Critical Thinking Paper Abortion Philosophy Essay

Critical Thinking Paper Abortion Philosophy Essay It is undeniable that abortion is one of the most controversial topics. As is always the case, there are two sides to such a provocative topic. One is for free will and the ability to choose to have an abortion; the other is pro life and against abortion. However, very few advocates for either side truly know what is involved in the abortion process, but still do their best to oversimplify the issue at hand anyway. What exactly is abortion, then? By dictionary definition, abortion is the termination of a pregnancy. However, todays society would define it as getting rid of a mistake. An analysis of abortion reveals that there is more than meets the eye and only those who fully understand the process and consequences make decisions concerning abortion. The history of abortion is an extensive one. Although one of the most famous tide-turning legal cases for abortion was in 1973, abortion can be traced back even further than the 19th century. In fact, in Ancient Greece in 400 B.C., the Oath of Hippocrates stated that I swear by Apollo the physician, and Aesculapius, and Health, and All-heal, and all the gods and goddesses, that, according to my ability and judgment, I will keep this Oath. . . I will follow that system of regimen which, according to my ability and judgment, I consider for the benefit of my patients, and abstain from whatever is deleterious and mischievous. I will give no deadly medicine to any one if asked, nor suggest any such counsel; and in like manner I will not give to a woman a pessary to produce abortion (Facts About Abortion: Ancient Abortion History). Basically, any who swore by this oath realized the belief that abortion was harmful and would endeavor to aid the abortion process in any way. Around the same t ime period, Socrates also mentioned abortion in his books. His view, however, was opposite of Hippocrates. Socrates believed that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦a man may not marry his daughter or his daughters daughter, or his mother or his mothers mother; and women, on the other hand, are prohibited from marrying their sons or fathers, or sons son or fathers father, and so on in either direction. And we grant all this, accompanying the permission with strict orders to prevent any embryo which may come into being from seeing the light; and if any force a way to the birth, the parents must understand that the offspring of such an union cannot be maintained, and arrange accordingly (Facts About Abortion: Ancient Abortion History). In much simpler terms, Socrates stated that abortion is justified in cases where a child is conceived in an incestuous union. The United States was also part of the broad history concerning abortion. In 1859, the American Medical Association condemned abortion except when preserving the life of the mother and in 1875, every state in America adopted laws that banned abortion (The History of Abortion in the United States). There were also many legal cases in which abortion was the main concern. As previously mentioned, Roe v. Wade was one of the most famous cases. Alex McBride stated on PBS, Controversial from the moment it was released, Roe v. Wade politically divided the nation more than any other recent case and continues to inspire heated debates, politics, and even violence today (the culture wars) (McBride). This case was particularly dividing because it was so controversial, and made people choose sides. There was the side that promoted free will and to have abortion as an option. On the other hand, there was the side that believed that all life is precious and that abortion is morally wrong. In the en d, the Court ruled that women have a right to privacy, which includes the right to have an abortion (McBride). Many people choose sides concerning abortion without having sufficient information to do so, such as knowing what the abortion process truly entails. Some choose to be against abortion without fully considering that there are certain circumstances that would require abortion, such as when the mother is in a life or death situation. Others choose abortions without realizing that it goes against many religions and beliefs. What most of them do not know is what is involved in the abortion process. Many might think that it would be similar to having a Caesarian section, perhaps removing the fetus through surgery. This, however, is not the case. As mentioned, the abortion process is more complex than one would think. There is more than one way to carry out an abortion; the type of process chosen is usually determined by how far into the pregnancy a woman is. The patient can choose between two options for abortion: through medication, or surgery (Types of Abortion Procedures). Although the first trimester is twelve weeks long, women can only choose to have an abortion through medication within the first nine weeks (Pregnancy Week by Week; Types of Abortion Procedures). This is most likely due to ethical reason, for example, because the fetus has developed and is considered a human being, therefore making abortion through pills unethical. There are various types of surgical abortion procedures. For example, Vacuum Aspiration, also known as Suction Aspiration, is through the use of a strong vacuum; Dilation and Evacuation is through the use forceps (First Trimester Abortion Procedures; Abortion Methods). During the process of V acuum Aspiration, a tube attached to a vacuum type pump is inserted into the vagina; the fetus and placenta is torn apart as it is suctioned out along with the amniotic fluids (Abortion Methods). Dilation and Evacuation is vastly different, however. The previous method seems more clinical and less horrifying than this method. In Dilation and Evacuation, forceps are used to grasp at random fetus parts, which are then pulled out one by one until only the head is left (Abortion Methods). As the fetuss head is too large to removed in tact, it is crushed first (Abortion Methods). Although these are only two of many procedures, each is more inhumane than the previous. Despite the fact that death only occurs in 0.0006% of abortion cases, there are risks and complications involved. No abortion procedure is entirely one hundred percent safe or risk-free. These are the dangers of legal abortion procedures: allergic reactions, blood clots, infections, failed or incomplete abortion, heavy bleeding, injury, and etc (In-Clinic Abortion Procedures). If abortion was made illegal, women would have to resort to even more dangerous methods, such as illegal ones. Not all of the dangers are physical, however. There are issues of post-abortion syndrome, such as feeling deep regret and depression over choosing to terminate the life of ones child (The Case Against Abortion: Post-Abortion Syndrome). When it comes to an extremely controversial topic like this one, there are usually many biases. This can involve religion, ethics, income, age, and society. All of these can influence decisions concerning abortion. Religion plays a major role, as it is what people turn to for guidance in turbulent times. If their religion is against abortion, it is most likely that followers will be the same. Ethics is also a guide; abortion might be unethical to some because fetuses are considered human beings and all life is sacred. The matter of income is also important. Those who are impoverished would support to keep abortion legal because they can barely afford to keep themselves alive, let alone another human being. In fact, forty-two percent of women who have abortions have incomes below 100% of the federal poverty level (Facts on Induced Abortion in the United States). Those who are wealthy might agree with abortion because a laid back life full of partying would probably be more appealing w ithout having to raise a child. On the other hand, they might not agree because they have enough means for financial support. The elderly or people raised with traditional morals most likely would not even entertain the thought of abortion because they believe in taking responsibility instead of the easier way out. However, younger people, especially in todays society, would be more likely to embrace abortion because irresponsibility is much easier. These factors contribute to biases. For example, those who are against abortion create extremely graphic collages using a collection of real pictures or digitally created ones that show the entire abortion process. These images invoke heavy emotions that discourage abortions. Anti-abortion supporters even go as far as inventing lies that suggest abortion leads to cancer (Dudley, and Kruse). In contrast, supporters of abortion might downplay, oversimplify, and even hide the danger at hand. For instance, Planned Parenthoods website include s both information on the safety and risks of abortion procedures; however, the information on risks is in smaller text so it is not as noticeable (In-Clinic Abortion Procedures). Another example is in the form of a young womans experience. Lindsay, whose last name was not posted, stated that abortion clinics made her leave through the back door because they dont want anyone coming in to know what someone looks like going out (Finding Help: You Care About Me, Right?). There are many reasons why women choose to have or not to abortions. For example, a reason might be similar to Socrates case: a woman might have been in a nonconsensual incestuous relationship that has ended in child conceived. It might go against this womans religion or ethics to give birth to the child. Abortion might also be necessary when the life of the mother is endangered. That is not to say these all of these reasons are completely justified. Even though the fetus has not fully formed, it is still a human being and a product of ones flesh and blood. Termination could be considered child abuse. Nothing truly gives one, even a parent, the right to play God and decide whether or not to terminate a life. There are alternatives, such as giving the child up for adoption after birth. Even in todays society, the topic of abortion is an extremely contentious one. People are very divided on this topic although each side may not fully comprehend everything about abortion. This shows that many are eager to jump on the bandwagon of whichever side makes the best case. In order to make educated judgments on abortion, people must entirely comprehend the process of abortion and the results. Personally, I am against abortion because I believe in taking responsibility for our actions, and that even unborn children are humans and should deserve a chance at life.

Louisa and Sissy: Fact Against Fancy in Hard Times

Louisa and Sissy: Fact against fancy in Hard Times. Two female characters in Hard Times, Louisa Gradgrind and Sissy Jupe could be considered contrastive by fate and there is moral fable in this contrast. It is significant that in last two paragraphs of the novel Dickens applies to motherhood as a sense of woman happiness. Daughter of main educator of Coketown, have got only the bitter questionnaire: â€Å"Herself again a wife – a mother – lovingly watchful of her children, ever careful that they should have a childhood of the mind no less than a childhood of the body, as knowing it to be even a more beautiful thing, and a possession, any hoarded scrap of which, is a blessing and happiness to the wisest? Did Louisa see this? Such a thing was never to be. †(Chapter 9, Final, p. 274) But Sissy, â€Å"Girl number twenty† (Chapter 1,p. ) in Gradgrind list, was granted with love and motherhood in return for her human virtue: â€Å" But, happy Sissy's happy children loving her; all children loving her; she, grown learned in childish lore; thinking no innocent and pretty fancy ever to be despised; trying hard to know her humbler fellow-creatures, and to beautify their lives of machinery and reality with those imaginative graces and delights,†¦ or fancy dress, or fancy fair; b ut simply as a duty to be done, – did Louisa see these things of herself? These things were to be. † (Chapter 9, Final, p. 274) What is the major difference between two of them and why author gives credits to simple-minded Sissy, and left sorrows for educated Louisa? The reader can understand, that Gradgrind was disappointed with Sissy from the very beginning. He didn’t like the fact, that her father works in the circus. Fun and imagination were beyond Gradgrind’s acceptation. Sissy failed with factual definition of the horse in the very beginning of the novel and becomes a loser in his eyes. But his own daughter, Louisa, has to struggle with inner conflict:†fire with nothing to burn†(Ch. 3) Her imagination was suppressed up to degree of starving under the pressure of that utilitarian educational virtue of â€Å"fact†. Trying to see a circus she and her brother Tom peep though the loophole. Being asked about, she simply answered: ‘Wanted to see what it was like† (Ch. 8). Somehow she neglected her father’s slogan: †Louisa, never wonder! †(Ch. 8) In the article Charles Dickens, Hard times: for these times Chris Bilton says: â€Å"The only escape from this relentless grind of alculation and rationality is the horse-riding circus, glimpsed tantalisingly by Gradgrind’s children through a hole in the tent. Here is food for the ‘idle imagination’ and ‘fancy’ their father denies them† Louisa and her brother are deemed to have the best, as their father is a very knowledgeable man and they are â€Å"model children† in â€Å"model house†, but â€Å" starved imagination keeping life in itself somehow, which brightened it’s expression†. Dickens is depicturing that Louisa knows so many facts, but has not much to imagine. This â€Å" metallurgical Louisa† used to look out the window at the factory chimneys and observe: â€Å"There seems to be nothing there but languid and monotonous smoke. Yet when the night comes, Fire bursts out. † She can only state a fact about her surroundings. Dickens shows how forced education in a militant style can hurt a developing mind more than help it. Attentive reader can recognize intonation of reproach in her timid speech: â€Å"You have been so careful of me, that I never had a child's dream. You have dealt so wisely with me, father, from my cradle to this hour, that I never had a child's belief or a child's fear† . But the most dramatic moment happened in the very end of Book The Second, then mental breakdown happened to Louisa and Gradgrind â€Å"laid her down there, and sow the pride of his heart and the triumph of his system, lying, an insensible heap, at his feet† (p. 204) Sissy Jupe in other hand, also was treated by Gradgrind’s system. But she was a daughter of the circus clown, and spent early childhood in lively atmosphere, surrounded by emotional people, who taught her other things, then facts: In the article â€Å"Taking Dickens to task:Hard Times once more† Malkolm Pittok states: † For the circus has as its raison d'etre the development of ‘useless' and ‘unproductive'acrobatic skills, the dramatic enactment of highly coloured fictions, and a mode of fanciful, and fancifully advertised, play. In direct contrast to the selfish individualism promoted by Gradgrindism, its members show a generous solidarity and human directness of response. †(p. 116) Gradgrid was trying to influence this foil with his utilitarian approach, but he failed. She depictured as emotional girl from the very beginning: â€Å"Sissy Jupe, Sir†, explained number twenty, blushing†¦(Ch 2, p 8) Sissy began living with the Gradgrind family, and indirectly helped them to understand, that something in their life was missed. Love and care were unknown virtues in this family. â€Å"Only Sissy Jupe, the finest flower of the ircus way of life, has influence where it matters and becomes a beacon of effective light and goodness – a model for all of us to aspire to†, says Pittock. Louisa and Sissy have significant dialog in the Book The Third, Chapter 1. Louisa begging for her friendship: â€Å"Forgive me, pity me, help me! Have compassion on my great need, and let me lay this head o f mine upon a loving heart! †(p. 210) So the â€Å"poor girl† becomes the only â€Å"loving heart† for Gradgrind’s family. She took care of Mrs. Gradgrind and after he death becomes a mother to younger children of this family. So it is right time to conclude, that fancy wins the fact as far as Sissy granted with female happiness in the very end of Hard Tines and educated Louisa went through mental suffer and appeared childless. To state, that motherhood is the only virtue of female life is not right, but there not too much left for woman, if she never ever experienced the happiness of motherhood. Works Cited: Bilton, Chris Charles Dickens, Hard times: for these times. International Journal of Cultural Policy Vol. 16, No. 1, February 2010, 15–16 Web 03 Nov 2011 Dickens, Charles. Hard Times. Oxford University Press, New York, 2008. Print.

Payment system

Types of payment system: They could use Commission: Workers are paid a percentage of the products' sales value this would be suitable as it would motivate staff to sell more as they rely on commission to earn money. They could use a bonus scheme: Workers must achieve pre-agreed sales targets to earn the bonus. This would encourage staff to sell more which would increase the company's turnover and profits.They could offer sales staff a salary: This would provide staff with financial security. However, it may not motivate Taft to sell more are the same amount Is pay each month regardless of performance. Performance related system: where pay Is linked to performance, with higher level of performance leading to Increased pay. Time or flat rate system: In which pay Is expected as an hourly, weekly or annual rate. How it motivate staff? People feel strongly about it.Pay helps to satisfy many needs (e. G. Security, esteem needs, resources to pursue self-actualization) Pay is the subject of much important business legislation It helps attract reliable employees with the skills the business deeds for success Pay also helps retain employees – rather than them leave and perhaps Join a competitor For most employees, the remuneration package is the most Important part of a job – and certainly the most visible part of any Job offer.Effectiveness Money can be used to motivate employees across a broad spectrum of Industries. In fact, according to the Personnel Systems website, a survey conducted by the American Compensation Association and the American Productivity Center showed that up to 89 percent of companies using financial incentives for staff were rated costive or very positive by more than 1,500 individuals taking the survey.Because everyone can use more money, this is by far one of the most common and effective ways to motivate staff. Broad Options Another advantage of using money to motivate employees is that a company has broad options in terms of the way to use it. From special bonuses to commission pay to gift certificates and cash rewards, money can be used In a variety of ways to get employees to strive for bigger and better goals.Moreover, companies have the option o change It up, depending on the specific goal In mind, so that cash Isn't always the best In which money can be used to motivate; sometimes, It can be Increased benefits that save the employee money without the company needing to write a Money appeals to all demographics and can motivate the lowest grade employee all the way to the CEO. This is another distinct advantage of using it to motivate staff because it appeals to all types of staff. The less an employee makes, however, the more he may be motivated by a few extra dollars in his check or incentive pay of some sort.

Horses and how they grow essays

Horses and how they grow essays Horses and How They Grow Horses are fun to ride, but they can be a lot of hard work. The first horse was the Eohippus. It was about the size of a fox. It can be traced over a period of 60 million years. From America they spread across the world. Then 8-10,000 years ago the horse be-came extinct in America. It was reintroduced by the Spanish Conquistadors in the 16th century. The herds of mustangs in north America is descended from horses introduced by the Spanish in the 16th century. Baby horses are born from a mare horse. The mare holds the baby for 11 or 12 months. Most mares will have 5 or 6 foals during their lives. Normally a foal is born with its front feet first. Foals are born with their eyes open and with a full coat of hair. When the newborn foal is born, it drinks its mother's milk for the first 6 Months. Foals can stand up shortly after birth. It also begins to Supplement its diet by nibbling on grass and it's mother's oats. The best place to feed your horse is in a bucket. A horse must have fresh water and eat oats. A healthy treat for horses is carrots and apples. A horse's age can be told by looking at its teeth. Up to the age of five a horse still has its milk teeth. A foal can be weaned from 4-6 months. Most horses reach their full size by the time they are five years old. The bones from a baby foal are very soft for the first three years. You shouldn't ride a horse until it is three years old because you can sway its back. When the owner weans the foal he separates it from the mother, and puts it out to the pasture with other foals. A baby girl horse is a filly, and when she is mature she is called a mare. A baby boy horse is a colt. When he is mature, he is called a stallion. A yearling is a one-year-old horse. Training horses requires great skill and patience. It begins almost immediately after it is born. You should put a halter on it, and teach it to lead an...

Literacy Assessment Assessment Summary Chart

Literacy Assessment Assessment Summary Chart Outline Assessment Summary Chart Appropriateness of assessment tools for reporting progress, diagnosing reading skills, or providing outcome data The effectiveness of usage in groups or individually Assessment Summary Chart Assessment Tools Progress Diagnostic Outcome Individual or Group Assessment Additional Explanation of Use IRI X X I IRI are used with individual students to assess the progress and diagnose the development of definite reading skills Retelling X X I/G Retelling is used with individuals as the oral variant of the assessment and within a group as a written variant Running Record X X I Running records are used with individual students to assess the progress and diagnose the development of definite reading skills Observations X I/G The usage in a group or with an individual depends on a purpose Fluency Assessment X X I The assessment is recommended for progress monitoring of the students’ fluency and as a general outcome assessment for indiv iduals Phonics Test X X I Are effective for assessing and diagnosing individuals Reading Logs X I/G The usage in a group or with an individual depends on a purpose Phonemic Awareness Assessment X X I Are effective for assessing and diagnosing individuals Rubric X G Are based on standards and criteria Portfolio X X I/G The category depends on the type of portfolio Appropriateness of assessment tools for reporting progress, diagnosing reading skills, or providing outcome data Informal reading inventories (IRI) and running records are effective to monitor the students’ progress in reading, paying attention to the specifics of word-recognition (Gunning, 2010, p. 77). IRI and running records help determine the changes in reading with references to the number and character of miscues made by students.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Literacy Assessment: Assessment Summary Chart specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Lea rn More That is why, the results of IRI and running records are important to focus on the students’ progress while reading. These assessment tools can be also used by the teacher to diagnose the level of the skills’ development to implement strategies which can help students overcome difficulties in reading and achieve higher results. Retelling is effective when it helps determine the students’ progress in comprehension and in grasping the main idea of the text. The progress is marked with references to the number and character of details which are reproduced by students while retelling. Retelling is also effective to diagnose the development of the students’ skills, orienting to their further improvement basing on the diagnostic results. The level of the students’ understanding phonics and of the phonemic awareness is constantly changing that is why phonics tests and phonemic awareness assessments are necessary to monitor the general stude nts’ progress and for the additional diagnosis of the individual students’ abilities to distinguish sounds or work with phonemes to receive the ability to develop and improve definite skills. Observations are used as progress monitoring tools to watch the changes in the students’ development of literacy skills, and they provide the general picture of the students’ skills, interests, typical miscues, behaviors, techniques, strengths, and weaknesses. Reading logs are effective tools for the students’ self-evaluation. The regular character of completing the assessment provides the teacher with opportunities to monitor the students’ progress in reading more difficult books, changes in reading interests and reactions, and involvement with reading. Portfolio is the specific assessment tool which can be used both for monitoring the progress and assessing the outcomes, depending on the type of the portfolio. For instance, the process portfolios are effective to monitor the progress with references to the levels of the materials used and competency in completing the portfolio which can change during the definite period. The evaluation portfolios are necessary to assess the students’ results with references to the definite standardized samples used, and these portfolios are used as outcome assessment tools.Advertising Looking for essay on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Fluency assessment is important to monitor the students’ progress in pace of reading or reading more letters and words (indicators of proficiency). Thus, it is used as the progress assessment tool. Fluency assessment is also standardized and based on benchmarks, and it uses fixed criteria to assess outcomes. From this perspective, it is a general outcome assessment (Gunning, 2010, p. 77). Rubrics also belong to the outcome category because they focus on â€Å"what is expe cted from students in order for them to meet a certain level of performance† (Gunning, 2010, p. 86). Rubrics are necessary to assess the students’ results and compare them with definite standards adopted within certain institutions or states. Thus, rubrics provide evaluative criteria and information about students’ outcomes. The effectiveness of usage in groups or individually IRI, running records, phonics tests, and phonemic awareness assessment can be used to assess only individuals because the teacher should focus on reading or sound recognition presenting by one student at a time to take notes, to fix possible miscues, to concentrate on the individual skills which need to be developed or improved. Fluency assessment is also effective when it is realized individually to pay attention to the students’ definite competencies to make conclusions about the level of performance. Rubrics can be used in a group of students to assess and compare their performanc e in relation to the definite criteria and standards presented in the rubric. Retelling as the assessment tool should be used with individual students when retelling is oral, and retelling can be used within the group of students when it is the written assessment. Observations can be both individual and group, depending on the task of the assessment determined by the teacher before starting the observation of an individual or a group of students (Paratore McCormack, 2007). The usage of reading logs in a group or with an individual depends on a purpose to receive the information about an individual’s progress and interests or the group’s progress in reading at a time. Portfolios are effective as the tools to assess the individual progress of a student, but they can be also used to assess the work basing on the group when portfolio conferences are conducted. References Gunning, T. (2010). Creating literacy instruction for all students. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon/Pearso n Education.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Literacy Assessment: Assessment Summary Chart specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Paratore, J., McCormack, R. (2007). Classroom literacy assessment: Making sense of what students know and do. USA: Guilford Press.

Managing Business Organizations (business studies) Essay

Managing Business Organizations (business studies) - Essay Example and these differences and similarities a multi-national organisation â€Å"ZARA† is compared with a local UK architecture firm Purcell Miller Tritton (PMT) LLP. Zara is a renowned brand and flagship chain store of Inditex Group. It has gradually gained major popularity since its first store was opened in Spain. Zara has operated with an aggressive management style towards the business. It has proven many theories wrong, theories related to economies of scale, supply chain, etc. The company’s operation can be divided into philosophy, capability and payoff. Zara has kept a philosophy to keep 5 fingers touching the factory and five touching the customer i.e. they have kept a very quick movement between the production of their stock and the immediate transfer of that stock to the stores. Their main capability is to design, produce and deliver in 15 days as compared to the six month industry average. This is the major area in which the company has excelled over its competitors and has kept them way behind and it is because of these unique strategic capabilities that the company took over the clothing industry giant GAP in their first quar ter of 2010. Zara’s main and the innovative approach is their fast fashion trend, which makes their product available in stores after just two weeks in the designing process. Besides such a fast and flashy approach, they keep their production limited i.e. the batch of clothing in merchandise is only available for just that two weeks time period and after that it is not available in the stores. This approach of scarcity and the customer’s perception towards rarity has helped Zara to boost their Revenues significantly. (Bonnin, 2002; Tokatli, 2008) The main distinctive feature about Zara is its co-operative nature i.e. every staff member of the organization is involved in some business process for the entire organization. Each store manager and the store assistant are really participative in collecting and providing information

Corrections and Juvenile Justice Research Proposal - 1

Corrections and Juvenile Justice - Research Proposal Example Initially, a letter of interest will be sent to the potential participants, and after receiving the returned responses of interest, an informed consent form will be forwarded to the one hundred subjects. Furthermore, purposive sampling technique will be adopted Participant’s gender (i.e. male), availability to do the study, age (at least 18 years of age), current mental health status, and incarceration status will be included in the selection criteria since they are very important for the purpose of this research. Informed Consent Neuman (2000) argued that research can and should be conducted in an ethical manner. Every attempt would be made to conduct the research in an ethical manner. Since the participants would be at least eighteen years of age, consent would not be necessary from the Department of Children and Family Services. However, in order to address other ethical concerns, informed consent form will be obtained from the participants. All the participants will be inf ormed that their participation is completely voluntary. All interested participants will be made aware of the study's research goals, as well as its ethical mandates. In addition, participants will be allowed to withdraw their participation at any time and that no financial incentives would be offered as compensation for their participation. Participants could also refuse to participate in this study at any stage. The informed consent form will also address the issues of participant anonymity and confidentiality. Anonymity of the participants will be ensured by offering each participant the option to choose a pseudonym for himself. Confidentiality will be ensured by removing any names or identifying characteristics of the participants from all records. To circumvent the risk of psychological harm, participants will be treated with the utmost respect, consideration, and sympathy. Data Collection Clinical records from a private subsidiary of the Department of Children and Family Servi ces (DCFS) concerning the subjects would be utilized in order to assess historical and current behavior. Clinical records of participants would also be helpful in this study as they will provide useful information including: an account of psychiatric familial histories, and a validated Axis I Diagnosis as found in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). Furthermore, social history, familial involvement, peer relationships, psychological evaluations with intelligence quotient (IQ) score, history of housing placements, demographics, history of incarcerations including probation/incarceration reports, and purpose of wardship entry reports would also be available in the clinical records. In an effort to effectively provide an analysis of the hypotheses, research would be conducted by reviewing various articles or related literature, and methods/techniques currently utilized in identifying potential criminal behavior characteris tics in juvenile offenders. This study will also refer to the practices and techniques that the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) Behavioral Science Unit uses in formulating criminal profiles for reliability purposes. The purpose of this study is to determine how a sample of incarcerated youth would score on a violence predictor assessment instrument, which is designed to predict