Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 32

Case Study - Essay Example Under normal circumstances, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was expected to take a leading role in providing relief to the affected people but in this case, it is seen working against its mandated task. The then director, Brown, turned down offers of assistance from the police, army as well as the other relief agencies and this was only compounded by a directive that prohibited all the emergency services departments not to respond to any call to assist the victims of the hurricane without being lawfully requested. A year passed after the devastating Katrina but a greater part of New Orleans remained in ruins with little reconstruction taking place. In my own opinion, I think the responsible authorities neglected the areas that were hardest hit by the hurricane. Instead of responding positively through offering assistance to the affected people, they are seen blocking emergency relief as if the disaster was premeditated. Natural disasters are not controlled by man and they cause untold suffering to the affected people, hence the need to put measures in place that are meant to avert the impacts of these disasters. The government is the main body representing all the citizens and it has the responsibility of ensuring that the welfare of its citizens is up to standard. In case of unprecedented natural disasters, all the levels of government in collaboration with other relief providers should take a leading role in ensuring that all the affected people get the needed assistance. Measures to ensure disaster preparedness should always be in place and the government should offer quick responses whenever there is a serious disaster unl ike the case of New Orleans where the responsible authorities are seen blocking aid. It is recommended that public policies which do not discriminate against race or creed must be enacted and fully implemented in all states. It is highly probable that the victims of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans were neglected on the

Pedophiles and Lack of Harsher Punishment Essay

Pedophiles and Lack of Harsher Punishment - Essay Example Thus, for most people, the term pedophilia is not a legal term but a diagnostic one. Prosecutors and law enforcement in cases involving computers frequently use the word pedophilia (Borgeson and Kuehnle, 2010). Hall and Hall (2007) state that pedophilia is a clinical diagnosis generally made by a psychologist or psychiatrist. It is neither a legal nor criminal term like forcible sexual offense, and legal term id generally used in criminal statistics. There are laws that govern acts committed by pedophiles. One such law is the Megan’s law. However, it is difficult to estimate how the Megan’s law affects pedophiles. The definition of the term pedophilia does not allow the determination of whether the pedophilic individual is a sexual offender (a child molester) or not. It is important to note that not all pedophilic individuals are child molesters. An individual with any paraphilia condition can be legally involved in it through masturbation and fantasizing (Borgeson and Kuehnle, 2010). Punishments given to those who commit pedophilia usually vary. There are states where the punishment is harsher compared to other states. In regard to punishment, there is an ongoing debate on whether the punishment for those committing sexual assault crimes should be made harsher or not. However, majority of the people are of the opinion that harsher or tougher laws will reduce the occurrence of these crimes (CQ Press, 2006). Thus, punishments for those who have committed pedophilic crimes should be made harsher. Harsher punishment will reduce the rate of pedophilic crimes. The aim of this study is to evaluate the form of punishment given to sexual offenders such as pedophilic individuals and propose the punishments to be harsher or tougher. As stated before, experts are of the opinion that harsher punishment will reduce the incidences of sexual crimes. In some states, there are tests done to ascertain if the individual has really reformed before release from prison . In Texas, sixteen months before the release of an offender, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice can have the individual evaluated to know whether he is an SVP (sexually violent predator). If the individual is found to be an SVP, then he is eligible for treatment as an outpatient sex offender upon his release (Garib, 2011). The study is of great significance because the majority of the sex offenders are treated with blanket punishment, thus, they cause collateral consequences which develop more risk to the entire public (Hiller, 2011). Failure to treat pedophilic individuals and their release back to the society defeat the whole purpose of child protection. Despite the fact that experts are advocating for harsher punishments, there is a need for an individual to be treated before he is released to the society. This makes sure that the individual is fully reformed after he has served his sentence in prison and the risk of children being harmed is reduced. Literature Review A pe dophile and a child molester have been often confused by child abuse professionals, the media, and the general public. They regard pedophiles as all individuals who sexually victimize children. However, there is no uniform definition of the word pedophile. It is important to note that pedophilia is a psychiatric diagnosis done only by qualified psychiatrists or psychologists. Not all child molesters are pedophiles. As mentioned before, an individual suffering from any form of paraphilia can be legally involved in it through