Analyzing Bias on Both Sides of an Issue Gun Control/ Safety Introduction The Second Amendment of the American constitution allows citizens to bear arms (Gramlich & Schaeffer). Gun control and safety policies elicit different reactions from different people. The issue of gun ownership remains a highly debatable issue at political, community and individual levels. Gun control policy seeks to restrict gun ownership by tightening laws on gun ownership. Issues such as strict eligibility requirements such as mental health, restricted seller authorization, the ban on particular firearms, to name a few, have elicited debate. Parties that believe in individual protection in a society where the government has failed to protect its citizens adequately are of a contrary opinion. Restricting gun ownership for law-abiding citizens who need protection is seen as an abuse of human rights (“Issue: Gun Control”). The varied opinions and beliefs as concerns gun control are based on cognitive biases that exist at individual and society level. Biases affect thought patterns and decision making. The paper seeks to focus on types of biases as well as reasons for the…

Race and racial discrimination in America Race and racial discrimination have continued to be problems faced by American society since its birth. According to Neville, Awad, Brooks, and Flores (2013), the election of President Barack Obama into office showed the start of a new post-racial era where the American society had moved past its racial past. They argue that if a black man could be elected twice, then the country had moved past its racial divides. However, a report by Mazzocco (2015) shows increasing gaps between the races. In the report, a black person, in relation to a white person, controls only twentieth of the country’s wealth, is six times likely to be incarcerated, and three times likely to live in abject poverty. The reports further showed that the black person is expected to live four years less than his white counterpart and that they are less likely to graduate from high school because of the inferiority of their K-12 education system. These rising inequalities have made it necessary to come up with different approaches, such as the colorblind approach,…

Just Mercy review From the movie “Just Mercy,” I have learned that injustice can happen to even the most innocent person. In the film, Walter McMillan alias Johnny D was convicted to death by the court of Alabama for a murder he had never committed. The law enforcement officers assumed that he was the person who murdered Ronda Morrison. Despite there being tangible evidence and even eyewitnesses who provided testimony in favor of Johnny D, he was still incarcerated. He suffered emotional and mental torture, knowing that he had not committed any crime, yet he was given the worst of all punishments; death sentence. From viewing the movie, I learned that racial discrimination is still an issue in the United States. In the whole investigation process, the police were convinced that the only person to commit such a heinous act could only be a black person. The police disregard the testimony of Johnny D’s family and friends who placed him at a different location during the time of the murder. The cops still chose to ignore their statement. The police…

Case law: People v Tortorici   A proper definition of case law includes previous court and judge rulings that provide a legal precedent. Case law relies on recent decisions and judgements made by the judge’s prior cases and that influence the determination of future cases. Case law is also referred to as the common law and the case precedent. In criminal and the legal justice system, case law offers a common contextual background that fits in judicial proceedings of cases with similar facts. People v Tortorici is a case determined by legal and criminal justice systems in the United States. Ralph Tortorici was born with Hypospadias, a congenital deformity leading to physical and mental illness. Diagnosed with a mental illness attributing to paranoid schizophrenia, Tortorici was deemed incompetent to stand trial, leading to a lengthy judicial process between the defendant’s lawyers and state prosecutors (Ewing, & McCann, 2006). The assessment and determination by two psychiatric examiners that Tortorici was not mentally ill required him to stand trial. At the Mid-Hudson Psychiatric Center, a forensic psychology evaluation at the hospital indicated…

Mental Disorder and Victimization A large portion of the public continues to view the Mental illness and violence as intertwined factors. Hence, the victimization experienced by the mentally ill individuals results from the way the public regards mentally sick individuals as perilous persons. The mental health disorder affects the behavior, mood, and thinking of the victim. Examples of psychiatric disorders include; schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, depression, addictive behaviors, and eating disorders. The connection between mental disorder and violence or criminality has attracted massive attention from various researchers, especially in the United States. Most of the people and the researchers hold the notion that people suffering from psychological ailment are probable to committing acts of aggression and viciousness. A considerable portion of the public considers the mentally disordered people as dangerous individuals. The description of criminals as “crazy” persons in the media is an excellent example that shows that the public views mentally disordered persons as hazardous people. However, a large portion of the data offers a contrary view to the media regarding the connection that exists between mentally disordered people and…

Discrimination Against Muslims In the United States (US) The United States population is about 3.45million, which constitutes 1.1% of the United States’ total population (Cooperman 2017). Muslim community continues to grow and is highly diverse, comprising mostly of foreigners and immigrants from different foreign countries. Muslims have coexisted with other races in the United peaceful and perform their regular duty like any other United States Citizen (Read 2008). The technological age makes Muslims seem like they are everywhere, even though they are not. Muslims star in their movies, have a successful career, and are a sensation in social media platforms. The pop-culture embrace of Muslims can make someone to quickly forget the increase in anti-bigotry and other forms of discrimination against Muslims in the United States. Even though most people are not the first-hand witness of Muslims discrimination, we all know it exists. We see it in social media, in public settings, in congress, and the US president’s rhetoric. While the first Amendment guarantees and protects the free exercise of religion and the ideas about religious liberty and tolerance are…

United States Supreme Court Analysis ″EQUAL JUSTICE UNDER LAW″ – These words, written above the main entrance to the Supreme Court Building, express the ultimate responsibility of the Supreme Court of the United States. The Court is the highest tribunal in the Nation for all cases and controversies arising under the Constitution or the laws of the United States. As the final arbiter of the law, the Court is charged with ensuring the American people the promise of equal justice under law and, thereby, also functions as guardian and interpreter of the Constitution. The Supreme Court consists of the Chief Justice of the United States and such number of Associate Justices as may be fixed by Congress. The number of Associate Justices is currently fixed at eight (28 U. S. C. §1). Power to nominate the Justices is vested in the President of the United States, and appointments are made with the advice and consent of the Senate. Established by the United States Constitution, the Supreme Court began to take shape with the passage of the Judiciary Act of 1789…

Prompt 1. – App Market The current era has been highly associated with advancement in technology in different sectors across the world. Digital media and the internet are some of these advancements that have been experienced and have led to the growth of the app market. The app market is a platform established by smartphone developers such as iPhone or Android to enable interactive designers and inventors to develop an app that serves an international purpose. I must say this experience has impacted my life from almost all angels because of the significant benefits it offers. Since the invention of different mobile applications such as Amazon, Uber, McDonald, Twitter, Instagram, Gymtrainer, and many other apps that are supported on smartphones, the ways of operations have received enormous changes. For instance, going to work every day might have always been one of my biggest challenges because I had to catch two buses before arriving at my workplace. Apart from having to wake up earlier to make breakfast, do some cleaning, and leave in time to catch the coaches so that I…

Interstate commerce Interstate commerce is the process of purchasing and selling, and the movement of people across different states. The government regulates interstate commerce. Various channels are used in this process, for example, roads, air, and waterways. The government regulates interstate commerce and hence the circuits involved. The “Congress could keep the channels of interstate commerce (like highways) free from injurious or immoral uses” (Robert and Grant, 2001). By regulating the channels, the law protects the items entering or leaving a state. Instrumentalities involved in interstate commerce include roads, planes, and watercraft. The law regulates the instrumentalities in the sense that congress could protect them in the commerce process. “The doctrine developed in McCulloch v. Maryland, that there is the total failure of power in the states to tax the operations of a federal instrumentality was brought over and declared to be entirely applicable to state taxation of foreign and interstate commerce” (Dowling, 1940). The law also regulates and protects persons involved and goods in interstate commerce, ensuring both their safety and that of the states involved. Moreover, protection is…

Discrimination And Retaliation Laws In California There has been a tremendous increase in the number of retaliation lawsuits and charges in previous years due to employees’ dismissal, demotion, or subject to adverse employment conditions. It is thus essential for every employee to have a brief understanding of California law and the kind of employee actions it protects.   Types and causes of employment retaliation in California   There has been a rise in employee retaliation cases over the last few years. Demotion, dismissal, and severe actions taken against an employee are some of the notable kinds of retaliation. Most employment retaliation cases are as a result of the following events:   Reporting an employer for carrying out an unlawful activity Taking part in an investigation involving an employer or testifying against the employer Raising complaints about the employer’s poor working conditions Notifying the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement about the problems facing workers in the workplace without the employer’s consent. Taking part in labor union which entitles employee freedom of expression and association.   The Effectiveness of California Protection…