PR Functions Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

PR Functions - Case Study Example PR performs both organizational and societal functions influencing internal workers and wife target audience. Organizational detention involves workers and investors, management policies and the Board of Directors, etc. At this level, PR bridges information gaps in distribution channels, help coordinate the total marketing system, and adjust products and services to customer needs. Press releases and investors information are integral components of the communications mix (Apple Home Page 2008). Self-image is a function of societal norms. Group membership and group belonging relate directly to self-esteem and favorable self-image; acceptance and the grant of status by various organizations embellish the phenomenal self. The ability of groups to foster the development of more favorable self-images encourages belonging; the ability of products, symbols, services, communications, and other aspects of the marketing program to enhance the self-image encourages consumption behavior. One of the bases for understanding consumer behavior in its psychological and sociological dimensions, the self-image concept adds an important perspective to economic theories of consumption and is directly related to motivation (Gillin, 2007). At the societal level, Apple addresses all stakeholders including society and potential customers, IT professionals and economists, etc. At this level, the value of information about product characteristics varies directly with buyers' costs of search. When transactions and search costs are sufficiently small, buyers search more intensively and the additional advantage of intensive specialized search diminishes. The opposite is true for those with high search costs. Indeed, if search costs are sufficiently high it may not even pay to enter the differentiated products market at all (Gillin, 2007). The value of attribute information also depends on the difference between each consumer's preferences and market availabilities. If individual consumers exhibit little dispersion in their preferences and search costs, the gross value of advertising product characteristics is small and its net social value may be even negative, for the same reason it was in some of the examples in the sectio n above on advertising and perceptions. Since advance knowledge of attributes allows customers to specialize search activities in the most preferred varieties, the value of catering to particular groups is correspondingly greater when there is greater dispersion in tastes among buyers (Apple Home Page 2008). The aim of PR is to maintain relations with stakeholders and create a unique image of the company. The value and importance of PR is that a buyer cannot afford to investigate all of the alternative qualities of the products in the market. If Apple can increase profit and sales by offering a genuinely superior design and price in comparison with the existing configuration, there remains a possibility of accomplishing a similar result by changing buyers' perceptions of an existing good. So far as individual firms are concerned, these activities have the same initial effects on sales and profit as were examined in the preceding section. But the nature of market equilibrium and the social consequences of such actions are markedly different (Apple Home Page

Comparing and contrasting Adult Fans Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Comparing and contrasting Adult Fans - Essay Example That is why I call it an obsession with an activity/ even in ones life. Different people have different hobbies depending on a wide array of factors. While some love playing video games on their computers, others like listening to music, others still find reading romantic novels their most preferred activity and so on. Ask anyone what they do regularly in their lives and you will be fascinated at the varied answers you will receive, these are their hobbies. Several factors influence the liking of such hobbies in different people. Such include, social class, level of education, peer types, environment, age, sex, occupation, etc. Hobbies are mostly done during leisure hours, some people however find it necessary to allocate some time at least in between their core duties to fit in some time for their hobbies. To this extent therefore, we can argue that different people have different levels of fanaticism for different hobbies. In this paper, I will look at the various factors which inf luence the choice of hobbies in adult population of LEGO and bronies. Hobbies tend to change considerably from childhood to adulthood. Children seem to like playing while in the ages of between 2- 5 years. Playing different soft games which do not involve a lot of brain work such as computer games, biking, etc. depending on their social classes dominates their lives and forms their hobbies. These hobbies tend to be common to both boys and girls in the same cultural setting. Such hobbies however changes as the children grow into adulthood. At about 10 and 15 years the teenage boys and girls get interested in totally different activities in all cultural diversities of the world. Moreover, more changes occur above this age as the teenagers graduate to young adults. Several factors play jointly to facilitate these changes. Such factors are varied and include the changes in lifestyles and places of residents with new friends and environments which come about with totally different

Hacking and Cracking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Hacking and Cracking - Essay Example This means that the person performing hacking had to modify system operations to attain what they require or to perform unusual functions (Peterson and Bender, 2011). Hacking evolved after the invention of the fist computer in the 1950s and was widely changed and used to test the strength of systems. Later in 1980s hacking and cracking where differentiated by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). According to MIT, hacking is ethical non-destructive performances while cracking is non-ethical performances aimed at destroying computer systems either by breaking, wiping out data or infecting the system with viruses or malware. The 21st century description for hacking is based on the following terms. Hacking must follow safety measures, must not be destructive and must not have effect on any person emotionally, physically or mentally. Hacking is performed with the help of the following programming languages, telnet, Trojan horses and key loggers. Hacking with the use of Trojan horses helps the hacker to passwords. A Trojan horse is a kind of program that is only meant for hacking and not like viruses or worms. Viruses and worms replicate th emselves and are meant for destruction of programs in the system (Peterson and Bender, 2011). According to Syed (2004), hacking is an illegal act if a person does not have authority to perform such actions. Hacking operation can be performed on various systems such as emails whereby persons hack email. Hacking is also done by computer experts who are able to write programs or have wide knowledge of programming languages. Hacking is mainly performed to ascertain the strength of company’s security system. In this way, the organization can pin-point and correct the security flaws in the organization to avoid loss of data or computer virus infections. Cracking is done with help of software. However, the person cracking must also have a bit of knowledge of programming

Analysing An Experience To Develop Current Knowledge Nursing Essay

Analysing An Experience To Develop Current Knowledge Nursing Essay Reflection In this reflective account I will relate to a significant event, demonstrating how I have developed personally and professionally, focusing on the implementation of care and support. Rodgers (2002) suggests from Dewey (1933) that reflection is the process of reconstruction and reorganisation of experience which adds to the meaning of experience. Therefore analysing an experience, to develop your current knowledge, by reviewing your actions and assessing the experience to develop your own personal and professional skills in future practice. Hamill (1999) recommends writing reflection in first person using Driscolls model of reflection (Driscoll 2000). The situation I have chosen to reflect on is an interaction with a patient who had been given a terminal diagnosis and had been informed the prognosis was limited. I have chosen to reflect on this account as it involved difficult communication which made me question my competency as a student and prior to the event I thought I would not be prepared to deal with it. (See Appendix) As I had previously interacted with the patient on her admission, I have already communicated and developed a relationship with her. Groogan (1999) states that communication creates a relationship, with communication providing a holistic approach to caring for the individual to meet their psychological, social, spiritual and physical needs. I was therefore able to recognise that something was wrong and identified that she wanted somebody to talk to. Forrest (1989) identified core elements of nursing as picking up on cues and the importance of being there. Jarrett and Payne (1995) reviewed literature on nurse-patient communication and concluded that there is a need for nurses to make an assessment of each individual situation, so that they are aware of whether the patient desires the information. Relating to the assessment I made of the situation I was aware the patient wanted to talk and realised that she was not asking for information but wanted someone to talk to. During the event I felt anxious and nervous about how to react and communicate with the patient as I had never been in that situation before. Buckman (1998) identified health care professionals experience fear of the untaught and fear of saying I dont know, the experience of showing emotions was also identified and throughout the situation I felt empathy towards her. Empathy is defined as the mental capacity to appreciate another persons feeling without joining them, understanding patients experiences. (Hojat et al 2001). Sieh et al (1994) states that special emphasis is placed on listening and empathy skills in the training of nurses. However, in the situation I questioned my competencies within my communication skills as I thought I was unequipped within my training to provide the care and support the patient required. On reflection, I identified that I worked within my role and limitations as a student to assess the situation and act as appropriate. Reflecting on the situation I have identified that non-verbal communication played a large part of the experience. Non-verbal communication includes the use of eye contact, flexibility of facial expressions, the use of gestures, use of touch, pausing to allow a response timing and body posture (Purnell 2000). This definition relates to the situation as I was sat at her bedside when she began to cry, and then she said to me I am dying arent I? She put her hand out and I just comforted her by holding her hand. The expression and discussion of feelings of loss and grief can be very difficult for patients with incurable disease and their families (Clements- Cortes 2004) When she asked me the question I am dying arent I? my first thoughts were to ask a Staff Nurse to come and speak to her, but I felt as if she had chosen me to talk to and that I couldnt have walked away to get someone. Although I didnt answer her question, I felt as though I was supporting her by being with her and as I knew she understood her prognosis and felt that the question didnt need an answer. On reflection, the event directly impacted on the patient, me and my role as a student and my mentor. I feel that the patient was able to express her feeling and emotions and I was able to provide care and support within my role. I identified that I assessed the situation and made decisions to provide the best possible care and support for the patient at the time. The situation made me question my ability however it developed my communication skills which are transferable to all aspects of nursing. To enable me to reflect on the situation I used literature as part of the reflective process to read around communicating in palliative care, the nurse-patient relationship to continuing development and promote learning as Glaze (2001) reports the use of literature is used as part of reflection to promote learning by reading around the topic. Following the event, I informed my mentor what had happened and she said she was aware of the situation and felt that I had dealt with it very well. We reflected on the event and I felt as though at the time somebody could have came to make sure the situation was ok but following the discussion my mentor was aware of the situation and that she would have intervened if necessary. Following the discussion I felt supported by my mentor, although the event was emotional and sensitive I feel it was a positive learning experience. Benner (1984) describes stages of practice from novice to expert, at this stage in my training, I am working towards an advanced beginner, although I recognise this in this situation I had no experience of communicating in difficult situations and for that reason I felt like a novice. For this reason I feel as though my mentor could have identified my weakness in this area and at the time and acted sooner. The role of the mentor is to assess and support the student in practice (NMC 2008) on this occasion I felt my mentor fulfilled their role after the discussion following the event, however during the event I felt it was just me and the patient, and I acted within my role. In conclusion, I have recognised the importance of the nurse-patient relationship and feel the experience at the time and reflecting on the experience has had a positive impact on my personal and professional development. Understanding that within the role of a nurse, communication is not only about information provision but about adapting your own skill to assess situations and act appropriately. In relation to implementation of care and support this experience highlights the nurse role to provide emotional support to continue to communicate effectively.

Essay --

It is important for people to imitate others before they can become original and creative. Imitation can be looked down upon by society; however, it is not as bad as it is chalked up to be. Imitation allows people to establish themselves. People have role models and admire them. A person aspires to achieve as much as their idol has done. Imitating a role model is necessary to be original and creative because mimicking allows one to be put in a position to influence others and to build upon qualities of the role model. Athletes are an everyday example of imitation. Athletes have role models that they look up to while growing up. For example, superstar athlete LeBron James has stated in numerous interviews that he aspired to be like Michael Jordan while growing up. He was influenced by someone who was successful and is considered the greatest of all time. Mimicking Michael Jordan’s game, LeBron has been put into a position where he is an idol for others. He can now show off his creativity, which others can look up to. LeBron James has established himself to the point that others will ...

Inquiry Proposal: Serial Killers Essay

1. Description. The topic that I have chosen to cover for my proposal is serial killers. The term â€Å"serial killer† was established in the 1970’s by Robert Ressler (former director of an FBI program). He chose â€Å"serial† because these types of murders are crimes in series. Murderers become serial killers after three or more victims with quiet periods of time in between the murders. The US holds 76% of the world’s serial killers. According to the latest FBI study in 2007, there are approximately 400 serial killers in the US and 80% of them have emerged since 1950. Statistically, the average serial killer is a white male with a lower to middle-class background and is usually in his twenties or thirties. It seems ludicrous that serial killers often have families, homes, are employed, and appear to be normal members of a community. There are many myths about serial killers such as, they are dysfunctional loners, they are all white males, they all travel, they can’t stop killing, and that they are insane. My proposal is figuring out what may be true about these serial killers. I find it interesting how something brought into this world as an innocent baby could turn into a serial killer. 2. Guiding Questions. Here are some of the questions that are the major components behind my proposal. Where did the term â€Å"serial killer† come from? What makes a person a serial killer? How many are there in the U.S? Why do they do it? What happened throughout their life? What makes them tick? How do they get caught? I believe that these are important questions that need to be answered, as each one gives us a better understanding as to what makes a person not only murder but murder multiple people over periods of days, weeks, and even years. 3. Research Gathered. Coming into this, I thought it would be easy to figure out exactly what is going on in these serial killers minds but it’s not. It’s hard to say precisely what is going on in their head and what led up to it without being them but with inside information from interviews with serial killers and interviews with detectives, you get a feel of what made them act the way they do. Profiling a serial killer is important in catching a serial killer. Determining the  signature and what the serial killer had to do for the crime are big aspects of profiling. Studies from doctors and information from past murders create the profile along with crime-scene information and witness statements. For instance, if the crime scene shows evidence of careful planning, the killer is likely to be intelligent and older. Not all profiles are perfect but they are usually on point. Serial killers begin to surface around their twenties and once they reach a certain point, there is no going back. De tectives also have to profile the victims because they are the key to catching the serial killer. They were picked because something stimulated the serial killer to do so. The only way to prevent the becoming of a serial killer is to go back to their childhood and break up the peculiar patterns. Just like all human beings, serial killers are the product of their heredity and the choices they make throughout their life. Their behavior is influenced by life experiences and biological factors. Humans are in a constant state of development from the moment they are born to the moment they die. Behavior is affected by a stimulus that is processed by the nervous system. According to neurobiologists, our nervous system is environmentally sensitive which allows the individual nervous system to be shaped throughout a lifetime. In saying that, failure to develop social coping mechanisms as a child can result in violent behavior. There are important periods of time in which it is essential that kids learn basic rules on how to interact with people and if they aren’t learned during that period of time, it could be impossible to learn later on in life. Serial killers often exhibit three behaviors in their childhood and they are bed-wetting, arson, and cruelty to animals. They are also likely to come from broken homes and have been abused or neglected. Serial killers act completely normal in front of others and are said to be good members of their community. They are generally intelligent, organized, and some can be very social. The two most common theories as to motives of serial killers include childhood neglect and abuse, and mental illness. Many, if not all serial killers experience neglect and abuse as children. They are often physically and or sexually abused as children or are witnesses of abuse. This pattern of neglect and abuse forces them to grow up without a sense of anyone other than themselves. Mental illness is a big factor in determining whether or not the killer was conscious and aware of his or her actions. Many serial killers try to use the excuse that they  are psychotic but only few have been diagnosed. According to the Diagnostic & Standard Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV), a psychopath is a person with an antisocial personality disorder (APD). As said in the DSM-IV, a person with APD follows a pattern of â€Å"disregard and violation of the rights of others occurring since the age of 15.† This pattern includes seven factors but three have to be met for diagnosis and those are, â€Å"failure to conform to social norms, irritability and aggressiveness, and lack of remorse.† Psychopathy is manifested in people who use a mixture of charm, manipulation, intimidation, and violence to control others while satisfying their selfish needs. Although serial killers possess many traits consistent with psychopaths, all psychopaths don’t become serial killers. Psychopaths who become serial killers don’t value human life and are extremely callous when interacting with their victims. Along with mental disorders, is brain damage. Damage to areas such as the frontal lo be and the hypothalamus can result in extreme aggression, loss of control, and loss of judgment. For instance, Henry Lee was a convicted serial killer and was found to have extreme brain damage in both the frontal lobe and hypothalamus which was a result of childhood abuse including malnutrition and alcoholism. After gathering information on the motives and behaviors of serial killers, I realized there is no specific combination of traits or characteristics that all serial killers possess. There isn’t a generic template that determines a serial killer. They are driven by their own unique motives or reasons. Catching a serial killer is difficult because they are just your average looking man or woman living across the street. Serial killers only get caught after making a mistake. Information from the crime scene and autopsy are collected and entered into a date base where similar crimes are matched up by the killer’s signature. For instance, some killers position the body a certain way or leave them in a certain place. Investigators look at the method of procedure which reflects what the killer had to do in order to commit the crime. The crime reflects their personality and the victim is the key to catching the serial killer. Detectives have to piece together who the potential serial killer may be by matching up victims that are similar in area and most commonly, their looks. Detectives have to know how to spark the serial killers emotions and make them tick. For instance, John Douglas (FBI serial killer profiler) was asked to assist in a trial involving a  serial killer because he had manipulated the jury into believing that he wasn’t capable of doing such a thing. John told the prosecutor to physically touch the serial killer and violate his personal space because it will make him think that he isn’t superior and in return, will drive him crazy. He then asked the accused serial killer what it was like to wrap his fingers around his victim’s throat. The serial killer then had a major outburst and went crazy because he was recalling what happened and it excited him. The jurors finally saw another side to the man and it turned the whole case around. You have to know what makes them tick in order to catch them. 4. Optional Primary Research. I decided to find documentaries on two of the most notorious serial killers Ted Bundy and Jeffrey Dahmer. The first documentary I watched was â€Å"Biography: Ted Bundy: The Mind of a Killer (1995).† Ted Bundy was a boy scout, a college graduate, a law student, and a star in Washington State politics. Growing up, Ted was told that his actual grandparents were his mother and father and that his actual mother was his older sister. His grandmother (mother) had health issues such as depression and panic attacks and was eventually introduced to electro-shock therapy and his great grandfather was known to be extremely violent and frightening. His family began noticing at the age of three that Ted wasn’t adjusting well. His first incident happened when he was being babysat by his aunt and she was taking a nap. Ted’s aunt woke up to him placing all the kitchen knives around her body in an outline with the blades pointing towards her. After the incident with his aunt and fighting with his step-father a lot, Ted was forced to move to Tacoma, WA and it devastated him because he thought of his great grandfather as a father and he didn’t want to leave him. Once in Tacoma, Ted’s peers thought of him as a shy person. He stuttered a lot and didn’t date. He really isolated himself from the crowd and started becoming a peeping Tom. Ted started to consider himself above the law. While in college, Ted met a girl named Stephanie and was particularly attracted to her beautiful long hair that was parted in the middle. Stephanie was wealthy, sophisticated, and worldly; everything Ted wished he was. They were together for a year and in that time, Stephanie had taken Ted’s virginity. While Ted was in love, Stephanie didn’t see a future with him and broke it off becau se she didn’t think that he was very serious about his future. Ted became devastated and dropped out of school. He then went to visit his  relatives to figure out who he really was and ended up finding out that his so called â€Å"sister† was actually his mother. After hearing this news and the horrible break up with Stephanie, Ted became extremely resentful. He felt that his mother and girlfriend destroyed his life and therefore wanted revenge. A couple years later, he met back up with Stephanie and seemed to be a new and improved man to her. Stephanie agreed to marry Ted and then he dumped her right away for revenge but it didn’t stop there. It all began in 1974 when Ted was twenty-four years old. Ted began going to the Washington college pretending to be hurt with crutches and that is how he would lure his victims in. He pretended to drop his books right by his van and while the woman would bend down to pick it up, he would hit her over the head with a crow bar and throw her in the van. He would then take them to the woods and sexually assault them. Ted was hurt that Stephanie took his virginity and broke his heart so now he was going to sexually assault and kill all his victims. Ted’s ideal victim was a small framed female with long parted hair in the middle and beautiful just as Stephanie was. While still attending college, Ted studied the procedures that the police task force would use to catch him. Ted was eventually caught and admitted to killing more than thirty women. Ted told the court that he felt entitled to ruin women’s lives after two women ruined his. On January 24, 1989 at 7:00 AM, Ted Bundy was granted his electric execution at the age of forty-nine years old. Ted’s story goes to show how something in his childhood led up to factors that would make him a serial killer. It also shows the motive that he had which was killing only women because two women ruined his life and killing women who looked like Stephanie. Ted said he was sor ry for killing those women but only he knows if he really is sorry or not. It’s hard to determine what went on in Ted’s head but we can see the correlation he made between the women he killed and why he did it although it doesn’t make sense to us. The other documentary I watched was â€Å"Biography: Jeffrey Dahmer (2000).† Jeffrey Dahmer was the perfect child. He loved playing with other kids and was really outgoing. He had a fascination with animals and was an extremely curious child. He always wanted to feel things and their texture. When he was ten, his mother was hospitalized and treated for anxiety. His parent’s marriage was crumbling and they had to move away. Jeffrey then all of a sudden became socially awkward. He started to become fascinated with what animals looked  like on the inside so he began collecting road kill as a young teenager. In an interview, his dad says that he is convinced that everything started going downhill when Jeffrey began collecting road kill and dissected them. Dahmer realized as a teen that he was attracted to men and at the age of fourteen, he started having thoughts of violence and sex. Dahmer knew the thoughts and urges kept getting worse. One of his fantasies was to lie next to an unconscious man. In saying that, Jeffrey devised a plan to knock out a local jogger with a bat and lay next to him but the jogger never went by that day and it made Dahmer think that maybe he shouldn’t be thinking about that kind of stuff. Dahmer started becoming a heavy drinker and even drank during school. He started going to houses that allowed the exchange of sex with gay men and that is where he found his first victim. After his first victim, Dahmer couldn’t hold in his urges anymore and it was the start of a killing spree. He began meeting men at gay bars and once there, he would drug them with sleeping pills, take them back to his home, and lay there next to them and listen to the sounds of their bodies. After getting bored with listening to their bodies, Dahmer would have sex with them while they were drugged, would kill them, cut up their body, and save their bones or private parts as trophies. At one point, he even started eating his victims saying that â€Å"it felt like they were a part of him.† Dahmer was eventually caught because of a foul odor coming from his apartment which was his victims. Dahmer blamed alcohol when he was caught saying that if he hadn’t been so drunk, he wouldn’t have been caught. He also placed the blame for the murders on his atheistic beliefs and the theory of evolution. He believed that he was equal to the devil. Dahmer stated â€Å"if it all happens naturalistically, what’s the need for a God? Can’t I set my own rules? Who owns me? I own myself.† Dahmer believed that he was above all and the media didn’t help that. He received so much attention from the media that he started getting cocky about it. He once told a detective â€Å"when I tell you what I tell you, you’re going to be famous.† Dahmer wrote a 159 page confession consisting of thirteen years and seventeen victims. Dahmer pleaded guilty but insane and was served a 937 year prison sentence. Once in prison, Dahmer decided he wanted to be baptized and get back into his religious state of mind. It all ended for Dahmer on November 29, 1994 when an inmate who called himself â€Å"Christ† beat Dahmer with a metal rod from the  prison gym and was pronoun ced dead on the way to the hospital. Once again, I don’t understand why he tortured and killed his victims the way he did but just like Ted Bundy, his behavior drastically changed when he was young and for both men, it is was seemed to be the turning point in their life. 5. Info to be collected, Analysis. I have gathered a good amount of information on how serial killers evolve to the person they have become. From here, I hope to learn more about what triggers different emotions in their brains. The main thing I want to figure out is how they become so violent and how they are capable of committing such horrid acts of violence. I believe the most effective method of analyzing serial killers was reading articles and watching documentaries. The articles were from reliable resources such as the FBI, and gave a lot of good information as to what their motives and behaviors were. The documentaries were a good way of analyzing serial killers because I got to see the way they acted and hear their stories to figure out w hat led up to the killings and what exactly their motives were. I am going to continue to watch documentaries on not only Ted Bundy and Jeffrey Dahmer but other serial killers to see if their behaviors and motives match up somehow. Although all serial killers aren’t the same and don’t share the same motives, they do share the same urges. The purpose of this would be to see if my explanations of the motives, behaviors, and childhood experiences of these serial killers are in fact true for others as well. This analysis may help me in learning about the brain and how it works. Another interesting explanation as to triggers for serial killers is a chromosome abnormality. Some researchers are starting to believe that there is a change associated with the male chromosome make up. There is an ongoing investigation on if and how the gene changes and why it does. The end point of this assignment for me is to follow up with the study of similar chromosome changes in these men that become serial killers. 6. Timeline. I currently still have some questions as to what other similarities might occur between serial killers such as chromosome abnormalities or brain defects. I will be continually checking these doctors and researcher’s information gathered from their testing and experiments to hopefully receive new and improved information. One of the most helpful things to do is watch movies and documentaries on not only serial killers but their families, the detectives, doctors, and the researchers. The one  problem that I feel I might encounter is not having enough evidence and consistent information to back it up because it is a new study being done. Although I have continuing questions, I believe that I have covered my research topic to the best of my ability and now my own curiosity will keep me wondering and wanting to know more information than what has been given to me. Citations Freeman, Shanna. â€Å"How Serial Killers Work.† How Stuff Works. A Discovery Company. 02 October 2007. Web. 20 March 2014. Mueller, Robert. â€Å"Serial Murder.† The FBI. US Government, US Department of Justice. 02 September 2005. Web. 20 March 2014. Bardsley, Marilyn. â€Å"Jeffrey Dahmer.† Crime Library. Criminal Minds & Methods. 04 August 1991. Web. 20 March 2014. Montaldo, Charles. â€Å"The Myths about Serial Killers.† Crime/Punishment. About.com. July 2008. Web. 20 March 2014. Rogers, Abby. â€Å" A Terrifying Glimpse into the Mind of a Serial Killer.† Business Insider. 08 June 2012. Web. 20 March 2014. Scott, Shirley. â€Å"What Makes Serial Killers Tick?† Crime Library. Criminal Minds & Methods. 04 October 1991. Web. 20 March 2014. Gregg, Allan. â€Å"Interview with FBI Profiler John Douglas (1996).† Dark Documentaries. 29 November 2011. Web. 20 March 2014. Montaldo, Charles. â€Å"Characteristics of the Psychopathic Personality.† Crime/Punishment. About.com. July 2008. Web. 20 March 2014.

Black Codes Essay

‘Black~Codes’ were legal statutes and constitutional amendments enacted by the ex~Confederate states following the Civil War that sought to restrict the liberties of newly freed sIaves, to ensure a supply of inexpensive agriculturaI Iabor; and maintain a white dominated hierarchy. However; the history of Black Codes did not begin wIth the coIIapse of the Confederacy. Prior to the Civil War, $tates in the south enacted Slave Codes to regulate the institution of slavery. Furthermore, northern, non~slave holding states enacted laws to limit the bl@ck political power and social mobility. For example~ in 1804, Ohio enacted Iaws prohibitin black people from immigrating into states. In 1813, the State of lllinois enacted a law banning free BIacks outright from immigrating into the $tate. Black Codes adopted after the Civil War borrowed elements from the antebellum slave laws and from the laws of the northern states used to regulate free blacks. Some Black Codes incorporated morality clauses based on antebellum slave laws into Back Code labor laws. For example, in Texas, a morality clause was used to make it crime for laborers to use offensive language in the presence of their employers, his agents, or his family members. Borrowing from the Ohio and Illinois codes, Arkansas enacted an ordinance banning free blacks from immigrating into the state. In the end, the Black Codes were largely extinguished when Radical Republican Reconstruction efforts began in 1866-67, and with the passage of the Fourteenth Amendment and civil rights legislation. Though the statutory lives of the Black Codes were short-lived, they are significant in that they served as precursors to the Jim Crow laws and social segregation among whites and blacks. For example, Arkansas passed a law prohibiting black children from 1attending school with children. The Texas legislature enacted a law requiring railroad companies to set aside a passenger car for black passengers. While each ex-Confederate state enacted its own set of Black Codes, all of them shared certain features. First, they defined the term â€Å"person of color. † Second, they prevented blacks from voting, holding office, or serving on juries. Third, they prevented blacks from serving in state militias. Fourth, they mandated for poor, unemployed persons (usually blacks) be arrested for vagrancy or bound as apprentices. Fifth, they mandated and regulated labor contracts between whites and free blacks. Sixth, they prohibited interracial marriages between whites and blacks. All of the Black Codes defined what it meant to be a â€Å"person of color. † However, these definitions were far from consistent. The Virginia legislature decreed that any person with onefourth Negro blood in their veins was a person of color. Georgia set the limit at one-eighth. Still yet, the Tennessee legislature declared anyone having any Negro blood at all made an individual a person of color. The leaders of the ex-Confederacy made no qualms about their desire to keep blacks out of the political process. To this end, all of the ex-Confederate states prevented blacks from voting, holding political office, or serving in the state militias. This view had some measure of support in the North. In an article appearing in the New York Times, an author wrote, â€Å"The denial of suffrage to the freedmen, we believe, cannot be made a bar to admission of the Southern representatives, for the reason is that it is no real denial of justice. No man, white or black, has title to a civil power which he has not the intelligence to exercise. † The Black Codes also prohibited blacks from serving in state militias. A principle reasons for these laws was probably a concern for insurrections and armed violence. However, a 2corollary concern was that the presence of armed black soldiers encouraged undesirable attitudes in blacks. For example, in Florida, the state legislature drafted resolution requesting that black Union Army troops be withdrawn from their lands because their presence alarmed whites and encouraged insubordination among blacks. Florida also passed laws prohibiting blacks from carry fire-arms or weapons. If blacks wanted to own a gun, these laws often required blacks to obtain a license from the county judge and to have witnesses, usually white, vouch for their nonviolent temperament. The vagrancy statutes were particularly harsh on freed blacks. While these statutes did not specifically target blacks in their language, they were predominately applied to blacks because of their impoverished condition. In general, vagrancy statutes stipulated that any person a law enforcement officer or judge deemed to be unemployed and not owning property could be arrested and charged as a vagrant. It was easy to arrest blacks for violating vagrancy laws because the freed blacks lacked wealth and land owning to their previous condition of servitude, and to a lesser extent because the federal government reneged on its promise to deliver forty acres and a mule to 40,000 freed slaves. Once arrested and convicted of vagrancy, a person would be forced into conditions nearly identical to slavery. They were either hired out to private individuals or forced to work public projects. They were not paid for their labor. In Florida, disobedience, tardiness, or running away could be punished by imprisonment, standing in the pillory or stockade, or flogging. Punishment by flogging usually consisted of receiving 39 lashes, a number frequently used when flogging slaves. Apprentice statutes functioned along with vagrancy statutes to ensure a steady supply of inexpensive labor. Under apprentice laws, minors of poor parents, or parents deemed to be 3vagrants, could be taken as wards of the court and bound out to a master for varying lengths of time. Males were usually bound until the age of twenty-one, females until the age of eighteen. Apprentices frequently had no choice in the trade they would be required to learn, however, masters were required to teach the apprentice a trade, provide for the apprentice’s living expenses, and provide the apprentice with a basic elementary level education. Some states even required the master to provide the apprentice with a monetary gift when the apprenticeship expired. Apprentices who violated apprentice laws by running away being disobedient to their master could be imprisoned, flogged, or forced to pay damages. The regulation of labor contracts with blacks was another hallmark of the Black Codes. In article appearing in a popular magazine of the time, a Southern author wrote of black people, â€Å"We should be satisfied to compel them to engage in coarse, common manual labor, and to punish them for dereliction of duty or non fulfillment of their contracts with such severity, as to make them useful, productive laborers. † Under the Black Code labor regime, blacks were free to work for any one they chose, but they were required to sign contracts that bound them to the employer at least a year. Once the contract was signed, blacks could not get out of the contract unless a court first declared the master violated the contract first. This deprived blacks of the opportunity to accept better paying jobs if they arose, and insured landowners had a steady supply of cheap labor. Punishment for blacks who broke their labor contracts included payment of damages, imprisonment. In states like Florida, it also included standing in the stockade or floggings. In Florida, behavior that constituted a breach of the contract included laziness, failure to appear for work, using offensive language with the employer, or running away. Most of the slave codes also made it a criminal offense for anyone to entice or encourage a black laborer to break an existing labor contract. Criminal laws also played an important aspect in the Black Codes. To varying degrees, ex-Confederate states passed criminal laws that prohibited petty that blacks were more likely to commit due to their immediate condition. For example, the Louisiana Penal Codes specifically criminalized trespassing on plantations. Because free blacks often had no place to live other than on their previous master’s plantation, they were more likely to be arrested under these statutes. Penal Codes also specifically targeted blacks by inflicting harsher punishments for some crimes than whites convicted of the same crime. Unequal punishment was important for keeping blacks in a condition of servitude. For example, a North Carolina statute made it a capital offense for a black person to assault a white woman with intent to rape. Finally, the Black Codes uniformly prohibited interracial marriages between blacks and whites. For example, in Texas anti-interracial marriage laws called for the punishment of both spouses with a fine, imprisonment or both. It was a criminal offense, as it was in Georgia, for anyone to knowingly marry a white and black person. And frequently county clerks were required to record marriages of blacks and whites in separate registries. Conversely, the Black Codes also uniformly recognized black marriages and the legitimacy of children born to black parents. However, many Black Codes made it a criminal offense under adultery and fornication laws for blacks to live together without getting married or registering as a married couple with the county clerk. These statutes were frequently applied to blacks living in rural areas who were living together as result of their impoverished condition.