A Report On Offender Profiling Psychology Essay

A Report On Offender Profiling Psychology Essay This definition is controversial as it has clear connotations of ‘informed guesswork’ that has angered those who advocate the view that offender profiling is a scientific and theoretically-informed technique. This disparity of views as to the validity of offender profiling is not limited to the academic and professional world. Unsuccessful attempts at profiling have attracted a high level of media attention and this has combined with the less-then-scientific approach of fictional profilers to create a fair degree of scepticism amongst the public regarding the validity of offender profiling. This essay will explore the psychological basis of offender profiling with a view to establishing whether or not it can be considered a valid psychological technique with an important role to play in criminal investigation. Although offender profiling is viewed as a relatively recent technique, gaining prominence in the 1980s and 1990s, the practices that underpin profiling are of fa r greater longevity. The research conducted by criminal anthropologists in the 1800s that sought to measure and record physical features of offenders in order to gain insight into the characteristics of the criminal personality provide the roots of offender profiling. This endeavour, commonly associated with Lombroso, was based upon the premise that criminal have distinctive characteristics that enable them to be differentiated from the non-criminal population (Garland, 1997). Lombroso’s work in the identification and classification of criminal ‘types’ was based on notions of biological determinism; certain individuals were naturally possessed of traits which predisposed them towards criminality. Not only did Lombroso believe that people were predestined either towards offending or law-abiding behaviour, he believed that criminals could be physically distinguished from each other according to the type of crime which they were biologically determined to commit. Th is early work into the classification of offenders seems far removed from the techniques deployed in modern offender profiling. However, Lombroso’s basic theoretical premise that criminal behaviour could be predicted from studying the characteristics of individuals to determine whether they were predisposed to criminality and, if so, what type of offending behaviour they would display was instrumental in the evolution of numerous alternative theoretical perspectives aimed at predicting criminal behaviour. Subsequent studies moved beyond the categorisation of offenders on the basis of physical characteristics to taken into account social and psychological factors. One of the major influences on the progression was the work of Sir Francis Galton who studied heredity and human behaviour as a basis for the prediction of criminal behaviour. His conclusions concerning the existence of inheritable criminal tendencies were coupled with a realisation that a tendency towards criminalit y was the result of the accumulation of specific character traits that were not necessarily criminally-orientated. Galton’s findings were particularly influential as they acknowledged the difficulty of isolating inherent characteristics without taking into account social and situational factors. In other words, although Galton was convinced that criminality was the result of inheritable personality traits, he recognised that these traits did not exist in isolation of the environment inhabited by the offender. This expansion of factors that were viewed as contributing to criminal behaviour led inexorably to a focus on the mind of the offender. Initially, psychological theories of offending tended to be reminiscent of the predestined actor of biological determinism in that they believed that criminal traits arose from factors outside the control of the offender and which had an indelible influence on their behaviour. Psychodynamic and behavioural learning theorists evolved expl anations for criminality that adhered to the central notion of psychological positivism that certain core patterns of behaviour and reasoning remain consistent within offenders irrespective of their social experiences and operational environment.

The standard policy of new technology applied in distribution power Essay

The standard policy of new technology applied in distribution power network - Essay Example not merely includes within its ambit, interlinked transmission systems, but moves ahead to encompass all the aspects of energy industry that is energy generation, transmission, distribution and consumption (Saint 2009). It includes within its scope, the energy related technicalities at the household and industrial level. It is a pity that in the last few years, much stress has been laid on developing efficient household and industrial complex distribution and transmission models; a commensurate enthusiasm was not shown in developing smart distribution networks. In this context, the concept of Smart Grid is path breaking and ingenious. There is no denying the fact that the US Energy Policy and Security Act of 2007 is a trail blazing strategy that has laid down the framework for standardizing policies pertaining to new technologies in the distribution power networks (Saint 2009). The strategy enshrined in this document not only aspires to achieve maximum reliability and obliterating an y barriers to the development and deployment of Smart Grid, but also intends to gain in terms of energy savings and making cost effective investments in the realm of Smart Grid (Saint 2009). The standard policy towards energy distribution in the developed countries around the world tends to encourage the modernization of transmission and distribution systems, while making way for dependable, fool proof and reliable power infrastructure that can adjust to and accommodate any future alterations in demand and technology. The crux of the Smart Grid is to facilitate a demand response that is in consonance with the ethos of free markets and economies, and also enables the consumers to have a proactive role in adjusting their energy needs to the changing prices (Saint 2009). At the same time it intends to exploit all the possible power generation and storage options, by it the wind, solar or bio energy (Saint 2009). The eventual idea is to forge such an approach towards energy generation and

Global Economic crisis and sub-Saharan Africa Essay

Global Economic crisis and sub-Saharan Africa - Essay Example This trend of borrowing also impacted some of the banks and financial institutions in the Sub-Saharan region as well, but the extent was somewhat lesser. Arieff et al (2009) figure out that, in nearly two decades, it is for the first time that South Africa has started experiencing recessionary trends. The study also points out that, countries like Nigeria and Angola to 'have reported significant revenue shortfalls due to the fall in global oil prices'. A recent study by IMF underlines the gravity of the situation by stating that, "The current financial crisis is more global than any other period of financial turmoil in the past 60 years" (IMF, 2009). This study further quotes from the 'World Economic Outlook, 2009' that the global growth is bound to further slow down from about 3.5 percent to just about 0.5 percent in 2009 with shades of some improvement by the middle of 2010. The Sub-Saharan region, also known as black Africa comprises of countries with many lesser developed nations like Angola, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Rwanda, Somalia, Ghana etc. While many like South Africa, Mauritius, Senegal, Nigeria, Kenya etc. have been able to register indicative growth figures many other like Rwanda, Sierra Leone etc. have been experiencing difficulties on many fronts on account of civil wars as well. This is further eroding the overall growth figures of the Sub-Saharan region. FDIs also prove to be advantageous for the economic growth pote ntial of a country. But a number of factors impact the investment climate within the region. As is evident from the 'World Economic Forum's 'Global Competitiveness Report 2009-10' while countries like Zimbabwe have registered some improvement in the investment climate, there are many other countries in the region which are yet to tide over the domestic unrest (WEF, 2009). It is under such circumstances that the overall economic situation in the Sub-Saharan region is a mix of conflictions. This study is therefore an effort to find out a larger picture of the economic growth potential in the Sub-Saharan region and how the global economic crisis has impacted the growth potential in different countries within the region. Research Questions and Objectives The main intention of the study is to develop an understanding of the diversities in the Sub-Saharan region, the years of neglect and under-development faced by the people of this region and to what extent the global economic crisis has further decelerated the economic growth prospects of the region. During the study an effort will be made to analyze the general economic conditions of some of the countries in the sub-Saharan region and how these countries have progressed over the years in the post globalization period. A broader understanding will be made about the subject by soliciting the opinion and recommendations of reputed organizations and analysts. An attempt would be made to seek answers to the following key objectives; Establish a well studied relationship between the economic prospects of the Sub-Saharan region vis--vis some of the leading nations like the US, China, UK etc. To find out the development figures of the sub-Saharan r