Women And The Criminal Justice System

Women And The Criminal Justice System The aim of this work is to define the role factors such as gender, class, familial structure and prior victimization have in the awarding of justice to the female offender. It was found that the criminal justice system has traditionally been more lenient to the female offender based on two factors: gender and class and family structure. However, the criminal justice system finds itself in a legal and moral bind when it comes to prior victimization of the offender, and in differentiating between true victimization leading to a violent crime and the misrepresentation of such a previous state by the defending attorney. These findings should give an overall understanding of the criminal justice system with regards to female offenders and should form a framework within which such inequalities and discrepancies can be discussed. Introduction To better understand the criminal offender, it is necessary to understand the role the backgrounds of the offenders play in their path towards crime. The percentage of female offenders has increased in the recent past, and sociologists, criminal experts and the judiciary have grappled with the damning statistics. Various theories have been put forth to better understand the role race, class, family structure and victimization of the female offender have to play in the rise in crimes by the female gender. While a lot of work had gone into research into these themes individually, a deeper understanding of all these factors and the role they play in the treatment of women by the criminal justice system remains to be analyzed. This essay aims to explain these factors and the role the criminal justice system has to play in offering justice, and support to the female offender. The criminal justice system and the female offender According to sentencing statistics, nearly a third of women sentenced for indictable offences in 2000 received a community sentence compared with just under a quarter of men . It can be seen that the criminal justice system has traditionally been lenient on the female offender. In delivering justice, the background of the defendant, the role factors outside the purview of the crime that have contributed to the psycho-social development of the defendant are considered. However, various social and developmental factors also contribute to the low rates of serious crimes by women . While men are not socially connected and do not traditionally worry about children, women are bound to their home and hearth and thus desist from violent crimes. This difference is important to the jury, who consider previous crimes and delinquent history when considering their judicial stance on the offender. Thus, women tend to have less severe judicial outcomes in the criminal justice system. The role of race and the female offender According to Koons-Witt and Schram: Two findings are notable in terms of offending differences among females: (a) race conditioned the relationship between offending group and victim(s) sex for robbery incidents and (b) race conditioned the relationship between offending group and the social distance between victim(s) and perpetrator(s) for aggravated assaults. The race of a person has a major role to play in the psycho-social development of the female offender. Racial characteristics such as social conditioning, parenting style, opportunities for education and social development and interaction with other races have always played a major role in the development of the offender. The criminal justice system has also traditionally, not only discriminated on the basis of gender, but also on the basis of race when awarding punishment for crimes, both non-lethal, and lethal. However, in the context of the female offender, unlike gender, race has not played a role in the severity of senten ce for a crime, which remains a factor only for the male offender. The effect of race is conditioned by gender while the effect of gender is not conditioned by race. However, the harsher treatment of racial minorities by the criminal justice system is confined more to men, and the lenient treatment of women is found for minorities and whites alike . Class and family structure and the female offender Women from the lower and working class have been a priori been excluded from the middle class in their expectations and prior social programming. While the women from the socially backward classes have never been placed in the good girl category, dissimilar to their middle class counterparts, the criminal justice system considers the class of the women while deciding punishment for a crime. Like race, social conditioning of women offenders depends largely on their social class and existing family structure. Social scientists have long associated class and life-expectations of women in work, at home and in the social context. Delinquency and crime are also associated closely with the class of the offender. The criminal justice system has always considered the class of the female defendant to award punishment. Victimization and the female offender Vieraitis, Kovandzic and Britto state: ..womens absolute status is significantly correlated with female homicide victimization rates by intimate partners.. . The role of victimization leading to crime by the female offender cannot be overemphasized. In many cases, the victim turns criminal and the psychological effects of the crime of the woman are an important parameter in understanding the development of the criminal mindset. In many violent crimes committed by women, the victim is mostly the intimate partner who has, in the past, been violent towards their partner. This progression of crime has a major role to play in the psychological and criminal development of the offender and makes it a tough case for the defending attorney and the criminal justice system. The fine delineation between preexisting conditions that lead to the crime and the absence thereof makes the awarding of justice difficult and at time, morally challenging. Conclusion The female offender is shaped by her gender, class, familial background and prior victimization. These factors have a major role to play in the psycho-social development of the offender. While the criminal justice system has traditionally been lenient to the female offender, the rise in crime by women has brought to light these differences and how justice is served to these offenders. A larger meta-analysis of the problem would yield sociological and psychological constructs that may help streamline the justice system to recognize and eliminate errors in jurisprudence.

Foundations of Learning and Collaborative Working Essay

â€Å"Discuss the concept of collaborative working within your professional area† To be able to understand the rationale, the different factors influencing the outcome of collaborative working and how this can be applied to Perioperative practice, it is important to have a sound understanding of the concept â€Å"Collaborative Working.† This concept has many terminological variations, one of the more frequently used is â€Å"Inter-professional working.† Hornby and Atkins (2000) state that collaborative working is â€Å"a relationship between two or more people, groups or organisations, working together to define and achieve a common purpose.† Barrett et al (2005) declares that inter-professional working is â€Å"the process whereby members of different professions and/or agencies work together to provide integrated health and/or social care for the benefit of service users.† Disregarding what is seen as the correct/incorrect terminology, the common denominator here is that all health care staff/ agencies’ are working together to provide the best healthcare possible for patients and service users. There have been many debates about the variation in terminology, Leathard (1994:5) refers to it as â€Å"terminological quagmire† that has been created due to rapid developments in practice, and in her analysis of terms, Leathard (1994:6) prefers to use the term multi-professional as it â€Å"infers a wider group of professionals.† In this instance the term â€Å"Collaborative working† will be used. Over the years there have been many drivers behind the rationale for collaborative working dating as far back as the 1960’s in the USA, where Henderson (1966) reports that â€Å"one hospital has weekly inter-professional ward conferences.† The idea of collaborative working is therefore not a relatively new concept. In recent years increased emphasis has been placed on collaborative working and the need to work together due to changes in technology, accountability and government reports. Technological advances such as telecommunication is now used by surg ical staff to live feed surgical procedures to other parts of the world. This has aided remote-area surgeons in their own practices (Shields & Werder 2002) Similarly, the introduction of the National Health Service (NHS) direct advice line has created a way in which doctors can consult patients over the telephone. However a study by the Economic and Social Research Council (2005) concluded that â€Å"telemedicine is disappearing† compared to NHS direct advice line. The introduction to new machinery which takes blood pressures automatically rather than manually, this and other technological advances have all required healthcare staff to change the ways in which they work collaboratively. On the other hand, Government reports also change the way in which healthcare professionals work as they are often mandatory measures. The NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework (KSF) was introduced in 1999 under the Agenda for Change. Day (2006) claims that the use of KSF will â€Å"enable team leaders to identify gaps in the knowledge and skills of their inter-professional teams.† KSF is an essential requirement carried out every year to ensure pay progressions. Collaborative working is also brought about by accountability. All healthcare professionals are governed by a professional body such as the Health Professions Council (HPC) in which it is their duty to ensure compliance with the legislation on the use of protected titles (HPC, 2008) Not only are registrants accountable to the HPC they are also accountable to statutory and criminal law which means healthcare professionals must interact with patients and staff on an acceptable level at the risk of being prosecuted for their actions. Another driver for collaborative working is seen through the ever scrutinizing media. A recent news report by Hughes (2011) titled â€Å"Emergency surgery patients’ lives at risk, say surgeons† is one of the many examples of negative media that is putting more pressure on healthcare professionals to work more collaboratively. On the other hand, many of the publi c viewers do not see the bias in the majority of these news reports and many examples of good collaboration is missed. Resulting from the rationale behind why people work together it is important to understand the ways in which people do work together. Safe Surgery Saves Lives was an initiative that arose in 2006 by the World Health Organization and in 2008 a Surgical Safety Checklist was released globally. Research proved that â€Å"postoperative complication rates fell by 36% on average† and the checklist has also â€Å"improved communication among the surgical teams.† (Haynes, B.A et al, 2009, Pg: 496) Many trusts also have a theatre list policy and this ensures that staff are working collaboratively to ensure the lists are correct, accurate and the most important procedures have been prioritised. The idea differentiates among the trusts, but is most commonly referred to as a â€Å"Group hug.† This is carried out each morning before any surgical procedures commence and it is a chance for staff to collaborate and share any ideas or concerns over that day’s list. A big part of collaborative work, especially in peri-operative care, is about recognising each other’s skills and importance thus the idea of â€Å"inter-professional learning.† Kenward & Kenward (2011, pg; 35-39) outlines the importance of mentors, stating that â€Å"mentors should act as role models for students of all professions.† Further promoting this the General Medical Council (2006) document on Good Medical Practice propounds that doctors also act as role models to try and â€Å"inspire and motivate others.† It is evident that there are many ways in which healthcare staff work together, however major issues are still identified around the factors that influence the outcomes of collaborative working. Miscommunication has been identified as a reoccurring problem. Certain behavioral patterns among peri-operative staff which included ignoring requests they did not understand, failing to seek clarification, failing to speak loudly enough to be heard an d communicating information to the wrong person. (Gardezi et al 2009, pg: 1390-1399) This can be fatal especially in the case of Elaine Bromiley who had undergone a routine sinus surgical procedure. Due to a breakdown in communication between surgeons, Elaine unfortunately died. A video titled â€Å"Just a routine operation,† (LaerdalMedical, 2011) released after the death of Elaine Bromiley, identifies the breakdown in communication between the surgeons and the theatre nurses who had actually witnessed the surgeon’s distress and suggested an alternative method to intubating the patient which was ignored. This concept has been previously recognised as â€Å"professional separatism.† D’Amour et al (2005) argued that because professional groups are educated separately they are then socialised into â€Å"discipline-specific thinking.† Research concluded that 69% of respondents to a questionnaire they set out reported disagreement between surgeons and nurses. And that 53.4% reported experiencing aggressive behavior from consultant surgeons (Coe and Gould, 2008, Pg: 609-618) Thus meaning the outcomes of collaboration will suffer if all professionals do not interact and recognize the importance of other professionals’ skills. It is evident that collaboration and inter-professional working largely exists but with the constant changes in peri-operative practice as mentioned previously and the way healthcare is constantly observed, especially by the media, it is evident that collaborative working is a continuous development or a lifelong learning process. As technology changes and government policies are continually released it is inevitable that the ways in which healthcare professionals work together will also change and develop. References Barret, G, Sellman, D and Thomas. J (2005) Inter-professional working in Health and Social Care: Professional Perspectives. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Coe, R and Gould, D (2008) ‘Disagreement and aggression in the operating theatre.’ Journal of Advanced Nursing. Volume: 61, Issue: 6, Pg: 609-618. Day, J (2006) Inter-professional working: An essential guide for health-and social-care professionals. Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes. D’Amour, D, Ferrada-Videla, M, San Martin Rodrigues, L and Beaulieu, M (2005) ‘The conceptual basis for inter-professional Collaboration: Core concepts and theoretical frameworks.’ Journal of Inter-professional Care. Supplement: 1, Pg: 116-131. Economic and Social Research Council (2005) Telemedicine revolution is ‘disappearing’ from the NHS. [Online] Available at: www.esrc.societytoday.ac.uk. (Accessed: 8 October 2011) Gardezi, F, Lingard, L, Espin, S, Whyte, S, Orser, B and Baker, G.R (2009) ‘Silence, po wer and communication in the operating room.’ Journal of Advanced Nursing. Volume: 65, Issue: 7, Pg: 1390-1399. General Medical Council (2006) ‘Good Medical Practice guidelines: working in teams.’ [Online] Available at: http://www.gmc-uk.org/guidance/good_medical_practice/working_with_colleagues_working_in_teams.asp (Accessed: 9 October 2011) Haynes, B.A, Weiser, G.T, Berry, R.W, Lipsitz, Sc.D et al (2009) ‘A Surgical Safety Checklist to Reduce Morbidity and Mortality in a Global Population.’ The New England Journal of Medicine. Volume: 360, Issue: 5, Pg: 496. Health Professions Council (2008-09) Continuing professional development annual report. [Online] Available at: http://www.hpc-uk.org/publications/reports/ (Accessed: 8 October 2011) Henderson, V (1966) The nature of Nursing: A definition and its implications for practice, research and education. New York. Macmillan. Hornby, S and Atkins, J (2000) Collaborative Care: Inter-professional, interagency and interpersonal. Oxford: Blackwell. Hughes, D (2011) ‘Emergency Surgery patients’ lives at risk, say surgeons.’ BBC news. [Online] Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-15098114 (Accessed: 8 October 2011) Kenward, L and Kenward, L (2011) ‘Promoting Inter-professional Care in the Perioperative environment.’ Nursing Standard. Volume: 25, Issue: 41, Pg: 35-39. Proquest [Online] Available at: http://proquest.umi.com/ (Accessed: 9 October 2011) Laerdal Medical (2011) ‘Just a Routine Operation’ [Online] Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzlvgtPlof4 (Accessed: 9 October 2011) Leathard, A (1994) Going Inter-professional: Working Together for Health and Welfare. London: Routledge. Shields, L and Werder, H (2002 ) Perioperative Nursing. Cambridge University Press.

Induction in health and social care Essay

Explain why induction is important for practitioners, individual and settings. Induction process is very valuable and of great importance for any early year practitioner, individual or organization. In my opinion this is an ongoing process starting from the advertisement. a) For practitioners: The process of Induction is important for the Early birds in the nest so as to help them integrate into their roles in the organization quickly and effectively. They should be familiarized with the campus first. Like cafeteria, restrooms, classrooms, emergency exits etc. After that introduction with her new colleagues, rules and regulations, benefits and facilities that she will enjoy working here will follow next. Necessary trainings in safety and all her questions/ needs should be addressed. Induction is also very important for the new employees to let them know the organizational structure of the work place. The mission vision of the workplace is introduced and they are informed as to what quality drive is expected from them. They are given an opportunity to know where they stand in the crowd. The timetable of the CPDs and school extracurricular activities are handed out to them. They are given documents related to class they are going to start teaching. b) For individuals: Induction should not be limited to the new comer only rather it should be executed for the old employees as well. I would like to organize induction process at least twice a year. One before the new session starts in September, because they might need a lot of motivation and enthusiasm after spending 6-8 weeks holidays away from school. This can also be extended to 4-5 days. In this process we can review policies and procedure to refresh their minds and remind them of the goals they have to achieve throughout the year, in case of some policies being altered it’s a good time to share with them and get their opinion. Some new incentives can also be shared to boost up their energy and loyalty with the organization. This is a good time to introduce a new staff if there is any or if any staff member is promoted then he/she can be given induction about the new responsibilities attached  with the new position. c) For organizations: If the employees are properly inducted then they will work more efficiently and happily for the workplace. The progress of each child will be consistent and improved, as a result parents are happy and a reputation is built and demand of that work place will increase more in market. 1.3 Explain the link between induction process, qualifications and progression routes in the sector. Every workplace wants to ensure that they recruit new teachers that are most suitably skilled and qualified for their jobi This they do by a rigorous recruitment process. Then through a structured induction process the workplace prepares them for a new role and motivates them so that they give their best. This also helps the newbie to develop upon the knowledge and skills they already have. An effective induction helps the new staff to meet the core standards of the work place and provide a foundation for CPDs towards becoming a more effective teacher. The leader is responsible for selecting mentors for the induction process from the staff depending upon the requirements of the induction process. The mentors should have the skills, expertise and knowledge to coordinate the induction effectively. The  observations and notes taken from the induction process states where the new staff is standing and now what skills and abilities should be focused for further development. Thus the progression should continue to give the new staff a chance to enhance their qualifications and skill where they lack. 1.4 Analyze the role of the induction process in supporting others to understand the values, principles and agreed ways of working within a work setting The induction is a planned process which involves various members. The process of induction depends upon how clear and effective your induction policy is. The policy clearly states the role of each member involved in the induction process; and there is a checklist present for each phase. In this way let a newbie join at the beginning of the session or in the mid of the session every newbie is going to enjoy the induction process so that she understands all her duties and responsibilities adhered to the job. This newbie will learn all the tricks of the trade going on in the organization pretty well including the mission vision and what quality work is expected from her to derive learning and motivation from the students. It is not a one day process it depends the new recruit. If he/she is already an experience teacher then induction for a few weeks are enough but if it’s newly qualified teacher then induction can go as long as 1 term or may be more than that. However if the new teacher is not being monitored as it should be by the mentor or instead of mentoring the mentor has started dictating than induction process loses its effectiveness. It merely becomes a chit chat session If the induction is done effectively with the old staff members as well. One of the advantages of the process is that you get to know where your staff stands. The members of your staff are hard working but lacking in some skills or the other, there you can hold different workshops and training sessions by calling the expertise. Also during the session the mission vision, policies new or updated can be explained/refreshed so your team  members avoid mistakes and know what you expect from them during their tenure. In this way you can ensure quality education for your students by providing competent staff members. However this can turn the table over if the policy does not fully cover all areas of induction and that there is no checklist to keep track of the induction progress. 1.5 Analyze the role of induction in safeguarding individuals and others with a work setting One of the aims of the induction process is safeguarding individuals from any harm coming to them. If I were to head the process of induction in my setting then first and foremost I would make sure that I have all the policies updated and required for safeguarding, e.g. fire safety, health and safety, child protection policies etc. I would make sure that each member of my staff undergoes basic child protection and first aid training, to raise awareness that equips them to recognize and respond to child welfare concerns. This training would start soon after a staff is appointed. They would also be induced on how to deal with emergency situations such as fire. I would hold a fake fire alarm schedule so that the staff and the children know how to react in emergency situations. However, this might not be effective if a large number of staff is present as time can become an issue. But yes if the process is scheduled in batches then this can be overcome. Once it happened in a classroom a child who was usually active was feeling low and wanted to lie down from time to time. Had not my colleague taken child safety training she would have let him sleep but she quickly responded and dashed to the clinic by the time the child had collapsed in her arms. The Dr. called the parents and the child was taken in an emergency to a nearby hospital. The Doctors praised the teacher for timely help otherwise the child’s condition could have worsened. The parents later on admitted that the child had fever and that they gave him medicine which had a  sedative effect. In the end I would like to conclude that to make induction effective w.r.t. time, money and resources there should be an effective carefully planned induction policy and checklist. This policy should be revised from time to time and should also involve feedback from the staff in order to update and make the policy more effective. The team chosen should be carefully chosen according to their abilities. However If there is no check list or policies and procedures up to date or not in place or the mentor is not qualified and knowledgeable enough then the induction process will lose its spirit and it can go totally wrong leaving behind a mere chit chat session.

Dangerous Class of Medicines in the Workplace - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 1 Words: 368 Downloads: 7 Date added: 2019/10/10 Did you like this example? The most dangerous class of medicines in the workplace is the opioids, which includes drugs such as heroin, Oxycontin, codeine, morphine, and hydrocodone. The use of these drugs causes dependence, and an overdose can cause death. The drugs are dangerous because they interact with opioid receptors in the brain and the cells of the body. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Dangerous Class of Medicines in the Workplace" essay for you Create order The prolonged use of these drugs can lead to abnormal pain sensitivity and tolerance to the drug, which is dangerous in the workplace since a worker cannot perform efficiently (Lardon, et al., 2017). The drugs cause low productivity because employees must use the drugs in order to perform. In the case of pain, people who use these drugs are affected a lot because the sensitivity to pain enhances. Expired medication can be discarded safety by following the disposal instructions on the label. The expired medicines can be transferred to collectors that are registered with the administration that enforces drugs. In the case that there are no disposal instructions on the label, the drugs can be thrown in the trashcan whereby they have to be removed from the original container (Taras, et al., 2014). It is important to mix the drugs with undesirable substances like litter to ensure that they are not appealing. The drugs also need to be placed in a sealable bag to prevent it from leaking and then disposed of in the trashcan. Controlled substances are any chemicals that alter the mental or the physical state of the user. The drugs with high abuse potential are in the Schedule one, and they include the medications that do not have any medical use and are unsafe for use. The schedule two is the drugs with dependency potential and high abuse level, but they have medical purposes. Level 3 and 4 is the drugs with a low risk of addiction and ill-treatment while level five is the cough medicines. The drugs are supervised in the workplace by ensuring that the workers are aware of the risks and side effects of the drugs (Lardon, et al., 2017). Checking the efficiency of the contractors and putting control measures regarding health and safety policy. Workers are trained how to raise concern in the case of unfamiliarity issues and difficulties in communication.