Criminal Justice Planning - Essay Example

Criminal Justice Planning Virginia Tech. Massacre This essay would consider the relevant aspects relating to the Virginia Technology Massacre which took place on April 16, 2007. It is concerning the brutal and uncalled murder of 32 innocent lives, and injury to 15 others by a student who suddenly turned berserk and opened fire on innocent students and faculty indiscriminately. (A Timeline of Recent Worldwide School Shootings, 2005). The dead and injured included students and teaching faculty, by a mentally disturbed student, Cho Seung Hui, aged 23 years, as a mark of vendetta, for alleged insults, mistreatment and mental degradation meted out to him. On the 16th of April 2007, this student went on a shooting rampage, killing 32 people, and injuring many others, before committing suicide by shooting himself. This shooting incident in campus shocked the entire world, and while the bereaved and distressed families are still trying to put their shattered lives in order, a lot of questions have emerged, chief among which are how a mentally disturbed and psychiatrically treated patient came into possession of guns and such large quantities of ammunition, to be able to murder and main by dozens. "Under federal law, the Virginia Tech gunman Seung-Hui Cho should have been prohibited from buying a gun after a Virginia court declared him to be a danger to himself in late 2005 and sent him for psychiatric treatment, a state official and several legal experts said." (Luo, 2007). Most significantly, it has raised questions about the current levels of security and safety available to students, faculty members and staff, in present day campuses. The incident has raised disturbing questions regarding public life in the surroundings and how harrowing a real life experience, such as this would be for its traumatic spectators and sufferers. In the light of the killings it became necessary to evaluate the problems in all its perspectives- social, medical, psychological and legal. The writer has made forays in order to establish a strategic Plans which could, alleviate the extend of damages and sufferings caused to innocents and also methods, by which these kinds of incidents could be avoided in the future, with the active co-operation of all concerned- the State and Federal Agencies, the student community and their parents/guardians, the teaching faculties, support staff and the administrative personnel involved in the day to day scholastic activities of the institutions. Most significantly it is also necessary for the law enforcement agencies to be able to deal effectively with the crisis and move out for relief and rescue operations with alacrity and speed and also take necessary precautions to reduce the levels of fatalities and injuries. Further the lacunae between the State and Federal laws have been glaringly manifested in this case "Mr. Cho's ability to buy two guns despite his history has brought new attention to the adequacy of background checks that scrutinize potential gun buyers. And since federal gun laws depend on states for enforcement, the failure of Virginia to flag Mr. Cho highlights the often incomplete information provided by states to federal authorities." (Luo, 2007). Mission Statement: To minimize campus violence by planned, co-ordinated and effectively executed methods. One of the reasons why the Virginia killings took place was because although the killer was undergoing psychiatric treatment, as an outpatient, this fact was not considered when the guns were sold to him. The lacunae in the laws that provide that only someone who is "involuntarily committed" or a person "ruled incapacitated" could be disallowed from the purchase of firearms was not applicable in this case, as he was just an outpatient. He had undergone medication after psychiatric evaluation and assessment, but at the time of killings, he was not under drugs, as the post-mortem reports did not reveal any drugs in his body. Therefore, it is necessary that laws be suitably amended in order to provide the necessary notification to the State Police, before firearms are issued to psychiatrically evaluated patients, for their own safety and also for the safety of the public at large. It is evident that in this case, the guns were issued on the basis of his being of sound mind, upon his production of necessary particulars, and not his medical records. "The approach that evolved attempts to stop shootings before they occur by four key points in the chain of events that precedes most firearm assaults and homicides: 1) illegal demand for firearms by legally proscribed individuals, particularly juveniles and adult felons; 2) illegal supply through gun traffickers, straw purchases or theft, 3) illegal carrying so the firearm is readily available when needed and finally, 4) illegal use." (Kellermann & Whitley, 2001). It is necessary that the Campus Police Personnel be in a position to issue Warnings throughout the campus in the event of such emergencies for immediate evacuation of the classrooms, which, it is seen was not done in the case of the Virginia Tech. Massacre. Had a sound warning system been possible it is felt by the writer, that the number of casualties and mortalities in the killing would have been much lower. Even the police were not able to reach the site on time, to disarm or prevent the killer from carrying out his heinous crimes. The adoption of strategic Budget plan would be in the following lines: Strategic Budget Plan Serial Type of strategic plan /intervention Timeframe for setting up plan Budgetary implications 1. Training and deputation for well equipped disaster management program Between 5 to 6 months Around half a million dollars for entire campus 2. Risk assessment of students and reporting and psychiatric evaluation of potential threat areas Between 2 to 3 months Around quarter million dollars for students faculty and staff of entire campus 3. Legislative co-ordination between federal and statue bodies and amendments of existing laws Around 1 - 2 years State/ Federal expenditures 4. State Resource mobilization for treatment and rehabilitation of victims And compensations to relatives of deceased victims. Depending upon liaisons with Government Upon allocation of funds by the relevant Government departments 5. Training and guidance to students Regarding crisis management On going process Around one million $ 6. Deployment of Commando and Rapid Action Forces for emergencies Needs 1 -2 months for implementation Depends upon the level and intensity of security Required in campus 7. Closure of Institution at short notice Planning may take 2-3 months To be decided by the governing body of Institution 8. System for coordination and communication of Notification to the families and near relatives of victims Planning may take 2-3 months This service center may entail around half a million dollars 9. Special screening of students before admissions with help of enforcement agencies and local government Planning may take 12 to 18 months Additional quarter million is envisaged towards screening costs Campuses need to be well equipped for disaster management and crisis intervention. It needs to build up separate teams that could effectively deal with large scale crisis that may not be immediately imagined or thought of. It is also necessary that the crisis teams need to equip themselves with equipments and regular training, in order to cope with any eventualities in the campuses. The crisis management teams should be taken from a cross-section of the teaching faculty, the law enforcement agencies and the students and the staff. If need be the services of professional security services also need to be taken Every institution needs to conduct Risk Assessment Studies in order to evaluate its strong and weak areas in Safety and Security Management. Based upon this, it is incumbent for the governing bodies of all Institutions to develop their own emergency responding plans, in order to minimize external and internal threats to human beings and properties. The need for the prophylactic assessment and if needed, mental and physical treatment of students in the campus needs to be done. Where there are serious concerns about the mental or physical well being of the students, it is necessary that necessary steps need to be taken for its treatment, and all possible efforts need to be taken for proper treatment of the students. The concerned officials need to ensure that the students takes complete treatment and medication, and only when he/she is certified fit, would the question of entry into the class rooms arise. Till such time, the students need to be undergoing treatment in approved hospitals or health care centers. The consultant psychiatric team should make regular assessment of the progress of the patients, and only upon their clearance, would it be necessary or possible for the students to resume studies. In the case of mental diseases, it is seen that the risks of relapse are high; therefore, every attempt needs to be seen to ensure that such relapses do not occur, or such risks are keep to the barest minimum. Further, it is the responsibility of the administrative and governing body to take into consider the aspects of risk laden behaviors manifested by certain students,, which are symptomatic of mental or physical malaises, and immediately, it is necessary that such behavior is reported to the appropriate centers for evaluation and assessment. This was not carried out in the above case, which resulted to large scale violence and loss of innocent lives. Another aspect that needs to be considered is the close liasoning, between the teaching and the parent communities in any teaching institutional setting. In such cases, it is seen that regular co-ordination and communication is beneficial not only for the teaching community, but also for the betterment of the student's academic and campus life. In the case of the Virginia Tech massacre, it has been observed that this aspect was not given the serious consideration that was due, and although Seung was undergoing psychiatric medication, it was not carried out in health care centers as should have been done. It is necessary that the State and the Federal Government make available resources that could address the matters concerning the funding of treatment and rehabilitation centers for mental health patients within the campuses. These funds could be coordinated with the local administrative staff and community for better treatment of the patients. Next plan is with regard to the training and guidance being given to the student themselves to deal with crisis and emergency situations. This is very much important since their innocent and invaluable lives are involved. Necessary training and demonstrations need to be imparted for dealing with physical and psychological traumas that may affect students, and it is also necessary that training needs to be imparted to overcome traumatic experiences in the campuses, similar to the one which other students of the Virginia Tech had experience during the shooting incident. This is all the more important, considering the tender age and frame of mind of the students, who may have experience such emotional upheavals for the first time in their entire lives. The law enforcement agencies, especially security and police personnel should be empowered to deal with crisis at their levels, and not always to seek permission for their seniors in order to deal with crisis. This is because the reaction time is very short and this may make significant difference in the ultimate analysis of management of the crisis. Precious time needed to defuse the situation, may have to be spend in maintaining protocol which may not be useful in minimizing the risk of its impact. It has been seen in this instance, that the police personnel on duty were not trained in advanced methods of shooting, or sharp shooting, and had to wait for these expert to arrive, when dealing with the Virginia Tech . massacre. Therefore it needs to be reminded that, even law enforcement agencies stationed in campuses must be well equipped to deal with advanced levels of training and combat preparedness, so that the killers are captured or rendered harmless and thus, a serious crisis could be averted. The administrative staff needs to be empowered to close down the institution at quick notice and have the classrooms evacuated, pending a crisis. If immediate evacuation is possible, it could significantly reduce the levels of casualties and mortalities, and thus avert a major crisis. It is also necessary that the immediate families of the students who have been affected in such incidents need to be immediately informed, so that the maximum help could be rendered to the aggrieved persons. There needs to be an effective co-ordination cell functioning that could provide necessary communication links between the persons within the campus and the people outside it. This vital means of communication would help to minimize losses and casualties to a large extent. Lastly, the strategic intervention plans should also consider quick and speedy relief and rehabilitation work, in the form of volunteer services, relief and rescue operations and the transportation of the injured and disabled in to hospitals for treatment. Time is essential in the movement of injured persons, since early exposure to treatment would brighten their chances of recovery and risk of casualty. Therefore, it is necessary to impart necessary crisis management training and operational abilities to the support and nursing staff both within the campus, and outside it, regarding the need for quick and speedy transportation of the injured to the health care centers, and also the need for medical treatment on a priority basis. Reference A Timeline of Recent Worldwide School Shootings. (2005). Infoplease. Retrieved December 23, 2007, from http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0777958.html Luo, Michael (2007). US Rules made killer ineligible to Purchase Gun. The New York Times. Retrieved December 23, 2007, from http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/21/us/21guns.html Kellermann, Arthur L. & Whitley, Daena Fuqua. (2001). Youth Firearms and Violence in Atlanta: A problem-solving approach. Law Enforcement Interventions. Develop a complimentary set of tactics to reduce juvenile gun violence. P. 10-14. Retrieved December 23, 2007, from http://0www.ncjrs.gov.mill1.sjlibrary.org/pdffiles1/nij/grants/194050.pdf Read More