Persuasive paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Persuasive paper - Essay Example I want to argue for the strict adherence of school uniforms in school campus and this paper analyses various factors in favor and against the implementation of school uniforms. â€Å"The school uniform is the single-most visible element of any school. Students in school uniform are in fact walking advertisements for a school, giving an impression of the school for good or for bad throughout an entire town or city.† (School Uniform) The school uniform actually is the talking symbol of the educational level and the discipline in the school. Only the reputed schools will be more particular about strictly implementing or maintaining dress codes in schools. Casual dresses in schools will never help the students in focusing their studies since they will take education also casually. The wearing of school uniform will create a sense among students that they are going to place called schools and the purpose of their journey is to acquire knowledge. On the other hand casual wears will never encourage children to think in that way. Moreover in schools if some students bring attractive casuals then the whole attention of other students will be on their colleag ues’ dresses rather than concentrating in the class. Moreover such expensive dresses will encourage other students to persuade their poor parents to purchase such expensive items for them. The safety argument is that school uniforms make it more difficult for unwelcome outsiders to infiltrate the school grounds (Those disgusting School Uniforms) Implementation of school uniform would help to identify the intruders in the school compound and hence the violent crimes can be reduced. In most of the schools the outsiders are responsible for creating problems. If the school uniforms are not there it is difficult for the authorities to identify the intruders and hence the chances of crimes will be increased. ‘School uniforms can help in;

Ethics of Information Communication Technology Dissertation - 1

Ethics of Information Communication Technology - Dissertation Example For the gathering of information and knowledge, the instrument that is required by all human beings is ICT, and security in this regard should be guaranteed to them as their basic right. However, throughout the world, the rights of humans are violated one way or the other. Violation of these rights has created new problems in the human social system like cybercrime, digital divide, digital security and privacy concerns for all of them. Round the globe, all of this has affected the lives of the people directly or indirectly (Sembok, 2003). This shows that due to the rising facilities of the global world, the related crimes are also increasing in the numbers. This increasing rate of the cyber crime has put the privacy and security of the individuals at stake. With such backdrop, this paper will discuss the types of cyber crimes and the upcoming frauds that are done by them. The objective of this paper is to highlight the effects of this crime and under the light of this crime, see the effects it has created on the economy of the United Kingdom. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the effects of cyber crimes on the citizens, businesses, government, and the relevant interventions to deal with it. The range of cyber crimes is much diversified; so the paper will shed light on crimes such as child pornography, identity frauds to the individuals, tax and benefits fraud, NHS frauds, pension frauds, and local government and central government frauds faced by the government. The most affected sector is the business sector; so a major portion of the paper aims to cover this segment and discuss frauds like IP theft, industrial espionage, and online theft. Literature Review The literature review section initially discusses the general use of internet and the need of using this technology; it also talks about the crimes that result from this under the light of different kinds of literature. Then limiting to the topic, the paper aims at discussing the keyword: ‘Cyber Crime’. According to Nelson (2009) cybercrime is referred to as ‘the undertaken activities by the criminals for the financial gain’. He says that ‘such kinds of activities are used to take advantage of the vulnerabilities that are in use of the internet and other electronic systems. These systems illegitimately attack or access the information that is used by the businesses, citizens, and government.’ In this light, the paper will discuss the types of cybercrime and also talk about the ways these cyber crimes are taking place. A number of studies and researchers have been done in order to investigate the topic under discussion. However, this area needs to be researched more so that more valid and authentic conclusions can be drawn from the studies and the results could be applied to the society. The topic is chosen for my research, keeping in view its significance in the field and also, because of its importance in society. As it has been observed i n the societies that as people are getting more aware of the alarming nature of this issue and are interested in finding ways to help overcome this problem, more research work is needed in this area.  

Beck Depression Inventory vs. Hamilton Depression Scale Beck

Beck Depression Inventory vs. Hamilton Depression Scale Beck The revised Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), published in 1996 was authored by Aaron Beck, Robert A. Steer, and Gregory K. Brown. Similar to its predecessor, it consists of 21multiple choice questions that assist in determining the severity of depression. Each item consists of four statements arranged in order to ascertain the severity of a certain symptom of depression. BDI-II conforms to the DSM-IV criteria for depression. Clients who are presented with the BDI-II are asked to answer each question based upon the way they have felt for the past two weeks in order to accurately conform to the DSM-IV criteria. The BDI-II is intended for adolescents and adults and should not be administered to those under the age of thirteen. Scoring The BDI-II consists of twenty one questions, all of which correspond to a particular symptom of depression. Each item consists of a four point scale ranging from 0-3. Items 16 and 18 consist of seven items which are used to indicate an increase or decrease in both sleep patterns and appetite. A total score of 0-13 is considered minimal range, 14- 19 is considered mild, 20-28 is considered moderate, while 20-63 is considered to be severe (Beck, Steer and Brown, 1961). The BDI-II may be scored by hand or by using a software program such as Q Local, where the scores may be recorded and monitored by the clinician. The test may be administered frequently, as it is intended to monitor symptoms that have occurred within a two week range. Reliability Becks Depression Inventory II has been used for many years with great success. Its reliability is still questioned by some. Sprinkle, Lurie, Insko, Atkinson, Jones, Logan and Bassada (2002) state that Although the BDI-II manual (Beck, Steer, Brown, 1996) and various other reports (e.g., Dozois et al., 1998, and Steer, Kumar, Ranieri, Beck, 1998) have offered substantial evidence for the instruments commendable split-half internal consistency (with reported coefficient alphas of .91 and slightly higher), there are only two published reports to date on the instruments test- retest reliability (par.6). Sprinkle et al., (2002) further report Beck, Steer, and Brown (1996) reported on 26 outpatients (no diagnostic information is offered) who were administered the BDI-II at the times of their first and second therapy sessions (approximately one week apart), producing a test-retest correlation of .93 (par 6). Validity Validity of the BDI-II appears to be favorable. A study conducted by Storch, Roberti and Roth (2002) examined the psychometric properties of the BDI-II. 414 students from two separate universities participated in the study. Their results supported BDI-II two-factor structure measuring cognitive-affective and somatic depressive symptoms (par.1). They concluded that the validity of the BDI-II was supported by favorable results with self-report measures of depression and anxiety (par.1). The results of this study duplicate past research of a college sample which supported the reliability and validity of the BDI-II. Arnau, Meager, Norris, and Bramson (2001) also conducted a psychometric evaluation of the BDI-II using primary care patients. The study consisted of 340 primary care patients (7 of which were eliminated due to incomplete responses). 68.8% of the participants were female and the age group tested ranged from ages 18-54(M = 36.5, SD = 10.1, Arnau et al., 2001). The average score from the participants was 8.4 (SD = 9.7). They reported that scores of 14 or higher, suggesting at least a mild level of depression (Beck et al., 1996 as cited in Arnau et al., 2001) were observed in 23.2% of the sample (p.3). Arnau et al., (2001) also found an alpha coefficient of .94, which they considered to be excellent internal consistency. They concluded that the BDI-II yielded strong evidence for the factorial validity of the BDI-II in a primary care setting (p.6). They found that the BDI-II could easily be implemented into the primary care setting without disrupting patient flow. BDI-II Reviews Arbisi and Farmer, reviewers of BDI-II indicate that the BDI-II is easy to administer and requires approximately five to ten minutes to complete. Arbisi states concern however, that there are no validity indicators contained on the BDI or the BDI-II and the ease of administration of a self-report lends itself to the deliberate tailoring of self-report and distortion of the results (Beck, Steeler Brown, 1961 par. 5). Arbisi and Farmer concur that the manual BDI-II was well written and provides a multitude of supportive information regarding norms, factor structure, and notably, nonparametric item-option characteristic curves for each item (Beck, Steer Brown, 1961 par. 4). They contend that the BDI-II has improved upon the original by updating the items to reflect contemporary diagnostic criteria for depression and utilizing state-of-the-art psychometric techniques to improve the discriminative properties of the instrument (Beck, Steer Brown, 1961 par. 10). Although the reviewers have noted their concern regarding the lack of room for diversity, Arbisi and Farmer appear to approve of its use as a depression assessment tool. Hamilton Depression Scale The Hamilton Depression Scale (abbreviated as HDS, HAMD or HAD) is used to measure the severity of symptoms of depression. For many years it was considered to be the gold standard. It was developed by Max Hamilton in the late 1950s and was used to evaluate the performance of the first antidepressants. It was released in 1960. Upon its release, Hamilton acknowledged that it had room for improvement (p. 56). He revised the HDS in 1967. The HDS consists of 21 multiple choice questions. The first 17 questions determine the severity of the depression symptoms, while the additional four questions address the areas of paranoia and obsession and their relation to depression .The HDS can be administered to both children and adults. It is considered to be easy to read and interpret; it is recommended that the HDS be administered only by a licensed professional. Scoring The HDS was intended to be administered by an experienced clinician by conducting a clinical interview.   Scoring and administrating the scale may be considered cumbersome as Hamilton did not provide structured guidelines for this purpose. No standardized probe questions were provided to elicit information from patients and no behaviorally specific guidelines were developed for determining each items rating (Health Care Technology Systems, 2010). Seventeen items are rated on a 5-point (0-4) or a 3-point (0-2) scale. Overall scores of 0-6 are considered normal. Scores from 7-17 are indicative of mild depression. Scores from 18-24 represent moderate depression. Scores that are greater than 24 are representative of severe depression. Reliability Bagby, Ryder, Schuller, and Marshall (2004) state that Clinician-rated instruments should demonstrate three types of reliability: 1) internal reliability, 2) retest reliability, and 3) interrater reliability (par.4). They contend that the internal reliability of the HDS estimates ranged from 0.46 to 0.97, and 10 studies reported estimates 0.70 (par.5). They further contend that the majority of items contained in the HDS indicate sufficient reliability .Per their testing, the following items were met in each sample: (Guilt, middle insomnia, psychic anxiety, somatic anxiety, gastrointestinal, general somatic) and an additional five items met the criteria in all but one sample (depressed mood, suicide, early insomnia, late insomnia, work and interests, hypochondriasis) (par.6). A potential problem was suggested with loss of insight, as it had the greatest number of variables. Interrater reliability was considered to be poor. Cicchetti and Prusoff (1983, as cited in Reynolds and Kobak, 1 995) state in a study of interrater reliability of a 22-item version of the HDRS found low levels of reliability for individual items, with 14 of the 22 items demonstrating intraclass correlation coefficients of less than .40 (par. 4). Retest Reliability Scores for the retest reliability of the HDS ranged from 0.81 to 0.98. Williams (1998 at cited in Bagby et al., 2004) argued in favor of using structured interview guides to boost item and total scale reliability and developed the Structured Interview Guide for the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (par.8). Doing so increased the retest reliability to 0.54 in spite of the fact that only four items met the necessary criteria for reliability; i.e.: depressed mood, early insomnia, psychic anxiety, and loss of libido (par.8). Validity The Hamilton Depression Scale is comprised of 1) Content, 2) Convergent, 3) Discriminant, 4 Factorial, and 5) Predicative Validity. Content validity is determined by examining scale items to determine correspondence with known features of a syndrome (Bagby et al., 2004 par. 9). Convergent validity is sufficient when a scale indicates Pearsons r values of a minimum of 0.50 in conjunction with measures of the same syndrome. Discriminant validity is determined by indicating that groups that differ in diagnostic status may be separated through the use of the scale. Predictive validity of symptom severity measures such as the Hamilton depression scale is determined by a statistically significant (p HDS Reviews Bernard Carroll wrote a letter to the editor of the American Journal of Psychiatry in December, 2005 entitled: Why the Hamilton Depression Scale Endures. He offers three reasons why the HDS remains the gold standard. First of all, he contends that Hamiltons HDS focused on patients burden of illness (par.1). He suggests that this is the reason why the HDS contains examples of anxiety that are present in depressive episodes, but are not part of the diagnosis for depression. He further contends that Hamilton intended the use of this scale for clients that are well known by the clinician. In this light, the HDS displays a range from mild to extreme illness (par. 1). Second, Carroll contends that the demand for a revised scale based upon modern criteria of major depression is not realistic. Carroll believes that Current definitions of major depression, instantiated in DSM-IV, for instance, are deliberately atheoretical nominalist conventions that lack unifying constructs, predictive validity, and explanatory power (par.2). He believes that this is the reason why those who are diagnosed with DSM-IV criteria for major depression are so contrasting. He adds: In the future, we might add biomarkers or endophenotypes to clinical symptoms in assessing depression, but that day is not here (par.2). Third, Carroll does not believe that the HDS has been outmatched in performance. He does not believe that the HDS is insensitive to changes in the severity of depression symptoms. When compared to the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale, he believes that the Hamilton Depression Scale is superior in its sensitivity to change and in detecting early change with treatment while having the advantage of far more comprehensive symptom coverage (par.3). Carroll concludes his letter by stating The endurance of the Hamilton depression scale is remarkable, considering how many unauthorized, nonvalidated, mutant versions now circulate (Hamiltons original 17 items have expanded to 28 at my last count). This is not progress, however, because the text versions and procedural use in many contemporary treatment trials are corrupted (par 4). Paul C Burnett, a reviewer of the HDS contends that the manual is extensive and comprehensive (par.2). The instructions for administering the test are clear and contain examples of the scoring process. All of the symptoms contained in the test are described and provide examples to be used in the interviewing process. He believes that the symptoms contained in the test conform to the criteria listed in the DSM-IV. The manual, which contains a sample of 202 depressed patients, is comprised of 76% inpatients, 24% outpatients, and 69% female (par.3). The manual contends that the demographics are fair, despite the fact that no data is provided to support this. He contends that the manual did not include data to support the procedure that was utilized to select this demographic. Burnett states that Internal consistency estimates were found to be .79 and .81 for the clinical and self-report forms respectively, indicating moderate reliability (par. 4). Other studies suggest that the internal consistency range from .45 to .95, which is stated in the manual as consistent with the results from the verification sample (par.4). Burnett does not consider a range of .45 to .81 as acceptable internal consistency. Burnett concludes that the HDS consists of a well written and concise manual, which clearly describes the administration and scoring process. He finds that the two scales have moderate internal consistency, sound concurrent validity, and relatively consistent and stable factor structures (par. 7). His only complaint is that the verification sample is minimal and does not sufficiently describe the manner in which it was selected. The Stronger Assessment Tool Both Aaron Beck and Max Hamilton have created an assessment tool to determine the severity of the symptoms of depression. While Hamiltons Depression Scale was considered to be the gold standard, and may be administered to both children and adults, one would have to conclude that Becks Depression Inventory-II is the stronger of the two assessments. It appears that the BDI-II can be administered with ease and does not require an interviewing process. The BDI-II has been revised to monitor the severity of symptoms of depression for the last two weeks, while Hamiltons HDS does not state such strict guidelines. It also appears as though the BDI-II contains a stronger internal consistency with an alpha coefficient of .95 as opposed to the HDS internal coefficiency of .79 and .81. Another reason for this conclusion was the original intention of use of the scales. Hamiltons HDS was developed to evaluate the performance of the first generation of antidepressants, while Becks Depression Inventory was developed to determine the nature of the severity of symptoms of depression without the use of medication. Becks BDI-II appears to have surpassed the HDS as reviewers have considered this assessment tool as utilizing state-of-the-art psychometric techniques to improve the discriminative properties of the instrument (Beck, Steer Brown, 1961 par. 10). It appears as though Becks BDI-II is the preferred choice among todays clinicians.

The Nation of Israel Essays -- Hebrew Israel Religion Religious Essays

The Nation of Israel The nation of Israel has played a critical role in the formation of Western and Eastern ideologies and has had an unmistakably profound impact upon the theological and cultural evolution of mankind. Former U.S. President John Adams, commenting on the historical importance of the Hebrews, once said the following: "I will insist the Hebrews have [contributed] more to civilize men than any other nation. If I was an atheist and believed in blind eternal fate, I should still believe that fate had ordained the Jews to be the most essential instrument for civilizing the nations †¦ They are the most glorious nation that ever inhabited this Earth. The Romans and their empire were but a bubble in comparison to the Jews. They have given religion to three-quarters of the globe and have influenced the affairs of mankind more and more happily than any other nation, ancient or modern (Aish).† The Hebrews are not only of undeniable historical significance but also a key factor and concern in contemporary politics. In order to begin to understand the nature of Israeli politics it is important to understand the rich history of the Hebrews and also the events surrounding and leading up to the formation of the nation of Israel. We will begin our investigation into the politics of the nation of Israel by reviewing key historical contributions and events pertaining to that nation and its people. The most significant and widespread impact of the Hebrew culture can be seen in its spread of monotheism to essentially polytheistic cultures. This theological ideal served to both lay the foundation and perpetuate the formation and evolution of the world’s three major monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Isl... ... Nov. 2003 http://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/go.asp?MFAH00i60 XIX. â€Å"A Critique of the Israeli Basic Laws† Israeli Basic Law 18 Nov. 2003 http://www.gongfa.com/zuigaoyuanduizgyihui.htm XX. â€Å"Parties represented in the fifteenth Knesset running for reelection in 2003† Israeli Government (Sixth Reference) 18 Nov. 2003 http://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/go.asp?MFAH0mt10 XXI. â€Å"Results of Elections to the 16th Knesset – Jan 28,2003† Israel Government (Seventh Reference) 18 Nov. 2003 http://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/go.asp?MFAH0n130 XXII. â€Å"The Judiciary: The Court System† Israel Government (Eighth Reference) 18 Nov. 2003 http://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/go.asp?MFAH00gz0 XXIII. Gordon, Evelyn. â€Å"Is it Legitimate to Criticize the Supreme Court?† Azure 18 Nov. 2003 http://www.shalem.org.il/azure/3-articles2.html

The Trail of Tears :: essays research papers

The Trail Of Tears Gloria Jahoda, the author of The Trail of Tears talks about how Indian populations dropped and how white people are the ones responsible for the drop of their population. The white men are not responsible for the drop of the Indian population. Johoda makes all Indians sound like defenseless children. Johoda is making excuses for Indians because Indians let the white man take over their lives and life style. Indians would do everything that was asked of them by the white man instead of standing up for themselves. The Choctaws were granted citizenship in the exception of them not living their everyday life style. Under citizenship, the tribal government of the Choctaws was abolished. Choctaws was given heavy fines and even jail time if the Choctaws dishonored the demands of the white man for their citizenship. Chief Moshulatubbee was shocked so he decided to run for congress. Mississippians took Moshulatubbee wanting to run for congress as a joke. Moshulatubbee lost. The lost started a civil war among the Choctaws. No matter what the Choctaws did they did not get their way. When leaving Mississippi some of the Choctaws died of diseases and of hunger. So the Choctaws gave in and again let the white man take control of them. One of the presidents of the United States, Andrew Jackson went to war with Indians hopping to get rid of the Indians. Black Hawk was a 62-year-old Indian who hated Americans. Black Hawk says that American promises are empty. When ever Americans told Black Hawk that they would do something for the Indians the Americans would never do what they promised. Black Hawk decided to take the side of the British. When ever the British said they would do something for the Indians the British would always do what they promised. Black Hawk always carried a British medal around his neck he respected the British a great deal. Andrew Jackson the president of the United States at the time came face to face with Black Hawk. The president asked Black Hawk, â€Å"why did you go to war,† Black Hawk did not answer. It was said that maybe the sac chief did not understand the question, but I say it’s just another excuse for Indians being naà ¯ve and letting the Americans do what they would l ike with the Indians. This book educates the audience on how there were brave Indians.

Gender Identity Paper Essay

The determination of gender identity is much deeper than whether a person is born a male or a female. The exact identifier that separates gender identity is currently unknown but researchers believe that genetics, hormones, reproductive organs, biological, and environmental factors all play a role in distinguishing a person’s gender identity. A person’s physical gender and their sense of gender are formed at two different times in two different parts of the body. A person’s gender is whether they are born male or female, but the way they identify themselves may be the opposite, which is not uncommon and has occurred since the beginning of time. In culture males are known to be the stronger, more aggressive sex, while females are the fairer, more nurturing sex. Usually, by the age of four, individuals have identified their gender identities aside from what gender they were born as physically. Throughout this paper, I will discuss the biological factors of gender i dentity (nature), environmental factors (nurture), and the role between hormones and behavior, and how these interactions all affect the determination of one’s gender identity. Gender identification begins to develop while the fetus is in the beginning stages of development. Between weeks six and twelve of gestation is when the fetus begins developing reproductive organs and that is when the fetus takes on the role of male or female. Hormones are produced in both the nervous system and the endocrine system and are transported through the blood stream. Specifically, hormones are chemicals that combine and respond to certain cell receptors. Hormones like testosterone and androgen are mainly found in the male gender while estrogen is mainly found in the female gender. Testosterone is a contributing factor to behaviors like aggression. â€Å"Gender identity, an individual’s self-awareness of maleness or femaleness, and gender role, are programmed for the child within his mother’s womb,† (Institute of Medicine, 2006). Evidence has shown that the female gender is likely to excel in verbal skills and muscular coordination when their production of estrogen is high rather than when it is low. For men, they are stronger and more aggressive when their testosterone levels are high and they are able to perform better in actions that require physical performance. The nature side of the theory relies on prenatal hormones that modify the brain and peripheral tissue and the development of male or female external genitalia. Although a person may have a certain physical gender, their gender role is the adoption of masculine or feminine behavioral traits that are appropriate for that specific sex. Gender identity differs from the gender role because it is an individual’s personal sense of sex, which is not necessarily their physical gender. There are multiple stages from childhood to adulthood when hormones are present that are identifiable of a specific gender. The pituitary gland (or hypophysis) secretes many hormones during puberty including adrenocorticotropic hormones, growth hormones, gonadotrophins, prolactin, and thyroid stimulating hormones. Gonadotrophins, which include luteinizing and follicle stimulating hormones, stimulate sex hormone production in the ovaries or testes and also lead to egg and sperm maturity. Prolactin stimulates milk production and adrenocorticotropic hormones stimulate the adrenal glands to secrete steroid hormones like cortisol. All of these hormones play a major role in sexual development and an individual’s determination of gender identity. Environmental factors of gender identity arise as soon as the individual is born. Everything from a female child wearing a pink dress to a male child having a sports themed blanket can play a role in their gender identity. Sociologists believe that by the age of five years old, females show a preference for dolls, arts and crafts, and playing dress up while males prefer cars, blocks, tools, and outdoor play. â€Å"The environment has a direct relation to personality traits, because characteristic adaptations are always involved in expression,† (Nature over Nurture, 2000). At a young age, children who are taught that traits and activities are appropriate or inappropriate for them to perform because of their gender tend to absorb those teachings and are influenced by them later in life. For example, young girls who are raised believing boys are innately better at sports than girls, may disclaim their interest in sports and go on to believe they are not good at them without pract icing them to their full potential. Both males and females have proven to be great athletes but if at a young age, a girl is told she will never be as good as a boy she may never give sports and athleticism a chance. Young children learn by observations, if a young girl witnesses her mother performing the acts of a man then she will repeat those acts and believe that is what is appropriate for her. The same goes for the male gender, if a little boy observes his father doing something that a woman is more likely to do like sewing or interior decorating then that is what the little boy will believe is expected of him upon adulthood. â€Å"For instance, the way in which one educates children, how children in institutions such as orphanages are raised, and the kinds of day-care are considered optimal have all been influenced by one’s understanding of the interaction of biology and environment regarding gender identity,† (Kowalski & Westen, 2005). The previous statement is very true because children observe many things that one may never think would make any difference but in reality they do. Nature factors include everything from what kind of parents raise the child, what roles they perform, the culture, and even the color of paint on the child’s walls all make a difference in the child’s personal gender identity. I believe that between nature and nurture and their influence on gender identity, nature has a greater influence. For example, if a perfectly healthy little girl with no hormone disorders is raised with a single father and only brothers with no immediate influence of females, she is more likely to become a tomboy and take on the gender identity that resembles that of her father’s or brothers’. The same reference goes for a boy raised with a single mother and only sisters with no immediate influence of a male figure in his life. Matthew Wolfe-Meyer makes a valid point when saying, â€Å"nature and its contestation is a dominant strategy†¦ unfortunately nurture fails to receive similar scrutiny and culture is more often used as an explanatory device than deeply interrogated for its logistics.† Often times when a child is going through puberty and takes on the role of the opposite gender, many people jump to the hypothesis that there may be something wrong with their hormones or a chemical imbalance but before jumping to that conclusion, they should look at their home life, how was the child raised, what was their environment like and from there they will find many answers. All children naturally comply with the demands of their internal sense of gender without effort. If the child becomes confused with their gender then they often refer to behaviors of adults near them and they learn what actions are appropriate for them relatively quick. Environmental factors bear a critical amount of effectiveness in gender identity but because environmental factors are ever changing, it proves that the nurture theory is a substantial factor. Currently, psychologists and researchers do not know the exact causes of gender identity and individuals taking on the opposite roles. But there are many factors that support both sides of the nature versus nurture argument. The male and female genders each have differences in many areas both physical and emotional but neither is â€Å"better† than the other. By the age of four years old each child already has an idea of who they are and what gender they belong to. Gender confusion is normal but most children are able to look at parents or acting influences in their lives and see what the appropriate actions are for their gender. Nature versus nurture has and will continue to be a strong argument. References: McCrae, R. R., Costa, P. r., Ostendorf, F., Angleitner, A., HÃ…â„¢ebà ­Ã„ kovà ¡, M., Avia, M. D., & †¦ Smith, P. B. (2000). Nature over nurture: Temperament, personality, and life span development. Journal Of Personality And Social Psychology, 78(1), 173-186. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.78.1.173 Matthew Wolf-Meyer. (2007). Complexities: Beyond nature and nurture. Anthropologica, 49(2), 325-327. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/214174663?accountid=35812 Money, J. (1971). Differentiation of gender identity and gender role. Psychiatric Annals, 1(4), 32-37,42-43,8-9. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/894195162?accountid=35812 (2006). Institute of medicine (us) committee on assessing interactions among social, behavioral, and genetic factors in health. Washington DC: National Academies Press (US). Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK19934/

Crime Prevention Coalition of America Essay

Crime Prevention Coalition of America is the crime prevention program that this paper will cover. During this paper I will attempt to discuss what Crime Prevention Coalition of America is and what their philosophy is. It will also show the element or elements of the crime triangle that the Crime Prevention Coalition of America program seeks to address. This paper will analysis how the Crime Prevention Coalition of America works, it will also including statistical support, of the success of the program in affecting crime. A critical analysis of the effectiveness of the Crime Prevention Coalition of America. Commentary on the impacts of societal factors that deals with the Crime Prevention Coalition of America. Then I will attempt to make a prediction concerning the technological advancements of the program and the resulting success or failure based upon those advancements. â€Å"The Crime Prevention Coalition of America is a nonpartisan group of more than 400 national, state, federal, and community-based organizations united to promote citizen action to prevent crime. Established in 1980, its members include youth development organizations, municipalities, law enforcement agencies, federal and state government representatives, state crime prevention associations, and community-based groups† (NCPC, 2012). The Crime Prevention Coalition of America works with all these groups to ensure a way to make safe communities. â€Å"The philosophy of the Crime Prevention Coalition of America believes that: Preventing Crime Is * Everyone’s business * More than security * A responsibility of all levels and agencies of government * Linked with solving social problems * Cost-effective Preventing Crime Requires * A central role in law enforcement * Cooperation and collaboration by all elements of the community * Education * Tailoring to local needs and conditions * Continual evaluation and improvement† (NCPC, 2012). Under the philosophy of Crime Prevention Coalition of America it is everyone’s job to help prevent and control the criminal element. This group believes that each of us should do are part in preventing crimes and making sure that the people who are committing crimes are held accountable. The Crime Prevention Coalition of America brings the community and law enforcement together, because this group knows that law enforcement can’t control the criminal element alone. The crime triangle is made up of three different things they are: target, desire, and opportunity. All of these have to be present of a crime to be successful. The element or the elements of the crime triangle that the Crime Prevention Coalition of America are all three of the elements that make up the triangle. â€Å"The first element of the crime triangle is desire. That is the criminal’s drive, intent and motivation. There is nothing you can realistically do to curtail or eliminate that desire. Once he has the desire, he is looking for a target and an opportunity. A target is anyone who appears to be an easy victim. A target appears not to be aware of their surroundings and appears easy to overtake or overpower. An easy target, by definition, will not put up any resistance. The next element is opportunity. You control this by paying attention to your environment. Are you in a bad area of town? Are you walking in an unlit area? Are you in a secluded area? Are you letting strangers in too close to ask questions – not defining personal boundaries? Limiting opportunities is about being aware of your environment and your intuition to remove yourself from a questionable environment once you sense danger† (Women’s Self-Defense Institute, 2002-2012). With the knowledge that the Crime Prevention Coalition of America gives people in the community and the knowledge that it gives to the law enforcement group it allows people to be aware of the three elements of the crime triangle and it allows you to remove the ones that you are capable of changing. Of the three elements of the crime triangle you can’t do  nothing about the desire part because that is all up to the criminal, however you can change the way you are looked at as a target and the opportunity of becoming a victim. These two parts of the crime triangle you can be taught to manage and be aware of. The way that this program can teach you about the desire part of the crime triangle is that it teaches you to the observation of the people around you. With knowing who is around you, you will be able to see how a person who is acting weird and maybe up to no good. The Crime Prevention Coalition of America works to prevent crimes in many ways; it will also show the statistical support to show how effective they are in this area if there is proof and with the success of the program in affecting crime and crime rate. â€Å"In October 2007, the National Crime Prevention Council, in partnership with the Crime Prevention Coalition of America and the U.S. Department of Justice, hosted the 8th National Conference on Preventing Crime: Helping Build Safer Communities, in Atlanta, GA. CPCA members received a member discount of $50 off their registration fees for the conference. The conference offered more than 65 educational sessions presented by the nation’s leading crime prevention specialists on topics such as emerging trends in crime prevention, bullying, Internet safety, community preparedness, Neighborhood Watch, gang prevention, fraud prevention for senior citizens, and more. The conference provided a forum and training for all crime prevention practitioners to identify and learn about emerging trends and issues and ways to address them; to network with colleagues from across the country, sharing experiences and successes; and to renew commitments to prevention as a priority in reducing crime. The National Conference on Preventing Crime has proven to be a driving force in disseminating crime prevention information nationwide and promoting crime prevention issues to policymakers at the national, state, and local levels†( The Crime Prevention Coalition of America, 2007). â€Å"The Crime Prevention Coalition of America has developed a number of strategies to help carry out its mission of making crime prevention a grassroots community movement and a national priority. The Coalition has worked to * Develop and implement a crime prevention action initiative to enlist individuals, businesses, faith communities, community groups, and governments to implement prevention strategies, tactics, and programs, building on the success of the National Citizens’ Crime Prevention Campaign * Identify, develop, and promote  community-level programs, projects, policies, and approaches that have proven successful in reducing crime * Establish substantive themes for community action initiatives * Foster shared responsibility among Coalition member organizations to encourage prevention-focused reporting on crime * Enhance the structure and operations of the Crime Prevention Coalition of America to help its member organizations provide leadership in the effort to reduce and prevent crime * Create Coalition member task groups to focus on specific issues of concern to member organizations * Strengthen the National Crime Prevention Council, the secretariat of the Crime Prevention Coalition of America, to be the nation’s primary source for crime prevention information† (NCPC, 2012). These are the strategies that the Crime Prevention Coalition of America has put into place to try to get its message across and away to provide people with the knowledge to keep themselves and their love ones from becoming a victim of criminal active. According to the Bureau of Justice Assistance there are still things we don’t know about the effectiveness of these programs and if they are the true cause for the drop in the crime rate â€Å"While there is some evidence of the effectiveness of some community-based programs, there is still much to learn about the impact of these programs on crime. To date, there are relatively few methodologically rigorous evaluations of these programs. As a result, researchers have often not been able to establish whether the program or other factor(s) were responsible for the observed outcomes. Isolating a community crime prevention program’s effect has been particularly difficult due to factors such as: * program evaluation costs; * identifying appropriate comparison areas; * implementation of multiple programs in a community; * small samples; * individualized nature of the intervention; and * Data collection problems (e.g., refusal of stakeholders to support data collection efforts). Despite some positive results to date, evidence of crime reduction or prevention attributable to community-based crime prevention programs is limited. Until more methodologically rigorous evaluations are conducted, it is not possible to determine whether the lack  of positive results is due to flawed program theory, weak evaluation designs, or poor program implementation†(2008). So with this evidence it is hard to determine if the program works or not. There is a lot that goes into a successful program and it is like anything else that is successful in this world, it is going to be a lot of hard work and it will require a lot of time to go into it to make it a success. There is an old saying that anything worth having is worth working for and nothing comes easy. This includes crime free communities to have a crime free community you have to work hard at it. Societal factors that deals with the Crime Prevention Coalition of America are the fact that normal everyday people are willing to stand up and hold people accountable for their actions whether it be someone you know or a person that is a complete stranger to you. â€Å"Citizens need to work closely with local law enforcement serving as the eyes and ears of the community. Dr. Warr suggests three ways to better align perceptions with actual risk: 1) Educate people about the context of crimes that are reported in the media 2) Educate them about the facts surrounding likelihood of victimization 3) Address the environmental cues to danger All these efforts are mainstays of crime prevention, which the Crime Prevention Coalition of America defines as â€Å"a pattern of attitudes and behaviors directed both at reducing the threat of crime and enhancing the sense of safety and security, to posi tively influence the quality of life in our society, and to help develop environments where crime cannot flourish.†(Crime Prevention Matters, 2008). The prediction concerning the technological advancements of the Crime Prevention Coalition of America and the resulting whether they will be successful or failures based upon these advancements. â€Å"Under the umbrella of the new strategic plan, NCPC will continue to supply resources, tools, and training to reduce the opportunities for crime. In the fall of 2007, through the support of the Bureau of Justice Assistance, U.S. Department Justice, NCPC released Volume 3 of Crime Prevention Presentations, a CD-ROM for use by CPCA members. These presentations are in PowerPoint format and cover topics such as online predators, preventing violence in the workplace, prisoner reentry, and keeping information safe in the technology age. Volumes 1 and 2, which include presentations on 15 crime prevention topics, are available free online. Each presentation is designed to educate, increase awareness, and teach prevention strategies. These presentations are  ideal for CPCA members who are not able to travel to training events due to budget or personnel constraints†( The Crime Prevention Coalition of America,2007). With their program changing to stay up with the advancements in technology the program seems to me like it has insured its survival for now. As long as you can change your program just enough to adapt to the changes in the world around you then you will ensure the life of your program. With the every change world of technology and the evolving world of crime these crime prevention programs will have to continue to change to stay up with the changes in our every changing lives. The Crime Prevention Coalition of America is a crime preventing program that has been around for a while now and with its longevity it has partnered up or help create other organizations to help people prevent or fight crime in their neighborhoods. The Crime Prevention Coalition of America was established to teach people and to show people what will and can happen if crime sets up shop in their communities. This program is a successful one because it not only focuses on prevent crimes but it also can help people who have been victims regain control of their lives. â€Å"He who does not prevent crime when he can, encourages it.†Ã¢â‚¬â€Roman philosopher, Seneca (Crime Prevention Matters. 2008). References Bureau of Justice Assistance. (2008). BJA. What Have We Learned From Evaluations of Community-Based Crime Prevention Programs?. Retrieved 10 December 2012, from https://www.bja.gov/evaluation/program-crime-prevention/cbcp2.htm. Crime Prevention Matters. (2008). NCPC. Crime Prevention Matters. Retrieved 10 December 2012, from http://www.ncpc.org/resources/files/pdf/misc/crime-prevention-matters.pdf. NCPC. (2012). National Crime Prevention Council. About. Retrieved 9 December 2012, from http://www.ncpc.org/programs/crime-prevention-coalition-of-america/about NCPC. (2012). National Crime Prevention Council. Crime Prevention Coalition of America. Retrieved 9 December 2012, from http://www.ncpc.org/programs/crime-prevention-coalition-of-america. The Crime Prevention Coalition of America. (2007). NCPC. Mobilizing the Nation to Prevent crime, Violence and Drug Abuse. Retrieved 10 December 2012, from