Handling Murder Scenes Investigations Criminology Essay

Handling Murder Scenes Investigations Criminology Essay Different areas tend to be prone to crime and hence the necessity of having appropriate interventions and measures which will be adopted in the handling of the murder scenes.The paper presents analyses of how law enforcers handle murder scenes and the health and legal risks associated with processing the crime scene. Conversely, it describes the strategies that should be developed by the typical law enforcement organization to improve their murder scene handling skills. Introduction Definitively, murder scene investigation refers to analytical use of physical evidence to deduce and obtain knowledge of the events surrounding the murder. This investigation is multidisciplinary and entails use of systemic search, observation and at times lab or forensic analysis of evidence. Handling and actions taken at the start of murder scene investigation plays an important role in the resolution of a case (Peterson, Mihajlovic Gilliland, 1998). A thorough investigation provides opportunities that make sure the latent physical evidence is not contaminated or likely witnesses overlooked, since if handled badly it would lead to both health and legal risks.Going by the global standards and individual country legislations, its vital for security personnels to demonstrate understanding of how to handle crime scenes (Bicheno , Elliot,1997). Personnel given a mandate of handling murder crime scenes need to have the necessary knowledge and skills that will enable them to obtain necessary evidence. Ultimately, the assessment of risk at murder scenes is an indication that anything can happen in crime scenes and its important to observe caution in order to avoid problems associated with processing of evidence. How Law Enforcement Handle a Murder Scene The great importance of carrying out murder scene investigation is to produce identification and evidence that can be used to disclose the cause of death and to obtain facts that can be used to bring the culprit to book, in case of murder. Murder scene investigation involves a meeting place of law, logic and science. Processing and handling of the murder scene is very tedious and long process that involve recognition, identification, documentation, collection of evidence and analyzing of the collected evidence. In case of suspected murder crime, law enforcers move in as investigators, where they first seal the area of murder. This is necessary to prevent contamination of the murder scene from curious onlookers. After sealing the scà ¨ne, investigators from law enforcement agency analyze the murder scene and makes sure that nothing has been moved .Here they are able to generate preliminary hypothesis based on visual examination (Bodziak, 2009). With the analysis done, the law enforcers are able to clearly describe the extent of murder crime. Apart from sealing the murder scene, the police secure the core area where they suspect a large amount of evidence is concentrated. After sealing the entire area, law enforcers then move to the district attorney s chambers where they obtain search warrants .This is important because at times some people could have prospects of privacy in portions of the murder scene. Also if not done legally, the whole investigation process would be of little importance since the findings wont be admissible in courts (Eliopulos, 2003). The law enforcers also call for any specialist and additional tools they think would be necessary during the process. The law enforcers also talk to first responders to determine if anything was moved or touched, and give details of anything they saw or heard during the occurrence of the murder crime. During this process, law enforcers touch nothing. Secondly, they scrupulously document the murder scene by taking pictures and drawing rough drafts. At times, they use video to document the scene in details without touching anything. After documenting the scene, law enforcers then engage in the collection of potential evidence, where they tag, log and package the evidence in plastic containers for laboratory analysis. The evidence is kept intact from where its transported in a safe manner for analysis. The evidence collected is labeled accordingly in relation to place of collection, date, and type of evidence collected. Before moving the body, the law enforcers analyze the body carefully for any evidence. Here they check for marks, cuts, bruises or stains on the victims body. They also check if anything is missing such as watches, rings and other personal effects (Peterson, Mihajlovic Gilliland, 1998). After collection of all evidence, the evidence is analyzed.DNA fingerprinting which is also known as forensic-DNA analysis is the common method used by law enforcers to analyze the evidence. This analysis is most reliable and affordable in such kind of scenes where for instance the body has been shot severally, burnt or even disfigured. With connection to these, the analysis provides faster mode of identification once established in such kind of scenes. Despite the benefits of dealing with DNA evidence, the evidence should not be collected unless the information is relevant to the murder crime in question. This implies that the proceedings should be undertaken under given instructions from either the regulatory bodys or the involved medical experts. Strategies of Handling Murder Scene Effectively in Relation to Law Enforcers To develop efficient strategies that would promote effective handling of murder scenes by law enforcers, it is quite necessary to have good management structures and operations within the institutions dealing with crime issues in order to promote performance within the given organization. In that case, there has been the need for different crime handling agencies to effectively adopt a number of measures that will help them in promoting teamwork and concept of working together. Problems involved in processing and handling of murder crime scenes can be mitigated by adequately training the individuals involved on better procedures and ways of handling evidence (Bodziak,2009) .As well, community involvement and awareness is also important in making sure members of the public have an idea of avoiding crime scene disturbances and dont contaminate themselves. This kind of learning and training makes sure all individuals engage in activities that do not promote murder scene and evidence con tamination.Another approach to this practice involves identification of the potential hazards which appear to be in scenes of crime and include mitigation measures which should be implemented by all.Once the problems have been identified, the next advancement is to come up with adequate plan that provide fundamental ways into how deal with exposures at the murder crime scene (Eliopulos, 2003). Issues of Law Enforcers Face in the Process of Murder Scene Investigation Many law enforcers are involved in murder scene investigations and they do encounter countless tribulations in response to how they handle evidence. For them, any action taken in the scene has some level of destructive effect on the scene and in application of justice. Sometimes scenes are degraded and altered and negative data is obtained which at times is used to convict innocent individual. Poor processing of murder scenes tends to convict innocent people and leave real culprits free and this represents injustice in the society (Bodziak,2009) Drastic changes in political and economic conditions have increased regulations and state litigation hence processing of murder crime scenes has been neglected due to strict procedural formats from the government ,as a result, individuals conducting investigations have been subjected to work without adverse training thus limiting murder scene processes. Sometimes murder crime experts like CSI personnel and law enforcers like the police, are faced with the dilemma of consulting higher authority and regulatory bodies, before conducting murder scene investigations. Indeed, this makes them loose their independence since; most of the scenes are at times thronged by curious onlookers, who have little or no knowledge of crime scene management (Bicheno Elliot, 1997). Legal inflexibility on the part of the law enforcers have contributed to challenges which force them to follow strict crime scene processing procedures which at times are time consuming and non cost effective. Investigators are required to make quick decisions even in fragile cases and legally this lead to negligence. At times there are legal problems in situations where investigators have personal stake in case. Effectiveness of the murder scene processing is lost due to the loss of neutrality in policing and close association with court systems. Other legal issues relating to murder scenes processing include technical barriers between crime scene investigators and legal practitioners. Another issue is that, an investigator may get concrete evidence to convict a criminal and yet the court disregards it. Lack of coordination between the law enforcers and courts slow down scene processing and limit justice (Peterson, Mihajlovic Gilliland, 1998). Inherent Medical and Health Risks Associated with Murder Crime Scenes, Evidence and Evidence Handling and Processing. Mostly the unintended contamination of murder scenes emerges as one of the major problems associated with murder scene handling and processing. Law enforcers involved in Murder scene investigation usually perform their works in scenes that are hazardous to their health and health of others, and this is due to coming in to contact with them. Most investigators duties entails processing of murder crime scenes and mostly they use dangerous chemicals and fingerprint powders which when accidentally ingested are life threatening. Some chemicals used are carcinogenic while others tend to cause long term Health hazards (Eliopulos, 2003). Despite the use of powders and chemicals in processing crime scenes, investigators are also susceptible to whole lots of other medical problems and hazards. Biological samples like urine, saliva, semen and blood are always handled routinely and if the victims had contagious diseases like HIV, measles and other sexually transmitted infections, probability of accidents occurring and infecting them is quiet high since majority of them have no protective clothings (Bodziak,2009) .When processing murder scenes, at times investigators use equipments like lasers, electro static dust lifters and other electrical appliances which when not handled well can cause electric shock, damage to eyes and even death. Also most law enforcers suffer from traumatic Stresses due to grotesque scenes they see when handling cases and also due to strenuous working conditions. Generally, most murder scene investigators and law enforcers are usually taken for granted and unappreciated, but they should never compromise their health (Bicheno Elliot, 1997). Conclusion Law enforcers are served with responsibility of making our community safe .They are required to investigate and arrest individuals suspected of murder crimes. Proper handling of these scenes is significant in making sure that justice has been achieved. In conclusion, Personnel given mandate of handling murder crime scenes need to have necessary knowledge and skills that will enable them to obtain necessary evidence that is indispensable in solving any murder case.

Discuss Stevensons portrayal of the nature of good and evil and the dual nature of mans personality Essay

Question- â€Å"Discuss Stevenson’s portrayal of the nature of good and evil and the dual nature of man’s personality. What does this show us about Stevenson’s view of Victorian Britain?† Born into the middle-class, prosperous district of â€Å"new† Edinburgh in Scotland, 1850, the young Robert Louis Stevenson’s life was a existence of opposites and contradictions. Just a few miles from his homeland lay the slums of â€Å"old† Edinburgh- a destitute sprawl of old urban living, disease and vice widespread and all to common. The young Master Stevenson was forbidden from this area, instead confined to his bedroom with his fanatic religious nanny- largely in part to his poor health and fragile immune system. His nanny, Alison Cunningham, was a devout Calvinist, a religion with a mixture of both Christian and Folk religion ideals. Calvinism teaches that every human being is born into sin, and thus must take it upon themselves to seek God, going against their natural inclination. This rule, entitled Total Depravity, was taught to the young Stevenson by his nanny, therefore leading the young seven year old to question his every step, paving the way for horrific nightmares of Hell and the fury of the Devil. As Stevenson grew up he found himself swept up in the cultural revolution that was â€Å"Bohemianism.† A now teenage Stevenson found himself attending raucous parties and living a second hand existence in near poverty, as what was expected from any bohemian person. He also found himself increasingly attached to the bottle and, on more then one occasion, visited prostitutes- an act that was seen as greatly immoral in the Victorian era and an action that would certainly have shocked his nanny. This deliberate act of rebellion shocked his parents and they temporarily disowned him and, although, Stevenson kept his attitudes and dislike of religion, the fall-out with his parents made him question the gulf in lifestyle that he and his parents had and the arguments also led him to question just what was right, and what was evil. Whilst travelling Stevenson met a certain Fanny Osborne, a women both older then him and already married. They had a short lived affair before Osborne absconded, leaving her husband for the young Stevenson and the couple soon wed. Second marriages were considered a â€Å"taboo† topic in the Victorian era, and Stevenson once again found himself branded as â€Å"evil† and â€Å"ignorant†, further stimulating Stevenson’s mind on right and wrong. Stevenson’s first wrote â€Å"The strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde† in 1885 and the book was released a year later. Rumour has it that Stevenson wrote the book whilst heavily drugged; the author had a considerable liking of Cocaine, a mind-altering drug. The drug would have momentarily changed his perceptions and view on the world, and this is perhaps reflected in the book, further strengthening the divide that was beginning to shape his book. The book was fairly popular yet drew heavy criticism from some scholars who read the book as an allegory of inappropriate sexual desires. At the time Stevenson re-buffed the ideas, through fear of the popularity of his book diminishing, but he later admitted that the book could be read as an allegory of the troubles of Victorian society. There are many themes that run deep through Stevenson’s novella, all centred around the line that divides good and evil. This topic of morality particularly fascinated the Victorian audience, largely thanks to the strength of the British Empire. The common Londoner’s heard tales of strange, far-away lands and peculiar, ritual-abiding tribe’s man and started to question their own rituals and actions. Stevenson’s book tapped into this market, asking whether what was considered â€Å"good and evil† was â€Å"good and evil† everywhere, or whether different people had different opinions on the difficult and dividing topic. Stevenson’s story begins with â€Å"The story of the door†, an opening chapter which tells the friendship of Mr Utterson and Mr Enfield, two respectable men who refuse to indulge in the spread of gossip. However they eventually begin to discuss the indecent trampling of a small girl, committed by a mysterious, twisted man, later named as Hyde. The fact that Hyde is introduced before Jekyll keeps the character of Mr Hyde fresh in the mind, and the irregular pattern (time-frame) of the book leads to the resulting conclusion being even more startling, especially for the Victorian audience who wouldn’t have expected anything similar to the actual ending. The chapter is also rich in subtle foreshadowing of opposition and restraint. â€Å"He was austere with himself; drank gin when he was alone, to mortify a taste for vintages;†, is a perfect example of Stevenson’s subtle touch. The fact that Utterson drank Gin when alone, a drink regarded at the time as a â€Å"poor-man’s† drink, a drink that was crude and often associated with criminals and vice, to quench his thirst, nay, desire for rich wine represents Jekyll’s attitude towards Hyde: Jekyll deliberately starves himself of the drug he slowly becomes addicted to, the drug that turns himself into Hyde despite despising Hyde with every bone in his body. Yet Jekyll still feels a craving for the drug and has to substitute himself with other activity’s, despite his attempts at distraction resulting in vain. The setting and atmosphere of Enfield’s recollection of the night when he first met Hyde also reflects the duality of man, a crucial aspect in Stevenson’s book. â€Å"A black winter morning†¦there was literally nothing but lamps† being a prime example of this. This abnormal lighting situation would produce shadows- the shadows representing the underclass of London society, the people that would hug street walls late at night, trying desperately not to be seen as they went about their shady business. The natural image of the black winter morning also juxtaposes the artificial light of the lamps, depicting the fact that, in the Victorian era, the citizens were always trying to triumph over nature, attempting to create social standards that even Mother Nature abided to. The stark contrast between dark and light is almost ignored in this quote, as the blackness of the night and the brightness of the lamps merge seamlessly into one another, thus representing Enfi eld’s confusion. This confusion is epitomised by the quote: â€Å"I got into the state of mind when a man listens and listens and belongs to long for the sight of a policeman,†. Enfield states his nervousness and â€Å"longing† for a policeman, a rather unusual trait as the Metropolitan Police Force was still in it’s infancy and battling many an unfavourable opinion. Also the character was earlier described as a rather dull man, the â€Å"man about town†, an experienced figure who had seen just about every city occurrence. Yet here Stevenson describes him as worried and nervous, determined to find a member of the establishment that was so untrusted around town. As well as this Stevenson implies that he character can sense something is wrong; he has potentially sourced the overbearing threat of Mr Hyde. This demonstrates the main antagonists intimidating nature before we are even introduced to him. This fear of the unknown could be related to Stevenson’s upbringing, surrounded by religion and threat of the Devil. In Christianity, and Calvinism, the Devil is both feared and yet paradoxically respected. His fundamentalist Nanny would have taught him of the threat of the Devil and also of the reason why the Devil was cast into Heaven (most prominently for failing to understand that he was created by God (that he had a dual nature)). This links in with Hyde’s nature and internal struggle- he can never fully become Jekyll because he was created BY Jekyll. The quote: â€Å"like a forest in a fire† is a good example of Stevenson’s views on current society and the changing world that was revolving around him. The simile is used to emphasise the differences between the old, poor row of houses and the new, upper class street- no doubt a product of the industrial revolution that was currently sweeping the country. Forest’s contain nothing but wood, and the single most dangerous thing one could encounter in a forest is fire, where the spitting flames spread from tree to tree. The simile could be linked to the Victorian industrial revolution: Stevenson views it as a hungry flame, sweeping away all of nature’s beauty and all of what the world used to comprise of, for now metal and steel is starting to replace the natural woods used to build shelter, and trees were being cut down to feed machines, which spat out new inventions and ideas. The quote has a negative edge relating to the industrial revolution, which fits in with Stevenson’s lifestyle and ethics. For he was a romanticist, a bohemian- interested in the preservation of nature, which they believed directly fed and influenced literature, poetry and art. The quote symbolises the divide that the industrial revolution was creating, and also questions whether the industrial revolution is good or bad, similarly to how the main theme of the book questions whether humans truly are good or evil. The second chapter, entitled â€Å"The Search for Mr. Hyde† continues with some important quotations regarding the duality of man, â€Å"It was his custom of a Sunday, when this meal was over, to sit close by the fire, a volume of some dry divinity†, being one of these. The â€Å"dry divinity† means a religious book or text, and the reading of these kinds of texts was considered a honourable and dutiful act in the Victorian era. However Utterson describes the text as â€Å"dry†- he finds it boring, dull. Thus the quote informs us that Utterson sticks to conventional Victorian traditionalism, yet aches with boredom in doing so. He yearns to be doing something else, somewhere else but feels compelled to follow his upstanding â€Å"Sunday custom†. This is typical of Victorian society and a crucial element of understanding the â€Å"duality of man†. For the Victorians tried to quench man’s natural instinct and mould him into a figure they determined respectable. Yet in pushing, in repressing people so far man rebelled, and began to question the life he lived under, leading to all of the Victorian â€Å"vices†, sex, alcohol and homosexuality becoming acceptable. Indeed, if it wasn’t for the Victorians oppression of the minority and the poor we probably wouldn’t be living in such a free society. The usage of pathetic fallacy is a common and important tool in Stevenson’s novella. The fog increases in depth and prominence whenever Hyde is near , and the fog clears towards the end of the story when the mystery is close to being unravelled. â€Å"the first fog of the season, a great chocolate coloured pall lowered over the heavens† is a quote from the chapter: â€Å"The Carew Murder Case† and the use of pathetic fallacy has connotations of impending danger as well as connotations of the industrial revolution. The â€Å"chocolate coloured† essence of the fog has implications of the industrial revolution â€Å"poisoning† the fog, changing it’s colour and also the times when the fog appears. The fog is stated as being the â€Å"first of the season†, yet the timeline would mean the fog was unnaturally early, implying the industrial revolution is harming and manipulating Mother Nature. The fog could be interpreted as nothing more then smog, a poisonous relation of the cleaner and more natural fog. The relationship between the unnatural smog, produced by the industrial revolution and the natural fog could also be linked to the relationship between Jekyll and Hyde; Hyde is a less natural side effect of Jekyll’s curiosity, Hyde is the poisonous, dangerous aspect of Jekyll. Jekyll could be interpreted as the influence of nature on Victorian society, an old-fashioned traditionalist being poisoned by new ideas and new beliefs. The murder of Sir Danvers Carew is an important part of the book, and Stevenson’s description adds to the sense of confusion and fear that is created. We are fed the murder from the viewpoint of a maid who was â€Å"romantically given† just before the crime was committed. â€Å"he was trampling his victim under foot†¦under which the bones were audibly shattered and the body jumped upon the roadway† is an extract from the murder description. The description is vivid, Stevenson notes how the maid heard the â€Å"bones shatter†, surely an awful, sickening sound. The murder is incredibly violent, representing Hyde’s anger boiling to the surface- alas; the exact reason for the murder is never truly revealed, leading us to think that Hyde needs violence to satisfy himself when he is allowed to roam free. The phrase â€Å"the body jumped upon the roadway† is also an interesting use of language, possibly representing the violence of the act; the body has been hit and abused so hard it is physically moving away from Hyde, his blows have pushed it away. The phrase adds to the sense of strength Hyde possesses, making him an even more formidable character. â€Å"with indescribable amazement read the name of Gabriel John Utterson† We first learn the full name of Utterson in â€Å"The Last Night†, after Jekyll puts his name on his will. His name could be interpreted as some as incredibly significant to the story. There are many religious connotations in Stevenson’s novella, and Utterson’s first name could be another of these connotations. In the religion of Christianity, Gabriel is the arch-angel of God, and God’s chief messenger. He passes on messages from God to various biblical figures, giving him the title of â€Å"God’s medium†. His role in Christianity is similar to Gabriel John Utterson’s in the â€Å"Strange Case of Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde†, he retells messages between Lanyon and Jekyll, and also uncovers the truth by reading messages intended as replies to another. Utterson’s first name also reveal his â€Å"good† side- he is a constant friend to Dr. Jekyll throughout the novella. Nearly every member of the reading Victorian audience would be familiar with the arch-angel Gabriel, and many readers would have made the link between â€Å"the two messengers†. Stevenson could also of used Utterson’s name as a way of stating that not everyone caught up in evil, is evil. Utterson is confronted with pure, undiluted evil a number of times in the story but he never once loses his sense of moral decency or moral fibre. The final chapter in Stevenson’ story contains the most information regarding the â€Å"duality of man†. The final chapter is in chronological order- right from Jekyll’s childhood to his death. The chapter also informs us of how Jekyll grew up harbouring an â€Å"evil† side. â€Å"Hence it came about that I concealed my pleasures† being an example of his youthful, dual personality. A youthful Jekyll realises that, once one enters manhood and the adult world one must learn to conceal any hope or joyfulness for fear of be let down by society or taken advantage of. So we learn that, even from childhood, Jekyll is living a lie and hiding his â€Å"split† personality from the world. â€Å"I was in no sense a hypocrite; both sides of me were in dead earnest† is an example of a slightly older Jekyll’s newly stifled personality. He has forced down his natural, animal-like instincts and replaced them with an acceptable, Victorian type attitude. He has learnt to ignore his impulse and instead confer to Victorian era conformity. He has become emotionally repressed and, whilst he is coping at the minute there will always be a threat of his emotions bubbling over in a â€Å"Jack the Ripper† type emergence. â€Å"My Devil had been long caged, it came out roaring†¦Instantly the spirit of Hell awoke in me and raged† is an example of such an outburst. We know from the story that a drug causes Jekyll’s evil side to emerge but the warning Stevenson writes of is that anybody can be unleashed, any human has the potential to be a crazed mass-murderer, or an evil psychopath if pushed (or oppressed) hard enough. This would of hit a chord with the reading audience who were still recovering from the Jack the Ripper attacks, which left many Londoners wondering just what kind of person could commit such crimes. The answer? Anybody- for the Victorian style of living had the potential to depress, oppress and ultimately, end lives†¦ Overall, I believe Stevenson wrote â€Å"The Strange Case of Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde† as a warning to the Victorian reader. He wanted the audience to realise that everyone, regardless of social stature, finance or credibility, had the potential to be evil. Yet, in his novella, Stevenson almost determines that there is no real definition of â€Å"good and evil†. The human body is a complex machine and, like a snowflake, the human body changes with each individual. Humans realise and readily accept that every human has different fingerprints yet seems to find it harder to link this fact with the human brain. For ultimately, every single human is different thus the guidelines of â€Å"good and evil† change with every single person. And, ultimately, who are we to question who is good and who is evil? There are thousands of different religions, what if they are all wrong and the one, true religion (if there is one) actually determines evil as good, and good as evil. We are just mere mortals, and the human brain is the most complex thing on the planet. Before we even begin to scrape the surface of this complex machine, we must first begin to understand the secrets of the universe, and life. â€Å"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius — and a lot of courage — to move in the opposite direction.† So said Albert Einstein, one of the greatest thinkers of the twentieth century. I believe that this quote sums up Stevenson’s approach to the dividing line between good and evil. For where other people of the age, fresh from the horrors of the Ripper murders, strived to find a logical answer to the line between good and evil, Stevenson instead â€Å"moved in the opposite direction†. Rather then attempt to answer the question, he questioned the question, asking whether there was an answer to a question that people were still questioning. After all, how can one answer a question that is not even based on fact, or truth, but instead on prediction? Stevenson’s opinion on religion is prevalent throughout the story. The story has a number of biblical links, no doubt harking back to the days he spent locked in his room with Alison Cunningham, whilst being fed awful stories of Hell and the Devil. There are a number of religious links, one of these being: â€Å"This inexplicable incident, this reversal of my previous experience, seemed, like the Babylonian finger on the wall, to be spelling out the letters of my judgment.† This quote mirrors the experience of Prince Belshazzar, a Babylonian prince featured in the book of Daniel. The prince, whilst dining one night, sees a mysterious, disembodied hand floating behind him. As he turned to face it, the hand begun writing in a mysterious code, on the wall. A translator later interpreted the coded writing as: â€Å"Thou art weighed In the balance and art found wanting†. Later that night Belshazzar is murdered in peculiar circumstances, hence the popular saying; â€Å"the writing on the wall†. Jekyll can see his impending doom, due to his evil exploits as Hyde but his good side is still portrayed by Stevenson, the use of religion is used for this. In the book, I believe Stevenson uses religion as a writing technique; when Stevenson wants to signify the emotive nature of people , he uses religious links and connotations. Hyde is forever associated with Hell and the Devil, whilst Jekyll and Utterson is associated with Gabriel, and the â€Å"light† side of religion. Religion is used to measure and signify, to compare and contrast. Religion also represents a divide in beliefs and personality. The end of the Victorian era was the first time, since the beginning of Christianity, that people were beginning to question and doubt religion. â€Å"Jekyll and Hyde† was penned during this time and concerns itself with the duality of man. Stevenson simply used the biggest cultural divide of the day: religion, and weaved it into his book, making the theme of duality more relevant to the reading Victorian audience. Overall, â€Å"The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde† questions and challenges what would have been conventional beliefs in the Victorian era. It makes the reader question his own sense of right and wrong, and challenges religion and science- the two cultures that were so opposed to each other in the Victorian ere. It incorporates the depression that surrounded the Victorian dynasty, the industrial revolution, the Jack the Ripper murders and the strict conformity of living the Victorians imposed. But it also includes the first green shoots of hope that began to surface around the late 1800’s- Charles Darwin’s â€Å"The Theory of Evolution† is integrated through Jekyll’s science and the fact that Jekyll, despite through the persona of Hyde, engaged in activities such as sex and alcoholism sent the message that man can experiment, as long as it didn’t threaten or harm anyone else. The book was aware of the duality and diversity of it’s audience and revelled in this. Stevenson’s book was a revolution in itself. For it changed the conventional type of living and made people question the rules they lived under. And any book that can influence people on this scale is a rare, and beautiful, thing. â€Å"The mark of a good action is that it appears inevitable in retrospect.†

Policies Related to Environmental Concerns Essay

While, indeed, there are several legal statutes that are heralded by both the international, national, and local levels of the public communities, especially the government, there remains much contention with regard to the true cost of ratifying it and adhering to its implementation. This is a dilemma that occurs to be of special truth to the developing countries who are not given the luxury of financial and technological resources to address the issues associated with the environment. Definitely, there are a lot of issues and related costs that are borne with every legal statute passed for the purpose of protecting the environment. From the implantation of it come the associated resources in terms of manpower and other needs. Over time, it has been the case that the cost of the environmental degradation that occurred, and is still occurring, becomes harder to quantify in financial terms. The costs are usually measured and derived from air and water quality as examples (Ahmed & Sanchez-Triana, 2008). However, it should be noted that it is not the financial quantification of this particular endeavor that matters but the present impact and the long-term goals that should be foreseen. First, it is seen that the adverse effects brought about by the inability of the environment to keep with the needs of the human population is already being felt by people. There are different groups that can be identified in terms of the socio-economic classes to which they belong and the degree to which they are disadvantaged because of certain characteristics. The benefits that could be derived from the simple laws that protect their basic needs such as the access to clean water vary from one group to another. Another consideration for this is that the impacts have led to a domino-effect where it has indirectly affected the entire society and should the provision of safety nets through legal policies are definitely an urgent need to solve several interlocking problems that have come in lieu of the environmental degradation. Second, the long-term effects brought about by the legal statutes would definitely help not only the generations in immediate succession of the present but would also last until a few more decades, if not centuries (Gillespie, 1997). Every little act of kindness done to the environment in the present contributes to its well-being and existence in the future. This is among the elements that link the past to the present and the present to the future. References Ahmed, K. & Sanchez-Triana, E. (2008). Strategic environmental assessment for policies: An instrument for good governance. Washington, DC: The World Bank. Gillespie, A. (1997). International environmental law, policy, and ethics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Environmental Crime - 2166 Words

Running Head: Environmental Crime Environmental Crime [Name] [School] In partial fulfillment of the requirements for [subject] [Professor] [Date] ABSTRACT Environmental Crime is a very serious crime not only to the present society but also to the next generation of humans, animals and plants. This is a serious matter that affects the whole plant. This research paper discusses the definition of environmental crime, a few examples of companies that had committed environmental crime, environmental laws and crime punishment of the companies who had committed these crimes. Definition of Environmental Crime Environmental Crime is very hard to define. Some people say that it is a white†¦show more content†¦These corporations had been proven to have committed crime against the environment. The most familiar environmental crimes that had been publicized in the media are the Wal Mart, General Motors Corporations and Exxon Mobil Corporation. Other corporations that would be shown in this research is the Norlite Company and Skanska. The Wal-Mart had been known for building an estimate of 200 stores annually. These stores had shown to be a major contributor of water pollutants in the water quality of the areas in 24 constrution sites in nine states. The company has been charged with storm water violations. The company had failed to place control water pollutants runoff, ineffective controls and failure of inspection in sites that had release sediments to ecological communities. (Crime and Punishment in America Vol 1, 2004) Water pollution affects the ecosystem in rivers and lakes. If water pollution had been not prevented by the government because of these stores, then most likely the bodies of water in America’s water quality may have been affected. The General Motors Corporation had been charged of selling vehicles that did not meet with the regulations of the Clean air Act. The Cadillac models from 1991 to 1995 had been equipped with devices that causes build up of Carbon Monoxide, three times the normal content of automobiles. The company added this devices to address the stalling engine complaints from the customers. (Crime and Punishment in America Vol 1, 2004)Show MoreRelatedEnvironmental Crime and Perspectives2414 Words   |  10 PagesOne of the main misunderstandings in environmental crime is the lack of consistency in the definition and classification of environmental crime. The primary problem is differing perspectives as to what constitutes as environmental crime, embedded in moral, philosophical and legalistic interpretations of harm and in what circumstances does this harm becomes a crime (White, 2008). Many criminologists have put forth perspectives which explain the reasons why individuals and corporations en gage inRead MoreCrime Prevention Through Environmental Design1321 Words   |  6 Pagesworking in these facilities. 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