No Man Is An Island Scottish Culture

No Man Is An Island Scottish Culture This essay will examine this motion and discuss the idea that no man is an island. The phrase no man is an island means that everyone is influenced by the world around them; no person has total independence and freedom. This idea will be explored in relation to Scotland. The phrase will be no Scotland is an Island. Scotland over the years has had many challenges to its place, space and identity, and these will be explored through looking at Scotlands history, its economy, its politics, its culture and how it is today. The idea of nationalism and Scottish Nationalism in particular, and whether nationalism is a good thing will be examined. The question of whether Scotland should be independent will be investigated. Scotland has struggled for years to be an island in its own right; the whole nationalist feeling and want for independence is a want to be their own Island. Has Scotland got this or is it still struggling with its nationalist views and identity? What is Nationalism? Nationalism is difficult to define as there are so many different views on what it is. It is closely linked to the identity of a country and how a country promotes themselves. Nationalism is also a collective and shared feeling about a place. Nationalism is a way of showing pride towards your country (Smith, 1991). However there is an argument to suggest that nationalism is political and something that the government uses to show the rest of the world what makes their country special. One definition of political nationalism is: the active solidarity of a group who share a common culture or history or history and who seek to give this common experience a political reality whether by means of self government or some other kind of political recognition if not autonomy (Phillip cited in Mitchinson, 1980). Nationalism is an active movement from a group that collectively share the same culture and history and want to preserve that culture and history through a political party. This is similar to why the Scottish National Party (SNP) was set up and this will be looked at in more detail later. In Scotland there are different extremes of nationalism: there is the aggressive form of where people think Scotland should be an all Scottish country with no one else from other countries and there are the people who try and preserve what is left of Scottish culture and history. The second form of nationalism can be defined as Pseudo-Nationalism (Smith, 1991). Jim Silars, a former Labour MP, when describing Scottish Nationalism said: I see a nation as formed by people with a shared historical experience whose customs, practices, social mores, culture, patterns of thought and attitudes form a human group which is quite a distinct part of humanity. When that nation can identify issues and perceive that its members have interest in them and when that nation asserts its right to decide its own attitudes to issues then we have a basic nationalism (Silars, 1986). This is very similar to Isobel Lindsay, a member of the SNP, view of nationalism as a countrys national identity and ability to rule on its own (SNP). She considered that the sharing of power is important so that everyone has a fair say (SNP). The government is more socialist in its views because it looks after the less fortunate (SNP). The idea that the current way of running the country cannot continue and that Scotland should look at a more European structure (SNP) (Murison, 2003). This is a more political view of Nationalism and how it is used practically in running a country. Scotland has lost touch with some of these values because of its ties with England In terms of No man is an Island, when a country has strong nationalism they are saying that they are an island. It does not mean that they are really an island but metaphorically they should be viewed as a country in their own right and not politically attached or influenced by any other country. Scottish History Scotland has a vast and well documented history much of which consisted of attempting to ward off continual attacks from England. England was always invading Scotland and claiming it as its own. The wars with England were known as the Wars of Independence. After the death of King Alexander III in 1286, Scotland was plunged into uncertainty whilst a new heir was chosen (Lang, 2005). Eventually, with the aid of King Edward I of England, John Balliol was selected in 1292, but his was not to be a peaceful reign (Lang, 2005). Refusing aid in Englands war with France, Balliol attracted the wrath of Edward and the two kingdoms descended into a conflict that would endure for more than 40 years (Lang, 2005). England was exercising a degree of hegemony in its pursuit of Scotland. This was a challenge to Scotlands space and place. England wanted to expand. Many Scottish people died for their freedom and amongst these was William Wallace. Wallace, who led the Scottish rebellion against Edward I, inflicted a famous defeat on the English army at Stirling Bridge (Murison, 2003). However, English judges read a list of charges against Wallace and then tortured and executed him (Murison, 2003). Robert the Bruce had himself crowned King of Scotland in 1306 and defeated the English forces, while Edward I died before he managed to launch another campaign in Scotland (Lang, 2005). His successor, Edward II, was not able to precede his fathers policy and Robert the Bruce consolidated his position in Scotland (Murison, 2003). After deposition and assassination of Edward II in 1327 Robert invaded northern England and the Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton in 1328 that recognized Scottish independence and him as its king was signed (Lang, 2005) (McCracken-Flesher, 2007). Scotland had its independence from England and was an Island and a country in its ow n right again. In 1707 Scotland was starting to have economic problems due to harvest failure and problems with colonization so needed to unify with England (McCracken-Flesher, 2007). However, there was a divide in Scotland as some people were still very bitter towards the English and wondered if unification was a good thing. Conversely, the political powers saw it as an advantage economically. England wanted to bring Scotland back under control. The Scottish parliament was dissolved and Scottish representatives were sent to Westminster instead (McCracken-Flesher, 2007). The two countries were to have common economic politics and common tariff barriers. Scotland was to maintain its own Kirk, legislation and education system (McCracken-Flesher, 2007) (Brown, 2010). Scotland had lost its Island. There are still areas in Scotland that are bitter towards the English. This is where a lot of Scottish Nationalistic feeling stems from as their ancestors fought hard for Scottish freedom and independence. Pe ople feel Scotland should go back to being what it was like before 1707 it should go back to being an Island. What is Scottish Identity Tartan, shortbread, haggis and whisky: this is stereotypical of what Scotland is known for. It raises the question of whether an individual can give themselves an identity or whether it is what others gives to the individual? Scotland is known worldwide for its Identity. Tourists come to Scotland with certain expectations of what it should be like and in a way people have given Scotland its identity. Scottish Identity is what makes Scotland and its people Scottish. There are a lot of factors that come into it such as language, food, behaviour, heritage, clothes, culture and traditions. Tartan is a symbol of Scottish Identity.The earliest example of tartan dates from the third century AD (Brown, 2010). A two coloured check, named the Falkirk tartan, was found near the Roman Antonine wall (Brown, 2010). Tartan has become the main symbol of Scottish culture and an emblem of Scottish descent (Brown, 2010). The first tartans were simple checks coloured by vegetable dyes found in the various districts of Scotland, the colours signifying a geographical base (Brown, 2010). The clans were recognised by regional shades caused by the diversity in weaving techniques. After Bonnie Prince Charlies defeat at Culloden in 1746, the wearing of the kilt was banned and the Gaelic language discouraged (Brown, 2010). Anyone caught wearing tartan or playing the bagpipes could be sent to jail for six months (Brown, 2010). This was oppressing Scottish Identity. The use of tartan and Scotlands traditional way of life was lost. There was an upsurge in the Highland craze after Sir Walter Scott stage-managed the Royal visit of George IV to Scotland in 1822 (Brown, 2010). The king arrived wearing a kilt. Tartan became even more popular during the reign of Queen Victoria when commercialisation took hold and tartan mania rolled on (Brown, 2010). Back then wearing tartan was a way of life for Scots but now they only wear it for special occasions such as weddings. Every Scottish family have their own tartan which is brought down from generation to generation these tartans stretch back from the Scottish clans. Tartan is a symbol of Scottish Nationalism people wear tartan with pride for Scotland. Tartan is recognised worldwide. Scottish education left teaching about Scotland out. Scottish history was British history, and British history usually meant English history. Scotland does have its own education system but there is very little taught about Scottish history so kids cant develop nationalistic views or make up their own mind about the future of Scotland. People dont trust children with big issues as they dont feel they will understand them. Scotlands traditional language is Gaelic which was one of the languages highlanders spoke. There are very few people who speak the language nowadays as not a lot of people teach it (Ferguson, 1998). The people who do speak it are in rural places or in highland areas. Scotland is also a more multicultural country so English is the language that most people understand. The Scots have made the English that they speak their own (Ferguson, 1998). They have retained a high percentage of vocabulary derived from Old Norse and Anglo-Saxon, and they speak with a lilt. Indeed (Ferguson, 1998), Scots is an actual language all on its own. However it was frowned upon in schools (Ferguson, 1998). Scots Gaelic, a language in its own right, was all but eliminated; less than 2% of Scottish people speak Gaelic today (Ferguson, 1998). There are numerous attempts to keep it alive, and the BBC as well as ITV offer segments of Gaelic programming for Scotland, where it survives mostly in the nether regions of the highlands and islands (Ferguson, 1998) (Anderson, 1997). There is little efficacy in speaking Gaelic nowadays. Scottish culture and identity is very important to Scottish nationalistic feeling. People want to keep the old traditions and way of living alive. There has been a lot of struggle over the years especially with tartan and their language. Scottish Economy Scotlands main industry was heavy industry such as construction (Anderson, 1997). The essential industry had been in great demand during the post-war period, but as Europe slowly recovered from the lingering impacts of war, old competitors became active again, while the need for heavy industry continued to diminish (Anderson, 1997). Unemployment in Scotland rose steadily, having doubled the number of jobless labourers by the beginning of the 1960s a tendency which continued in spite of attempts of bringing new industry to Scotland (Anderson, 1997) However in the 1960s oil was discovered in the North Sea which is located just off the coast of Scotland (Russell, 2005). Aberdeen became the centre of Britains North Sea oil industry, with many oil terminals such as that of Sullom Voe on Shetland and Flotta on Orkney and at Cruden Bay and St Cyrus on the north east coast of Scotland, being built to support the North Sea oil industry (Russell, 2005). However Scotland could not reap the rewards economically from this as while Scotland was part of the United Kingdom it had no control over royalties and revenue and it thus could not be used to benefit of Scotland economically (Russell, 2005). This strengthened the nationalist ideals and the fact Scotland should go independent because they would be able to take full advantage of the oil reserve and survive economically on their own. However, Labour claims that the oil is not sustainable and Scotland would not survive economically (GUNN, 2010). The oil is also a valuable resource for the United Kingdom so going independent would mean they lose out on that resource. The Scots were not inclined to favour home rule or nationalism, but whether they did so or not, their attitudes were determined not by economic but by other issues. Whatever the reality of an economic case for nationalism in Scotland before 1914, none was imagined (Mitchinson, 1980). Scotland economy provides a strong argument for independence. However does not give Scotland its national feeling, nationalism comes more from other factors. Nationalism is more about Scotlands Identity rather than its economy. Scotland can sustain its Space, Place and Identity through its economy though for a good few years. Scottish National Party (SNP) The SNP is a democratic left-of-centre political party committed to Scottish independence. It aims to create a just, caring and enterprising society in the mainstream of modem Europe by releasing Scotlands full potential as an independent nation (Independent, 2011). The leader of the SNP is Alex Salmond (Independent, 2011). At the 2007 local elections, the SNP won 363 council seats of 1,224 (doubling its 2003 total of 181 councilors), making them the largest group in Scottish local government. (Independant, 2011) The party has been at the forefront of the campaign for Scottish self-determination for almost seventy years (Independant, 2011). The evolution of the SNP has been paralleled by the political evolution of Scotland herself: from an almost totally unionist country to a nation on the brink of independence (Independant, 2011). The Scottish people have invested a lot in their Parliament but there is a growing realisation that, although devolution was a job worth doing, it is a job half done. The SNP ideology is to restore Scottish Parliament and return Scotland to the normal status of an independent country. Independence means Scotland will have a direct voice in Europe and the international community, and the power to tackle Scotlands social and economic problems by making Scotlands wealth work for Scotlands people (Independant, 2011). The SNP have a very nationalist view. The leader of the SNP Alex Salmond said There is not an anti-English bone in my body. I have forgotten more about English history than most Tory MPs ever learned (Bentley, 2009) The leader and the party are very passionate for independence and pass their passion on to the people of Scotland. In the current economic climate people are more supportive of them because they are growing tired of other parties and having to suffer the same policies as England. The SNP want to take Scotland back to what it was like before the 1707 unification. They believe Scotland should be able to make all decisions itself and govern itself. However some people still think Scottish economy is too unstable and people also like the idea of a United Kingdom. . Lindsay says: The Scottish National Party declares its unshakeable belief in Scotlands destiny as a European nation and reaffirms its belief that the best course for Scotland to take lies in Independence in Europe (SNP) The SNP think Scotland should be an island and not be influence by England. The issue for independence has cropped up again as the 2011 Scottish Elections saw the SNP win by an outstanding majority they won 69 seats in the Scottish Parliament which means they can push for an independence referendum (BBC, 2011). Scotland will be able to decide whether it will be a country in its own right or will still be part of the United Kingdom. It finally gets to decide whether it is an Island or if it is not. Scottish Parliament The first Scottish Parliament arose during the early thirteenth century, and its first meeting was at Kirkliston in 1235 in the reign of Alexander II (McCracken-Flesher, 2007). However due to economic problems the parliament was unified with England in1707 (McCracken-Flesher, 2007). Since then Scotland had been governed by Westminster but more recently there has been a lot of nationalistic feeling in Scotland thanks to the SNP. As the Scotland Parliament Scotlands Right report said: The longing of the people of Scotland for their own Parliament rings clear and true every time opinion is sounded. We believe that the momentum for change is now too great to deny; and that a Scottish Parliament will soon be meeting for the first time in nearly three centuries (SCC, 1995). In September 1997, a referendum of the Scottish electorate secured a majority in favour of the establishment of a new devolved Scottish Parliament, with tax-varying powers, in Edinburgh (McCracken-Flesher, 2007). The new Scottish Parliament met at the Church of Scotland General Assembly rooms until 2004 when they got given their own building called Holyrood (McCracken-Flesher, 2007). This gave Scotland more control over domestic issues that affect their people. This was a great turning point for Scotland (McCracken-Flesher, 2007), However some people did not think it was enough and wanted more control over their decisions. The SNP keep pushing for more devolved powers to be given over to Scotland so it can take control of its own resources. In conclusion, Scotland as it stands today is not an island: it still has nationalist views but is a long way from independence. Scotland has a vast history of standing against the English for independence from the wars of independence when many Scottish ancestors died which feeds a lot of the nationalist feeling in Scotland today. Scotland was a country in its own right prior to these wars. Scottish people today take pride in wearing tartan for special occasions but there was a time when it was suppressed. A lot of old Scottish past times that are a part of Scottish identity are dying out because of the unification with England such as the speaking of Gaelic. Scotlands economy could hold the key for Scotland becoming an Island in its own right as the oil could mean Scotland could survive on its own. However the United Kingdom relies on it too and people worry that it would run out. The SNP is Scotlands leading political party and keeps Scottish nationalism alive but also fights for Scotlands right for independence. However Scottish people are divided with those who want it and those who do not. Scotland has been given more power as under Tony Blair they got the Scottish Parliament back but only with devolved powers. Nationalism is important for a country to have as they can have pride in their country, heritage, culture and way of life and what makes their country unique. Scotland may not have independence yet but does it need it? Even if Scotland was to become independent it would still have to answer to the rest of the world. It is important to share the aspects that make Scotland great and for Scotland to be enriched by other countries. Scotlands culture will never fully return and Scotland will always be reliant on other people to keep whats left of it alive. Scotland is not an Island as no man is an Island but it does not have to be.

Prison: Impact And Effects

Prison: Impact And Effects Jump to:  Theories of New Punitiveness | The Effect of Prison on the Family | The Effect of Prison on the Community  |  Conclusion Currently, the impact and effects of imprisonment, which is a means of social control, are increasingly becoming various and noticeable. This essay will first focus on the concept and the different models of social control. Then social functions, official aims of imprisonment and an example of a prison population crisis will be respectively examined in relation to sociological theories, new punitiveness and political economy, which are three main influences on imprisonment. Finally, the negative impact of imprisonment on both families and communities will be shown. Imprisonment as a concept of social control has a long history. In nineteenth century, social control paid more attention to both connecting sociology to political philosophy and settling the controversial discussions of macro-sociology (Janowitz, 1975, cited in Cohen and Scull, 1983). Social control, at that time, solved a great number of complicated issues, but the purely coercive controls were not widely used (Cohen and Scull, 1983). During the twentieth century, the social control, even sociology was to be a point of view and method for investigating the processes by which individuals are inducted to and induced to co-operate in some sort of permanent corporate existence we call society (Park and Burgess, 1924, cited in Cohen and Scull, 1983, p5). Indeed, the alteration of the process that inducted the individual into society had great benefits on social control. Additionally, at present, the concept of social control is basically defined as: any structure, process, relationship, or act that contributes to the social order (Liska, A.E, 1992, p3). Currently, there are three regulatory models of social control. The first model is custodial institution, which is established on the theories of social order and punishment and the police and prisons are the representative organizations of this model. In addition, community care, such as welfare agencies and halfway house, are also important methods of social control. In particularly, the custodial institution and community care create formal methods because of the rules, law and rehabilitation, they base on. The third model, which is informal, is called self and mutual help, such as social pressure and peer group. Less formal face to face controls are considered in this model (David and Stasz, 1990). Overall, social control uses the ways of punishment, prevention and rehabilitation in order to solve deviant, threatening and disorder behaviours. In particular, imprisonment is one of the highly used means of social control in form of punishment. There are three factors that strongly influence the development of imprisonment. Firstly, some theories of punishment as control have emerged. In Gramscis theory, the most important things for capitalist society in the revolutionary struggle are the superstructure of ideology, law and politics. Hegemony, which means that one class is convinced to accept other classes moral, political and cultural values, is his central idea. Additionally, Althusser improved the work of Gramsi. He introduced a penal system in the Repressive State Apparatus (RSA), which includes the police, the courts and the prison. However, he claimed that the functions of RSA are not only to coerce, but there are also ideological functions, such as to reproduce personal values. Distinguished from RSA, Althusser established Ideological State Apparatuses (ISA). He put some overlooked parts of the state in this mechanis m, such as educational system, the media and political parties (Cavadino and Dignan, 2007). What is more, Foucalt, who created the phrase carceral archipelago to show western liberal democracies closely in touch with forms of oppression, argued in Discipline and Punish (1977) that: the emergence of the prison does not make a more humanitarian form of punishment, instead it represents an attempt to punish more efficiently and extensively to create a disciplined society (cited in Carrabine et al, 2009, p362). Furthermore, the English historian E.P.Thompson indicated that law, as well as penalty, can be found at every bloody level. However, if the law is unjust, the classs hegemony will benefit nothing from that. (Cavadino and Dignan, 2007). Those sociological theories, particularly Foucaults great confinement that: institution of various kinds came to be adopted as the solution to a wide range of social problems (Cavadino and Dignan, 2007, p194), shows that imprisonment has its social functions. Mathiesen, a Norwegian penologist, suggests that there are five social functions which demonstrate that imprisonment is still the dominant way of punishment. He calls the first function the expurgatory function. Many of people in prisons are homeless, abused and suffering from mental illness as Cavadino and Dignan (2007) researched and therefore regarded as unproductive and disruptive. They are routinely being put into prisons so as to prevent society from various damages. The second function is called the power-draining function. Apart from preventing prisoners from being involved in the normal society, the prisoners are also: denied the opportunity to exercise responsibility (Cavadino and Dignan, 2007, p195). Minimal practical contributions is the function that is considered when the prisons were designed. Thirdly, prisoners easily isolate themselves from society, because of the shame of having been imprisoned. This is called, by Mathiesen, symbolic function. It shows the effect that those prisoners are a smaller risk to society after being released. The fourth function, related to the third one, is called the diverting function. Mathiesen (cited in Cavadino and Dignan, 2007, p195) claims in his book that: socially dangerous acts are increasingly being committed by individuals and classes with power in society. However, the fact is that the heavy-handed of prisons are highly used to the lower working class offenders. Hereby social attention is diverted from more serious social harm committed by the groups in power. For instance, acts of pollution and eco-systems destruction. Finally, Mathiesen identifies the fifth social function as the action function. Because it is the most serious means of social cont rol, prisons play a vital role in reducing the publics fear of crime. However, Cavadino and Dignan (2007, p196) argue that the imprisonment functions that Mathiesen suggests are not that efficient: there is also a heavy price to be paid, not only in terms of resources and human suffering, but also in managing the increasing tensions that are associated with the steady enduring penal crisis. Theories of New Punitiveness Secondly, in recent decades, new punitiveness, which means a general rise in the severity of punishment, has become a notable penal trend around the world. Essentially, the aim of new punitiveness is to make offenders suffer. At present, the imprisonment rate, which is a measure of harshness of punishment, has increased in nearly three fourths of countries all over the world. Undoubtedly, the United States has led this new trend, because the prison population and imprisonment rates in this country are the highest in the world and where numbers of prisoners have quintupled since the early 1970s (Cavadino and Dignan, 2007, P84). Meanwhile, this punitiveness is connected with populist punitiveness whose policies and slogans, for instance, zero tolerance, three strikes and prison works are a far-reaching influence on policy-making, particularly penal policies. Definitely, it represents this penal trend: new punitiveness. (Garland, 2007) New punitiveness is connected with the official aims of using imprisonment that results in increasing use of prisons. Deterrence and retribution to offenders were the primary aims of imprisonment in the nineteenth century. However, during this period, the prisoners were still possible to return back to society and those ideas were treated as official policy. Additionally, although in the 1970s, the rehabilitation ideal collapsed, rehabilitation was reintroduced and became an important aim in penal practices in the late 1990s, especially in the UK Criminal Justice System. The current aims of rehabilitation are not only reforming prisoners characters, but more importantly to prevent them from reoffending (HCHAC, 2004). At present, the UK Prison Service states as its official aims: to reduce the risk of reoffending, hold prisoners securely and provide safety (Cavadino and Dignan, 2007). However, practically, all of the three aims are lamentable. Considering the first aim, Shepherd and W hitings (2006) figures indicate that imprisonment is unsuccessful in preventing reoffending: two-thirds of all prisoners are reconvicted within two years of being released, and for young men aged 18-20, the figure is 74.8% (cited in Cavadino and Dignan, 2007, p193). Reoffending is worse than a decade ago, when according to the Home Office just 70% of offenders under 21 were reconvicted for a crime (Home Office, 1999). Secondly, to hold prisoners securely, does not only mean to prevent their safety, but also to keep them from escaping. Although, currently, the Prison Service and governments are paying more attention to lessen the rates of absconding, the escapes from prisons have become periodic (Cavadino and Dignan, 2007). Therefore, it is hard for the Prison Service to achieve the third aim that is to provide safety. Prisoners escapes will increase anxiety and fear within general public. Cavadino and Dignan (2007, p193) claim that: there is   a very long way to go before it can claim to be providing safe, well-ordered establishments in which prisoners are treated humanly, decently and lawfully. Thirdly, the political economy, particularly the welfare system, plays a vital role in causing different imprisonment rates among various countries and it can revealingly explain the reason of the rise of new punishment. There are three key categories. Firstly, at present, Neo-liberalism, which means free-market capitalism, exists in the US, Britain and Australia. The welfare state, under this ethos that individualism is more important than communitarianism, is minimalist. Cavadino and Dignan (2007, P86) argues that: the economic system creates much material inequality, which results in the social exclusion of many people and communities. Secondly, the welfare benefits in conservative corporatist countries whose collectivism is more important, such as Germany, are more generous than Neo-liberal countries. The citizens in those countries get better protection against unusual market forces and products. However, it is still not equality and it is shown in Cavadino and Dignans (2007, P8 6) book: their welfare states enshrine and perpetuate traditional class, status and economic division between different groups of citizens who are entitled to different levels of welfare benefits. Thirdly, the more equal and generous welfare states are social democratic countries, such as Sweden. Although they share conservative corporatisms communitarian approach, their systems are the most egalitarian ones among those three kinds of countries. Walnsleys (2005) research on imprisonment rates which shows that the rates in all neo-liberal countries are the highest, while the lowest rates are in social democratic countries, definitely confirms this theory. Undoubtedly, the United States is a typical example which shows the rise of the new punitiveness as a neo-liberal country. The quote: overcrowded conditions in our prisons have become a national crisis (cited in Matthews and Francis, 1996, p22) informs that this crisis has extended to almost all federals states and locals communities. Maguire and Pastore (1994) suggested that during 1968 to 1978, the prisoners in federal state prisons increased by over 1000000, from 187914 to 294396. Although many concerns have been took to the crisis, between 1980 to 1990, the number of state and federal inmates had more than doubled to over 7000000, and in 1994 this population surpassed the one million mark (Office of Criminal Justice Service, 1995, p72). There are three factors that contribute to the dramatic increase in prisoner population. Firstly, the increase of inmate population reflects the high rates of crimes (Lynch, 1995). However, in return, the crime rates are not equal to the increment in prison population. According to FBI data the crime rates did not increase sharply in the last few decades. Blumstein (1995, cited in Matthews and Francis, 1996, p30) concluded that: it is very unlikely that the growth in prison population was a consequence of a growing crime rate. Secondly, the US has a long-drawn campaign to get tough with crime. Whatever the elected official is, the politics, from mandatory minimum prison sentences, to restrictions on parole release, to three strikes and you are out law, are aimed at putting more offenders in prison and for a lengthier stay (Skolnick, 1994, cited in Matthews and Francis, 1996, p30). Thirdly, in the 1980s, the war on drugs, which aimed to punish drug offences by using criminal law, contributed to the increase of prison populations. Only 10% of the prison populations were occupied by drug offenders, while this figure had doubled in 1989. Blumstein (1995) conducted a study, which pointed out that: 44% of this increase in prison p opulations between 1986 and 1991 could be attributed to the boom in the number of offenders imprisoned for drug offences (cited in Matthews and Francis, 1996, p31). Furthermore, there are some other solutions that the US has implemented. For instance, creating capacity, which means to build more prisons to house all prisoners; and intermediate punishment, which aims to get tough in the community as a punishment. However, Matthews and Francis (1996) argued the barriers as follows: theories of reducing the crowding crisis remain mainly academic exercises with little prospect of substantively affecting the extent of the crisis, ideas on reducing prison crowding are judged too dangerous because their endorsement would expose elected officials to charges of being soft on crime. (p31-32)   The Effect of Prison on the Family Obviously, imprisonment has lots of bad effects on families. Firstly, those families, whose member is in prison, will lose respect in the community. Clear (2009, p128) cites an experience of a participant in his book: neighborhood residents not only look at the specific offender but also the entire family, and if one has offended, all of a sudden they are not the most respected, even from the church. Secondly, parental imprisonment results in financial problems, especially if the man of the family is in prison. Those families lose a productive member, thus they lose income, because the partners imprisonment will probably influence the employment of the woman, and the ability of a male support the family is higher than the females (Clear, 2009). Thirdly, the most significant influence is on children. Actually, the effects of imprisonment on children start at the arrest of their parent. They are shocked, fearful and confused when witnessing their parents being arrested. As Van Nijantte n (1998) points out: the way the father was removed in handcuffs or with a bag over his head, are sensations the child will never forget (p82). Parental imprisonment has a psychological influence on children. A majority of researches have found that children, whose parents are in prison, are more likely to show the depression, hyperactivity, clinging behaviour, sleep problems, truancy and poor school grades. (Murray, 2005). While, other studies revealed that those children have a higher risk of showing bad behaviour or experience imprisonment (Johnston, 1995). Farrington et al (1996, cited in Codd, 2008. p73) also support this idea that: children who are brought up by parents, who are offenders, particularly if they are imprisonment, have been argued to be more likely to go on to offend. However, parental imprisonment still has benefits for some children. Eddy and Reid (2003), suggest that the quality of positive parenting will rise, because their parents may take more time out on t he street and send them to a caregiver or local care organisations, which will results in less significant problems for those children. The Effect of Prison on the Community Similarly, imprisonment has several effects on the communities. First of all, stigma sometimes will transfer from families to communities. Although some residents say that they do not mind and even celebrate it when the prisoners come back to the community, the stigma, especially if more serious crimes are committed in the community, will inevitably influence the whole community. For example, residents may be reluctant to be out on the street at night in their areas or to take part in activities (Clear, 2009). Secondly, the economic situation of the community is seriously affected by the imprisonment, because of the stigma. There is a fact that residents are concerned more about living surroundings. If there are a number of people with criminal records in the community it can lead to lower property values. Meanwhile, the businesses in such places noted that fewer customers enter their premises. Clear (2009) discusses those two ideas: the areas bad reputation means that large corporat ions do not locate their business in these neighbourhood; and housing prices are diminished because, when residents flee, they sell their houses for whatever they can get, often at a reduced price. This reflects the value of the community (p135). Thirdly, prisoners are always full of hope when returning back to their community. However, they soon feel low self-worth and self-esteem, because the communities stigmatise them. Consequently, they will do nothing to contribute to the communities and feel thats just the way I am, which may very likely lead them to reoffend. As a participants responses in Clears research show (2009, p138): if you treat me more like a human being, I will act more like human being, if you treat me more like an animal, Im going to act more like an animal. Last but not least, even if residents show a welcome to prisoners, those people from prisons actually increase the fear of crime in communities. Another participant in the same study says he is worried about his son when he is working, because of having a former prisoner as a next door neighbour. Other residents express the same fears. They are cited in Clears (2009, p142) book: one resident said that if someone with a criminal records moved in next door to her home, she might do a background check. Another said he was going to watch him'. Overall, those accumulated impacts on the community can be fierce. Conclusion In conclusion, imprisonment plays a vital role as a means of social control. Although in some countries, such as the US, the overcrowded prisons have become a pressing problem that needs to be addressed urgently, because of its valuable social functions and coincidence with official aims, imprisonment is widely used around the world. However, the negative effects on families, especially on children who are economically and mentally greatly affected and suffer when their parents are imprisoned; and communities whose economies and social anxiousness are seriously influenced, should not be neglected. It may negate the development of imprisonment

Essay --

Angelica Cienega Professor R. Dickerson ENG 232-1024 17 November, 2013 Textual Analysis For Leo Tolstoy’s character Ivan Ilych, death is an end to an empty life. It is not until after he gets a vague diagnosis of disease that he realizes his mortality. In this epiphany, he realizes that his relationships with his family, friends, and colleagues are all artificial, if not at least superficial. Because of this, he becomes depressed and wonders whether he really lived his live the right way. Ilych always treated his relationships in a very formal manner and, when he died, his so-called friends barely managed to pay their respects. Through Ilych, Tolstoy shows that life is not simply a play or a business deal. Tolstoy’s story sends a warning to his readers that if they do not have genuineness or passion or individuality in their lives, then they will not experience a truly fulfilling life. In chapter two the readers first learns the story of Ilych’s early life. Ilych is described as a man who had always been drawn to people of high status in society, so that is the type of life he pursued for himself. He was the second and most amicable of three brothers, a law school graduate, and was the most successful in earning the good favor of the people he met. The people he tried hardest to make the good favor of were merely â€Å"of good position,† not truly â€Å"good† people, and the things he did to earn their favor, â€Å"made him feel disgusted with himself when he did them†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Tolstoy 746). Tolstoy goes on to tell that it does not bother Ilych too deeply because once he realized that the people didn’t think those â€Å"disgusting† things were â€Å"wrong†, he was able â€Å"to forget them entirely or not be at all troubled at remembering them† (747). Not only was ... ...lych endures the final days of his life, he spends his time reflecting on his actions and relationships with people. He realizes that the concern for his outward life was the flaw of his inward personality. He spent all of his time trying to make his life seem successful, which he accomplished in the eyes of the shallow high-society people. Unfortunately though, he sacrificed his personal needs and ruined his relationships in the process. Or rather, he did not build any true relationships to ruin, just hung on to empty ones that led to resentment and sorrow. Tolstoy’s story of Ilych’s life warns readers that their opinion of themselves is more important than a rotten opinion of anyone else’s, honesty and romance are important in marriage, that friendships are not won in competition, and that children will be any better than their parents if they are not taught to be.

In Distrust of Movements :: Analysis, Wendell Berry

Humans crave improvement, humans crave progress, and humans crave identity. For many, these cravings are satisfied within the ideas and actions behind social movements. According to Dictionary.com, the definition of a social movement is, â€Å"a group of people with common ideology who try together to achieve certain general goals† (n.d.). Frequently, these social movements center around a singular issue. In his essay titled â€Å"In Distrust of Movements,† Wendell Berry (2000) refers to single-issue movements as â€Å"hopeless† (p.333). He writes, â€Å"I have had†¦ a number of useful conversations about the necessity of getting out of movements – even movements that have seemed necessary and dear to us – when they have lapsed into self righteousness†¦ as movements seem almost invariably to do† (p.331). Berry is incorrect in his belief that single-issue movements are ineffective and inevitably fail, and flagrantly disregards history in making such an assertion. Since the advent of the printing press, human communication has grown exponentially. The 20th century is certainly no exception to this trend as we have seen in the advent of radio, television, and the internet. The ease of communication allowed the voice of the masses to be readily heard, and has proved advantageous for social activists and the causes they championed. Such advantages did not go to waste as we have witnessed in movements like the civil rights movement or Fair Trade. Even today, we hear the cries of the â€Å"Occupy Wall Street† protestors. The truth is, progressive movements and their political pull are here to stay and contrary to Berry’s (2000) belief, those that grow around a â€Å"single issue† are just as successful as their multi-faceted counterparts. To give an example, the aforementioned Civil Rights Movement stands as a prominent specimen of a triumphant single-issue cause. Clear and precise, the goal of this cause was to grant African Americans the same legal rights allowed to any other American citizen. This effort ultimately led to such legislation as the American Civil Rights Act of 1964 (â€Å"The Civil Rights Movement,† n.d.), and the Fair Housing Act of 1968 (â€Å"Fair Housing Laws,† n.d.). Berry (2000) asserts that one of the major faults in movements is that â€Å"They almost always fail to be radical enough, dealing finally in effects rather than causes† (p.331). What was the Civil Rights Movement though, but a solution to an â€Å"effect† rather than a cause?

Management Of Pacific Douglas-Fir Stands To Maintain Black-Tailed Deer Populations :: Environment Animals Environmental Essays

Management Of Pacific Douglas-Fir Stands To Maintain Black-Tailed Deer Populations Introduction Within the Pacific Northwest region of the United States, intensive, even-aged silviculture has simplified the structure and species composition of native forest stands. Within the range of the coastal Pacific Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), old-growth forests presently cover only 13 percent of the region; 60 percent of these remnants occur in patches less than 40 hectares in size. In this region, total land area consisting of old-growth forest before extensive logging has been estimated at 60-90 percent (Williams and Marcot 1991). As a result of intense clearcutting practices, early successional stages have become predominant and later stages have declined. Shifts in age classes of forests have been accompanied by changes in composition and abundance of fauna. Declines in population numbers, changes in conception dates, and an increase to 27 percent annual mortality (vs 5% in higher elevation old-growth stands) are a cause for implementing appropriate silvicultural practices in Douglas-fir stands managed for both timber production and a stable black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus) population (McNay and Voller 1995, Brown 1992). This report will attempt to describe a fairly new and promising silvicultural method that can potentially be able to satisfy both of these criteria. Coastal Douglas-Fir Characteristics The habitat type that this report is concerned with is the Tsuga heterophylla zone which contains a large geographical area west of the crest of the Cascade Mountains. Much of the central portion of this zone is occupied by subclimax forests dominated by coastal Douglas-fir (Williamson 1983, Scott 1980). The rest is dominated by western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla). The original old-growth forest, whose origin was primarily periodic, catastrophic fire, frequently had understory components of western hemlock and western redcedar (Thuja plicata). On very xeric soils, Douglas-fir may be the major species of the climax stand. Douglas-fir is a species of medium tolerance, long life, large size, and rapid juvenile height growth. It does not sprout, but after 25 years of age bears good seed crops every 5 to 7 years. The seed disseminates well to about six tree lengths and up to one-half mile. Unmanaged stands vary between 81 and 190 cubic feet mean-annual increment at age sixty. Scott (1980) suggests that average yields of about 300 cubic feet per acre are possible in managed stands. For maximum yield, Douglas-fir is commonly grown on rotations of 40 to 60 years, depending on the site and the landowners' objectives.

Man Wildlife Conflicts

The problem of Man – Elephant conflict is more severe in the districts of Hassan and Madikeri where large herds of elephants can be seen roaming and marauding the farms especially in or near the forest areas damaging the valuable agricultural crops. At times there have been loss of human lives which only accentuates the problem taking this conflict to an entirely new level. Naturally people can tolerate the loss of agricultural crops but not the loss of their family members.But then who is responsible for all this? It is we who have intruded into their territory, converting the forests into agricultural farms, growing crops and inviting the elephants to our doorsteps to come and have their stomach fill. Its we who have fragmented their habitat by making roads, dams and canals. We have honeycombed their habitat by our so called developmental activities eating into their homelands and this appetite of ours for their areas is only increasing day by day with the bulging human popu lation.The elephants in these areas seem to have a very peculiar habit. First they have their stomach fill. After that they roam around in search of arrack which is usually being distilled in local bhatties. The arrack or the distil waste gives them a nice kick and these drunken elephants are responsible for the loss of human lives. The tools employed by the forest department like bursting of crackers, gunshots or fire torches are too primitive to stop or scare away the marauding pack of drunken elephants.The Man-Leopard conflict is more visible in the transition zone between dry plain lands and the green hilly areas. In the Chikmagalur district it is more a problem in the dry taluqa of Kadur particularly bordering villages of Kadur and Chikmagalur taluqa where the dry tract ends. Kadur is the place which earned a bad name for it about 10 years back. It was here where large number of panthers had to be shot and killed by employing and bringing so called sharp shooters from all over the state in search of an illusive so called man-eater panther.The end result of all this hunting spree was that every day and night several panthers were shot and brought to the post mortem table, post mortem was carried out and the killed panther was declared innocent as no human remains could be detected inside till finally some human hair remnants were detected in one and then only this shooting spree came to a halt. It is debatable whether it was really required to kill such a large number of panthers which is an endangered species but perhaps the department had no means to identify the rrant panther and hence large number of panthers had to be killed in search of that illusive wayward one. Moreover at times one is driven by the urge to be seen as trying his best. Probably this urge opened the floodgates and gradually people took the law into their own hands thinking that why to wait for the forest department when they can themselves teach panthers a lesson. Same happened some time back. A family of a mother panther and its two grown up cubs was seen in the vicinity of a village.They hunted a calf and ate it partially before they were chased away by the villagers. Once they left, the carcass of the calf was nicely poisoned. When the mother and the cub returned unsuspectingly next day, they consumed the remains and in the process died themselves. Leopards by nature tend to stray into the habitations in search of their kill. Their natural prey is becoming rare in the forests and the omnipresent cattle and dogs in the vicinity of the villages on the periphery of forest brings them in close conflict of the human beings.In some other areas also few panthers have had to lose their lives being caught in the snares. These snares are fixed in the barbed wire fence of coffee estates, not necessarily by the estate owners but at times by their labour in order to catch wild boars or smaller animals. However it is the panthers and Sambars who have had to pay the price with their lives for their adventure in to the estates. The Man- Tiger conflicts are by and large restricted to the high forests and the coffee estates in the vicinity of forests in Chikmagalur district.These conflicts also arise due to depredation by tigers on the cattle or getting entangled in the snares fixed in the fencings of the estates. Few tigers have been killed due to such snares. In Chikmagalur, Hassan, Kodagu and other Western Ghat districts Coffee plantations are an integral part of the topography. The conditions available in the coffee estates make them very close to look like forest. Presence of cattle in such areas makes them ideal hunting grounds for the tigers and leopards bringing them in direct conflict with the villagers.Moreover there are large number of authorized and unauthorized muzzle loading guns available making it very difficult for the wild life to survive. Primary reason for all these conflicts is fragmentation of the wild habitat. Whereas few patches have been brought under the Conservation network by declaring them as National Parks or Sanctuaries, about 85-90% of the forest areas are still outside this network. While there can be no doubt that establishing this network has contributed significantly to wildlife conservation. But real problem is that even these networks are also fragmented.Whereas total concentration in these parks and sanctuaries is on wildlife protection making the conditions ideal for wildlife, but what about the wildlife staying in forest areas outside these networks. Wildlife knows no boundaries. Creation of ideal conditions in sanctuaries has helped wildlife to multiply rapidly but where is the additional habitat required to take care of the additional population of animals, which tries to flow over to the adjoining areas only to get killed. This is particularly so with regard to the wild animals having territorial tendencies.There is need to have a continuous conservation network with sufficient area and resources to take care of the progeny. Right now almost no effort is being made to take up wild life related management works outside the parks and sanctuaries. The lands outside the parks and sanctuaries (even inside also) are constantly under threat of encroachment. Honeycombing of the forestlands has already reached extreme. The tools employed by the government in reducing the Man and Wildlife Conflicts are highly insufficient and hence not producing desired results.If we think that paying a few hundred or thousands Rupees to a person as compensation for crop damages by elephants or for a cattle killed by a leopard or tiger would save our wildlife from getting poisoned or shot, then it is nothing but our shortsightedness. Even this so-called wildlife compensation is paid to him after making innumerable trips to the concerned office. The farmer has to forego his earnings for each day he has to visit the office, he has to pay from his pocket for the bus charge and has to undergo ph ysical strain †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.And what he gets is just few hundred rupees. Such hardships discourage him and in the process he gets encouraged to take the law into his own hands and to settle scores with his tormentor- the wildlife. There are only losers on both the sides. The Forest officials are also at times not acting in tandem. There is no coordination among the adjoining units. Particularly in case of elephant herds movements between the adjoining units it can be seen. Everybody wants to drive away the herds to another adjoining unit without giving any thought.It only complicates the problems. Need of the hour is to have a stock of the real problem. And then only solutions can be found. We tend to take each problem in a routine manner. There is a tendency to leave the things to lower subordinates. The powers that be have to take everybody into confidence, discuss the issue threadbare and then have to take a conscious decision. A conscious policy decision need not be essentially sweet and liked by all but it may herald a new era where people and wildlife both can coexist beneficially.

Hris Case Study

HRIS Case study 1. How does this position help the HR function become a strategic partner of the organization? MOMIRI companies realize that quality personal are the key to success. That means the company can achieve its strategic goals by the support of human capital. Therefore, proper management of human capital is the core factor for company to reach its strategic goals. Thus, HRIS, of which primary objective is to maximize the value of an organization’s human capital, can serve as a significant strategic partner of the organization.In addition, according to the duties and responsibilities of the HRIS administrator, since the HRIS administer serves as key systems liaison with other department such as payroll, HRIS administer can also help other department and build an integrate relationship between HR and other department. That relationship can provide a very insightful view for HR department and help the company to make and implement its strategic goals by providing some u seful information of employees. 2. From the position description, identify the traditional, transactional, and transformational HR activities that this position is involved with.Traditional: Conduct new hire in process to include systems training for new employees and entering new employee information in Costpoint. Conduct termination out-processing to include entering employee separation information in Costpoint and reporting attrition data. Process personal actions (hires, terminations, pay & title changes, promotions, employment status, etc) to include entering data into HRIS. Transactional: Support and maintains the HRIS in addition to other systems supported by the management of enterprise applications.Provide detail and aggregate information for salary surveys and regulatory reporting. Maintain data integrity in ATS, HRIS, and other enterprise system by running queries and analyzing and fully auditing data across all HR departments. Transformational: Provide HR tools and resou rces for management and staff to accomplishment their goals and objectives. Serve as key systems liaison with other departments and process stakeholders. 3. Using the key responsibilities identified for this position, explain why and how the HRIS function plays a pivotal role in the organizational model as described in this chapter.The HRIS function keeps and manages all the employees’ information. The HRIS analyzes the employees’ information such as performance and skills and identifies some talented person to plan and implement project. In addition, the HRIS can help make payrolls and thus build an integrate relationship with other finance and accounting software. Last but not least, HRIS can enhance efficiency and effectiveness of HR administrative functions and improve employees satisfaction by delivering HR services more quickly and accurately.