Management Of Strategic Policy In Education Education Essay

Management Of Strategic Policy In Education Education Essay What is sport. According to the Concise Oxford Online Dictionary, sport is being described as an activity which involves the physical exertion and skill in which a person or team competes against one another. Sports should be included as part of a whole in a students life. Sports can actually benefits in health and also train one to develop skills like teamwork as they can be the leaders among the students in the sport team. As such, Berry Berry Easy blog claimed that their readers have actually benefitted from their participation in various sports which they most voluntarily participated in the sports of their choice. But in the current era, students are not being active in sports and they need to be forced in order to get them into sports. They prefer playing online games where there is no much physical exertion involves. As so, taking this matter into the consideration, our Ministry of Education in Malaysia have come up with a policy. We would like to highlight the latest 1Student 1Sport policy which is being introduced by the Ministry of Education in Malaysia. This policy is being introduced in the hope that we can produce more students who are well balanced in both academic and sports. Policy implementation, Dye (2002) indicates that implementation involves all of the activities designed to carry out the policies enacted by the legislative branch. These activities include the creation of new organizations like departments, agencies, bureaus, and so on, or the assignment of new responsibilities to existing organizations. These organizations must translate laws into operational rules and regulations. They must hire personnel, draw up contracts, spend money, and perform tasks. All of these activities involve decisions by bureaucrats decisions that determine policy. Definition According the 1M1S Guidebook, it states that One Student One Sport Policy (1M1S) requires all the students to participate in at least one sport activity in schools. This policys main aim is to support the implementation and in line with the National Education Philosophy that focuses to produce individuals who are physically, spiritually, intellectually and emotionally balanced. This policy is in line with the National Sport Policy, which emphasized on the Sports for All and Sports for Excellence. 1M1S policy program requires every student from Standard 4 in primary schools up to Form 6 in secondary school to complete at least one sporting activity conducted in a planned and systematic way. 1S 1M policy is based on the basic principles of physical development of pupils. Hence, 1S 1M policy is created to provide access for all pupils to benefit from participation in sports in particular to those who were less active or not; develop a school sport towards increasing the participation rate of students in at least one sport in schools; and to provide opportunities for all students who are talented and have the potential to be polished to a higher level. (1M1S Guidebook, 2011) According the 1M1S Guidebook, a sport is very important in building up the physical ability of pupils to support and in line with the phrase Minda yang Cerdas terletak pada Tubuh yang Sihat which means an intelligent mind lies within a healthy body. In this circumstance, sports play an important role in nurturing an active, productive and healthy human in order to be able to contribute to the economic development as well as to the social welfare. Thus, a variety of sports were introduced in order to attract the students practicing an active and healthy lifestyle. Ministry of Education (MoE) implemented 1S1M policy so that every student benefits and gets to enjoy the sports in hope of forming the next generation of sports culture in line with the academic requirements (1M1S Guidebook, 2011). Theory and Concept In short, the elite theory is viewed as the preferences and values of governing elite. As said by Dye (2002), public officials and administrators merely carry out the policies decided on by the elite. Policies flow downward from elites to masses; the policy does not arise from mass demands. This elite theory instigates the top-down approach in the policy implementation process. Educational development and policy in Malaysia have always been characterized by governments effort to adapt education to address to social, economic and political development needs of the country. The Malaysian education system is a highly centralized and bureaucratic system where most of the important policy decision making occurs outside the schools. The MoE decides on the allocation of funds to schools, prescribes and standardizes what should be taught in schools, transfers teachers in and out of schools and formulates top-down school reforms (Zabidi, 2012). Approaches and Models According to PÃ ¼lzl and Treib (2006), there are three generations of implementation research that can be categorized into three distinct theoretical approaches in order to study the implementation. The first model described by PÃ ¼lzl and Treib (2006) will be the top-down models in which their emphasis rely on the ability of the decision makers to produce unambiguous policy objectives and on controlling the implementing stage. The second will be the bottom-up models in which it critiques and view the local bureaucrats as the main actors in the policy delivery and conceive of implementation as negotiation processes within networks among the implementers. And lastly the synthesizer theories in which it tries to overcome the divide between the two approaches by incorporating elements of top-down and bottom-up theoretical models. In this case study, we are considering the Top-down theory as we believe that all policies implemented in Malaysia are based on the Top-down theory. It is always been that the policy makers who are the government will annouce the policy that they have planned and let the implementers who are the teachers to implement the policy accordingly. In an article taken from TheStar online dated 18th March 2010, The Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, said that sports will be introduced to school timetables in year 2011 as a new subject. He also mentioned that under the 1Student, 1Sport policy, secondary school students would get 90 minutes a week to play a game of their choice, while primary pupils would spend 60 minutes weekly. He emphasized that the Physical Education subject would still be taught as it had a specific syllabus. This shows that the Minister is giving the suggestion and also assurance of what the students will get out of the 1M1S policy when it is being implemented. In an article taken from TheStar online dated 14th July 2010, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin mentioned We have informed our officers on the appropriate ways to implement this at both primary and secondary school levels, as students of different ages have a different approach to sports, at a press conference after opening the Second Asean Schools Games at the Kuala Lumpur Football Stadium. This shows that the Malaysia uses the Top-down theory in implementing the 1M1S policy. This excerpt defines that the Ministers cabinet was told on how to implement this policy in schools to cater the needs of different levels of students. Above mentioned articles shows the scenario happening in Malaysia where the Deputy Prime Minister also the Education Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announces the 1M1S policy in public behalf of the Education Ministry board. This claim can be supported by the top-down theories started from the assumption that policy implementation starts with a decision made by central government as said by PÃ ¼lzl and Treib (2006). As PÃ ¼lzl and Treib (2006) mentioned, the top downers essentially followed a prescriptive approach that interpreted policy as input and implementation as output factors. The author also mentioned due to their emphasis on decisions of central policy makers, deLeon (2001) describes top-down approaches as a governing elite phenomenon. PÃ ¼lzl and Treib (2006) also claimed that Press and Wildavsky started from the assumption that policy objectives are set out by central policy makers in which it refers to the the Ministry of Education. The authors also underlined the linear relationship between agreed policy goals and their implementation. Implementation therefore implied the establishment of adequate bureaucratic procedures to ensure that policies are executed as accurately as possible. To this end, implementing agencies should have sufficient resources at their disposal, and there needs to be a system of clear responsibilities and hierarchical control to supervise the actions of implementers (PÃ ¼lzl and Treib, 2006). This can be seen that the Malaysia Education Ministry assumes the 1M1S policy formation and execution as disticnt activities in which the 1M1S policy is set at the higher levels and then sent out the order of implementation to their lower level bureaucrats who are the implementing agencies; the ed ucation officers in all levels (state,district and school) which are then charged with the managerial, administrative and technical tasks of putting the 1M1S policy into practice. The MoE also gives the time to accomplish the implementation without considering the sufficient resources that needed to ensure the implementation to succeed. Some selected models of policymaking are taken into consideration before implementing the 1M1S policy via top-down approach. The first model that is taken into consideration is the institutionalism model where the model treats the policy as institutional output. According to Dye (2002), the relationship between the public policy and government institutions is very close in which the policy is authoritatively determined, implemented and enforced by government institutions, namely Parliament, Prime Minister, bureaucracies and so on. In accordance to this model, 1M1S policy is being authoritatively determined and enforced by the MoE. The second model that counts is the rationalism model which treats the policy as maximum social gain. Dye (2002), stated that no policy should be adopted if its costs exceed its benefits. The policy is considered rational when the difference between the values it achieves and the values it sacrifices is positive and is greater than any other policy alternatives. Reflecting from this models point of view in this 1M1S policy, the outcome in future will be beneficial to the country as this policy will produce more talented sports people in various sports activities, get participated in many international games and making our country proud by winning more medals in various games. Implementation Techniques Utilized In the case of 1 Student 1 Sport (1M1S) policy, information provision technique is highly utilized. The provision of information is an essential element of the functioning of any community. Providing information in a timely and targeted manner can be a huge benefit. Without a means to provide facts and data, policy implementers would not be able to make well-considered decisions about how the policy should be operated. The 1M1S Policy Implementation Handbook was published in order to help policy implementers with the dispersion of the policy. Through the handbook, the states education office, the districts education office, the schools sport development committee, the teachers, as well as the Parents Teachers Associations, are given guidelines on how to employ the policy. School sports program implementation under 1M1S policy is to be conducted throughout the year. However, schools are encouraged to plan the implementation of sports programs in accordance with the availability, affordability and creativity and innovation the schools. There are a total of 42 different sports/games intended for the implementation of the 1M1S. The policy makers also proposed some sports activities to be carried out throughout the year. For example general sports programs which includes cross-country, and track and field. In the handbook, 15 strategies in carrying out the 1M1S policy were also presented. Every school is recommended to follow the strategies presented depending on the facility and the existing infrastructure in schools. Schools are given the flexibility to choose, determine or modify the method of execution as appropriate, means and needs of the school. Schools may also plan other methods if deemed appropriate. Some examples of those strategies would be to undertake survey to identify student interest in certain sports, survey of sports facilities in and outside the school that can be used by students, and scheduling school sports program activities in accordance with the appropriate time based on the background and school facilities. The Ministry of Education also provided sports training modules for school sports club advisory teachers. Currently there are 20 training modules for 10 different sports are made available for both primary and secondary schools through the MoEs website. These modules are helpful as guidelines for sports club advisory teachers and trainers, and are also useful as visual aids for students in the course of their training. The management guideline for track and field (athletics) championships in school is also made available in the MoEs website. This is useful as it will aid teachers especially novice teachers in managing athletics championships in school, as it provides proper guidance. Professional circulars, and sports and co-curriculum press letters are also given out by the MoE from time to time, in order to steer policy implementers towards achieving the goal of the policy. Thus it is evident that, in the implementation of 1M1S, the policy makers rely heavily on information provision as an instrument of policy implementation. Implementers Involved There are many implementers involved in the diffusion of 1 Student 1 Sport. As the students are the target group for the policy, the school itself is the main implementer of the policy. The school must hold competitions between levels, classes, sports houses, dorms, and sports clubs of schools. The students participation in the District School Sports Council (Majlis Sukan Sekolah-Sekolah Daerah [MSSD]) or State School Sports Council (MSSM) competitions as well as on international level are counted as 1Student 1Sport activities. But who is the school? Who is responsible for all those competition? Every school has a School Sports Development Committee. Teachers are a big part of the implementers involved. Teachers are appointed as heads of smaller managing committees, sports/club advisors, and also trainers. This is indeed a great challenge for teachers, as they are already laden with other school tasks. The Co-curricular Senior Assistant Teacher is also an important implementer figure. The Co-curricular Senior Assistant Teacher is responsible for the smooth administration of the co-curricular activities, enhancing student performance as well as the involvement and participation of teachers in extra-curricular activities. Moreover, they are also responsible to work with the Parents Teachers Association (PTA) of the schools regarding co-curriculum matters, who are the implementers involved as well. Parents Teachers Associations are also integral to the implementation of the policy. With support and provisions by the PTA, it can provide insights and lessen the burden of the teachers in the diffusion of the policy. The Chairman of the School Sports Development Committee is the principal/headmaster of the schools. The District Education Office acts as the advisor, while the State Education Office is the Patron of the School Sports Development Committee. The Principal monitors the operation of the policy at the school level. They then report to the District Education Office, and then the District Education Office reports to the State Education Office. These policy implementers face the reality of promoting the learning of sports to groups of students, with all their diversity and complexity. Moreover each context creates a set of variable with which policy implementers must contend, and policy initiators are often unaware or unimpressed. Policy makers and policy implementers want the same things the best possible educational sports experience for students. These implementers are important in assuring the success of the 1M1S policy diffusion. Monitoring Monitoring helps to access degrees of compliance, discover unintended consequences of policies and programs, identify implementational obstacles and constraints, and locate sources of responsibility for departures from policy. (Dunn, 1994). According to Dunn, there are 2 levels of monitoring: Macroimplementation Monitoring and Microimplementation Monitoring. Macroimplementation monitoring consists of tracing the process by which a policy progresses from legislation to action in order to determine: (i) what is being implemented, (ii) why is it taking a particular form, and (iii) what actions can be taken to influence implementation. Microimplementation monitoring consists of collecting information to describe the a policy has taken in various implementing jurisdictions in order to determine: (i) the extent of compliance, (ii) the adaptation a policy has undergone, (iii) reasons for noncompliance and adaptation, and (iv) manipulatable aspects of implementation. Monitoring of the implementation of the management of 1M1S by the school management is part of the strategy to evaluate and ensure the success and effectiveness of sporting activities undertaken. This aims to examine aspects of management and use of equipment, regulatory compliance, health, safety and welfare and student participation in school sports program. The monitoring process shall be conducted by the school management throughout the year. Improvements are to be carried out by the school from time to time to ensure the implementation of the 1M1S. Policy Problems Policy problems are unrealized needs, values, or opportunities for improvement that may be pursued through public action, as defined by David Dery. According to Russell A. Ackoff, policy problems are products of thought acting on environments; they are elements of problems situation. William N. Dunn also stated that policy problems are the products of subjective human judgment. There are three questions to be considered about the nature of policy problems, as suggested by William N. Dunn. How well do we understand the problem? Have we identified the right objectives? Are we solving the wrong formulation of problem when we should be solving the right one? Problems Encountered in One Student One Sport The availability of school infrastructure School infrastructure is the prior fundamental requirement for the success implementation of the policy One Student One Sport. Schools should have provided adequate sports facilities and equipment to maximize the opportunities of physical activities. Lacking of space, playing fields, sports equipment will cause the deficiency of the policy. Moreover, the variation of sports and its equipment is much limited in schools. Schools in Malaysia which have already established for years inevitably needed an upgrading. The readiness of teachers as sports trainers Teachers are undoubtedly the implementers of the policy, which is to be the sports trainers in schools. Their readiness in terms of physically, mentally or technically is dubious indeed. Most teachers who are involved are assigned by the management of schools. They do not have relevant qualification in sports coaching or physical education. It is a setback for them to coach students instructionally appropriate. The implementation of this policy should not be just letting students to play any sport they wish as usual. The choices of sports in schools The choices of sports in schools are limited as the sports facilities and equipment are not adequate. For those existing sports facilities and equipment in schools, some of them are not well maintained too. As the policy One Student One Sport focuses on students, it is crucial to take in students personal interest of the particular sports into consideration. Hence, the choices of sports in schools are most probably in short supply to cater for students need in their selected physical activities. The different abilities of students Students physical ability is one essential factor to be reflected in the policy of One Student One Sport. Students with strong physical ability or competence will be motivated to participate actively in sports and thus bringing this policy a success. Nevertheless, students who have low physical competence will be marginalized as they are not able to enjoy the sports activities in schools. As a result, they lose interest in sports and this policy becomes an extra burden in their schooling days. The ratio between the number of students and teachers The ratio between students and teachers is an influence factor towards the policy attainment. In most schools, the number of teachers is far more exceeding the number of students. The number of students as participants is not meeting the expected amount. Students tend to defend their absence or nonparticipation by giving all sorts of excuses. The lack of support from parents Parents support directly impacts on the policy of One Student One Sport; either it is a bane or boon. Parents support helps students in developing their interest in sports. However, parents nowadays place a strong emphasis on academic excellence of their children. Students who are examination oriented failed to be beneficial from the policy. Solutions of the policy problems Solution of the policy problems produce information about the likelihood that future courses of action will result in consequences that are valuable to some individual, group or society as a whole, as stated by William N. Dunn. He added that this process engages between the transformations of information about policy futures to action which will then come in valued results. Any solution to the policy problems must be actionable, that is going beyond the fact and involving actions that aim to satisfy need, values and opportunities for improvement, (Alexander George, 1980). Solutions to the Problems Encountered in One Student One Sport Increase the allocation of sports fund in schools Allocation of sports funds in schools should be increased in order to improve on the schools infrastructure. Sports facilities and equipment have to be expanded in terms of quantity, whereas the existing facilities and equipment should be upgraded, especially in their quality. Variation of sports activities should be added in as well as introduced in schools for students. By having a variety of choices, students can have better chance to develop their interest in sports. As a result, the number of students who participate in sports will be raised. Select the right teachers as sports trainers Teachers have to be equipped with high quality coaching skills for the particular sports that they are in charged with. Students need to master the basic skills in their chosen sports as a kick start for their development of interest in sports through teachers coaching. Therefore, teachers as sports trainers have to be instructionally skilled in certain sports. Expertise and technical skills of sports trainers make a difference in students life. Schools management can provide sufficient supports to teachers as a mean to enhance their enthusiasm of being sports trainers in schools. Incorporate sports as part of academic Sports can be incorporated as part of academic as a way to encourage students to be more actively engaged in it. Sports can be integrated in schooling hours, but not to be in the extension of schooling hours. This is hopefully to re-gather the support of parents to encourage their childrens participation. It is intended to minimize the inconvenience of sending their children back to school after schooling hours. Furthermore, sports activities can be accountable for higher percentage in students academic as to counter the problem of examination oriented mindset, either of the students or the parents. Conclusion Every policy started off with a noble purpose. However, the process of implementing it in reality is what it really matters after all. It is not to say that the noble purposes are there to defend any deficiency of the outcomes. Hence, policy in action is what to be the main focus. Undeniably, the evaluation of policy comes after the implementation over a period of time. Problems are identified and then followed by recommended solution. It is a process, a cycle which keeps going on. Sport is an integral part in ones life. One Student One Sport is a policy with the vision of creating a balance and healthy lifestyle among students. It is indeed a well plan policy which seen to be a complete one for the society, schools, teachers and students. Nevertheless, to implement any policy in Malaysia, it has to be confronted with all aspects considering the fact of every school where it will be the setting of the policy implementation. One policy is not to be able to fulfil every ones need.

Andrew Linklater & cosmopolitanism Essay

Andrew Linklater, an eloquent exponent of the promise of this type of cosmopolitanism, says that he is interested in ‘the social bonds which join and separate associate and disassociate’ (Linklater 1998a: 2). He points out that, ‘with the rise of the nation-state, one identity was chosen and made central to contemporary political life. Shared national identity was deemed to be the decisive social bond which links citizens together in the ideal political community’ (Linklater 1998a: 179), and he wants to resist the actually ineluctable linking of ‘political community’ with the state. Thus: ‘Regard for the interests of outsiders can expand in one epoch and wane in another: hence the significance of a cosmopolitan ethic which questions the exact moral significance of national boundaries’ (Linklater 1998a: 2). Linklater offers us two types of social bond beyond the state. The first kind of glue that might embrace people together, he says, is a ‘commitment to open dialogue’: ‘the bond which unites them [members of a society] can be obliged as much to the ethical commitment to open dialogue as to logic of primordial attachments’ (Linklater 1998a: 7). The political undertaking of the cosmopolitan, then, is to ‘create institutional frameworks which broaden the boundaries of the dialogic community’ (Linklater 1998a: 7). The most common condemnation of this kind of thing is that it needs too much of a suspension of disbelief; that obligation to open dialogue’ is a desperately weak candidate for social glue-dom in contrast with the ‘primordial attachments’ of family, history, and culture. The question is: what will ‘open dialogue’ tell us that we do not already know? Dialogic cosmopolitanism’s sustain for open and un-coerced dialogue is obviously aimed at listening to what Linklater and others call ‘subaltern voices’—the voices of the dispossessed, the marginalized, the barred. The cosmopolitan call for more dialogue is so essential to its programme that one could be forgiven for thinking that the expelled, the marginalized, and the debarred were totally silent. Yet they are not. Positively cosmopolitan, as articulated by Linklater and others, shares its non-territoriality with post-cosmopolitan nationality. Both of them are also getting on on ‘the expedition for a new language of politics which challenges the belief that the individual’s inner political obligations are to the nation state’ (Linklater 2002: 317). But on the other hand we have comment cosmopolitanism’s unwillingness to entertain care and compassion as potential citizenship virtues, and this is a key feature of post-cosmopolitan citizenship. in the same way, cosmopolitanism’s non-territoriality seems to be accompanied by the belief that citizenship is carried out completely in the public sphere, a view that is again challenged by post-cosmopolitan citizenship. Yet it is perhaps in considered to the feature that they seem most obviously to have in common that they churn out to differ most—non-territoriality. In this context, Kimberly Hutchings considerately points to two types of conception of non-territoriality, and argues for a citizenship that ‘rather than . . . being incorporated in an ethical universalism which is dormant in concepts of liberal-democratic citizenship . . . becomes located in the actual interrelation and interaction of both individuals and collectives’ (1996: 127). By suggesting that there is no right place to stand, it can take several of the moralists out of our politics. Better still, by doing so it can set free us to pursue a long term procedure of trans-local connecting that is both political and educational at once. And in the middle of the short-term politico-educational crisis where we now get ourselves, it can assign a teaching of culture competent of rallying the energy and enthusiasm of a broad front of people who are not all or even mostly leftists, whatever the right may think. As a practice of contrast, a range of tolerances and secularisms, an international proficiency or mode of citizenship that is the control of no one class or civilization, it answers the charges of â€Å"particularize† and â€Å"loss of standards. † As a constructive ideal of interconnected knowledge and pedagogy, it elevates rather than lowers existing educational standards. It presents multiculturalism as both a common program and a decisive program. Cosmopolitanism would seem to mimic capital in seizing for itself the privilege (to paraphrase Wall Street) of â€Å"knowing no boundaries. † Which is also the gendered privilege of knowing no bodies: of being, in Donna Haraway’s words, â€Å"a conquering gazes from nowhere,† a gaze that claims â€Å"the power to see and not be seen, to represent while escaping representation. † (1990, p. 188) Though, Cosmopolitanism has long been a freedom in international politics, only accessible to elite—those who have the resources essential to travel, learn other languages, and take up other cultures. For the majority of the population, living their lives within the cultural space of their own state, cosmopolitanism has not been an alternative (hence perhaps the popular suspicion of cosmopolitanism). Though, in the contemporary world of international politics, cultural and linguistic diversity is all-pervading, and the capability to communicate with others and to recognize their cultures is available to everybody. Too often, circumstances are not favorable to this. Members of other cultural groups are considered of as threats, undermining recognized ways of life and competing for all too inadequate employment prospects and welfare resources. In these circumstances, the enticement towards closure might be overwhelming: to assert one’s own cultural identity aligned with the real or imagined threat of the other. In a framework of uncertainty, barriers and defenses might well appear to be the simple way to protect one’s own identity. Yet it is also the route towards cultural stagnation. It influences international politics in a means that Cosmopolitanism is the hard won and hard to sustain virtue of living with and understanding diversity. It is perhaps the prime virtue necessary if some appearance of communal social life is to be maintained in the late contemporary world. Cosmopolitanism in this sense is not contrary with the moral cosmopolitan’s persistence on the basic equality of all, nor with the legal cosmopolitan’s project of creating institutional and organizational structures through which this parity can be recognized and protected. It is, though, a significant corrective to the austere universalism to which philosophical cosmopolitans are often drawn, where particular attachments and kinships are regarded as impediments to, rather than essentials of, a global moral order. It is only if the virtue of cosmopolitanism is extensive in the relevant communities that there will be any probability of realizing cosmopolitan ideals. If cultural diversity is the needed outcome of it influence an approach to international politics, then cosmopolitanism is the asset of this necessity. Work Cited Beck, Ulrich (1994), ‘The Reinvention of Politics: Towards a Theory of Reflexive Modernization’, in Beck, Giddens and Lash (1994): 1–55. Beck, Ulrich, Anthony Giddens and Scott Lash (1994), Reflexive Modernization: Politics, Tradition and Aesthetics in the Modern Social Order.Cambridge: Polity Press. Daniele Archibugi, â€Å"Cosmopolitical Democracy,† New Left Review, 4, July-August 2000: 144. Donna Haraway, â€Å"Situated Knowledges: The Science Questionin Feminism and the Privilege of Partial Perspective,† in Feminism and the Privilege of Partial Perspective,† Simians, Cyborgs, and Women (London: Free Association Books, 1990), p. 188. Epictetus. 1920. The Discourses of Epictetus; with the Encheiridion and Fragments. Translated by G. Long. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell & Co. Also Available At: http://etext. library. adelaide. edu. au/e/epictetus/e65d/part9. html

Supermax Prisons

Supermax Prisons and Their Adverse Effects Introduction Due to increasing crime rates and the extensive belief that rehabilitative programs for inmates do not work, a new and harsher method for prisons is being utilized. Instead of scattering the worst criminals, they are being consolidated into Supermax prisons. Supermax prisons are state of the art penitentiaries meant to hold only the worst of the worst criminals and inmates that cannot be trusted in regular prisons. There are strict regulations and policies to control inmates’ time for communication, recreation, visiting, religious practices, and education even more than regular prisons.More often than not, â€Å"inmates in supermax prisons spend 23 hours of every day locked in a small cell† (Hickey pg. 160). Supermax prisons work upon the premise that the most violent and disorderly inmates can be better controlled â€Å"by separation, restricted movement, and limited access to staff and other inmates† (Hick ey pg. 167). While supermax prisons are believed to reduce crime and increase safety, there are questions of whether or not this is actually the case. Compare/Contrast CritiqueSupermax prisons are considered effective because they consolidate the most violent criminals and allow for other prisons to function more safely and more normally for both staff and inmates. However the inmates cannot just be consolidated and held to the same standards as regular prisons, as was revealed at Marion in 1980 when the â€Å"operation began to show clear signs of the underlying stresses of using this quasi-normal system to deal with such aggressive offenders† (Hickey pg. 164). In response, a new and more sophisticated facility was created to cater to the high-security needs of a prison with extremely dangerous inmates.These newer facilities were created to â€Å"control the inmate’s behavior until they demonstrate that they can be moved back to a traditional open-population penitent iary† (Hickey pg. 165). While incarcerated at supermax prisons, the inmates are handcuffed around staff, eat and exercise alone, and are kept in their cells for most of the day. As prisoners behave well, they are given more and more privileges until they are deemed safe enough to return to regular prisons. Additionally, there is a much higher staff to inmate ratio than at normal prisons.All services that are required are available and â€Å"operations are consistent with constitutional requirements related to conditions and confinement† (Hickey pg. 166). After returning to regular penitentiaries from a supermax prison, 80% of former inmates behave well enough that they do not return to the supermax prison. Supermax prisons provide a level of safety and security for both staff and inmates that other prisons cannot provide. On the other hand, there is a dark side and harsh reality to supermax prisons besides the obvious high costs of maintaining the prisons that are funde d by tax payers.While supermax prisons claim to uphold the prisoner’s constitutional rights, there are many claims that state otherwise ranging from the denial of medical care to illegal censorship of mail—â€Å"prison guards have testified to shackling prisoners to their beds and spraying them with high-pressure fire hoses† (Hickey pg. 169). The placement of inmates at certain levels of security and confinement based upon behavior is arbitrary. The guards determine what is â€Å"good† and â€Å"bad† behavior, and their reasons could be as menial as â€Å"refusing to make beds or complaining about clogged and overflowing toilets† (Hickey pg. 169).Additionally, the amount of control that the inmates are placed under (near 24-hour isolation, little to no physical contact between visitors and inmates and highly limited and scheduled outdoor recreation time) creates an environment that is psychologically debilitating and harmful to personal and social identities. Rehabilitation is set aside and replaced with competition between the inmates for privileges, fostering a hostile environment. The amount of frustration, deprivation, and despair that inmates endure do not create less violent inmates, but something much more dangerous (at the least, more angry).Fighting violence with more violence is not working—supermax prisons are not reducing crime or safety. Critique of the Debate Supermax prisons are a good idea on paper. However, in practice, supermax prisons do not work. In a contrasting example, there are many soldiers returning from war. They are greeted by family, strangers buy food for them out of gratitude for their service, and there are programs and support groups that help them return to normal ways of life. Still, the transition from the life of a soldier in combat back to the civilian world is not easy. However, these issues are recognized and respected in many forms of support.On the other hand, for the in creasingly large amount of criminals who are sent to supermax prisons for breaking the law, the preparation and actual transition from prison life back to regular society is not widely recognized or respected, with little or no support. There are few credible methods or support groups that truly help previous convicts return to normal life, especially in comparison to a soldier returning from war. Additionally, individuals that are accepted members of society greet the returning convicts with trepidation and suspicion because of the belief â€Å"once a thief, always a thief. Consequently, the convict’s return to society and â€Å"normal† life is nearly impossible and recommitting criminal acts is expected. While the return of a criminal from prison should not be honored the way a soldier is honored when returning from deployment, a criminal should have similar rehabilitative and re-immersion programs and support groups. With the levels of confinement being dictated by arbitrary rules and expectations set in place by guards, inmates behave well only because they want privileges and rewards rather than to actually improve themselves.Using a reward-punishment system does not develop character or help prisoners in their eventual assimilation back into society. When inmates are released from prison, they need to return better than they were before prison or else they will just end up in prison again. In order for this to be accomplished, â€Å"a more holistic view of crime control† needs to be set in order and there needs to be more of a focus â€Å"on community and restoration and less on imprisonment† (Hickey pg. 174). The United States has been using prisons for centuries now and imprisonment rates have only increased throughout history.Perhaps the answer to reducing crime is not in the traditional idea of fear of punishment, but the United States seems to be stuck on the idea of using prisons and imprisonment to thwart crime neverth eless. In a perfect world, criminals will be sent to prison, spend their time there wisely, and return to society a changed people. However, in reality, inmates are being released from prison worse off than when they entered the prison. Not seeing or interacting with another human being creates a disconnection from humanity.For the inmate, being kept totally separated and isolated from everyone, there must inevitably be a sense of anger and resentment towards the system that should be helping them and at the very least be showing them how to act properly in society upon their release from prison. Additionally, controlling every aspect of a person’s life is not productive or educational. Learning from mistakes is a part of life, but supermax prisons have nothing to offer in terms of learning. Since the inmates have clearly made mistakes (they are in prison after all), they should be educated on how to learn and grow from their mistakes.Instead, they are just put down as failur es and expected to continue failing. However, as supermax prisons become more and more popular, rehabilitative programs and the inmate’s humanity are being set aside for safer conditions and security. The idea that you have to sacrifice either the humanity of the inmate or the safety of the staff would imply that the system is severely flawed. There has to be a better way to punish criminals, but also rehabilitate them. Conclusion The current penal system that the United States has is flawed and supermax prisons are simply not as effective as was expected.The traditional use of prisons and imprisonment as a way to deter crime is not (nor has it ever been) actually successful at reducing crime, but for some reason we keep to the same plan and modify it rather than take a whole new approach. A person who goes to prison should not want or need to commit deviance after leaving prison—they should leave a changed person. Society should strive to help the person returning fro m prison similar to the way soldiers are aided upon their return to the United States.Instead, society remains adamant in continuing to punish and then ignore those who commit crimes which in end creates a never ending cycle of deviance. The system for punishing criminals needs to change, but how society views the punishment of criminals needs to change as well. Instead of focusing on revenge and justice, the focus needs to be on rehabilitation and development. Works Cited Hickey, T. (2012). Taking sides: Clashing views in crime and criminology. (10th ed. ). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Companies Inc.

Dry Thunderstormsâ€Their Causes and Dangers

A dry thunderstorm is one that produces little or no rain. While it might seem like a contradiction in terms to have a thunderstorm without precipitation, its actually quite common in areas of the western United States where the heat index can be very high, particularly in late spring and early summer months with low humidity.   How a Dry Thunderstorm Occurs A thunderstorm can be called dry  when temperature and heat gather  below the cloud cover, called the aerial canopy. It will rain, but the rain and other forms of precipitation never manage to reach the ground. The storms rain and any moisture evaporate as they fall and near the earth. In meteorology, this event is called virga.   The #1 Natural Cause of Wildfires Dry thunderstorms  are often the culprits behind massive wildfires when lightning ignites a dry fuel source on the ground during  fire weather  season, which is the hot summer months. Although theres no rain, at least at ground level, these storms still pack plenty of lightning. When lightning strikes in these arid conditions, its called dry lightning and wildfires can easily erupt. Vegetation and flora are often parched and readily ignitable. Even when a light rain does manage to survive and hit earth, this moisture is typically nowhere near enough to have any effect on the fires. These storms can additionally produce severe, strong winds called microbursts that can whip the fires about and shift them, making them hard to battle. The Potential for Dust Storms Dry microbursts are another weather phenomenon associated with dry thunderstorms. When  precipitation evaporates as it nears ground level, this cools the air, sometimes radically and suddenly. This cooler air is heavier and it tends to plummet quickly to earth, creating strong winds. And remember—theres little to no associated rain and moisture here. Thats already evaporated, causing the microburst in the first place. These winds can kick up dust and other debris in arid regions, resulting in sand and dust storms. These storms are called ​haboobs  in the western states that are prone to them.  Ã¢â‚¬â€¹Ã¢â‚¬â€¹ Staying Safe in a Dry Thunderstorm   Dry thunderstorms can typically be predicted well in advance of the storm so officials can warn residents in vulnerable areas. Incident meteorologists, called IMETs, go on full alert. These specially-trained meteorologists look for the fuels that will help a wildfire spread. IMETs have training in microscale forecasting, fire behavior, and fire operations. They also act as managers who can help coordinate control efforts. Decisions are made on how to best control and contain wildfires based on  predictions of wind speed and direction. Even if you do not receive an alert that the weather in your area is prime for a dry thunderstorm, youll know because you should hear thunder. If rain doesnt arrive before the thunder, simultaneously, or shortly thereafter, a dry thunderstorm—and the potential for fire—is probably imminent. If theres thunder, there  will  be lightning, although the severity of the lightning can vary depending on the storm system. As with any storm, seek shelter if youre outdoors.