Capital Punishment Has Been Part Of The Criminal Justice Essays

Capital Punishment has been part of the criminal justice system since the earliest of times. The Babylonian Hammurabi Code(ca. 1700 B.C.) decreed death for crimes as minor as the fraudulent sale of beer(Flanders 3). Egyptians could be put to death for disclosing the location of sacred burial sites(Flanders 3). However, in recent times opponents have shown the death penalty to be racist, barbaric, and in violation with the United States Constitution as "...cruel and unusual punishment." In this country,although laws governing the application of the death penalty have undergone many changes since biblical times, the punishment endures, and controversy has never been greater. A prisoner's death wish cannot grant a right not otherwise possessed. Abolitionists maintain that the state has no right to kill anyone. The right to reject life imprisonment and choose death should be respected, but it changes nothing for those who oppose the death at the hands of the state. The death penalty is irrational- a fact that should carry considerable weight with rationalists. As Albert Camus pointed out," Capital punishment....has always been a religious punishment and is reconcilable with humanism." In other words, society has long since left behind the archaic and barbous "customs" from the cruel "eye for an eye" anti-human caves of religion- another factor that should raise immediate misgivings for freethinkers. State killings are morally bankrupt. Why do governments kill people to show other people that killing people is wrong? Humanity becomes associated with murderers when it replicate their deeds. Would society allow rape as the penalty for rape or the burning of arsonists' homes as the penalty for arson? The state should never have the power to murder its subjects. To give the state this power eliminates the individual's most effective shield against tyranny of the majority and is inconsistent with democratic principles. Family and friends of murder victims are further victimized by state killings. Quite a few leaders in the abolishment movement became involved specially because someone they loved was murdered. Family of victims repeatedly stated they wanted the murderer to die. One of the main reasons- in addition to justice- was they wanted all the publicity to be over. Yet. if it wasn't for the sensationalism surrounding an execution, the media exposure would not have occurred in the first place. Murderers would be quietly and safely put away for life with absolutely no possibility for parole. The death penalty violates constitutional prohibitions against cruel and unusual punishment. The grotesque killing of Robert Harris by the state of California on April 21,1992, and similar reports of witnesses to hangings and lethal injections should leave doubt that the dying process can be- and often is-grossly inhumane, regardless of method(Flanders 16). The death penalty is often used for political gain. During his presidential gain, President Clinton rushed home for the Arkansas execution of Rickey Ray Rector, a mentally retarded, indigent black man. Clinton couldn't take the chance of being seen by voters as" soft on crime." Political Analysts believe that when the death penalty becomes an issue in a campaign, the candidate favoring capital punishment almost inevitably will benefit. Capital punishment discriminates against the poor. Although murderers come from all classes, those on death row are almost without exception poor and were living in poverty at the they were arrested. The majority of death-row inmates were or are represented by court-appointed public defenders- and the state is not obligated to provide an attorney at all for appeals beyond the state level. The application of capital punishment is racist. About 40 percent of death-row inmates are black, whereas only 8 percent of the population as a whole are black(Flanders 25). In cases with white victims, black defendants were four to six times more likely to receive death sentences than white defendants who had similar criminal histories. Studies show that the chance for a death sentence is up to five to ten times greater in cases with white victims than black victims(Flanders 25). In the criminal justice system, the life of a white person is worth more than the life of a black person. The mentally retarded are victimized by the death penalty. Since 1989, when the Supreme Court upheld killing of the mentally retarded, at least four such executions have occurred. According to the Southern Center for Human Rights, at least 10 percent of death row inmates in the United States are mentally retarded(Long 79). Juveniles are subject to the death penalty. Since state execution of juveniles also became permissible in the decision cited above, at least five people who were juveniles when their crimes were committed have executed(Long 79). Innocent people can-and have been-executed. With the death penalty errors are irreversible. According

Free Essays on Death And Its Social Implications

Death is the one social process that can be said is universal to all societies. However, what death actually means and the processes surrounding this transition are not so universal. Rituals are one way through which members process their grief and attempt to restore the social order back to their societies. The meaning of death: For the Merina, specific groups of people and specific areas of land are inextricably linked with fertility and the regeneration of life. For them, death is a time of mixed joy and sorrow: sorrow at the fact that they have lost a relative, but joy at the fact that the deceased will be regrouped with the ancestors. Therefore, the Merina funerary practices are centred around the theme of rejoining the ancestors and receiving blessing. The Lugbara see death as being the cause of an external and superhuman power – that of divinity. However, because women are associated with the power that comes from divinity, they are seen as the cause of death. Death disturbs the social order and their funerary rituals try to restore this order as fully as possible. There is also a distinction between physical and social deaths, which need not necessarily come together: e.g., in the case of the rain-maker, who undergoes a ‘social death’ at his time of initiation, when he has a full burial ceremony, and at the time of his physical death, his corpse is disposed of at night and in complete silence. The Cantonese show extreme ambivalence toward the physical remains of the deceased and they consider mentioning the subject of death as bad luck. The bones of the deceased must be preserved as they are essential to the well-being of the descendants but the flesh is highly polluting and must be dealt with very carefully. Hence, the Cantonese funerary rituals involve the managing of the pollution of death and to aid the successful transition of the deceased from a corpse to an ancestor. Males and females have their own speci... Free Essays on Death And Its Social Implications Free Essays on Death And Its Social Implications Death is the one social process that can be said is universal to all societies. However, what death actually means and the processes surrounding this transition are not so universal. Rituals are one way through which members process their grief and attempt to restore the social order back to their societies. The meaning of death: For the Merina, specific groups of people and specific areas of land are inextricably linked with fertility and the regeneration of life. For them, death is a time of mixed joy and sorrow: sorrow at the fact that they have lost a relative, but joy at the fact that the deceased will be regrouped with the ancestors. Therefore, the Merina funerary practices are centred around the theme of rejoining the ancestors and receiving blessing. The Lugbara see death as being the cause of an external and superhuman power – that of divinity. However, because women are associated with the power that comes from divinity, they are seen as the cause of death. Death disturbs the social order and their funerary rituals try to restore this order as fully as possible. There is also a distinction between physical and social deaths, which need not necessarily come together: e.g., in the case of the rain-maker, who undergoes a ‘social death’ at his time of initiation, when he has a full burial ceremony, and at the time of his physical death, his corpse is disposed of at night and in complete silence. The Cantonese show extreme ambivalence toward the physical remains of the deceased and they consider mentioning the subject of death as bad luck. The bones of the deceased must be preserved as they are essential to the well-being of the descendants but the flesh is highly polluting and must be dealt with very carefully. Hence, the Cantonese funerary rituals involve the managing of the pollution of death and to aid the successful transition of the deceased from a corpse to an ancestor. Males and females have their own speci...

How is Walmart effecting our economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

How is Walmart effecting our economy - Essay Example Additionally, Wal-Mart has a tendency of providing a wide range of products for its consumers especially in the rural areas according to Hicks (2007). This is especially true of supercenters which sell products ranging from garments, cuisine, and hardware to optical services. The lower prices and the high accessibility to products in one area offers direct benefits to local consumers economically. The magnitude of the benefits varies with different regions depending on how the prices are low, and the distance the consumers have to travel in order to access the wide array of goods. The fact that Wal-Mart can trade its products at cheaper prices than other retailers provides an intense risk to the feasibility of other retailers near them. In most cases, the newly established retailers are forced to close or downsize their business when Wal-Mart opens a new branch in that region. This is because the number of their customers tends to decline as they shift to Wal-Mart. Other businesses providing products and services not offered by Wal-Mart tend to benefit due to the proximity with Wal-Mart which attracts many customers as suggested by Anderson (2011). These include businesses providing home furnishings and some foodstuff. Nevertheless, despite the positive effect, Wal-Mart as a whole has depressing impact on the operation of other local retail outlets. A typical Wal-Mart store employs around150 to 350 workers while a supercenter employs around500 employees. However, most of these workers are employed on part time basis. In evaluating the overall effects of Wal-Mart, the new jobs need to be balanced against jobs lost by the competing businesses. Moreover, with Wal-Mart’s extremely centralized supply-chain management, wholesalers and distributors at the local level are likely to experience breakdown on the demand of their services according to Renkow (2005). A good example of the general adjustments arising in the local job market as a

Budgetary control Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Budgetary control - Essay Example Therefore, the primary function of budgetary control is provide a benchmark for making continuous comparison of the budgeted activity with the actual performance to ensure that the budgeted results are achieved or an appropriate action is taken when there are deviations in performance. This paper examines the strengths and weaknesses of budgetary control to a business (Libby & Lindsay, 2010). One of the most important strengths of budget control is that it is based on numerical data from the financial statements and existing budgets of the company (Van der Stede, 2001). Therefore, this ensures there is consistent with decision making by following trends and previous periods performance. Moreover, in event that the data used in establishing the budgets is correct, managers will be able to make sound decisions for their units, which will eventually, translate to better performance of the business as a whole (Frow, Marginson & Ogden, 2010). That notwithstanding, budgetary control is based on budgets that are time bound. Budgets are usually prepared for a given financial period. Therefore, they enable managers to monitor actual performance by comparing it continuously with budgeted results for that period (Montana and Charnov, 2000). For instance, the production manager can compare the sales units quarterly with the production units to determine if there are deviations in terms of sales units and units produced so that an appropriate action is taken (Dunk, 2011). If for example, the production manager realizes that the units produced are much more than the demanded units, he/she can take action by reducing the units produced and noting the necessary adjustment to be made in the product budget. Therefore, this provides a benchmark for determining the validity of the numerical data and reports used in the preparation of the budgets for the purpose of budgetary

Human resources function Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Human resources function - Essay Example Abundance of human resources gives the company the luxury of becoming selective and filling positions with the right candidate and qualifications. But with scarcity of people, the businesses had to do away with the luxury and use whatever manpower was available. Compensation scales had to be revised since manpower became expensive. Alternatively, employees had to be brought in from faraway places and the companies had to bear the responsibility of their transport charges and safety. Moreover, the profit margins were severely affected since the businesses could not work their usual hours due to limited manpower. With the demand for employees going up, candidates had a field time as they could demand any amount as remuneration. Companies increased wages in a bid to attract workers and this lead to the entry of many untrained workers. Menial jobs now began paying well. Under ordinary circumstances, workers would be trained well before they started working on floor, but due to scarcity o f staff they had to start right away with no prior training. Working in fast food restaurants suddenly became lucrative. However, this put a lot of pressure on the existing staff as they had to work with untrained workers, leading to mismanagement and chaos. This affected the smooth functioning of the restaurants and also their reputation. Yes, to a certain extent the HR situation is typical here

Project Management Definition And Importance Information Technology Essay

Project Management Definition And Importance Information Technology Essay This paper has the purpose to discuss about project management and its importance in the business world. It will then refer to project life management and the advantages of project management to companies. Another concept to be discussed is planning in the project life cycle and ways in which critical thinking and research is mandatory in planning. The paper will refer to project organizations, the importance of sponsorship and leadership, as well as project team building (and how to build and efficient and successful team). Work breakdown structures are also points of interest in this paper as they will be discussed at some point. Lastly, I will refer to project management software in large project and the advantages to use them. Project Management Definition and Importance According to Ohlendorf (2001), project management is a methodological approach to achieving agreed upon results within a specified time frame with defined resources. Project managers will make use of skills, knowledge, different tools and techniques to various activities to meet project requirements. So, the three constraints that project management is concerned of are: time, costs, and performance. Project management is important in businesses for various reasons, such as: compression of the product life-cycle, knowledge explosion, triple bottom line, corporate downsizing, increased customer focus, small projects represent big problems, and others. Project management is important because one of its purposes is to compress or to shorten the product life cycle. One of the projects that I have been part of was to mount a wind turbine on a field. This way a repeating project that has been implemented for more than 20 years. However, since project management concepts have become wide known we have focused on shortening the implementation of this type of project. Project management has helped in succeeding it. It is interesting that knowledge explosion represent the fact that the growth in knowledge has boosted up project complexity as projects tend to use latest advancements if their budget is appropriate. Take for example the fact that building a hotel 80 or 90 years ago was not so hard given the fact that there have not been so many regulations in this area. In the present days, it is a complex process as the builders and project managers need to take consideration of many building codes and also seismic codes to design and build a hotel. This is why the importance of project management has increased a lot. Another reason is triple bottom line which is represented by the planet, the people, and the profit. According to Larson and Gray (2011), business can no longer simply concentrate on the maximization of profits to the detriment of the environment and the society as well. Business have to be more socially and environmentally responsible in what concerns sustainability and durability because the preservation of life on earth and the preservation of earth itself has become one of the most important purposes in the past one hundred years. Project management is important because of the increased customer focus. This means that in the past years, since the competition became bigger and bigger, since more companies from the same industry join the same market, businesses tend to focus on their customers and on their wellbeing, most importantly on increasing the wellbeing for the purpose of reaching competitive advantage. Project Life-Cycle Management and Its Benefits According to Larson and Gray (2011), another way to illustrate the original nature of project work is through project life cycle, which is composed of four stages: defining stage, planning stage, executing stage, and closing stage. The first stage of the project is where the specifications are defined and the objectives are established. This is also the stage when teams are formed and responsibilities are assigned to each team member. The second stage of the project life cycle is the planning stage which is when plans are being created with the purpose of determining what the project will include, determining the schedule of the project, the ones to benefit from it, the budget, as well as the level of quality that is needed. The executing stage is where the work to complete the project takes place. This is when physical and mental work is needed. Most of the physical work is done by less intellectual prepared employees (however, they have good skills), while most of the mental work is done by knowledge base workers such as directors or managers. To make sure that everything goes according to plan, managers implement means of control and evaluation, such as: time measures, cost measures, and specification measures. The last stage of the project life cycle is represented by the closing stage, which according to Larson and Gray (2011), includes three activities: delivering the project product or service to the customers, redeploying some or all of the resources of a project, and post-project reviews. Through delivery methods we understand transfer of documents or customer training. Through redeploying resources we understand the ability of using the resources of the project in the completion of other projects. Through post-project reviews we understand assessment of performance and also capturing the lessons learned by getting the project to the completion date. There was once a project on one of my former workplaces where we had to build a house for someone. We had to create a work team for this project. I was in charge with leading the project. I remember that we used project life cycle to get this project to completion. In the defining stage of the project life cycle we assessed the specifications of the project such as the materials we would need, the time to complete each phase, the papers that we need to get from the authorities, and other specifications that were relevant to the project. We have also established the objectives for the project, we created work teams and we assigned responsibilities to everyone. I remember that the work teams created have been created in a smart way because people with qualities in the same area would be in the same team (for example people good at infrastructure would be in the same team). The planning phase was where we referred to specific details of the project and the level of quality that is desir ed while in the execution stage we did most of the work to get the house built. Several methods of control have been present and we compared the initial established standards with the results of our actions. This way we tried to keep a good level of quality. Lastly, in the closing stage we evaluate the way the project was undertaken and completed and we kept the results for future use when other similar projects will be needed. In the closing stage we have also delivered the house to the customer along with certain instructions of how to use it. Leadership and Sponsorship in Project Organizations According to Stanford University (2007), some of the roles of sponsors in projects are: accountability, strategic fit, resources, project financing, lead political change, and own the final product. Some of the specific duties related to these responsibilities are to: keep the project on track, be available when consultation is needed, to make sure that the project is in line with the strategic goals of the company, to provide or located project resources, to provide or locate project funding, to be clear and specific with the end results, and others. Project sponsors are important and they need to be treated accordingly because they are key players for the company as it tries to reach its objectives. Keeping the project sponsor informed and updated is also important because the sponsor has the power to cut or give extra resources and funds to a project. When it comes to leadership, Winston (n.d.) thinks that a leader can be one or more people to select, to train, to equip, and to influence one or more followers who have different abilities, gifts, and skills, and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“focuses the follower to the organizationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s mission and objectives causingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  them to expand energy to reach the organizational objectives. This may be a quite long definition; however, a leader is someone to inspire other people and the concept of leadership is really important in project management. Project Team Building and WBS Creating a project team may be a difficult task; nevertheless it is an important process that needs to be properly assessed if a company wants to reach positive results when it comes to different projects. According to Larson and Gray (2011) there are five stages in creating a good project team. These stages are: forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. The first stage of the team creation is when members get to know each other and understand the purposes and scope of the project. This is when they need to identify rules that will be used with the team. The second stage, storming, is usually when members fight with each other as they try to find a way to get along and start working as a team. The third stage of team creation is norming and this is when the team members create closer relationships with each other and they form a cohesive team. The fourth stage is performing and it is when the team is fully operational and the team members have developed tight connections with each other. This is where the team works efficiently. Adjourning is the last stage in team creating and it is when team members prepare to separate from the team. As we can see, team creation is a process consisting of various stages that have to be browsed accordingly. Team building is important in project management because tight teams can provide more efficie nt parameters for project completion. To get the work done more efficiently, teams and project managers use work-breakdown structures. Successively subdividing project work into smaller work elements is creating a work breakdown structure which helps project managers in making sure that all work elements and products are identified in order to integrate the project with the organizations and also to determine a control basis. WBS is important in project management because it helps projects to become more understandable and it helps specific work elements to be assigned to people skilled on a certain area. By breaking down the work into smaller elements, WBS has provided clear and more comprehensive schedules and plans for managers, as well as for the people getting the work done. Project Management Software in Large Integrated Programs Along with work breakdown structures, large projects need software to assist them into getting the project to completion. This is also good for project management because it provides ways to better handle the projects and the activities related to them. Take for example software to handle work schedule for employees in a large company. These employees work in shifts and the shifts have to change now and then because some workers cannot work only at night while others during the day. Imagine how hard it is to manage this type of schedule without software to handle it, considering there are more than 1,000 workers to be included into this schedule. Also, project management software is useful in the areas of cost, time, and performance by trying to find ways to reduce the duration of certain stages in project life, reducing different costs related to these stages, as well as achieving higher level of performances through a better management of resources, a better management of quality, and a better management of human power. Conclusion This paper provided different concepts into understanding project management and ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s important in the corporate world. It referred to project life cycle, to team building along with its stages, to leadership and to the importance of sponsor in projects, and to work breakdown structures and the ways in which they can help projects be more comprehensible. Lastly, I have discussed about project management software and its critical importance in large companies undertaking large projects. It has to be concluded that project management has become a mandatory discipline in corporations that want the best out of their resources.

Persuasive Speech: Do Not Eat Fast Food -- Persuasive Speech

Specific Purpose Statement: To persuade the audience not to eat fast food. Relevance: You all have probably experienced fast food sometime throughout your life. Credibility: The first thing that comes to mind when mentioning fast food is greasy, oily, unhealthy garb, yet most of us consume junk food on a daily basis anyway. There are over 300,000 different fast food restaurants in the US. People frequent them because of convenience (quick and usually cheap). In such a fast-paced society, people are eating more fast food than ever before (Stefanov, Sebastien). Preview: I am now going to inform you about what fast food is, what a typical meal contains, why fast food is unhealthy. Body I. A. What is fast food? 1. Fast food is any food that is quick, convenient, and usually inexpensive (Fast Food Facts). a. Fast food is the term given to food that can be prepared and served very quickly. The term "fast food" refers to precooked foods such as fries or pizza that typically must be used within a few hours, or they become dried out and unpalatable (Ali, Sam). b. Fast food places like McDonalds, Burger King, Jack-in-the-box, Wendy’s, Whataburger, etc., are all considered fast food restaurants. II. A. A typical meal and some facts 1. According to the "Nutritional Facts" that are posted on McDonald's web site, one Big Mac contains 540 calories and 29 grams of fat, which is 45 percent of the national recommended daily value based on a 2,000-calorie diet, according to McDonald's. One large order of fries contains 500 calories and 25 grams of fat, which is 38 percent of the recommended daily value. The 32-ounce Coca-Cola Classic adds another 310 calories (Ali, Sam). a. Harvested potatoes contain about 80 pe... ...com/article/7532/>. "Fast Food Facts." Center for Young Women's Health. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2011. . "Fast food facts from the Super Size Me Web site ." The VivaVegie Society, Inc. . N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2011. Manohar, Uttara. "Fast Food Facts: Effects of Fast Food." Buzzle Web Portal: Intelligent Life on the Web. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2011. . Stefanov, Sebastien. "fast food calories - AskMen." AskMen - Men's Online Magazine. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2011. . White, Janice. "Why Fast Food is Bad for You." HubPages. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2011. .