Sunday, August 25, 2019
Using Recycled PCC as Aggregate in New PCC Research Paper
Using Recycled PCC as Aggregate in New PCC - Research Paper Example However, these recycled concrete aggregates (RCA) have to meet NJDOTââ¬â¢s quality needs in case they are to be used in PCC. Only 11 states permit use of RCA in PCC, while all but 13 states allow the use of it in base aggregate. Some states also permit its use as miscellaneous aggregate and in HMA. Through the crushing / grinding of concrete pavements or any waste concrete, RCA is produced, after the removing any reinforcing steel. In the same way the production of aggregate from virgin materials is, production of required gradations is too- through screening and crushing (PCA 1). However, significant differences between virgin aggregates and RCA have led officials in state transportation in Muchials and New Jersey in adopting RCA as aggregate for PCC acceptably (PCA 1). The presence of mortar adhering to the Recycled aggregates or cement paste reduces density, increases drying shrinkage, and increases porosity in PCC. The presence of contaminants as well as the quality of the being recycles original concrete are all problems that should be taken in concern additionally (PCA 1). The two primary sources for use in PCC, of stockpiled RCA are precaters who are interested in reusing surplus materials and class B recyclers who crush and accept concrete waste. Before RCA is implemen ted, those are the issues that must be addressed. Another important component of the project is the preliminary review that has been provided for the expansion of this work, as a part of this proposal As the proposers believe, an extensive field installation plan is likely to result to open-ended and long research projects, which address the use of Recycled Concrete Aggregates in PCC. Due to this reason, proposals have been made to include field installation as part of part of the work. The field installation be limited to applications of lower risks that permit the recommendations and
Saturday, August 24, 2019
Traditional Teaching Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1
Traditional Teaching - Essay Example rough the lessons, giving clarifications wherever necessary; 2) its adaptability to large classrooms in transmitting a wide body of knowledge to students of divergent skills; 3) efficiency in offering straightforward instructions and explanations; and 4) offering better test results by focusing on likely test questions and administering repetitive drills in order to reinforce memorization of facts and information. The disadvantages of the traditional method of teaching, however are that 1) it turns out more time consuming for students who are slower in digesting information; 2) it does not offer any solution to the students for their difficulties in memorizing and retaining information; 3) the knowledge gained is only basic and limited in scope, as the exploratory stage is entirely done away with; and 4) it is inflexible, putting all students at the same starting point, stuffing them with undifferentiated knowledge, without taking into account their differing capacities and interest in the subject taught. Therefore, the method only benefits willing and ââ¬Ëbetterââ¬â¢ students, and is not found fit to kindle genuine interest for the subject. In a traditional classroom setting, therefore, the teacher becomes the focus of action, with importance being given to the ââ¬Ëtextbookââ¬â¢. The student is relegated to the sidelines, and is a passive pawn in the learning process. Remembering the correct answer is the priority, to which end, they are inundated with information, in which process, their analytical skills remain largely untapped and untrained. The sequelae or abnormalities of traditional pedagogy lead to several undesirable consequences. This system enshrines Behaviorism as an essential part of education, and does not consider the impact of a studentââ¬â¢s mental makeup on the learning process. Looking at the learning process purely as a uni-dimensional phenomenon results in the following abnormalities. First, students are placed in different classes based on their
Friday, August 23, 2019
A bill of rights is essential to protect citizens from their Essay
A bill of rights is essential to protect citizens from their government. Discuss - Essay Example Recent developments in the Philippines have put this Southeast Asian country in the news and have garnered the attention of the international community once more. This involves the spate of killings of activists and journalists by unknown elements alleged to be connected with the military. (Amnesty International, 2005, p. 202) According to the non-government organization KARAPATAN (Alliance for the Advancement of Human Rights) (2006), there have been 607 documented killings from January 2001 to May 30, 2006. Amnesty International, the European Union and the Catholic Church have each spoken out against the government to condemn these acts of politically-motivated state-sponsored executions. This paper will examine whether or not a bill of rights, standing alone, is enough to protect the people from the excesses of government and it will use the current Philippine problem of extra-judicial killings as background. It will argue that the defense of sovereignty -- and, as a corollary to that, internal security -- is not enough to justify the use of state-sponsored repression. The phenomenon of state-sponsored oppression is by no means unique to the Philippines. It has in fact been extensively researched and discussed all over the world. Says Mitchell and McCormick (1988, p. 476) Governments organize police forces and armies to protect their citizens, build schools and hospitals to educate and care for them, and provide financial assistance for the old and unemployed. But governments also kill, torture and imprison their citizens. This dark side of government knows no geographic, economic, ideological or political boundary. Such killings and torture demonstrate grave violations of political rights and liberties. It has been opined that political rights and liberties are of paramount importance because of their impact on other rights, such as social and economic rights (Bollen, 1986, p. 567). The universal condemnation of
Thursday, August 22, 2019
The Death Penalty Should Be Abolished Essay Example for Free
The Death Penalty Should Be Abolished Essay The death penalty should be abolished as a form of punishment. This paper intends to shine some light on the death penalty in order to help the reader understand what issues face the system today and what problems can be corrected. This paper achieves this by: (1) pointing out the wrongful sentencing of innocent people and the use of DNA testing in attaining their freedom; (2) emphasizing the unjustness of the Capital Punishment system due to the arbitrary, racial and geographically biased nature of the process; And also (3) It shows that the evidence backing up deterrence as a major benefit of the death penalty is exaggerated and unsubstantiated. With a specific look at how ââ¬Å"future dangerousnessâ⬠plays a part in keeping the death penalty around and how to change that. Last it will look at the rising costs associated with Capital Punishment. The death penalty risks too many innocent lives. DNA testing is currently the single greatest savior of unjustly sentenced death row inmates. It aided in the exoneration of 133 prisoners between 1973 and 2009. (Schmalleger, 2011) But up until the 1960s DNA exoneration by science wasnââ¬â¢t even thought up. This leads us to wonder how many death row inmates are actually innocent today. In most cases, there is no DNA evidence left behind leaving only the account of eyewitnesses to validate the crime. The only issue with that is witnesses have been wrong before. One notable death row case involving an eyewitnessââ¬â¢s misconception was DeLuna v. Texas 1983. Carlos DeLuna was wrongfully executed for killing a single mother at his local gas station even after the real killer, who bear a striking resemblance to DeLuna, was captured and placed in a cell underneath his own. The person who helped unwind this web of DeLuna is the notable Columbia law professor James Liebman. In 2001 one of Liebmanââ¬â¢s study revealed an error rate of 68% in Capital cases.(William W Berry, 2010) the extinguishing of an innocent human beings life is an irrevocable mistake that could be avoided with a sentence of Life without the Possibility of Parole (LWOP). Imbalanced justice system Part of the definition of Justice is ââ¬Å"fairness or reasonableness, especially in the way people are treated or decisions are madeâ⬠when you relate this to the death penalty you are presented with many divergenceââ¬â¢s to that same logic. The following are a few examples of how the death penalty is unfair to certain groups: first the system is arbitrary in nature. The rich are able the attain some of the best defense attorneys in order to greatly increase their chance of avoiding the death penalty, while the poor must receive state appointed counsel. What makes matters worse is the lack of skilled counsel willing to work on Capital Punishment leads to a continued rise in the backlog of unrepresented sentenced prisoners. (Gray, 2011) The second example of unfairness results from geographic location. In some states, a felony murder is a Capital crime, Maryland is one. While other states, like New Jersey, need aggravating circumstances before the death penalty is given. Also, between the years of 1976 and 2004 more than 700 executions took place. 82% were a product of these ten states: (AL, AR, FL, GA, LA, MO, OK, SC, TX and VA) With Texas and Virginia accounting for half of these nationwide executions. (American Civil Liberties Union, 2002) There are no significant data showing a higher rate of violent crime in those states. So I must infer that, on a nationwide level, the Capital Punishment is unjust or at the very least unbalanced. The third unjustness of the Capital Punishment system stems from its racial disparities. Bias manifests itself in two ways. One, the even though ââ¬Å"Latinos are the largest ethnic minority group in the United Statesâ⬠they still only comprise between 8% and 13% of defendants on death row in the 1990s. (Baik, 2012) now compare that to African Americans who, in the same time period, represented nearly 40% of all death row inmates in the US.(Greenfield, 1991) one case that highlights all three examples of unfairne ss in the Criminal justice system can be found in the 1972 trial of Furman v. Georgia. This was a case of a poor, black, man from a southern state that was prone to issuing the death penalty. The outcome of this trial was a de facto moratorium between 1967 and 1977 where no executions were conducted in the Unitedââ¬â¢s states during this time (Schmalleger, 2011). Deterrence is exaggerated and also obtainable through other ways. There are two possible ways to examine deterrence. First, it canà be viewed the same way that most people understand it by; the Punishment of one criminal will deter multiple others from committing similar gruesome acts. This view has been brought up in a couple of studyââ¬â¢s: the 2001 study by Hashem Dezhbakhsh and Paul Rubin at Emory University who concluded that on average one single execution results in 18 fewer murders; an earlier study was conducted by Viscusi in 1993 which pegged the average deterrence at 14. Most of the fundamental testing and deterrence hypotheses used leading up to the present were produced by Isaac Erlich between 1975 and 1977. (Erlich 1975) although a valiant attempt to survey something as complex as this topic, most of these types of data analysis are proven false due to factors such as, failure to include states that do not carry a death penalty; and that some studies have just been methodologically flawed. I would have to agree with the late US Supreme court justice Thurgood Marshall, LLB who said it best at the 1972 trial of Furman v. Georgia, ââ¬Å"Despite the fact that abolitionists have not proved non-deterrence beyond a reasonable doubt, they have succeeded in showing by clear and convincing evidence that Capital Punishment is not necessary as a deterrent to crime in our society.â⬠inconclusive studies and overall popular dismissal, have resulted in arguments in favor of these types of studies to start decreasing over time. As Federal prosecutor Donald Heller put it, ââ¬Å"When someone kills, theyre thinking of satisfying whatever [made them] decide to kill. They never think about the ultimate Punishment.â⬠(Heller, 2011) Second, deterrence, also called incapacitation, can be viewed as a permanent solution to the issue of ââ¬Å"Future dangerousnessâ⬠, which is, ââ¬Å"the threat an offender will be likely to pose in the future.â⬠(William W Berry, 2010). In William berryââ¬â¢s report, he goes on to say that future dangerousness is the strongest determinant of whether an individual receives the death penalty. This is harmful because studies show that juries tend to over-predict the presence of future dangerousness. In addition, ââ¬Å"between 21% and 32% of jurors stated that their deliberations focused on the issue of future dangerousness extensively even when the prosecution failed to raise the issue.â⬠(William W Berry, 2010) In fact, even practicing physicians have a very low probability of predicting future dangerous so itââ¬â¢s hard to see how a jury can do it accurately. This view of deterrence as in regards to Future dangerousness, compared with the first, has a more tangible way ofà proving right or wrong. For instance, in the ring v. Arizona trial, Justice Breyer shared the following reasons why incapacitation could not justify the use of Capital Punishment: ââ¬Å"Few offenders sentenced to life without parole (as an alternative to death) commit further crimesâ⬠. She also goes on to cite two studies proving her point; (1) ââ¬Å"studies find average repeat murder rate of .002% among murderers whose death sentences were commuted; â⬠and (2) ââ¬Å"of the Furman-Commuted Inmates: 98% did not kill again either in prison or in free society.â⬠(William W Berry, 2010) The fact that very little criminals that have been released from death row actually kill again, coupled with the poss ible replacement with the less controversial Life without the possibility of parole(LWOP), can make for a great rational for the abolishment of Capital Punishment. The rising cost of Capital Punishment. The cost of placing one person through the Capital Punishment system in some states like California can be as high as 100 Million Dollars. That same person could have been placed in a regular cell for 40 years and the state would still come out ahead. (schmalleger, 2011) Also in some states where the death penalty is not in use the state are still paying millions of dollars In taxes towards the death penalty. With the rising cost of prisons due to overcrowding and lack of funding, it may be only a matter of time before the death penalty becomes too expensive to implement. It would pay dividends to the local law enforcement, community based reform programs, and the economy as a whole if we abolish the death penalty and adopt the sentence of LWOP in its place. Conclusion To progress as a civilized nation and fully comply with international human rights laws. We need to stop murdering our civilians. Even if there was a way to eliminate all risk of erroneous executions of innocent people, we would still be committing murder by executing the criminal. The government takes the responsibility of these deaths away from the executioner and the physicians, but the government is just the culmination of the will of the people, so in turn, we the people are murdering our neighbors if we let this continue. Also, the system is terribly imbalanced. A majority of the nationââ¬â¢s death sentences come from a handful of counties. In turn, someone could commit the exact same type of murder on opposite sides of a stateââ¬â¢sà borders, and one will receive the death penalty while the other will be free in about 40 years. There is also a high level of racial disparity amongst the death penalty. A person is more likely to receive the death penalty if they murder a white man, as opposed to a black man. Also, we covered deterrence and future dangerousness. The outcome found no weight in studies showing some decrease in crime resulting from the implementation of Capital Punishment. Furthermore, future dangerousness should be completely taken out of the equation because of the implementation of LWOP mixed with solitary confinement addresses that concern. Finally, the issue of cost is addressed. Cost should never be a deciding factor in whether someone lives or dies, but in our current troubled economy, the death penalty may enter the chopping block in due to the high costs associated with it. I would much rather see it being abolished all together than to see someoneââ¬â¢s trial get improper handling due to cutting previously slim corners. Bibliography Baik, E. (2012). Gender, Religion and National Origin: Latinosââ¬â¢ Attitude toward Capital Punishment. Journal of Social Sciences (15493652), 8(1), 79-84. Science Publications. Retrieved from http://vlib.excelsior.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=truedb=a9hAN=74485107site=eds-live Ehrlich, I. (1975), ââ¬Å"The Deterrent Effect of Capital Punishment: A Question of Life and Death,â⬠American Economic Review 65: 468-474. GavrilÃ
¡, A. N. (2011). SHOULD THE DEATH PENALTY BE ABOLISHED? ARGUMENTS FOR AND AGAINST THE CENTURIES-OLD PUNISHMENT. Journal for Communication Culture, 2(2), 82-98. Institute for Communication Culture. Retrieved from http://vlib.excelsior.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=truedb=ufhAN=68630937site=eds-live Gray, J. P. (2011). ESSAY: FACING FACTS ON THE DEATH PENALTY. Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review, 44(3), S255-S264. Loyola of Los Angeles School of Law. Retrieved from http://vlib.excelsior.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=truedb=a9hAN=67352324site=eds-live Greenfield, L. A. (1991). Capital Punishment 1990, 15. Retrieved from http://www.ncjrs.gov/App/Publications/abstract.aspx?ID=131648 Hayes-Harb, R., Masuda, K. (2008). Development of the Ability to Lexically Encode Novel Second Language Phonemic Contrasts. Second Language Research, 24(5), 5-33. DOI: 10.1177/0267658307082980. Heller, D. (2011, July 06). NEW VOICES: Author of Californias Expanded Death Penalty Law Now Supports Repeal. Retrieved from Death Penalty Information Center: http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/new-voices-author-californias-expanded-death-penalty-law-now-supports-repeal Roko, E. (2010). FINALITY, HABEAS, INNOCENCE, AND THE DEATH PENALTY: CAN JUSTICE BE DONE? Washington Law Review, 85(1), 107-129. Washington Law Review. Retrieved from http://vlib.excelsior.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=truedb=a9hAN=48871624site=eds-live Schmalleger, F. (2011). Criminal Justice Today. Upper saddle river: prenice hall. William W Berry, I. (2010). Ending Death by Dangerousness A Path to the De Facto Abolition of the Death Penalty. Arizona Law Review, 52, 889. Copyright (c) 2010 Arizona Board of Regents. Retrieved from http://vlib.excelsior.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=truedb=edslexAN=edslexF5E3C687site=eds-live Viscusi, W.K. (1993), ââ¬Å"The Value of Risks to Life and Health,â⬠Journal of Economic Literature 31: 1912-1946. Weber, A., Cutler, A. (2004). Lexical competition in non-native spoken-word recognition. Journal of Memory and Language, 50, 1-25. DOI: 10.1016/S0749-596X(03)00105-0. Furman v. Georgia 408 U.S. 238 (1972).
Wednesday, August 21, 2019
Price Elasticity of Demand Essay Example for Free
Price Elasticity of Demand Essay Supply and demand plays a vital role in the economy. Price is the central determinant of both the demand and supply, for example the higher the price of a good or a service the less the product is demanded. In circumstance where the price goes down, demand increases. The response of price and quantity demanded create an inverse relationship between the two. Whereas demand portrays the consumer decision making in purchases, supply is drawn on producerââ¬â¢s willingness to make profit (Parkin, 2002). The overriding factor in determining price elasticity of demand is the willingness and ability of consumers to easily switch from one good to another (substitute goods) in case of any price change. If the demand for corn increases due to its use as an alternative energy source, its supply will also increase making the soybean (substitute) supply and demand to go down. This will force farmers to shift their soybeans farms to produce more corn because of the increasing demand at the market. The total revenue of the suppliers of corn oil will increase because of the increasing demand at the market. This is also because of other determinants of supply like price of the product; a producer (farmer) is always aimed at maximizing his/her profits and minimizing his/her cost thus a rise in price will increase the producer willingness to supply and vice versa. Other factors that are likely to affect the supply of products include tax and technology, a producer aim at maximizes his profit but an increase will raise his expenses. Technology helps a producer in minimizing his cost of production-provided that mass production is possible with technology. Parkin (2002) hints that in a market setting, the law of supply and demand predicts that the price level tends to move toward the point that equalizes the quantity supplied and demanded. Therefore, equilibrium point is created; a point where quantity supplied at the market and quantity demanded at the same market is in balance, where the supply curve crosses the demand curve. At equilibrium, when demand exceeds supply there is excess demand and prices will increase. On the other hand, when supply exceeds demand there is excess supply and prices will decrease. Such instances where supply or demand exceeds one another are very common in the market and will cause shifts in price. But when supply and demand balances, there will be no change in price. The price which makes the supply and demand to balance is referred as market price or equilibrium price. Reference Parkin, M. , Melanie, P. Kent, M. (2002). Economics. Harlow: Addison-Wesley Publisher.
Tuesday, August 20, 2019
The Pros And Cons Of The Death Penalty Philosophy Essay
The Pros And Cons Of The Death Penalty Philosophy Essay Introduction Capital punishment, which some also call the death penalty, has been around in society for hundreds of years. Ever since it began, there have been discussions as to whether it is morally right, and as to whether it actually deters criminals. Some believe that the prospect of being put to death often stops criminals from committing violent acts. Others believe exactly the opposite, stating that those that commit violent crimes are driven to do so for various reasons, and whether they have the chance of being put to death or not will not stop them from doing what they feel they must do. Some serial killers and other violent individuals believe that they will never be caught. Others think that they are doing Gods work, or they cite other important reasons for the killings and violent acts that they partake in. Sometimes this is due to mental disorders, but there are other reasons that people commit acts of this nature. Regardless of these reasons, however, violent acts can and do occur and whether these people should be put to death for their crimes remains a hotly debated issue. On one side of the debate, there are those that believe that killing is morally and ethically wrong, whether it is the killer and his victims or the government and the killer. The ethical dilemmas that are faced by this issue are not designed to be discussed here. They are important and worthy of discussion and thought, but the scope of this paper does not allow for space to debate the ethical issues that involve the death penalty as it pertains to violent individuals and their reasons for their actions. The purpose of this paper is to leave those issues aside and determine whether there is a basis of truth in the statement that capital punishment deters violent crime. This statement is used by many who believe in the death penalty, and they argue that these criminals will not be able to do any more harm, which is certainly true, and not a question for debate. What is debatable, however, is whether the idea of the death penalty affects those that might commit violent crimes, and whether it stops them from doing so. There are many that believe this, and others that insist that there is little to no effect. Both sides of the argument will be addressed here, so that conclusions can be drawn from the information presented that will hopefully shed some light on the debate and determine which side is correct. There is, however, seemingly much more information available that is against the death penalty than for it. It is also possible that a determination will not be able to be made due to the fact that there are so many issues and beliefs that surround each side, and statistics can be made to show many things, depending on who is utilizing them and how the numbers are manipulated. It is for this reason that statistics will not play a large role in the scope of this paper, as numbers often vary. Argument for the Death Penalty Those that argue for the death penalty state that, not only does it keep the person in question from committing any more violent acts, but it also serves as a lesson for those that are considering these types of acts in the future. It is not only the United States that has this problem, as many other countries are also concerned about crime rates (Bedau, 1998). In some other countries there are people that feel that doing away with the death penalty offers no deterrent for those that would rape and murder innocent people for some reason, or sometimes for no real reason at all (Bayat, 1999). It is believed that the criminal element that is aware of the death penalty will spend more time considering whether the act they are thinking of committing is worth the price that they might ultimately have to pay (Delfino Day, 2008). The opinion is that many criminals will feel that risking their life for the violent act is not worth the price, and they will refrain from committing these kinds of crimes. Few people, even criminals, have a death wish, and it is believed that this lack of desire for their own death will keep them from causing the deaths of others (Delfino Day, 2008). Despite opposition from those that believe the death penalty should be stopped, some statistics do show that the number of murders does rise when the death penalty is not in force, and this number falls when the death penalty is reinstated (Johansen, 1998). Another point of this argument is that the death penalty brings closure for the victims of the families that have lost loved ones. There is apparently a satisfaction, at least for some, upon seeing these people give up their life at the hands of the government. The chapter of their lives that dealt with that person has come to an end, and they can finally feel that they can move on with their lives (Radelet Akers, 1996). This is somewhat related to violent crime, in that there is always the possibility that survivors who have lost loved ones would consider taking their vengeance out on others because of their pain and sorrow, and this could lead to even more violent crimes. Violent criminals that are paroled also run the risk of being killed by those that know what they did and believe that they should have died. This creates more violent acts in society and more problems with how to punish these individuals. Having the death penalty for violent crimes often prevents this. To summarize, the main point of the argument for the death penalty is that crime will go down because of the fear of punishment. This is the belief of those that advocate the death penalty for all violent crimes, and all of the information to the contrary does not appear to change this opinion. Argument Against the Death Penalty There are many different arguments against the death penalty, and some of these come from law enforcement. Recent polls of police chiefs in various areas of the country indicate that a large majority of them believe that the death penalty is no deterrent to violent crime. It ranks last on their lists of how they should go about reducing violent crime, and studies have shown that it is no better at reducing crime than the possibility of life in prison without any chance of parole (Cook, 1999). This is interesting, in the face of the argument that the death penalty reduces the amount of violent crimes that are committed. Studies have also shown that, contrary to the popular opinion that the death penalty brings closure, most people do not feel that watching someone else die helps them to move on in any way (Cassell Bedau, 2005). Sometimes it seems to profane the name of the lost loved one by associating yet another death with it. The death of the loved one is painful enough without ad ding to it (Cook, 1999). Mainly, Opponents of the death penalty argue that (Policy, 2003): those contemplating criminal activities do not rationally weigh the benefits and costs of their actions, the costs associated with obtaining a death penalty conviction are larger than the costs associated with providing lifetime imprisonment, in a world of imperfect information, innocent individuals may be convicted and executed before exonerating information is discovered, and the death penalty has disproportionately been applied in cases in which the defendant is nonwhite or the victim is white. There are several effective arguments against the death penalty, including the fact that some people have been executed, and the government has later discovered their innocence. There is not much to be done at that point, and instead of deterring violent crime, it makes the death penalty seem unjust and unfair. It also draws into question once again whether the death penalty is such a good idea, since it can sometimes be used incorrectly and innocent people are made to suffer for the mistakes of the police, prosecutors, and government (Rivkind Shatz, 2005). It would seem that many criminals would find this more amusing than frightening. They do not take their chances of being caught and subjected to the death penalty seriously enough to be frightened by the penalty like many assume they will be (van den Haag, 2001). According to some that believe in God and feel that the death penalty is acceptable under the scriptures, make one main point, which is that This is not an issue that may be measured accurately in terms of statistics. No one can ever know how many potential murderers have refrained from taking human life due to their fear of prosecution, conviction, and ultimate execution (Jackson, 2003). It is also questioned during this same argument that those who conclude that the death penalty is not a deterrent to violent crime should also be able to conclude that prison is not a deterrent either, since people seem to keep committing crimes, whether or not they think they will go to jail. Another concern over the death penalty and violent crime is the issue of the mentally handicapped (Banner, 2003). They, along with juveniles, also commit violent crimes on occasion. These mentally handicapped individuals, not to be confused with mentally disturbed or insane individuals, often have low IQs and do not realize what they have done. The death penalty in their cases is not any deterrent. They do not even realize what they have done. One mentally handicapped man actually asked the jailers to save his dessert for him so that he could eat it after his execution. It was clear that he did not understand what the execution was about, no more than he understood the crime that he had committed. Executing individuals like this does nothing for society. Many people find it cruel, and even if it is not, it is certainly senseless. There are no important lessons about not committing crimes that are learned by executing someone who is mentally handicapped (Reforms, 2002). The same is true for juvenile offenders. Some juveniles that are convicted of violent crimes are locked away in prison until such time as they are old enough to be executed, which really does not teach juveniles anything valuable about the death penalty or avoidance of violent crime. More often than not, these juveniles are not executed, and most juveniles know that they will not receive the death penalty, even if they are tried as adults, so they are not deterred by the possibility (Radelet Akers, 1996). There are other arguments, but the most effective argument against the death penalty as a deterrent for violent crime appears to be the fact that crime has not gone down simply because the death penalty is out there (Death, 2000). States that have it do not have lower crime rates on average than states that do not have it, and that would indicate that the death penalty in and of itself is not stopping people from committing violent acts (Ikramullah, 2003). Conclusion Crime, including violent crime, has been with society virtually since the beginning, and it will remain with society until it ends. Nothing will stop some people from committing violent acts, and the death penalty does not appear to be the answer. Sometimes, innocent lives are lost to this process, and many times the families of the victims do not experience the kind of closure that one would hope for simply because the offender has been executed. Since it would appear that even law enforcement does not see the death penalty as an answer to the problems of crime in society, one wonders why it is allowed to continue. It is possible, however, that the death penalty would be a deterrent if it were used more swiftly and more often. Many people who are sentenced to death spend years in prison appealing their conviction and appealing their sentence, and this is a large waste of taxpayer money, as well as a huge burden on the court system. Those that are guilty beyond a shadow of a doubt often wait a long time for their sentence to be carried out. Even when DNA evidence shows that they were the guilty party, the execution is still not swiftly carried out, and this allows many criminals to find some way to avoid it. Instead, they end up spending their life in prison, where they get hot meals every day, are allowed to exercise, and have a bed to sleep in every night. They watch TV and read books, and this is more than many of the hungry and homeless in todays society get. Criminals are treated better than many of these people. The criminals have lost their freedom, but they get a lot of things in return for that, and society is required to pay for them through taxes and other avenues that fund the prisons. One is left to wonder why this is so, and whether the death penalty actually would work if everyone found guilty of a violent crime and proved guilty with DNA evidence and/or a confession was executed within 30 days. There would be less prison overcrowding, and appeals would not be allowed. Enacted in this way, the death penalty might be a better deterrent against violent crime, because the stakes would be much higher than they are now, and the chances of being executed would be much greater. It would give criminals more to think about when they were contemplating their violent crimes, and society (at least that part of society that supports the death penalty) would feel better about not supporting these criminals while they appealed and worked to save themselves. It is also possible that more people would come to see the death penalty as a good idea if they could be shown that there was less prison overcrowding and that the amount of violent crime was actually dropping because of it. This might help society out in several ways, but it is unlikely that this will come to pass. There are always those that will fight for the rights of convicted prisoners, and argue that they are misunderstood. There are also those that will maintain the opinion that killing is wrong, no matter who does it. Every individual is certainly entitled to their opinion, and it would appear that those who feel the death penalty is wrong are winning their battle, at least in some states, because executions do not take place very often. Even when they do occur, it is usually after a lengthy appeals process lasting many years and costing much money. Since society will never be free of crime, dealing with that crime and controlling it has become the focus of law enforcement. If the death penalty can be improved and made to work, it should remain. If it cannot be changed so that it actually deters violent crimes, than perhaps it should be done away with in favor of a system that will actually lower the crime rate and work to prevent violent crimes in the future.
Monday, August 19, 2019
Comparing and contrasting two Poems on the theme of childhood By Essay
Comparing and contrasting two Poems on the theme of childhood By Seamus Heaney. Comparing and contrasting two Poems on the theme of childhood Having read the four poems from Seamus Heaney's collection "Death of a Naturalist", I have decided to Compare and contrast the two poems that I like best, which are "Death of a naturalist" and "Follower". Both of these are childhood stories set in the countryside. These reflect how Heaney felt about different aspects of life in his surroundings. This is one of the reasons that I have chosen these two poems the idea of the countryside makes me feel at home with these two poems. They are both set in the open air, which creates an open atmosphere. "Death of a Naturalist" is the first poem I chose to write about because of the overall effectiveness of the poem. This poem has been written in paragraph like stanzas, this gives me the feel of making the poems look full of descriptions; it also looks very exiting looking at all the stanzas are crammed into one. As you look at the poem you can see effective use of vivid similes such as "Frogspawn grew like clotted Water" Frogspawn that grows like "clotted water" shows you the fullness of the frogspawn it also shows us that the frogspawn is racing and covering the pond water very fast it also gives me an impression that he enjoys seeing the frogspawn growing and covering the pond as he enjoys collecting frogspawn "I would fill jampotfuls of the jellied specs" This shows the enjoyment of a young child collecting and watching something grow. We see the use of positive phrases "There were dragon-flies, Spotted butterflies... " The use of commas and short sentences give us an understanding of the child's ... ...od jobs around the farm. The last lines in the poem make us think about what has happened to his father. "It is my father who keeps stumbling Behind me, and will not go away" the effect this creates by saying his father is weak and falling away behind him tells us that the roles have been reversed. After looking at these two poems many things are very similar in the way they have been written: the language and form are authentic language of farming by this I mean that the poems have got a use of old farm language an describe things in a farming form. Heaney also leaves the reader with a final line to think about. By reading the two poems Heaney now feels that it is time to break away from his past and he also feels different from his family. I think this because he is looking back and writing about the past and he is able to write about the future.
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