Critically assess whether a criminal justice system based on Essay

Critically assess whether a criminal justice system based on resolution and restoration would be more effective than the one based on punishment - Essay Example They need a second chance because many have not received even a first chance. Additionally, rehabilitation is by far the best option for them because of the way they would almost certainly be exploited and turned into hardened criminals if sent to prison. This paper will provide further background to the issue of rehabilitating juvenile offenders, and strongly argue that it is the right approach. The justice system fulfills an important symbolic function by establishing standards of conduct. It formally defines right and wrong for citizens and frees them from the responsibility of taking vengeance, thus preventing the escalation of feuds within communities. The system protects the rights of free citizens by honoring the principle that individual freedom should not be denied without good reason. Rehabilitation has as its objective the return of offenders to the community as cured and viable members of society. The rehabilitation efforts of the 1980s and 1990s were to a large extent unsuccessful. No program appeared to be any more effective in changing criminals than any other program, so a sizable portion of the people released from prison continued to return (Murphy 49). This led many to conclude that the best, and possibly only, alternative was simply to remove offenders from the community, precluding any further vexation and exploitation by them. Since criminals are though t to be more likely to commit crimes than those never convicted of a criminal act, it follows that some benefits will be derived from incarcerating convicted criminals. Incapacitation has the greatest potential as a method of crime control if it is a few hardened criminals who commit most crimes. If they can be identified, convicted, and incarcerated for long periods, a significant reduction in crime would be realized. Most advocates of punitive reform have this perspective on the criminal population. Blame for the majority

Baseball Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Baseball - Essay Example Everyone wants to get out there and pitch that perfect curveball, or hit the first home run of the game. The air is rich with the scent of hotdogs as the vendors go to work feeding the masses. Young barmen and women do their best to satisfy thousands of thirsts filling endless plastic glasses with ice-cold beer. For some, a freshly baked pretzel is the way to go, plenty of salt and mustard, and a soda to wash it down. The wonderful mixture of odours in the air adds to the atmosphere and anticipation before the game. There's nothing quite like it. The stands are full of activity as everybody swarms to their seats. Not long until game time now. A hundred little boys hold on tightly to daddy's hand still not sure quite what to expect at their first ball game. They can feel the excitement building all around them and it is a new sensation. Although they may not know it they are beginning to understand the love of the game. Once full the ballpark is a magnificent picture of color and excitement. Music blares from the powerful sound system and adds to the already breathtaking atmosphere. Many fans are dressed in the shirts of their favorite teams. Others proudly wear their team's jacket, some just stick to the cap. The signs and banners are everywhere around the stadium held up high for all to see. Some of them simply display the name of a team; others send messages to the players wishing them luck in the game ahead. As the players make their way onto the park the stadium erupts with noise as so many thousands cheer, whoop and whistle for their favorite team and player. The sound is almost deafening but at the same time truly awesome. Everyone is on their feet knowing that all that stands between them and the first pitch of the game is a unifying rendition of the national anthem. Hands on hearts, the song brings everyone within the stadium together as it does every time. Even opposing fans are best of friends at this moment, proud to be American. The game starts and the crowd begins to settle down and enjoy the spectacle. The tension builds as several pitches fizz past the bat and smack into the heavily padded glove of the catcher. It's not long until the batter makes the first satisfying contact and the wonderful sound of bat on ball reverberates around the park. It is the sound that the fans love to hear, and to see the ball fly over the fence just makes it even better. Devout fans are pleased to be able to mark a home run on their scorecards, scorecards which they will no doubt show their children in years to come. The excitement of the final few innings is almost unmatched by any other game. Even after hours of play the crowd are once again on their feet yelling words of encouragement and willing their team to finish the job. Then it is over. The winner is decided and it is time to go home. As the stands gradually empty there is a feeling of satisfaction around the ballpark, even from among the supporters of the losing team. They have had their dose of the game, and nothing can take that away. Empty now, the ballpark stands and waits. It has done its job once again, providing a home away from home for the baseball fan. For now it rests, but soon its gates will open once again and the people will come. Baseball, what a

Lowering Drinking Age Essay Example for Free

Lowering Drinking Age Essay In the United States government, there are many politicians that have to make difficult decisions that affect its citizens in their everyday lives. One frequently asked question by the people in America today is why does the government believe 21 is the proper age to legally allow drinking of alcoholic beverages. Over 200 countries in the world do not have a legal drinking age. Many say if you are tall enough to stand at a bar, you are old enough to get a drink. In America, would lowering the drinking age to 18 decrease or increase the number of college students binge drinking? What if we gave our youth the proper education about alcohol? Then, if they did decide to drink, could they act as responsible adults having that knowledge? Another question frequently asked is would lowering the drinking age to 18, increase or decrease highway fatalities? We as a nation have tried prohibition twice trying to control irresponsible drinking problems in the past. So, should we take a risk and try to come up with a plan to lower the drinking age to 18? Or, alternatively, should we keep the legal drinking age at 21? When a person turns 18 years old in America, they are considered an adult in society. They now have the responsibility to fight in wars, to vote, to serve on a jury, to legally get married and so forth. A person who is 18 can do all these things. So, why is it that they do not have to right to choose if they want to drink a bottle of beer or a glass of wine? Do you really think drinking a beer is an act of greater responsibility and maturity than voting or going to war for your country? I feel that the youth in our nation is not getting the proper education on the facts behind alcohol. Thus, when a person does decide to drink, they do so irresponsibly. Most people who drink irresponsibly find themselves moving like zombies once intoxicated. One approach to this issue is requiring an individual who is 18 years old to attend an alcohol education class. This would be similar to the requirements for getting your drivers license. In the alcohol education class, they would teach you facts, have group meetings with people who have been alcoholics in the past (AA meetings), conduct tests throughout the course and a final at the end to ensure a thorough understanding of drinking responsibly and the consequences of not doing so. When completed, the person would receive a license allowing he or she to go into liquor stores, pubs, bars, etc. to purchase alcohol products that they want. However, if they choose to violate the license in any way, it will be taken away. If you are the kind of person who does not like to drink alcohol, good news! You do not have to take the class if you do not want. I do think this class would be good in helping our youth understand the harmful affects that alcohol can have on our bodies and how dangerous it can really be if you are not responsible with it. As students go to college, studies have shown that more and more students are â€Å"binge drinkers† today than ever before. A binge drinker is someone who consumes five or more alcoholic drinks in a given sitting. Dr. John McCardells is the founder of a group called the Amethyst initiative. They have a theory that by lowering the drinking age it will actually reduce the number of binge drinking on college campuses throughout the United States. Over 100 of our nations top colleges such as Duke, Ohio State, Dartmouth are all calling on lawmakers to consider lowering the drinking age to 18. This debate has been going on for quite some time now. Lets stop scratching our heads and come up with an approach to this situation. There have been deaths in the past when an underage person drank too much and died because his or her friends did not want to call the cops because they knew they would have been in trouble. A similar incident as this happened to a student named Gordy Bailey. Gordy was a freshman at Boulder College in Colorado. Boulder is a school known for its party scene. He planned to join a fraternity called Sigma Chi and in order to do so, he had to drink ten gallons of hard liquor or wine. They are not sure how much Gordy actually drank that night but estimated that he had 15 to 20 shots in under a half hour. After they were done drinking, they went back to the fraternity house and by the time they got there Gordy was to the point that he could not even walk. His fraternity friends did not dare to call the police in order to get help and risk getting in trouble for underage drinking. Unfortunately, the decision that they made was not the right one. They called the police the next morning but it was too late. Gordy Bailey died that night from alcohol poisoning. Had the drinking age been 18, Gordy’s fraternity friends could have called the police to get him medical attention. There are many situations that occur every year which are very similar to Gordy Bailey’s story. However, many do not think we should take a different approach to this problem. Mark Beckner, the Chief of Police in Boulder, Colorado, is one of the few Chief of Police in America who agrees with Dr. John McCardells theory and supports lowering the drinking age. In an interview with 60 Minutes he said, â€Å"We can’t enforce something that unenforceable and all we are doing is doing is pushing drinking more and more underground, essentially making it very dangerous. † People need to learn that prohibition does not work, we should know this already from the past already. Let us not let history repeat itself yet again. † A person’s life is no less precious off the road than it is on the road. There is an organization called MADD, which stands for Mothers Against Drunk Driving. MADD is an organization that opposes the idea of lowering the drinking age. One of the biggest issues they have regarding lowering the drinking age is highway fatalities that involve a drunk driver. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) defines a fatal crash as alcohol-related if a driver had a estimated blood alcohol level of 0. 01 or above. Alcohol-related traffic fatalities, better known as drunken driving fatalities, were the key factors behind the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984. Yes, over the years, statistics have shown that the number of alcohol-related fatalities have decreased and this is true for all ages, not just people who are under 21. Statistics show that approximately 1,000 people from the ages 18 to 24 die a year from alcohol-related accidents. However, the numbers are very similar with people who are dying behind closed doors. I believe the drinking age should be lowered to 18 because if someone can go to war and die for his or her country, he or she should be able to have the right to choose if he or she wants a beer or a glass of wine. Based on facts, the current prohibition laws are not working. We need to come up with an alternative approach. We have tried prohibition in the past and learned very quickly that it was not very productive. Let us learn from our mistakes and put an end to pushing our youth to drink further and further underground. In other countries, alcohol is not seen as a poison, there is little or no social pressure to drink, and irresponsible drinking is never tolerated. Parents and other family members teach their kids at home how to drink in a responsible manner. Since the 21 year old drinking law is not working, maybe we could approach this situation as people would in a different country.

The Application Of Theory To Practice Social Work Essay

The Application Of Theory To Practice Social Work Essay INTRODUCTION A community Development project should be able to demonstrate the public health practice in entirety, apply the public health theories and put into practice the community development principles. One of the principles is being able to address the priority need of the community with their full participation thereby empowering them and most importantly working within the social model of health. The social model of health is a theoretical frame work which considers the health of individuals and the community as a result of complex and interacting social, economic, environmental and personal factors. (Ottewill and wall, 2003). This framework operates on the belief that improved health and wellbeing is achieved by focusing on the social and environmental determinants of health in tandem with biological and medical factors. The social model of health says that 50% of our health is determined by wider determinants such as Housing, Income and educational level which affects not only the individuals but the community as a whole (CDHN, 2009), therefore a community development approach to health attempts to work upstream, concentrating on the root cause of ill health such as poverty and educational disadvantage. Kelleher and Marshall (2002) suggested that working within the social model of health permits individuals and communities to construct their own definition of health and therefore identify important factors that influence health depending on the specific context. The conception of a community is based on the thought that how people behave and their wellbeing is influenced by their interaction with others (SCCD, 2001). An evidence based definition of a community is a group of people with diverse characteristics who are linked by social ties, share common perspectives and engage in joint action in geographical setting or location. This definition therefore qualifies the Muslim women in Glasgow North as a community. This reflective essay aims to give an explanation and in depth analysis of a non governmental Scottish charity project run by Muslim women for Muslim women in Glasgow, with a view of identifying good practice, relevance to public health practice development and the application of the theory to practice. The subject of the community placement will be referred to as the resource center through out this essay in order to protect the real names and identities of the center and its staff. The resource center handles social matters like racial harassment, bereavement, divorce cases, access to education, forced marriages, immigration matters, mental health issues, relationship matters, housing issues and domestic Violence. For the purpose of this essay I would be focusing on Domestic Violence. This write-up will go a long way to explain and critically analyse the extent to which the protection, provision and prevention of domestic violence against women project identifies with public health practice. A brief review of the literature of domestic abuse will be discussed thereafter. I will afterwards analyse the project while discussing issues like health need assessment, health inequality, partnership planning , monitoring and evaluation as good public health practices identified in the project. I intend to finally discuss the reflection and relevance of the study while making the necessary recommendations. Domestic Violence and Public Health Domestic violence could be defined as any incident of threatening behavior, violence, or abuse (psychological, physical, sexual, financial, and emotional) between adults who are or have been in intimate partners or family members regardless of gender or sexuality. Gender-based violence includes a host of harmful behaviours that are directed at women and girls because of their sex, including wife abuse, sexual assault, and dowry-related murder, and marital rape, selective malnourishment of female children, forced prostitution, female genital mutilation and sexual abuse of female children. Vulnerable persons or a child in the environment where they are witnessing domestic abuse are also inclusive. (Scottish Executive central research unit, 2000) The British Medical Association (2006) explained in its publication that a child who has witnessed domestic abuse has an increased risk of experiencing mental health problems in adult live. Domestic Violence is associated with Health Inequality in the society especially towards the women and children. It constitutes the male abuse of power which occurs in all social groups not caused by stress, alcohol, unemployment, mental illness or by the women (Scottish Executive central research unit, 2000) Domestic Violence is a major public health issue affecting all age, socio- economic group and all sectors of life.. it is currently being recognized by the government not just as a criminal issue but also as a public health matter(Government proposal on domestic violence, 2003).Domestic Abuse is a housing issue, human right issue, child protection issue, mental health issue and all these according to the social model of health are determinants of health. A Recent report by the triennial maternal mortality (CEMACH, 2004) showed that domestic abuse is a risk factor for maternal death and for the year 2000- 2002 eleven new mothers were murdered within six weeks of giving birth by their partners. It also increases the chances of pregnant women drinking, smoking which then affects the life of the unborn child thereby increasing the infants mortality rate. The high prevalence of Domestic Violence impacts economically on the society. Support systems are overstretched; there is increased cost of providing medical care for about 100,000 women seeking medical help due to domestic abuse. A lot of women are homeless with about 7000 women and children looking for safety shelter everyday (Seymour, 2001) Violence against women has recently been recognized by the United Nations as a fundamental abuse of womens human rights. The sensitivities and stigma associated with domestic abuse, the conceptualization of it primarily as a judicial and legal issue, and the lack of data on the dimension of the abuse have hampered understanding and the development of appropriate intervention (Lori et al, 1994) Incidence and prevalence of domestic Abuse Domestic violence accounts for between 16% and one quarter of all recorded violent crime. (Home Office,2004; Dodd et al., 2004; BCS, 1998; Dobash and Dobash, 1980). According to Stanko, (2000) an incident is reported to the police every minute. Women are much more likely than men to be the victim of multiple incidents of abuse, and of sexual violence. 45% women and 26% men had experienced at least one incident of inter-personal violence in their lifetimes(Walby and Allen, 2004), however when there were more than 4 incidents (i.e. ongoing domestic or sexual abuse) 89% of victims were women. In 2004 according to Walby and Allen(2004) there are 13 million separate incidents of physical violence or threats of violence against women from partners or former partners making an average of 2 women a week killed by a male partner or former partner and this constitutes around one-third of all female homicide victims. (Department of Health,2005.) The British Crime Survey conducted in 2000 found that women are most likely to be sexually attacked by men who are known to them. 45% of rapes reported to the survey were perpetrated by current partners. (Home Office Research Study 237, 2002). One Scottish survey found that a majority of men who said that they were victims of domestic violence, were also perpetrators of violence (13 of 22), and on being re-interviewed, a further 13 later said they had actually never experienced any form of domestic abuse. (Scottish Executive Central Research Unit, 2002). On the international level consistent findings has been recorded. An analysis of 10 separate domestic violence prevalence studies by the Council of Europe showed that 1 in 4 women experience domestic violence over their lifetimes, and between 6-10% of women Suffer domestic violence in a given year. (Council of Europe, 2002).Another study done by the World Health Organisation, domestic violence was found to be widespread in all 10 countries studied, though there was considerable variation between countries, and between cities and rural areas. (Garcia-Moreno, C., et al., 2005) .Krug et al (2002) found that internationally 40% -70% of female murder victim were killed by their partner and about 4% 8% of men. Domestic violence is internationally acknowledged to be one of the major health Inequalities affecting women particularly, and forms a significant obstacle to their receiving effective health care. (World Health Organisation,1997; United Nations, 1993). Different form of abuse is been experienced by women with partner abuse (non-sexual) being the most commonly experienced type of intimate violence among both men and women. 28% of women and 17% of men reported having experienced such abuse. (Coleman et al. 2007) stalking is also was com monly experienced with 9% of women and 7% of men reported having Experienced it in the last year with obscene or threatening phone calls being the common forms. (Coleman et al 2007). Nearly half of women (48%) who had experienced intimate partner violence since the age of 16 had experienced more than one type of intimate violence. Men were less likely to have experienced multiple forms of intimate violence (33%). (Coleman et al. 2007) Serious sexual assault was most likely to be committed by someone known to the victim (89% of female and 83% of male victims). Just over half (54%) of female victims reported that a partner or ex-partner had been the offender. (Coleman et al. 2007). Women also suffer from non sexual family abuse (coleman at al.2007) Domestic violence has huge impact both physically ,psychologically, and health wise on both the women and their children A study of 200 womens experiences of domestic violence commissioned by Womens Aid, found that 60% of the women had left because they feared that they or their children would be killed by the perpetrator.(Humphreys Thiara, 2002). In the same study, 76% of separated women suffered post-separation violence, and more than half of those with post-separation child contact arrangements with an abusive ex-partner continued to have serious, ongoing problems with this contact (Humphreys and Thiara, 2002).There are a greater risk of homicide by these women at the point of separation or after leaving a violent partner. (Lees, 2000).A study showed that 42% of all female homicide victims, compared with 4% of male homicide victims, were killed by current or former partners in England and Wales in the year 2000/01. This equates to 102 women, an average of 2 women each week (Home Office, 2001). Domestic violence was found to be the single most quoted reason for becoming homeless(Cramer and Carter 2002) . Violence against women has serious consequences for their physical and mental health, and women who have experienced abuse from her partner may suffer from chronic health problems of various kinds. (Stark and Flitcraft, 1996; Williamson, 2000; British Medical Association, 1998; Crispand Stanko, 2001) Abused women are more likely to suffer from depression, anxiety, psychosomatic systems, eating problems and sexual dysfunction. Violence may also affect their reproductive health. (WHO,2000). 70% of incidents of domestic violence result in injury, (compared with 50% of incidents of acquaintance violence, 48% of stranger violence and 29% of mugging.) (Dodd et al., 2004) 75% of cases of domestic violence result in physical injury or mental health consequences to women. (Home Office, 2001) The cost of treating physical health of victims of domestic violence, (including hospital, GP, ambulance, prescriptions) is  £1,220,247,000, i.e. 3% of total NHS budget. (Walby, 2004) The cost of treati ng mental disorder due to domestic violence is  £176,000,000. (Walby,2004). Between 50% and 60% of women mental health service users have experienced domestic violence, and up to 20% will be experiencing current abuse. (Department of Health , 2003). Domestic violence has been identified as a prime cause of miscarriage or still-birth (Mezey, 1997), and of maternal deaths during childbirth (Lewis and Drife, 2001, 2005).Children are also hugely affected by domestic violence. At least 750,000 children a year witness domestic violence. (Department of Health, 2002). And Children who live with domestic violence are at increased risk of behavioural problems and emotional trauma, and mental health difficulties in adult life. ( Kolbo, et al., 1996; Morley and Mullender, 1994; Hester et al.,2000) Nearly three quarters of children on the at risk register live in households where domestic violence occurs and 52% of child protection cases involving domestic violence. (Department of Health , 200 2; Farmer and Owen, 1995). COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROJECT/SUSTAINABILITY Community development means a community involvement that helps people to help themselves by encouraging them to be involved in collective activities to ultimately solve a mutual problem and aim towards achieving common goal (Gilchrist, 2007). Barr and Hashagen (2000) described community development as a agenda that comprise of processes like empowerment, learning, democracy and outcomes, backed up by good funding, staff, information, proper evaluation and dissemination. Some of the key Qualities of a good community development project as suggested by the Scottish Government (SE, 2004) are, community involvement, community learning and development; the use of knowledge, skills, strengthening and improving communities, people led development and the role of the individual partner in decision making. Improving public services and providing assess to main stream services for both the high and low socio economic class is also very important (SE, 2004). The resource center follows a commun ity development approach having the muslim women as the target community and their projects of have the above defined roles as they are all community led projects which eventually empowers the people of the community. it is service user positive and involves full participation from people of the community. they center has drop in sessions for clients during week days ,free access to computers and a resource library containing an expanding range of books, leaflets, magazines, on different topics especially on Islamic topics particularly Focused towards women. Information on services and resources in Glasgow and rest of Scotland is also available in the library. They center is managed by both staff and volunteers who give high quality service to the community and in return receive training, work experience, make New friends and often increase their confidence , skills and knowledge. The sustainability plan for mwrc appeared to rely on the sponsorship of the partner organizations for both the training and running of the organization. Gray, (2007) suggested that the potential to contribute to sustainability is by direct action and by setting good examples of practice especially in the area of accountability. The Resource center being totally a voluntary organization, receives funding from the council, Voluntary action fund, Scottish community foundation , Gannochy trust, Culture and sport Glasgow, and womens Fund for Scotland for sustainability. This sustainability arrangement is not strong as it relies on uncertain financial targets and a limited timeframe to achieve those (Gray, 2007) and could lead to the abrupt termination of projects once the funding is no more. HEALTH NEED ASSESSMENT Health need assessment offers a good take off point for a community development project in order to have targeted projects which are very beneficial to the people of the community and it also helps in preventing health inequality (Arblaster et al 1996). Billings (2002) described health need assessment as identification of factors that must be addressed in order to improve the health of the population and as suggested by Twinn et al(1990) involves the collection data to identify health need of the community and its analysis to prioritise strategies in health improvement. They Local population could be involved to discern for themselves what they consider their priority needs (Billing 2002). They involvement of the local community is commonly employed in community development projects to ensure that priority projects are carried out and also to tackle health inequality. Bidmead and Cowley(2005) also highlighted the importance of client/professional partnership towards promoting a fruitful health need assessment. In practice the theory of health need assessment was applied in the resource center which started its journey in 1997 and opened its doors to the public in April 2002. It is a Scottish charity run by women with the purpose of breaking down barriers and enabling Muslim women to participate in all aspect of society without having to compromise their belief and values. Following the health need assessment which was done through the involvement of the Muslim community, the vital needs and concern identified are Lack of knowledge of help available leading to poor take up of mainstream services by Muslim women in need, Lack of confidence that they mainstream services will be able to understand the issues affecting them and institutional discrimination preventing uptake of services, Increase in Islamophobia and fear of discrimination and harassment leading to decreasing interaction with mainstream society at all levels and most importantly Family and marriage problems. In order to address these concerns, they operate at three different levels,Working with policy makers and mainstream provider to overcome the barriers to civic participation and access to services; undertaking development work to build the confidence of Muslim women, address their issues and promote social cohesion and providing a range of direct helping services to women in a way that meets their specific needs .As highlighted by Bidmead and Cowley(2005) the services of trained volunteers were employed to further enhance the client/professional relationship thereby promoting better assessment. PARTNERSHIP Partnership is a very important concept in community development and public health as a whole as it underpins both public health policy and practice. It is an essential tool being employed to tackle the social model of health. it encourages community involvement and individual roles and helps to co-coordinate the group activity in order to avoid overlap (Warren et al 1974). El Ansari et al(2001) saw partnership as an official relationships among people who usually have same purposive goal while Hudson and Hardy(2001) identified that partnership may not only be official as it also occurs between professionals and non professionals existing either horizontally or vertically between levels(Powel and Exworthy 2002). Bidmead and Cowley(2005a) defined partnership as A Respectful ,negotiated way of working together that enables choices; participation, and equity within an honest, trusting relationship that is based in empathy, support and reciprocity. Though argued by Challis at el(1988) that partnership is word difficult to give helpful meaning in practice ,partnership could be seen as an effective relationship between clients and practitioner geared towards achieving an aim through collaboration and active involvement(Warren et al 1974). Partnership is currently been acknowledged in both government policy and practice(Scottish Executive1998;secretary of state for northern Ireland 1998;secretary of state wales 1998) as there is a limit to what an agency working alone on its own can achieve(Huxham and Macdonald 1999). Major advance in health involves improvement in all aspect of living both socially and economically(Mckeown,1976) and this is only achievable through collaborative efforts of individual, community, organizations and Government (WHO 1991). Barnes and Sullivan also argues that partnership is a major tool in tackling health inequality as it enables government resources to be appropriately and evenly distributed to both the the rich and the ethnic minority to improve health services. Davis and Fallowfield (1991) suggested that partnership improves professional contentment and reduces stress though for effectiveness aimed goals should be made clear and professional skill and knowledge upheld despite complimentary expertise of the community(Bidmead and Cowley 2005a) . Partnership though very beneficial is not without some pitfalls some of which are issues with co-ordination, joining up goals and policy, accountability and participation (Sullivan and skelcher 2002) .Douglas, (2009) feels that partnership working can leave participants confused and unclear about their role once there is lack of clear leadership, guidance and support..He also stated that infrastructure built around some individual in partnership goes down once the individuals are no more. The risks and negative aspect of partnership working include partnership overload and partnership fatigue, the potential for overdoing it; hence there should be a limit to the number that constitutes a workable partnership (Bamford et al, 2003).Baginsky (2007) feels that most partnerships lack clarity and consistency in use of eligible criteria and there is need for clarity of roles and assigning of responsibilities. Inter-organizational partnerships is been seen as the key to better partnerships(Hudson and Hardy 2002). Despite these pitfalls, development of partnership approaches is encouraged by policy makers and the Government in community development projects In Practice, there are evidences of application of theory of partnership for example in order to further achieve its aim, MWRC is actively involved in partnerships and Advisory groups to enable community cohesion, and overcome stereotypes and misunderstanding between communities. They partner with both the community, local agencies, the government and international bodies to encourage community participation and ensure that more need based projects are carried out. They issue brought up by Hudson and Hardy (2002) is also being applied by the resource center as they are involved in inter-organizational partnership. As stated by Huxham and Macdonald(1999) a lot of achievement was made by the resource center through their partnership with the Government and some local agencies. Self employment opportunity workshop was organized in partnership with and delivered by Business Gateway Glasgow aimed at sensitizing the women on the need to be self-employed to enable them to be financially dep endent. Money Advice workshops organized in partnership with Glasgow city Councils financial inclusion team provided information about financial issues with the aim of empowering women to allow them to deal with financial issues and difficulties. The participants found the workshop very informative and educating. Support was provided for the singe mothers through the Single mothers workshop organised in partnership with REED with the aim of encouraging single mothers into the work force. They Muslim and ethnic minority women were through the Steps to excellence for personal success a programme built around the core concept of the pacific institute affirmed of the right of all individuals to achieve their God given potentials and empower people through education and training to allow them to recognize their ability to choose growth ,personal freedom, and personal excellence. The effectiveness of partnership involvement and individual roles(warren at el 1974) were very evident in the practice of the resource center. Having discussed the theories of Community development projects, health need assessment and partnership with their application in practice, I would then discuss Health inequality, Monitoring and Evaluation. HEALTH INEQUALITY Health inequality has been a universal problem though Darey Smith et al (2001a) described it as inequality in health experienced by black and minority ethnic groups. Health inequality has long been associated with ethnicity and socio -economic statue(Acheson 1998:11). . The international community emphasizes the importance of tackling inequalities as a matter of urgency (WHO, 2005) Baggort(2000) described health inequality as the inequity or the inequality that are seen as being unfair. Health inequality is a major issue for public health practitioner working at the community level and efforts are made to indentify what can be done at the local level. Arblaster et al(1996) and Gillies (1998a,b) commented on the effectiveness of inter-sectorial partnership as a way of tackling health inequality. public health practitioners can facilitate partnership with relevant agencies for specific health need of the people as well as advocate for those needs (Roberts 2000).Lobbying of policy makers at all levels to influence health policies has also been seen as way of tacking health inequalities (muir Gray 2001) and the use of media has been found very effective(Chapman 2001).Advocacy and Lobbying is one of the tools employed in the resource center for example through Advocacy the provides a voice for Muslim women that contribute to the government consultations, policy, and Strategy in adult learning issues. The advocacy programmes include professional advocacy, face to face with the service user and ongoing advocacy in family issues. Also through representations in the learning link Scotland policy and Executive committee, awareness is being drawn to the needs and issues affecting Muslim women access to learning and education Roberts(2000) stated that involvement of the people of the community to identify their health need and taking action towards solution through development of healthy living projects help to tackle inequality as well as make people of the lower socio economic status and minority group have access to the health care. Patterson and Judge(2002) also suggested that referral systems in health care and home visiting are also very effective ways of reducing health inequality. In Practice, there are evidence of the huge effort made to prevent health inequality and increase the accessibility to health care by the ethnic minority especially the muslim women. Information, Advice-Free, confidential faith and culturally non judgmental information and advice on Domestic Abuse and family issues is provided primarily through drop in sessions and also by appointment. Service users initially receive assessment and help on their first visit and as encouraged by Patterson and Judge (2002) referrals are ma de with their agreement for other services in the main stream or elsewhere. The service is provided in the service user preferred language as most of the staff and volunteers are bilingual and interpreters are also available. The social model of health considers how wider determinants than the presence or absence of disease have an impact on peoples health (Dahlgren Whitehead, 1991, CDHN, 2005, Graham, 2007) hence the provision of other services to help increase the quality of life of the women. Such services are Counseling provided by trained volunteer counselors and counseling approach is used with the service users to enable them make informed decision and choices. For many women this helps them to talk through personal issues while also receiving practical help, and for majority of the clients the find this approach very appropriate. Formal counseling using person centered approach is also provided where necessary, Provision of Helpline and Help mail service to offer information, advice and a listening ear in a faith and culturally sensitive way. The Helpline operators speak English and also have available interpreters and they use various mediums to reach out to the most vulnerable and isolated Musl im women in Scotland to ensure equality in distribution of health care. They helpline staff continue to strive to work in partnership with both mainstream and private sector organization to ensure that the Muslim women are able to engage and voice out their needs in the society. They Help mail is a dedicated confidential email address available for women who would prefer the mail .its receives over 200 mails and its increasing becoming popular with agencies seeking advice and information on issues concerning Muslim women. And the Provision of friends and support to isolated, lonely and abused Muslim women who lack confidence to do things alone. A huge effort is being made to ensure that health inequality is prevented. MONITORING AND EVALUATION The input in the PPP Project, the process, impact and outcome of the programmes of they project is monitored and evaluated most especially through the response of the people regarding all the activities, workshops and seminars. Monitoring and Evaluation was a continuous process relying heavily on feedback from questionnaires. The MWRC used these questionnaires to form a framework for monitoring and evaluation. This method of evaluation is qualitative and when compared to the LEAP (Learning, Evaluation and Planning, 2008) model led by need, focused on outcomes, participation, partnership building and knowledge enhancing, it has some similarities though does not follow it completely. This form of evaluation also help to carefully monitor the projects progress while focusing on the relation between inputs, outputs and process (Hashagen and Susan,2007). This method of evaluation also enables the identification of additional outcomes as LEAP is a framework that is designed to enable posit ive planned change to be made to the needs that have been identified. It is outcome focused because the primary purpose of community lead development is to make a real, and measurable difference to the quality of personal and community lives. In practice, planning for change in response to the identified need was done and an outcome focused evaluation carried out to assess the success of the action plan. A focus on outcomes is essentially a focus on results. As Stated by the Scottish Government (2010) for the purposes of reliable evaluation, the connection between the need identified, the action taken and the outcome achieved should always be clear. Project report is also written and sent to the funders, and policy makers to show which aims and objectives that are achieved and the extent to which the achieved objectives lead to the desired outcome..A financial report is also written at the end of every year and sent to funders to show accountability and how cost effective the programmes were. Using the LEAP model of evaluation, indicators are used to measure whether outcomes were achieved and evidence collected as the project goes along and in comparison the MWRC evaluation ultimately followed similar guidelines . Also in comparison with the LEAP model Health risk assessment was done prior to the onset of the project to identify potential risks and hazards. Some of the disadvantages of this method of evaluation is in the area of cost effectiveness which only incorporates QALYs as the health related outcome measure (Powell, 2007) and this as suggested by Powell(2007) could affect the sustainability of the project. With this method of evaluation the outcomes measured are individualistic and could be influenced by bias and memory and the individuals cannot show the impact of the project on the community especially in a short timescale(Hashagen and Paxton,2007) They major limitations or challenges encountered in the project are; lack of Funding or funding ending and leading to end of a project, having to deal with immigration issues of most of the clients, languages barrier , and training of all the staff and volunteer but despite these challenges ,achievements were made over t

Edar Allan Poe Essay -- essays research papers

A Reflection of the Life and Works of Edgar Allan Poe  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Edgar Allan Poe is a name even the literary illiterate know, but not many people know Edgar Allan Poe the person. When reading the works of this poetic genius many might think that he had a vivid imagination or just a morbid soul. The truth is that the works of Poe are based on his own life, the life of an orphan who suffered from an obsessive compulsive disorder and who eventually became diseased by alcoholism. Understanding Poe the man, who had true medical problems that caused erratic behavior and depression among many other things, is to have an understanding of the true meaning hidden behind the words of his poetry.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Poe earned his place as a major figure in American letters for his tales of the bizarre and fantastic, short stories that are structurally brilliant and considered precursors of many forms and themes in subsequent American and European literature (Bloom, Harold p.491). Born of impoverished parents and orphaned at the age of two, Poe lived a brief and tragic life: a life whose legend has often proved an overpowering influence on the critical reception of his work (Bloom, Harold p.491). Before Poe was three years old both of his parents died, and he was raised in the house of John Allan, a prosperous exporter from Richmond, Virginia, who never legally adopted his foster son. Poe attended many of the best schools at that time. At the University of Virginia he distinguished himself academically, but after little more than only one year he had to leave because of financial debt and lack of adequate funds from Allan. Poe went on to enlist himself in the army where he finished and published his first poetry collection Tamerlane and Other Poems. These works received no recognition. When his second set of works appeared in 1829, it received only slight attention. Also in 1829 Poe was honorably discharged from the army, having attained the rank of regimental sergeant major, and was then admitted to the United States Military Academy at West Point (Gale Research p.1). However because Allan would neither provide Poe with sufficient funds to maintain himself as a cadet nor giv e the consent necessary to resign from the Academy, Poe gained a dismissal by ignoring his duties and violating regulations (Gale Research p.1). H... ...roversy over the sanity, or at best the maturity of Poe (Paul Elmer More called him â€Å"the poet of unripe boys and unsound men†), it was the question of the value of Poe’s works as serious literature (Gale Research p.5). Edgar Allan Poe’s personal life, especially the stories surrounding his drinking and early death, are dealt with extensively by Poe’s contemporary critics as well as those writing in the twentieth century (Bloom, Harold p. 491). In their confusion of the man and his literary creations, certain critics have ascribed to Poe a morbidity of character and a cruel and unnatural temperament. (Bloom, Harold p. 491). This critical attitude was adumbrated by the publication of Poe’s letters under the direction of R.W. Griswold, his literary executor (Bloom, Harold p.491). Griswold, for reasons unknown, sought to defame Poe by falsifying his letters and printing forged material that portrayed Poe as a bizarre and menacing character (Bloom, Harold p. 491). Although he was ultimately vindicated through the scholarship of A.H. Quinn and others, it has been the work of modern scholars to reestablish Poe’s reputation based on the work and not the man (Bloom, Harold p. 491 ). Edar Allan Poe Essay -- essays research papers A Reflection of the Life and Works of Edgar Allan Poe  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Edgar Allan Poe is a name even the literary illiterate know, but not many people know Edgar Allan Poe the person. When reading the works of this poetic genius many might think that he had a vivid imagination or just a morbid soul. The truth is that the works of Poe are based on his own life, the life of an orphan who suffered from an obsessive compulsive disorder and who eventually became diseased by alcoholism. Understanding Poe the man, who had true medical problems that caused erratic behavior and depression among many other things, is to have an understanding of the true meaning hidden behind the words of his poetry.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Poe earned his place as a major figure in American letters for his tales of the bizarre and fantastic, short stories that are structurally brilliant and considered precursors of many forms and themes in subsequent American and European literature (Bloom, Harold p.491). Born of impoverished parents and orphaned at the age of two, Poe lived a brief and tragic life: a life whose legend has often proved an overpowering influence on the critical reception of his work (Bloom, Harold p.491). Before Poe was three years old both of his parents died, and he was raised in the house of John Allan, a prosperous exporter from Richmond, Virginia, who never legally adopted his foster son. Poe attended many of the best schools at that time. At the University of Virginia he distinguished himself academically, but after little more than only one year he had to leave because of financial debt and lack of adequate funds from Allan. Poe went on to enlist himself in the army where he finished and published his first poetry collection Tamerlane and Other Poems. These works received no recognition. When his second set of works appeared in 1829, it received only slight attention. Also in 1829 Poe was honorably discharged from the army, having attained the rank of regimental sergeant major, and was then admitted to the United States Military Academy at West Point (Gale Research p.1). However because Allan would neither provide Poe with sufficient funds to maintain himself as a cadet nor giv e the consent necessary to resign from the Academy, Poe gained a dismissal by ignoring his duties and violating regulations (Gale Research p.1). H... ...roversy over the sanity, or at best the maturity of Poe (Paul Elmer More called him â€Å"the poet of unripe boys and unsound men†), it was the question of the value of Poe’s works as serious literature (Gale Research p.5). Edgar Allan Poe’s personal life, especially the stories surrounding his drinking and early death, are dealt with extensively by Poe’s contemporary critics as well as those writing in the twentieth century (Bloom, Harold p. 491). In their confusion of the man and his literary creations, certain critics have ascribed to Poe a morbidity of character and a cruel and unnatural temperament. (Bloom, Harold p. 491). This critical attitude was adumbrated by the publication of Poe’s letters under the direction of R.W. Griswold, his literary executor (Bloom, Harold p.491). Griswold, for reasons unknown, sought to defame Poe by falsifying his letters and printing forged material that portrayed Poe as a bizarre and menacing character (Bloom, Harold p. 491). Although he was ultimately vindicated through the scholarship of A.H. Quinn and others, it has been the work of modern scholars to reestablish Poe’s reputation based on the work and not the man (Bloom, Harold p. 491 ).

History of State and Federal Prisons Essay

State and Federal Prison History The basic history for both state and federal prisons are the same, they were both created to incarcerate criminals that were sentenced for a minimum of thirteen months and a maximum of life. However, state prisons are ran by that state government and are usually for those who are considered â€Å"Blue-collar criminals†. Federal prisons are ran by the U.S government and are for those considered â€Å"White-collar criminals†. Both types of prisons have the same levels of security that can range from minimum to maximum. State Prisons State prisons are controlled by state governments and incarcerate â€Å"blue-collar criminals†. A blue-collar crime is any crime committed by someone of lower class. This comes from the term â€Å"blue-collar worker†. Blue-collar workers are primarily paid a lower wage and are mostly middle class people and lower. Blue-collar criminals primarily commit crimes that are of a personal nature (such as robbery). Federal Prison If a criminal is committed of tax fraud then they will most likely end up in a federal prison. Federal Prisons are run by the national government and primarily house those known as â€Å"white-collar criminals†. A while-collar criminal is a person who commits what is known as a white-collar crime such as Income tax evasion. The term white-collar criminal is related to the term â€Å"white-collar worker†, who are mostly those who receive higher wages and are part of the upper-middle class to the higher class range.

Bad Nutrition

Food is one of the basic needs of man. From the creation of the world through the medieval ages until this period of globalization, this inevitable need has not left the tables. Besides other needs like shelter and clothing, food is one of the elements of survival. Nutrients available for human actions are obtained from food. As a living thing, man performs such functions as movement, respiration, irritability and response to the environment, growth and development, as well as excretion. Energy is needed for these functions. It is obtained from food.Without food, man starves and eventually dies of starvation. Worst still is a deadly death when he is exposed to bad nutrition. The question is: what is nutrition? What constitutes good nutrition? What is the concept of bad nutrition? What difference is there between good and bad nutrition. What are the effects of bad nutrition on the individual and locality where it is prevalent? What factors promote bad nutrition? What steps can be take n to reduce the incidence of bad nutrition? Definition of concepts Nutrition is the process of obtaining nutrients from the food we eat.It is one of the basic functions of man. Nutrient is obtainable from carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, minerals, water, roughages and fats and oil. Each of this class of food is indispensable and anything that constitutes an imbalance in its proportion will cause bad nutrition. Good nutrition is when one consumes these classes of food in the right quantity; this implies that it is not too much and not too small. It also included balanced diet; this is ensuring that all classes of food are eaten in a meal session.Each class of food has specific role in the individual: carbohydrates are good sources of energy obtainable from rice, sorghum, yam, wheat, grains. Proteins can be of animal or plant source; they are found in meat, fish, egg, and are the precursors of amino acids, the building blocks of life. Proteins provide the framework for growth and de velopment. Fats and oil are also effective energy sources; while vitamins are useful for metabolism, minerals and water help to maintain homeostasis of electrolytes and fluids within the internal milieu of an individual. Taking each class in every meal in the appropriate proportion is good nutrition.On the other hand, bad nutrition is eating too much or too little. Epidemiology This problem is a cosmopolitan problem with a global distribution. Because of the affluence and wealth of developed countries, the challenge is that of consuming too much food. Most people patronize eateries and fast food centers to eat burgers and similar food stuff which do not contain all the classes of food in the right proportion. This leads to an increasing trend in the incidence of eating disorders such as anorexia and obesity with their concomitant psychological and physical ailments.This underscores the fact that bad nutrition is not restricted to any region of the world as it affects all. In view of this, bad nutrition is even a worse problem in less developed and developing nations where food is not readily available. Bad leadership constitutes the top factor here; it promotes corruption and misappropriation of public funds. Money allocated to provision of food is diverted to public pockets and who suffers for this? The citizens of course. They are left with no other option that to manage and service on the little meal they can provide for their family from subsistence farming.Wars and political instability in these nations also constitutes plaques that consume the land, productive forces and will that could have been useful in agriculture. Poverty and illiteracy form inseparable twins that perpetuate their bad nutrition. Besides, bad Nutrition plagues a large number of people in America. It is profound to note that quite a number of people in this country do not know what constitutes good nutrition; they only eat! The combinations of food they consume do not enrich the body with essential nutrients in a way.The age of fast foods, snacks and McDonald burgers have made life apparently ‘easy’ but this ease gradually paves the way for the accompanying effects of bad nutrition. Besides the fact many are not aware of good nutrition, those who know do not actually vigorously encourage its practice. The health education in this aspect of our lives is not sufficient. As a result, the problem persists. Unhealthy Nutrition Unhealthy foods are usually very easy to distinguish from healthy meals. The quantity is either insufficient or excessive. Bad food can be described as anything that produces an excess of nutrients or a shortage.The quality of meal also matters. When we eat the same type of food for a long period, it Is very likely that bad nutrition is in practice because some peculiar nutrients may be absent from what we eat. Food with large amount of fats and oil are not healthy; they are toxic to the blood vessels and promote obesity. Foods wit h copious amounts of carbohydrates, fast food, and sweets need to be avoid or eaten in small amounts. People respond to nutrition and the pressures of society in different ways. Food cannot be divorced from prevailing environmental conditions and social circumstances.While some people are able to adapt properly, others do not. Sometimes, social pressures force people to change their dietary habits especially when they see eating as an escape route from their life’s challenges. Such people end up becoming obese and with poor self-image. Apart from obesity, there are other eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia, psychogenic vomiting and eating disorder not otherwise specified. Eating disorders Anorexia is a mental disorder causing the person to uncontrollably lose weight by refusing food. It is common among school girls and female university students.Its prevalence is more in the upper social class than the lower class, and more a problem in the developed nations. F actors that usually promote this include personality traits that drive the individual to look pleasant and fashionable; social belief that thinness is attractive among young ladies. Psychological basis for this disorder is more important: a struggle for control and a sense of identity lead affected individuals to relentlessly pursue thinness by eating too little. As a result, they are thin and weigh less than the standard for age and gender.There could also be other symptoms like depressed mood, social withdrawal and lack of sexual interest. To maintain this shape, they induce vomiting and engage in excessive exercise. On the other hand, Bulimia refers to episodes of uncontrolled excessive eating. The central features here include an irresistible urge to overeat and accompanying extreme measures to control body weight. There is also an overvalued idea concerning self-image and body shape. It is often confused with anorexia because both can occur at the same time. Episodes are usuall y preceded by stress and breaking of self-imposed dietary rules.Overeating relives tension but is soon followed by guilt and disgust. Subsequently the individual induced vomiting. In many cases, there are symptoms of depression but menstrual abnormalities are absent. Obesity constitutes an important disorder: it is a medical condition characterized by excess body fat. When the body mass index is greater than 30kg/square meters, the diagnosis of obesity can be made. At least, 20% of adults in the States will meet this criterion, as the case is in UK. It tends to be aggravated by environmental and social influence that encourage overeating of high calorie foods and lack of exercise.The psychological aspect is not significant, as the case is in anorexia and bulimia. Hazards of bad nutrition Certainly numerous problems can occur because of improper dietary habits. Some of these can be psychological as it is in cases of anorexia and bulimia. This will necessitate mental state and psychia try assessment. These conditions usually also present with disturbances of mood especially depression. They usually require behavior and cognitive therapies because of the devastating effects of the eating disorder may have on the individual.Obesity is closely related to diabetes mellitus as both conditions promote insulin resistance and a state of increased glucose level in the blood. The pancreas is therefore overworked and later ceases to produce insulin. Diabetes is a chronic debilitating disease that affects every organ of the body; it usually presents with neuropathy, retinopathy and nephropathy as a result of micro vascular disturbance caused by the abnormally elevated plasma glucose level. Patients are predisposed to infections, ulcers and immunosuppression.Bad nutrition also adversely affects the heart and blood vessels. Excessive consumption of foods with fats and oil can cause an elevated level of cholesterol. This leads to formation of atheromatous plaques that thicken a nd block blood vessels. Heart disease occurs when arteries near the heart are blocked by cholesterol. There is also increased level of bad cholesterol in form of low density lipoproteins LDL but an expected reduction in the level of good cholesterol in the form of high density lipoproteins HDL. This is closely related to the onset of high blood pressure-hypertensive diseases.Aggressive health education on what constitutes is a primary prevention strategy. Legislation to stop/reduce sale of ‘bad’ food can also help. Prompt diagnosis and treatment of eating disorders and the sequelae of bad nutrition is equally important. Reference ? Frances Sizer and Eleanor Whitney. Nutrition: Concepts and Controversies. Thomson and Wadswoth Publishing House. Ninth Edition. ? Good Nutrition. www. revolutionhealth. com/healthy-living/food-nutrition/food-basics/facts ? Breaking Bad Nutrition Habits. www. eating-healthy. org/breaking-your-bad-nutrition-habits