Reforming the Juvenile Justice System

The article that I found was involving Jacquez Brown a young fifteen year old boy who killed a nineteen year old boy Anthony Sharkus Wasilewski over a missing cellphone. Brown was arrested at the age fifteen for first and third degree murder and sentenced to adult prison. Before this incident, Brown had previously been incarcerated in the juvenile justice system for targeting and shooting someone in the face with a BB gun. He had also been targeted for a drive by shooting which made Brown keep the loaded 9mm handgun he ended up killing Wasilewski with. Now at the age of seventeen, Brown wants his case transferred to a juvenile court, but his final sentencing is 35 to life with the possibility of parole which he is currently trying to appeal. There was no public outcry for this case nor did the article say anything about the parents of Brown. Brown hasn't been heard from since Feb 15, 2013.

I don't think brain research is necessary in Brown's case. His situation was one that escalated extremely quick and one he'll regret for the rest of his life. If anything researchers should test how smart he is because killing someone over a cell phone is ridiculous. If we were to outlaw juveniles being tried as adults, Brown would have got his appeal and would be in a juvenile correctional facility as we speak, unfortunately for him that isn't the case. If brown had been eighteen instead of fifteen he would have immediately been sentenced to a first degree murder life in prison maybe with the possibility of parole because he is so young. In my opinion, Brown got what he deserved. Being fifteen, although it is young, he is completely aware that what he did was wrong and while he was doing it, it was wrong. If i were the judge would have done the same thing, at least he has the possibility of parole. 

What my case says about the juvenile justice system is that it can be completely fair and just with it's decision making, but at the same time it can make the wrong decisions depending on what the mental situation is with the defendant or the environment he is in. I think the juvenile justice system should take into consideration all the factors when prosecuting a minor for a life time sentence and make sure they are making the right decision.  

Incas

What I got from page 10 is that the natives truly valued their religion more than anything else. What the Catholics wanted to do is brain wash them into thinking their way and believe what they do, but to them it wasn't brain washing they were trying to "save" the native people even though they ended up killing millions of them; men women and children, no one was spared.
The picture I chose was the cover picture because of how disrespectful it was for the inca king to be sitting on the ground rather than his throne. It is hipocracy what the Catholics did to them in the name of god.

The Things They Carried Final Essay

Lieutenant Jimmy Cross's "fictional" girlfriend Martha is what he describes as a beautiful girl who plays volleyball. He always keeps a picture of her in his pocket which keeps him distracted from being in war because he is in love. She only shows up in a few chapters though, but she had a lot of impact on Cross. Martha differs from Mary Anne only because Mary Anne became insane within a few weeks of being in Vietnam. Mary was a beautiful girl but her free spirited mind turned her into something else, by hanging with the Green Berets in their nasty bunker she completely defied what the perception of what a women is through the eyes of servicemen.
BLOG IN PROGRESS

Racial Profiling

    This past week we've learned a lot about the discrepancies of racial profiling. It has become apparent to me that this is a very big issue in America today then many of us would think, and it is something that needs to be stopped. I believe that people make very poor judgments based on stereotypes which leads to racial profiling, then ultimately leads to hate crimes committed against other races. It is a very sad truth about this country and it's time for change.
     In the articles I read that were pro-racial profiling, they argued that profiling makes communities safer and it drops the crime rate dramatically by using stereotypes and race as a tool to find criminals. According to the article it was a "common sense approach" to find criminals. They also argue that the individual police officer makes mental judgements on people based on what they look like and usually make stops if its a shady person to insure public safety.
    The articles that were against racial profiling argue that it does not make the country safer but rather unsafe. During the height of the Iraq war, airports were checking Muslims and other Arab people and bringing them to integrate for petty immigration laws and would sometimes make arrests for those petty crimes. The article argued by doing this makes the Arab world more enraged with the U.S. and hurts national security because Muslims that know something of Al-Quida are less willing to talk to autorities and gives the terrorists more time to plot another attack. If we want to protect our national security , we would need to solidify our relations with not only the Muslim world but every minority group so that America becomes the land of opportunity and freedom again, not a place that people should be afraid of.
     If America wants to stop this pandemic, we as Americans need to realize the demoralizing effects of racial and ethnical profiling has on other people. I don't think anyone should have to worry about walking down the street and getting pulled up on by the police or not getting the same service that everyone else gets, this is a free country and will always be; but it shouldn't be free for only the few but for all.

Sentence Fixes

This is the link to the fixes

Ice 2

I'm almost done reading the book, I've got about 60 pages or so to go. I'm having a little trouble figuring out what I'm going to write about in the "Difficulty Paper" because my book is about Ice-T, a rapper, hustler, robber, drug dealer, TV/movie actor. There's not a lot of difficulty reading this, it's actually really easy and fun. I would like to get a few ideas on what i can do it on but the way i see it, Ice-T is only talking about his life and how he achieved success when growing up in places where gangs ruled the streets and the only way to get money was by pulling off 'licks' as he would say or robberies. My "Conflict Paper" will be easy because I'm doing it on man vs. society. I think that is the main point of my book and I think that's what Ice is really trying to convey to the audience. Man vs. society occurs throught the book in many different situations but Ice-T over came the struggles in his life to become a very famous rapper and actor. His life can be relatable to anyone if you compare it right to your situation, it actually may help you get throught it or gain some knowlege that might help you in life. Ice-t wasn't anything special, he was just a man who had the work ethic to get what he needed done. I believe if everyone had that kind of work ethic and wasn't so lazy, society would be a better place and people would be just better people.

Ice

The book that I chose to read was an autobiography on Ice-T called ICE. It is the story of how a hustler from South Central L.A. came to become one of the biggest rappers of all time and a great actor on Law and Order. This story is amazing and a great read for anyone. The book is written as if Ice himself was talking to you and that's what I really enjoy about this book how it connects on a personal level. So far I'm in love with it! I'm about 2/3 of the way through and should be done with it well before the due date. I hope that next semester we can do something like this again. Thank you. Cart