Book Arrangement: Understanding violent criminals is a challenging and confusing task, which is exactly why the book Understanding Violent Criminals is presented using an unusual and complex structure. Each of the ten chapters is assembled as though it were a school textbook: it begins with a simple definition of the crime, theories pertaining to why and when people carry out these heinous acts, and then, peculiarly enough, poses the reader with a set of “Questions for Reflection” to keep in mind during the next page or two. Next, case studies from actual crimes are presented and then, rather than merely telling his audience what the answer is, Thomas implores the reader to go back into the text and identify which of the previously stated …show more content…
Thomas has a P.H.d in psychology and served as a cop for nearly 25 years, granting him wisdom no other writer could obtain. A plethora of pathos is bestowed upon the reader in every chapter. The enumeration of sexual assault, murder, and abduction reports evoke a sympathetic anguish sure to dismay and dishearten parents. Surprisingly, there is more logos apparent than pathos. Every claim made in this novel was preceded by the fact that proved it. Thomas bombards his audience with statistics, which allows the reader to get an understanding of the crime and why it’s committed, then offers his conclusion complete with an explanation and reason-based generalization about the transgression being discussed.
Style/Tone-
Rarely will you find such invigorating content conferred in such a mundane and pedantic manner. Thomas uses 0 similes. He uses 0 metaphors. He uses 0 onomatopoeias. The only real discrepancy between this piece and a textbook is that this piece has such a stimulating message that the reader is nearly able to overlook the prosaic language. Thomas made evident that he is a cop, not a writer, and certainly not a cop interested in becoming a
In the true crime/sociology story, “Best Intentions: The Education and Killing of Edmund Perry” the author, Robert Sam Anson had provided an immense amount of information from reportings about Edmund Perry’s death and life before he died. Anson has developed Edmund’s character and experiences through reporting that I have related and connected to. Information reported by Anson has helped me find a deep connection towards Edmund Perry’s home environment, junior high experiences, and personality at Philips Exeter. Themes such as hopes and dreams, loyalty and betrayal, journey, and family ties are intertwined in the story and becomes blatant. The congruences between our lives have better my understanding of the story and Edmund’s life.
Killing Mr. Griffin is a story, which captures the reader’s attention by developing themes. It’s suspenseful; it includes topics from love and friendship to guilt and murder. Susan McConnell had a slow life, but at a sudden moment, she gets hit by a social wave and is caught in a wave of peer pressure, manipulation, psychopaths and a battle of her conscience. The moral lesson that has been shown inside the book is being careful for what you wish for. The grass might seem greener on the other side but is it actually? People don’t always seem how they appear to be either good or bad (Mr. Griffin, Mark Kinney.)
He delivers his message to the students he is talking to in a very bold, stern manner so one cannot lose focus for a single second. At no point is he reading from a piece of paper, which allows the audience to engage in a more natural and conversational feel. This keeps the audience interested and attentive because his tone of voice is not boring in any way at all. Right from the get go the audience is hooked because what do teens want the most in life? Money. Thomas opens the speech by saying, “So if you want to make six figures, you can't just be talking’ about you want to be makin’ six figures.” He is passionate the entire time, using his body language to portray the emotions of the speech. Thomas makes the audience want to hear more and more of what he has to say and makes them become on the edge of their chairs to get ready to hear the next string of brilliant words spill from his
Once upon a time, the theory that the majority of violent crimes was caused by biological reasons, was a trendy opinion. However James Gilligan a notable psychiatrist, who has been working with prisoners and prison systems for years to study and develop the general method to prevent crimes, sees this psychological perspective, and comes out with a different conclusion. In the article “Shame: The Emotions and Morality of Violence,” Gilligan emphasizes that shame is the reason why most people commit crimes, and they tend to “diminish the intensity of shame” by violence.(44) He explains the concept of preconditions, which are key elements for violence to happen, to discuss the origins of violent crimes. Gilligan suggests that violent men are “shameful to feel ashamed about themselves.”(43) They also believe that they have no
A unique word choice introduces this essay, causing readers to be misguided. Staples begins by saying “My first victim was a woman…”(383). This choice of words obligated our minds to perceive this man as a criminal who was about to tell us his story. Staples allows himself to be portrayed as such a horrible person because that is exactly what people viewed him as. He uses self-blame as though he has accepted the fact of reality that he was viewed as a criminal and always will be. It seems as though he wanted to mislead us as readers so we would make the same mistake others did. A feeling of great guilt is created for judging this man that we barely knew. In such a simple way, Staples creates an ...
Paternoster, R., & Bachman, R., (2001). Explaining criminals and crime. Essays in contemporary criminological theory. New York City, N.Y.: Oxford University
Hickey, T. J. (2010). Taking Sides: Clashing Views in Crime and Criminology, 9th Edition. New York, NY: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
During the course of our class we have encountered plenty of important topics and vital information that is essential to the field of the Criminal Justice system. Such as; Crime and justice including laws, Victimization and Criminal behavior, Laws, Police officers and Law enforcement and the criminal justice system in itself. These topics are daily situations yet individuals are oblivious to what's going on and that in it can be a major problem to the community. On that note this paper will express the ignorance and selfish values of twelve individuals by fully explaining the movie "Twelve Angry Men"
Young, J. (1981). Thinking seriously about crime: Some models of criminology. In M. Fitzgerald, G. McLennan, & J. Pawson (Eds.), Crime and society: Readings in history and society (pp. 248-309). London: Routledge and Kegan Paul.
Winslow, R. W., & Zhang, S. (2008). Contemporary Theories of Crime. Criminology: a global perspective (). Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson/Prentice Hall.
Winfree, T., & Abadinsky, H. (2nd Ed.). (2003). Understanding Crime: Theory and Practice. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth publishers.
Conscious efforts to critique existing approaches to questions of crime and justice, demystify concepts and issues that are laden with political and ideological baggage, situate debates about crime control within a socio-historical context, and facilitate the imagination and exploration of alternative ways of thinking and acting in relation to crime and justice. (p. 3).
Criminology is the study of crime and criminals; a branch of sociology. More accurately, it is the study of crime as a social trend, and its overall origins, its many manifestations and its impact upon society as a whole. That makes it more a form of sociology than a law enforcement tool. But the trends it studies have a huge impact on the way the police do their jobs, the way society treats its criminals, and the way a given community goes about maintaining law and order. The writer will describe and give examples of the three perspectives of viewing crimes. The perspectives that will be highlighted are the consensus view, the conflict view or the interactionist view. Each perspective maintain its own interpretation of what constitutes criminal activities and what causes people to engage in criminal behaviors (Siegel, p.12).
Imagine a world in which there is no morality, no sense of empathy or concern of the well-being of loved ones, and no feelings of remorse, no matter what actions one takes. This is the world of an unstable and violent individual. This is the world of Tom Ripley, in Patricia Highsmith’s novel, The Talented Mr. Ripley. Due to the ramifications of Tom Ripley’s troubled past of his parents dying and the neglect of his Aunt, the reader is better able to understand the forces that guide Ripley’s cruel actions and the inevitable consequences he must face. It is clear that the unpredictable and instinctive tendencies of Tom Ripley’s constantly changing identity throughout the novel contribute to his
In today’s society, one will find that there are many different factors that go into the development of a criminal mind, and it is impossible to single out one particular cause of criminal behavior. Criminal behavior often stems from both biological and environmental factors. In many cases criminals share similar physical traits which the general population do not usually have. For example criminals have smaller brains than properly adjusted individuals. However biological reasons cannot solely be the cause of criminal behavior. Therefore, one must look to other sources as to how a criminal mind is developed. Social and environmental factors also are at fault for developing a person to the point at which they are lead to committing a criminal act. Often, someone who has committed a violent crime shows evidence of a poorly developed childhood, or the unsuitable current conditions in which the subject lives. In addition if one studies victimology which is the role that the victim plays in the crime, it is apparent that there are many different causes for criminal behavior. Through the examination of biological factors, in addition to the social and environmental factors which make up a criminal mind, one can conclude that a criminal often is born with traits common to those of criminals, it is the environment that exist around them that brings out the criminal within them to commit indecent acts of crime.