Labeling and Discrimination free essay sample

Theory is the criminal process. It is the way people and actions are defined as criminal. The one definite thing that all â€Å"criminals† share is the negative social reaction as being labeled as ‘bad†. Law-abiding society often shuns the offender causing them to be stigmatized and stereotyped. The negative label applied to an offender often shapes their self-image and often leads them to live up to their newfound identity by committing acts that are more criminal. Edwin Lemert described this as being secondary deviance caused by primary deviance. The self-concept identifies two major theoretical perspectives. The first concept being that deviant labeling may subsequently influence deviance by altering a person’s self-worth. The role of self-dynamics and symbolic reaction amplifies negative expectations of society. The second concept focuses on social structure aspects of exclusion of offender’s by blocked access to structural opportunities. Matsudo, 1992) This ultimately becomes discrimination for people labeled by society as â€Å"criminals†. We will write a custom essay sample on Labeling and Discrimination or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page â€Å"Felon† is a label that is given to ex-offenders by society that confirms the degrading status that accompanies conviction. This is labeling. An offender is discriminated against because society views them as being â€Å"bad†. In short, a â€Å"felon† is a legal outlaw and social outcast. Not all the good that a person may have done previously suddenly matters and society assumes that there is nothing but despicable traits left in this person’s character. Their integrity is lost forever. Society assumes that â€Å"felons† cannot change and it becomes a struggle to be given a second chance to prove that people can, and do change, if the will to do so is there coupled with the tools needed to achieve a crime free life are also. The stigma attached to â€Å"felons† is so great that most opportunities for education, employment, and housing are not easy to obtain. These opportunities (tools) are often blocked because the offender has a criminal conviction. If society wants a lower crime rate then it seems that these opportunities should be available to individuals in this category. In order to rehabilitate individuals there must be a way for them to raise their self-image and seek out a crime free life. A sense of self-pride and achievement for many offenders could be the turning point in life needed for them. In turn, the crime rate would decrease. (Bodwitch, 1993, Freeman, 1991, Hagan, 1991, Link, 1982, Sullivan, 1989) These peoples are no less human or equal than any other except that they have made a mistake. Our society has somehow decided it to be acceptable to treat this group of people, and there are more than two million in the United States, as outcasts, undeserving of housing, employment, or education. Society has decided that â€Å"felons† should not only serve the sentence given as punishment for their crime, they should be punished for the rest of their lives. This seems very unfair and cruel. In my opinion, we as a nation should be not be discriminating against this group of people, but instead should be giving them equal opportunity to be educated so that they can obtain employment to support themselves and their families. They should have the same opportunity to live in adequate housing just as the rest of society does. This would be a step in the right direction to help increase the self- image that has been shattered by labeling and possibly deter any behavior by responding to this labeling by continued criminal activity as a means of defense, adaptation, or by attacking back at society. (Bernberg) Education is the first step to rehabilitating an offender. Many offenders do not even have a high school education. Some cannot read or write. In order to obtain gainful employment sufficient to support ones self or a family, they must have at least a basic education. If not, some form of crime will be used to compensate for the lack of income provided by employment. In order to be employed by any company you must have a high school diploma or a GED certificate. Denying education is a form of discrimination to suppress a group of people from gainful employment. Employment is one of the hardest things for an offender to obtain. Employment applications ask for any convictions to be listed. If an offense is not listed on the application, it can be a reason for termination. Anyone that does choose not to disclose their convictions runs the risk of losing benefits from years of employment such as their retirement benefits and/or medical coverage. More often than not, if an offense is listed on the application it will be a disqualifying factor for consideration of the position. Even if the offense does not disqualify the applicant the mere fact that there are so many people looking for work that the applicant without any previous convictions will probably be placed ahead on the qualifying list for employment. Most employers view a â€Å"felon† just as the rest of society does. They do not want a person of this character working for them because they may view them as being dishonest, or they might even be frightened of the â€Å"felon†. This practice of asking for convictions on employment applications is also a form of discrimination. It greatly reduces the possibility of gainful employment for â€Å"criminals† by asking for this information. The past convictions of a person does not have any bearing on whether or not they are the best qualified applicant for the position offered by a company. If any person is denied employment and has no way to support himself or his family, that person will ultimately turn to some form of crime in order to do so. The offender will adapt and live up to societies expectations of them. If this type of discrimination stops, there is a possibility that more offenders will conform to the expectations of society and rehabilitate into productive citizens, thus, decreasing crime in our communities. Another area of discrimination for offenders is the housing market. Society does not want anyone with a â€Å"criminal† past living in their community among them. An offender can have a conviction that is over twenty years old and still be denied housing in many communities such as mobile home parks, apartment complexes s, private rentals, and even from some home loans. Some communities will not allow anyone with any type of criminal history to live there. A person could have had their offenses dismissed by the court and still be denied because of the accusation alone. Many of the government programs offered to help low-income people are not available to anyone with a felony. A â€Å"felon† is automatically disqualified from receiving any help from government programs. Offender’s often end up living in communities that are offered by â€Å"slum lords† in areas that have a bigger crime rate than in other areas. This practice of discrimination could lead to offenders falling back into committing criminal acts because other criminals surround them, thus, reinforcing a negative self-image possibly leading to a return to criminal activities. If society continues to accept the criminology theory it will continue to cause social problems for both the community and the offender†. Labeling is a stepping stone in the development of criminal careers. †(Benrburg) This social problem ruins people’s lives and creates a pattern of recidivism. The goal of society should be to try to find ways to decrease crime, not condone p ractices that will potentially increase crime. Everyone deserves a second chance in life to correct the mistakes that have made. If society was as quick to give a second chance, as it is to label and condemn someone for their mistakes, we could possibly rehabilitate a good number of offenders into productive citizens. Our nation could even possibly decrease the crime rate at the same time. None of the other practices of the criminal justice system seems to be working very well, maybe an approach of removing the barriers blocking education, employment, and housing might make a positive difference.

scarlet letter- scaffold scene essays

scarlet letter- scaffold scene essays The Scaffold Scenes as a Structural Device In Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter the author uses three scaffold scenes to mark the development of Hester Prynne as well as unite the plot, themes, and symbols of the novel in a perfect balance. The basic structure for the novel is also provided by the scaffold scenes because everything else revolves around what happens during these scenes. The first time we meet all the principal characters of the novel is in the first scaffold scene which is at the beginning of the story. The second of three crucial scaffold scenes appears exactly in the middle of the novel. Again, Hawthorne gathers all of his major characters in one place in this second scaffold scene. Hawthorne brings all the principal characters together one more time in the third and final scaffold scene to end the dramatic story in a very dramatic way as this scene begins with the triumph of Dimmesdales sermon and ends with his death. The first scaffold scene focuses on Hester and the scarlet letter. Hester stands alone with Pearl in her arms, a mere infant and sign of her sin. Meanwhile, a crowd of townspeople has gathered to watch her humiliation and to hear a sermon. Two important people in the crowd are Roger Chillingworth and Arthur Dimmesdale. Chillingworth, Hesters husband just returned from his long journey to America and her lover, Dimmesdale, shares her platform as a sinner but not her public humiliation. Dimmesdale is present throughout the whole scene but is very hesitant to admit that he is the secret lover, although Mr. Wilson is pestering him to find out from Hester who the culprit is. He doesnt admit because he is afraid if he does confess it will ruin his reputation as a person and as a minister. Chillingworth demands Hester to give him the name of her partner in sin but she will not do so. In this scene, we have Hesters public repentance, Dimmes ...

The Industrial Revolution in Europe Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Industrial Revolution in Europe - Essay Example (Richard and Gianni 1991, 2) The industrial revolution in the nineteenth century brought technological developments in all fields. Apart from that, it also played a great part in breaking the shackles of several barriers which were destroying the lives of several people for more than two centuries. Poverty, caste bias, financial depression, unemployment, ignorance all were crumbled down with the growth of new technologies and innovations from several people. (Richard and Gianni 1991, 2) It all started in Britain and continued to spread to other European countries with the economy prospering like never before and with unbelievable progress in science and technology. It started during the end of 18th century and reached impeccable heights during the 19th century. The changes cascaded to other fields too starting from manufacturing, transport and even to agriculture. Britain first brought out a change in the animal like work load placed on the humans by machinating every production and thereby increasing the employment rather than workload. This was followed with building of roadways, railways and canals. The birth of power fuelled by coal and other power generating materials doubled the rate at which the economy was growing and continued to spread across Europe and other parts of the world. (Richard and Gianni 1991, 2) Impact on 19th century history: As one could expect, the industrial revolution had enormous impact on the events happened in the society and as a result became an integral part of what the history of 19th century has turned out to be. Autocracy was brought down slowly and democracy came into existence. Market economy was brought into everyone's attention and surged to be biggest head turner. The revolution started slowly but steadily and gathered momentum as it progressed, finally turning to be an irreversible one. It entirely changed how people lived, their way of work and most of all, brought in a sense of security into everyone's life. (Richard and Gianni 1991, 2) Just like any action having both positive and negative to it, the nationalism and race of people grew together along with the industries. In fact, these two paradigms had such an impact that they too grew to become the basis for all the wars, humanitarian depressions and the sheet of barrier that stood up for so many years between the different countries of Europe. Since the revolution happened in stages and at different times in different countries of Europe, it further fuelled the cold war between the nations that were already separated by caste, creed, culture and language. (Richard and Gianni 1991, 2) A sense of whom being the superior rose in the minds of several countries leaders leading to damage the uniform development which was happening throughout the world, especially in Europe. This resulted in some countries becoming superior compared to others leaving them in a negligible state, offering themselves to be conquered. Though the current conditions are not so the way it was at that time, the leaders of that era failed to recognize this long term transformation leading to the several economic disasters and mind boggling wars, destroying lives all over the world. What, where, when, how and why industrial revolu

Management Skills in Adult Nursing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6250 words

Management Skills in Adult Nursing - Essay Example Communication with other health professionals is vital to health care delivery. In this case, communicating with the attending physician was essential to the patient’s care. The attending physician is the primary health professional charged with the patient’s care. All medical decisions and interventions (except independent nursing interventions) have to be cleared with him. The discharge notes indicated that the patient had to be taught various techniques on how to prevent future falls and had to have a diet plan. Fox (2008) advises that making such plans with other health professionals is a part of the nursing practice. I was able to coordinate well with the physician, especially as he indicated the need to establish a high-calcium and high-fibre diet with the client; moreover, he also indicated in the discharge notes that good lighting and patient assistance during mobile periods would help prevent falls. I also communicated with the patient and his family, I used si mple words, avoiding the use of technical medical terms (Bell, et al., 2009). I also asked the patient to repeat some of the health teachings back to me. I encouraged the patient and the family to ask questions on how they could prevent falls and on the patient’s diet plan (Bell, et al., 2009). I patiently answered their questions and also took the time to demonstrate what they could do to help the patient recover from the fracture. I taught the patient how to safely get up from bed, how to safely walk from one place to another, and I also communicated with the family by reviewing with them what they could do to help their family member (Bell, et.al., 2009). This included the meals they could prepare for the patient, the need for the patient to safely move about, and the importance of preventing and managing fall risks. Based on my readings on healthy diet plans for elderly patients, I was able to discover that I need some improvements in my practice on such aspect of nursing care. Although I had the working knowledge on the appropriate diet plans for elderly and for patients with recent hip surgeries, I was not thoroughly confident in such knowledge. Webb (2011) recommends the use of primary evidence in the practice. Using the books in the hospital helped provide me with immediate knowledge that was essential to the establishment of an effective diet plan. There were information in the books which I was not aware of and reviewing such data allowed me to understand the condition of the patient and his diet needs.

Military Industrial Complex Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Military Industrial Complex - Essay Example Eisenhower was worried about the costs of an arms race that was taking shape between the United States and Soviet Union (Pavelec 95). He wanted to caution the American citizens and the incoming administration about concentrating militarization of the country, which he claimed, would deny other areas of the economy the necessary resources. According to Eisenhower, overspending in the military sectors will divert finances aimed for sectors like building of hospitals and schools. Further, increase in military spending resulted in large budgets that were not sustainable by the country; therefore, Eisenhower wanted the country to budget for what it can afford (Pavelec 95). Eisenhower was also worried the union between defense contractors, and the armed forces would change the way the country handles international relations and disputes. This union, Eisenhower thought would increase the chances of war as a means of solving conflicts instead of depending on peaceful negotiations. As a milit ary veteran, Eisenhower had seen the horror and lingering sadness that result from war. According to Eisenhower, his successors should balance between a strong national defense and diplomacy when dealing with the Soviet Union threat during the cold war. Therefore, he encourages those that were coming after him to settle differences with other countries not with arms, but with intellect and decent purpose (Pavelec 96). Another concern that stimulated the warning was that as the military and the arms industry accumulated power; they posed a threat to the country’s democracy. Eisenhower thought that the massive power of the military and the arms industry and resultant lose democracy would lead to the loss of citizen control over the military-industrial complex (Pavelec 96). The threat posed by military-industrial complex as envisioned by Eisenhower has become true the years following his speech. Concerning endless conflict with hostile ideology, the former president was right gi ven that the United States has continued to engage in never ending wars with different groups or countries. After the end of Eisenhower’s presidency, the country went on to fight in Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq. War has become a permanent engagement given the recent declaration by the United States’ political leadership that there is no foreseeable end to the war against terror. Even after the killing of the Al-Qaeda leader, the country still faces a threat from the terrorist group, which implies its ability to survive the death of its targeted leadership (Eisenhower 7). The United States has become a country of unending war where the end of one signals the chance for the military-industrial complex to find a new enemy that must be neutralized therefore perpetuating the complex’s appetite for war (Eisenhower 8). The Military-Industrial Complex now dictates a large part of the United States foreign policy. The sale of military equipment to foreign governments h as now become a source of major revenue for American arms industry (Pavelec 96). On the permanent military industry, the former president’s warning has come true. Since the end of nineteenth century, the United States military has grown to become a major industry in the country’s defense system. As with any other industry, the arms industry has an ambition to grow, which means

Analysing The Political Effect Of The Olympics Politics Essay

Analysing The Political Effect Of The Olympics Politics Essay The Olympic games are supposed to unite the world; they were created as a tool to help connect individual countries; they are a way to put politics behind us and compete athletically; however the summer Olympic games in 1980 and 1984, held in Moscow and Los Angeles respectively, showed that they could be used as leverage when one country disagreed with another. The 1979 invasion of Afghanistan, the Cold War, and disagreements among leaders of different countries played a role in the boycott of these Olympic Games. The tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union as well as their boycott of the Olympic Games in the 1980s will be analyzed in this report. After World War II had come and gone a conflict arose between the United States and the Soviet Union. This conflict is believed to have lasted all the way into the early 1990s when the Soviet Union collapsed. The war was passed down from leader to leader in each country. It was not a conventional war but instead was mostly fought with threats. Each country would use the media to condemn the other. It is unknown how long the war lasted. This is a huge debate among many historians (Cold War). The only post World War II super powers were the Soviet Union and the United States. Each country began investing time and money in the development of nuclear weapons. This led to what is known as a nuclear arms race. Each side tried to develop more nuclear weapons than the other. This dangerous situation led to the each country using words to fight instead of weapons. They were afraid of the outcome if nuclear weapons were used (Cold War). As a result, tensions were high between the United States and the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union tried to make peace with the rest of Eastern Europe even though they had been invaded by some of the Eastern Europe nations in both World War I and World War II. They used their communist influence in liberating nations of Eastern Europe after World War I. As a result, the world began to see other communist nations in Eastern Europe. They hoped that this would protect their borders from future invasion (Cold War). This also helped unite Eastern Europe and led to more nations supporting the Soviet Union. Afghanistan is a country in the Middle East just west of Pakistan. A country with more than 28 million people, as of a July 2009 estimate by the U.S. Department of State, its size is just smaller than the state of Texas (Afghanistan). In 1979, after the Afghan Prime Minister Hafizullah Amin refused to cooperate with the Soviet Union on how to stabilize the government, the Soviets invaded Kabul. Once they landed in the countrys capital they killed Hafizullah Amin and replaced him by with a new man chosen by them as the new Prime Minister (Afghanistan). The new leader needed the Russian army to maintain control of the government because the mostly Muslim Mujahedeen was fighting back. As a result of the Mujahedeens resistance the Soviets were only able to keep control of the major cities while 75% of the country was controlled by the Mujahedeen (Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan). The United States, in the midst of the Cold War with the Soviet Union, denounced the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. They did not want the Soviet Union to spread communism any further than they already had in the rest of Eastern Europe. The U.S. supported the Mujahedeen in their efforts against the Soviet Union. They supplied them with money and various weapons, and also began to use the term freedom fighters to describe them. This was done in spite of the Soviets claiming that they did not invade Afghanistan but they were invited by the Prime Minister. They also said that they were there to support a legitimate government and the Mujahedeen were just terrorists (Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan). The invasion took place just months before the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow. President Jimmy Carter informed the American people of the boycott in his January 23, 1980 State of the Union Address. Saudi Arabia was the first to boycott the 1980 Olympic Games due to the invasion taking place on Islamic Land. They were backed up by many other countries including Canada, West Germany, Japan, the United States, and Israel. In total 60 other countries joined Saudi Arabia including the United States. Many cited the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan as the main cause for their boycott. However, some did say that they did to not participate due to economic reasons (Tristham). Four years later the 1984 Olympic Games were held in Los Angeles. The Soviet Union issued a statement, chauvinistic sentiments and an anti-Soviet hysteria being whipped up in the United States. They decided to boycott the Olympics due to those reasons. Thirteen other Soviet Allies also choose to boycott the Los Angeles Olympics. Iran was the only country to boycott both the 1980 and 1984 Olympics (Olympic Boycott History). That same year the Soviet Union organized the Druzhba Games. Other countries, which boycotted the 1984 Olympics, participated in the event. The motto of these games was Sport, Friendship, Peace (Olympic Boycott History). The Soviet Union pulled out of Afghanistan in 1989. That same year the Berlin Wall collapsed, which marked an end to a communist Germany. Two years later the Soviet Union also collapsed and the United States was able to begin to establish good relations with Russia. Although much has changed between the United States and Russia it is not hard to see how the tension of a Cold War and a Soviet invasion of Afghanistan led to a boycott of the Olympics. The Olympics are a time to put the politics behind us and unite in sport. As shown in the 1980 and 1984 Olympic Games, this is not always the case.

The Tell-Tale Heart How does the author make his story-telling effectiv

The Tell-Tale Heart How does the author make his story-telling effective? Edgar Allan Poe made this story special for the reader. It is a study of paranoia How does the author make his story-telling effective? Edgar Allan Poe made this story special for the reader. It is a study of paranoia and mental deterioration. First of all, he combines the narrator and the protagonist. Poe writes this story from the perspective of the murderer of the old man. When an author creates a situation where the protagonist tells a personal account, the general shock of the story is sharp. The narrator, in this particular story, adds to the effect of horror by continually stressing to the reader that he is not mad, and tries to convince us of that fact by how carefully this brutal crime was planned and executed.. It is surprising, because the criminals frequently deny their crimes. The reader doesn’t know much about the protagonist, not even his name or his sex, using only "I" and "me" in reference to his character. It could as well be a young man or an old lady. While he tells his tale, the narrator uses a cold and factual tone. He uses a lot of vocabulary in reference with death and suffering, as to create an atmosphere where the reader could feel uneasy, such as â€Å"Whenever it fell upon me my blood ran cold.† The narrator stresses the reader that he is not mad, and tries to convince him of that fact by showing how carefully his crime was planned and executed. â€Å" You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing. But you should have seen me. You should have seen how wisely I proceeded† Moreover during the whole tale, he builds attempts to convince the reader he’s not a madman but in fact, he seems more to be trying to persua... ...ology of the story to show a scene from the past. By using these flashbacks, the author manages, to express the confusion of the protagonist’s mind. Moreover, Poe uses a gothic literary style, where story of darkness may happen in a more everyday setting, such as the quaint house where the protagonist goes mad from the "beating" of his guilt. Poe strips the story of a river of detail as a way to intensify the murderer’s obsession with the old man’s eye, the heartbeat, and his own claim to sanity. Allan Edgar Poe, wrote a strong story, with an unusual point of view. Following, the criminal in his long way down to madness, and his resistance towards the truth. He’s the one with a problem, not the eye. But the reader is supposed to be convince at the end of his speech that he’s not mad, but they finally, think he isn’t â€Å"just nervous† as he says, but mad.