Ideal Victim free essay sample

An ‘ideal victim’ is someone who has played no part in their victimisation by an offender who was wholly responsible for the incident. The public can relate to the ‘ideal victims’ ordeal and although they have been through an awful sometimes incomprehensible experience society views the ‘ideal victim’ â€Å"as pure, blameless (hence passive) people against whom an evil act was omitted by a depraved individual† (Spalek, B. 2006 p25). Although most people can relate to an ‘ideal victim’ there is a ‘positivist perspective’ in victimology that defines the behaviour and circumstances of people can have a direct contribution to their victimisation. However, the ‘feminist perspective’ would argue that by suggesting a victim had aided in their victimisation would require the victim to accept some form of accountability for their victimisation. A ‘radical perspective’ broadens our understanding of victimhood. It requires us to acknowledge imbalances of power within society and how it increases the likely hood of victimisation. We will write a custom essay sample on Ideal Victim or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page â€Å"Power relations are fundamental to the way society is structured; that those power relations are unjust; and that those unjust power relations are the context within which we should think about crime and victimisation† (Edwards, P. 012). National crime surveys assist governments in gathering information about a wide range of crime-related issues (Spalek, B. 2006 p47). My discussion will encompass the important functions of national crime surveys and how local surveys can provide â€Å"precise local knowledge† (Spalek, B. 2006 p56) in respect to victimisation. An ‘ideal victim’ attracts society’s attention and sympathy. They are viewed as having played no part in their victimisation. The more susceptible and innocent the victim the more the public can see them as a victim. Race, class and gender† influence how an ‘ideal victim’ is perceived and describes how â€Å"elderly people, children and women often receive more sympath etic response to their victimization than working class men† (Spalek, B. 2006 p22). Governments utilise ‘ideal victim’ circumstances to pave way for new laws and policies, gaining support from public opinion of the ‘ideal victim’. Currently, in South Australia, Senator Nick Xenophon is aiming to introduce laws to stop online predators. This legislation, known as Carly’s Law, was formed after 15 year old Carly Ryan was groomed online by 47 year old, Gary Francis Newman. She ultimately agreed to meet the 47 year old who posed as 20 year old musician. Newman lured Carly to a beach in South Australia where she was murdered. Newman is currently serving a custodial sentence of 29 years non-parole. (Source: News. com) Carly Ryan is an ‘ideal victim’, a juvenile female who was victimised by an â€Å"’ideal offender’, who is ‘evil’â€Å"(Spalek, B. 2006 p23). Many victims refuse to be termed ‘victim’ instead prefer to promote the term ‘survivor’. They prefer to be identified â€Å"as an agent who has resisted their abuse to become emotionally and psychologically stronger’ (Spalek, B. 2006 p26). The ‘survivor’ shows great determination to overcome difficulties and from their victimisation they are able to help others. This, however, â€Å"can be unhelpful, since individuals can be put under pressure to be a certain type of victim, an idealised hero † when they themselves are yet to fully understand and triumph over their victimisation (Spalek, B. 2006 p11). A ‘victim’, as defined in The South Australian Victims of Crime Act, 2001; â€Å"in relation to an offence, means a person who suffers harm as a result of the commission of the offence (but does not include a person who was a party to the commission of the offence)†. This definition supports the ideals of the ‘ideal victim’, as an ‘ideal victim’ â€Å"must be innocent; they must not be guilty of having contributed to their loss† (Bayley, J. 1991 p54). A ‘positivist perspective’ proposes victims have placed themselves in a position where they are contributing to their victimisation. This clearly differs from an ‘ideal victim’, and the ‘feminist perspective’ would argue that by suggesting a victim had aided in their victimisation would require the victim to accept some form of accountability for their victimisation. When examining the victim’s actions, the differences between a ‘positivist perspective’ and ‘feminist perspective’ become evident. A ‘positivist perspective’ implies identifying the factors that contribute to the non-random victimization pattern, focusing on the interpersonal violent crimes, and endeavouring to identify the victims who are prone to contribute to their own victimization (Kostic, M. 2010 p69). This shows the victim as being the kind of person that they are; this can also include lifestyle factors such as victims who brazenly display their wealth. Positivist Perspective’ examines which social and psychological characteristics of victims make them different from and more vulnerable than, non-victims. An example of positivist victimology is Marvin Wolfgangs (1958) study of 588 homicides in Philadelphia. Wolfgang found that 26% involved victim precipitation – the victim triggered the events leading to the murder ( Spalek, B. 2006 p34). A ‘feminist perspective’ has â€Å"highlighted forms of abuse experienced by women that have largely been hidden† (Spalek, B. 2006 p42). The defining difference between the ‘feminist perspective’ and positivist are clear. Both ‘feminist’ and ‘positivist’ perspectives acknowledge the victimisation occurs as a result of characteristics of the victim, but the ‘feminist perspective’ places the all aspects of guilt upon the perpetrator. The ‘feminist perspective’ â€Å"belief that the crimes committed against women and children can only be understood, and reduced, if the broader context of patriarchy is acknowledged, this being male economic, political and legal power, underpinned by male violence† (Spalek, B. 006 p30). ‘Radical perspective’ of victimology â€Å"has been criticised for adopting an overly simplistic view of structure and its impact on individuals† (Spalek, B. 2006 p40). However, a ‘radical perspective’ broadens our understanding of victimhood as it requires us to acknowledge within the general society â €Å"power relations are fundamental to the way society is structured; that those power relations are unjust; and that those unjust power relations are the context within which we should think about crime and victimisation† (Edwards, P. 2012). It encompasses â€Å"broad social problems like poverty, injustice and state abuses† (Spalek, B. 2006 p40). Home invasion, environment pollution and domestic violence are all offences where a victim can be identified. To understand each victim we must understand which victimisation perspective corresponds. A ‘positivist perspective’ encompasses a home invasion. An unknown offender/s entered the home of an unknown person for the purpose of committing an offence. Why the offender/s chose this house? The victim may have left the front door open or left valuables in plain sight of the front yard. They are still a victim but the victim may have played a part in their victimisation. A ‘radical perspective’ encompasses environmental pollution. Victims of environmental pollution play no part in their victimisation but due to their circumstances have been affected. If a well known industrial company pollutes the ground water in a local area, the local residents become unwilling victims to the pollution. The company which has greater socio-economic status and power have victimised the local residents. A ‘feminist perspective’ encompasses domestic violence. The victim, a woman, enters into a relationship with a ale. The offender uses his patriarchy to underpin the violence against the victim. National Crime Survey’s aid governments in calculating â€Å"perceptions and experiences of crime† (Spalek, B. 2006 p47). They appear to gather greater defining crime statistics than those produced by local law enforcement. This is due, in part, on victims not reporting crimes to police or the police officer it has been reported to have not recorded the event. National crime surveys include a wide range of â€Å"crime-related issues† and â€Å"allow policy makers to examine a broad range of issues† (Spalek, B. 006 p47). National crime surveys are used to create crime reduction strategies as it is used to identify â€Å"groups of people most at risk from crime† (Spalek, B. 2006 p52). The National crime survey has its limitations as it does not provide for accurate local data analysis. Local surveys can be specific in their direction and be used to â€Å"uncover differential crime risk, particularly the high risks that women, minority ethnic groups and socially disadvantaged people faced† (Spalek, B 2006 p56). In conclusion, the ‘ideal victim’ plays no part in thei r victimisation. The public can relate to the ‘ideal victims’ ordeal and although they have been through an awful sometimes incomprehensible experience society views the ‘ideal victim’ â€Å"as pure, blameless (hence passive) people against whom an evil act was omitted by a depraved individual† (Spalek, B. 2006 p25). A ‘positivist perspective’ in victimology that defines the behaviour and circumstances of people can have a direct contribution to their victimisation. However, the ‘feminist perspective’ would argue that by suggesting a victim had aided in their victimisation would require the victim to accept some form of accountability for their victimisation. A ‘radical perspective’ broadens our understanding of victimhood. It requires us to acknowledge imbalances of power within society and how it increases the likely hood of victimisation. National crime survey’s aid governments in calculating â€Å"perceptions and experiences of crime† (Spalek, B. 2006 p47). National crime surveys are used to create crime reduction strategies as it is used to identify â€Å"groups of people most at risk from crime† (Spalek, B. 2006 p52). Local surveys assist in are more specific and can be focused on local issues representing that area. BIBLIOGRAPHY Bayley, J. Edited by Sank, D. , Caplan, D. I. (1991). To be a victim: encounters with crime and injustice. New York, Plenum Press. Edwards, P. (2012) Radical Vicitimology. Victims and Victimology, 2012/13, [blog] Wednesday, 7th November, Available at: http://victims2012. blogspot. com. au/2012/11/week-7-radical-victimology. html [Accessed: 2 April 2013]. Garkawe, S. (2000) THE THREE MAJOR VICTIMOLOGICAL PARADIGMS A THEORETICAL ROAD MAP FOR VICTIMOLOGY. Journal of the Australasian Society of Victimology, (2), p. 8 58. Kostic, M. (2010) VICTIMOLOGY: A Contemporary Theoretical Approach to Crime and its Victim ?. Faculty of Law, University of Nis, Serbia , 8 (1), p. 65-78. Available at: http://facta. junis. ni. ac. rs/lap/lap2010/lap2010-04. pdf Rock, P (2007) edited by Walklate, S. (2007). Handbook of victims and victimology. Cullompton, Willan. Spalek, B, 2006. Crime Victims Theory, Policy and Practice. 1st ed. United Kingdom: Palgrave Macmillan. Victims of Crime Act, 2001 http://www. austlii. edu. au/au/legis/sa/consol_act/voca2001171/

4 Easiest Ways to Get the Best College Experience

4 Easiest Ways to Get the Best College Experience Making the best out of college experience is a worthy goal indeed. When you are young, ambitious, full of energy and plans, you should understand that there is a whole bunch of stuff ahead! One warning, though: If you go for suggested activities, but won’t feel any joy or engagement, stop immediately! The time you spend in college is the highlight of your youth. Make sure you enjoy it. #1. Take Good Care of Your Health Set Up a Brand New Routine Once you get out of the parents’ house, you might want to experiment with your daily routine and make it better. Try: starting your day earlier or doing more exercise; make different breakfast every day; complete the most important task of the day while your mind is clear. Find out what works best for you throughout the day. Consider Various Diets No limits to your fantasy here. Want to go vegetarian, the whole plant-based or try cooking Chinese cuisine? Nothing can hold you back from experimenting, but for the health actually. Try to find a perfect balance between tasty and healthy food. Look For a Sport to Enjoy If you are not fond of exercising it most probably means you haven’t found your perfect sport yet. Try everything that is accessible on campus and outside of it. Yoga, baseball, jogging, swimming, power walking, etc. Thousands of variants await you out there. You will definitely find one to enjoy. Find the Best Way to Relax College life is full of stress, rush, and challenges. No matter how good you are at solving everyday issues, relaxation would be needed to maintain strength, and keep both mental and physical health. Find an activity that would serve you as a recovery from a stressful week. It might be anything, like a long walk in a park, fishing, meditation, etc. #2. Invest   Time in Your Personal Development Take Classes that Seem to Be Interesting Even if that interesting class is not related to your major, you might want to follow your hunch. There is always a chance you suddenly come across your true passion, change your major, and thus your whole professional life in the future. Sure, an interesting class might also be far from bringing such tremendous changes to your life. But if the experience appeared to be amazing and entertaining, would you ever regret having it? Go Studying Abroad Among all the college experiences, this one definitely hits the top. Nobody ever regreted studying abroad, even if for one semester only. The coolest opportunity of your life, make sure you use it. Value Skills Over Knowledge Once you are out of college, it is skills you would be judged by, not the number of books you have read. You speak several languages? Cool! Learn how to translate, or go practicing simultaneous interpretation. You are into writing? Wonderful! Learn copywriting and SEO basics. Good at drawing? Nice! There are 3D modeling, web design and animation waiting. Learn how to apply your knowledge in practice, it is the best investment in your future. #3. Socialization is a Secret of the Best College Experience Create a Prospective Network The most empowering thing that can happen in college is meeting people. Not only because they might be thrilling or become your dearest friends, which is cool. College also is the highest time to create strong interpersonal connections, that would benefit your future professional life. Meet students from different majors, courses, and of various interests. Thus, you won’t only broaden your friends’ circle, but gain valuable knowledge, widen your horizons, and, probably, set an excellent ground for future professional relationships. Check Out Your Campus Activities There are tons of those organized each year, and they are pretty easy to track. Just find a special campus activity board, a specific section of a college website or a social media group. Those are good for several reasons, like spending quality time while being engaged in the useful and fascinating activity. Still, on top of it, campus activities are a great chance to socialize with peers, who happen to share your interests. Visit Local Community Events Going through college doesn’t mean everything you do should be related to studies and your major. Local community events can break the routine and bring color to your life. Also, meeting local people can widen your worldview and bring more clarity to the essential aspects of your adult life. Here, you might learn about the real job chances you have after college, witness success stories of others or just come across an excellent idea for a future local startup you might want to implement. #4. Get Ready for Your Career Path Start Off   Planning a Career With Volunteering Skills beat theoretical knowledge in real life. Thus, if you are worried about getting a prospective career one day, you most probably want to start gaining skills as soon as possible. If you are a first-year student, finding a suitable part-time job might be tough. Start off with volunteering. It might be a local occupation on weekends or a long-term volunteering project during summer holidays. Still having doubts whether you need volunteering? Check out this blog post on benefits of volunteering that will surptise you. Find a Befitting Internship Going through an internship that corresponds either to your major or your deepest interests, would incredibly boost your job chances after graduation. Moreover, a good internship will show you the organization of a corporate or business world, and though from the inside. It would teach you indispensable professional skills and demonstrate a piece of real life you are about to have. Isn’t it the best way to verify the choice you’ve made? Heres a useful source to help you get the internship you want and deserve. Take a Part-time Job Do not rush with this one, though. Take your time, and go for a job that would correspond to the career choice you’ve made. Do not jump into just any job offer, but select wisely. Here the guide to help you choose a perfect part-time job for you. A part-time job should become a place where you gain your professional experience and fundamental skills. It should be something you would want to put in your CV after graduation. Get to Know Your Professors and Stay in Touch With Them Go to classes and visit your professors during the office hours. Usually, your tutors are great professionals in the field you study and can share valuable knowledge with you. Also, those connections always become of most significance when you need a recommendation letter or a piece of advice about the career choice. Even if it happens that you won’t need their help, there is never too much intelligent people in life. Heres some tips on how to make connections with college professors. Bottom Line Everything stated above can actually be narrowed down to one major thought: If you want to make most out of your college time, you need to try as many activities as possible. That is how you will come across something intriguing and worthy, that is how you discover your passion. Do not be afraid of trying something new. In contrary, make yourself grab everything that is new, scary or insane. Youth is the best time for gaining all possible types of experiences. Enjoy!

Full Body Scanners Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Full Body Scanners - Article Example airport security policies. In response, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) installed the full body scanners, called mainly as â€Å"naked body scanners†, in the main airports of the country. These scanners can de roughly divided into two types: â€Å"millimeter wave† machines, which are based on electromagnetic field use and are considered safe for all people, pregnant women in particular. Another type is a â€Å"backscatter† machine, based on low ionizing radiation emission. It is stated that X-rays of such scanners do not penetrate a body but â€Å"jump back† to a screen and form a body 3-D image. The TSA Administrator John Pistole and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano stated that the new methods of checking are essential in view of the fact that traditional metal detectors and non-intrusive inspections are clearly ineffective and inadequate in the circumstances concerned. The use of new technologies and new procedures is to ensu re our safety, as the terrorists still continue to plan, Pistole stated. Napolitano has made it clear that her agency will not stop at what has been accomplished and will spread the new checking system to railway and subway stations in the future. By the end of 2010 there were over 100 full body scanners in 32 airports. Right now their number grew up to over 450 units and no end in sight. The authorities plan to set about a thousand of these devices, which will cost approximately $ 300 million (Holbrook, 11). Such measures stirred up a fierce discussion. Some Americans refer to the Fourth Amendment, stating that their privacy is violated. Some opposed the new security measures due to their natural modesty and ethic issues. Some do not accept everything that was done by the present-day administration. The others worry about ionizing radiation emitted by the new scanners, although the experts say that in a flying airliner any passenger gets much more roentgens than from body scanning. Finally, all the fears and suspicions against the scanners and alternative airport screening processes made human rights activists and libertarians take up arms against such novelties. One of the latter, Texas Republican Congressman Ron Paul, even introduced a law in draft to the House of Representatives - Air Traveler Dignity Act that protects Americans against full body scanners. Paul pretends to summarize all the negative opinions of passengers and pilots and his own as well, calling TSA and its methods the â€Å"Soviet-style nonsense.† Paul Sr., a gynecologist by profession, also expresses deep concerns about a radiation emitted by the new scanners. He was echoed by the U.S. Representative for Tennessee John Duncan, who plainly told in the Congress that a â€Å"nationwide revolt† against airport body scanning machines spreads all over the country and that’s good! And it’s not about ethics or risk for cancer even. Duncan pointedly noted in his speech that the former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff now â€Å"represents Rapiscan, which sells these scanners to his former agency.† On the other hand, most Democrats support the new order. Most of their fellow citizens are also ready to put up with the new naked body scanners. As the recent poll of the Washington Post-ABC News shows, only 32% of respondents are determined against the scanners. But abusive and invasive searches in airports have split the public opinion in America in half: 50% of respondents were against them. Especially revealing, in this concern, was the