Investigation Skills with Witnesses in the United Arab Emirates - Assignment Example

CRIMINOLOGY IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES Name: Institution: Introduction Crime in the United Arabs Emirates is associated with different factors among them age and the economic status of the country. It is argued that the higher the poverty level the more the crime rate in an economy. Age also contributes in that many of the known criminals either star their crime as adolescents or the high number of criminals is the young adults. Different individual at the stage of adolescence, bemoan the imminent lack of attention that is paid to the normative criminal developments. This leads to criminal blending. In addition, criminals have different ways of rebelling against the lack of attention that is shown to them. It is also noted that most of the young adults at this stage of life often get upset quickly due to the lack of love as they term it. Furthermore, all the young adults get different reaction from what they term as a plan to give them little attention. Others find it difficult for the lives that they live because they think that their parents are too much protective and that they hinder their exploration. In life many are the things that bring a change to our life and this is what criminals learn about a typical kind of development that is seen in the criminal growth which informs their understanding about the larger normal criminal development stage (Sharaf, 1985). In addition, many of the different problems that are experienced by those individuals at this level of criminals age are mostly the ones of transitory in nature where they find it difficult to move from one stage to the other and mostly the change of their behaviours where they are aware that their behaviours must change from the childhood acts to those of the adults. These however, are resolved naturally by the fact that the stage of beginning of a life as an adult and some things and repercussions must befall them. Some of the issues that are found include the most common ones like drug and substance abuse, lack of respect to the parents, rudeness superior complex, unemployment, and delinquency. This stage is noted as a phase that increases the rates of individual drug, substance and alcohol usage, unemployment to become all time higher in the individuals and also within the youth and criminal population than that is found among the adults population, however, most individuals in this stage and those who have been involved in the abuse of drugs and alcohol or have been unemployed at this stage or even was committed in the delinquent acts during the period as a teenagers, mostly grow up grow up to become a sober and law-abiding adult due to the experience during the period of growth. Unfortunately however, very little is known of the mechanisms that reduce these issues of the adults though different researchers attach it to the acquiring of full time jobs and more specifically the marriage that ties the individual to the caring of the family and lacks time to get involved in such acts. Forms of crime in United Arab Emirates Corruption; It is an element of crime; most people commit this crime without them realizing. Authorities are the greatest agent of corruption. Fraudulent dealing is the norm in many government institutions. It is very hard to acquire government services without paying bribe yet they ought to be free (United Arab Emirates 2001). Prostitution; In the modern word both men and women are equally involved in prostitution as a way of earning a living. It has even worsen further to an extent where the under aged are in it to make extra coins to cater for their needs. Robbery; This is the most known by the people. Our dwellings are not safe due to robbery, robbers are always violent and at times the aftermath of robbery is always fatal. Robbers could be people who are schooled and have testimonials to match job market standards but the economy does not have the capacity to absorb them due to poverty. Relationship between poverty and crime Need to satisfy basic human wants; Human wants are a matter of necessity; an individual cannot survive without them. They include food, shelter, and, clothing. When is poor is as much as they require this basic need for survival they cannot simply afford them, this puts them in a very awkward position. It is likely that some people do not resort to crime not as a personal choice of pursuit but rather their predicaments forces them. People turn to crime such as stealing, prostitution, and drug trafficking as the only means available to them to them to earn a living. This does not mean therefore that crime is the best option is poverty stricken society; people need to come up with better alternatives (Arnett, 2007). Need to obtain certain essential social amenities; Social amenities include healthcare services, education, water and electricity. Social amenities should not be mistaken as luxuries, they are necessities just like the three basic human wants which comprises of food, shelter and clothing. In poverty this social amenities are still very important in people’s lives. Sickness is a disaster when it strikes and it always and emergency that should be addressed with the urgency it deserves. Problem arises when there is financial muscle to cater for the medical bills as they are rarely offered for free. Such desperate situations calls for desperate measures and as such some people may resort to crime to salvage the situation either through robbery or prostitution. Need for social status; Social status may be assumed by many but to others it matters a lot. Some people always want to be associated to a certain social class in the society yet in many cases this people lack the resources to equal this lifestyles they yearn to acquire. In such scenarios this individuals always resort to crime as way out. This category is usually more dangerous since they can perfect crime. They need large sums of money to be able to meet these lifestyles and hence they are engaged in robbery with violence, prostitution, and, drug trafficking. Remedies to poverty and crime; It takes the efforts of everyone to end poverty and consequently crime in our society. The government, the private sectors and the household each has a role to play. There are several measures that can be adopted by these three economic agents to end fight poverty. To begin with, the government needs to lead by example and offer leadership. The government official should turn over new leaf and halt breeding corruption with immediate effect in the government institutions where they serve. Corruption thwarts the good intentions of various viable government projects, which can go a long way into fighting poverty. In addition there is need for change of tact by the government; they need to institute a complete overhaul of the education system. The education system should be more skewed toward nurturing creativity and invention among the learners so that they are able to come up with innovation that can upgrade the society and remove them from abject poverty they are in. They should not go to school to be employed but they need to create that employment. More emphasis needs to be engaged in creation of awareness in the society. People need to be enlightened of the evils of crime and how it has largely contributed to their current predicament. Awareness by both government institutions and non-government organization can result to change of mind-set. People can be made aware of the several better alternative avenues that exist and they can use to acquire descent living. Finally the authorities especially of developing economies need to remove those barriers that hinder foreign investment. This will make foreign investor come and invest and as result more employment opportunities to the masses (Arnett & Arnett, 2002). At this phase of life many individuals sees it at his lowest point of mental and physical weakness. It is with one’s reaction to that he is leaving and by realizing that he cannot help to stop the development which helps the individuals to see more clearly and focus on their lives as young adults. In this case, to the young adults parent’s protection is a symbol of the futility to trying to protect the children from accessing the adult world. However, their reaction shows that their actions may be bringing a negative impact to the society. In addition, they put their attention at the centre of everything that they focus on in their lives. Consequently, researchers have realized that the act of stopping the growth of children is impossible and hence the parents could not stop children from maturing and that they may act severely in order for them to achieve their set goals. This becomes the stage where an individual understands himself and at this stage he will apply his realization to his life and also decide how to face his own problems even if it meant the consequences will be difficult to bear. There are different ways and methods of measuring growth and the reliability of behaviours in a criminal; this is done in the following ways: 1. Validity and Reliability Validity of behaviours is a tool that denotes the extent by which a test is related to the content required. Validity in terms of behaviours of a person is used to measure something that is extremely valuable. This is obtained through the assessment on whether an individual behaviour that a person does in the context of the test included in the individual’s life represents what is necessary to be assessed. Validity of assessment can be affected by various factors such as test related factors, reliability and intervening events. This is because young adults with exceptional needs require exceptional attention (United Arab Emirates 1979). Reliability is used to measure the consistency of behaviour of the young adult. A reliable assessment produces similar results in all the conditions, situations, and testing environment. Reliability of a test can be affected by the test taker’s temporary psychological condition or his physical state. The researchers who conduct such researches on the development of an individual require knowing both validity and reliability since they are important when dealing with the criminals. How valid an assessment is to the researchers depends with what is to be tested. A criminal may be tested in one aspect and not in all the others. A good example is when a student in class is assessed on how to write and improve the handwriting and hence validity of the content is meaningless. This also applies to a student with some mental problems; he does not need to be extremely reliable hence, it is essential for the researcher to know the terms and the type of the criminals and not in the class specifically. Another example is that young adults are not especially very reliable when it comes to the point of decision making and especially great decisions in life. Researchers should know that different criminals have a different approach to a problem and hence makes it difficult for them to deal with them as a group but as individuals. 2. Norm referenced and Criterion Referenced Testing Norm-referenced tests make a comparison of a criminal’s performances with those of other young adults. The goal of norm-referenced tests is to rank the criminals in the question in the order of their merit and their behaviours. The highest performer compared to a class of many young adults is ranked as the number one. Criterion-referenced testing, on the other hand, compares a criminal’s performance to a given and predetermined set of standards. The objective of this assessment is not only to rank but also to demonstrate the level of a certain subject understanding. This is the most common criteria that are used in the rank of the individuals by the researchers (Lange, et al 2009). A good example of both norm-based and criterion-based tests away from individual behaviours in the academic field is a school situation. A researcher gives continuous assessment test to rank the students in the class depending on the marks for each paper. This is norm-referenced assessment. The evaluation of the students is made because of, probably, college entry or award giving. In the same class, the teacher may decide to set a given score, which every student must gain. This helps the teacher to know how the certain subject has been learned due to the results. Such kinds of results could not be ranked and are given as pass or fail. These tests could be used to make decisions on job entry licensure or certification (Jaishankar, & Ronʼel, 2013). Consumption of alcohol is a vice in the criminals though it is legal for persons over a certain age referred to as the majority age. This is the age of adulthood according to most states. The laws on alcohol regulate consumption of alcohol by the criminals. In this regard, the various joints that deal in the sale of alcohol have restrictions to sell their products only to adults. Learning institutions like colleges have restrictions that provide guidelines on the consumption of alcohol within the institutions premises. There are states that prohibit hosting of underage parties that involve drinking alcoholic beverages. However, there are states that create an exception to the alcoholic laws. They allow underage drinking of alcoholic beverages by criminals when it is furnished by parents or guardians. The laws on alcohol consumption by criminals vary from state to state with some states having certain exceptions (Redo, et al 2012). Ethical issues in consumption of alcohol are vital in guiding the criminals towards alcohol consumption when they get of age. Responsible drinking is necessary in eliminating misconduct upon consuming. Parents should also teach their children need to avoid consumption and the consequences of alcohol. This guidance is necessary since most criminals when they get to colleges often engage in this kind of behaviour. Bar and restaurant attendants should be barred from selling alcohol to criminals. They should uphold the responsibility by ensuring they follow the law regarding the prohibition of alcohol to criminals. Advertisement of alcoholic products should put emphasis on the illegality of alcohol consumption by criminals. There should be an emphasis on the damage of alcohol to criminals. The joints that engage in the sale of alcoholic beverages should undertake constant training for their employees in order to uphold the values of these businesses. Teaching employees to be careful and mindful of criminals will help in eliminating the outlawed behaviour of drinking criminals. Employee should understand that it is their responsibility to ensure consumption of alcohol is only for the overage. Outsourcing of some of the undertakings of the alcoholic beverages will assist in curbing the vice of underage drinking. A business may engage the services of bouncers to ensure there is strict observance of the drinking age. According to management, allowing of underage into these joints creates a negative impression of the business among the public. Various states have laws that restrict the sale of alcohol to underage. Failure to observe these laws may lead to the authority taking legal actions on these businesses. This may result in the closure of the business and imposition of fines on the business. Sale of alcohol to young people amounts to ruining of morals within the society. The society will highly disregard the sale of alcohol to their children and may prompt legal action to be taken on the business. These businesses also loose trust within the society as they become an impediment towards the establishment of a morally upright society (Bromberg, 1965). The businesses dealing in the sale of alcohol should have responsibility of care to their clients. They should not sell alcohol to adolescents and children to further their interests of maximizing profits. They should take into considerations the harm they cause to the criminals by selling them alcohol. These joints should also indulge professional integrity and competence. This will ensure responsible behaviour by the attendants while attending to their clients. Advertising of alcoholic products contributes to the drinking behaviour by criminals. The advertisers depict the goodness of taking alcohol, but less emphasis is made on the consequences of using alcohol. Proper approach should be established to eliminate this vice. In criminals, there is a tendency to defy rules and orders results from an individual’s poor decision making practice. Most of the teens are affected in decision making and are devoid of an ability to make justifiable decisions, which results from impatience in reasoning carefully and deeply through issues; they term them as impulsive an example being their inability to defy their friends and exercise autonomy in the right direction (Wilson, et al 1995). In addition, most of the teens do not think about their future; this is because they mostly dispense with considerations about the long term consequences of the way they conduct themselves. Moreover, a care-free attitude resonates from a majority of criminals with minimal thought or care of where current decisions will leave them in the future. It is notable that majority of criminals are known to give in to peer pressure easily; teens are known to be at an identity stage where doing the things that their friends like is equated to identity definition, which overshadows their autonomy (Dostoyevsky, 1950). As such, most of the crimes committed by criminals are due to pressure from friends, the desire to belong and to show off to them. Some of the characteristics found in the criminals include: Poor decision making: criminals make decisions about their lives that are questionable. This may be due to ignorance or the "don’t care" attitude that is common among the criminals. In this case peer pressure becomes a common factor and everybody wants to be associated with what the friend is doing. Therefore, they are less able to process data and their future planning thoroughly, quickly and thoughtfully when put in the real world and life situations. In this the youths become poor decision makers since they don’t feel comfortable in consulting on the issues they don’t understand. The ability of criminals to make good decisions in the life situations which requires a through, quick, great, fast and well-thought out plan and a response is sometimes not a such a good decision in a way of planning in their lives such that whether to steal with a friend or not to go due to the pressure given the friend. Every individual gets the point of making the decisions of the life and also the plan in making a good life in the future. This is because criminals may not have the individual ability in processing the ramifications and the information of the life that requires quick action (Welsh, 2008). Less thinking of the future: criminals less think of their lives in terms of what they want to end up in than people law abiding citizens when they want to consider their long-term repercussions of the actions that they do. In addition young adults are likely to think of the present than they do of the future and hence they end up reasoning on the short term other than on the long term of the life of the criminal. The thinking that is made by the criminals is less likely to bring a long term solution of the life of a human being and more so to the person making it. In addition, individuals are seen to make decisions that are self-cantered and this makes it a bad decision. Researchers conclude that different individuals make different decisions depending on the person making it. Effect from peer pressure: Young adults become easily influenced by their counterparts and their lives, it is noted that they pay greater attention to, spend great times and enjoy more time with, who become more associated to their friends than the adults are attached with their friends. In addition, they are more likely making greater decisions in life or even altering the way they behave and conduct themselves in response with the peer pressure and the way their close friends behave on the issue of giving their friends a higher rank in their lives. Usage of drugs or initiating a risky behaviour becomes easy when done in a group but very difficult when being done individually (Information Aids, et al 1980). Conclusion It is true that where there is poverty there is crime these are adverse elements that need to be tackled and solved in the earliest opportunity. Everyone deserves better and therefore every need not to spare effort in quest to ending poverty. The government, household, and, private sector are all in this predicament and if they integrate and join forces there can only be success in the end. Proper awareness campaign coupled with strict regulations can go a long way in fighting crime. People need to change their perception and agree that crime is bad and there several better alternatives to crime. If education system is revised it will be more productive as we will have more creative mind that can improve productivity and fight poverty (Winters, 1998). My opinion on this issue is behaviour change is imminent to all individuals and more specifically those who grow together due to influence. All the criminals, with the knowledge of the changes try to avoid it however all cannot be avoided. Young adults are those between the age of childhood and that of adulthood, are usually at a stage of growth where they get to know what is good and what is bad for them; this uniqueness validates the necessity for this study’s focus on their behaviours. Many young adults find it easy to cooperate with the friends than they do with their parents and also with the adults. Adults as seen behave in a more cautious manner than the criminals even though they had to pass through that stage at one point of their lives. Therefore behaviour change is imminent in the lives of the criminals as they graduate into the adulthood (American Society of Criminology, 1970). References American Society of Criminology. (1970). Criminology. Columbus, OH [etc.: American Society of Criminology [etc. Arnett, J. J. (2007). Adolescence and emerging adulthood: A cultural approach. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Pearson Prentice Hall. Arnett, J. J., & Arnett, J. J. (2002). Readings on adolescence and emerging adulthood. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Prentice Hall. Bromberg, W. (1965). Crime and the mind: A psychiatric analysis of crime and punishment. New York: Macmillan. Dostoyevsky, F. (1950). Crime and punishment. New York: Modern Library. Information Aids, Inc., Information Plus (Firm: Wylie, Tex.), & Gale Group. (1980). Crime. Plano, Tex: Information Aids, Inc. 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