Discuss the arguments for and against the reintroduction of the death penalty for murder Essay Example

Discuss the arguments for and against the reintroduction of the death penalty for murder Essay The death penalty, the ultimate punishment for man some may say. There are equally valid arguments for both views. This essay will discuss the arguments for and against the reintroduction of the death penalty for murder.Capital punishment is punishment by death hanging, electrocution, gas chamber, firing squad, lethal injection or beheading. It is normally reserved for murder although can be used in certain other exceptional circumstances (E. McLaughlin and J. Munice, 2001).Hanging was used in England and Wales between 1016 and 1964 (E. McLaughlin and J. Munice, 2001: 24). The purpose of which seems to have been retributive as well as deterrent. After May 1868, executions took place inside the prisons as previously, when they were public affairs, spectators often used the occasion as an opportunity to commit further crime thus turning what was supposed to show the power of law into a crime spree itself (E. McLaughlin and J. Munice, 2001).The death penalty was abolished in this count ry in 1965 (Davies, Croall and Tyrer, 1995: 6) although this was only for a five year trial period and was abolished officially in December 1969 (E. McLaughlin and J. Munice, 2001). It is still retained in some states in the USA and in certain African and Asian countries.In many places where the death penalty is still used as a means of punishment, more people are actually sentenced to death than are killed. For example, in the USA during 1995, 3,000 people were under death sentences but only 56 were executed. Statistics like these often bring about critical questions like, whether there is any point in retaining the death penalty and whether or not it does actually have an effect on society or on crime.Some states may justify the use of capital punishment simply on retributive grounds although the most common political belief is that it has a general deterrent capacity to save further innocent lives and significantly reduce other capital offences (R. Hood, 1989).With regards to ret ribution, those who commit crime deserve to be punished, execution is a very real punishment with the criminal being made to suffer in proportion to the offence committed (www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/6142/thoughts.html).It is necessary to distinguish two different, although often related, conceptions of general deterrence (R. Hood, 1989: 119). The death penalty implies that the threat of capital sanction, or to be more precise the risk of death, prevents those who are about to commit a capital offence from doing so, in more cases than would the threat of life imprisonment. Therefore there would be an obvious relationship between the risk of execution and the rate of capital offences (R. Hood, 1989).The second conception implies that the existence of capital punishment emphasises the severity of a crime therefore reinforcing criminal inhibitions against committing it (R. Hood, 1989). The death penalty is only a deterrent if execution is an absolute certainty and homicide is usually a crime committed in undeterrable states of mind anyway (N. Walker, 1991: 16).Capital punishment incapacitates criminals, obviously removing them from society permanently, thus eliminating the chance of them re-offending even though murder has the lowest reconviction rates.One of the main arguments of those who oppose the use of capital punishment is the chance that an innocent person may be incorrectly convicted and sentenced to death. Two of the leading opponents of capital punishment in the United States today, Professors Hugo Adam Bedau and Michael L. Radelet, concluded in a 1987 study that 23 innocent people have been put to death in the United States since 1900 (M. Grossman, 1998: 129). In todays society, courts commit resources to avoid such miscarriages of justice to ensure that innocent people are not put to death, although even as late as 1962, James Hanratty, subsequently considered innocent, was put to death for a crime committed on an English road although another man later confessed to the offence, and in 1997 a British commission concluded that Hanratty may well have been innocent (M. Grossman, 1998).Capital punishment has always faced a lot of controversy. One of the reasons is due to the cost of actually carrying out the death penalty. Those in favour of capital punishment persistently argue that, cost cannot be considered as part of the judicial equation when justice is being sought (M. Grossman, 1998: 60). Those against the death penalty utilise numbers to prove their argument that it actually costs the state more to execute someone that it does to keep them in prison for the rest of their life. Margot Garey states that because of constitutional requirements and the diligence of attorneys in capital cases, death penalty litigation is a long, expensive process where, after conviction, appeals which usually last decades follow as courts examine the case and investigate possible legal errors that could overturn the death sentence (M. Grossman, 1998).Another main controversial topic when discussing capital punishment is human rights and the right to life. Does a particular murderer, taking into account the full circumstances of his or her life, really deserve to die at the hands of the state? (A. Sarat, 2001). Criminals, although they may have committed the most awful murders, are still real people who have a life, and with it comes the capability of feeling pain, love, fear and all the other emotions the rest of society feel (www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/6142/thoughts.html).There is no such thing as a humane method of putting a person to death, irrespective of what the state may claim (www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/6142/thoughts.html). Every form of execution causes suffering and being executed is a terrifying and gruesome ordeal for any criminal (www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/6142/thoughts.html). A Canadian writer, Bernard Lande Cohen wrote The state has a duty to protect itself and its citizens not only from foreign e nemies but from the domestic variety as well but he also insists the right of a government to take the life of any of its subjects ought to be subject to the strictest review in all instances and no matter how deserving of death and how little deserving of pity, it would be entirely wrong to inflict pain or torture upon him, or any form of death that is of a painful nature (M. Grossman, 1998: 6).An often, overlooked reason for opposing the death penalty is the depth of feelings of the friends and family of the criminal. They suffer pain and trauma leading up to and during the execution and will no doubt suffer serious trauma for years afterwards. Although, some may argue that the criminals family and friends feelings are now the same as the victims and, in that way, just (www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/6142/thoughts.html).The discriminatory nature of the death penalty was recognised in the United States by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1972. The evidence shows racial bias continuing to i nfluence the jury. A report released in 1990 by the General Accounting office in the states shows indications of racial discrimination. The study concluded that, a person accused of killing a white was 4.3 times more likely to be sentenced to death than a person accused of killing a black (www.igc.org/africanam/archives/eh2/factsheet.html).There does not seem to be any other alternative to the death penalty except life imprisonment without parole. Punishment must be fair and in proportion to the offence committed and for the worst murderers life meaning life is an option. It protects the public from the risk of re-offence and allows time for rehabilitation. Most criminals are only, if at all, deterred by the thought of being caught and even the best review of the evidence from research concludes that it has failed to provide scientific proof that executions have a greater deterrent effect than life imprisonment' (N. Walker, 1991: 16).In conclusion we see that the arguments for and against capital punishment are both very strong and depending on ones situation, circumstances and beliefs the ultimate decision to support or oppose the death penalty is that of the individual. The likelihood of Britain ever reintroducing the death penalty for murder is minimal. Politically it would be extremely hard given British commitment to human rights and our membership of the EC, which itself is highly opposed to capital punishment and contains no member states that still retain the death penalty as its highest form of punishment (www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/6142/thoughts.html).

Botulinum toxin essays

Botulinum toxin essays Botulinum Toxin: A Killer and a Healer How can the worlds dangerous substance be a persons healer? Highlight 11.1, Botulinum Toxin: A Killer and a Healer, describes this two-faced toxin produced by the bacteria Clostridium botulinum that may help a person with muscle problems and yet threat the whole world with only one gram of botulinum toxin. This bacteria, C. botulinum, also meaning, sausage in Latin is an anaerobic, endospore-forming, Gram positive bacillus that is common in soil and water worldwide. Clostridia are rod-shaped, but when producing spores they appear more like drumsticks with a bulge at one end. The vegetative cells are the yellow drumsticks, and the spores are the light-blue ovals within the yellow cells (as seen on the picture above). Its endospores that survive improper canning of food, germinating to produce vegetative cells that grow and release into the jar or can a powerful neurotoxin, (Vangelova, 1) that can cause botulism when toxin enters the body. Different strains of botulinum produces one of seven antigenically distinct botulism toxins ( A through G). The good thing is that this toxin is not contagious but can be easily acquired. There are three types of botulinum toxin that can be obtained through food-borne, wound, or an infant. But it is also being used in the medical field to suppress many diseases. Botulinum toxin can be obtained through food-borne. As Vangelova stated, One of the most common culprits in food-borne botulism is home-canned food, especially vegetables such as asparagus, green beans, and peppers. More than 90 percent of food-borne botulism outbreaks between 1976 and 1985 were due to home-processed foods, describing how these endospores can germinate vegetative cells and cause great damage. One basic recommendation was to cook food to be canned in pressure cookers because they can maintain temperatures high enough (abo...

Nervous system Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Nervous system - Essay Example In connection to the practical with the central nervous system of maggots, it is significant to note that Maggots have one unique feature: that is they keep on recycling especially when it comes to their neurons. Equipped with a nervous system that helps them to crawl and feed, they change into intricate animals with sophisticated behaviors and sensory system such as flying and walking. Maggots lack motor neurons that can make the transition into adult. During metamorphosis, the neurons start to spread and seek out adult links. In order to understand the central nervous system of a maggot, it is significant to look at the role that hormones play in initiating these intricate behaviors required to molt. Eclosion hormone is an insect neurohormone that makes the larvae to initiate the intricate behaviors required to molt in that it assists in removing an exoskeleton in order to mobilize the needed changes in the entire central nervous system. The nervous system neurons expand from the n erve body. The dendrites and axons are tied together which help conduct and transmit signals. The neurons are categorized as either sensory, interneurons or motor (Brodal, 2010, p. 52). The sensory neurons help in sending information to the central nervous system from external and internal environment. Motor neurons assist in carrying information from the central nervous system to muscles, glands, and organs. Lastly, the interneuron spread signals between sensory and motor neurons. The nervous system of a man has motor neurons, unlike maggots that lack motor neurons thus making them unable to transition into adult. The practical conducted reveals that the Maggots have three major sensory receptors, which link with three major ganglia or collection of nerve tissue, which enable the larva to sense their environment and move to food sources. Maggots can respond to odor, temperature, moisture, and chemicals. These sensory organs allow maggots to be attached to or repelled from specific environments. Sensory organs are normally excitable cells that allow information transmission to occur (Sawin, Harris, Campos, & Sokolowski, 1994, p. 355). In connection to the nervous system, it comprises of the spinal cord, intricate network of neurons and the brain. This system is very important in that it helps in receiving, sending, and conceptualizing data from all parts of the body. Further, just like discovered in the practical, the nervous system reacts to transformation in the outside environment, and helps monitor and coordinate internal work of body organs. The spinal cord has nerves that assist in transmitting information from body organs and outside environment to the brain and directs data from the brain to the rest of the body. The spinal cord nerves are fiber like that travel in two distinct manners. Descending nerves carry data concerning the motor function from the brain to other body parts. The ascending nerves transmit data from the body to the brain (Brodal, 20 10, p. 89). In order to aid their movement, the maggot can respond to light since they have photoreceptors on their heads and can move towards light, known as positive photo taxis. First instar animals have negative photaxic responses and third instars are positive phototaxic in nature. The rate of

Marketing Plan for a new Product in Qatari Market Essay

Marketing Plan for a new Product in Qatari Market - Essay Example The mission statement of automobile firms defines their brand, culture, and customer experience. Since Chevrolet is a brand of the GM, it uses the mission statement of the General Motors Car Company. The mission statement of GM is backed by the following core principles: safety and quality first, create life-long customers, innovate, deliver long-term investment value, and make a positive difference. The unofficial mission statement of Chevrolet brand is â€Å"We win when the customer says we win.† In the Middle East, the Chevrolet-branded cars are a sourced from General Motors in North America, General Motors Korea in South Korea, and General Motors Holden in Australia (Gustin, 2008). Chevrolet has various vehicles. To that effect, the paper will discuss the marketing plan for Chevrolet Cruze car brand in the Qatari market. In the present scenario, the Qatari automobile market segment has now been developing in a considerable manner due to augmented demand for fuel efficient, spacious, affordable, and easy to maintain cars. According to Qatar’s Automobiles Company, by the end of this year, about 90,000 cars had been sold in Qatar with most of the vehicles being from Toyota Company. Furthermore, Rolls-Royce also realized an increase in sales by 37 percent. In the same way, most of the automobile companies recorded an increase in the number of sales. However, Bhaktavatsala (2013) notes that more than 700,000 people drive Chevrolet cars in Qatar. Chevrolet has significant market share in the automobile market. Most of the people who purchase motor vehicles in Qatar have higher disposable incomes. This implies that they have the ability to purchase the vehicles in spite of their higher prices. Most Qataris prefer to purchase vehicles that are technologically advanced, fuel efficient, stylish with modern features, and easy to maintain. Proceeding further, nobody denies that safety is one of the major concerns of customers. Almost all automobile

How Technology Affects Library Referencing Essay Example for Free

How Technology Affects Library Referencing Essay It is indeed obvious and true how technology generates most of the things that humans deal with today. The global economy as for example is being controlled by massive computer programs for the sake of considerable advancements for the human society. Alongside with this particular advancement, educational sectors also take advantage of the major innovations made through the use of science and technology. As for this matter, it could be noted that library referencing have also been recreated to be able to support the needs of the present generation from referencing the books that are available through the libraries. How is this possible? The existence of numerous technology-based systems that are primarily made to ease the problems of file-fixing in the field of library-based jobs entirely makes the jobs of the Librarians quite easy to deal with today. As it could be noticed, years before, librarians are expected to type in several details with regards a certain book in card catalogs. Not to mention, alphabetizing them and in tall and long ended cabinets is not that easy to do. The procedure indeed takes time and the filing up takes so much space form the library. Seeing this situation, it could be observed that the technological changes that are appreciated by the libraries of the present generation are now able to increase the capabilities of the libraries to hold more students in terms of space and enhance the skills of the librarian in meeting the issues that concern the students in terms of library-based queries since they already have time for this unlike that of the past years? Furthermore, the question: â€Å"How is this possible† points out to one particular focus of discussion; knowing that technology causes changes to the system of cataloging in the libraries, how do these procedures of filing the book-informations so far helpful both to the students and the librarian as well regardless of the obvious disadvantages mentioned earlier? How are the students able to benefit from the technology-fixed files and informations of books? Does technology really affect the procedures of referencing in the future? These questions are the primary discussions that shall be tackled within the context of this paper. Library and Technology Cataloging is an olden time procedure that is made to arrange the collection of books within libraries. Of course, since libraries are considered to have a large collection of reading materials, arranging them into categories helps in the process of researching for the students or plain readers alone. However, this procedure of arranging the files and taking notes of the information with regards a certain book takes much time and effort from the librarians that they are already incapable of doing the primary responsibility that they should be addressing in their profession, assisting the readers. Today, the development of technology aides in libraries have created a radical change within the systems of arranging the files as well as redefined the role of librarians in completing the tasks appointed for them to finish. Several operating systems are created to be bale to assist the librarians and the readers in browsing the books that are collected by a certain library. What is an operating system, and how does it help in the procedure of making cataloging much easier for librarians? What are Operating Systems? Every computer system is controlled by an operating system. A pre-programmed system controls the operations that the computer system is supposed to perform. This mainly pertains to the responsibilities of the computer and how it is able to complete the tasks that are further addressed to its performance. At present, the operating systems are referred to as computer programs that are supposed to manage both the hardware and software systems of the entire computer facilities. There are . five main tasks that the OS performs as a program: †¢Controlling and Allocating Memory This task mainly focuses on the capability of the computer programs to assimilate the memory priorities of the entire computer system. To allocate the memory means designating the memory priorities on which its performance is most needed. †¢Prioritizing System Requests Most of the time, the system follows a â€Å"first Come First Serve† arrangement. As a result, in multi tasking systems the operations are carried on basing on what request came first, and what has been allocated by the system to come in priority. †¢Controlling Input and Output Devices The input devices are the ones used to enter information within the computer memory while the output devices are the ones used to produce hardcopy of the informations entered within the system. The operating systems that is present within the computer makes it possible for the computer device to perform well and do as it is programmed to. †¢Facilitating Networking To be able to connect to others, networking the systems is needed. Once an operating system is programmed to perform such tasks, it would be able to connect two different systems together to be able to have a connected exchange of information and communication as well. †¢Managing Files To manage files means to arrange them on what part of the memory should be utilized by the files. It also sorts out the files with the necessary section of the computer memory should it be stored in. (Source: Warford, J. Stanley. (2005). Computer Systems. Jones Bartlett Publishers; 3rd edition.. )

Televisions Effect on Self Image Essay -- Beauty Media

New mirrors are in the market and many homes have been remodeled with these mirrors. These new mirror are like snow whites mirror, they tell you who the most beautiful one of all is. A little girl is looking at her new mirror that tells her she has to wear makeup and look a certain way in order to be beautiful. This new mirror is the TV and the voice that is telling her is the media. The media portrays the beauty of women a certain way that is distorting beauty. The media distorts image so much that women start to see an unrealistic beauty and think that all women should actually look that way. An experiment done by Mahler Beckerley and Vogel (2010) demonstrate that women’s attitudes about certain looks reflect on how they view the models. There were two groups of women and some saw photos of models that were tanned and the other saw models that were not tanned. The participants then were told to describe their attitude about tanning. The group of women that viewed models that had a tan had a more positive attitude toward tans and the group of women that viewed models with out a tan had a negative attitude towards tanning. This research demonstrates that the media has a big influence in the decision women make on their appearance. So what is beauty? Is beauty the perfect supermodel on a magazine? Is it the stunning actress on television? Do you have to be thin and tall? According to Dictionary.com Unabridged, beauty is â€Å"the quality present in a thing or person that gives intense pleasure or deep satisfaction to the mind, whether arising from sensory manifestations (as shape, color, sound, etc.), a meaningful design or pattern, or something else (as a personality in which high spiritual qualities are manifest)†. However, the m... ...:10.1080/14680770903068266 Mahler, H. M., Beckerley, S. E., & Vogel, M. T. (2010). Effects of Media Images on Attitudes Toward Tanning. Basic & Applied Social Psychology, 32(2), 118-127. Slater, A., Tiggemann, M., Firth, B., & Hawkins, K. (2012). Reality Check: An Experimental Investigation of the Addition of Warning Labels to Fashion Magazine Images on Women's Mood and Body Dissatisfaction. Journal Of Social & Clinical Psychology, 31(2), 105-122. Solomon, M. R., Ashmore, R. D., & Basil G., E. (1994). Beauty before the Eyes of Beholders: The Cultural Encoding of Beauty Types in Magazine Advertising and Music Television. Journal Of Advertising, 23(2), 49-64. Bates, C. (2012, January 05). Mail online. Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2082500/A-quarter-children-10-diet-think-overweight-face-bullying-taunts-shocking-survey-finds.html

Over Population Essay

The rapid increase of the Earth’s population is becoming an issue due to the depletion of forests and limited resources. There has been a dramatic increase in the World’s population by 5. 8 million from 1900 to the present day. In this era humans are reproducing more than in previous times causing them to cluster near each other in cities and to live in crowded conditions with limited resources. If the world continues to carry on these factors, in the near future the earth will not sustain its resources.There are many factors that contribute to the overpopulation of the world. Developing countries in need of education, major gap in wealth along with social class and the exploitation of earth’s resources are factors of overpopulation. In some countries, many individuals do not have money or the opportunity to be educated and as a result they do not know how to control the population in the means of using protection to control. â€Å"Lack of family planning is com monly seen in the illiterate lot of the world rise in birth rate.† (Beddinton, J, 2010)Illiteracy is an important factor that contributes to overpopulation. It has been proved that individuals with a minimum of a post-secondary education are likely to have fewer kids than those who do not possess a post-secondary education. â€Å"1/3 of the population growth in the world is the result of incidental or unwanted pregnancies. † (Beddington, J, 2010) The concept of birth control isn’t quite accepted in many cultures. Using birth control measures is considered forbidden in certain cultures.In some cultures, male children are preferred. This ultimately forces couples to produce children till a child of the preferred gender is conceived. Women are often pressured from the family and society to children. It is a role that women are given, not by choice, but by their societies. They are child bearers and always will be.â€Å"Those lacking education don’t quite und erstand the need to curb population growth. Modern methods of birth control and  family planning don’t reach certain societies either, making it difficult for them to have methods of curbing their growing population. † (Oak, M, 2012) These people are unable to understand what impact overpopulation can have because they are not taught about the international concern not do they have time to think about it with all that they already deal with. Those with education can make more responsible decisions about marriage and childbirth. Thus education is an effective tool to curb overpopulation.Human nature always wants something more or better and realistically people are never completely satisfied. The problem is that, there are too many people on the planet for all of them to live well and carry a comfortable life. There is an immense difference in the income of individuals and there are also such differences in the power between social classes. As more wealth and resources have become available, the cost associated with obtaining these resources is forced to increase, resulting in unequal access to them.â€Å"Those living at the middle, lower, and bottom of the income brackets find it more difficult to sustain a viable quality of life. †(Beddington, J, 2010) Compared to the entire population, there are only a few people that possess large amounts of money and power over the rest of the people. As the Earth’s population continues to increase, the more poverty that there will be. There are evidently more than enough resources to go around to everybody on the planet, but the distribution of these resources is not equal.Millionaires are constantly trying to figure out how to make more money and they hire people at extremely low wages because those people are unfortunately desperate. The Bourgeoisie will always have the money by passing along wealth and the Proletariat will always be stuck in the position of doing heavy labour for little inc ome. Money is scarce to some extent for everyone. The top one percent holds way too much money and power over everyone else. Because of these people the wealth is very unequal, causing poverty and allowing the rich to hold all the riches and the poor to have less.Increasing population leads to companies increasing the need for products thus more productions are made. People in agriculture such as farmers have always had the ability to exploit their resources in order to reach the fullest potential of their harvest but this is starting to change. One resource that is particularly running low is the element of life, fresh water. â€Å"Out of the total water on earth only two percent is fresh and of that only one is able to be used the rest is locked up as parts of gasses or as ice in the polar caps.†(Beddington, J, 2010)Humans use half of all the available fresh water yet many still can’t find enough. Over one billion people lack access if they have any to clean and safe drinking water. As population grows, so will the number of people living in these conditions where they are unable to obtain basic resources. â€Å"The water tables of China, India, Pakistan, Mexico and Yemen are dropping by 1 to 3 meters per year, as are those of the US, especially in the southern Great Plains where â€Å"thousands of farms †¦Ã‚  have gone dry†.Since one ton of grain requires 1000 tons of water, this water deficit will cross international borders in the form of increasing grain prices worldwide. †(Beddington, J, 2010) The planet is clearly having a difficult time managing the need of products due to the growing high demands of goods and resources. Nearly 80 million people are added to the planet every year and a healthy future does not lie ahead unless a change for materials and materials that can be recycled is demanded.Overpopulation is a serious subject and a growing issue for today’s generation and those ahead. There needs to be incre ased awareness on this issue, because it’s becoming a problem that is increasing every second. Education needs to be provided for those in need in order to help reduce the birth rate, resources must be managed wisely in order to save resources for the years to come and a development for a better share of wealth throughout the world needs to be found in order to control this problem that generations ahead and maybe even this era is facing.People need to look at the numbers, according to U. N the world population is projected to hit 9. 6 billion by 2050. Earth cannot hold an infinite population and the pollution that they cause. Overpopulation won’t resolve itself; the birth rate will not magically decrease and change will not take place until the people truly want it and act upon it.