Verified Document

Criminal Justice - Counterterrorism Counterterrorism Essay

S.A. PATRIOT ACT are problematic because they do not provide adequate controls to ensure that investigative methods and procedures appropriate under some circumstances cannot be used in circumstances where they are inappropriate under U.S. law. 4. What is the FISA Court? Explain how it works. What authorities can it grant law enforcement? How is it different from traditional courts? What concerns exist about expanding the use of FISA?

The Foreign Intelligence and Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA) was established to regulate the use of surveillance by the executive branch of government in the wake of various unconstitutional investigations conducted by the Nixon administration in connection with monitoring political rivals and government opposition groups. The FISA Act authorized the covert monitoring of information and communication exchanges of entities of foreign governments engaged in espionage and intelligence collection activities in the U.S. pursuant to review by the FISA Court. In 2001, the FISA Act was amended to allow for governmental surveillance of entities not specifically connected to any foreign nation provided those entities were involved in communications or activities posing a grave risk of harm to the U.S. including those associated with international terrorism. The FISA court established a court to review government surveillance must certify applications for the covert interception of or access to information and communications authorized by the president through the attorney general.

The primary concerns about FISA relate to the absence of any warrant application prior to surveillance and the adequacy of limitations and controls to ensure that surveillance mechanism it provides do not exceed their legal scope. Those concerns were illustrated very recently by former National Security Agency (NSA) intelligence analyst Russell Tice who publicly revealed the extent to which the NSA misused authorization for covert surveillance by intercepting telephone records of ordinary Americans. Those misuses also included the deliberate targeting of journalists considered to be hostile to the Bush presidential administration.

5. How has aviation security changed since 9/11? What were the provisions of the Aviation...

Since then, the TSA has been absorbed by the newly created Department of Homeland Security administrated by the Director of Homeland Security, a newly created cabinet position. The most immediate and widespread changes imposed by the Act included the hiring of approximately 60,000 federal security screeners at all domestic airports, enhanced screening procedures and rules for flying, the addition of explosive detection and X-ray machines to screen all passenger cargo baggage, and the physical reinforcement of all cockpit doors. The Federal Air Martial (FAM) program was also expanded dramatically from an agency employing approximately one dozen FAMs to one that now employs more than one thousand but whose exact numbers are classified.
Racial profiling is currently strictly prohibited under U.S. law, but there may be very good arguments to make certain exception in connection with international terrorism. Whereas the current threat from Islamic radicals does not justify persecution of any individual or the suspension of their civil rights in general, in the case of airport security screening, constitutional protections severely compromise terrorist prevention efforts. Consider, for example, the situation where white supremacists such as the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) or black militant followers of the Black Panther movement of the 1960s were the primary terrorist threat against domestic airports. In that case, counterterrorism efforts directed exclusively at screening black individuals or white individuals (respectively) would be logically justified rather than examples of unconstitutional persecution. In the era of militant Islamic terrorism against the West, focusing counterterrorism efforts of Islamic individuals may make more sense than imposing standards of randomness that undermine national security efforts.

Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Criminal Justice Trends the Trends of the
Words: 1924 Length: 6 Document Type: Essay

Criminal Justice Trends The trends of the past, present and future that outline the borders connecting the criminal justice system components and their links adjoining the society is, beyond doubt, an authentic relationship that the law and society have established. Criminal justice has been affected by various trends in the times gone by. This is because trends keep changing with the passage of time. Therefore, it is exceedingly important for the

Criminal Acts and Choice Theory Plays and
Words: 1148 Length: 3 Document Type: Essay

Criminal Acts and Choice Choice theory plays and important aspect when accessing reasons contributing to criminal activities. The importance of the theory assist in coming up with strategies for reducing criminal activities. The importance of an understanding to the theory comes out from the contribution that the theory stands to give. It is vital to learn how the theory bears upon the chance that someone will take up or even attempt

Justice and Security Free Balance in the
Words: 2493 Length: 7 Document Type: Essay

Justice and Security Free Balance in the Administration of Justice and Security Justice and Security policies have always been at the center of international politics, but their nature has changed due to the advent of nuclear weapons and their proliferation, economic interdependence, the end of the Cold War, environmental problems, technological advancements and vulnerabilities, as well as other material and cultural developments typically linked to globalization. This paper will talk about the

Justice As Retribution
Words: 3724 Length: 12 Document Type: Research Paper

Justice as Retribution Every individual in the globe has a perception towards crime, justice, criminals, and many other aspects in relation to criminals. On hearing the term "criminal," every individual reacts differently. There are those who feel that a criminal deserves to die, others feel they should rot in prison and many other divergent views. However, does it ever occur that a criminal can be a criminal, through a legal process

Counterterrorism and Intelligence Framework Terrorism Has Been
Words: 2343 Length: 8 Document Type: Essay

Counterterrorism and Intelligence Framework Terrorism has been the greatest threat to American soil since the end of the Cold War, and the country has responded to these threats by creating an elaborate counterterrorism and intelligence framework. This counterterrorism strategy must use every possible tool in America's arsenal, and must meet the highest standards in excellence for the duty it is tasked to perform. The nature of terrorist threats in America in

Counterterrorism the Future of Counterterrorism
Words: 4165 Length: 14 Document Type: Literature Review

Each level of the counter-terrorism strategy present in the United States has its own flaws and its own weaknesses. Law enforcement cannot be left behind in the pursuit for more professional counter-terrorist elite units. The New York Police Department sets the bar for what municipal police can put together in terms of counter-terrorism, NYPD Shield, as its known, has conducted several successful operations since its inception in the aftermath of

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now