Premium Essay

Second Degree Murder Research Paper

Submitted By
Words 960
Pages 4
First degree murder is when someone had a prior plan to kill another person. Even if you only thought about it for a little while, it still counts as first degree. You carry a pretty high penalty for committing this crime, which is life imprisonment. For example, if someone did you wrong, and you were really mad about it (to the point of murder) and you planned out what you were going to do to kill them, that is first degree. Second degree murder is when someone does not plan to kill a specific person but does have the intention of killing. For example, if you were robbing a bank and you killed an innocent bystander, that is malice aforethought and that is considered second degree murder. The punishment for this is a long term (20 years) or lifetime sentence in prison because it is not as severe as first degree. (????) Involuntary manslaughter is pretty similar to second degree murder, but there was no previous intention to kill someone. It is basically when someone is doing something dangerous that could harm them themselves, and do not have any intention of harming others, but in the end they do end up hurting another person. This is called criminal negligence.
Jurors actually have a lot of things that they have to do in court. First, they have to take an oath having them agree to having no bias in their …show more content…
While the case is going on, the jurors are not allowed to discuss with the other jurors and must pay attention the whole time in order to be able to tell who is being truthful. One of their main jobs is determining credibility, so they have to be completely focused and be listening in order to do that. They also cannot do any research on anything pertaining to the case prior to coming into court so that it insures that none of the jurors are biased. Whenever the jury has reached a verdict and left the courtroom, they are permitted to talk about the case outside of court, but never before the decision was

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Juveniles Should Be Mandatory Sentence Without Parole

...Should juveniles who commit first or second- degree murder receive a mandatory sentence of life without parole? That is a question that many people are asking themselves. This is a very debatable question due to the fact that if a juvenile does change, then he/she wouldn't have a chance at a new life because of the life sentence. I believe they should be granted a second chance, but if they take that second chance for granted, then they should be sentenced to life without parole. On the other hand, there has been cases where a teen who was sentenced to life got a second chance, but decided to take it for granted for being immature and emotionally unstable. Many teens make reckless decisions while growing up, some don't know better but others do. Where I stand in this situation is that juveniles should not be sentenced to mandatory life sentences without parole. Not many...

Words: 956 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Personal Crimes Paper

...| Personal Crimes Paper | CJA/314Instructor Fred Sams | | Amber Jackson | 02/05/2011 | | Every crime has different characteristics that make it a crime, yet one characteristic that every crime shares is a perpetrator and a victim. Rape is a big problem in the United States. Each year thousands of women and men are raped, 17.7 million women have been raped at one point in their lives and 2.8 million men. Rape is considered the most unreported crime in the United States. In the 1970’s is when major awareness started to take shape for victims of rape, such as rape crises centers, medical protocols, and laws to protect rape victims. Criminal status concerning rape differs from state-to-state, but the Federal code is nationwide. There are two different ways that rape is reported; one is through private research organizations and the second is through the U.S. Department of Justice. The NIJ conducts a survey each year to measure reported crime and unreported crime, along with the private research groups. Even then, both organizations have certain guidelines in how they obtain their statistics. With certain guidelines in place, the statistics are good, but not a 100% accurate on exactly how many men, women, and children are raped. Only small percentages of rapes are reported each year to law enforcement and it is important to continue the study of rape and sexual assault issues in the United States to properly get better control of the problem. Women...

Words: 1386 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

The Legal and Ethical Dilemma of Physician Assisted Suicide

...Shorter University The Legal and Ethical Dilemma of Physician Assisted Suicide: An Analysis: People v Kevorkian This research was aimed at providing an analysis of the ethical and legal dilemma surrounding physician assisted suicides. The subject of physician-assisted suicide has raised many thought provoking and controversial questions. This paper will evaluate, the ethical dilemma surrounding physician assisted suicides, the case of People v. Kevorkian, the differing laws pertaining to physician assisted suicide in Michigan, Georgia, and Oregon. The purpose of this paper is to provide the reader with information on the state’s most current laws regarding assisted suicide and how the case of People v. Kevorkian was a unique case involving physician-assisted suicide. The Ethical Debate of PAS In his article, Hosseini (2012), argued that physician-assisted suicide (PAS), is a moral and ethical dilemma faced by physicians, ethicists, legal experts, and others. Hosseini went on to explain that PAS is opposed by the American Medical Association (AMA) and all the US states except for Oregon. In his research, Hosseini (2012) used the case, People v. Kevorkian, as a basis to argue that although there is an ethical dilemma surrounding PAS, it was not the act alone that resulted in Dr. Kevorkian’s arrest and sentence. Hosseini posed the question in his research “Is Physician-Assisted Suicide Ethical?” to which he answered “… this problem too has two sides to be considered; we can...

Words: 3476 - Pages: 14

Premium Essay

Courtroom Tv

...Courtroom TV paper Kimberly smith CJS/251 March 30,2015 Kenneth Bitting Introduction The Casey Anthony trial involves the death of her two year old daughter Caylee Anthony. Casey Anthony is accused of killing her daughter. Casey Anthony claims her two-year-old Caylee Anthony is missing On June 9, 2008 in Orange County, Florida. Anthony later tells police she dropped Caylee off at a babysitter's apartment. The name that Casey had given to the police officers was Zenaida Fernandez-Gonzalez. On June 16th 2008 was the last Caylee grandparents saw her alive. Casey didn’t give her parents any details about nothing. Later on in July of 2008 a post from the internet allowed Casey parent to locate the car which had been towed. There was a foul smell coming from the trunk of the car. 30 days after Caylee went missing or hadn’t been seen a missing person report was filed. Criminal process On July 16, 2008 Casey Anthony had been lying to the police investigators about Zenaida Fernandez-Gonzalez babysitting Caylee. Casey was arrested on suspicion of child neglect, filing false misleading statements and hindering a criminal investigation. The sheriff’s office then searched the car with a cadaver dog and the dog picked up the scent of human decomposition, Also they were satins in the trunk and hair. Casey was then was charged with child neglect. In August 21, 2008 she was released out on a 500,000 bail after being detained from about a month. Casey bond was revoked on charges of check forgery...

Words: 978 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Crimes and Verdicts

...CRIMES AND VERDICTS PROFESSOR TIMOTHY KELLY INTRODUCTION TO CRIMINAL JUSTICE MAY 29, 2014 I have chosen the State of Florida vs. George Zimmerman as the first part of this paper. Why was Zimmerman charged and tried at the state level, and then face the possibility of Federal charges? Is this not “double jeopardy”? The court that will try a case is decided by jurisdiction, jurisdiction being defined as “(1) the legal authority of a court to hear and decide a certain type of case; (2) the geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases “ (Definitions, n.d.). Also we must clarify state and federal jurisdiction. Federal court jurisdiction is limited to the types of cases listed in the Constitution and specifically provided for by Congress. For the most part, federal courts only hear cases in which the United States is a party and cases involving violations of the U.S. Constitution or federal laws. There are others, but those are the ones relevant to this paper. State courts have much broader jurisdiction, they preside over cases most individual citizens would be involved in and most criminal cases involve violations of state law and are thus tried in state court.  Being as Zimmerman was charged with second degree murder, he was tried in a state court. Zimmerman was found not guilty by the jury, so case closed, correct? U.S. Attorney General Holder stated that after the trial that the Federal Government would investigate the possibility of charging Zimmerman...

Words: 1540 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Euthanasia

...Introduction The purpose of this paper is to discuss the topic of euthanasia with the intention of shedding some light on this issue should you ever have to make this choice. There are many reasons for and against euthanasia and this article will explore some of those reasons. Specifically this paper includes a review of the following topics; Background which will include; What is euthanasia and where does it come from, Canadian law in regards to euthanasia, Euthanasia in other countries, What does our society say today? Then I will be looking at the pro euthanasia which will include; Can euthanasia be dignified where I will be looking at the Kantian and the Healthy Soul Theories, and Personnel choice. The last part will be looking at against euthanasia which will include; Who decided when to die which will include the Divine command theory and the Ethical Dilemma and I will end with a Conclusion. Thereafter, an analysis will be completed on the a fore mentioned that will include a discussion analysis of what is taken from within an existing body of research with final recommendations which will be presented based on the research. Background What is Euthanasia and where does it come from? The meaning of the word euthanasia comes from a combination of Greek words eu meaning good and athantos meaning death (Corbett, 2009). Therefore one would say that euthanasia is a good death and by saying this we are then saying “to die with dignity” (Corbett, 2009). Euthanasia...

Words: 3469 - Pages: 14

Free Essay

Felony

...want my reader to understand what I’m trying to say. My essay provides strong points on my opinions and how I feel. I had to make the examples out of my opinion. I did strong research on the web about what felons can and can’t do. My research gives me strong evidence to back up my opinions. I based my essay on my evidence. I am working on changing how I change paragraphs. I’m working on how to transitions between sentences. I did some research on how this type of essay are written. The research really helped me learn on how to write a successful essay. TurnitinOriginality Report * Processed on: 23-Sep-2013 11:10 PM CDT * ID: 355035039 * Word Count: 845 * Submitted: 1 life of a convicted felonBy Shavonne Galloway   Similarity Index 0% Similarity by Source Internet Sources: 0% Publications: 0% Student Papers: N/A include quoted include bibliography exclude small matches downloadrefreshprint mode:   Welcome to WritePoint, the automated review system that recognizes errors most commonly made by university students in academic essays. The system embeds comments into your paper and suggests possible changes in grammar and style. Please evaluate each comment carefully to ensure that the suggested change is appropriate for your paper, but remember that your instructor's...

Words: 1240 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Prison History

...of experimentation or the different colonies approach to crime and punishment. This would be the Quakers of Pennsylvania; their religious beliefs led them to incarceration verses execution. To this day the death penalty is still different from state to state, and from person to person. The Philadelphia Society for Alleviating the Miseries of Public Prisons (1787), this was the first prison reform attempts, rehabilitation over beatings. And a separation of prisoners in to four different categories, a system to help the criminals. So, society tries to evolve a more humane prison, although the rural jails were run poorly with a primitive setting. As early as 1794 Pennsylvania recognizes the difference between first degree murder(planned act to kill) and second degree murder, this starts the states legislatures to rethink different levels of punishment. Decades later other states follow Pennsylvania’s enlighten view and reduce capital crimes. New York and Michigan stop or reduce the death penalty and public executions, follow by Rhode Island and Wisconsin. Prisons in that day where strict and all rules were adhered too, in contrast to today’s gang controlled prison yards....

Words: 1063 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Young Offenders

...separation of youth and adult sentences (Stevenson, 2014). This was done in order to protect children because it is the belief in Canada that children are not responsible for their actions because of Doli incapax or the inability to do wrong. That being said there is still legislation in dealing with youth crime that is punishing and effective (Stevenson, 2014). This paper will analyze a court case decision made under the Youth Criminal Justice Act which involves a young offender who was convicted of a gang-related murder and breached Conditional Supervision Order (R. v. S.(M.), 2014). This court case will be analyzed using relevant research on youth gangs using concept of theories that apply to our young offender. In conclusion, this paper will discuss limitations of laws and possible alternatives that dealt with the young offender. A summary of R. v. S.(M.), the court based decision under Youth Criminal Justice Act. Legislations used in this court case followed the guidelines of the Youth Criminal Justice Act and its subsequent subsections. Identities of the victims and the offender will not be disclosed in this paper nor published. Nor any other further information to be subsequently disclosed (R. v. S.(M.), 2014). The court case begins in April of 2010 when...

Words: 3723 - Pages: 15

Premium Essay

Impacts of Death Row

...contended that the isolation of a convict and the uneasiness over his or her destiny constitutes a kind of mental depravity and that long-term death row convicts are particularly prone to become mentally unstable. This condition is commonly known as death row phenomenon. In severe cases, some convicts may try committing suicide. Issues relating to the administration of capital punishment are vast and varied. Often, talk about the use of death penalty concentrates more on sentimental arguments pertaining to the moral issue emanating from the administration of death penalty. This paper attempts to study the issues that surround capital punishment by making use of the system analysis approach. It shall endeavor to explore the dehumanizing effects brought about by the recommencement of capital punishment. While there are no clear-cut answers regarding the matter of capital punishment and death sentence, this paper will attempt to shed more light on the normally intricate social issue. Impact of Death Row on the Correction System In June 1972 in a case concerning Furman v. Georgia brought before the U.S. Supreme Court, the court submitted that capital punishment was unlawful and unconstitutional and revoked the state death penalty legislations across the entire U. S. Several death sentences were adjusted to life imprisonment. The Supreme Court however, in 1976 rescinded its previous decision in the case of Gregg v. Georgia and affirmed the constitutionality of capital punishment...

Words: 1667 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Term Paper

...Persuasive Research Paper ENG 102 August 11, 2013 Karen Halusek Persuasive Research Paper In America, guns have been a part of the country’s society since its birth. Throughout history, citizens of the US have used firearms to protect the nation, protect their families, and to hunt for food. In the United States, gun control is an issue that has both sides firmly imbedded in their beliefs. The parties in favor of gun ownership and the right to keep and bear arms rely on the fact that provisions for such rights are protected by the Constitution. No legitimate study in the US has ever shown that gun control has any positive impact on crime. Society benefits from firearms in the hands of responsible citizens. In this time of turmoil and growing violence, gun advocates feel more than ever that their position is justified. The issue of gun control continues to remain a controversy. A large number of citizens believe that if gun acts are strictly enforced, that violence and the threat of crime will reduce everywhere. On the other hand, a large amount of society feels that they deserve the right to bear arms and will stop at nothing to protect their second amendment. The challenging issue of gun control takes a harmonizing act of extreme measures. Weighing the rights and liberties for each individual against the welfare and safety of the public is a risky balancing act. Attempts to keep firearms away from these citizens do more harm than good. People believe that the banning...

Words: 2321 - Pages: 10

Premium Essay

Annotated

...Blustain, Sarah. "This is Murder?" The American Prospect 18.12 (2007): 11. Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 28 Oct. 2013. In summary of this article, an expecting mother also meth addict gave birth at thirty-two weeks to a stillborn. The baby tested positive for cocaine and Hernandez is being charged with first and second degree murder for child abuse. This article came from a database. A database article is one of the most trustworthy sources when doing research. This article was reviewed in 2007, it is a little old but it still fits that ten year limit. It goes in depth about how methamphetamine can hurt the baby inside the mothers womb. Studies have shown that mothers who have a substance abuse problem while pregnant give their babies a greater risk for addiction, major disabilities or even death. This article is supported with several facts and it hits all the key things I am looking for during my research. "Indiana Sets Methamphetamine Standards." Policy & Practice Sept. 2005: 28. Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 4 Nov. 2013. In summary of this article, Indianapolis' child welfare officials are teaming up with the law and health officials to protect and remove any children who are in homes where methamphetamine is being produced. The state's Drug Endangered Children Advisory Committee issued standards on how safety personnel, child caseworkers, and health professionals should respond to meth labs and busts. The rules tell how lab sites should be secured...

Words: 1102 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Hate Crime In Philippines

...In Bucks County, PA, for example, two men were convicted of first-degree murder of a gay man. The victim was found dead with multiple stab wounds and his throat slit; his car had been set on fire (Correll, 1988; National Gay and Lesbian Task Force [NGLTF], 1988). Philippines is not an exemption on this kind of crime, in fact it is also given much attention recently. Last October 11, 2014 in Olongapo, Philippines a Filipina Trans woman Jennifer Laude was allegedly killed by Private First Class Joseph Scott Pemberton because of his unawareness of the gender. The dead body was found inside the comfort room of a disco bar in Olongapo with a naked body, partially covered from the waist down and her head leaning on the rim of the toilet bowl. Prosecution of the case rested on June 30, 2015 (en.wikipedia-org/wiki/Death_of_Jennifer_Laude). Incidents that are stated above clearly show that different treatment towards LGBT people and that...

Words: 701 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Death Penalty

...Name 12/10/12 English Research Paper Section 1 “Should The Death Penalty Be Legalized?” I. Although the death penalty is in decline, the “Golden Age’ of capital punishment in the United States peaked in the year 1999, where there were a total of ninety eight executions (“The Tide Shifts Against the Death Penalty” 1). This was the highest number seen since 1976. Advocates of the death penalty feel that the fear of death will make criminals think twice before committing a crime. However, opponents of the death penalty feel that innocent people are too often sentenced to death for crimes they did not commit. As to any argument, there are pros and cons of the death penalty. Is the death penalty just a punishment? Do certain crimes cry out for the death penalty? Does it violate the United States Constitution? Does it deter crimes? As of January 1, 2008, the number of people on death row in the United States since it originated is 3,263 (“The Death Penalty in the U.S. 1976-2008” 1). II. The most common means of executing prisoners on death row is by lethal injection. Some claim that this violates the Eighth Amendment prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment (“The Tide Shifts Against the Death Penalty” 1). There are other methods of execution in the United States, such as firing squad and electrocution. There are thirty seven states in the U.S that use the death penalty (“Death Penalty Information...

Words: 1575 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Crime Scene Management

...Discuss the importance of good crime scene management and the maintenance of sample integrity. This paper will firstly define the five building blocks, procedures and protocols that underpin good crime scene management. Secondly, the paper will argue the two most important factors that enable good crime scene management and sample integrity with reference to the highly publicised cases of OJ Simpson and Amanda Knox. Thirdly the paper will conclude to explain how good crime scene management and sample integrity is essential to enable successful convictions. A ‘crime scene’, refers to the primary or secondary area in which a suspected crime has taken place where physical evidence can be obtained. Such areas include indoor or outdoor locations, vehicles or persons as noted by Jackson and Jackson (2011). Upon identifying a crime scene one is presented with a myriad of information and questions. In order to obtain the answers and evidence the crime scene presents that may lead to a successful future conviction(s), there are a number of important principals, procedures and methods that must be stringently followed and managed by the police’s criminal investigative team. As Jackson and Jackson (2011, p.15) has noted, “The way in which scenes of crime are managed and recorded, and how the physical and digital evidence is located, collected, packaged, labelled and stored, are all fundamental to the success of subsequent forensic examinations.” The main objective of the crime...

Words: 1942 - Pages: 8