Elderly Sex Offenders: Causes, Crimes and Punishments

Elderly Sex Offenders: Causes, Crimes and Punishments Introduction In the recent years, the number of reported crimes involving geriatric offenders has increased, especially in sex related offences. Although there is a recent spate of sex offences, there has been minimal discussion with regard to sex offenders who commit their crimes in their golden years. Furthermore, the media has been seen to portray the elderly as feeble and delicate targets for criminals, more than a perpetrator of crimes. This essay will firstly define the ground rules and establish a common understanding of the age range of the elderly. Part II of the essay will examine and discuss the types of offences committed by elderly sex offenders, follow by the reasons for committing the sexual crimes. Part III of the essay will delve at the current punishments and treatments for geriatric sex offenders based on classical and positivist approach. Finally, Part IV will offer some recommendations on the way forward of elderly sex offenders. Definition of an Elderly Person According to the World Health Organization (WHO), most of the countries worldwide have accepted the chronological age of 65 years as a definition of elderly person (WHO, 2010). This definition also coincides with the definition of elderly in United States. In Singapore, however, the elderly, or otherwise known as senior citizen, own their status once they have reached the age of 55. Although senior citizenship starts from the age of 55, it is worthy to note that Singaporeans retired at the age of 62 and statistics from the government actually delineate age 65 and above from the others when determining the age structure for the purpose of statistics (Statistic Singapore, 2010). Ironically, criminals whose age are 50 and above are not subjected to canning regardless of the offences committed, though the average life expectancy of Singaporeans is 81.4 (Male: 79 and female: 83.7). For the purpose of this essay, we will define age 65 and above to qualify as elderly. Offenses Perpetrated by Elderly Sex Offenders While the majority of the sex offenders are still committed by younger men, statistics show that nearly 4 percent (2858 persons)of the sexual crimes in United States in 2006 were age 60 and above (Sullivan, 2007). Whereas in Singapore, there were 50 over sexual crimes in 2009 and out of the 50 over cases, less than 5 cases are elderly offenders. Generally, sex offences committed by elderly are more passive sexual activities as compared to younger sex offenders. Research has shown that elderly sex offenders are more likely to commit non-violent sexual offences such as pedophilia, fondling or molest, statutory rape, exposing of the genitals and other acts of exhibitionism (Eysenck Gudjonsson, 2000). For example, a recent case of 90 year-old Australian arrested and charged for raping four young sisters (age 5 to 7) whom he allegedly lured to his home in Thailand with imported chocolates and English lessons (Suchaovanich, 2010). In Singapore, a 68 year-old magician was arrested and char ged for molesting a 12 year-old apprentice (SSN, 2009). Although there are many different scenarios of elderly sex offenders, these 2 incidents seem to suggest that elderly sex offenders frequently choose children as their victims and are more likely to do so than younger offenders. Potential reasons postulated that the elderly men have lost their charisma and are generally unattractive to females. Also, the fact that grandfather image tend to be more trust worthy than younger men and this increases the opportunity of committing sexual crimes. Besides, young victims are less able to defend themselves and easier to bribe and less likely to report such incidents (Hucker, 1984). Possible Reasons for Sexual Crimes Other possible reasons seem to indicate that elderly sex offenders may be suffering from a lost sense of masculinity. Furthermore, sexual crimes are committed by elderly offenders who are feeling less potent and less active in their golden age. It is postulated that by victimizing someone less powerful, the elderly is able to recover his lost self-esteem (Benett, 1987). Another postulation by Hucker and Ben-Aron (1987) seems to suggest that they are unable to physically live out their fantasies and hence, only capable of performing their desires in a limited sexual capacity. Additionally, it is also hypothesized that the elderly sex offenders are overwhelmed by typical problems such as social isolation and loneliness due to separation from grown up kids, death of spouse or even poverty. One of the prison psychologists, Susan King felt that elderly offenders are still sexually driven. However, due to their health condition and potency, they become frustrated and therefore acted on chi ldren simply because they are easy targets. Moreover, elderly sex offenders do not want to seek counseling or treatment (Rayburn, 2007). Punishment or Treatment of Elderly Sex Offenders According to the Penal Code (Chapter 224, Section 375 and 376), the penalty for sex offences is imprisonment of not less than 8 years and not more than 20 years, and shall also be punished with not less than 12 strokes of cane. Most of the countries have average sentence of 12 years for rapists but caning is not commonly used in some countries such as United States and some African nations. Usually, a criminal justice system is more inclined towards the classical approach as this theory is very policy oriented and concentrates on establishing and operating a criminal justice system that is rule-based, consistent and predictable (Joyce, 2006). Punishments meted out by such system are usually acted as a form of deterrence to members of public from committing crimes. Other than the classical approach, positivist theory is another approach to deal with crimes. Rather than focusing on the law and the offence committed, this approach looks into the contributing factors leading to the crime . It advocates treatment and rehabilitation over punishments. However, more often than not, when elderly sex offenders are convicted of their crimes, the question that will be normally raised, what to do with these criminals? Which approach to be used? While there is a strong disinclination of locking the feeble and frail elderly into the prison and spend his final years, nobody would allow a sex offender to be roaming in the streets and inflicts harm on the children. In United States, sex offenders are banished from the towns and they are restricted from living 750 meters within the streets and schools. They were forced to live under bridges and homeless (Kelley, 2010). In fact, many of these elderly sex offenders are first timer with no prior criminal record of any sexual or other offense (Hart, 2008). If Singapore were to impose such restrictions, we will see sex offenders congregating outside the city and this would have other repercussions and inadvertently create other social problems in the society. Another important aspect that influence and shape the publics perception is the power of media as it exerts an imperative influence on the popular perception of the nature and effect of crime. Just because sex, violence and controversy sells newspaper, it actually enables profit-run mass media companies to publish and sensationalize stories that the public would generally be interested in reading and watching so as to boost the sales and advertising revenue. However, the media is not providing an accurate portrayal of the news and allows deviance amplification and moral panic to set in. In essence, the members of public forms their opinions of the offences and crimes based on what they read and watch. Take it for instance, the media in Singapore has always portrayed the elderly as frail and frightened, being the victims of robbery rather than perpetrators of crimes. Recommendations Besides the usual classical system meted to punish elderly offenders, the system should advocates for a sympathetic treatment of elderly sex offenders because the elderly offenders tend to be non-aggressive in their acts, possess low recidivism rate and deprived of notable social, health and mental problems (Hucker, 1984). In fact, evidence from Steffensmeier (1995) seems to imply that elderly sex offenders receive more lenient sentences than the younger offenders. One possibility for reconciling the differences in sentencing might be due to the fact that elderly sex offenders are generally less aggressive towards their victims and are more likely to commit non-violent sexual offenses when compared to younger sex offenders. Some of the elderly sex offenders suffer from sicknesses such Parkinson disease, Alzheimers, dementia and other elderly illnesses. As such, by sending the elderly sex offenders to the prison may aggravate their health condition because the prisons are geared prima rily for young offenders and it has little emphasis placed on special problems of incarcerating the elderly offenders. Moreover, increased numbers of elderly offenders will equate to an increased in the medical cost and facilities required for the elderly. With the increase in elderly offenders, setting up an elderly prison might be worthwhile considering as the prison can be tailored to the elderly offenders special needs such as medical and psychological facilities and equipment available for the offenders. In the state of Nevada in United States, the governor implemented a special needs program for different groups of offenders such as the elderly offenders, pregnant offenders, sex offenders and etc (NDOC, 2007). The Ministry of Home Affairs could perhaps set aside certain percentage of the allocated funds to run such program when elderly offenders have increased substantially. For a stronger deterrence message to prevent elderly offenders from committing sexual crimes, the government should also review the Penal Code and relook into the caning requirements, if the countrys law and order is based on classical approach. As brought up earlier, caning for age 49 and below does not coincide with the life expectancy as well as the criteria age for elderly. The government should revise the mandatory caning requirement to age 64 and below for serious offences and caning can still be carried out for age 65 and above subjected to medical examination. In this way, the punishment meted can transmit a stronger deterrence signal to future elderly sex offenders. For a justice system to be more effective and encompassing, the government should consider a mixture of both the classical and positivist approaches. Conclusion While elderly sex offenders only account for a small percentage of sexual crimes committed, it is definitely alarming that an elderly who has lived within the norms of society for their entire life can commit such horrendous acts at such a late stage in their life and turn into a dirty old man. Nevertheless, elderly sex offenders are generally less violent and their intention is never to harm their victims, the crime is committed purely out of personal gratification. With the increase in elderly offenders, dedicated prisons are recommended for elderly offenders and they can make use of the medical facilities for their health and mental treatment.

An appreciation of ‘The Tell Tale Heart’ by Edgar Allan Poe and ‘The Confession’ by Charles Dickens Essay

This assignment asks for an appreciation of the stories by Edgar Allen Poe ‘The Tell Tale Heart’ and Charles Dickens ‘The Confession’. I will start by exploring Edgar Allen Poe’s story and style of writing, how it captivates the reader, building suspense and terror. I will then explore Charles Dickens ‘Confession’ And finally following my analysis of the two stories I will compare and contrast the different styles. Edgar Allen Poe’s story ‘The Tell Tale Heart’ describes how the perpetrator plans and executes a vicious attack on an old man. This story is told in an autobiographical format with the author describing his state of mind, questioning his own sanity. He calmly describes how there was no object or passion that caused him to commit the heinous act of murder as he describes his love for the old man. His only explanation is his victims ‘eye’ which he describes as vulture like and intimidating. He disassociates the ‘eye ‘ from the old man and it is the eye that drives him to commit the crime. He talks of his dissimulation in planning the old man’s death and how e treated him during the week prior to killing him, how he taunted him, stalked him, and preyed upon him at midnight (witching hour), this sinister act of voyeurism is unpleasant and adds to the tension of the story. It was only until the seventh night when he realised that to rid himself of the ‘Evil Eye’ he need to have the old man’s eye open to commit the act. On the eighth night he describes how he carefully taunts the old man describing his actions as clever and skilled, hysteria sets in and finds the events exhilarating, which is further compounded by his knowledge that the old man was fearful of intruders and robbers to realise the real danger is from within. He describes the fear and panic the old man is experiencing when he hears someone in his room, he goes on to empathise and understand how the old man is rationalising for the noise he heard. The author gives a description of a Grim Reaper, stalking in the shadows and enveloping the victim. He builds suspense and describes the web that he’s weaving to rid himself of the ‘vulture eye’. He describes seeing the ‘eye’ as freezing him and bringing his focus purely on the ‘eye’ completely detaching the old man from the ‘eye’. He recalls hearing the old man’s heart beating like a drum ‘It was a low, dull, quick sound- much such as a watch makes when enveloped in cotton’. His acuteness of hearing increases the loudness of the heart beat it’s then he describes nervousness mixed with excitement. It’s with this increasing loudness that he fears he will by heard by neighbours that he enters the room dragging the old man to the floor pulling the mattress on top of him, where as the heart beat becomes muffled and finally stops. He describes the man as being stone dead and not troubling him any longer. In the concluding paragraphs he talks of how he concealed the body, dismembering the body cutting off the old man’s head and limbs and depositing them under the floor boards, believing himself to be clever. However the actions at such early hours raised suspicions. This brought three policemen knocking at the door, alerted by a neighbour hearing a shriek, in the middle of the night. The murderer invited the policemen in to search the house and take a rest from their duties. He showed his boldness, by placing the chairs above where he concealed the body. It was then he describes hearing a ringing much the same as the beating of the heart. He describes it as catching his breath, in fear that the officers also heard the beating. His anxiety increased and his paranoia set in. With the policemen not making a move to go he feared that they had heard the beating, it was so loud to him he thought they were bound to hear it and that he confessed to committing the deed and exposed the body to the police. There the story ends and we can only guess at the murderer’s sentence. ‘The Confession’ This is an autobiographical story which takes places in a retrospective view of the author’s life. This is a story that tells a confession of a condemned man. He talks of his childhood where he is victim to his own low self esteem with a few friends and his relationship with his brother. He is extremely jealous of his sibling because he perceives him as better than him ‘He was open-hearted and generous, handsomer than I, more accomplished, and generally beloved’ his friends and acquaintances would say ‘†¦they were surprised to find two brothers so unlike in their manners and appearance’. Then it tells of how his brother has been struck with a terminal illness. He talks of his marriage to his brother’s sister-in-law and describes this additional tie as estranging them further. He disliked his sister-in-law for he felt she could see through him, and see his jealousy, and so he could not meet her eyes but felt hers constantly digging into him. Only relieved by a quarrel, and her subsequent death, she both frightened and haunted him. She died shortly after her birth of her son. And on his brother’s death bed the child was placed in his care and should the child die all property and possessions pass onto to his wife. With ‘†¦a few brotherly words with me, deploring our long separation; and being exhausted, fell into a slumber, from which he never awoke.’ The author talks of his own childless relationship and how his wife took the place of the child’s mother. It was the child’s infatuation with his wife that he found disturbing as within him he saw his natural mother’s intuition, her face and her spirit which caused him to mistrust the boy to the point of obsession. He increasingly become uneasy in the child’s presence, he showed him fear and hate. The boy kept his distance whenever possible. He could not recall when these feelings came upon him and initially he wished the child no ill. The thoughts crept upon him until they overtook his whole thought patterns. He describes uneasiness when in the child’s focus, he become fixated on how easy it would be to kill the child. He began stalking the child, watching him, undertaking his tasks. As in the Tell Tale Heart this unhealthy voyeurism is vividly described to great effect- ‘I never could bear that child should see me’ in the Confession and ‘†¦ a pale blue eye, with film over it. Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ in a Tell Tale Heart. He goes on to describe how he grooms the child by modelling a model boat and waiting for him to go to the river to float it where he had planned to carry out the crime. He describes how he waited for three days until the child went to the river and when he was about to commit the crime the child saw his shadow in the water. It was as if the child’s mother’s eyes were starring back at him. In a moment lost in time the author appears to have mixed recollections of the event, one the child running for escape and the other when he is confronted with the child’s dead body lying at his feet stabbed by his sword. With his wife away from home he planned to bury the child in the garden and he became obsessed by the murder he committed. He talks of his feigned distress at being told the child was missing and how he had to break the news to his wife. He carried out the actions of a grieving parent raising no suspicions whilst all day long watching the new turf being laid hoping to add speed to the process. He talks of disturbed sleep, waking from nightmares and constantly needing re-assurance ‘†¦ and thus I spent the night in fits and starts, getting up and lying down full twenty times, and dreaming the same dream over and over again,’ he became paranoid and terrorised by his actions, fearful of discovery; he started to hear whispers on the wind- ‘†¦ a breath of air sighed across it, to me it whispered murder.’ This increased his fear. Then he goes on to describe how on the fourth day visitors from his earlier regiment called upon him. He invited them into the garden and set the chairs out on top of the child’s grave. They ask after his wife and the child, unsettling him a ‘theme’ in his life and his paranoia sets in. He is obviously terrified they would discover his secret. In attempt to hide his fear he asks the men if the child has been murdered. They attempted to re-assure him there was nothing to gain from killing an innocent child. Then as they were attempting to raise his spirits, two bloodhounds bounded into the garden and began pacing and sniffing the ground, until they came upon the murderer’s chair they began to howl. The visitors said that the dogs had made a discovery. It was then the murderer became hysterical that his two visitors after a battle restrained him, during which time the dogs tore at the earth and on seeing this, the murderer dropped to his knees and confessed the truth and begged for forgiveness. Then he retracts his confession for which he’s tried and found guilty. His only Solace is the fact that his wife has lost all her faculties and does not know his and hers own misery and his guilt. I wonder, however, if our ‘hero’ was truly repentant or just searching for sympathy since he has been found out – disguising what was really inside as he had done all his life. Perhaps we’ll never know the real badness. There are many similarities between both stories. ‘The Tell Tale Heart’ is autobiographical description/confession of the murder of a victim known by the perpetrator. It describes the careful process and preparation/planning of the murder and how the murderers own paranoia and psychosis results in the confession. They both describe the careful stalking of the victims. ‘The Confession’ by Charles Dickens is also an autobiographical description/confession of the murder in which the victim is known to the murderer and also he describes the preparation and once again has confessed as a result of paranoia. Both stories use the technique of repetition to create tension and suspense, and the use of short sharp sentences are also used to construct the state of panic of which both murderer’s encounter when they are discovered. The contrasts between the two stories are that ‘The Tell Tale Heart’ by Edgar Allan Poe talks of his love for the victim, but fear of the eye. There is no financial gain to the murder on the death of the victim. The author describes no regret or remorse for the act and prides himself on the cleverness of his actions, Edgar Allan Poe tells the story through a psychotic murderer, whereas in Charles Dickens ‘The Confession’, the author tells the story through more of a thinking and tactical murderer. The author dislikes the victim altogether with no love loss between them. There is a gain from the death of the victim. And during more rational times the murderer talks of much regret and remorse.

Pumpkin Picking Descriptive Essay Samples Guide

Pumpkin Picking Descriptive Essay Samples Guide The Fight Against Pumpkin Picking Descriptive Essay Samples A descriptive essay presents an individual, place, or thing, in a manner that readers feel like it's in front of their eyes, or they are tasting it, or they can hear this, or they can smell it. The aforementioned abstract has offered you two or three ideas. Another thing you may describe is a particular place or object that you've got strong feelings about. If you would like to dig deeper, you should try and create an extremely vivid picture in the reader's mind. Descriptive essay samples can help you with writing a description of sensory details which are an essential portion of descriptive writing. Writers use sensory information to spell out object. Quick Tips for Writing Your Descriptive Essay Writing a descriptive essay may be rich and fulfilling experience, but nevertheless, it may also feel somewhat complicated. Descriptive Narrative Essay Example may be used mainly to recreate an occasion. In addition, you are able to also take a look at our Argumentative Essay templates. Templates like Descriptive Essay about Office can be beneficial for someone who's planning to go to an office. Essay writing comes in various forms. Students are extremely often requested to compose a descriptive essay about mother. Choosing Pumpkin Picking Descriptive Essay Samples By this time, you probably get the concept that the style choice for your descriptive essay is really open. A description might be only a paragraph, or it might be longer, as needed to totally describe the thing. A descriptive essay is among the more important kinds of essays, requiring the student to offer a description of an object, person, place, device, or simply about any other kind of thing that may be described verbally. Luckily, typically a descriptive essay doesn't have any strict recommendations, so you probably won't will need to obey a specific formatting style. Where to Find Pumpkin Picking Descriptive Essay Samples A descriptive essay enables a reader to comprehend the essay's subject utilizing illustrative language. Still, keep in mind that it is also an academic paper, so it should serve a purpose. It may be considered one of the simplest although deeply involving essays. A descriptive essay is among the essay examples that will be easily done if you're conscious of the basics of its creation. Before writing, you've got to understand the subject of your essay! Make certain your essay follows a particular format, consisting of the correct partsA of essay. In case you were assigned with a descriptive essay, you are most likely puzzled where to begin. As you begin on your descriptive essay, it's important that you identify just what you wish to describe. Using Pumpkin Picking Descriptive Essay Samples As you begin writing more descriptive essays, make sure that you paint a photo of your character. Don't forget, if you're describing something, you ought to be appealing to the senses of the reader. Personality traits can be challenging to write for a character. You are unable to describe for the interest of describing. Descriptive writing is easy and difficult at the very same time, especially if you're a freshman. Sample essays of this type cannot offer you a complete breakdown of information and techniques which will be related to your tutor's requirements and the program. Samples supply you with a chance to secure closer to the style and structure that's usually appreciated by tutors. To create the reading of samples more effective, you must understand what things to remember! If you're given complete freedom in picking out descriptive essay topics, you're a lucky student as you can write on whatever you want. Usually students have an opportunity to select descriptive essay topics independently, which greatly simplifies the practice. Don't rush and you'll surely get the greatest possible grade! Next, employing an expert to compose an essay for you're able to help you better your academic outcome. The writer ought to be in a position to bring an emotional relationship between the reader and the subject. A descriptive essay is not just present in the area of education and research. It can be used in different activities and undertakings. Finally, there's a location in my imaginary place I visit just on special occasions. Descriptive Essay on Market can be employed by tourists or visitors that don't have any prior understanding of a marketplace. Normally, most readers receive the best representation of something through using their senses! The primary reason is the shortage of practical wisdom and the lack of much free time due to other home tasks in many of subjects.

What Does It Mean To Be Vegetarian - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 1 Words: 420 Downloads: 1 Date added: 2019/06/24 Category Health Essay Level High school Tags: Vegetarian Essay Did you like this example? A vegetarian is someone who lives on a diet of grains, pulses, legumes, nuts, seeds, vegetables, fruits, fungi, algae, yeast, and/or some other non-animal-based foods with, or without, dairy products, honey and/or eggs. A vegetarian does not eat foods that consist of or have been produced with the aid of products consisting of or created from, any part of the body of a living or dead animal. Many people think that a life without meat would be boring, unhealthy, and damaging to your body. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "What Does It Mean To Be Vegetarian?" essay for you Create order While others claim they are saving the earth, saving animals, and maintaining a better lifestyle. Switching to vegetarianism has many benefits for the human body. People who make the decision to change their diets and embrace a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle can do so for a number of reasons. A vegetarian diet helps lower cholesterol, control diabetes, prevent cancer, and retain vitamins. There has always been a concern medically, among non-vegetarians about the supposed lack of protein that vegetarians ingest. For the most part, Americans eat more protein than their bodies need. Too much protein can lead to kidney disease, bone loss, and cancer. There are many different foods with high amounts of proteins including soy, eggs, dairy, quinoa, beans, and legumes. Another argument of a vegetarian lifestyle is maintaining a healthy weight. Foods high in carbohydrates are excellent in sustaining a healthy weight. They are a lower amount of calories in carbohydrates than in fats and they are stored differently in the body. However, eating a plant based diet has its drawbacks. Plant-based sources tend to be low in saturated fat, a component of the brain and a macronutrient vital for human health. Meats contribute greatly to our overall health and contains many nutrients that cannot be obtained in any amount from plants: Creatine creates energy reserves in muscle and brain tissue, complete protein source with a higher biological value, Vitamin D, contains Vitamin B1, B2, B6, and the minerals zinc, selenium, and iron. Vegetarians have a higher risk of developing vitamin B12 deficiency compared with people who consume animal-based products. Becoming a vegetarian does not guarantee good health or a healthy diet. Anyone is at risk of poor health if he or she consumes too many calories, unhealthy snacks, too many refined carbohydrates, whole milk dairy products and junk food, whether or not based on meat. In addition, there is not right or wrong answer for becoming a vegetarian, just maintain a healthy diet and keep up with your bodys nutritional intake.