Category: Uncategorized

Research Journal 3

Student’s Name

Institutional Affiliation

Course Tittle

Professor’s Name

Date

Caterpillar Inc. Strategic Management

Caterpillar International Company’s vision is to be the world head in client value. It purposes to be the worldwide trailblazer in the business through superb products that please the clients. It also creates its business worth and its distribution system all over the universe. On the query on whether Caterpillar Inc. Company uses appropriate measures, it is evident that this company is using appropriate measures. It is the globe’s leading producer of development and mining ironware, petroleum and diesel gas motors, and contemporary gas turbines. One obvious thing is that Caterpillar is using the right measures whereby their operations are centered around getting solutions that can make an ideal world for their customers and to attract investors through developments. 

Caterpillar Inc.’s appropriate measures of validating its strategic effectiveness

Caterpillar Inc. usually has the ability to empower the customer. It strives to empower the client through several provisions intended to create reliability with customers and fortify associations with them. With the values as a business, Caterpillar Inc. influences a data-driven methodology, the Execution and Operating Model, to control its elementary headship process and position to proceed with gainful growth. It also has greatness in operations by working smart to expand its operations (Williams, 2018). This includes making sure there is a discipline in prices, security, quality, and acquire a favorable position in the market. Its greatest competitive advantage results from its economies of scale, item quality, and the powerful inventory network Caterpillar Inc. has worked on over many years in business. In actual fact, inventory network and class conveyance system provide an upper hand and expanded generation levels while considering different customer’s needs.   

Organizational structure

Caterpillar Inc.’s organizational structure involves a basic hierarchical structure. This type of structure is advantageous in ensuring that the firm practices authentication methods and product offers run efficiently. Besides, management is fortified into a single line of operation, making the task operative and simple. It has a simple organizational structure for making sure that the business design, manufactures, and sells natural gas engines, mining equipment, and diesel. Since the year 1905, this firm has been one that has grown by making great developments to its types of machinery by taking advantage of the available technology (Melo, 2017). Caterpillar Inc. has had the capability to adapt to the demands and dynamic changes of the construction industry. The firm adopts a decentralized management structure that was the suitable one to get close to the clients and gratify their needs with no trouble. This firm does not depend on management levels for direction. As an alternative, they implement a very short chain of command that makes sure concepts can simple for directors, line, and production managers and vice versa. 

Determining whether Caterpillar Inc.’s organizational structure is considered a traditional organizational structure or a Holacracy

Caterpillar Inc.’s organizational structure is considered Holacracy. This signifies that the firm is managed by a top managerial staff that is completely independent and free. Caterpillar Inc. comprises a panel that has outsiders who are not members. It consists of a general representative who oversees five presidents who are distributed across functioning areas of the company whose official designation is called the Chief Executive Officer. It also has 25 vice presidents working under the president. This company also has divisions reorganized across the organization into the new structure to improve effectiveness and lessen the complexity. Its structure enables it to deliver its objectives swiftly. 

Justifying why Caterpillar Inc.’s management team should study and understand their internal and external environments

This firm leadership needs to understand the internal environments for them to have a great deal of administration over the business within; this will guide decisions that are made in the firm. The administration team ought to come together to have the understanding to encourage continuous execution. From this understanding, they will manage to identify areas of opportunities, improvements and strategize for a better organization. It is important to study and understand the internal and external environments in order to guarantee sound executives, and in this way, better implementation and accomplishment. Once this is attained, the leadership team can make an assessment and give expectations.        

Their competitive position and how they have responded to changes in the external and internal settings

Among the competitive position of Caterpillar Inc. are high potential in digitization and automation, renewable energy markets, and rising urbanization. They can respond to shifts in external and internal environments by increasing competitive advantage through innovation and increasing revenues through growth and expansion (Melo, 2017). Caterpillar Inc. can develop and expand in emerging markets and exploit the construction boom in these markets. 

Strategies in operational shifts to support their strategic plan, future business decisions, and improvement in business performance

Caterpillar Inc. should work on its SWOT analysis to identify their strength, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. They should take advantage of the available opportunities and try to fix the threats at hand. Another thing is that they should monitor their competitors and see how they market and do business dealings. Marking the use of social media platforms is another strategy that can be beneficial in targeting a large audience. Utilizing the competitive advantage is also the best thing to do.   

Reference 

Melo, J. (2017). Equity report on caterpillar Inc (Doctoral dissertation).

Williams, K. B. (2018). The Caterpillar Way: Lessons in Leadership, Growth and Shareholder Value and Demographics and the Demand for Higher Education. College and University, 93(3), 55-58.  

Karl Marx on Alienated Labor and on Money Chapter 12 Course Reader

What does Marx mean by his use of the term “alienation of labor,” or “alienated labor?”

In what ways does he say the human world is devalued when labor is alienated?

What are some of the different forms of the alienation of labor?

What is Marx’s critique of money? What great authors does he cite, and what points do they make?

David Korten, Money vs. Wealth (Chapter 13A in the Reader)

In his section on “Money pathology” Korten distinguishes between the economy of production and the economy of finance. What is each and how does it operate? Give examples of each. Where are the largest profits found?

Name the five different forms of capital discussed by Korten(third and fourth pages of the article). Discuss the concept of social capital. – what is it and why is it important?

Who is Charles Hurwitz, and what happened to the Pacific Lumber Corporation when he took it over?

How many of the 100 largest economies of the world were corporations at the time of Korten’s writing? (1997)

What are Korten’s suggestions for healing the money system?

How many billionaires were there at the time of Korten’s writing in 1997?

Chapter 13 B. David Korten, When Corporations Rule the World, Rise of Corporate Power

What were the Navigation Acts, and how did they affect the American colonists in the New World? (p. 55)

2. What was Adam Smith’s famous book, and what was his attitude toward corporations? (p. 56)

3. Does the U.S. Constitution mention corporations? Why or why not? pp. (56-57)

4. Who had the power to issue corporate charters in the early years after Independence from

5. What kinds of limits were set on corporate charters? (pp. 56-57)

6. What is the significance of Dodge vs. Woolsey in 1855? (p. 57)

7. How did the Civil War mark a crucial turning point in the relationship between corporations and society? (from p. 80)

8. What do you make of the quote from President Lincoln? ( on p. 58, you will see a more extensive version of the same quote on the folder page for Unit Five)

9. What happened in 1886 that was “a stunning victory for the proponents of corporate sovereignty”? (p. 59) This is very important: the doctrine of corporate personhood that found its deepest and most harmful manifestion in the Citizens United Supreme Court decision of 2010, which equates money with free speech, and enables unlimited political contributions from both individuals and corporations because “they are free speech.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizens_United_v._FECChapter 15, Vandana Shiva, Biting the Hand that Feeds

20. Describe Vandana Shiva’s views on what is an “open” vs. a “closed” economy? On what basis did she disagree with Mike Moore, former director of the WTO? (p. 6)

21. Describe the water crisis that took place in Cochabamba, Bolivia when a subsidiary of Bechtel Corporation attempted to privatize the water supply in 2000. What was the outcome of this crisis? (p. 9)

22. What are Vandana Shiva’s positions on GMO’s?

23. What are her views about the exploitation of women in “masculinized agriculture.”

24. What forms of resistance does she discuss and participate in? What is the name of the movement she founded in India?

Chapter 16 A., James C. Kennedy on “The Dark Age of Money”

25. Who is Milton Friedman? (p. 1)

26. What, according to James Kennedy, is “the foundation of Friedman’s principle”? (p. 1)

27. How is this different from Adam Smith’s model of capitalism?  (pp. 1-2)

28. How did Friedman’s ideology “survive and eventually take over the State”? (p. 7)

Name

Critical Analysis IV: Loving v. Virginia

April 15, 2020

Most people in the United States still harbor implicit and explicit bias against interracial marriages. People who have close contact with interracial couples or those who have been in interracial relationships harbor this bias. There is evidence that only multiracial people do not have these types of bias regarding interracial marriages. Anna Blazer’s interview puts the situation on interracial couples into perspective. It appears what has changed are the laws legalizing interracial marriages but not the attitude of people towards it. In modern times where people are supposed to be more liberal, multiracial couples are facing discrimination to the extent that Brian, Anna’s husband gets beat up for being with her. Famous actor Tamera Mowry in a heartfelt interview with her sister Tia Mowry discussed how she has endured slurs and discrimination for being married to a white despite her being multiracial. Almost half a century after the Loving V. Virginia and Americans still view interracial marriages with contempt.

There was a huge possibility that the civil rights movement and the political tone around the time when the Loving v. Virginia case was brought to appeal influenced the court’s decision. The case was about issues beyond love. These laws were created by the failed attempt of Eugenics, which was a political attempt to use science and intellectual cover to promote stigmatization and uncultured racism. When these laws were made, there was a significant bias against foreigners and politics controlled reproduction as a way of preserving power for a certain group of White America. The Loving v. Virginia decision was an assentation that marriage was a civil right and the court asserted that laws against anti-miscegenation laws were just means created to maintain the delusion of White Supremacy. The court’s opinion was not a celebration of love but a statement against the Eugenic ideology that was fronted in the 19th Century and the beginning of the 20th Century.

Although Mildred did not acknowledge herself as an active member of the Civil Rights movement, the civil rights movement inspired her fight against their second arrest. When she contacted John F. Kennedy the then Attorney General, he referred her and her husband to the American Civil Liberties Union. This alone was an indication that Kennedy understood that this was a fight for civil liberties. Although Mildred did not acknowledge her contribution to the Civil Rights movement, the effect of her case struck down the Virginia Marriage Ban and the ruling reverberated across the nation invalidating anti-miscegenation in all other states that held them.

Judge Leon M. Bazile in his 1965 decision that found the marriage of Mildred and Richard Loving void and held the two in violation of Section 20-57 relied on the idea that God created different races and had the intention to keep them separate. Although this was per the tone of the nation at the time where segregation was a law that kept black people physically apart from white people, the same attitudes can still be found today. The idea that God did not intend for races to mix is the same argument that most people against same-sex relationships use today. They talk about same-sex marriages as a violation of nature’s intention where men and women are supposed to get intimate because of the sole idea of reproduction.

The Supreme Court cited Loving v. Virginia case directly in the two landmark decisions that legalized same-sex marriage. The 2013 United States v. Windsor just like the Loving v. Virginia case struck down a key part of the defense of marriage act. The Obergefell v. Hodges case in 2015 was a landmark case that granted same-sex couples across America the right to marry. These cases just like Loving v. Virginia redefined marriage in America.

Bibliography

History. “How Loving v. Virginia Led to Legalized Interracial Marriage | History.” YouTube. History.org. February 27, 2018. Accessed April 15, 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-qlS_J4Mho.

NPR. “Loving Decision: 40 Years of Legal Interracial Unions.” NPR.org. Last modified June 11, 2007. https://www.npr.org/transcripts/10889047?storyId=10889047&storyId=10889047?storyId=10889047&storyId=10889047.

Oprah Winfrey Show. “Tamera Mowry On Critics of Her Interracial Marriage | Where Are They Now.” YouTube. Oprah Winfrey Show. January 10, 2014. Accessed April 16, 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngwvHYqYGS0.

Wiggins, L., and M. D. Bonis. “Landmark Same-Sex Marriage Case Sparked An Unlikely Friendship.” WOSU Radio | 89.7 NPR News and Classical 101. Last modified December 5, 2019. https://radio.wosu.org/post/landmark-same-sex-marriage-case-sparked-unlikely-friendship.

Cause & Effect essay

Student’s Name

Institutional Affiliation

Course Title

Professor’s Name

Date

Here Comes the Sun by Bill Wurtz

Most of the time, musical comebacks might bring a sense of anticipation, of having to substantiate ourselves for the second phase. The artist Bill Wurtz proves a point of striking the ground running by his song Here Comes the Sun, a single that has a feel of one ordinary deviation more dynamic than his music string, whereas still maintaining his homespun charm. With the new normal, it is difficult not to witness or feel the feelings voiced in Here Comes the Sun as well-timed. The logic is that Wurtz is, at last, standing up to the plate to seal a duty that is faultless for him, that is to be amongst the bedroom musicians filling the position of music.

I will analyze both the song lyrics and the graphics and share my opinions on the whole song. I will start by explaining the song; on listening for the first time, I thought the song was about to be the same type of song as all the others, nonetheless upon listening for the second time, I understood the theory musically behind this one has essentially evolved to some extent. The jumps incorporated by Bill are essentially quite extravagant; the jumps have enlarged in range and are fitting the song fairly well. The list of the three jumps include3:23, 3:43, and 3:59, all of which I discovered to be pleasant. The last jump, 3:59, sounds so exotic because it includes a two-chord jump, something never heard in his music before (King, 2000).

In terms of lyrics, this particular song is a probe inside humans’ emotions utilizing the sun to illustrate or symbolize love, light, and happiness. It does feature lines such as “when darkness covers the Earth, and I know it’s the end for sure, here comes the sun,” this is just to offer a taste of this song’s themes. This kind of content lyrically is by no way unexpected, as several of Wurtz’s different songs inquire inside his innermost psyche. This song brings about the energetic, rhythmic, melodic, optimistic, happy, uplifting, quirky, progressive, warm, and playful (King, 2000). For instance, the first verse of the songs starts by talking of a sad situation that someone might be in “all day and all day and all night, we lay about and wonder what we’re gonna do, we speak to ourselves, havin’ a conversation and wonderin’ who we’re talking to, then sadness takes over, and sadness wonders what we’re gonna do, and sadness comes closer, then sadness comes to sing a song for you.”  

Then the pre-chorus comes in with an uplifting feeling of optimism and glare of hope and a warm feeling of happiness as it talks of how wonderful the world is, and despite the dark cover of the earth, the sun will still emerge and light up the world. That the sun will fade away the dark and along with-it happiness and love will come (Burroway, 2003). The song’s bridge talks about how people should not give up till the day is successful and how people should call up their friends and neighbors to give them hope that a new day has begun. The song’s bridge also talks of how people should fall involved because no one is a stranger, and time waits for nobody (Burroway, 2003). The song’s chorus is what brightens up someone’s emotions, and the whole song talks about how the sun comes and shines on everyone showing some love to them till the day is finished.

Despite the lyrical aspect that captivated people the most and the bill’s upbeat rhythms that people are already used to, nobody, for a fact, was ready for the bill to go in with the 3D graphics. Bill Wurtz said that he had spent most of his time training on how to utilizing 3D software. That’s the reason he was not uploading new content for some time. When a listener first pictures Bill utilizing 3D graphics, one might think that there was no possible way it could be successful. Most people did not expect it though he still managed to do it. Bill did it in I manner that no one thought he could ever do it. In terms of the 3D aspect of the video, Bill starts by being so basic; the bill presents the 3D aspect with a bit of basic cube piling, which may have shocked some people. After that, the imagination begins to be a bit wild, and the thing that splits the onslaught from his regular 2D design is the lighting and shading, the kind of brightens someone’s emotions and brings a feeling of happiness and joy.

Reference

Burroway, J. (2003). Imaginative writing.

King, S. (2000). On writing: A memoir of the craft. Simon and Schuster.

Discussion Student’s Name

Institutional Affiliation

Course Tittle

Professor’s Name

Date

So far, the most persuasive notion of exploitation ever set forth is that of Karl Marx. He thought that employees in an industrialist society are exploited insofar as they are forced to trade their toil power to entrepreneurs for fewer than the full worth of the merchandise they produce with their effort. From Marxist viewpoint, the bourgeoisie is the social class that happens to possess the ways of production during contemporary industrialization and whose social issues are the preservation of capital and the value of property to make sure the continuation of their monetary supremacy in society. Marx believed that no economic class—landowners, wage workers, etc. should have authority and control over another (Lapavitsas, 2017). He supposed that each person has a responsibility to offer what they can, and every individual should obtain what they require.

Exploitation can lead to self-destruction when an individual is degraded. They are found in a path of damaging and unsustainable growth. They include dislocation from automation, extreme wealth and social inequality, losing of job, and the existential danger posed by the environmental calamity. I agree with Marx’s arguments since exploitation is not good in a way that it can cause short-termism, inequality, excess materialism, market failure, and bust economic cycles.

Mary Wollstonecraft is one of the outspoken female philosophers who consider that both women and men were made equal; hence they have to be given the opportunity to have the same rights. Her main objective was to see women get access to parts of society mostly forbidden to them in the 18th century. If she was but, in the position, to remark about “only menfolk having to register for certain services,” I think she would be tough and furious. Her work was mainly concerned about woman’s rights. She urged majorly for the rights and privileges of women to be educated. Mary Wollstonecraft believed that emancipation would come through learning. I think that she would say that the notion of just menfolk being permitted to register for the selective provision was completely absurd. She is actually certain that if women were taught in all the sectors that men are taught, then they won’t have any more desire towards the equivalent kinds of stuff that men have a desire towards. Mary Wollstonecraft deliberates that since women are not as well-versed about the information that men are well-versed about, it makes an obstacle between women and men. On the other hand, she also reasons that if the females were more erudite in the equivalent areas that men were, then men and women would have good and improved sex lives.

Reference

Botting, E. H., & Zlioba, A. (2018). Religion and women’s rights: Susan Moller Okin, Mary Wollstonecraft, and the multiple feminist liberal traditions. History of European Ideas, 44(8), 1169-1188.

https://doi.org/10.1080/01916599.2018.1509227Lapavitsas, C. (2017). The banking school and the monetary thought of Karl Marx (pp. 51-72). Brill.https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004272712_004

Parnell, C. (2019). The relevance of Karl Marx.http://hdl.handle.net/10344/8334

Name

Professor’s name

Course

Date

Adolescence Through the Lens of the Hate Your Give

The Hate You Give (2018) follows a conflicted young black girl, Starr, which struggles t find her voice. Starr witnesses two of her friends get murdered by white police right before her eyes. Her father has always trained Starr and her two brothers about what to do whenever police officers stop them. Throughout, he has taught them to keep safe, know their rights, and find their voice to speak for the rights of people of color. After Starr witnesses her best friend getting shot at and his father getting harassed, she finds her voice, embraces her blackness and speaks up against racial profiling and police brutality. This film is ideal as it touches on bringing out the experiences adolescents grapple with within their day-to-day lives. This text discusses concepts and processes including adolescents’ relationships with family, romantic relationships, peers and friendships, drug abuse, the role of social media and smartphones and school as a context for development.

One of the main concepts that the film, The Hate You Give (2018) presents is the role of family in adolescents during this stage. It is evident that Star and her two brothers, Seven and Sekani, are deeply grounded in family. As the film starts, their father gives them the talk and tells them how to stay out of trouble. It is known that teenagers tend to be unruly, but this is not the case for Starr. She is painted in the film as an obedient adolescent with a perfect relationship with both of her parents. As regards peers and friendships, Star seems to maintain relationships with the people close to them. She shares a great relationship with Khalil, her childhood best friend, and shares a great relationship with her two white friends, Hailey and Maya. This is consistent with class readings as its evident adolescents tend to form groupings based on their interests and upbringing. Starr has a white boyfriend with whom they both attend Williamson Preparatory together. This is consistent with the class readings as they show that this is the point when adolescents start getting attracted to their opposite sex. Although Star and Chris are in a relationship, Starr is conflicted about getting intimate with Chris and wants to take things slow.

Another concept that comes out clearly in the movie has to do with drug abuse. When a police officer kills Khalil, Starr starts getting death threats so that she cannot speak up. She was the only witness to the murder, but she was afraid to speak out because Khalil worked for the estate kingpin. The kingpin did not want the police to know about his dirty deals with Khalil. This is consistent with the readings because it reflects how young people get caught up in street life of gun violence and selling drugs. Another concept that comes out is school as a context or development. Starr does not attend regular high school, but instead, their parents take them to a predominantly white school in a safer neighborhood. The parents know the schools role in pushing students in the right direction. They want the best for their children, so they take them there. This is consistent with the readings because adolescents must grow through necessary training that prepares them for their future lives. As regards social media, Starr being the main witness to Khalil’s murder, she does not want people to know who she is because of the death threats that she receives. In her first interview, her face is blurred, but she finds her voice after she witnesses her father getting harassed. She joins the demonstrations and stands up to admit that she was the witness. This knowledge is consistent with readings. Social media is a powerful tool which they employ to condemn police brutality.

In closing, the film “The Hate You Give” sufficiently presents the ideas and experiences that adolescents go through in their day-to-day life. They have to juggle family relationships, friendships with peers and romantic relationships. Further, the film uses Starr to showcase issues of drug abuse, the role of social media, and the role of school in the context of a career and work.

Name:

Date:

Institutional Affiliation:

Cause and effects of drug addiction

Drug addiction is a serious disease that has to be treated with the utmost seriousness. Most addicts do not intentionally start out using drugs with the aim to get addicted. It is quite difficult for a person who is not an addict to understand why someone would expose themselves to such risks that come with the abuse of drugs and other substances. There are many reasons that lead to the use and subsequent addiction, and each case of drug addiction should be viewed uniquely. There are, however, many general causes of drug use and the effects of addiction can be debilitating and life-changing.

The most common and apparent reason as to why a person begins to take drugs is to remedy or mask any pain that they may be feeling (Wise & George 254). This pain has an underlying cause which can be any number of things such as chronic medical conditions. Suffering from a medical condition that causes acute pain over a long period causes the patient to be addicted to the medication that relieves their pain. After some time, they find that they are dependent and can no longer function without the drugs in their system.

Mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety can also lead to the prescription of drugs to manage the condition (Corrigan et al 147). If not well maintained, the patient can end up becoming hooked to the drugs. Cases of trauma and abuse that need the prescription of drugs can lead to addiction. Other factors such as problems in relationships with others, the loss of a loved one can elevate the stress levels that an individual suffers from, and they can resort to drugs to alleviate the pain. Poverty and low self-esteem are common reasons why people begin taking drugs as a way to escape their reality.

While taking drugs during the early times, the addict may think that they are in control and can stop at any time. This, however, changes as the drug use progresses and they find that they can no longer control it. The reason for this is that the brain tends to reward pleasurable experiences and taking drugs becomes one of such experiences (Volkow et al 367). An addict is hooked on the drug because of the high it gives them. Some factors that predispose one to become an addict include genetics, the environment, and the age at which one begins to take drugs.

There are many devastating effects that are brought about by drug addiction. Drug abuse often interferes with almost all the major organs of the body. The first effect is that it damages the immune system of the addicts, increasing their risk of infections. Drug addicts often suffer from diseases at any given time. The liver is the organ that detoxifies the body, and the more drugs are taken, the more the liver has to work to get rid of the excess drugs. Over time, the liver is overworked, and this leads to liver failure. Brain damage is another serious effect of taking drugs and can interfere with the decision-making capacity of the addict as well as causing attention and memory problems. Cardiovascular conditions, nausea, and abdominal pains are also caused by drug addiction.

Drug addiction also affects the emotional and social wellbeing of the addict regarding the loss of employment, financial problems, engaging in risky sexual behavior and incarceration due to crimes. Drug addiction needs to be adequately dealt with regarding diagnosis and treatment to avoid or lessen the long-term effects that come with the disease.

Works Cited

Corrigan, Patrick W., Sachiko A. Kuwabara, and John O’Shaughnessy. “The public stigma of mental illness and drug addiction: Findings from a stratified random sample.” Journal of social Work 9.2 (2009): 139-147.

Nestler, Eric J. “Epigenetic mechanisms of drug addiction.” Neuropharmacology 76 (2014): 259-268.

Volkow, Nora D., George F. Koob, and A. Thomas McLellan. “Neurobiologic advances from the brain disease model of addiction.” New England Journal of Medicine 374.4 (2016): 363-371.

Wise, Roy A., and George F. Koob. “The development and maintenance of drug addiction.” Neuropsychopharmacology39.2 (2014): 254.

Admissibility of DNA and other Biological Evidence in Court

Student’s Name

Institution of Affiliation

Date

Context and Importance of the Problem

The purpose of the criminal justice system in the United States is to provide justice and fairness to all people by allowing them a fair hearing in a court of law in accordance with due process (Meusch, 2019). The Constitution of the United States guarantees individuals the right to the due process of the law, being perceived innocent until proven guilty. However, there have for decades existed impediments to justice in the United States’ criminal justice system, resulting in the perception of individuals as guilty without proving their innocence. According to the reports by the Innocence Project which seeks to use DNA and other biological evidence to exonerate wrongly convicted individuals, the rate of wrongful convictions is about 6% in the general state prison population, with the variations ranging from 2%-10% (Ware, 2019).

There are various common causes that result in wrongful convictions. Eyewitness misinterpretation is one of the major reasons for wrongful convictions as the eyewitnesses can make a lot of errors because the suspect may stand out more in a lineup or photo, making the witness pick them as the perpetrator of a crime (Berkowitz et al., 2020). There are times in which the witnesses become overconfident in believing that the person they choose is the perpetrator of the crime. Also, the police may unintentionally direct the witness to choose a suspect, which is not always the right person. Incorrect forensics is another major reason for wrongful convictions. Flawed assumptions by the forensic scientist may lead to wrong conclusions about the evidence provided including gunshot residue, arson and abrasive head trauma. False confessions have also been used to convict individuals wrongly, as the evidence may seem credible since it is coming from the suspect. Mentally ill, juveniles and mentally disabled are some of the persons who are more likely to confess for a crime they did not commit as they are subject to manipulations, and thus, can be pushed by police officers to confess (Lackey, 2020). Finally, inadequate defense can also lead to wrongful convictions. Lawyers need to be well-trained, passionate and require sufficient resources including time to conduct a proper investigation. People from low socioeconomic status find it difficult to hire a lawyer, and this leaves the courts with no option but appoints a public attorney to represent them in court. While these lawyers handle a huge number of cases at a time and are underpaid, they are more likely to lose a case since they are undermotivated. Each case requires experience, diligence and funds, and public attorneys are not a guarantee to provide these basics.

Wrongful convictions have a tremendous impact on the parties involved including affecting a person’s mental health status, negative impacts to the families and as well tainting the criminal justice system as incapable of handling evidence. One of the major effects is the impact on a person’s mental state as wrongful convictions has a psychological impact including severe mental health problems such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), persistent personality changes, depression and adjustment difficulties, feelings of chronic estrangement and isolation, relationship impairments, as well as developing complex feelings of loss (Norris and Kevin, 2020). Depression and betrayal by country is a major impact as the person have been observant of the law, but the system has proved them wrong. In regard to the family, those close to individuals who are wrongly convicted may as well experience stigma and psychological difficulties. No person who likes their loved ones to face any challenges especially against the law, and the pain intensifies especially if the family members are aware that their loved one is suffering due to a flawed justice system. Finally, the criminal justice system can also be negatively affected as the society may deem it incompetent to handle cases or provide a fair hearing as guaranteed by the United States Constitution. Based on this, it is in the best interest of the criminal justice system to show its competence and gain trust and approval from the public.

DNA and other biological evidence have been used to prove the innocence of the wrongly convicted (McGlynn, 2019). The first DNA exoneration took place in 1989, and according to the Innocence Project, there have been 375 DNA exonerees to date. According to statistics, 69% of the exonerees involved eyewitness misidentification, 43% involved misapplication of forensic science, while 29% involved false confessions (Webb, Dennis and Aimee, 2020). Despite the success, there have been questions on whether DNA evidence should be admissible in a court of law considering the flaws associated with DNA evidence collection, analysis and interpretation. Also, planting evidence to wrongly accuse another person, and dependency on the police trustworthiness impede the recognition of DNA and other biological evidence from being admissible in a court of law (Goldstein, 2019).

Pre-existing Policies, Policy Options, and Research on DNA and other Biological Evidence

DNA and other biological evidence have been successful in determining cases in the United States criminal justice system, and this has led to the perception that DNA should be incorporated in every criminal case to determine who is guilty and who is not. However, there have existed various ethical questions regarding the collection and use of DNA and other biological evidence especially when there is fabricated evidence leading to the incarceration of the wrong person. Also, those collecting biological samples such as blood, hair, stool and even fingerprint samples are subject to trustworthiness that the evidence collected is not manipulated as it is taken from the source (Gallagher & Thornton, 2011). Due to huge cases of evidence fabrications that have led to many innocent people being convicted for crimes they did not commit, the federal and state governments have developed policies and procedures to govern the collection and analysis of DNA and other biological evidence, guiding collection and analysis through an ethical approach. Some of the major policies regarding DNA and other biological evidence include the DNA Identification Act of 1994, the Justice for All Act of 2004, the DNA Fingerprint Act of 2005, the Rapid DNA Act of 2017 among others.

The DNA Identification Act of 1994 is one of the major laws and policies concerning the use of DNA and other biological evidence in the United States. The Act authorized the establishment of a national index of DNA identification records of persons convicted of crimes, analysis of DNA samples recovered from the crime scenes as well as the analysis of the DNA samples recovered from unidentified human remains (Budowle et al., 2020). The Act also specified various standards for laboratories that contribute DNA profiles to the national index system including proficiency testing requirements for DNA analysts and privacy protection standards that are related to the information in the national index system. The DNA Identification Act of 1994 also established criminal penalties for persons who intentionally violated the privacy protection standards. It also stipulated that if the quality control and privacy requirements were not met, access to the national index system was subject to cancellation.

Based on the above stipulations, the DNA Identification Act of 1994 can be termed to regulate participation in the National DNA Index System (NDIS) by providing specific requirements (Crider, 2019). Furthermore, the Act seeks to regulate the data that can be maintained in the national index system which includes convicted offenders, unidentified human remains, arrestees, forensic casework, legal detainees, missing persons and their relatives. Based on the requirements of the DNA Identification Act of 1994, laboratories working with the NDIS are required to comply with the quality Assurance Standards that are issued by the director of the FBI. Laboratories working with the National DNA Index System must be approved by a non-profit professional association of persons actively engaged in forensic science which is nationally recognized within the forensic science community. In addition, these laboratories submitting DNA evidence should undergo an external audit after every two years as required by the FBI’s director of Quality Assurance Standards and this is to make sure that the laboratories are at the right standards such that their DNA results will not be questioned in a court of law (Ortyl, 2019). Therefore, the DNA Identification Act of 1994 is set to make sure that quality in DNA and other biological evidence is maintained, creating integrity in the criminal justice system that only convicts and sentence the guilty while exonerating the innocent.

The Justice for All Act of 2004 (JFAA) was an Act enacted on October 30, 2004. The Act includes the Debbie Smith Act, the Crime Victims’ Right Act, the DNA Sexual Assault Justice Act and the Innocence Protection Act (Jarrell & Ozymy, 2012). The Debbie Smith Act expands the categories of state DNA profiles to include the Federal DNA database, indefinitely tolls the statute of limitations for federal crimes other than a sexual assault that implicate an individual by DNA testing. The Debbie Smith Act also provides funding for the local or state governments to help eliminate the DNA backlogs that has been a major issue in the United States. The DNA Sexual Assault Justice Act is also involved in the funding of the local and state government through the provision of grants to state or local governments (Davis & Wells, 2019); which are used in training and technical assistance of the law enforcement, forensic science, courts and medical personnel, bringing crime labs into compliance with the federal standards, tribal domestic violence and sexual assault groups, identification of missing persons through DNA as well as the elimination of backlogs in forensic evidence. Title IV of the Justice for All Act contains original parts of the Innocence Protection Act that is involved in the provision of post-conviction DNA testing for federal prisoners, funding to train lawyers to help in defending and prosecute death penalty cases as well as more compensation for the wrongfully convicted individuals in the United States (Davis & Wells, 2019). Based on this, the Justice for All Act 2004 was enacted to help protect crime victims’ rights, improve and expand the DNA testing capacity of the federal, state, and local crime laboratories through funding and provision of grants, as well as the elimination of the substantial backlog of DNA samples collected from the scenes of crime and convicted offenders.

Title IV of the justice for All Act stipulates three major objectives which align with the goal of making DNA and other biological evidence admissible in a court of law. In the first instance, the Act provides for post-conviction DNA testing for federal prisoners, which means that it provides an opportunity for the wrongfully convicted with a chance to prove their innocence. There are many people behind bars with most of them being innocent (Davis & Wells, 2019). However, DNA evidence has proved great to be efficient in proving offenders guilty of a crime they have committed and this has been made successful through the analysis of DNA material evidence recovered from the crime scenes. In the same case, DNA and other biological evidence have been used to exonerate convicted persons from behind bars for crimes that they did not commit, and this has been the foundation of DNA evidence in the criminal justice system, proving the perpetrators of crimes guilty and proving the wrongfully convicted innocent. Another critical part of the provisions of Title IV of the Justice for All Act is that it provides for the compensation of those wrongfully convicted with more compensation as damages for the time spent in prison as well as defamation for being prosecuted for crimes they were never involved. Finally, Title Iv of the Justice for All Act provides funding that is used to train lawyers to help in defending and prosecuting death penalty cases. The United States is one of the countries across the globe which have legalized capital punishment (Davis & Wells, 2019). Putting an offender to death is not a simple task and the judge has to consider various circumstances before coming to such conclusions. Equipping judges and lawyers with such knowledge require funding, thanks to Title IV of the Justice for All Act in providing funding to train lawyers and judges, reducing the probability of putting the innocent to prison.

The DNA Fingerprint Act 2005 is another major policy regarding DNA and other biological evidence in the criminal justice system. The Act amends the DNA Identification Act of 1994 to repeal the provisions that prohibit the DNA profiles from the offenders that have not been charged in an indictment or information with a crime, and the DNA samples that are voluntarily submitted for elimination purposes from inclusion in the National Index System (Haines, 2006). The DNA Fingerprint Act 2005 requires the complete removal of n individual’s DNA analysis from the System of DNA analysis by the state for an individual who has not been convicted of an offense. According to the Act, such a person whose evidence needs to be removed from the system should be acquitted or their case be dismissed. In addition, the DNA Fingerprint Act 2005 appeals for the provision that grants authority for an authorized person to search and access the system. The Act also permits the local and state governments to use one-time grant funds to include the DNA samples collected under applicable legal authority within the system including DNA samples of an individual convicted of a state offense. Furthermore, DNA Fingerprint Act 2005 helps in amending the DNA Analysis Background Elimination Act 2000 to authorize the Attorney General to collect DNA samples from persons arrested or detained under the United States authority and authorize any other federal agency involved in the arrest, detention or supervision of offenders to collect DNA samples for analysis (Haines, 2006). Finally, DNA Fingerprint Act 2005 helps in eliminating the exception for sexual abuse offenses to the tolling of the statute of limitations especially in cases where DNA testing tends to implicate an individual in the commission of a felony.

Finally, the Rapid DNA Act of 2017 is another major policy regarding the use of DNA and other biological evidence. The Act amends the DNA Identification Act of 1994, requiring the FBI to issue standards and procedures for using the Rapid DNA instruments to help in the analysis of DNA samples collected from criminal offenders (Shrivastava et al., 2020). The Rapid DNA instruments are used in the generation of DNA analysis through a fully automated process and are required to be compliant with the FBI-issued standards and procedures for the evidence to be included in the Combined DNA Index System. In addition, the Rapid DNA Act of 2017 amends the DNA Analysis Backlog Act of 2000 allowing the FBI to waive certain existing requirements if a DNA sample is analyzed using the Rapid DNA Instruments and the results included in the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS).

As mentioned earlier, DNA and other biological evidence have proven to be successful in solving cases that have proven challenging to solve. When Congress passed the DNA Analysis Backlog Elimination Act of 2000, it aimed in helping clear the backlog of DNA samples. The new law also approved the collection, analysis and indexing of the DNA evidence collected from individuals convicted of committing federal crimes. Currently, all states in the United States have passed laws and statutes that necessitate certain offenders to provide DNA samples to be included in the various government databases after they get convicted. While many states began with the collection of DNA samples from victims of sexual assault, in modern times, all states collect DNA from sex offenders, with certain states such as Virginia requiring the collection of DNA samples from all convicted felons. Through the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, Congress passed CODIS in 1994 (Berson, 2009); which combine DNA databases from the local, state and national levels. CODIS allows laboratories across the United States to compare DNA profiles and thus help in the identification of offenders with ease. With the number of crimes increasing in the United States, many states have established laws that require the mandatory collection of DNA evidence from all offenders for some misdemeanor offense except for Idaho, Nebraska, and New Hampshire that do not provide for the collection of DNA evidence from all felony convictions.

Conclusion

The numerous laws and statutes established both at the state and federal levels aimed at increasing the quality of DNA and other biological evidence in order to make it reliable in a court of law. These laws and statutes emphasize quality in the collection, analysis and indexing of DNA samples as collected from the scene of a crime. The collection of DNA samples is one of the most important issues in determining the quality of DNA and other biological evidence. The reason behind this is because the scene of a crime is always the point of high interest to the law enforcement as it gives inferences as to what could have transpired during the crime. At the crime scene, biological evidence such as hair strands, blood samples, mucus and semen may be collected to help determine the perpetrator. While the collection of evidence is of great significance, it needs to be maintained at high levels, avoiding contamination at any point. The crime scene is involved with different kinds of officers from the dog sniffers to the FBI, and in the process, the biological evidence may be trashed or contaminated, proving it difficult to determine the DNA of the perpetrator, an indication that wrong accusations can be a possibility.

Far from the collection of evidence, analysis of the DNA to help identify the perpetrator is another major issue in determining the quality of DNA evidence (Murphy, 2018). Laboratories are often involved in the analysis of biological samples collected in crime scenes. Based on this, laboratories need to be closely monitored to make sure that the quality has not been compromised. It is in the laboratory as well that the results of the DNA and other biological evidence can be manipulated as they have the power to do as they wish. However, these laboratories are guided by specific ethical guidelines that prohibit the employees from manipulating the evidence. In addition, the government, whether federal or state spends a lot of resources in training the laboratory staff to make them competent enough such that they can be trusted in making the analysis without compromising its quality. When all these standards and regulations are followed, there are minimal chances of convicting the wrong people for crimes they have not committed as the margin for error will be greatly reduced. Another advantage of the set standards and regulations is that it increases the quality of DNA and other biological evidence from collection, analysis and indexing, and this is one of the major considerations of judges as to whether DNA and other biological evidence can be admissible in a court of law.

Policy Recommendations

The question of improving the quality of DNA and other biological evidence in collection, analysis and indexing has already been answered by the various laws and statutes established by the federal or state governments. However, the question regarding the admissibility of the DNA and other biological evidence still remains debatable. The courts only allow the use of evidence that is not tempered with including in collection, analysis and indexing, proving to the judges that the laboratories involved in the analysis are up to the required standards, and those involved in the collection of DNA evidence including hair strands, blood, urine, and semen are professionals. The government have established statutes and laws that provide for funding that is used to train laboratory technicians and law enforcement officers in dealing with DNA evidence. With such many laws established to regulate the quality of DNA and other biological evidence, the funding provided to training staff in the criminal justice to become professionals as well as the success rate of the DNA and other biological evidence in solving cases including paternity and sexual assault, there is no doubt that DNA and other biological evidence should be admissible in a court of law. However, to eliminate incidences of tempered evidence, the DNA and other biological evidence should be used in light of other forms of evidence including eye-witness accounts to build a strong case against the offender.

References

Berkowitz, S. R., Garrett, B. L., Fenn, K. M., & Loftus, E. F. (2020). Convicting with confidence? Why we should not over-rely on eyewitness confidence. Memory, 1-6.

Berson, S. B. (2009). Debating DNA collection. NIJ Journal, 264, 9-13.

Budowle, B., Bus, M. M., Josserand, M. A., & Peters, D. L. (2020). A standalone humanitarian DNA identification database system to increase identification of human remains of foreign nationals. International journal of legal medicine, 134(6), 2039-2044.

Crider, M. (2019). Corporate Genealogists: The New Homicide Detectives. SMU Sci. & Tech. L. Rev., 22, 153.

Davis, R. C., & Wells, W. (2019). DNA testing in sexual assault cases: When do the benefits outweigh the costs?. Forensic science international, 299, 44-48.

Gallagher, M. B., & Thornton, J. I. (2011). Trace evidence in crime reconstruction. In Crime Reconstruction (pp. 247-297). Academic Press, San Diego.

Goldstein, J. (2019). Guilty Until Proven Innocent: The Failure Of DNA Evidence. Drexel L. Rev., 12, 597.

Haines, P. (2006). Embracing the DNA Fingerprint Act. J. on Telecomm. & High Tech. L., 5, 629.

Jarrell, M. L., & Ozymy, J. (2012). Real crime, real victims: environmental crime victims and the Crime Victims’ Rights Act (CVRA). Crime, law and social change, 58(4), 373-389.

Lackey, J. (2020). False Confessions and Testimonial Injstice. J. Crim. L. & Criminology, 110, 43.

McGlynn, K. E. (2019). Remedying Wrongful Convictions though DNA Testing: Expanding Post-Conviction Litigants’ Access to DNA Database Searches to Prove Innocence. BCL Rev., 60, 709.

Meusch, J. E. (2019). A” Judicial” System in the Executive Branch: Ortiz v. United States and the Due Process Implications for Congress and Convening Authorities. JL & Pol., 35, 19.

Murphy, E. (2018). Forensic DNA typing. Annual Review of Criminology, 1, 497-515.

Norris, R. J., & Mullinix, K. J. (2020). Framing innocence: An experimental test of the effects of wrongful convictions on public opinion. Journal of Experimental Criminology, 16(2), 311-334.

Ortyl, E. (2019). DNA and the Fourth Amendment: would a defendant succeed on a challenge to a familial DNA search?. American journal of law & medicine, 45(4), 421-442.

Shrivastava, P., Mishra, A., Kumar, A., Chaudhary, S. K., Kakkar, S., & Kumawat, R. K. (2020). Rapid DNA Typing. In Forensic DNA Typing: Principles, Applications and Advancements (pp. 561-570). Springer, Singapore.

Ware, M. (2019). Innocence Project of Texas. S. Tex. L. Rev., 60, 453.

Webb, P., Savard, D., & Delaney, A. (2020). The color of confinement: examining youth exoneration decisions and the critical race theory. Journal of Ethnicity in Criminal Justice, 18(3), 206-237.

Case Study Scenario Paper

PSYCH/627

Case Study Scenario Paper

Stress, within the world we live in today, has become as common as a breath one may take. However, stress may not only affect you mentally but physically and emotionally as well. These signs of stress could have symptoms that may affect a person’s eating, daily activities, social interactions, along with sleep. It has been reported in many psychological studies that stress has influenced other health problems, such as high blood pressure, cardiovascular imperfections, depression, and insomnia. The purpose of the case study is to evaluate Suzette’s case, explain her stressors illustrated within the study, describe the effects of these stressors on her mind and body, describe methods that I would utilize to assess her stress levels, and explain the biological and psychological mechanisms that describe the effects of stress on her sleep. Also an assessment of the effects of Suzette’s ongoing stress and insomnia on her health would also be discussed, possible signs of sleep deprivation, follow up questions will be provided, a diagnosis, and recommendation strategies to aid in improving her health.

Suzette’s Specific Stressors

Suzette is a typical Caucasian women who has been married for 24 years and has three teenage children (University of Phoenix, 2013). However, a day in her life is not all that ordinary. Suzette has many things going on in her life that may potentially affect her mentally and psychically. The first stressor that is mention in this case study describes her spouse’s recent lay off from his job of 15 years. This stressor is serious because it affects their family’s source of income that they use to take care of themselves and their children. This also resulted in Suzette having to seek part time employment to help out the family financially. However, the limited income has caused them to fall way behind in their mortgage payments for the home they own (University of Phoenix, 2013). She also has to deal with her husband’s despondent ways since he lost his job. He also has been more of a burden than help since then, spending most days at home, eliminating job opportunities due to his own personal opinion of he being too good for them. Her husband’s alcohol consumption also increased just as his employment opportunities decreased. Luckily, through all these stressors affecting Suzette, her children seem to be still on track, fairly well adjusted (University of Phoenix, 2013). Suzette also has irregular sleep patterns that has caused a concern to her. According to the University of Phoenix (2013) case study, ” She falls asleep within 15 minutes but frequently wakes up “at 2 or 3 a.m.” and is unable to fall back to sleep” (para. 2). This issue, according to her has gotten worse and its beginning to be a problem more often than not. Her only complaint is that her sleeping patterns is posing a problem on her physically and mentally, since she could never fully get a nights sleep.

Their Present and Potential Effects on Her Mind and Body

Suzette has a lot of things going on in her life that influences her stress and as a result its beginning to weigh down heavy on her physically and mentally. However, the affect that bothered Suzette the most was her insomnia. According to the National Sleep Foundation (2014), “Stress causes insomnia by making it difficult to fall asleep and to stay asleep, and by affecting the quality of your sleep” (para. 1). Stress causes hyperarousal and as a result the balance of sleepiness and wakefulness has shifted. Physically, she appears to be healthy. Suzette visits the doctor regularly, her blood pressure is normal, and does not consume any drugs or drink alcohol (University of Phoenix, 2013). However, due to her family financial set back s she has not been able to keep up on her gym membership and as a result she rarely exercises anymore. Overall, Suzette’s stress is beginning to take a toll on her mind and body, so proper assessments should be taken to determine her stress levels.

Methods Used to Assess Suzette’s Stress Levels

Feeling overwhelmed and stress is a fact of life. But stress and stressors are often unique to the individual. How Suzette views her situation could determine the amount of stress she may be consumed with on a daily basis. How one would measure her stress levels begins with a psychological approach, such as a questionnaire that determines what characteristics in her life causes her to be stressed. For example, are there problems in your family, are you finding it difficult to connect with your spouse, financial problem questions, or job environment could be some of the questioned asked to determine daily stress. According to Goulston (2010), “Stress develops when you have more pressure on you than you are able to handle”(para. 5).

Reference

Goulston, M. (2010). Are You Stressed Out? Take the Quiz. Retrieved from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/just-listen/201010/are-you-stressed-out-take-the-quiz

National Sleep Foundation. (2014). Stress and Insomnia. Retrieved from http://Stress and Insomnia

Straub, R. O. (2012). Health psychology: A biopsychosocial approach (3rd ed.). Retrieved from The University of Phoenix eBook Collection database.

University of Phoenix. (2013). Week one assignment scenario. Retrieved from University of Phoenix, PSYCH627 website.

Admission Acceptance Letter into Stritch School of Medicine at Loyola University

Name:

Professor:

Course:

Date:

LOYOLA University Chicago

Stritch School of Medicine

Admission letter

Name-Kranthi Reddy

Date of birth-

Nationality-

Course-Medical Faculty

This is to confirm the admission of the above name student in the course mentioned above for the academic year 2013/2014. The choice of the above named student was based on merit. The Members of the Committee of Admissions, who include faculty, residents and students, were satisfied by the capability of Kranthi Reddy and have decided to give him a chance to pursue his career dream in medicine. The decision was based on a careful analysis of the student’s personality, interests and abilities, as a well as his academic accomplishments. His remarkable performance in the Medical College admission Test (MCAT) demonstrate that the above named student is multi-talented and has the ability to excel in the medical field. The discipline will give him a chance to work together with like-minded students and hence come out as a physician who cares about standard of service, excellence, and dedicated patient care.

The following is a list of expenses required for study in the above course.

Tuition fees $ 48,200 per year

Other expenses which include living expenses, books, supplies, and transportation cost an average of $ 22, 794 per year.

For students who feel that they cannot meet the above requisite fees and expenses can seek help from the Office of Financial Aid. This is done through the creation of a package of funding sources. Students can also seek loans from outside firms, scholarships, and grants by browsing the Web or visiting our local library. Preferable Web sites for our students include: www.fastweb.com (for scholarships), www.finaid.org (for scholarships and terms of available loan programs), and www.ed.gov (for terms of available loan programs).

Students admitted to the Stritch School of Medicine can submit5 a financial aid application starting January before matriculation. Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online at www.fafsa.ed.gov no later than March 1 prior to matriculation. The school code is 00171.

The financial aid office strictly assesses each application and gives funding according to the financial needs of the student, his or her spouse, and parents. Medical students must reapply for financial assistance every January. Personal counseling and financial assistance seminars get offered during the four years of medical school so as to assist students in managing their education debt.

 Note: validity of this admission letter is for 21 days. Failing to submit before or at the end of the above period will lead to an automatic cancellation of your faculty.

The fooling is a list of documents the student must bring along with him:

Original invitation letter

Full payment of first year tuition fees

10 passport size photos

A general medical fitness certificate

HIV medical check-up certificate

A Photostat copy of your passport and a visa given by the US embassy

Original school certificates

Birth certificate

Flight ticket should be returned

Please make sure that before leaving your area of residence, the above said documents are along with you. The immigration officials will have to check the above documents before they allow you in. if you don’t have any of the above documents, you will no get entry permission.

For more details, please keep in touch with our contact department through http://www.stritch.luc.edu/admissionSchool address and signature of concerned personnel