ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
The problem of juvenile offenders and the corresponding punishment is a controversial one. While there is a law that regulates punishments for teenagers, and those punishments can be lighter compared to adult sentences, the USA remains to be the only country in the world where teenagers can be incarcerated for the rest of their lives (Knafo, 2014). As I have mentioned previously, research indicates that people do not reach full (brain) maturity until they are 25 years old (Shelat, 2018). Nevertheless, teenagers and underage individuals remain to be punished for different crimes (depending on their severity) with little regard to their ability to think clearly about the consequences of their actions. I believe that juvenile offenders should be punished for their crimes, but the punishment they receive should be appropriate to their age. This being said, I find adult sentences and lifelong incarceration fully unacceptable as forms of teenage punishments. The solution to the problem would be new legislation that prohibits life imprisonment for teenagers who have severely violated the law. Furthermore, imprisonment, in general, might not be a perfect idea if the society aims to reduce recidivism. Even if a teenager is responsible for a very serious offense, such as a murder or drug trafficking, he or she should be judged accordingly to his/her age and level of maturity. As teenagers find it difficult to calculate the risk of some actions they take, the court should consider this factor and avoid penalties similar to adult punishments in the future. Advantages The first advantage might not be obvious, as it is believed that incarceration should prevent rather than stimulate recidivism. However, research demonstrates that incarceration is not effective in decreasing recidivism: the majority of those juveniles who “have been in residential correction programs are subsequently rearrested within a three-year period” (Lambie & Randell, 2013, p. 450). If the society aims to prevent juvenile offenders from repeating their crime, then another approach to this goal should be taken. Transferring juveniles to adult courts and giving them corresponding adult sentences can also have an adverse effect, Lambie and Randell found (2013). While some teenagers had claimed that their incarceration with adult offenders had no positive or negative effect on them, others pointed out that they were able to learn more about crime from adult prisoners. Obviously, such ability of teenagers to learn from adults would prevent them from being reintegrated into society as responsible and law-abiding individuals. Furthermore, teenagers in prisons tend to contact with other antisocial peers, which can also affect their future behavior and recidivism rates. The second advantage is the decrease in victimization. According to Lambie and Randell (2013), both teenagers and adults are often abused in prisons. While male prisoners mostly suffer from physical assaults, female offenders frequently become targets of sexual victimization. The incarceration of juvenile offe
Production Concept The production of The Laramie Project will be based on the thrust stage design. Different viewers will see the action from different perspectives, which is especially relevant in the case of this play because differences in perspectives are arguably the play’s main theme. The Laramie Project revolves around a horrifying murder (Kaufman and Tectonic Theater Project VI), and what the writers and actors do in it is engaging viewers into the context and showing the story that shook the country from inside, from where it originated. This is done by providing the perspectives of those people who knew the victim of the hate crime, knew the suspects, and can help understand what happened. The play features an episodic plot, and characters may appear on stage suddenly without following any chronological order. This collection of perspectives demonstrates the Rashomon effect (Ishorari 95), which is why the thrust stage design is appropriate. Importantly, with this design, the viewers on the left and on the right of the stage will be able to see not only the actors but also each other. It will create the effect of engagement and stronger connection to the people of Laramie. The production will be relevant today because it provides insight into poorly understood, closed, and rather obscure environments in which discrimination, hate, and cruelty can brew. Hate crimes happen until these days (“2016 Hate Crime Statistics Released”), and it is important not only to raise awareness of them but also explore the mechanisms behind them. An advantage of the production is that it will emotionally appeal to the viewers in several different ways. Some of the scenes are very disturbing, like the Fence moment (Kaufman and Tectonic Theater Project 34), and other ones can be amusing, such as the conversations with locals (Kaufman and Tectonic Theater Project 15-17). Therefore, there is no single intended overall mood: some viewers may feel disturbed after seeing the production, and some, on the contrary, may feel optimistic. It can be expected that the emotional appeal of the play will help interest many different people in attending the production. Design Images Scenic Design Thrust stage: audience on three sides. This design will allow engaging the viewers more successfully in the action unfolding on the stage. The differences in perspectives will enhance the perceived Rashomon effect, which is an important element of the play. Actors may get up on stage not only
In his poem, The Flea John Donne describes the relationships between a man and a woman. The first-person narrator, who remains nameless, attempts to seduce his beloved (supposedly a virgin) into sexual intercourse. She is reluctant to yield to him. All of a sudden the main character notices a flea that has probably bitten both of them. He argues that this insect might have already “mingled their blood” and that there is no shame in making love to one another (Donne, unpaged). Later, when the girl kills the flea, the narrator points out that her fears about sex are groundless, and it will not deprive her of honor and dignity. John Donne ends the poem with these lines. “Just so much honor, when thou yield’st to me Will waste, as this flea’s death took life from thee” (Donne, unpaged) Yet, it should be admitted that this summary is mostly based on subjective interpretation. In fact, the audience knows virtually nothing about the gender identity of the characters, because the author uses personal pronouns “I” and ‘you’ which give no clue about gender. Secondly, it is not quite clear whether the speakers feelings toward the woman are deep. The tone of the poem is slightly humorous and it seems that he is more interested in sex rather than life-long relations. In addition, the audience does not know how long they are acquainted with one another. The only thing that we know almost for a fact is that they are in some private place; evidently they are on close terms with each other. However, there is still some barrier between them that prevents them from intimacy. The writer employs various stylistic devices in order to make the poem more vivid and realistic. First, we need to speak about the symbolism of the flea, which represents different attitudes and opinions about sex. On the one hand, it is the unity of man and woman. The speaker says, “This flea is you and I, and this Our marriage bed, and marriage temple is” (Donne, unpaged) However, at the same time the image of the flea is intended to show that sex is not the most important part of the relations between people. It is very short-lived and can end in an instant. Apart from that, this metaphor is used to enhance humorous effect of the poem. The narrator chooses a very strange or even comic example to explain the essence of love and prove his argument. In this way he also tries to show how little he is asking for. John Donne creates a very strong image for defloration 1 . The phrase “blood of innocence” is both romantic and ironic. The thing is that innocence cannot be reduced only to physiology of a human being. The author employs this image to ridicule common prejudices against sex, which were deep-rooted in sixteenth century England. The verses give rise to several questions and ideas. For instance, one may ask oneself what is the most significant constituent in love, spirituality, or sex. It appears that John Donne wants the audience to form their conclusion on this topic. Besides, this poem demonstrates how hollow peoples words and promises
Introduction The field of probation is governed by codes of ethics. However, the set guidelines are not inclusive, and at times, probation and parole officers face different ethical issues due to the nature of their work (Bonner & Vandecreek, 2006). This paper explores the different ethical issues that probation and parole officers may face whilst execute their duties. The paper also gives the appropriate tools for addressing the issues coupled with pointing out the impact of my leadership style on choosing the tools. Ethical issues Probation and parole officers are involved in intensive supervision programs. The officers are expected to watch over the involved individuals all the time for the entire period of probation. Given such working conditions, an officer may be tempted to become reluctant to execute his/her duties. Being on call for 24 hours a day for seven days a week is strenuous, and thus the involved officers might be forced to look for ways of creating personal time. However, the idea of creating personal time whilst on duty is unethical. In addition, most local and state governments experience fiscal constraints, and this aspect means that such officers may not have the necessary resources and backups to execute their duties optimally. One of the greatest ethical challenges that probation and parole officers experience is the role of conflict. Morris and Tonry (1990) define role conflict as “the tension between the probation officers’ control function and casework function, having to be both a police officer and a social worker” (p. 183). Parole officers are expected to enforce intermediate punishments like carrying out urine tests to see whether the individual under probation is taking drugs. Police officers function best as enforcers, while social workers are implementers. Therefore, an ethical issue arises in this case, as the involved officers are torn due to the role conflict. Corruption is another serious ethical issue amongst probation and parole officers. Clients can bribe officers in a bid to have some privileges. The financial constraints mentioned earlier in this paper lead to the underfunding of such programs, and this aspect may create a loophole for officers to engage in corruption. Probation officers can also be tempted to engage in sexual harassment, given the environment under which such programs are executed, like house arrests (Gregory, 2011). In some cultural orientations, women are subordinates, and thus officers may be tempted to engage in sexual harassment due to such cultural incompetency. Tools The most appropriate tools in handling the said problems are sticking to the set codes of ethics, supervision, and monitoring, coupled with observing personal dignity. Codes of ethics will function optimally in addressing the issues arising from intensive supervision programs. Maintaining personal dignity will address the issue of corruption, abscond
I visited the Holocaust Museum located in Washington DC on mid – June 2014. I was nervous due to the stories I had heard, and I went with a friend of mine. There were many visitors in attendance. People visited the museum to learn about the atrocities caused to the Jews by the Nazi administration, headed by Hitler. Upon arrival, I felt a sense of history that I wanted to learn. When inside the museum, I came face to face with the inhumane acts caused to human beings by fellow human beings. My initial feeling was that of regret, sympathy, and sadness for the thousands of innocent people who were killed, displaced, and forcefully evicted from their homes by a ruthless administration. My other reaction was that of anger towards the people who still do not accept that the holocaust happened, people who still live in denial. Inside the museum, there were many exhibits and the deadly medicine exhibit struck me the most. The deadly museum exhibit is an exhibit that shows scientists from Germany justified the inferiority of the Jewish people, went ahead to assist Hitler in his anti-Semitism and his killing of innocent lives. What I learned is that anthropologists from Germany started profiling people in the 1920s by taking the heights of people for sinister motives such as to kill them. From the exhibit, I learned that eugenics was in the forefront to form as a recognized policy in Germany. Therefore, it was not Hitler alone who started the vicious cycle of hating on people based on race and segregating them either as Jews, disabled, or gay. Eugenic was a global movement. Haugen (2007) states that “from 1933 to 1945, Nazi Germany carried out a campaign to “cleanse” German society of people viewed as biological threats to the nation’s “health.” Enlisting the help of physicians and medically trained geneticists, psychiatrists, and anthropologists, the Nazis developed racial health policies that started with the mass sterilization of “hereditarily diseased” persons and ended with the near annihilation of European Jewry” (p. 94). The other piece I learned is that in the museum there was a video of the gas chambers. In the video, the public was tricked that they were going to get showered. The public removed all their clothes ready for the shower only to be splashed with a chemical gas that killed them all. There was a pile of clothes for many people killed by the chemical gas, a sight that shocked me. It was like a horror movie. Many people innocently walked into their chamber of death (Haugen, 2007). The video explains and shows a billowing cloud of grey smoke. The video explains the pain people go through due to the loss of family members in violent acts. The video shows how human beings were chosen to either live or death. Many Jews who were strong were spared and forced to work as slaves. Those spared lived as prisoners in foreign lands and all their belongings were confiscated. What struck me most is the stack of human hair
Introduction The twentieth century has witnessed rapid development of new technologies; it stands to reason, that their impact on the environment cannot be underestimated. At the present moment, humankind has to resolve one of the most complicated dilemmas in its history, in particular how to achieve equilibrium between the needs of people or (probably it would be better to say public good ) and the risks to the Earth. One has to admit that in the vast majority of cases, human activities have only detrimental effects on nature, and under some circumstances, scientific achievements may easily aggravate these effects. In this essay, I would like to focus on energy technologies, because they often pose the major threat to the environment. Overall, there are many means of generating and harnessing energy, but none of them can be regarded as safe. At this point, it is hardly possible to imagine our life without power stations, electricity, and so forth. One can hardly deny that these are constituent and almost inseparable parts of our life. Yet, the risk they present to people and nature are almost unpredictable. In order to substantiate this statement, we may refer to specific examples, such as nuclear power plants. Its explosion can leave a great number a people dead, as it actually happened in the USSR in 1986. The so-called Chernobyl catastrophe has always been a warning to us. Even now, there are many victims to this disaster, and it is impossible to predict when the consequences will be alleviated. Discussion At first glance, it may seem that the only possible solution to problem is to substitute these technologies by safer ones. In fact, many countries prefer not to have nuclear power stations. Certainly, such policy is rather prudent, because it ensures that the environment is not imperiled. Nonetheless, we should say that such approach is not always applicable, because there are some states, which simply cannot afford such transition. The thing is that nuclear power is by far the cheapest way of generating energy, and occasionally it is the most optimal solution, especially, if we are speaking about the developing world. Thus, it is necessary to take into consideration socio-economic factors. Another issue, which should not be overlooked, is the availability of natural resources. In some regions, nuclear power is the only way of solving energy problem. It goes without saying that we must attach primary importance to long-term policies but the transition to ecologically safe technologies may sometimes lead to severe recession and economic crisis, especially in third-world countries. Perhaps, it is of crucial importance to exercise constant supervision over power plants and bring at least gradual improvements, which may eventually make this technology more reliable. Apart from that, there are many cases, which also illustrate this dilemma, for instance, the
Introduction: When “Responsibility” Is More than Just a Word There are different ways to define the phenomenon of responsibility. Some call it the recognition of the basic needs (Evans 8), others consider it the process of rethinking one’s set of values. As for me, responsibility is what stands for the challenge. Responsibilities in My Life: The Reason to Wake up in the Morning As for now, my basic responsibilities are studying well and learning to take care of myself. However, these ones are quite hard as well. In a completely new environment, I sometimes feel like these responsibilities are rather solid. However, digging a bit deeper, one can possibly say that there are a lot of small-scale responsibilities in my life which I hardly even notice. Performed every day mechanically, without actually thinking of what I am doing and why these small responsibilities result from my relationships with the people around me and the culture and traditions of the country which I live in. For example, I also have such responsibilities as shopping taking care of my pet dog, trimming a Christmas tree, taking part in various social events, etc. How Far My Feeling of Responsibility Stretches: Learning to Say “No” There is no secret that having a responsibility presupposes the necessity to take account of the results of certain actions. Being the reverse side of the coin, the given peculiarity of the phenomenon makes it even more difficult to do what I am supposed to. Indeed, as Cote explains, “Although many people welcome the ability of choice, they may not be so happy with having to assume the responsibility for the outcome of those choices” (Cote 2). Therefore, I must admit that when knowing that I will not be able to handle the possible negative results, I prefer not to take additional responsibility. Although having one might seem more complicated, it is in fact even harder to say “No” when someone presses me into having a responsibility. Perhaps, it is the pride for having an important issue to tackle that makes one accept an unreasonable challenge. Without a Care in the World: Shaking off the Weight On the one hand, it is quite clear that all these responsibilities are exactly what I need to become a reliable and strong-willed person. However, when I feel completely exhausted, I do wish that my responsibilities could take a holiday while I enjoy some rest. That is exactly what the following idea crosses my mind: what if I had no responsibilities at all? And the next question I ask myself is whether it is possible to have no responsibilities whatsoever. At first glance, the idea is completely brilliant. Indeed, life becomes easier when there is little to care about. However, if considering this idea closer, one will inevitably come to the conclusion that responsibilities fill people’s lives with meaning. Hence, with nothing or no one to care about, one’s li
Introduction The embracement of healthy living habits contributes greatly to the improvement of a person’s well-being. In particular, proper dietary habits and exercising have been identified some of the factors that improve the health status of an individual. However, the contemporary lifestyle exposes people to detrimental dietary habits that undermine their well-being. Notably, the consumption of junk food has become one of the major health issues that destabilize the health of individuals and groups in contemporary societies. In this respect, there is a need to establish strategic mechanisms that encourage people to overlook fast food, owing to their adverse health effects. In this concern, this paper identifies and discusses the various health effects associated with the consumption of junk food. Literature Review The junk food issue is a major one in contemporary settings. Notably, children, adolescents, and adults continue consuming more unhealthy foods today compared to the situation in the past. As such, the growing consumption rates predispose consumers to health threats that have a negative effect on their well-being. Various studies show that junk food meals lead to the emergence of health issues that undermine the functionality of the digestive and cardiovascular systems, the respiratory system, the central nervous system, the reproductive system, and the skeletal system (McCarthy, 2013). In this respect, there is a need for reviewing relevant literature that uncovers detrimental health outcomes related to the consumption of junk food. Risk of Developing Type 2 Diabetes The consumption of junk food is connected to increasing a person’s risk of acquiring Type 2 diabetes. Notably, poor dietary habits trigger an increase in diabetes cases in the world. In this concern, McCarthy (2013) projects that at least 10% of the world’s population will acquire diabetes by 2035. The health trend may be a direct long-term outcome of behavioral factors, especially unhealthy dietary practices. As such, as shown in Figure 1, different regions globally will record a 55% increase in the prevalence of diabetes, thereby undermining the overall wellness of various societies. Figure 1. The Projected Regional Diabetes Prevalence by 2035. In a study to investigate the extent to which junk food leads to the development of Type 2 diabetes, Lazarou, Panagiotakos, and Matalas (2012) provide reliable contributions regarding the public health issue. Particularly, the intake of fast food gradually triggers insulin resistance that eventually results in the development of Type 2 diabetes. Eating fast food reduces the ability of insulin to regulate blood sugar in the system. Important to note, fast foods such as potato chips have considerable levels of carbohydrate and individual fatty acids that undermine the performance of the insulin hormone. In another inquiry, Naeem (2012) underlines that the consumption of fast foods such as pizza, chips, burgers, and frie