because I think it is a great idea to change something doesn’t necessarily mean that it is, after all my branch and team is only as good as its weakest member.

This sometimes can lead to be seen as a push over boss however my attitude to this is the work has to be done first and foremost, if it is not done correctly then I will speak to the people on a one to one and find out why, it may be that the individual needs a little extra training and therefore I have let them down by not ensuring they have the correct tools to do the job.

That said if there is no reasonable explanation I will address the issue and deliver direct instructions, these will always be fair but very firm, again if everyone else is doing a task one way then everyone should do it too I am very big on Team work, and being part of a team. So depending on the situation my behaviour changes from nice get on with everybody, to almost a dictator if work isn’t being carried out correctly.

I am never rude or impolite as I would not want to be treated that way, I listen to what others have to say before making a decision and where possible I will base a decision on others feedback as opposed to my own opinions, beliefs, attitudes or values. Be able to critically assess the validity of management theories in relation to own beliefs, attitudes and values. There are two management theories I find relevant to my role, the first of these is Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

This theory was developed by Abraham Maslow in the 1940’s -1950’s in the USA, this theory is still very much used today in understanding human motivations, any human motivation or lack of has an impact on the individuals attitudes, beliefs and values. The Maslow theory was originally a five stage model which is more than adequate for its purpose today and is still used by many. The current model can have as many as 8 stages and was developed by others based on Maslow’s work. It can be argued that the stages 6,7 and 8 of the current model were encapsulated in Maslow’s original model in stage 5, which is Self-actualisation. Maslow’s original model (5 stage model) Maslow theory pyramid graph from Wikpedia.com

This theory is relevant to my role as it helps to get an understanding of people’s behaviour varies, what motivates them, which can lead to letting me know what some of their beliefs and values are and even attitudes. For example if the individual perceives that they are being treated unfairly at home (Biological and Physiological Needs) the individuals attitude may be brought into the work place and they may not have the same values as myself and their attitude towards other members of the team, clients or even suppliers may change dramatically, which in turn effects the individuals behaviour.

The self-actualisation is very useful for me in my role as it allows me to understand myself, If I am having a bad time at home, or things are not going the way I would like or people do not hold the same beliefs, values and attitudes as I do I take a step back and look at everything from a third persons point of view as it is not the teams, customers, suppliers fault my day is not going to plan, it allows me then to choose how I approach the day and to stand by my more positive beliefs, values and attitudes as opposed to the negative ones I may have been feeling.

The other theory that I find relevant to my role is the psychological contract theory, it is shown below on a Vena diagram. PC= PSYCHOLOGICAL CONTRACT-hidden/unspoken, unwritten and takes into account relationship references (r) VC=VISIBLE CONTRACT-usually written, contractual agreement between parties, pay, hours, holidays etc. R=relationship between employee and market, and employer and market. This theory is fast becoming extremely relevant in the workplace regarding relationships with the workplace and even wider than that the human behaviour within a workplace.

This theory was first recognised in the 1960’s, most notably by behavioural theorists Chris Argyris and Edgar Schein. The psychological contract theory usually refers to the relationship between an employer and its employees, and specifically concerns the mutual expectations of inputs and outcomes. These both have an effect on each individual’s beliefs, values and attitudes within the work place. The psychological contract theory is usually seen from the standpoint or feelings of employees, however for this to be fully appreciated it has to be understood by both parties.

This theory is basically the fairness or balance perceived by the employee, for example how the employee is treated by the employer and also what the employee puts into a job. Both of these ultimately show values, beliefs and the attitude of the employees but it also shows an insight into them for the employer, as the employer may believe that the way the employees are treated is fair but the employees see it as unfair.

The way that this theory is understood and applied to our relationships, inside and outside of work essentially defines our humanity, for example, Respect, Compassion, Trust, Empathy, Fairness and Objectivity. This theory is relevant in my role as it allows me to understand what effect my actions as a manager/ employer have on the attitudes, beliefs and values of my employees or team. It allows me to assess my own beliefs, values and attitudes and decide if they are having a positive or negative effect on the team, customers/suppliers. MY BELIEFS, VALUES AND ATTITUDES IMPACT ON THE MASLOWS HIERACHY THEORY.

My beliefs, values and attitudes impact on this theory in different ways the first stage of biological and psychological needs, my attitude towards these are varied, I believe that although all of these are important within peoples’ lives I believe that these should not be brought into work. I believe that if you have a crises then approach me and we can deal with it, however if it is down to a little row at home, or not getting the cuddles you require then these issues should not impact on your work, I believe these should stay at home.

My attitude towards these is I keep my work and private lives separate. The next stage on this theory is the Safety needs; I believe that this is one of the most important areas within the workplace, ensuring that the employees, customers and the visitors to the site are always safe. My Attitude towards this is that these are a must and not a choice. My values, beliefs and attitude towards this stage make this a high priority than maybe another stage within the Maslow hierarchy theory.

The next stage within this theory is the belongingness and loved stage, relationships outside and inside work. My belief is that everybody likes to be liked or loved. So I treat everybody the way I wish to be treated. My attitude towards this stage is that I want to be liked and loved and may leave me at times to being a little lenient on people or members of the team. The fourth stage of this theory is Esteem, this encapsulates, reputation, achievements etc. I believe that all of these need to be enhanced and that it can only be done by hard work.

My attitude towards this stage is that I want to be the best at whatever I do so I strive to excel, so the impact I have with this stage is very goal driven to keep getting better and always enhancing my reputation by proving and showing what I am capable of. The final stage to this theory is the self-actualisation, my belief, values and attitude impact this stage the most, because I always want to improve, I not only see this stage as a self-analysis on myself on how I can get better and how I can learn, but it also allows me to analyse myself and the effect that I have on the people around me.

HOW SOMEONE ELSE MAY INTERPRET THE THEORY The beliefs, values and attitudes on others will be different to those I have and in turn they will interpret the Maslow hierarchy theory differently for example, the first stage could be seen as a reason to be grumpy with everyone at work because they did not get a cuddle at home before they left for work.

The second stage on the theory is the safety needs, the beliefs, values and attitude towards this can vary massively, it can be age, experience related for example some people attitudes would be that it is not necessarily important as their attitude is I have been doing this job for twenty years and never had an accident, now they are trying to tell me how I should do my job etc.

The third stage belongingness and loved, the employee beliefs may be that they only come to work to earn money, they could interpret this stage as being a way to try a soften them up or even as a way for people to find out about their private etc. This would signify an attitude of distain (what’s it got to do with them) The fourth stage of this theory the esteem stage, with somebody who has different beliefs, values and attitudes different to mine may impact on this stage of the theory, by interpreting it as the way for progression within the company is who you know not what you know or how you do.

Finally, the last stage of this theory the self-actualisation, somebody with a different beliefs values and attitudes to me may impact on this theory as a load of nonsense, they may have the attitude that they already know everything so they can’t grow anymore, this would make one of the most important stages in the Maslow Hierarchy theory irrelevant to a person with that belief, value or attitude.

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XBCOM/275 Business Communications and Critical Thinking

The issue that is the subject of my debate paper is the George Zimmerman trial. George Zimmerman, 28 years old at the time, shot and killed 17 year old Trayvon Martin on February 26, 2012 in Sanford, Florida. Zimmerman was the neighborhood watch patrolman and Martin was visiting his father who lived in the gated community where the shooting occurred. Zimmerman called the non-emergency number to report a suspicious male walking in the neighborhood. He was told by the non-emergency dispatcher the police were on the way and to not follow the individual. The police arrived on the scene only to find Trayvon Martin dead on the ground, shot in the chest.

The only items found at the scene of the crime were a can of ice tea, skittles, a cell phone and ear buds, all belonging to Martin. The other item, which George Zimmerman was holding was the only weapon found at the scene, a gun. George Zimmerman was arrested, his head injuries were treated, and he was questioned by authorities for a few hours. After questioning he was released because authorities felt there was no evidence to contradict his self-defense claim. Also, under Florida’s Stand Your Ground Law the police could not make an arrest. Zimmerman told authorities that he and Martin had gotten into a fight which Martin started and he shot him in self-defense. Approximately five to six weeks after the death of Martin, Zimmerman was arrested and charged with murder. His arrest came after media coverage and thousands of protestors demanding an arrest and a full investigation. The trial took place in Sanford and started on June 10, 2013, approximately 16 months after the death of the teen. There were six jurors and they were all women. Defense attorneys Mark O’Mara and Don West were Zimmerman’s lawyers. The state’s team consisted of assistant state attorney Bernie de la Ronda and prosecutor John Guy.

The defense argued that George Zimmerman killed Trayvon Martin in self-defense. Mark O’Mara stated that it was self-defense because Trayvon Martin was armed with the concrete sidewalk. They presented theories and pictures to back up their claims. Their focus was convincing the jury Martin was the aggressor. They presented witnesses and photos to support their argument that Martin beat Zimmerman’s head on the concrete so bad that he had no other choice but to defend himself with deadly force. They argued that Zimmerman was in fear for his life and thought Martin was trying to injure him severely from the twenty plus blows he received to his head. During one of Zimmerman’s initial interviews with authorities he stated he pulled his gun only after Martin reached for it. The state argued that Zimmerman, Hipic, was a vigilante and wannabe cop who profiled the African American as he walked home from a nearby convenience store. The state worked hard to prove Zimmerman was nothing more than a cold calculated murderer and wannabe cop. They called witnesses that stated Zimmerman had went on ride-a-longs with cops and that he had training in martial arts. They also called Zimmerman’s former professor to show that he had taken criminal justices courses and was well aware of the Stand Your Ground Law even though he stated in a previous interview he was not. They played the 911 non-emergency tape of the dispatcher telling Zimmerman not to follow Martin because the police were en route.

They labeled Zimmerman as the aggressor because he followed Martin. This case received nationwide coverage and it bought about many potential ethical, moral and legal issues. The media along with protestors and the public speculated and took to social media sites like Facebook and Twitter to voice their thoughts, views and opinions. Many individuals of the public including a large number of African American males felt as though Trayvon was racial profiled and stereotyped because he was black and wearing a hoodie. They believed this because of remarks that were made by Zimmerman during the 911 call. There were posts and comments on those sites that stated had Trayvon been white and Zimmerman black an arrest would have been made immediately and he would not have been released. Many felt that Zimmerman was racist and because he did not recognize Martin, he profiled him as a thug because of what he was wearing. After the not guilty verdict was reached many were not pleased with the outcome to say the least. The Department of Justice launched an investigation to determine whether or not Trayvon Martin’s civil rights had been violated. Federal prosecutors were appointed to investigate and evaluate evidence gathered to determine if criminal civil rights charges would be filed against Zimmerman.

The Justice Department said “the criminal section of the civil rights division, the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Middle District of Florida are continuing to evaluate the evidence generated during the federal probe, in addition to the evidence and testimony from the state trial.” The statement said that, in the government’s words, “experienced federal prosecutors will determine whether the evidence reveals a prosecutable violation.” I followed this story and watched the trial from beginning to end. I determined the defense to have the more persuasive argument. However, I personally believe George Zimmerman got away with murder. I feel this way because Trayvon Martin posed no threat to anyone. He was nothing more than a 17 year old, unarmed kid walking home from the store with a can of tea and a bag of skittles. He was followed, profiled and possibly attacked by George Zimmerman, a wannabe cop. As far as the law is concerned, Mark O’Mara and Don West did a better job at persuading the jurors. They had one theory and they kept that theory throughout the whole trial. They presented “evidence” to support their claim. The state on the other hand were sort of on a fishing expedition. They were not consistent at all. They presented a few different theories and in the court of law, I find that jurors are more likely to be persuaded when there is evidence to support one story that tells what occurred.

The jury had three options, second degree murder, manslaughter or not guilty. After approximately 16 hours of deliberation they came back with a not guilty verdict. Both the state and the defense presented their opening statements, their witnesses and their closing arguments. After hearing all the information presented I believe the defense did a better job of presenting their argument and producing evidence to support their claims. I think that if the police department had done a better job of collecting evidence from the crime scene and from George Zimmerman, the state may have had a better case. For example, they could have tested Zimmerman for drugs and alcohol. They could have also done a better job of preserving any evidence that may have possibly been on the body of Trayvon Martin, like blood or skin on or under his fingernails. Both the state and the defense had highs and lows during the trial. John Guy’s closing rebuttal remark was one of the highlights for the state. He made Zimmerman seem like a heartless stranger who stalked, then took the life of a scared child. One highlight for the state was when the lead detective on the case stated during an interview with Tracy Martin that “the voice yelling for help on the 911 tape was not his son Trayvon Martin”. Just as there were highlights there were low points for both sides. Don West attacking the state’s witness, Rachel Jeantel’s character and speech was a very low point for the defense. Many felt as though his attack on her was unnecessary and was an attempt to discredit Trayvon through the people he associated with. The state experienced a low point when the forensic witness stated Trayvon Martin was on top of Zimmerman when he was shot.

This bit of evidence corroborates the defense’s theory that Martin was on top of Zimmerman during the fight. According to Richard E. Hornsby, a board certified criminal trial lawyer, “the crime of second degree murder occurs when a person commits either murder with a depraved mind or accomplice felony murder”. The state was trying to prove that George Zimmerman committed second degree murder with a depraved mind. Hornsby states, “Murder with a depraved mind occurs when a person is killed, without any premeditated design, by an act imminently dangerous to another and evincing a depraved mind showing no regard for human life”. I believe that if the state would have presented one account for the events that occurred and presented evidence to support that one argument, the jury may have come back with a guilty verdict of manslaughter.

Because the state did not have any concrete evidence to support any of the theories they presented, they should not have tried for a second degree murder conviction because they could not prove and had no evidence to support their claim of ill will or malicious intent. The defense’s argument was more persuasive because it was consistent. They presented one theory and they laid out the events that took place that lead up to the shooting. They put witnesses, detectives, cops, medical examiners and experts on the stand to corroborate their theory and discredit the state. They used props and constantly presented pictures to the jury and the court to paint a picture of George Zimmerman being the victim in the minds of the jurors.

References

http://www.richardhornsby.com/crimes/homicide/second-degree-murder.html#Definition

http://www.hlntv.com/article/2013/07/12/george-zimmerman-trial-defense-closing-arguments-trayvon-martin

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/14/justice-department-george-zimmerman_n_3595835.html

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/07/13/zimmerman-jurors-to-begin-2nd-day-deliberations/

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