11. After sending out my survey, I was surprised with some of my results. More people than I expected knew what the "Three Strikes" Laws were, even though the majority did not. I was also surprised that 29% of the people who took my survey did not agree with the laws. I was expecting 100% of people who took my survey to agree with it, considering I assumed them to lack background information. I was not surprised that most of the people to take my survey were unaware that California was most strict with the "Three Strikes" laws, because New Jersey and Texas both seem like stereotypically strict states. Nearly 100% of people chose murder/rape as the worst crime in their opinion, which I agree with and expected. One theory of mine that I was trying to prove through my survey was a trace of gender separation. For two of my questions, I asked about self defense for both males and females. 83% of people who took my survey felt sympathetic for the female who committed murder in order to protect herself, while 71% of people did not feel sympathetic toward a male who committed murder as an act of self defense. I find it very fascinating that gender plays such a huge role in something like crime and jail. It is amazing that two human beings that committed the same crime could be treated differently in their punishments based on gender.
Overall, I am very pleased with my results. My theories were mostly proven and I learned a lot about my society's view on crime and what it takes for them to feel safe. It is obvious that the people who took my survey were raised in good areas and offered a great education, but crime is still relevant to all of our lives. People who tended to lack background knowledge on the three strikes laws agreed with it, while people who knew of it tended to disagree with it. I personally agree with the "Three Strikes" Laws even though I have a lot of experience with the topic through my research and survey. In my opinion, everyone needs something that will make them feel protected from the uncontrollable, crime. Even if the "Three Strikes" Laws do not provide a fair case for criminals, they off a sense of safety and reassurance to the majority of the population. The laws have the ability to ease the fear of everyday people, much like myself, who hear about murderous crimes on the news and do not want to live in fear of it happening to them. My survey proved that the "Three Strikes" Laws need to be discussed more in school or even on television. Also, it proved that there are many factors that could drive a person to commit a crime. There are also many "exceptions" ordinary people tend to make for criminals. These exceptions include being female, growing up in a bad area and self defense. A murder is not always just a murder.
Violent crime is something that people from my society view as inexistent and unrealistic for our area. It is horrifying to think that violence is happening everywhere, and people just like us are experiencing it. Violence rates have gone up and crimes are becoming more relevant and reoccurring. The "Three Strikes" Laws NEED to be discussed and people need to be warned about all different types of crimes and how to protect themselves. Crime is not a myth, and we need to work together to stop it.
Sunday, April 27, 2014
Sunday, April 13, 2014
Update
10. So far I have created my survey for my Violent Crime Project. It contains 10 questions about the "Three Strikes" laws and different crime related scenarios. The person filling out my survey will be asked a series of factual questions about the "Three Strikes" laws and then read a small paragraph describing a situation in which someone committed a violent crime. By getting different answers and opinions from people through this survey, I will be able to see what makes violent crime "acceptable" in society. The goal of this survey is to find out the opinion of the "Three Strikes" laws from the point of view of a noncriminal/normal person.
Sunday, April 6, 2014
Strategy For Research
9. My topic is violent crimes and the goal of my research was originally to figure out a criminal's reasoning for committing a violent crime. Now I am interested in the opinions of people who are not criminals. How do they feel about punishing criminals? Does putting them in jail or punishing them severely make normal people feel safer? In order to figure out how criminals feel when committing crimes, it is important to understand how people who would never commit crimes feel about it. So for my strategy I am going to use a survey to see people's opinions on the "Three Strikes" laws. I plan on using an online survey to accomplish this. At first I am going to ask if they know what it is and after that question I am going to give a brief description of it for the people who do not know. I am going to then give the person a scenario involving a criminal and then ask a series of questions that follow the "Three Strikes Laws" to figure out if the person does agree or does not agree with "Three Strikes Laws". After I finish surveying people, I am going to organize why people would agree with the law and for what reasons they do not. The goal of this survey is ultimately to figure out what reasons would push a person into siding with severe punishment for criminals, or what reasons would turn a person against it.
Monday, March 17, 2014
Information Reflection
8. In the Introductory Post of my blog I asked the question of what was going on through a criminals mind before he/she committed a violent crime. Through out my research I feel as though I can form a theory to the answer of this question. In my research there appears to be a pattern. Normally, people from bad areas or people who had troubled child hoods seem to be the majority of offenders in violent crimes. Of course, there are exceptions such as the Columbine Shooting who involved two young boys who seemed to have friends and loving families. In a way, I discovered that it is nearly impossible to know exactly what is going on through a person's head that causes them to commit violent crimes. Sometimes people are able to convince themselves that committing a crime is the right thing to do, while other times people are able to commit acts of violence without any remorse. I wish I could find a simple explanation to my research question, but unfortunately the answer is too complex to understand.
Overall, studying violent crimes and all different types of them was very interesting and fascinating to learn about. I will never agree with any form of violence no matter the situation, but learning about it assisted in understanding why violence exists today. I am lead to believe, based on my research, that violence in unexplainable. Yes, there are factors such as where a person grew up and how they were raised that could be the explanation for violence, but other than that why do certain people snap randomly?
Overall, studying violent crimes and all different types of them was very interesting and fascinating to learn about. I will never agree with any form of violence no matter the situation, but learning about it assisted in understanding why violence exists today. I am lead to believe, based on my research, that violence in unexplainable. Yes, there are factors such as where a person grew up and how they were raised that could be the explanation for violence, but other than that why do certain people snap randomly?
Saturday, March 8, 2014
Gun's Contribution To Violent Crimes
7. In this post I want to discuss a topic that keeps occurring and is a constant problem everywhere: guns. Some people claim that shootings occur because the person holding the gun is mentally unstable, while others say shootings would not be a problem if guns were illegal. In my opinion both sides are correct. People who have the ability to pick up a gun and shoot are mentally unstable, but if they did not have access to the guns would these problems keep occurring? One of the most famous school shootings took place at Columbine High School in Colorado. Two boys who seemed normal and happy did the unspeakable. They brought guns into the high school and shot a total of 12 students and 1 teacher. Some say that the two boys were deranged, which in my opinion anyone who can murder their peers is, while others argue that if they did not have access to guns the situation would not have occurred.
The image above is life footage of the boys in the school cafeteria holding guns while their classmates hide under the tables. I have trouble looking at this picture because of how tragic this incident was. Violence is not only for people who live in bad areas, had rough childhoods or are adults. Anyone can commit acts of violence no matter their age or situation. In my opinion guns should not be legal and in schools (middle schools, high schools, colleges, etc.) there should be more counseling and guidance meetings available to students. If these two boys did not have access to guns and had the support of a guidance counselor or therapist that was offered by the school, maybe the tragedy at Columbine never would have happened.
In my opinion, guns go against peace and the ending of violence everywhere. The estimated number of guns owned in the United States is 270,000,000 to 310,000,000. It can be assumed that not all millions of people who own guns are owning them for good and innocent reasons. As hard as it is to believe, people can be evil. By having access to guns, evil people can easily commit violent crimes without much thought. If guns were not accessible or legal, there would definitely be no school shootings occurring for sure. With the amount of gun related violence occurring in the US today, I personally think that everyone should be against guns. People who support guns claim that guns don't kill people; people kill people, but without a gun I believe that the amount of violent crimes committed would be reduced intensely.
In my opinion, guns go against peace and the ending of violence everywhere. The estimated number of guns owned in the United States is 270,000,000 to 310,000,000. It can be assumed that not all millions of people who own guns are owning them for good and innocent reasons. As hard as it is to believe, people can be evil. By having access to guns, evil people can easily commit violent crimes without much thought. If guns were not accessible or legal, there would definitely be no school shootings occurring for sure. With the amount of gun related violence occurring in the US today, I personally think that everyone should be against guns. People who support guns claim that guns don't kill people; people kill people, but without a gun I believe that the amount of violent crimes committed would be reduced intensely.
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Does Media Violence Lead to Real Violence?
Does Media Violence Lead to the Real Thing?
6. The theory about whether or not people are influenced by violence in movies, television shows and even the news is very controversial and there is not much evidence to back up this theory. This article discusses if the theory is true or false. Jim Carrey, the star of a movie that contained a lot of violence distanced himself from the film during the time of the Sandy Hook tragedy. He did not want to be associated with violence in film, while there was actual violence occurring outside of the media. People are finding it difficult to prove that there is a link between violence in film and violence in reality. This issue is not usually addressed because is could be fought with freedom of speech and constitutional rights.
In my opinion, media has nothing to do with the violence that takes place in our society. If it did, people would consider how the movies end for the people that behave violently. If anything, television shows like Law and Order, which I discussed earlier in my blog, should prevent people from committing crimes. In the end of the Law and Order episode that I posted, the criminal is given the death penalty for his actions, and if forced to give his life in return for what he did. Shows with endings like that should be a red flag for people saying that nothing good comes out of violence. Other people believe that by watching violence on television and on the news can influence a person to believe that being violent is okay and acceptable. I think that every human being is capable of violence, but they only act on it if they chose too, not if the media influenced them or not.
6. The theory about whether or not people are influenced by violence in movies, television shows and even the news is very controversial and there is not much evidence to back up this theory. This article discusses if the theory is true or false. Jim Carrey, the star of a movie that contained a lot of violence distanced himself from the film during the time of the Sandy Hook tragedy. He did not want to be associated with violence in film, while there was actual violence occurring outside of the media. People are finding it difficult to prove that there is a link between violence in film and violence in reality. This issue is not usually addressed because is could be fought with freedom of speech and constitutional rights.
In my opinion, media has nothing to do with the violence that takes place in our society. If it did, people would consider how the movies end for the people that behave violently. If anything, television shows like Law and Order, which I discussed earlier in my blog, should prevent people from committing crimes. In the end of the Law and Order episode that I posted, the criminal is given the death penalty for his actions, and if forced to give his life in return for what he did. Shows with endings like that should be a red flag for people saying that nothing good comes out of violence. Other people believe that by watching violence on television and on the news can influence a person to believe that being violent is okay and acceptable. I think that every human being is capable of violence, but they only act on it if they chose too, not if the media influenced them or not.
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Violence In the Olympics
Tonya Harding vs. Nancy Kerrigan Documentary
5. Since it is the time of the 2014 Winter Olympics, I thought it would be interesting to research and see if there was ever any acts of violence between the Olympians. When I came across the Tonya Harding vs. Nancy Kerrigan documentary I was shocked. Violence between rivals from different countries during the Olympics is horrible enough, but violence between rivals from the same team is just unspeakable. Harding and Kerrigan were both figure skaters on the United States Olympic Team. They were always competitive about being the best female skater on the team even though they had completely different styles of skating. Apparently, Kerrigan was "clubbed in the knee" by a complete stranger who Harding had paid to injure Kerrigan. Unfortunately, Kerrigan's injuries were bad enough that she could not skate in the 1994 Olympic Games. This event is proof that crimes can be driven by intense jealousy or fear. Harding was obviously jealous of Kerrigan's skating abilities and was afraid that she would place higher than her in the Figure Skating portion of the Olympics. Harding felt she had no other choice than to end one of her teammates skating careers in order to stay on top.
The pressure of constantly being the best is placed upon people by society, family or friends. If too much pressure is placed on a person, that person will eventually crack. There is a lot of competitive energy and pressure in sports that could be enough to drive a person insane. Harding got away with her crime for a while, but was eventually caught and ended up pleading guilty. She avoided prison but was forced to perform community service, pay a fine, quit the U.S. Figure Skating Association and was striped of her title. Was injuring her teammate worth all of the consequences she faced? Definitely not. Violence occurs everywhere and can be done by anyone, even admired Olympians who seem to have everything.
5. Since it is the time of the 2014 Winter Olympics, I thought it would be interesting to research and see if there was ever any acts of violence between the Olympians. When I came across the Tonya Harding vs. Nancy Kerrigan documentary I was shocked. Violence between rivals from different countries during the Olympics is horrible enough, but violence between rivals from the same team is just unspeakable. Harding and Kerrigan were both figure skaters on the United States Olympic Team. They were always competitive about being the best female skater on the team even though they had completely different styles of skating. Apparently, Kerrigan was "clubbed in the knee" by a complete stranger who Harding had paid to injure Kerrigan. Unfortunately, Kerrigan's injuries were bad enough that she could not skate in the 1994 Olympic Games. This event is proof that crimes can be driven by intense jealousy or fear. Harding was obviously jealous of Kerrigan's skating abilities and was afraid that she would place higher than her in the Figure Skating portion of the Olympics. Harding felt she had no other choice than to end one of her teammates skating careers in order to stay on top.
The pressure of constantly being the best is placed upon people by society, family or friends. If too much pressure is placed on a person, that person will eventually crack. There is a lot of competitive energy and pressure in sports that could be enough to drive a person insane. Harding got away with her crime for a while, but was eventually caught and ended up pleading guilty. She avoided prison but was forced to perform community service, pay a fine, quit the U.S. Figure Skating Association and was striped of her title. Was injuring her teammate worth all of the consequences she faced? Definitely not. Violence occurs everywhere and can be done by anyone, even admired Olympians who seem to have everything.
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Violence On Television
Law and Order Clip
4. Law and Order is a popular television series that gives a vivid representation of all different types of legal cases. In this clip, an 18 year old boy is on trial for murdering the owner of a Chinese restaurant. The owner was delivering food to an apartment that turned out to be empty, while the boy and his friends plotted to kill him. I found this clip especially interesting because it discusses the Death Penalty, which is an extremely controversial topic in society today. The jury is trying to decide if the 18 year old boy is too young to be killed, even though he committed such a horrible crime. At the end of the episode, the verdict turns out to be the Death Penalty even though the boy had just turned 18 only a few days ago. The boy's lawyer tries to argue that the boy is so young and still has the opportunity to change and become a better person in 20 years or so. Even if that were true, it is impossible for him to ever take back what he did to his victim, and all the lives he ruined because of it. His action will always be a representation of who he is and what type of character he has.
I personally do not agree with the Death Penalty and I find it to be hypercritical. This video proves that even the youngest most innocent people have the ability to do horrible and irreversible things. Shows like Law and Order depict all different types of crimes and the consequences people receive for committing them. This episode was especially important because the Death Penalty was indeed granted to an 18 year old boy.
4. Law and Order is a popular television series that gives a vivid representation of all different types of legal cases. In this clip, an 18 year old boy is on trial for murdering the owner of a Chinese restaurant. The owner was delivering food to an apartment that turned out to be empty, while the boy and his friends plotted to kill him. I found this clip especially interesting because it discusses the Death Penalty, which is an extremely controversial topic in society today. The jury is trying to decide if the 18 year old boy is too young to be killed, even though he committed such a horrible crime. At the end of the episode, the verdict turns out to be the Death Penalty even though the boy had just turned 18 only a few days ago. The boy's lawyer tries to argue that the boy is so young and still has the opportunity to change and become a better person in 20 years or so. Even if that were true, it is impossible for him to ever take back what he did to his victim, and all the lives he ruined because of it. His action will always be a representation of who he is and what type of character he has.
I personally do not agree with the Death Penalty and I find it to be hypercritical. This video proves that even the youngest most innocent people have the ability to do horrible and irreversible things. Shows like Law and Order depict all different types of crimes and the consequences people receive for committing them. This episode was especially important because the Death Penalty was indeed granted to an 18 year old boy.
Monday, February 3, 2014
Criminal Defense Attorney's View On A Case
Criminal Defense Attorney On Fox News
3. In this video, a reporter interviews attorneys about their thoughts on the popular Trayvon Martin case. Trayvon Martin was only seventeen when he allegedly attacked George Zimmerman, and was shot to death. A major factor in this case was race, Martin was African American while Zimmerman was white. There were many different opinions on whether or not George Zimmerman had the right to shoot him. Was it actually self defense, or just hateful murder? David Schwartz is an attorney interviewed on Fox news, and he reveals some inside information about the case. He talks about the judge and his personal opinion on how the case is going so far. Schwartz personally believes that the judge is not prejudice and that Zimmerman does not appear to be racist or have anything against Martin. He claims that Martin attacked him and gave him no other choice but to defend himself by killing him. Another attorney is featured during the segment named Kirsten Wilson and she completely eliminates the idea that Zimmerman was indeed racist. She talks about different witnesses and the inconsistency of information about what happened the night Martin was killed. Wilson also discusses about how much information was leaked and that eye witnesses are not always trustworthy.
I thought this video was very interesting because it gave a lot of inside information on a popular case. The Trayvon Martin case was debated and talked about through out the country, and people had many different opinions and theories about what actually happened the night he was killed. The one thing that really stuck out at me was the Zimmerman was carrying a gun. I always wondered why he was and why he felt it was necessary. It is scary that people in our society do not feel safe and count on a nonliving object to protect them from the horrors of violence. People do crazy things when they are scared or feel vulnerable. There are two sides to Zimmerman's case, either he killed Martin out of racism and hate or he killed Martin out of fear and self defense. This is one of the most controversial cases and it is almost impossible for people who are not connected to the case to figure out the real story. It is tragic that people rely on guns and violence to protect them, and it is frightening that there are cases like these going on in the lives of people like us.
3. In this video, a reporter interviews attorneys about their thoughts on the popular Trayvon Martin case. Trayvon Martin was only seventeen when he allegedly attacked George Zimmerman, and was shot to death. A major factor in this case was race, Martin was African American while Zimmerman was white. There were many different opinions on whether or not George Zimmerman had the right to shoot him. Was it actually self defense, or just hateful murder? David Schwartz is an attorney interviewed on Fox news, and he reveals some inside information about the case. He talks about the judge and his personal opinion on how the case is going so far. Schwartz personally believes that the judge is not prejudice and that Zimmerman does not appear to be racist or have anything against Martin. He claims that Martin attacked him and gave him no other choice but to defend himself by killing him. Another attorney is featured during the segment named Kirsten Wilson and she completely eliminates the idea that Zimmerman was indeed racist. She talks about different witnesses and the inconsistency of information about what happened the night Martin was killed. Wilson also discusses about how much information was leaked and that eye witnesses are not always trustworthy.
I thought this video was very interesting because it gave a lot of inside information on a popular case. The Trayvon Martin case was debated and talked about through out the country, and people had many different opinions and theories about what actually happened the night he was killed. The one thing that really stuck out at me was the Zimmerman was carrying a gun. I always wondered why he was and why he felt it was necessary. It is scary that people in our society do not feel safe and count on a nonliving object to protect them from the horrors of violence. People do crazy things when they are scared or feel vulnerable. There are two sides to Zimmerman's case, either he killed Martin out of racism and hate or he killed Martin out of fear and self defense. This is one of the most controversial cases and it is almost impossible for people who are not connected to the case to figure out the real story. It is tragic that people rely on guns and violence to protect them, and it is frightening that there are cases like these going on in the lives of people like us.
Monday, January 27, 2014
Crime In Society Today
2. When I came across this website I found it to be very interesting to me and very relatable to my topic, Violent Crimes. Community Violence is only one example of the many different types of violence that take place in society today. There is violence everywhere not just in poor neighborhoods, but I find it interesting to read about the thoughts of people who fear violence and have witnessed it numerous times in their lives. The website gives you direct quotes from parents/adults living in dangerous neighborhoods and quotes from children living in these conditions. The website also informs you about Community Violence and what it is exactly. It gives a summary of what we can do as individuals to stop community violence and make every area a safe one.
"Out there is a jungle; innocent people get killed." This quote was said by an adult living in a dangerous neighborhood. It scares me because some people do not even feel safe in their own homes and have fear constantly lingering in their minds. This website is amazing and definitely a step in the right direction to ending Community Violence for good. But in my opinion it is going to take a lot more than a website to end it. The direct quotes are very touching and made me even more interested in the topic than before. It scares me that children and teenagers my age are witnessing these violent acts. I can not even imagine how scary it must be to grow up in a dangerous neighborhood. It interests me to read about the bystanders in the situation and their view on Community Violence.
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Introduction
1. My name is Kathryn DeSernia and my blog is about Violent Crimes and the impact they have on our society. I chose this topic because I personally am against violence, but I would like to try and understand the logic and reasoning going through people's minds before they commit violent acts.
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