Crime And Its Effects On Society s Life Sentence Without...

During the months of October and December in 1998, Matthew James Harris aged 31 years, strangled three people to death; his victims were Peter Wennerbom, Yvonne Ford, and Ronald Gavin Kidd (2011). All three victims suffered disabilities, and were known to Harris who was a community transport driver in Wagga Wagga, NSW Morton and Lobez (2009). He was sentenced to 40 years in prison, with a 25-year minimum; however, this was altered to life sentence without a non-parole period (R v Harris [2000] NSWCCA 469) Morton and Lobez (2009). Findings from Brown, Esbensen and Geis (1991) show that strain theories operate from the view that certain strains or stressors are influential, that is, they can increase the likelihood of crime occurring. The assumption is that, individuals have goals, however, under this theory; the strains make it almost impossible for these goals to be achieved Brown, Esbensen and Geis (1991). Durkheim (1951) argued that, crime is inevitable; it is a normal phenomenon that is found in all societies. He indicates that, criminals are useful in the sense that they identify the limits of acceptable behaviour in a society. In addition to this, Brown, Esbensen and Geis (1991) proposed that individuals have things they wish to achieve in their life, defined as ‘aspirations’ complimenting this are ‘expectations’, what the individual believes to be realistic for them. These findings suggest that if there is a gap between these two elements, the strain may increaseShow MoreRelat edCapital Punishment Is Deterrence For Crime1570 Words   |  7 Pagescommitted a heinous crime on another victim. To this day, capital punishment is a subject undergoing intense study, and is a hot topic of controversy. It is a challenging debate with many different viewpoints. Many people are pro death penalty, while others are quite against it, and there are others with amphibological feelings towards the subject. One of the many different questions that originate when the topic of the death penalty arises is if capital punishment is deterrence for crime. Capital punishmentRead MoreEssay about The Growth of Adult Corrections in the United States1472 Words   |  6 PagesThe United States is made up of five percent of the worlds population, but is comprised of about a quarter of the worlds incarcerated. Approximately twenty percent of the newly incarcerated yearly have violated parole and great majorities are non-violent offenders. In â€Å"U.S. Prison Population Dwarfs that of Other Nations,† Adam Liptak states â€Å"The United States has, for instance, 2.3 million criminals behind bars, more than any other nation, according to data maintained by the International CenterRead MoreJuvenile Violent Crime And Juvenile Crime Rates1720 Words   |  7 PagesAccording to (Walton, 2014), as far back as the late 1800’s, children have been sentenced to the same punishments as adults, depending on the crime they committed. Punishments even included death if the juvenile was deemed to be past the point of help. Later on courts were geared more towards rehabilitation than punishment. Reform movements came along and parents could send their children off to reformatories to live and work as part of their rehabilitation. Due to poor living and working conditionsRead MoreThe Mandatory Minimum Sentencing Laws1688 Words   |  7 Pagescriticized for its many problems and errors; one in particular that caught my attention was the mandatory minimum sentencing laws. These laws basically set minimum sentences for certain crimes that judges cannot lower, even for extenuating circumstances. The most common of these laws deal with drug offenses and set mandatory minimum sentences for possession of a drug over a certain amount. Sentencing procedures can vary from jurisdiction to Jurisdiction. Most of these laws are ineffective and causesRead MoreHistory of Capital Punishment Essay997 Words   |  4 Pagesremainder of his life for this terrible crime? There are many arguments and opinions on this topic; many reasons why we should sentence murderers to death, but many reasons we should not. One main reason we should not sentence these people to death is the cost. It simply costs too much to put people on death row. A gentleman in Texas quoted estimates in two counties near his home. They both estimated the cost of a capital trial to be $400,000 - $600,000 verses the cost of a non-capital trialRead MoreIndeterminate And Determinate Sentencing Guidelines2978 Words   |  12 Pagespunishments. Parole boards meet during the sentence, determining individual parole eligibility and inmates deemed rehabilitated will be released on the lower end of their sentencing spectrum. Determinate sentences often contain mandatory minimums and increased sentences for particular transgressions. Sentencing guidelines provide judges flexibility, thus empowering the court to consider aggravating or mitigating circumstances when determining a sentence. Mandatory minimum and enhanced-sentence statutesRead MoreThe Legal Ordering Of The Xix1677 Words   |  7 Pagespoints out that it is this moment when a new knowledge arose, which had a scientific objective: the knowledge and the legal ordering of the administration of the penitentiary system. For Perez grenades and Gimà ©nez-Salinas Colomer prison appears in this period as the great social invention that facilitated the combination of several functions: correcting the culprit, guaranteeing security, isolating the offender and punishment. In terms of the Anglo-Saxons, in 1840 in the prison of Pentonville of EnglandRead MoreThe Death Penalty1628 Words   |  7 PagesWhether it’s actually lowering our crime rates is becoming a problem. The problem lies with the states whether they ll allow it or not. The Supreme Court has their except for certain circumstances. All of these factors have an impact on how the process works today. The death penalty laws go far back to the eighteenth century B.C. The Code of King Hammurabi of Babylon made this law for twenty-five different crimes. Unlike the Code of Athens who made every crime punishable by death. Once the fifthRead MoreCriminal Code And Charter Sections1414 Words   |  6 PagesRelevant Criminal Code and Charter Sections Sentencing provisions in Canadian law are found in s.718.1 and s.718.2 of the Criminal Code, which states that, â€Å"sentences must be proportionate to the nature of the offence, reduced or increased depending on the mitigating and aggravating factors, must be similar to sentences imposed on similar offenders for similar offences in similar circumstances, and if the sentence is consecutive, it must not be unduly long or harsh.† Therefore, an offender should notRead MoreProblems With Mandatory Minimum Sentencing1802 Words   |  8 Pagescriticized for its many problems and errors; one in particular that caught my attention was the mandatory minimum sentencing laws. These laws basically set minimum sentences for certain crimes that judges cannot lower, even for extenuating circumstances. The most common of these laws deal with drug offenses and set mandatory minimum sentences for possession of a drug over a certain amount. Sentencing procedures can vary from jurisdiction to J urisdiction. Most of these laws are ineffective and causes