“Beyond the Fence: When Offenders Become Victims” by Arica Sharlow
Prominent Features of the Presentation
One of the most prominent features of the presentation is the author’s desire to raise awareness about the topic at hand. The vast majority of the modern population does not consider the issue of victimization in prison relevant because since a criminal is convicted, he or she deserves being victimized or oppressed. The author managed to underline the importance of caring for prison victims and expressed a view that the cases of violence in prison should be treated the same way as violence on the streets.
The characteristics of school violence victims are given appropriate attention due to the complexity of the issue as a whole. There are no limits or boundaries when it comes to victimization since anyone can become a victim in the prison environment. The author mentioned the issue of overcrowding in prison that greatly contributes to the issue, which is a point that is worth further exploration. Also, the presentation is significant for mentioning the current methods of dealing with violence in prison.
The format of the presentation is followed; additional materials such as images were used for illustrating the points mentioned in the text. Furthermore, the author used current sources to support the material.
Areas for Improvements
One area of the presentation that can be improved is the usage of long sentences in the course of the entire presentation. Despite the long sentences providing insightful information, they are hard to follow by the audience. If the material was presented in bullet points, graphs, and tables, the presentation would be better organized and easier to follow. Furthermore, some images of general content can be substituted for diagrams that offer some additional information on the issue of prisoner victimization.
There is lacking information in how prisoner victimization can be managed and eliminated. The author did present some information on how the current prison system deals with the problem; however, these methods are not effective enough, according to the presentation. If the author could develop a quick plan for dealing with prisoner victimization, it would add value to the presentation.
The issue of prisoner violence and victimization is vast; therefore, only two references are not enough for deep understanding. It is advised to use two more references containing statistical data on prisoner victimization to support the general information.
Brief Synopsis
Information included in the presentation was beneficial for raising awareness about the issue of violence and victimization in prison. As a society, it is important to understand that violence is never an answer to any problem, especially in an environment of people that serve time for crimes they committed. Furthermore, there are no particular looks or characteristics of victims since anyone can be subjected to violence in prison. With the introduction of the PREA initiative the prison environment did not experience any significant changes for the better; thus, the need for developing a plan to address victimization of inmates in prison should be high on the governmental agenda. The view that inmates deserve violence should not be popularized since no one deserves to be a victim, regardless of the individual beliefs, opinions, or actions.
“Victims of Crimes Committed at School” by Ryan Fox
Prominent Features of the Presentation
Because the format and style are very important when it comes to presentation, it is worth mentioning that “Victims of Crimes Committed at School” is presented in a vibrant and attention-catching manner. The topic of school violence is high on the agenda; therefore, information related to it is presented in a manner that will capture the attention of the audience.
The second prominent point of the presentation is the attention to specific cases of school violence. Instead of presenting general information on the topic, the author chose to give examples of real-life cases of crime in the context of school relations. Such a choice of presenting information was proven to be effective because it puts the problem of school within the context of the every day human life.
The last prominent point of the presentation is the author’s attempt to list effective methods of school violence prevention. Counseling and conflict resolution programs are listed as effective ways for dealing with school violence in conjunction with the development of school policies as well as physical surveillance. In addition, the presentation provided statistical data on school violence as well as the consequences of violent behavior at schools.
Areas for Improvements
One of the missing points of the presentation relates to the lack of information on the causes of violent behavior in children. Understanding why students resort to punching or even killing their classmates will be instrumental in addressing the problem; therefore, such an improvement could have been beneficial for the quality of the presentation.
The next point for improvement is the adding of graphs and tables that better illustrate the problem of school violence. The studies on the topic are widely available; thus, the author of the presentation could have done more research on the material to insert additional images that illustrate and support the theoretical and factual information.
Lastly, the author could have added information on the successful or unsuccessful methods and programs for dealing with violence at school to show either progress or lack of progress that should be addressed. School violence is a topic that should not be regarded as usual or irrelevant because the lives of the future generations are at stake. By adding information on why school violence occurs as well as how it is managed the author of the presentation will present a much broader “picture” with regards to the topic at hand.
Brief Synopsis
The presentation provided useful information about school violence as well as how it is managed by the modern system of law enforcement. In addition, the description of actual school violence cases added to the relevancy of the issue as well as to the importance of its management. Because some students avoid going to class because of the feeling of unsafety at school, the current system of law enforcement should invest time and efforts into securing the school environment. Consequences of school violence such as depression, apprehension, tension, and post-traumatic stress disorder should be addressed by the medical authorities to prevent students from developing even more serious mental health issues. Overall, the presentation gave insightful information about the nature of school violence and put the issue in the perspective of the current problems that the justice system should address.
“Victims of Crimes Committed at School” by Courtney Bashore
Prominent Features of the Presentation
One of the prominent features of the presentation relates to the author’s ability to structurize information into separate topics that are connected with each other. The author started with giving a definition of school violence and then gave examples of crimes committed at school, providing an introduction to the topic.
The second prominent feature of the presentation is the author’s choice to illustrate the problem on the example of the Columbine High School Shooting of April 20th, 1999. By listing the names of victims as well as how they died the author of the presentation managed to underline the gruesomeness of the event as well as how it influenced families separately as well as the society as a whole.
The third prominent point of the presentation is the author’s focus on the victims of school violence rather than on the topic in general. Through putting an emphasis on the fact that innocent people suffer and die as a result of school violence the author underlined the importance of dealing with the problem rather than just acknowledging it. The presentation offered data on the prevalence of school violence in the state of Colorado as well as outlined problems that victims of school violence face. Therefore, the presentation is predominantly victim-centered.
Areas for Improvements
The presentation lacks statistical evidence on the number of victims that suffer from school violence each year. It is important not only to mention the number of violence victims killed but also the number of victims injured or bullied. School violence does not cause only physical damage to its victims but also provokes emotional scars and post-traumatic stress disorder, as mentioned in the presentation. Data on school violence can be found at resources like Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and National Center for Education Statistics.
The presentation includes photos as illustrative material; however, it would have been beneficial to use more charts and graphs to effectively present the material. Long sentences are ineffective for capturing the audience’s attention; therefore, it would have been more useful for organizing the material into a more efficient and audience-friendly manner.
Lastly, the presentation lacks a conclusion. The author gave suggestions of how school violence, however, gave no concluding thoughts about the topic overall. The presentation has been praised for the effective organization of the material; however, there are is no conclusion that will summarize it and offer some ground for the future research on the topic of school violence. By adding a cohesive conclusion, the presentation would become much more completed and unified.
Brief Synopsis
The issue of school violence has never been as important as it is today. According to the presentation, the cases of school violence are managed through the restorative justice system that focuses on rehabilitating offenders and reconciling with victims. However, the should be better ways of managing the spread of school violence. In addition, it is important to remember that negative influences of school violence are not only physical but also can be mental. Furthermore, some violence victims deal with the mental issues through alcohol and drug use, even suicide, which negatively impact the well-being of the society overall. The presentation was effective for putting an emphasis on the victims of school violence and abuse and presenting a number of methods how the issue at hand can be diminished and subsequently resolved.