Accessing justice starts with being able to access the courts and documents filed therein. The U.S. Federal Courts System utilizes online filing for all of its cases, whether they be civil, criminal, bankruptcy or related to patents. This system is called PACER: Public Access to Court Electronic Records. Attorneys and their legal assistants will file records through the use of CM/ECF: Case Management/Electronic Case Files which is the Federal Judiciary’s comprehensive case management system attached to PACER. While only attorneys barred in that specific federal court house may file documents onto the docket using CM/ECF, everyone may access the documents through PACER. Understanding how to research, use and access PACER is an extremely valuable skill. It will allow the user to research persons and entities in support of background searches, obtain court documents which could be used to understand a case or for examples, as well as watch important cases develop, such as those before the U.S. Supreme Court. For this assignment you will complete PACER Training. Please note that while anyone may create a PACER Account with a valid credit card, you are not required to do so for this assignment. PACER training is free and once you have completed training, you will be able to add this valuable skill to your resume. Please read through the entire assignment before beginning.
Category: Criminology
Criminal Investigation
Watch the following videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Sp4Yvi5eOs
How do the University of Tennessee and University of South Florida Anthropological Science programs assist us in evaluating Entomological Evidence? What important facts can that type of evidence tell law enforcement investigators?
Prisons and Jails.
Discuss the similarities and differences between Prisons and Jails.
What are the unique challenges women face in prison?
What are some of the challenges correctional officers face on the job?
Discuss the function of Pre-Trial Services.
Discuss the issues that ex-offenders face during the re-entry process.
The Statute of Frauds
Newmark & Co. Real Estate, Inc. contacted 2615 East 17 Street Realty, LLC to lease certain real property on behalf of a client. Newmark e-mailed the landlord a separate agreement for the payment of Newmark’s commission. The landlord sent an email back with a separate demand to pay the commission in installments. Newmark revised the agreement and e-mailed a final copy to the landlord. [Newmark & Co. Real Estate, Inc. v. 2615 East 17 Street Realty, LLC, 80 A.D.3d 476, 914 N.Y.S.2d 162 (1 Dept. 2011)]
Does the agreement qualify as a writing under the Statute of Frauds? Explain.
The four functions of corrections: retribution, deterrence, incapacitation, and rehabilitation.
Distinguish among the four functions of corrections: retribution, deterrence, incapacitation, and rehabilitation.
Demonstrate these distinctions with current and/or historical examples.
Share the link to the resource you located that was most valuable to you in distinguishing among the four functions of corrections.
Be sure to explain why you found this resource so valuable.
Becoming a criminal in the future
What would our society be like if we suddenly developed a foolproof method of determining at birth a person’s probability of becoming a criminal in the future?
Explain your reasoning.
The use of capital punishment
The use of capital punishment has long been a contentious issue in America. While there seems to be little evidence that the death penalty acts as a deterrent, proponents argue that deterrence is not the only function of punishment. Proponents believe that certain crimes simply deserve the harshest punishment, regardless of its potential for deterrence.
Prepare a PowerPoint presentation of 8-10 slides that addresses the following points about capital punishment. Your slides should be clear and concise, with supporting elaboration in the “notes” area.
What does it typically cost to execute someone? Why does it take so long and cost so much?
Based on recent statistical data and findings, how often are innocent people given the death sentence and/or executed? How is it determined that a condemned convict was actually innocent?
Should everyone be a candidate for capital punishment or should some people be exempt based on their position in society? Are there any other factors that should be considered in exempting people from or applying the death penalty?
Analyze recent Supreme Court cases regarding capital punishment (from 2000 to present) and offer a reasoned prediction regarding the future use of capital punishment in the United States.
Make certain that you support your analysis with proper reasoning.
Law Enforcement Subcultures
Assignment Guidelines
You are a new patrol officer assigned with a veteran field training officer (FTO). He will be rating your performance for the next 16 weeks while you are on probation. His write-ups will make the determination on whether or not the police department will retain you as a regular police officer. Your FTO is outstanding. He teaches you more in the first week about the job than you believe you have learned in the 6 months you were in the academy.
One afternoon, you stop to have a hot dog for lunch at a local hot dog stand. Your FTO asks you to keep an ear out for emergency radio calls and calls out for you and him so that you can have a half hour lunch break. He then hands you the keys to the car and walks across the street entering a room door at the Sunshine Motel. He is inside of room 214 for almost the entire half hour. You have finished your lunch, and you are waiting. You observe the door open up, and the FTO passionately kisses a very young looking woman who appears to be a prostitute. She remains inside while your FTO partner saunters across the street and says, “Let’s go to work,” letting you drive the rest of the afternoon. Over the next 5 weeks, this happens twice more at the same location. You know the FTO is a family man with a wife and two kids. The woman in the hotel room is not his wife.
Please include answers in your main posting for the following questions. Support your answers with your research. You must provide meaningful feedback to the main postings of at least 2 of your classmates.
Address the following:
What, if any, are the violations that you believe your FTO is committing? Explain.
How could the FTO’s behavior affect your position in the police department? Explain.
What action do you feel compelled to take concerning this situation, and why? Explain.
The opiate addiction problem.
In August, 2016, one small West Virginia city dealt with 27 heroin overdoses in just a four-hour span. Earlier in 2016, the Buffalo, New York area saw 23 fatal overdoses in eleven days. Although these particular examples took place in 2016, similar occurrences can unfortunately be found in other times and locations.
Review the following reports:
Report 1
Report 2
https://buffalonews.com/news/local/article_66a11347-e428-5025-aa54-c72d3e308c68.html
Prepare a report in Microsoft Word that covers the following points:
Conduct an analysis of the opiate addiction problem. Be sure to include a look at how users become introduced to opiates and opioids in the first place.
Describe the factors that contribute to these problems. Apply theories of crime causation specific to opioid addiction and overdose.
Propose specific recommendations for addressing the problems of opiate addiction and overdose.
Analyze whether this issue should be approached as a law enforcement or a healthcare issue.
Make certain that you support your analysis with proper reasoning.
Portrayals of criminals in the news
Portrayals of criminals in the news and in popular culture may influence the way that the public perceives certain types of criminals. The popularity of movies such as The Godfather and Scarface, and television shows such as Breaking Bad and Sons of Anarchy seems to suggest that viewers identify positively with certain criminal “heroes.”
The lead characters in Sons of Anarchy, Breaking Bad, and The Sopranos were shown to be brutal killers, yet the stories were constructed around those characters. Why does this seem to be the case? What is the appeal of a criminal as a hero?
Do movies and television shows such as these glamorize crime? If so, are there specific crimes or behaviors that are more likely to be glamorized and some more likely to be demonized?
How can the predominant theories of criminology relate to this phenomenon?
If it can be established that these portrayals influence real-world criminal behavior, should there be legal restrictions on how criminals are portrayed in popular culture? Explain your reasoning.