Suchergebnisse

A single question -- An exclusionary movement is born -- Legal reform to eliminate defectives -- Redrawing the boundaries of protected life -- Crystallizing events and ethical principles -- A bolt from the blue: abortion is legalized -- Man's law or god's will -- Inches from life -- Should the baby live? -- Limits to tolerable suffering -- Alleviating suffering and protecting life -- God, duty, and life worth living -- Assisted dying -- Removing the protective boundaries of life -- A campaign to stop the executions -- The pendulum swings, the debate continues -- Justifying torture -- Lessons learned

We ask a single question: How do we, through our customs, laws, religion, and common practice, go about justifying the violation of these deeply important, perhaps universal, moral imperatives, all the while holding tightly to their importance? The short answer is this: With empathy and logic we draw boundaries and through political debate we set priorities to resolve dilemmas. An infusing theme running throughout is the life-defining importance of assessed social worth. From time to time science, technology, and crystallizing events disturb, clarify, and inform existing understandings of the implied sense of social worth. New resolutions of dilemmas and definitions of life's protective boundaries are called for. In this manner moral systems evolve. We will find they do so along a jagged and often contentious path.

Records from various agencies in the judicial system in Tex, a state with a highly structured set of jury instructions in capital punishment cases, are analyzed over the first decade following reforms induced by the Furman v. Georgia case (1972). As in other states with wider jury discretion statutes, the analysis reveals race-linked disparities. Cases involving white victims are more likely to precipitate the death penalty than cases involving either Hispanic or black victims. This pattern holds across various combinations of victims, offenders, & characteristics of the homicide incident. Analysis of the trial & appeals processes reveals less disparity. There is some variation across case type in: the time from arrest to conviction, the probability that a sentence will be commuted, & the likelihood that an offender will still be under the sentence of death as of mid-1987. 5 Tables, 21 References. Modified HA

Since 1974. Extent of racially-linked disparities in sentencing practices.

Roe v. Wade came like a bolt from the blue, but support had been building for years. For many, the idea that life in the womb was not fully protected under the Constitution was simply not acceptable. Political campaigns were organized and protests launched, including the bombing of clinics and the killing of abortion providers. Questions about the protection and support of life continued after birth. This book is based on a hugely popular undergraduate course taught at the University of Texas, and is ideal for those interested in the social construction of social worth, social problems, and.

Slavery, lynching and capital punishment were interwoven in the United States and by the mid-twentieth century these connections gave rise to a small but well-focused reform movement. Biased and perfunctory procedures were replaced by prolonged trials and appeals, which some found messy and meaningless; DNA profiling clearly established innocent persons had been sentenced to death. The debate over taking life to protect life continues; this book is based on a hugely popular undergraduate course taught at the University of Texas, and is ideal for those interested in criminal justice, social problems, social inequality, and social movements.

Assertions: the building blocks of science -- On predictive implications -- The notion of science: complexities and problems -- A conceptualization of science -- A conceptualization of a scientific theory -- Formal theory construction: illustrations, problems, and issues -- More on issues and problems concerning formal theory construction -- Disastrous beliefs in sociology -- The quest for uniformities and propositions

AbstractThat judges, defense attorneys, and prosecutors are part of a courthouse community that responds to organizational pressures is no longer questioned. What remains puzzling is exactly what impact organizational factors have on case outcomes. In this research, one aspect of this general question is investigated‐whether the clients of "repeat‐players" enjoy special benefits or bear special burdens when punishments are distributed. Previous research has found that the clients of repeat‐players frequently fare worse than other defendants. In the court under study, we find the distribution of justice unaffected by this variable. The task for future research is to specify those conditions under which the level of attorney‐court contact either will or will not have an impact on the distribution of punishment.

Data from four successive yearly cohorts and one special early release cohort of parolees are used to explore the question of whether rapid statewide changes in the administration of criminal justice affected the patterns of recidivism among persons on parole for property offenses. Given the earlier broadly constructed research reported by Ekland–Olson et al. (1993), and their conclusion that variation in shifting policies would have different effects on different types of offenses, we decided to sharpen the focus of the research questions posed by concentrating on recidivism patterns among property offenders. Three alternative explanations—compositional effects, administrative discretion, and deterrence—are explored to interpret the differences found across cohorts While suggestive, these alternative explanations remain open to question given the limitations inherent in quasi‐experimental research. Conclusions related to issues of prison construction policy suggest that more attention be paid to the "replacement factor," whereby "vacancies" left by incarcerated offenders are rapidly filled by others. If future research supports the rapid replacement hypothesis, increased levels of incarceration will yield a larger, more experienced criminal "work force" and ironically a heightened collective potential for crime.

ABSTRACT* * *Depression is a widely noted reaction among persons confronted with dramatic life changes. Those released from total institutions (mental patients, prisoners of war, hostages, ex‐convicts) are especially susceptible to these symptoms. A model, based on extensive field experience and a broad review of literature, is first presented. Data from a cohort of persons released from prison, gathered at three points in time during the first year following release, are then discussed. The results suggest: (1) support for Irwin's model of "reentry," (2) that depression may accompany positive as well as negative life events, and (3) the importance of "bridging networks" in modifying the intensity of depressive symptoms.