Prison Reform The United States - 2438 Words

Michael Wilson Palo Alto University SOCI300 Prison Reform in the United States Prison reform. What does it mean and why is it necessary? To answer these questions we must look at a number of interrelated social areas. These include the motivations for and against prison reform, and where they come from. To this end, we must explore the American political system, public perception, prisoner rights, disenfranchisement among parolees, the social justice movement, and efforts to lower recidivism among convicted felons. As seen throughout the history of the United States, there has always been a degree of exploitation by politicians in regards to crime that is meant to direct public attention and unease. Over the last four and a half decades the U.S. prison population has grown to more than six times it’s former size. Socially speaking, the impact on certain social groups within the U.S. population cannot be overstated (Gottschalk, 2009). The idea of prison reform is somewhat interwoven with the idea of criminal recidivism. In the case of violent crime, the prison reform agenda often meets resistance in the form of public opinion, and because of this both those incarcerated and their victims continue to suffer. Lack of reform within America’s prisons is thought by some to perpetuate a cycle of crime, harming both the perpetuators and their victims. Since the 1970s the United States has seen a surge in growing population rates within prisons, significantly greater sentencing,Show MoreRelatedPrison Reform in the United States of America1318 Words   |  6 PagesPrison Reform in The United States of America â€Å"It is said that no one truly knows a nation until one has been inside its jails. A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones† (Nelson Mandela, 1994). The United States of America has more people behind bars than any other country on the planet. The prisons are at over double capacity. It cost a lot of money to house prisoners each year. A large number of the prisoners are there because of drug related offensesRead MorePrison Reform During The United States1456 Words   |  6 PagesAshlyn Frazier Taylor English IV October 20, 2015 Prison Reform in America For many years now, the criminal justice system has become stricter, causing more and more people to be arrested and sentenced to prison. As prisons become more occupied, the living conditions, health, and treatment of prisoners starts to deteriorate, which has become a trend over the last few decades. However, President Obama has noticed this prison environment and has taken a stand in saying that something needs to be doneRead MoreReform, Means Improvement : Prison Reform Essay1558 Words   |  7 PagesReform, means improvement. Prison reform, means the attempt to improve conditions inside prisons, establishing a more effective penal system, or implement alternatives to incarceration. The penal system is part of the larger criminal justice system. Prison reformation, is not just about the justice system or the criminal justice system. They all have a different meaning, but, in all, they do involve with the same concepts, expectations, and ways of doing things because it deals with community, societyRead MorePrison Reform Is Not The Best Option For Punishing Criminals Essay921 Words   |  4 PagesTo pursuade my audience to belive that prison reform is necessary. I. INTRODUCTION A. Attention Getter: It is estimated that there are about 2.2 million offenders in U.S. prisons. That is larger than some samllers nation’s whole population. B. Credibility Statement: I have done exstensive research on prison reform, and I have wirtten a paper on it. I have also taken a class on the prison system. C. Audience Relevence: It is important to be aware of how our countries correctional system is runRead MoreSolitary Confinement Is The Violation Of Rights Essay1563 Words   |  7 Pagesirreversible effects. The United Nations, established following the end of World War II, attempted to form universal standards of human rights that would force accountability for each country. This charter was in direct response to the heinous crimes against targeted groups, especially those that were placed in concentration camps. While the U.N. does not specifically mention prisoners, it is clear that everyone is viewed as equal under the law (The United Nations, 1945). In 1948, the United Nations producedRead MorePros And Cons Of Solitary Confinement1001 Words   |  5 PagesOver the last couple of decades, prison systems have adopted the use of solitary confinement as a means of punishment and have progressively depended on it to help maintain obedience and discipline inside the prison structure . Solitary confinement is a form of incarceration in which a prisoner is isolated in a cell for multiple hours, days, or weeks with limited to no human contact. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, the United States represents only 5% of the worlds population yetRead MoreA Step Towards Democracy: The Jacksonain Era848 Words   |  4 Pageswere filled with reforms ranging from political reforms to religious reforms. This era is commonly known as the Jacksonian Era. Prior to the Jacksonian Era, the early 19th century was classified to be a period of extreme instability. The Jacksonian Era involved many new ideas such as King Mob, the spoils system, expansion towards the West, and the Bank War. These characteristics of the Jacksonian Era brought stability and set a foundation for which its people could start reform movements. Even thoughRead MoreThe American Penal System : The United States Essay1705 Words   |  7 Pages That is where prisons come into play. When a pers on commits a crime, he or she might stay in a prison while awaiting trial and might also stay in a prison as a punishment if that trial does not end in his or her favor. According to The Sentencing Project, as of 2015, the United States’ rate of incarceration was the highest in the world, standing at 698 people per 100,000 people. That means that nearly 2.3 million people in 2015 were behind bars. Because of this, the United States penal system needsRead MoreThe Sentencing Reform Act Of 19841526 Words   |  7 PagesThe Sentencing Reform Act is associated with the Comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1984, were the U.S. federal statute increased the consistency in the United States federal sentencing. The Sentencing Reform Act created the United States Sentencing Commission. This act allowed the independent commission into the judicial branch of the United States Sentencing Commission. It consists of seven voting members and one nonvoting member. For the sake of the United S tates Sentencing Commission, thereRead MorePersuasive Speech Outline1232 Words   |  5 Pagestime, the United States has only 5 percent of the world s population, but holds 25 percent of the world s prisoners, this is costing the country approximately $80 billion dollars per year. B. Tie to Audience: From your point of view, you might think that keeping all the law violators behind bars is a positive thing because it enhances public safety, but you should take a look on how incarcerating people impacts families and the nation’s economy. C. Preview and Thesis: We, the United States of America

A Brief Note On Environmental Racism Of Los Angeles

Mihaela D. Vincze 07/15/15 Davidson Geog 350 Environmental Racism in Los Angeles Racism consists of philosophies and ideologies that aim to cause the unequal distribution of privileges, goods or rights amongst different racial groups. Our society’s forebearers planted the seeds of discrimination into our consciousness, as racism stems back into the middle ages. Many of our citizens are classified as second class, being disadvantaged in areas that other citizens are not. There is not a sense of urgency when discussing the continuing issue of racism, as many people believe it has been eradicated. However, racism can exist in many forms- some being less obvious than others. In particular, Los Angeles has had a long history of racial†¦show more content†¦Warren County became a token of a new philosophy called environmental racism as people of low socioeconomic status and people of color were victims to ecological risks (Mohai 2009). This superiority complex is a continuing issue and is ingrained in the way people treat each other today. Racism stems back into the middle ages. During the Renaissance period, Europeans were coming into contact with people of darker pigmentation in Asia, the Americas and Africa. These Europeans were making judgments about these darker people since they weren’t used to such appearances. Ultimately, they justified their rationale for enslaving Africans due to their disbelief of god. They were thought of as heathens, and this offended them. Slave owners and slave traders sometimes interpreted a passage in the book of Genesis as their justification. Even during the Enlightenment period that paved the way for great scientific innovations had many defenders of racism. They believed that races constituted different species- some being superior to others, (Fredrickson 2003) The Environmental Protection Agency defined environmental justice as the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. People shouldn’t be grouped in communities based off

Abdul Basit Free Essays

string(85) " its clients rather than focusing on organizing employees around specific resources\." Introduction McShane and Von Glinow state that â€Å"the best organizational structure depends on the organization’s external environment, size, technology, and strategy† (409). To identify the best organizational structure for Protege Engineering, I will first determine what ‘Organizational Structure’ means. In a second step I will analyze its elements and carve out the important components for the considered organization. We will write a custom essay sample on Abdul Basit or any similar topic only for you Order Now Finally I will provide a conclusion and recommendation. Organizational Structures In general, organizational structure is related to the way that an organization organizes employees and jobs, so that its work can be performed and its goals can be met. McShane and Von Glinow define ‘Organizational Structure’ in more detail; they state that organizational structure â€Å"refers to the division of labor as well as the patterns of coordination, communication, workflow, and formal power that direct organizational activities† (386). To understand what this means we will have a look at each component. The division of labor is related to the â€Å"subdivision of work into separate jobs assigned to different people† (McShane and Von Glinow 386). The patterns of coordination refer to the coordinating of work activities between the employees where they divide work among themselves. This process requires coordinating mechanism to ensure the workflow, which means that everyone works in concert (McShane and Von Glinow 386). The primary means of coordination are informal communication which involves â€Å"sharing information on mutual tasks and forming common mental models to synchronize work activities†, Formal hierarchy which refers to the â€Å"assigning legitimate power to individuals, who then use this power to direct work processes and allocate resources†, and Standardization which involves the â€Å"creating routine patterns of behavior or output† (McShane and Von Glinow 387). We can admit that informal communication is necessary in no routine and ambiguous situations because employees can exchange large volume of information through face-to-face communication and other media-rich channels. Therefore informal communication is important for Protege Engineering because their work involve new and novel situations when developing specific solutions for each client. Even if informal communication is difficult in large firms it can be possible when keeping each production site small (McShane and Von Glinow 388). Now, that we identified what organizational structure means, and that informal communication is necessary for Protege Engineering, we need some more information of how structures differ from each other. McShane and Von Glinow state that â€Å"every company is configured in terms of four basic elements of organizational structure†; namely: span of control, centralization, formalization, and departmentalization (390). Further on, I will explain these four elements and carve out what this means for Protege Engineering. The span of control â€Å"refers to the number of people directly reporting to the next level hierarchy† (McShane and Von Glinow 390). Today’s research found out that a wider span of control (many employee directly reporting to the management) is more appropriate especially for companies with staff members that coordinate their work mainly through standardized skills and do not require close supervision – like the highly skilled employees of Protege Engineering (McShane and Von Glinow 390-391). However, McShane and Von Glinow also state that a wider span of control is possible when employees have routine jobs and a narrow span of control when people perform novel jobs. This statement is based on the need for frequent direction and supervision. Another influence on the span of control is the degree of interdependence among employees. Employees that perform highly interdependent work with one another need a narrow span of control because they tend to have more conflicts with one another. I assume that the employees working for Protege Engineering do not require close supervision because they are highly educated – have university degrees in these fields and a few have doctorates; therefore, a wider span of control allows the employees to work in self-directed teams that coordinate mainly through informal communication and formal hierarchy plays a minor role (McShane and Von Glinow 390-391). Centralization â€Å"occurs when formal decision authority is held by a small group of people† (McShane and Von Glinow 393). Companies often decentralize when they become larger and their environment more complex; however, â€Å"different degrees of decentralization can occur simultaneously in different party of the organization†. In my opinion, the power of decision-making should be decentralized in the considered company because the mentioned projects demand highly specialized knowledge, which cannot be provided by the head of the organization. Formalization â€Å"is the degree to which organizations standardize behavior through rules, procedures, formal training, and related mechanism† (McShane and Von Glinow 393). Usually larger organizations tend to have more formalization because â€Å"direct supervision and informal communication among employees do not operate easily when larger numbers of people are involved†. Notwithstanding that Protege Engineering employs about 600 individuals, I assume that a high degree of formalization is not appropriate because their jobs cannot be standardized, every project is customized to the client and has therefore novel and new components. Another evidence against formalization is, that formalization tends to â€Å"reduce organizational flexibility, organizational learning, creativity and job satisfaction†, which the employees of Protege Engineering definitely need (McShane and Von Glinow 409). Regarding the first three elements of organizational structure we can admit that Protege Engineering should have an organic structure because organizations with â€Å"organic structures operate with a wide span of control, decentralized decision making, and little formalization† (McShane and Von Glinow 395). This structure works well in dynamic environments because they are very flexible to change, more compatible with organizational learning, high performance workplaces, and â€Å"quality management because they emphasize information sharing and an empowered workforce rather than hierarchy and status† (McShane and Von Glinow 395). Departmentalization â€Å"specifies how employees and their activities are grouped together† like presented in an organizational chart of the organization (McShane and Von Glinow 395). A functional structure organizes organizational members around specific knowledge or other resources, which enhances specialization and direct supervision; however, functional structure weakens the focus on the client or product (McShane and Von Glinow 396-397). A functional structure would not support Protege Engineering because the success of this company highly depends on especially developed products for its clients; therefore, this organization should focus on the satisfaction of its clients rather than focusing on organizing employees around specific resources. You read "Abdul Basit" in category "Papers" A divisional structure organizes groups of employees around geographic areas, clients or products in very flat team-based structures with low formalization. This structure seems to be very appropriate for Protege Engineering because it focuses employee’s attention on products or clients and self-directed teams with low formalization. However, there are some disadvantages that need to be considered, like duplicating resources and creating silos of knowledge. Conclusion and Recommendation In the introduction I stated that the best organizational structure depends on the organization’s external environment, size, technology, and strategy. We found out that Protege Engineering should have an organic organizational structure because a wide span of control, decentralized decision-making, and little formalization will organizes employees and jobs so that Protege Engineering work can best be performed and its goals can best be met. Furthermore, McShane and Von Glinow give the advice that â€Å"corporate leader should formulate and implement strategies that shape both characteristics of the contingencies as well as the organization’s resulting structure† (409). This advice is very valuable because the structure of an organization should follow its strategy and not vice versa. . Many organizations think that they integrate organizational cultures when merging or acquiring other companies. Explain what does integrating organizational cultures means? Under what conditions is this strategy most likely to succeed? Case 6: Merging Organizational Cultures Introduction Every organization has its own culture. According to McShane and Von Glinow organizational culture stands for â€Å"the values and assumptions shared within an organization† (416). When companies are merging with, or acquiring, other companies the likelihood is very high that the organizational cultures differ from each other. To avoid that the new company ends up with two different cultures, there need to be any kind of integrating organizational cultures. First I will explain what integrating organizational cultures means and second I will present the conditions under which this strategy is most likely to succeed. Finally, I will provide a conclusion and recommendation. Merging Organizational Culture The necessity of merging organizational cultures becomes clear when regarding that failures to coordinate activity, based on cultural conflict, contribute to the widespread failure of corporate mergers (Weber and Camerer 412). Differences in culture in an organization lead to consistent decreased performance for both employees after the merger, and there is an evidence of conflict from the differences in culture, which could be a possible source for the high turnover rate following mergers (Weber and Camerer 412). McShane and Von Glinow also state that â€Å"most mergers and acquisitions fail in terms of subsequent performance of the merged organization† and that this happens because leaders fail â€Å"to conduct due-diligence of the corporate cultures† (426). At this point, we can admit that some forms of integration may allow companies with different cultures to merge successfully. One strategy in avoiding cultural collisions is to conduct a bicultural audit. A bicultural audit is â€Å"a process of diagnosing cultural relations between companies and determining the extent to which cultural clashes will likely occur† (McShane and Von Glinow 427). The bicultural audit identifies cultural differences and determines those that possibly result in conflict. In addition, it also identifies values that provide a common ground on which cultural foundations can be built. Finally, it identifies strategies and prepares action plans to bring the two merging cultures together (McShane and Von Glinow 427). In some cases the bicultural audit may identify that the two cultures are too different to merge effectively; however, the companies can still form a workable union, if appropriate merger strategies are applied (McShane and Von Glinow 427). Like the following illustration shows, McShane and von Glinow provide four main strategies to merge different corporate cultures successfully. Figure 4: Strategies for Merging Different Organizational Cultures Source: McShane and Von Glinow 428. The first strategy is Assimilation, which â€Å"occurs when employees at the acquired company willingly embrace the cultural values of the acquiring organization† (McShane and Von Glinow 427). This strategy is most likely to succeed when the employees of the acquired company are looking for improvement because they have a weak, dysfunctional culture and the acquiring company has a strong culture, which is aligned with the external environment (McShane and Von Glinow 427). The second strategy is Deculturation, which means that the acquiring company is â€Å"imposing their culture and business practices on the acquired organization† (McShane and von Glinow 428). However, this strategy rarely works because employees usually resist organizational change, especially regarding personal and cultural values. Sometimes deculturation may be necessary; for example, when the culture of the acquired company does not work effectively (McShane and von Glinow 428). The third strategy – and the strategy which the given case is asking for – is the Integration Strategy. This strategy is a combination of â€Å"the two or more cultures into a new composite culture that preserves the best features of the previous cultures† (McShane and Von Glinow 428). That sounds like a good compromise, but the integration strategy is â€Å"slow and potentially risky because there are many forces preserving the existing cultures† (McShane and Von Glinow 428). McShane and Von Glinow also state that â€Å"mergers typically suffer when organizations with significantly divergent corporate cultures merge into a single entity with a high degree of integration† (McShane and Von Glinow 427). This strategy works best when both sides can benefit from an integration strategy; for example, when the existing cultures of both companies are not optimal and could use some improvements. The negative aspects of the integration strategy – for example being very time-consuming – result from the employees being resistant to changes, or ambiguous rules which are also a source of conflict and often occur during mergers and acquisitions (McShane and Von Glinow 335). However, the integration strategy, which is the most effective combination of all existing cultures, is most likely to succeed when the â€Å"existing cultures can be improved† and members of the organization â€Å"are motivated to adopt a new set of dominant values† (McShane and Von Glinow 428). The fourth strategy is separation, which â€Å"occurs when the merging companies agree to remain distinct entities with minimal exchange of culture or organizational practices† (McShane and Von Glinow 428). This strategy is most suitable when the merging organizations operate in different industries or countries because cultures differ between industries and countries (McShane and Von Glinow 428). Conclusion and Recommendation The integration process of merging companies is a combination of the existing cultures into a new culture that maintains the best features of the previous cultures, and it is most likely to succeed when existing cultures already need improvement so that employees are motivated to accept change. This strategy is particularly challenging when the members of the organization are satisfied with their previous culture because they will be resistant to change. Another very important factor for the success of mergers is the level of commitments made by the employees. Therefore, employees should be brought into the process as early as possible (Badrtalei and Bates 314). How to cite Abdul Basit, Papers

A Portrait of The Artist Essay Example For Students

A Portrait of The Artist Essay Portrait of The ArtistA Portrait of The Artist as a Young Man Stephen, makes the claim that he perceives his identity as being selfcontained and non-contradictory. Being readers we see that this in actuality is almost a direct opposite of how Stephen has been living his life. As his mind jumps from thinking about a life as a man of god then to life as a man who can express his feelings he sees a women on a beach. This passage shows where Stephen attempts to apply his esthetic views. In this, the fourth chapter, Stephen confesses to the director that he has been thinking about becoming a priest. During this he thinks about the power that he could obtain from being part of the churchs clergy. At the end of the meaning however a dark warning that he must think of his decision. you must be quiet sure, Stephen, because it may depend the salvation of your eternal soul. It is almost like the priest had been reading the life of Stephen and knew that he had other worldly wishes. This final comment puts Stephen into mood that would in fact change his mind. During this time when Stephen is leaving the meeting James Joyce uses imagery as before in the novel to compel the reader to think of Stephen the artist. A quartet of young men .. stepping to the agile melody of their leaders concertina. This is where Stephen starts to think of the dull passionless life that awaited him. These troubles lead him into thoughts of the symbols of the church especially that of the Virgin Mary and how they are loosing their slots in his memory. These in turn are being replaced by images of freedom and the ease at which men of his kind can fall. His thinking leads him on a walk that passes by the ocean. In this part of the book is where Stephen tries to apply his esthetic understanding to a girl that he sees at the beach. When he sees her his mind transforms into a painters board where he transforms the girl into a strange and beautiful seabird. When he is describing this it is almost like the true Stephen is let loose and all that he wants to be is before him. He turns and looks away from her after his soul feels joy and he walks in the pure joy of the thing he saw. But then suddenly finds himself unknowing of where he is and how long he had been walking. However he had finally been able to open up to his eyes to the fact that he is not destined to be in the priest hood. This is how the passage shows development of Stephan as a young man and also as an artist. As with other sections of this book another contradiction is made. Right after Stephan decides that he wants to be a priest he turns the tables and finds his true calling to be a artist. I dont however truly believe that he is so much contradicting himself as much as it seems. As in most choices of life a series of events has to be set into motion to achieve a goal. Young catholic children are raised to respect the church and to try to be as close to those that they respect as possible. Young Stephen is not supposed to the man or artist that he wants to be and therefore hasnt been subjected to those surroundings that would let his mind progress in the way it wants to. It takes the image of a women who is almost unreal to set in motion the life of Stephen the Artist.