The James Bulger Case Criminology Essay

The James Bulger Case Criminology Essay Both Attard and murder.co.uk introduce the case by saying that on the 12th of February, Denise Bulger took her son, Jamie, to her local shopping centre in Bootle,Liverpool at around 3.30 p.m. Nine minutes later she realised that her son was not next to her anymore and started to look for him. She went to security , police were called on the spot and together they watched CCTV cameras of the shopping centre to try and determine what happened to the boy. Jamie was seen leaving the premises alongside two other boys and the police thought little of it as no one could have ever made out the horrific events that followed so they set out to search for him and the two boys. A couple of days later , some children were playing next to a train railway and saw what they thought was a doll or something similar. When they got close to the presumed doll , they saw the most haunting image one could imagine ; a toddlers body cut in half.Police were again called on the spot and initial indications sho wed that the body belonged to Jamie Bulger.After this horrendous find , police deepened its investigation even using the media as a mean to get to the bottom of all of it with the children seen accompanying him in the tape being the prime suspects. A tip came in on who the boys might be, and two boys both aged 10 ;Jon Venables and Robert Thompson (their identity was only revealed after the sentencing) were brought in for questioning. Both boys were sent to court and tried with the murder of Jamie Bulger. The trial began in November of 1993, and the horrific events of this macabre murder were revealed to shock not just the nation but the whole world. After leaving the premises together with Jamie Bulger , Jon Venables and Robert Thompson took him on a 2.5 mile trip beating him along the way until they reached the railway. Once there, Jamie was further beaten, thrown stones and paint at, and had his trousers and shoes removed implying perhaps a sexual assault (never proven.)In additio n to this, Jamie was hit with an iron rod for around 30 times , leading to his death. Afterwards, the boys put Jamie on the railway fully knowing that a train would come soon to try and conceal their terrible actions by perhaps implying that Jamie would have walked there on his own, fell , and hit by a train. This shows the full wittiness of the boys and that they knew exactly what they were up to. Both Jon Venables and Robert Thompson were found guilty and sent to at least 8 years imprisonment in a detention centre. B)Background Of Case The forensic evidence presented in James Bulgers case proved to be very strong and lead to the boys being found guilty beyond any reasonable doubt. Forensic scientists such as Graham Jackson , Andy Mulley and Philip Rydeard managed to conclude that blood found on the suspects matched that of the victims but not just this , Rydeard also managed to prove that the shoe characteristics of one of the boys was found on the victim. A number of paint-marks were found both on the victims and the suspects clothes. These marks , light-blue in colour , established that this paint was used during or before the murder. This helped to further strengthen the evidence brought forward against Jon Venables and Robert Thompson. http://www.crimeandinvestigation.co.uk/crime-files/james-bulger/trial.html The number of blows that James suffered from the boys were so numerous that no forensic scientist was able to determine which blow was the fatal one. http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/notorious_murders/young/bulger/6.html Videotape recordings of the boys interrogations were shown in court as evidence by the prosecution. A pathologist , Alan Williams, utilised in the case concluded that James Bulgers foreskin had been manipulated with. Thus , this might imply that there was a sexual element in the murder , a notion that was never proven as the evidence was inconclusive. http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/reexamining-the-evidence-a-year-ago-this-week-james-bulger-was-murdered-by-two-11yearold-boys-the-crime-shook-the-nation-the-boys-were-tried-convicted-and-locked-away-but-what-do-we-know-about-them-do-we-know-why-they-did-it-after-months-of-research-including-interviews-with-parents-of-both-boys-we-publish-in-two-parts-the-story-that-has-not-been-told-1392400.html This evidence was perhaps the weakest presented in court against the young defendants. In addition to this , the shopping centres CCTV tapes , the numerous weapons such as 27 bricks , stones and the 22lb iron rod were all presented in court to further remove all possibilities of the boys innocence. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/james-bulger-suffered-multiple-fractures-pathologist-reveals-twoyearold-had-42-injuries-including-fractured-skull-jonathan-foster-reports-1503297.html 38 witnesses also took the stand all saying that they saw Bulger accompanying Venables and Thompson on Bulgers fatal journey to the railway.A woman testified that she even stopped them and was going to take Bulger to the police station herself but withdrew from doing so and trusted the boys with the quest , little knowing what they were up to.http://www.murderuk.com/child_killers_thompson_venables.html The evidence presented in the case is both strong and unique , the blood found on the victim was matched with that of the suspect, the paint was also equal on both the victim and the suspects , whilst the shoeprint of one of the suspects was found on the victims body.In addition to this , CCTV cameras played a key role in this case as they showed the boys leaving the shopping premises whilst other CCTV cameras of premises leading to the railway also showed Bulger being accompanied by Venables and Thompson. .http://www.murderuk.com/child_killers_thompson_venables.html C(investigation) After the suspects were brought in for questioning, the police started to suspect that the involvement of Venables and Thompson in the murder was almost certain , yet they had to prove this and the fact that the suspects were both 10 years old did not help them all. Since the boys were under the age of 14 , a specific set of questions were asked by the police so that they can determine whether the suspects knew right from wrong and this would help to destroy the notion of doli incapax in court. The boys differ in their reaction to interrogation, Venables is terrified of the idea of going to prison , Thompson on the other hand , keeps his composure and stays cool despite fully knowing the consequences.They both start to slowly give details of the case with Venables stating that he was at the area but never at the shopping centre , Thompson on the other hand gives a vivid description of Bulger including the outfit Bulger was wearing the day of the murder.The police finally notice that Thompson can not conceal his nervousness whenever Bulger is mentioned until finally he breaks and admits that they had taken him to the railway.On the 20th of February 1993 , after managning to collect enough evidence , the police were finally able to charge both Venables and Thompson with the kidnapping and manslaughter of Bulger. http://www.crimeandinvestigation.co.uk/crime-files/james-bulger/trial.html Despite the fact that the investigation was handled logically well given the tender age of the suspects , personally I still believe that it could have been handled better. First of all, I would have brought in the witnesses infront of the suspects to see the suspects reaction to them and perhaps get the confession out of them faster. In addition to this , I would have tried to put the fact that the suspects were mere boys aside as much as possible and fought for not just a confession but perhaps for an explanation as to why they committed the horrific murder. This would have been very helpful in court, not just to show the awareness that the boys had of the nature of the crime they committed, but to further establish whether these boys were a threat to society or whether this was just something that happened without any possible explanation. The pressure the police had from both the media and the whole nation certainly did not help them in their investigation and perhaps this is why the police were looking for a confession as quick as possible. Since the media was portraying the suspects as monsters it must have been very hard for the police to sympathize with the suspects as they could not understand why these boys had committed this murder.This would be where my investigation would differ, as I wouldve befriended the suspects , hard as it would have been , in order to try to get the truth perhaps by doing what you would with do any kid ; offering them a reward for their cooperation. This , I believe , would have played a crucial role in getting a confession out of the boys. D) Why it Happened?(Criminological theories) A number of criminological theories could be put into question in James Bulgers case but perhaps the most controversial one could be applied in this case; Cesare Lombrosos Born- Criminal theory. This criminological theory is inarguably the most dangerous one as it gives no logical explanation as the criminals themselves can not explain why they commit certain crimes and no one can recognise these crimininals except for their special characteristics or their odd behaviour according to Lombroso. http://roxbury.net/images/pdfs/ct4ssg.pdf This theory could be applied in this case as the boys never gave any real explanation to why they committed the crime, which might have been due to the fact that they did not possess any logical explanation which even if not entirely, it backs the Born-Criminal theory. This notion of being born criminal is also backed by the detectives who handled this case as they could find no other possible justification why children could murder children alike. On the other hand , in the case of Robert Thompson , the criminogenic family he was raised in could have played an important factor in his behaviour. His mother and his siblings were all mercilessly beaten by his father Robert Thompson senior who eventually abandoned his family. After this, his mother turned to drinking and violent behaviour became a habit if her aswell. This shows that Thompson was not immune to violent behaviour , which may in turn give some insight about his criminal behaviour. Jon Venables also showed a rather odd behaviour even if not entirely criminal at school after his parents split up.He demanded to have everything he wanted, and violence was his main amusement . In addition to this, when Jon Venables went to spend a few days with his father, he was exposed to some incredibly gr uesome videos or pornographic ones which were certainly not suitable for his young age.One of this videos , Childs Play 3 contained a horrific murder which was very close in resemblance to the one he and his friend Thompson committed. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1257614/The-police-sure-James-Bulgers-year-old-killers-simply-wicked-But-parents-dock.html Criminology is the study of criminal behaviour but in this case society seemed to deter from trying to understand these young boys , rather they enjoyed condemning them blaming everything from violent video games to problems in society such as divorce and theft amongst other things. This lead to society accepting the notion put forward by then Prime Minister John Major that society should try to understand a little less and rather condemn a little more. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/major-on-crime-condemn-more-understand-less-1474470.html

Throwing Away your Money Essay -- Environment, Trash Collection

Section One Residents may be throwing away more than trash when the city run garbage trucks collect their rubbish. Government run solid waste collection costs approximately twenty-five percent more than when a private contract company is utilized. (Teel 1993) The concept of privatizations of solid waste collection services is nothing new. This change from using government employees and government owned trucks and landfills to contracting with a private company for solid waste collection is a trend that is getting more attention lately. The move to privatization is usually driven by the desire for cost savings. (Hyres, 2010) There is much debate over the quality of public versus private contracts of municipal services. The other branch of this debate is the cost benefits to taxpayers. One of these municipal services is solid waste collection. Waste services can be broken down into three areas, all of which are available to be contracted out to private companies. The stages are collection of solid waste from households and businesses, recycling (collection and processing), and disposal of non-recyclable products at landfills. (Wright & Nebel, 2002) There are costs incurred for each stage especially at the landfill. From the collection, to the sorting, to final disposal all of this ends up being a costly process for the taxpayer. In this economic climate, many cities are facing budget shortfalls and waste collection is getting close attention. Medina County is no exception, Medina is looking for ways to save, and more efficiently use taxpayer’s money. One viable option is to privatize garba ge collection. The policy for solid waste management in Medina County needs to be amended from being a flow-control system manag... ...it. There will be resistance with privatization, but it is still worthwhile. It is an option that needs to be thoroughly considered. To minimize resistance and job loss, it can be requested for a company to hire some city workers in the contract. (Hyres, 2010) The benefits of privatization are undeniable. Privatization manages liabilities, improves efficiency, cuts costs, and improves accountability. (Raphaelson, 1998) Between the economic conditions, and local governments being faced with many projects that need taxpayer’s dollars, it is a good time to push for privatization of garbage collection and landfills. It is a very difficult decision for an elected official to make, but today’s economy is giving them the â€Å"political cover† to make the move towards privatization, and if it is done properly, it is a win-win decision for all involved. (Segal, 2000)

Against for Profit Prisons

GE 217 Against for profit prisons Prisons for profit have a different mission than public prisons, they must earn revenue. This means they have an inherent interest in ensuring prisons stay filled, even at the taxpayer’s expense. When a state government enters into a contract with a private prison company, it legally binds the taxpayer to pay the company a certain dollar amount per inmate per day. This has led to over incarceration and violence at private facilities nationwide. The relationship between prisons and private industry is not a recent innovation, but rather dates back to our nation’s origin.In the colonial period, incarceration was a rarely utilized form of punishment. Newly formed governments, unequipped to house criminals, looked to private jailers to provide detention services. At the beginning of the nineteenth century, via legislation or private contracts, some states leased prison labor to private enterprises. In other states, private organizations exe rted complete control over the prison function. (Robbins, 1989) Prison overcrowding has evolved into a critical social problem. Per capita the United States incarcerates more individuals than any other industrialized nation in the world.Studies show that private facilities perform badly compared to public ones on almost every instance from prevention of intra-prison violence, jail conditions, and rehabilitation efforts—except reducing state budgets and adding to the corporate bottom line. To keep their gravy train rolling, private prison companies need a few things from state and local government. * Lots of people arrested and convicted (often of essentially victimless crimes) and given long sentences. This most heavily impacts young black males—about one in nine of whom is in prison, many for using or selling marijuana, or, to a lesser degree, harder drugs. Although whites have comparable drug use rates, their prosecution rates are dramatically lower. ) * Opposition t o the decriminalization of drug use, which would cut sharply into prison industry profits. (As a result, it isn’t going to happen. ) * The continued criminalization and detention of undocumented foreigners. Louisiana is the world's prison capital. The state imprisons more of its people, per head, than any of its U. S. counterparts. Which makes America first among the world? Louisiana's incarceration rate is nearly triple Iran's, seven times China's and 10 times Germany's.One in 86 adult Louisianans is doing time, nearly double the national average. And for African – Americans from New Orleans, 1 in 14 is in prison, parole or on probation. (Baker, 2012) The hidden engine behind the state's well-oiled prison machine is cold, hard cash. A majority of Louisiana inmates are housed in for-profit facilities, which must be supplied with a constant influx of human beings or a $182 million industry will go bankrupt. Several homegrown private prison companies command a slice of t he market. But in a uniquely Louisiana twist, most prison entrepreneurs are rural sheriffs, who hold tremendous sway in remote parishes.A good portion of Louisiana law enforcement is financed with dollars legally skimmed off the top of prison operations. If the inmate count dips, sheriffs bleed money. Their constituents lose jobs. The prison lobby ensures this does not happen by thwarting nearly every reform that could result in fewer people behind bars. Meanwhile, inmates subsist in bare-bones conditions with few programs to give them a better shot at becoming productive citizens. Each inmate is worth $24. 39 a day in state money, and sheriffs trade them like horses, unloading a few extras on a colleague who has openings.A prison system that leased its convicts as plantation labor in the 1800s has come full circle and is again a nexus for profit. In Louisiana, a two-time car burglar can get 24 years without parole. A trio of drug convictions can be enough to land you at the Louisia na State Penitentiary at Angola for the rest of your life. (Chang, 2012) For profit prisons often try to economize, but even the best run companies have come to recognize that operating with too small or poorly trained staff can spell trouble, and experts say state officials must pay close attention to the level of services being provided.Even if private – prison corporations succeed in cutting costs, there is unlikely to be sufficient competition in any given community to ensure that the savings result in diminished government budgets for corrections. There is a substantial likelihood that government contracts with prison corporations will fully protect neither the interests of the public nor the prison inmates. (Hogan, 2006) Studies show that private facilities perform badly as compared to public ones on almost every instance from the prevention of intra-prison violence, jail conditions, and rehabilitation fforts—except reducing state budgets and adding to the corpor ate bottom line. A 2004 report found that private prisons had 50 percent more inmate on inmate assaults and almost 50 percent more inmate on staff assaults. Private prison companies cut costs by hiring cheaper, lower skilled staff and fewer of them. The result is a vicious cycle where poorly trained and poorly disciplined corrections officers are incapibable of adequately responding to prison emergencies. Prison safety conditions deteriorate, and more staff quit, increasing the turnover rate.There is also less than adequate medical care for inmates, in some extreme cases infirmaries are often closed certain times due to shortage of guards. Other areas to suffer in private prisons are psychiatric care, educational, and meals in order for the prison to earn a profit; these programs seem to get cut before other many others. It is my opinion that privatization undermines sentencing reforms, cost the taxpayer more money, and endanger the lives of prison staff and inmates alike.Offenders are incarcerated for reasons of their own making; I feel that having their freedom taken away should be punishment enough. They should not have to suffer anymore beyond that, especially for corporate greed. I strongly feel that prisons should be left in the hands of the public sector, which can operate them in a safe and true manner for which they were intended. Works Cited Baker, R. (2012, May 1). Briefing: For Profit Prisons.Retrieved from Who, What, Why, Forensic Journalism: Thinking Hard, Digging Deeper: Http:whowhatwhy. com brinkerhoff, N. (2012, May 17). Retrieved from Info wars: http://www. inforwars. com Chang, C. (2012, May 13). Louisana is the worlds capital. Retrieved from Nola. com: http://www. nola. com Hogan, M. (2006, June 2). Correction Corp. Breaks Out,. Retrieved from BUS. WK. ONLINE,: htpp://www. businessweek. com/investor/content/jun2006/pi20060602_072092. htm23id Robbins, I. P. (1989). The Legal Dimensions of Private Incarceeration.

The Transition to Postmodernism Essay - 3040 Words

The Transition to Postmodernism Works Cited Not Included Postmodernism is a difficult term to define, as it is evident in many different disciplines, such as art, literature, architecture, technology, and, the precise emerging moment of this movement is also hard to identify. In order to truly understand `Postmodernism, one must first identify with `Modernism and its subsequent decline which led to the appearance of the Post-modern ear. It is often suggested that Postmodernity is simply a continuation or advancement of Modernity. For example, Bauman, (Crook, Pakulski, Walters, 1992: p.2) claims that `Postmodernism is simply a replacement of classical Modern capitalist society. However, this assumption has undergone much debate†¦show more content†¦The sudden upheaval of Modernism was not wholly shocking, as it did offer some assurance as to direction this change was taking; modern societies were going to grow and differentiate. (Crook, Pakulski, Walters, 1992: p.2) This can be seen in Andersons text, Modernity and Revolution. In it, he evokes the arguments of Marshall Berman in All That Is Solid Melts Into Air, in which Berman shone light once again on the relationship between Modernity and revolution. Modernism is acknowledged as a `body of experience (Anderson, EL875) of which is universally and globally shared. Berman and Anderson reflect on Modernism in a positive way, underlining that it can unite all mankind. This movement, according to Anderson, would not only envelope experiences of adventure and development, but would also, as I mentioned previously, endanger all that we are familiar with, and thus, in Marxs words, all that is solid melts into air.(Anderson, EL875; p.317) Anderson questions the propeller of this whirlpool of change and identifies the initiator as socioeconomic modernization; these being social processes such as scientific advances and urbanization. These new ideas and visions allow each person to change and claim this new age as their own. Anderson distinguishes the connection between the terms `Modernity, `Modernization; and `Modernism. He states that `Modernity is the process which links the economics of `Modernization and the culture of `Modernism. This is theShow MoreRelatedPostmodernism Essay1696 Words   |  7 Pagesbut when society views changed from modernism to postmodernism this shook the structure of brand identity. There was a shift in the demographics of their customers, instead of a company just being a business that customers buy from, the customers have become â€Å"stakeholders† in the company and their brand identity. This is known as the shift from ‘live to consume’ to ‘consume to liveâ₠¬â„¢. This essay will analyze the process of branding and how postmodernism changed from ‘Live to Consume’ to ‘Consume to Live’Read MorePostmodernism: The Movement in Life Essay1263 Words   |  6 Pagesthe culture of this nation. 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