That is, in understanding an issue or phenomenon, it is vital for the observer or the sociologist to put it into context in order to create the right "picture" of what is happening. For example, the structural functionalist perspective of criminology posits that crime occurs because of deviant behavior, and that deviance is but an inevitable part of the society. From this perspective, crime is the counterpart of society's function -- that is, a dysfunction that acts as a force or structure that balances the structure and order of human society. It is through the conflict between society's functions and dysfunctions that social change is stimulated, helping society develop. In the case of crime, it is an essential dysfunction in the society in order to help induce social change through the development of policies and laws that aim to maintain and observe the peace and order of human society. Crime under the conflict theory or critical perspective has an altogether different description when compared against the structural functionalist perspective. Under the critical theory, crime is relative; an action becomes deviant and a crime when it is defined as such by a dominant group in the society, which holds the power and influence over the majority. The critical perspective evidently demonstrates...
Crime typologies help criminal justice groups and professionals to ascertain and determine suspects who will be put under questioning for a particular deviant act or crime. One example of the use of crime typologies is the practice of discretion, wherein criminal justice officials are able to decide, based on the normative profile of suspects, on how to handle a case. Discretion is ascertained on three factors, which include the suspect's demeanor, social class, and race. These factors make up a typology, wherein individuals or at least groups of people are clustered into a particular combination of these factors. A collection of these typologies, then, make up the norm of a suspect for a particular offense, therefore aiding criminal justice officials in narrowing the search for the individual who is most likely to commit the offense to find the individual who actually committed the crime.
Is physician-assisted suicide ethical if the patient requests medical assistance in terminating his or her own life? Introduction In the U.S., the Supreme Court ruled in Washington v. Glucksberg (1997) that physician-assisted suicide is not protected by the Constitution. However, in other parts of the world, physician-assisted suicide is accepted socially and legally; and in the U.S., a patient who is terminally ill may engage in assisted-dying procedures, which are legal in
Physician-Assisted Suicide: The Right to Die Abstract More and more patients in and end-of-life phase are expressing a desire for physician-assisted suicide (PAS) as an option that allows them to die with dignity and forego the pain and suffering associated with their disease and deteriorating condition. Yet in most states in the U.S., physician-assisted suicide remains illegal. The policy of this paper would be for lawmakers to be encouraged to pass a
E. The exceptions made for impairment and age would open a Pandora's Box of legal precedence. The Death with Dignity Act and any other forthcoming active euthanasia laws will likely continue to follow the same line of reasoning, i.e. that it is the unimpaired individual who must shoulder the full responsibility of the decisions he or she is making regarding the end of his or her life. That is in
There is no question, the dying process is one of consummate emotional and physical loss for the individual dying and the individual(s) who is left to repair the life they have put on hold to lovingly usher their loved one out of this world. The situation is often so extreme that care providers see and do things that in life would have seemed improbable if not impossible and the
Washington v. Glucksberg (1997), the Supreme Court ruled that there is no constitutional right to physician-assisted suicide. This ruling presented ethical challenges for the criminal justice system, especially with the high-profile trial of Jack Kevorkian, who was tried for assisting in a patient's suicide. Kevorkian was found guilty in 1999, but since then, social issues and mores have changed, and there is new discussion about what should be viewed
"You could say that anything that makes you feel better," Bock says, "whether chocolate or sex or invigorating exercise or a relaxing evening (depending on one's condition or circumstances), is good for you and could be viewed as medicine. Indeed, most Americans use the term 'good medicine' metaphorically and sometimes almost literally to describe some function or activity that promotes a sense of well-being" (131). Certainly, crack addicts would maintain
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