Investigating methods for preventing racial profiling in the field

Investigating methods for preventing racial profiling in the field Racial profiling occurs when law enforcement officers interpret race (specifically minority membership) as an indicator of increased risk of criminal behavior. Most racial profiling is conducted by officers engaged in street-level policing and this practice is generally banned by federal law, state statutes, and police manuals or guidelines (Wu, 2005). According the United States Department of Justice Fact Sheet on racial profiling: Racial profiling sends the dehumanizing message to our citizens that they are judged by the color of their skin and harms the criminal justice system by eviscerating the trust that is necessary if law enforcement is to effectively protect our communities (United States, Department of Justice, 2003). Major stakeholders with an interest towards this problem include the states Attorney General, county commissioners or city council members, agency leadership, law enforcement officers, and the public. In recognition of the problem, various corrective steps have been taken by states. These measures have included the development of statewide anti-racial profiling policies and mandatory demographic data collection to be conducted by law enforcement officers during all stops. This writer recommends the implementation of an early intervention system to compile information including the assignment history of each officer, traffic enforcement data, citizen complaints, and disciplinary actions taken against the officer. This system would be used by supervisors to monitor officer performance and to address potential problems before they escalate to serious racial profiling events. Used regularly, the program would identify potential racial biases more effectively and would place greater accountability upon supervisors to monitor officers performance. Problem Statement The problem is the use of racial profiling in the field of law enforcement. Specifically, the problem is the disproportionate number of minorities that are targeted for investigatory stops in comparison to non-minorities. Historically, African Americans, Hispanics, and since 9/11, Arab Americans have been subjected to higher instances of traffic stops and investigatory detentions. By definition, racial profiling occurs when a law enforcement officer questions, stops, searches, arrests, or investigates and individual because the officer holds a prejudicial notion that members of that persons racial or ethnic group have a greater likelihood than the rest of the population to commit the sort of crime the officer is investigating. (Barnes, Gross, 2002) Officers who practice racial profiling are in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment Equal Protection clause which states, No state shallà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. (Ward, 2002 ) In addition to the violation of civil rights, racial profiling contributes to the greater social problem of public distrust towards law enforcement. Stakeholders Attorney General In most states, the states Attorney General serves as the top law enforcement officer and lawyer for the state. For state-level law enforcement agencies, particularly the highway patrol or state police, the attorney general acts as a supervisor to the agencys director and therefore holds the responsibility for appointing the agency director as well as providing guidance to the agency in regards to the proper application of the law. In the event that a lawsuit is filed against a state law enforcement agency, the attorney general acts as the states legal representative. Furthermore, in a majority of states the attorney general is an elected official and is therefore subject to lose votes if the public is dissatisfied with his job performance. He must therefore stay abreast of any updates or changes to the law and ensure that the states law enforcement officers operate in compliance with these laws. County commissioners and City council members Within counties, cities, and towns, the county commissioners, city or town council members are legislative bodies responsible for passing laws, bills, and ordinances that govern the municipality. In city or town police departments, the police chief is appointed by the council and in county Sheriffs offices, the Sheriff is sometimes appointed by county commissioners (in instances where the position is vacant outside an election year). In the event that citizens are not satisfied with local law enforcements actions, the county commissioner or city council members will hear the complaint and make a final decision on the matter. As decision makers (and citizens) they have an interest in maintaining public safety and order. As elected officials, their performance is subject to public scrutiny and failure to adequately address rights violations is unlikely to get them reelected. Agency Leadership Depending on the level of law enforcement (state or local), the agency Director, the Chief of Police, or the county Sheriff have a direct responsibility in addressing racial profiling. All law enforcement agencies operate using a top-down leadership approach, with the Director, Chief, or Sheriff at the top of the hierarchal ladder, followed by Captains, Lieutenants, Sergeants, and Officers or Deputies. The agencys leader has an interest in making sure the department adheres to the laws and policy standards for law enforcement set forth by the state or local government. The federal government has enacted anti-racial profiling laws and most states have followed suit. Law enforcement agencies that are found to be non-compliant with these laws are held accountable. As the highest ranking employees within their respective agencies, these officials serve as the face of the agency and are often called upon to answer to the aforementioned commissioners or councils when allegations of officer misconduct are made by the public. Law Enforcement Officers Law enforcement officers are stakeholders because the publics perception of the police can have either a positive or negative impact on performance of their duties. Racial profiling is a contributor to the larger social problem of public distrust of the police. In Race, Cops, and Traffic Stops, Angela Davis argued that when minorities experience injustices that are tolerated by criminal justice officials, they develop distrust and disrespect for the justice system. That lack of faith translates into hopelessness, frustration, and sometimes violence (Davis, 2007). For law enforcement officers, public trust and cooperation is essential to their job function. When these two elements are diminished or absent in a community, fewer crimes are solved and officer safety is in jeopardy. Public The public relies on the police to enforce the law and maintain order. As a subgroup of the public, minority populations share these expectations that law enforcement officers will behave ethically. Inability to rely on the police to remain fair and impartial creates a barrier between the police and the minority communities they serve. When this occurs, the public is less likely to report crime and/or provide assistance to the police during criminal investigations. Eventually, some law enforcement officers develop an Us against Them approach towards minorities while minority groups adopt a Them against Us mentality. As a result, fewer crimes are solved and criminals remain on the street. Thus, racial profiling contributes to the perpetual cycle of police ineffectiveness caused by the disconnect between the police and the public. Background of Problem In Analysis of Racial Profiling as Policy Analysis, Samuel Myers, Jr. presents a 1999 report by Knowles, Persico, and Todd that in a stretch of Interstate 95 in Maryland from 1995 to 1999, 63% of all motorists searched were African American. However, only 18% of the motorists on the road were African American. Similar studies have shown patterns of disproportionality in traffic stops conducted by other law enforcement agencies. Allegations of racial profiling have resulted in a number of class action lawsuits and law enforcement agencies response to the problem varies. Some states or police departments have banned racial profiling while others have focused on collecting racial data on stops and searches in order to monitor the ratio of minorities to non-minorities being subjected to these activities. Many have also instituted training and education programs designed to specifically address racial profiling. In 2002, the Minnesota state legislature recommended a voluntary initiative for police departments to address this problem. The preamble to this legislation read in part, Law enforcement policies and training programs must emphasize the need to respect the balance between the rights of all persons to be free from unreasonable governmental intrusions and law enforcements need to enforce the law. Key components of the legislation included: The development of a statewide anti-racial profiling policy that obligated police to provide their name or badge number during routine traffic stops. Providing training to law enforcement officers to adhere to the model policy and dismiss from service any officer who did not complete the training. Collection of data for a 2-year period among participating agencies (Myers, 2002). In its response to racial profiling, the General Assembly of North Carolina enacted a law in 2009 that mandated both state and local law enforcement officers to compile information for each traffic stop to include the race, ethnicity, and sex of the driver along with the alleged traffic violation that led to the stop. The results of these studies and measures taken by state legislatures indicates recognition that the racial profiling does exist and that appropriate measures need to be taken to ban this practice. Alternative Policies In considering alternative ways to address the problem of racial profiling, one could consider a revision to departmental policy to include specific disciplinary action, adjusting training and policy standards to incorporate cultural sensitivity and diversity awareness training, or implementing an early intervention program to monitor officer performance and provide guidance. Alternative Policy #1 Disciplinary Action In an effort to deter officers from racial profiling, one alternative would be to revise departmental policy to include disciplinary guidelines that prescribe specific punishment according to the number and severity of substantiated offenses. For example, the guideline would prescribe counseling for a 1st offense, a written warning to be added to the officers personnel file and possible suspension for a 2nd offense, and termination for a 3rd offense. This method would provide officers with strict guidelines to govern their behavior and would leave no room for misinterpretation. Issuing a punishment-based policy would also give the public the perception that the agency takes the problem seriously and will respond to complaints with appropriate corrective action. The implementation of a zero tolerance policy, in theory, could improve police relations with minority communities and increase public confidence in law enforcement. This alternative could also lead to a decrease in officer morale, higher turnover, and fear of punishment (amongst officers) for doing their jobs. Officers who feel that stops involving minorities will be scrutinized may make an effort to avoid these investigatory stops, meaning that some guilty people will go undetected. This method does not take into account that some officers, by nature of their assignment or job function, will simply have more contacts with minorities and will likewise conduct more stops involving these groups. For example, an officer patrolling an inner city area is more likely to have interaction with minorities than an officer assigned to a rural area because metropolitan areas tend to be more racially and ethnically diverse. This should not serve as a definitive indicator that the officer with a higher percentage of stops involving minorities is guilty of racial profiling. This policy also does not allow for alternative measures such as reassignment, addition al training, or psychological assessment that would give the officer an opportunity to redeem himself. Lastly, punishment-based alternatives are generally ineffective in treating the root cause of the problem. Instead of determining why an officer has more stops involving minorities, this alternative is reactive in nature and only seeks to penalize the officer after this behavior is detected. Alternative #2 Adjust Training and Policy Standards The majority of law enforcement agencies across the nation require officers to complete yearly training to provide legal updates, refresher courses in officer safety, and to renew firearms qualification. In addition to these classes, departments should incorporate mandatory cultural sensitivity/diversity awareness training into the annual in-service training curriculum to specifically address racial profiling. In addition, agency policy could be adjusted to restrict officers to random interdiction and indiscriminate investigatory detentions. Training in cultural sensitivity and diversity awareness would help dispel stereotypes and overcome communication barriers that exist between the police and minority communities. In the District of Columbia for example, the Diversity Awareness and Sensitivity Training Program was developed by the Institute for Public Safety Justice to explore how issues of bias, prejudice, and stereotyping negatively impact effective law enforcement and the relationship between law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve. Representatives from cultural and community groups are invited to incorporate culture-specific information into the program (Institute for Public Safety and Justice). While on patrol, police officers often use apparent violations of traffic laws as a pretext to stop and question drivers whom they suspect of involvement in illegal drug or firearm offenses. In actuality, the driver was stopped because of race. (Joh, 2007) With this alternative, agency policy would be adjusted to require officers to use discretionless policing and to prohibit pretextual traffic stops. Police officers would be required to take universal prescribed enforcement measures regardless of the circumstances of the stop. For instance, all drivers stopped for speeding, broken taillights, or seat belt violations would be asked the same questions and issued citations. In addition, officers conducting highway interdiction or running radar would be required to point their patrol vehicles away from traffic in order to eliminate racial identification as a factor in the decision to conduct a traffic stop. Critics of cultural sensitivity training for law enforcement view these efforts as an attempt at political correctness that is discriminatory and demeaning to non-minority officers. Training coordinators could also find it difficult to deciding which cultures should be highlighted in the training program. Some would view the inclusion of only African American and Hispanic cultures as singling out these races (or ethnicities) as having negative interactions with the police. As a result of this training, law enforcement officers may consciously or subconsciously treat these minority groups with kid gloves. Police discretion is an integral part of effective policing. Forbidding the police from considering racial characteristics may reduce this effectiveness. Oftentimes, those who engage in certain criminal activities tend to share certain characteristics relating to specific socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds. For instance, because of its low cost, the sale of crack cocaine is more common in poor, predominately African American communities. However, the sale of methamphetamine is more common amongst whites. Forcing the police to disregard such characteristics may lead to less effective policing and to increased crime. (Persico, 2002) Alternative #3 Early Intervention Program Law enforcement agencies could implement an early intervention system that would be used to identify officers who appear to have a tendency towards racial profiling. This system would be a centralized database within the agency that compiles information to include: each officers assignment area (or zone), traffic enforcement data (of all individuals stopped or detained), citizen complaints, and a record of all tentative or final formal disciplinary actions taken against the officer in the past. Early intervention is not to be confused with a formal discipline, which carries a negative connotation. Whereas discipline involves official documented actions toward officers in response to substantiated misconduct allegations, early intervention actions are informal and confidential. Officers flagged by the early intervention system should be addressed in confidential counseling sessions and a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) should be agreed upon between the supervisor and the officer. Recommended Policy An early intervention program represents a proactive approach eliminating racial profiling that tailors corrective measures to fit the individual officer. Early intervention systems are useful in identifying potential problems before they escalate into more serious issues requiring formal disciplinary action. Using this method also places greater accountability upon supervisors to closely monitor the performance of their subordinates. In contrast to traditional performance reviews that involve subjective assessments, this policy is objective in nature, identifying specific areas of performance, such as citizens complaints, and developing an appropriate response to these problems. Implementation and Monitoring An early intervention program should include four basic components: performance indicators, an identification and selection process, intervention, and post-intervention monitoring (Walker, 2005, 108). Performance indicators Include data such as assignment area, racial demographic data of individuals detained (whether citation were issued or not), citizen complaints, and history of disciplinary actions. Identification and Selection Should be treated as two separate stages. This would result in some officers who are initially identified based on compiled data that would not be selected for intervention. Instead, the nature and context of these criteria should be further evaluated before selection is made. An officer working in a high-crime area is likely to receive more complaints than an officer working in a low-crime area. Therefore, officers identified in the system as having relatively high numbers of complaints would be subject to further screening that may reveal a legitimate explanation. Intervention Consists of confidential counseling between the selected officer and supervisor and may include the recommendation for remedial training specific to the officers needs. The counseling session should include a discussion of the performance problems identified by the system and an agreement on the steps that will be taken to correct these issues. Post-intervention monitoring Following the intervention, the supervisor would be required to monitor the selected officers performance for a specified time period. Once the time period has passed without a significant number of additional problem indicators, monitoring frequency may be decreased or discontinued. Funding Funding could be accomplished by reallocating law enforcement grant funds to include a fund that designed to target racial profiling. These funds would be provided to departments as an incentive to voluntarily implement an early intervention strategy. Grants would be used towards assisting in startup, supervisor training, and maintenance of the system along with remedial training materials for officers. Evaluative Criteria Equity Supervisors should analyze officer reports and field interview cards while continuing to monitor the early intervention system to access citizen contacts and the purpose for stops and/or arrests. Using this method of evaluation will ensure that officers are enforcing the law fairly across minority and non-minority populations. Liberty/Freedom Periodic monitoring of the early intervention system would highlight the frequency and type of citizen complaints against an officer and would initiate further inquiry into the officers performance. From there, the department could determine if any civil rights violations have been committed by the officer and take immediate action.

William the Conqueror :: essays research papers

He was the son of Robert, Duke of Normandy, his mother, Herleva, the daughter of a tanner of Falaise. In 1035 William’s father Robert, Duke of Normandy, went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, in which he died. Before starting the pilgrimage, he presented to the nobles his seven year old child demanding their allegiance. "He is little", the father said, "but he will grow, and, if God please, he will mend." William, after a period of anarchy, became the ruler of Normandy in his father's place at the age of nine. William had a youth of clean life and of much natural piety, while the years of storm and stress through which he passed gave him an endurance of character which lasted to his life's end. During the time of anarchy in Normandy he became a skilled military leader and defeated his enemies, uniting his duchy. Once he began fighting, rumor has it that he never lost a battle. In 1047 a serious rebellion of nobles occurred, and William with the aid of King Henry of France, gained a great victory at Val-à ¨s-Dunes, near Caen. Which led to the capture of the two strong castles of Alenà §on and Domfront. Using this as his base of operations, the young duke, in 1054 made himself master of the province of Maine and became the most powerful vassal of the French Crown, able on occasion to bid defiance to the king himself. William even married Matilda, the daughter of the Earl of Flanders, in 1053,in spite of the papal prohibition. In 1066 when his claim to the English throne was threatened by Harold Godwinson. Due to the fact that Harold Godwinson overlooked the dead king's wishes. Edward the Confessor, sworn his loyalty to William of Normandy when he died not to Harold. Harold Godwinson promptly had himself proclaimed king. It was only a matter of months before William, Duke of the large and powerful duchy of Normandy in France, paid Harold a visit to bring to his remembrance his own claim to the throne. William raised an army of Normans by promising them land and wealth when he came into his rightful kingship. October 14th 1066 he and William fought at the famous battle of Hastings. William and his army of Normans came, saw, and conquered. True to his promise to his fellow warriors, William systematically replaced the English nobility with Norman barons and noblemen who took control of the land, the people, and the government.

Jainism vs. Sikhism Essay

Read the assigned chapters for the week and complete the following table. Be as specific as possible when identifying practices, beliefs, rituals, and historical elements. Cite sources in APA formatting. Sikhism as a religion believes in the followings: Core Beliefs Jainism Sikhism 1. Every living being has a soul 2. Sikhism believes in One GOD. 3. Every soul is potentially divine, with innate qualities of infinite knowledge, perception, power, and bliss (masked by its karmas). 4. Sikhism believes Guru Granth Sahib as the last and eternal Gurus of Sikhs. 5. Regard every living being as you do yourself, harming no one and being kind to all living beings. Sikhism believes in Karma- the law of cause and effect. 6. Every soul is born as a heavenly being, human, sub-human or hellish being according to its own karmas. 7. Sikhism believes in Reincarnation. 8. Every soul is the architect of its own life, here or hereafter 6. When a soul is freed from karmas, it becomes free and attains divine consciousness, experiencing infinite knowledge, perception, power, and bliss 9. Sikhism believes in Multiple paths to salvation. 10. Sikhism opposes Pilgrimage,rituals practices 11. Sikhism believes in Karma- the law of cause and effect. Respond to the following questions in 150 to 200 words: 1. What do you think is the most important similarity and which is the most important difference? Use specifics to support your answer. Although Sikhism and Jainism are both South Asian religions with high philosophical values, they differ significantly in their age, diet, ways of salvation, and most importantly, their concept of God. Jainism is the oldest known religion in India being most recently traced back to its latest tirthankara or prophet, Mahavira (599 – 527 BCE), whereas Sikhism is the youngest tradition and began in the 15th century in the state, Punjab. Eventhough both religions believe in karma and reincarnation of the soul, Sikhs are not required to be strict vegetarians, highly contrasting to the vegan diet ofthe Janis. A significant difference between these two eastern religions is their belief in how to attain salvation in their lives. Since Janis do not believe in a single God or multiples gods for that matter, they believe their salvation is gained solely through their own personal struggle and victory. Jains do not believe there is heavenly figure guiding them through life, but rather that the universe is a never-ending cycle. This drastically differs fromthe monotheistic beliefs of Sikhism of how there is only one creator and God,mostly referred to as Allah in the Guru Granth Sahib. Sikhs believe they may gain salvation through serving Allah, and eventually becomes one with God.Both religions practice and revere Ahisma (non-violence), however Jains heavily emphasize this lifestyle more than Sikhs do. This can be seen historically when the Sikhs wanted to rise politically, formed a military and beared arms. 2. Consider the following statement: Sallekhana (â€Å"holy death†) violates the Jain principle of ahimsa because it is an act of violence against oneself. Using examples from Ch. 5 of your text, what points might a follower of Jainism make to argue against this statement? non injury extends to thought, word and action. Mahavira taught that all beings desire life. Therefore no one has the right to take away the life of another being. According to Jainism, the killing of animals is a great sin. Jainism goes further and says that there is life in trees, and plants and there is life in air, water, mud, etc., and that all things have the right to exist.(live) References: http://www.sikhismguide.org/ http://www.religioustolerance.org/sikhism2.htm http://sohum-jainism.blogspot.com/2010/10/jainism-core-beliefs.html http://religion.answers.wikia.com/wiki/What_are_the_5_main_beliefs_of_Jainism http://toseventhheaven.blogspot.com/2010/04/17-significant-differences-between.html http://www.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_core_belief_for_Sikhism

Free Essays on Pierre De Fermat

Pierre Fermat's father was a wealthy leather merchant and second consul of Beaumont- de- Lomagne. Pierre had a brother and two sisters and was almost certainly brought up in the town of his birth. Although there is little evidence concerning his school education it must have been at the local Franciscan monastery. He attended the University of Toulouse before moving to Bordeaux in the second half of the 1620s. In Bordeaux he began his first serious mathematical researches and in 1629 he gave a copy of his restoration of Apollonius's Plane loci to one of the mathematicians there. Certainly in Bordeaux he was in contact with Beaugrand and during this time he produced important work on maxima and minima, which he gave to Etienne d'Espagnet who clearly shared mathematical interests with Fermat. From Bordeaux Fermat went to Orlà ©ans where he studied law at the University. He received a degree in civil law and he purchased the offices of councillor at the parliament in Toulouse. So by 1631 Fermat was a lawyer and government official in Toulouse and because of the office he now held he became entitled to change his name from Pierre Fermat to Pierre de Fermat. For the remainder of his life he lived in Toulouse but as well as working there he also worked in his hometown of Beaumont-de-Lomagne and a nearby town of Castres. From his appointment on 14 May 1631 Fermat worked in the lower chamber of the parliament but on 16 January 1638 he was appointed to a higher chamber, then in 1652 he was promoted to the highest level at the criminal court. Still further promotions seem to indicate a fairly meteoric rise through the profession but promotion was done mostly on seniority and the plague struck the region in the early 1650s meaning that many of the older men died. Fermat himself was struck down by the plague and in 1653 his death was wrongly reported, then corrected:- I informed you earlier of the death of Fermat. He is alive, and we no long... Free Essays on Pierre De Fermat Free Essays on Pierre De Fermat Pierre Fermat's father was a wealthy leather merchant and second consul of Beaumont- de- Lomagne. Pierre had a brother and two sisters and was almost certainly brought up in the town of his birth. Although there is little evidence concerning his school education it must have been at the local Franciscan monastery. He attended the University of Toulouse before moving to Bordeaux in the second half of the 1620s. In Bordeaux he began his first serious mathematical researches and in 1629 he gave a copy of his restoration of Apollonius's Plane loci to one of the mathematicians there. Certainly in Bordeaux he was in contact with Beaugrand and during this time he produced important work on maxima and minima, which he gave to Etienne d'Espagnet who clearly shared mathematical interests with Fermat. From Bordeaux Fermat went to Orlà ©ans where he studied law at the University. He received a degree in civil law and he purchased the offices of councillor at the parliament in Toulouse. So by 1631 Fermat was a lawyer and government official in Toulouse and because of the office he now held he became entitled to change his name from Pierre Fermat to Pierre de Fermat. For the remainder of his life he lived in Toulouse but as well as working there he also worked in his hometown of Beaumont-de-Lomagne and a nearby town of Castres. From his appointment on 14 May 1631 Fermat worked in the lower chamber of the parliament but on 16 January 1638 he was appointed to a higher chamber, then in 1652 he was promoted to the highest level at the criminal court. Still further promotions seem to indicate a fairly meteoric rise through the profession but promotion was done mostly on seniority and the plague struck the region in the early 1650s meaning that many of the older men died. Fermat himself was struck down by the plague and in 1653 his death was wrongly reported, then corrected:- I informed you earlier of the death of Fermat. He is alive, and we no long...

Why Did Eva Smith Die Essay Example

Why Did Eva Smith Die Essay Example Why Did Eva Smith Die Paper Why Did Eva Smith Die Paper Gerald, celebrating Sheila and Geralds engagement. The maid comes in to announce the unexpected arrival of an Inspector Goole. Inspector Goole begins by questioning Arthur, the head of the family. Inspector: I think you remember Eva Smith Birling: Yes I do, she was one of my employees, and I discharged her This demonstrates Birlings dismissive attitude towards employees; he is not at all embarrassed or ashamed at having sacked Eva. She had been one of his workers. He had discharged her from his employ because she and several others had organized a strike for better wages. Mr. Birling, regarding himself as a hard headed man of business, refused and fired Eva. I think he fired her, not only because she helped in the strike, but also because she was a woman. The evidence above shows the attitude towards women at the time. Eva was also very hard headed and determined to get what she wanted, this probably would have made Mr. Birling resent her enough to fire her. I think this shows the general attitude towards women in the beginning of the 20th century: that they should just be tools for mans work; they did not even have the right to vote. This contributed to Evas death because it sparked a chain of events, through each member of the family until they each shared the blame. Mr. Birlings attitude towards social responsibility only seems to be one thing: Look after yourself and your family, forget everyone else. This is supported when he says: But the way some or these cranks talk and write now, youd think everybody has to look after everybody else, as if we were all mixed together like bees in a hive This attitude contributed to Evas death because, had Mr. Birling cared at all about Eva, he might not have fired her and therefore the chain of events would never had happened. This quote also shows how he is in denial about the social changes taking place around him. Later in the play, the Inspector began to question Sheila. It is revealed that Sheila had something to do with Evas death and that she feels guilty about it when she gives a half-stifled sob and runs out. When Sheila returns, we find out that she had, earlier that year, complained to Evas boss in a jealous rage when she thought she caught Eva laughing at her trying on a dress. She threatened to withdraw her familys account with Milwards the shop Eva was working in at the time. We learn that this has contributed to Evas death because the Inspector explains that this was the last real steady job she had, all because of Sheilas jealousy of this prettier, younger girl. Thus continuing the chain of events. We next discover the involvement of Gerald Croft in Evas demise. After Sheila had confessed, the Inspector mentioned that Eva had changed her name to Daisy Renton; at hearing this Gerald immediately gave himself away by reacting in a startled way. It is revealed that Gerald had an affair with Eva the previous summer. He met her in a bar of ill repute, being harassed by another respectable man. When he found out that Eva had no money and was living in a miserable back room, he felt compelled to be the hero and let her stay in one of his friends houses. They had fallen in love, but, inevitably, it had not lasted. Not only were there the differences in social class and power but Gerald was involved with Sheila as well. To end his affair with Eva, Gerald had given her some money and she went away to some seaside place. This contributed to Evas death because it pushed her slightly further towards the edge emotionally. She was already emotionally fragile and now it was getting even worse for her. When Gerald says: I became at once the most important person in her life it shows Evas dependence on others and her weakness without them. Gerald left a small amount of money for Eva to get on with, when these funds ran out, it probably contributed to the feelings of hopelessness and powerlessness that contributed to Evas death. As the play progresses we learn of Sybils role in Evas death. Sybil Birling, in my opinion, is a perfect example of the arrogance, toffery and indifference of upper middle class women to people like Eva. Sybil cares of nothing but her social status which she clearly shows when she denies Eva aid from her charity; this action shows that Sybil only does charity work for the social status it creates for her. When Sybil says: She was claiming elaborate feelings and scruples that were simply absurd in a girl of her position it shows that Sybil Birling thinks that women of a lesser social status have less of a right to feelings and emotions than she does. This contributed to Evas death because if Sybil did not think so hypocritically and arrogantly then Eva would have been accepted by the charity organization and she may never have committed suicide. I think that Eric Birlings actions played a major role in Evas death, but one may argue that his actions are not as driven by socially pervasive attitudes as the other characters in the play. For example, Sybil Birlings clear belief that she is better than anyone of a lower class is a pervasive attitude, but Eric abandoning Eva is the type of thing that often happens in relationships. Eric, along with Sheila, is part of a new generation of people that care less about social status and more about others, so maybe J. B Priestley wanted to show that social conventions themselves were changing to fit the new generation. On the other hand, you could argue that Eric would have been far less likely to abandon a girl of his own social class, and that in this regard his treatment of Eva was typical. Eric contributed to Evas death because her pregnancy could have affected her mental health, causing depression which continues the chain of events. The prospect of becoming a single mother may have been overwhelming because of the way unmarried mothers were stigmatized at that time. Although we learn that Eva has in fact killed herself; through Priestleys exploration of each characters role, we discover the large part that social and political factors have played in her demise, and how, to some degree, each of them carries some responsibility for the tragedy, even if they refuse to accept it. In conclusion, I believe that above all, the massive gap between working class and rich people was responsible for the tragic stories of people like Eva Smith. The rich people of the time gave no hint that they cared for the classes below, Mr. Birling and Mrs. Birling did not care that what they had done to Eva caused her suicide, they were much more concerned with retaining their wealth and social status. Sheila and Eric, on the other hand felt guilty about what they had done demonstrating that perhaps their generation had a better attitude. J. B Priestley cleverly used the whodunnit genre to explore social attitudes, class differences and their consequences for people like Eva Smith and The Birlings. The most telling statement in the whole play is when Inspector Goole says One Eva Smith has gone but there are millions and millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths still out there. This quote sums up J. B. Priestleys opinion that things like this happen everyday, but individuals cannot abrogate their responsibilities. The play addresses multiple issues of importance such as morality, social responsibility, highlighting the political and social changes in the 20th century. Everything we said had happened, really had happened. If it didnt end tragically, then thats lucky for us. But it might have done.

Insurance Law - Insurable Interest Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Insurance Law - Insurable Interest - Essay Example Before insurance companies came up with regulations regarding issuance of policies people would take life policies on other people, and if the insured was to surpass the expected life expectancy, some insurers tended to â€Å"help them along† so as to get their claims. This presented moral hazards and created to need to come up with insurable interests. Analysis In property insurance when a policy is to be taken, insurance companies ensure that insurable interest is shown to the property. In a case where no loss was incurred, then the insurer is not paid anything (Evans 1912). Insurable interest also serves to reduce intentional losses and damage, before this was enforced, people used to take out policies on property and intentionally destroy the property so as to get the claim, but with insurable interest when the insurer has taken a policy on a property that they have an interest in, they are less likely to intentionally cause damage to it. This serves to significantly reduc e the number of bogus claims. The issue of valuation also arises, being that some policies will only pay of the value of the property even with insurable interest; the valuation question is still unresolved and highly controversial. The main difference in the application of insurable interest in property insurance and life insurance is that, when it comes to property, it proves essential. For example, if an insurance policy of 100.000 is taken on a house, at a premium of 300 per year. If the insurer doesn’t lose anything if the house is destroyed, then the insurer will be betting 300 every year that something happens to the house. Insurance policies should not be incentive for people to destroy property, just to claim. Non indemnity insurance, valued insurance, is when the policy holder is entitled to a certain amount if the insured property is damaged. If insured against fire, even if the fire does not do as much damage, the insurance still pays the claim. The contrast comes is life insurance where the insurance should change the insurable interest policy and change it with, the right to give consent, although this might be a bit complex, as in the example of someone who takes life insurance and sells it, as seen if the case of Arthur Kramer who took a life insurance policy of 56 million dollars and sold it to investors. When he died, his family could not claim anything, this led to long court battle for ownership. Life insurance, which engulfs other aspects as critical illnesses or accident, may be taken by a person on themselves for any amount. The law also allows one to take out a policy on a spouse or civil partner recognized by law (Dobbyn 2003). It does not however cater for natural affection or cohabitants. Therefore the law requires that for one to take a life insurance policy on another there must be reasonable interest, but this begs the question, how much interest? And how does one get to measure this? It comes down to the degree, which crea tes ambiguity. Although the law permits the insurance of a spouse, it does not have further specifications like, if the spouse is abusive, or is abused, should the allow for giving of consent. The law also holds that if you have pecuniary interest in a person you can take a life policy on them, for example business partner because the law will likely permit this, but then the business might fall, or a fallout occurs. Then there will be no more interest

Renting an Apartment in Japan Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Renting an Apartment in Japan - Assignment Example Be prepared to put down about five to seven month’s worth of rent up front. This is standard. The deposit is composed of the following: †¢ Reservation fee (tetsukekin) – 1 month’s rent paid when the tenant applies for an apartment and before the contract is signed. After the contract is signed, the money is included as part of the deposit. †¢ Security Deposit (shikikin) – 2 to 3 months’ rent used to cover eventual damage to the apartment or unpaid rents and fees. It is seldom that this is refunded in full (alterations to the property are one of the thorniest issues between landlords and tenants). It is refunded without interest. †¢ Key money (reikin) – 1 to 2 months’ rent a â€Å"gift† to the house owner when making a contract and is not refundable †¢ Advance rent – 1 month’s rent the rent should be paid before the start of the month Fourth,If you are a foreignor, be sure to have a guarantor and proper identification. (Passports and Non-japanise licences are useless). A guarantor is also required before a contract is signed. Usually, it is the tenant’s company or a wealthy Japanese. The guarantor takes the responsibility if the tenant is unable to pay the rent or room expenses. ("Japanese landlords get key money")One of the very real obstacles is that many landlords will simply refuse to rent to foreigners, even if they speak Japanese fluently and can make all arrangements in Japanese. I've heard many different excuses for this, such as ''The landlord can't speak English,'' ''Foreigners have loud parties,''. ''Foreigners' food smells different and the neighbors might be bothered by it,'' (Jay). Japanese use the phrase hikoshi-bimbo to describe someone who recently moved into a new apartment. Literally translating as 'moving poor,' hikoshi-bimbo describes the state of having to fork over six months' salary for the privilege of renting a new apartment. (Renting an Apartment in Japan) Fifth: Register your new address with local authorities at the local city hall or ward office. They will write the new address information on the back of your Alien Registration Card. A word of warning on finding your apartment. Don't be hasty in selecting your apartment. Take your time and make a good selection. Paying key money once is pretty tough, paying twice is a financial disaster. Sixth: Don't expect the rental contract to be in English, so bring a Japanese friend to help you with understanding its terms and conditions. Seventh: If you're making a higher salary, you may save on taxes by arranging for your employer to pay your rent as a "housing allowance." US citizens working in Japan are allowed to receive very generous housing allowances which are not counted as income for US tax purposes. Check the IRS website or talk to your lawyer or accountant. (Jay) Eighth: If you get an indefinite term for your lease, your landlord has almost no way to kick you out so long as you are paying your rent.