Interventions for Drug Addiction: Case Study

Interventions for Drug Addiction: Case Study 18893 Many attempts have been made to arrive at a universally acceptable definition of addiction and what causes addictive behaviour but the matter still remains unresolved. People often define addiction as drug abuse and misuse. To Krivak (1982,p.83), ‘Addiction will be defined as a behaviour pattern characterised by an ongoing and overwhelming preoccupation with the used of a drug and the securing of its supply.’ This definition could also say the addict is, ‘Someone who is involved with an activity to such an extent that it the major focus of his or her life’, (McAllister et all., 1991,p.5). For my assignment, I have chosen a client within the criminal justice system that has an addiction problem with drug misuse. He has been involved with the criminal justice system because of his offending behaviour relating to illegal drugs. I am basing my assignment on this client. I am going to discuss in my assignment, drug users and the criminal justice system, the psychology of addictive behaviour, Care planning and different options of planning and assessment, the initial referral and the in-depth assessment, methods of intervention and models of care and drug problems in prisons within the criminal justice system. Where there is an addiction to drugs, most drug users at some time or another come into contact with the criminal justice system. This is how my client got involved with the system. Some drug users spend periods of time in prison as a result of drug-related offending behaviour. There is an alternative to custody and these include fines, community service, probation and bail, which is subject to certain conditions such as participation in drug treatment programmes. My client is subject to certain conditions that he participates in a drug treatment programme. Criminal justice orders can be subject to conditions of residence for the offender. For drug service workers, close liaison with practitioners in the criminal justice field of work is normal practice. Joint care plans are carefully and sensitively devised to help both services work with the drug user in collaborative and constructive ways. Criminal justice practitioners are expected to work with offenders to achieve specific objectives and these are not always compatible with drug service objectives, for example, reducing drug-related offending behaviour rather than getting rid of it altogether (Robertson, 1998, p.389). My client has an addiction to drugs. The psychology of the addict involves behaviour that takes a repetitive form and is associated with increases of anxiety. Some behaviours that take a repetitive form are associated with increases or decreases in anxiety and these are considered compulsive behaviours. These types of behaviours can include drug addiction, gambling and exhibitionism. However there are important distinctions between these types of behaviour and action and true compulsive behaviour. Firstly addictive behaviours involve a pleasure-seeking component, which is not in compulsive behaviours. Secondly, the anxiety involved with the performance of criminal activity is appropriate in light of social sanctions. Obsessive-compulsive patients experience anxiety that is inappropriate to the situation (Oltman, 1995,p11). There are different options of planning and assessing with substance misuse offenders in the criminal justice system. For social workers, assessment is a key task and it will determine whether or not a care plan is needed for the offender of if a management service is needed. The NHS and Community Care Act (1990) provides guidance on procedures for assessment for people who are entitled to community care services. The assessment process includes, the initial referral, the initial assessment and the in-depth assessment. The assessment process should be needs led and not service-led. Community care services are greatly in demand and the screening process is used to determine who needs the treatment the most. Drug agencies undertaking assessment may receive referrals from the criminal justice system or other agencies. Basic referral forms are filled in with the details of the service user, such as factors and the reason for referral. My client has been referred from the criminal justice system to a drug agency for assessment. The initial interview with the service user will determine whether or not they need a more in-depth assessment or a formal care plan. Most local authorities have certain criteria and priority levels to which they can base their response on. The service user is told what is involved in the assessment, is told about confidentiality policies and whether or not there will be any participation of others. The service users are told what to do if they want to use complaint procedures or appeal if they are against any decisions made at or after the assessment. The initial assessment will determine the seriousness of the problem and the level of need required. My client has more complex needs with his addiction problems so he would require a more in-depth formal assessment so that a care plan can be made for him. This assessment will include personal details, family and relationships, social details, significant life events, social supports and networks, comprehensive history of addictions and associated problems. The assessment will also include, treatment history, risk behaviour, criminal history and current offending behaviour, financial status, physical health, mental health problems, past and present, self concepts, perceived needs and the level of motivation to address these needs, personal resources and abilities, resources and abilities of partners and carers, other agency assessments and specialist assessments and the conclusions and suggested interventions of the assessment. Robertson (1998,p.376) suggests that care planning should involved developing a package of care, which will meet the client’s needs. Care plans are systematic approaches and include all the care and treatment that will be provided and the desired outcome. Care plans are monitored measured and reviewed and will involve the client, service provider, an assessor and a care manager. The care plan will involve information gathered at the assessment in an easy to monitor format and will illustrate the behaviours that need to be addressed and it will have separate sections for identifying the needs of the problem. Partnerships between the criminal justice system and the treatment agencies direct substance-misusing offenders to the appropriate services. There are many initiatives aimed at encouraging substance misusers to take part in appropriate treatment that will help them. In the UK there are twelve step agencies that are also know as the ‘Minnesota method of treatment’. These agencies are funded through statutory sources. The aim of these agencies is to treat the dependence on drugs to help reduce drug misuse and to help the client give up drugs completely when they feel ready to do so. Three intermediate aims are to help resolve the underlying problems that contribute to drug misuse, to help the client gain more control and minimize harm also known as harm minimization (Keene, 1997,p.223). The Government produced a drug strategy in 1998 in the UK called, ‘Tackling drugs to build a better Britain.’ This was updated again in 2002. The strategy sets out the range of interventions and policies to help reduce harm caused by using illegal drugs by the year 2008. The drug intervention programme used to be known as the criminal justice interventions programme. The government aims to cut crime related to drug use. This strategy uses the criminal justice system to help direct offenders who used drugs out of crime and into treatment. There are different kinds of interventions used by drug service workers. Psychological interventions are very useful when it comes to help treat someone with a drug addiction. Professional psychotherapy is very effective and good quality drug counselling can also be very effective. Psychological interventions are, cognitive behaviour therapy, motivational interviewing, and the twelve-step treatment program that I discussed earlier and relapse prevention. Some people think that complementary and alternative therapies are useful, but there is not enough evidence in the population to back up this claim. The model of care, introduced by the National Treatment agency (NTA), is a framework that is used by Drug Services to ensure that the services provided are consistent and meet the needs of the service user. The framework is categorised by easy to understand tier levels and treatment levels. Tier one, includes primary care by health care professionals and general practitioners that provide medical services along with probation and housing services. Tier two (Open Access Services) offers a range of drop in street agencies that offer advice and support for stimulant users and substance misusers are able to drop in when there is a crisis. Tier three (Community prescribing services) is mostly geared towards opium user. Tier three, (Structured day programmes) are geared into providing education about drug misuse, and provide training for work skills and give advice about practical issues. Tier four, (Residential Care) has different systems in place for entry in different areas for entry in to residential care. The social services community care assessment team usually deal with the funding. Another option for the substance misuse offender is motivation to change. Motivational interviewing is based on using the motivational change model. The model consists of five stages with stage one being the pre-contemplation stage, stage two the contemplation stage, three the action stage, four the maintenance of change and five the relapse stage. Prochaska and DiClemente are two best-known authors on the importance of individual motivation in dependency treatment. The authors developed the motivational change module from their work with smokers. They use a Cognitive behavioural approach method and their interventions are concerned with cognitive and behavioural change (Prochaska and DiClemente, 1983,p.390). The control of drug misuse is a big problem in prisons. People are much more likely to use drugs in prison because of stress, anxiety and boredom. These levels are higher for substance misusers in prison so they would be more likely to take health risks. Drug treatment in prison could be approached the same way, as it is in the community with regimes to reduce drug related harm, rather than prevention. Because of the extent of my client’s addictive behaviour he has had a formal in-depth assessment done so that we can meet his needs. This has resulted in a care plan being made up for so that we can provide services for him and carefully monitor his progress. We have liased with other professional health services and we have had a full mental health assessment done for him. We have considered his past history of using drugs and the amount of offending he has done in the past and the length of time he has been involved in the criminal justice system. We have noticed that he has also had mental health problems in the past and that he suffers from depression. The client did not go into custody this time because of his substance offending behaviour instead he was given a probation order subject to certain conditions that he participate in a drug treatment service. We contacted drug service workers who were happy to help my client as long as he was willing to accept help. My client says that he does want to change his behaviour and put an end to his substance misuse. He has tried in the past to give up but this has always lead to a relapse. After careful consideration and after weighing up all the options of treatment for my client I decided that psychological intervention along with drug therapy was the best way forward to help reduce his drug dependency. I have decided that professional psychotherapy and relapse intervention would be the best option for him because other options have not helped him in the past. We are also going to offer him good quality counselling. My client has told me that spending time in custody has not done him any good. He told me that he gets very depressed when he is inside and this leads to more dependency on drugs. Our goal is to help him stay out of custody and reduce his dependency on drugs. We will continue to monitor, measure and review the clients care plan and see whether or not his dependency and addiction are getting bet ter. As substance service workers our goal is to meets the needs of the service user and in this instance it is to reduce substance addiction and the long term goal is to eradicate substance misuse altogether. In order to intervene effectively where there is addictive behaviour, social workers need to be able to assess and plan appropriate treatment. For my assignment I have chosen a client within the criminal justice system that has an addictive behaviour. He is a drug misuse offender and he has been involved with the criminal justice system for a few years now. I have discussed a bit about the psychology of addictive behaviour and how my client was referred to me through the criminal justice system. I have discussed the methods of assessment and the different options available. I have discussed the most suitable option for my client who I feel has deeper problems to address than some other substance misusers I have encountered. In this instance I felt that my client would benefit from a psychological form of intervention that would include psychotherapy. There are different types of psychotherapy; these are behaviour therapy that helps the client put an end to undesirable habits or certa in fears that they have. Cognitive therapy is a method that tries to show the client that certain thoughts that they are having are not good for them and that they are negative. The therapist will then try to get the client into thinking more positive thoughts in order that the persistence of negative thoughts will eventually fade away. Drug therapy is also called by the name of pharmacotherapy and it is a part of psychotherapy. The approach here with this method of intervention is to calm the person down using certain anti-anxiety drugs so that they permit the other therapies to have effect. The negative side is that sometimes these drugs encourage psychological dependence and the anxiety that was there before might return again. Some addictions such as obsessive – compulsive disorder have been successfully treated using certain antidepressant drugs. The types of interventions I have discussed do not always work for everyone. Social workers need to analyse the situation very carefully and sensitively when working with addictive behaviours. This is because it is a very sensitive area and if treatment goes wrong the client could go back to their old habits of substance misuse and become a part of the drug culture again. The aim is to reduce offending and minimise the number of substance misusers by putting carefully controlled care plans into place to address their needs. The intervention method that was used on my client was very successful and I am happy to say that my client has cured his addictive behaviour. It is important that assessments are done very carefully and to take into consideration all the important facts of the client. It is also important for social workers and other drug service workers to gain the trust of the client because without this there is less change of the client willing to accept treatment. References Barber, J. (2002) Social Work with addictions, 2nd ed. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Keene, J. (1997) Drug Misuse; Prevention, Harm, minimisation and treatment. London: Chapman Hall. Krivanek, J. A. (1982) Drug Problems, People Problems: Causes, Treatment and Prevention, Sydney, Allen Unwin. McAllister, I., Moore, R. and Makkai, T. (1991) Drug users in Australian Society: Patterns, Attitudes and Policies, Melbourne, Longman Cheshire. Oltman, T. F. (1999) Case Studies in Abnormal psychology, New York: Chichester. John Wiley Sons. Prochaska, J. O. and Diclemente, C. C. (1983) Stages and Processes of self-change of smoking: Towards a more integrative model of change. Journal of consulting and Clinical Psychology. Robertson, R. (1998) Management of Drug users in the community, a practical handbook. Arnold publishers.

The extent to which research influences policy

The extent to which research influences policy Discuss the extent to which effective development policy depends on good research Introduction In development, for one to know what aids development, why a particular system works and how effective an approach taken towards improving development is, a proper research has to have been done. Development policy is a decision made or designed to improve a condition from a problematic state to a better or an improved form. Research is said to be ‘a careful study that is done to find and report new knowledge about something’ (Merriam-Webster). Some types of research done are reviewing existing research, field experiments, secondary analysis (reviewing information from existing archives), qualitative methods, survey, case studies, and cost-benefit analysis (research done to determine the cost and benefit from an action), amongst others (Dukeshire and Thurlow 2002). Research is an important part of policy making because without research, pressing policy questions will not be answered as it’s hard to make a policy without identifying a problem, the context in which the problem is based and possible solutions that a policy could enforce. In a research at the IMF in 2011, Moises Schwartz, the director of IEO states that â€Å"Research is at the heart of innovation and improving policymaking†. He goes on to say that research, at the IMF, helps develop and improve conceptual models that serve as the foundation for policy recommendations. In this paper research will be used in relation to evidence-based This paper discusses how research influences policy, the gap between researchers and policy makers and how good research is needed for effective development policy making. Research and Development policy One cannot make a policy if one doesn’t know what that policy is to address. Without research, policy makers will not be informed about the problem that requires a solution through careful planning and decision making. The way research is done and presented could influence deeply the policy making process (Dukeshire and Thurlow 2002). For the creation of effective development policy, not just a policy under huge probability that it might work, proper research has to be done. Furthermore, for the improvement of quality of life and reduction in poverty, a proper use of research and evidence in the making and practice of development policy, is required (Court et al 2004). Research promotes credibility and also plays an important role on how policymaking is thought of by country authorities and also, research improves the gathering and spread of global knowledge (IMF 2011). Effective development policy requires researches that are relevant to the particular policy question. Researches done for a specific development policy question will look at the problem from all spheres, gather knowledge about the problem from the place the problem is situated and the people it affects, carry out a thorough case study and could also ask indigenous people to suggest solutions as they know better what will work for them and then make recommendations which will influence the development policy making. This entire process will ensure that the policy is effective as the decision will be based on research that addressed the problem directly and evidence produced. People in a community, through participatory approach, a research technique, could identify problems in their society and proffer solutions to these problems (green et al 1995; Frankish et al 1997). The 1999 white paper on modernizing government adopted evidence based policy as part of its philosophy as it expressed its expectations of policy makers to bring up new ideas, take a different approach to the way things have been done in the past he use of research in the policy making process and also to create policies that will proffer effective long term solutions. Research helps policy makers be well informed about a situation a policy is to address however â€Å"†¦there is nothing a government hates more than to be well-informed for it makes the process of arriving at decisions much more complicated and difficult† ( Skidelsky 1992). In my own opinion, research restrains the government from making a â€Å"one fit all† policy. It is easier for a government or donor institutions to make a ‘one fit all’ policy than going through the process of research, gaining adequate knowledge about a particular problem and having to make policies that fit specifi c contexts or societies and not been able to make a general policy that is not based on specific contexts or a countries specificity. In basil jones paper on linking research to policy, he says to achieve effectiveness and efficiency better sector work has to be done alongside research and analysis in development process which will in turn influence policy making. Without research or proper knowledge of a development problem, it is hard to make right decisions that will enable effective solutions. There is a great link between research and policy making although, it has been said that there is a gap between policy makers and researchers. It said that researchers make their findings inaccessible, sometimes lengthy, in a different language and uneasy to decipher just in time for policy decisions (Jones, 2011). Also, researchers do not research on problems facing policy makers but answer questions based on the tools and resources they have (World Bank 2010). Development policies are made based on finding solutions to development problems and research seeks to study and find possible and optimum solutions to those problems. Thus, without proper communication between the researchers and policy makers, it will be impossible to make an effective development policy as it is impossible to make a developmental progress if these two actors are working individually or separately. Conclusion it has been noted that governments and donor institutions tend to make ‘one fit all’ policies that will cut across different countries without taking into consideration the different countries peculiarity or its institutional context and sometimes are accused of making policies based on existing data from doctored research plans and conclusions that fit an existing policy or research done before without making room for new researches (Brettenwoods project, 2011). For example, the prevalent view amongst staffs of the IMF is that research findings need to be in relation with current IMF policies and evaluations done at the IMF showed that some researches were done with the conclusion and an already present policy in mind and some researches had different conclusions and recommendations separate from the analysis done in the research (IMF 2011). Furthermore, some NGOs have distorted the policy making process which renders the policy incapable and in turn creating negative e ffect on the poor by not engaging in research based evidence (Harper 2001). Above, it was noted that there was a significant gap between policy makers and researchers which needed to be bridged. Bridging the gap between these two actors In the development process could be done by making good use of researches that have been done and researchers communicating their findings to policy makers(court and young 2006). Also these donors should not make it all about the funding but also gaining or gathering and sharing new knowledge which can only be gotten from good research (Jones 2011). Policy questions should be the basis for a research and not just research based on the resources available to the researcher or what attracts the interest of the researcher at that time. Furthermore, in considering the future of development, results that influence policy and practice and relevant to poor people’s needs could be gotten by the improving the researchers effectiveness to produce such results. This was stated in a 2008 research strategy of DFID. Finally in answering the question to which extent effective development policy depends on good research, before a policy is made, there has to be an evidence of a problem and the evidence of the problem and knowledge gathered about the problem is held in mind before a decision is made to improve the condition of a problem, so basically there cannot be a policy without a research of some kind. Therefore, a development policy depends on research but an effective development policy that will properly address a problem that is being faced will depend on a good and thorough research. This paper has discussed the link and gap between research and policy, the dependency of policy on research and also the benefits of an evidence based policy. References â€Å"Research† Merriam-webster.com. Merriam-Webster, n.d. web 26 February 2014 http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/research Brettenwoods (2011). Evaluations suggest IMF, World Bank research ideologically driven [online] Available: http:// http://www.brettonwoodsproject.org/2011/09/art-568905/ [Accessed: 24 February 2014] Cabinet office (1999) modernizing government stationary office: London, Ch. 2, Para. 6. Cm 4320. Available at www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/mordengov/whtpaper/index.htm> Court, J. and Young, J. (2006) Bridging research and policy in international development: an analytical and practical framework. Development in Practice, Volume 16, Number 1, February 2006. Court, J., Hovland, I. and Young, J. (2004) Bridging Research and Policy in International Development: Evidence and the Change Process, ITDG. Dukeshire, S. Thurlow, J. (2002). Understanding the Link Between Research and Policy. Rural Communities Impacting Policy Project Frankish, C.J., George, A., Daniel, M., Doyle-Waters, M. Walker, M. (1997). Participatory health promotion research in Canada: A community guidebook. Ottawa, ON: Health Canada, Health Promotion Development Division. Green, L., George, M., Daniel, M., Frankish, J., Herbert, C., Bowie, W. O’Neill, M. (1995). The study of participatory research in health promotion: Review and recommendations for the development of participatory research in health promotion in Canada. Ottawa: The Royal Society of Canada. Harper, C. (2001). Do the Facts Matter? NGOs, Research and Policy Advocacy, in Edwards, M. Gaventa, J., Global Citizen Action. Lynne Reinner Publishers Jones, B. (2011), Linking Research to Policy: The African Development Bank as Knowledge Broker, Series N ° 131, African Development Bank, Tunis, Tunisia. Research at the IMF: relevance and utilization / [prepared by an IEO team led by Ruben Lamdany and Hali Edison]. – Washington, D.C.: International Monetary Fund, 2011. Skidelsky, R. (1992) John Maynard Keynes; a biography. Vol 2: the economist as saviour, 1920-1937 macilian: London p 630. World Bank (September 2010) â€Å"Research for Development – A World Bank Perspective on Future Direction for Research† Policy Research Working Paper 5437 Yaron, G. And Louise, S. (2008) Good practice in evidence informed policy: An initial review for DFID. 1

Lord Of The Flies :: essays research papers

Select one chapter from Lord of the Flies and assess its importance to the novel as a whole. ‘Lord of the Flies’ is about what happens to a group of schoolboys when they are abandoned on an island following a plane crash. Chapter eight ‘Gift for the Darkness’ has much significance in the novel, as it is here that Simon converses with ‘The Lord of the Flies’. Jack separates himself from Ralph’s group, showing that Jack has now been consumed by evil. The signal fire is moved and now there are two marked rival groups on the island, one belonging to Jack and the other Ralph. Chapter eight, ‘Gift for the Darkness’, has many themes, one of the most prominent being the Beast, which is the boys’ greatest fear. In chapter seven they had come across a dead parachutist and had believed it to be a beast. The beast represents the evil residing within everyone. The Beast is used as a scapegoat by the boys to avoid self-knowledge. Golding uses the boys’ daydreams to show their fears and desires. The Beast gives the boys’ fear something to focus on. Golding expresses various types of fears in the book and many are apparent in chapter eight. There is fear that all is not known concerning the Beast. â€Å"The beast had teeth†¦ and big black eyes.† The boys did not actually see the Beast and are making this up. This only causes their fear to escalate except for Piggy’s. He is by far the most intellectual and skeptical of the boys. He knows that the adult world and books would not abide by the legend of the ‘beastie’. Just after the only kill in chapter eight, the boys’ gradual degeneration into savages is obvious by their actions: â€Å"Then Jack found the throat and the hot blood spouted over his hands†¦then Jack grabbed Maurice and rubbed the stuff over his cheeks.† This is almost a tribal ritual making a mask. The boys use masks to cover their identity and this allows them to kill. â€Å"He was safe from the shame or self-consciousness behind the mask†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This illustrates that the mask somehow gives the boys a sense of security. â€Å"Demoniac figures with faces of white and red and green rushed out howling†¦Ã¢â‚¬  From this quote it can be seen that the boys have totally lost their individuality and become like animals, almost indistinguishable from the other.

Use of Devices in Londons To Build A Fire :: London To Build a Fire Essays

Use of Devices in London's To Build A Fire Jack London uses the devices of plot, setting, and characterization in this short story "To Build A Fire" to convey his message that humans need to be social. London sets an average, middle-aged logger in a deserted Yukon trail during a wintry season. The temperature is seventy-five degrees below zero and the logger and his husky are traveling towards Henderson Creek, about ten miles away, where the logger's companions are located. London places the man in this Yukon environment to symbolize that in this cold, cruel world, we need to learn how to benefit from each other. Prior to embarking on his journey, the logger is given advice from an old-timer at Sulfur Creek that "no man must travel alone in the Klondike after fifty below". The logger thinks this is "rather womanish" and believes he can survive by himself. Along his journey, the man encounters death as he falls into a spring, where "At a place where there were no signs, where the soft, unbroken snow seemed to advertise solidity beneath, the man broke through. It was not deep. He wet himself halfway up the knees before he floundered out to the firm crust". Then the man builds a fire beneath a tree and snow falls over it putting it out. London creates these natural events in the plot to prove they are not the cause of the man's death. Using characterization, London is able to display on account of who is alive at the end how one benefits from being social. The old-timer at Sulfur Creek is alive because he is experienced and wise enough to benefit from others' experiences that it is not wise to travel alone in the Yukon. The boys at camp are also alive because they are together and can benefit from each other. The logger's husky is alive because it is well-suited for the Yukon environment, while the logger is not. Unlike the other characters, London has the man die at the end of the story to display that he dies because of his arrogance in his ability to travel alone. Use of Devices in London's To Build A Fire :: London To Build a Fire Essays Use of Devices in London's To Build A Fire Jack London uses the devices of plot, setting, and characterization in this short story "To Build A Fire" to convey his message that humans need to be social. London sets an average, middle-aged logger in a deserted Yukon trail during a wintry season. The temperature is seventy-five degrees below zero and the logger and his husky are traveling towards Henderson Creek, about ten miles away, where the logger's companions are located. London places the man in this Yukon environment to symbolize that in this cold, cruel world, we need to learn how to benefit from each other. Prior to embarking on his journey, the logger is given advice from an old-timer at Sulfur Creek that "no man must travel alone in the Klondike after fifty below". The logger thinks this is "rather womanish" and believes he can survive by himself. Along his journey, the man encounters death as he falls into a spring, where "At a place where there were no signs, where the soft, unbroken snow seemed to advertise solidity beneath, the man broke through. It was not deep. He wet himself halfway up the knees before he floundered out to the firm crust". Then the man builds a fire beneath a tree and snow falls over it putting it out. London creates these natural events in the plot to prove they are not the cause of the man's death. Using characterization, London is able to display on account of who is alive at the end how one benefits from being social. The old-timer at Sulfur Creek is alive because he is experienced and wise enough to benefit from others' experiences that it is not wise to travel alone in the Yukon. The boys at camp are also alive because they are together and can benefit from each other. The logger's husky is alive because it is well-suited for the Yukon environment, while the logger is not. Unlike the other characters, London has the man die at the end of the story to display that he dies because of his arrogance in his ability to travel alone.

Importance of Gender in Sophocles Antigone :: Antigone essays

Antigone - Importance of gender in the opening scene In looking at the first few exchanges between Ismene and Antigone by Sophocles, it is greatly apparent that there are plenty of social issues surrounding women from ancient Greece. In looking at the contextual background of the playwright, the representation of the women within the play and at the imagined response of a contemporary and ancient audience; we can see that this play raises many gender and socially related issues. Looking briefly at the contextual element to the play in terms of the playwright, it is worth considering that Sophocles himself was a political writer. He was elected by lot to become one of nine generals to command during an ancient skirmish. This took place the same year he wrote the play 'Antigone'. His fame for writing this play propelled him into fame among his peers and fellow citizens. Even within the play itself we can see that there is a political effort. This comes directly from the protagonist King Creon. He wants to rule fairly but firmly. His power as, not only a King, but as a human being come into focus to an audience as he must decided whether or not to go against his heart by killing his niece for disobeying a law he laid down. This is also a law he could quite simply change, but he doesn't. This would directly give any audience the notion that the ideal ruler is someone who can put the matters of their heart to one side and put the greater good of the people first. When we meet the characters in the first scene, it is important to note what they actually say about each other and their knowledge of their own social status. When we meet Antigone, she is the first character to speak. The audience later learns that she is the antagonist of the play as she rebels against the protagonist, Creon. It is also worth noting that there is a similarity between the name of the heroine Antigone and the term antagonist. This gives the audience, especially of ancient Greece the feeling that Antigone has been fated to be the antagonist and to die for it in a tragic manner. Her sister Ismene who is the second character the audience will meet initially describes Antigone. "You seem so dark and grim" (25) says Ismene of her sister.

Euthanasia Essay

Thesis: Euthanasia, and a common form of euthanasia, assisted suicide, should be legal processes through which aterminally ill individual may voluntarily end his or her own life. Summary: As of 2009, assisted suicide was legal in only three states: Oregon, Washington, and Montana. Since itsinception in those states, assisted suicide has proven to be an effective, but rarely employed means of allowing a terminallyill person to end his or her life in a dignified manner. Though the United States federal government has opposed measures toenact federal legislation that would legalize euthanasia and assisted suicide, the time has come for the federal governmentand the remainder of the states to recognize that, inherent in the right to live freely is the right to decide when to humanelyend one’s life. Introduction To understand the debate surrounding euthanasia, one must first understand euthanasia and its related variations. Theterm euthanasia, taken from the Greek word for â€Å"easy death,† refers to the process by which a physician prescribes andadministers a fatal dose of drugs to a terminally ill individual in a controlled medical environment, thus causing their death ina quick and painless manner. Euthanasia is commonly referred to as physician-assisted suicide. Assisted suicide, a relatedform of euthanasia, describes the process by which a physician or pharmacist only prescribes the fatal drugs, leaving theterminally ill individual to ingest the drugs on their own, at a time of their choosing. As of 2009, physician-assisted suicidewas not legal in any state in America, while assisted suicide was legal in three states. The Federal Government & the Courts A quartet of United States Supreme Court cases (Washington v. Glucksberg, Vacco v. Quill, Gonzales v. Oregon, and Cruzanv. Director, Missouri Department of Health) have helped to shape the legal landscape in the debate over euthanasia and anindividual’s right to refuse medical treatment. In Glucksberg and Vacco, companion cases decided in 1997, the SupremeCourt ruled that states have the authority to prohibit assisted suicide and against the notion that the right to die isguaranteed in the Constitution. More recently, in the 2006 Gonzales case, the Court held in a 6-3 opinion that the UnitedStates attorney general could not enforce a drug law, the Controlled Substances Act, against physicians   and pharmacists as ameans of punishing them for prescribing fatal doses of drugs to terminally ill patients. Finally, in the Cruzan case, theSupreme Court upheld the right of competent persons to refuse medical treatment, but ruled that clear and convincingevidence must exist of that person’s desire to limit the life-saving measures to be performed on them. The practical impact of these rulings is that, because the federal government cannot prosecute physicians and pharmacistswho prescribe drugs to terminally ill patients, the debate over euthanasia and assisted suicide in the US has primarily takenplace on the state level. Furthermore, while individuals have the constitutional right to prevent physicians from taking life-saving measures in the event of their incapacitation, they must make clear their desire, usually through a living will or a donot resuscitate order. Success at the State Level In 1994, Oregon became the first state to pass an assisted suicide law. The Oregon Death with Dignity Act has served as amodel statute in other states’ attempts to pass assisted suicide legislation. The act has several important provisions that, readtogether, provide safeguards for the terminally ill, the physicians that diagnose their terminal illnesses, and the pharmaciststhat prescribe lethal drugs. The act requires first, that a patient be diagnosed by a physician as having a terminal illness thatwill end the patient’s life within six months. Then, upon the patient’s request, a physician or pharmacist that has no moral orprofessional objection to assisted suicide will prescribe a lethal dose of drugs that the patient can ingest at a time of theirchoosing. Notably, the act has several safeguards, among them a requirement that the patient’s initial request for aprescription be witnessed by two people; that a second physician concur in the initial diagnos is of a terminal illness givingthe patient no more than six months to live; a conclusion that the patient is of sound mind; and a waiting period underwhich the patient must wait fifteen days before making a second, and final, oral request for the lethal prescription. These rules and safeguards ensure that only those who are both terminally ill and of a sound mind are able to obtain a lethaldose of drugs after having made a voluntary and informed decision. Additionally, and importantly, the act does not requirethose physicians or pharmacists opposed to assisted suicide to participate in, sanction, or play any role in bringing about thedeath of a term  inally ill person. The Washington Initiative 1000, passed by voters in 2008, was based on the Oregon act and, consequently, wassubstantially similar in its provisions and safeguards. Most recently, in December, 2008, a Montana trial court judge ruled thatcompetent, terminally ill patients have the right to self-administer lethal doses of drugs prescribed by a physician, thoughthat decision has been appealed to the Montana Supreme Court. Because assisted suicide in Washington and Montana is relatively new, Oregon is the only state in which data concerning theuse of lethal drugs by the terminally ill has been compiled. In the eight-year period from 1998 to 2006, 455 lethalprescriptions were written for terminally ill individuals, and 292 of those individuals used that prescription to commit suicide. Analysis of this data indicates that only around thirty-five terminally ill individuals die each year in Oregon as a result of theassisted suicide law. This data further suggests that physicians are carefully screening applicants, issuing on average onlyfifty-seven prescriptions per year. Finally, it is also clear that applicants carefully weigh the decision to use the prescription,judging by the fact that 35 percent of prescriptions issued to terminally ill patients—who have satisfied the numerousrequirements under Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act—went unused. International Law Oregon, Washington, and Montana are not the only jurisdictions in the world in which forms of euthanasia are legal.Notably, assisted suicide, in some form, is legal in both Belgium and the Netherlands, the latter of which has also legalizedphysician assisted suicide. Additionally, Germany has no law legalizing assisted suicide, but has not traditionally penalizedthose who have helped to end the life of a terminally ill person. As researchers have noted, however, death and suicide havedifferent stigmas attached to them depending on, among other factors, where one lives and the culture in which one wasraised. Consequently, it is not surprising that assisted suicide has been legalized in certain parts of the world, while it remainsa crime elsewhere. In the United States, however, where an individual has always in been control of their mind, body, souland destiny, death and suicide do not have as negative a cultural connotation as they may have in other parts of the world. The Social, Et hical, Medical & Economic Reasons Assisted suicide places the individual in control of his or her future, allowing the individual to decide how, when, and wherethey die. While an issue of self-determination, there are practical concerns that face the dying. Often, a terminally ill personwatches their savings account plummet while his or her medical costs and insurance premiums—assuming they are fortunateenough to have medical insurance—skyrocket. If they do not have insurance, it is unlikely they are able to afford even the most basic medications to controltheir pain or reduce their symptoms. Though their disease is incurable, in the later stages of their illness, they often take up a hospital bed and medicalresources, as well as the time of doctors, nurses and other hospital staff—time and health care dollars that could be expended on a person who can successfullybe treated and released. Friends and relatives watch their loved one suffer without remedy, knowing that the illness is fatal, but unable to do anything besideswait. Assisted suicide provides a quick and painless death, in contrast to the expected months of suffering a terminally ill patient must endure under normalcircumstances. The decision to end life on their own terms saves precious medical resources, ensures that the patient’s family will not financially sufferunnecessarily as a result of the illness, and allows the patient, and their family and friends, to say goodbye on their own terms in a quick and painless way.Notably, these arguments apply with equal force to physician-assisted suicide, wherein a physician not only monitors the patient to be sure they remaincompetent, but also administers the drugs at a time of the patient’s choosing, thus helping to ensure that the patient’s death is quick and painless. Opposition to Euthanasia Opposition to euthanasia comes in part from religious and social organizations that generally oppose measures that result in the death of an individual. Suchfeelings are indeed understandable, and it is difficult to change a person’s moral convictions. These organizations are free to petition their elected officials andto champion their causes—that right is fundamental to a democratic system. They also must, however, recognize the decisions made through a democraticprocess, as those initiatives in Oregon and Washington, where the majority of voters approved assisted suicide. (It is worth noting that some of these sameorganizations support the imposition of the death penalty for certain crimes,  citing the biblical passage â€Å"an eye for an eye.† In other words, some of thesegroups support the death of an individual when society has deemed it acceptable, but not when the individual himself seeks to end his life.) Other opponents include some doctors and physic ians, who have, as a condition of their license to practice medicine or dispense prescription medication, takena Hippocratic Oath requiring that they do no harm to patients. Importantly, however, the assisted suicide laws that have passed in Washington and Oregon donot by any means require the participation of physicians or pharmacists. Consequently, those physicians or pharmacists with a moral, professional, or religiousopposition to assisted suicide need not participate in any way in the assisted suicide of a patient. The same holds true for physician-assisted suicide which, inthe countries where it is legal, is practiced voluntarily. Finally, some in the medical field express concern over whether the terminally ill are of sound mind whenconsenting to suicide. While this is a valid and serious concern, the laws passed in Oregon and Washington, requiring multiple examinations, medicallyconsistent diagnoses, a waiting period, and a conclusion that the patient is of sound mind, serve to dramatically lessen any possibility that an incompetentpatient could be prescribed a fatal dose of drugs. Choosing for Others, but not for Oneself The death penalty is an authorized form of punishment in the federal criminal justice system, and also exists in well over half of the states. Through participationin the jury system and by electing officials into office who are charged with enforcing the death penalty, citizens have a role in determining which individualsare eligible for the death penalty and, more fundamentally, whether the death penalty as a form of punishment should persist, or should be repealed. Similarly,the United States Supreme Court has ruled that pregnant women have the right to choose—in many circumstances—whether to terminate their pregnancy. These examples demonstrate the contradiction that exists in forty-seven of the United States, under which average citizens are capable of playing a vital role indeciding whether other individuals live or die. These same citizens, though, are not entrusted with the same authority to make that decision when it comes totheir own lives in the extreme case of an incurable, terminal illness. Such a contradiction cannot stand. To preserve the dignity of human life, it is imperativethat the remaining states and the federal government legalize   euthanasia, whether in the form of physician-assisted suicide or assisted suicide, to provide asafe and dignified way for terminally individuals to end their suffering. With the advent of drugs that can both prolong and terminate life, as well as medical technology that can keep patients technically alive even in comatose or vegetative states, many questions have been raised about the quality of life each person deserves and identifying the fine line that demarcates the end of life. In addition, in the United States—a country marked from its inception by the hallmarks of individuality and personal responsibility—citizens and lawmakers alike are wrestling with issues regarding the degree to which an individual or family member should be empowered to make personal, private decisions about whether to continue medical care or choose the time, place and manner of death. Activists on both sides of the euthanasia debate have lobbied lawmakers to enact legislation in support of their views. The right to die movement is gaining support as a humane alternative to a poor quality of life maintained solely through continuous medical intervention. U nderstanding the Discussion Euthanasia: The practice of ending a person’s life either through an intentional act or by withholding medical care. The action is performed without malice, but with the intention of alleviating suffering or ending the pain of a terminal illness or poor quality of life. Hospice: An alternative program of care for patients in the final stages of life, in which efforts are not designed to treat the patient’s underlying illness but rather to provide pain management, symptom control, and family support. Informed consent: A patient’s expression of knowledge and acceptance of the risks, benefits, and alternative treatment options of a medical procedure and subsequent permission to a physician to perform the procedure. Physician-assisted suicide: A procedure in which a physician deliberately and knowingly provides lethal drugs at the individual’s request for the purpose of self-administration. Right to die: A belief that individuals should have the authority to c hoose the time, place and manner of their death. Terminal illness: A medical condition that is so advanced that treatment options are no longer available. History Although modern medical advancements and increased patient autonomy have renewed public interest in the right to die, the practice of euthanasia has been in existence for centuries. Numerous Greek and Roman writings have revealed a belief that death, even if initiated by self or another person, was preferable to prolonged suffering. However, this belief was not universal. The Hippocratic Oath, which medical practitioners in the United States have traditionally recited or agreed to uphold as a basic tenet of their practice, is believed to have been penned about 400 BCE by the Greek physician Hippocrates, known as the â€Å"Father of Medicine.† The oath includes promises not to provide deadly medicine to any one if asked or even suggest such a course of action, and to never cause any patient harm. In the US, prohibitions against intentionally aiding in the death of another date back to the country’s formation. Early American statutes outlawed both suicide and assisted sui cide. In the early 1900s, a physician’s grim decision brought euthanasia to the forefront of public debate. On November 12, 1915, a badly deformed child was born to Anna Bollinger. Her doctor conferred with the hospital’s chief of staff, Dr. Harry J. Haiselden, who advised against performing surgery to save the child. Five days later, the baby girl died, and the case and Dr. Haiselden’s decision were widely debated. During the 1930s, widespread distress caused by the Great Depression and its accompanying economic turbulence led to a spike in suicide rates and discussions of euthanasia and a right to self-determination over end-of-life matters. Public opinion polls revealed a growing belief that euthanasia was acceptable under certain circumstances. While it seemed that public support for legalizing euthanasia was coalescing, World War II broke out and the world recoiled in horror as news of Nazi death camps and the calculated mass extermination of vulnerable members of society made international headlines. Such atrocities dampened support for any form of legalized assistance in initiating another’s death. For several decades, discussions of euthanasia simmered largely in the background. In 1976, the tragic case of twenty-one year old Karen Ann Quinlan once again moved the euthanasia debate to national headlines. After consuming alcohol and prescription drugs at a party, Quinlan lost consciousness and ceased breathing. Quinlan was rushed to the hospital, where doctors declared that she was in a â€Å"persistent  vegetative state,† with full recovery unlikely. Her adoptive parents fought a year-long legal battle for rights to make the final decision to remove her respirator, thereby likely ensuring the end of her life. Although the New Jersey Supreme Court ultimately ruled in favor of the Quinlan family, Karen continued breathing naturally after her respirator was removed for nearly a decade, until she finally succumbed to complications from pneumonia. In 1980, right to die advocate Derek Humphry formed the Hemlock Society, a grassroots organization that has worked to advance euthanasia legislation. In addition, growing consensus for patients’ rights, including the right to refuse medical care—and even life-sustaining care—refocused attention on the right to die m ovement. Over the next several decades, public support for autonomy in end of life decision making has increased, with several states enacting legislation that recognizes living wills, or a legal document in which a person expresses his or her wishes regarding life prolonging medical treatments, including the withdrawal or refusal of life-sustaining medical treatment. Euthanasia Today The history of euthanasia in the US has been marked by several significant cases. The Quinlan case, although decided by a state supreme court, led to the advent of formal ethics committees in hospitals, nursing homes and hospices that provide support in complying with a patient’s advanced health care directives, or written instructions to family members and health care professionals about end of life care. In 1990, the US Supreme Court first ruled on the right to die movement in Cruzan v. Director, Missouri Department of Health. A car accident left Nancy Cruzan permanently unconscious and her parents requested that her feeding tube be withdrawn. After years of continuous care, most of the costs for Cruzan’s hospitalization were being paid by the State of Missouri. Although a Missouri district court granted the Cruzan family’s request to remove the tube, the director of the Missouri Department of Health took the case on appeal to the Missouri Supreme Court, arguin g for clear proof of Nancy Cruzan’s end of life wishes. The case went before the US Supreme Court, which ruled that a competent person has a constitutionally protected right to refuse any medical treatment, although states have a right to insist on clear and convincing evidence as to a patient’s wishes. In this case, there

Union and Intersection

Primary Task Response: Write at least 3 paragraphs that respond to the following questions with your thoughts, ideas, and comments. Be substantive and clear, and use examples to reinforce your ideas. Part I: Describe how the notion of union and intersection apply to retrieving records in databases. Give an example of 2 sets that might appear in a database to help in your description. A prominent couple is found murdered in their mansion located in an affluent neighborhood. The housekeeper found the bodies and called the police.The housekeeper tells the detectives that quite a few valuables are missing from the house: artwork, electronics, jewelry, cash etc. In the initial stages of the investigation the detectives cannot decide whether this was a robbery gone wrong or a murder the perpetrator tried to disguise into a robbery. Not wanting to miss any potential leads the police compiles a joint list of suspects: every suspect on this list is either a known robber or a known killer (or both). For the first set R={x| x has a robbery rap sheet} they access the Theft/Robbery Division database.For the second set M={y |y has a murder in his criminal record} they access the Homicide Division database. It is not uncommon that different divisions within the same police department maintain different databases. Although state and national databases do exist they are usually slow moving and most often than not they generate unmanageably long lists of suspects. The advantage of a local database consists in a much easier access and output which is oftentimes much more relevant to the investigation – in 99% of the cases the crime is perpetrated by a local suspect.Thus the initial set of suspects S is the union of R and M: S=R? M. Suppose however that S has too many suspects. Given the personnel shortage it is not feasible to investigate every name which appears in S. the police needs to find a way to narrow down this list. After re-interviewing the neighbors, it turns ou t that one of them witnessed a suspicious green Chevy van idling on a street corner close to the murdered couple’s house. The van was in a rough shape which made it unlikely to be owned by one of the local residents.The detectives have now a clue that helps them narrow down their list of suspects. They access the DMV database to extract the list of drivers who own an older model green Chevy van. In other words they retrieve the set C= { z | z owns a green Chevy van}. The investigators then compare their list of suspects S , to the names listed in C, looking for common entries. In other words they are interested in the set of prime suspects P, where P is the intersection between S and C: P=S? C. Part II :Discuss the notion of the logical â€Å"or† and the logical â€Å"and† in computer programming (coding) or flowcharts.Why is it important to know how to apply these correctly? The traditional scope of computer science was the automation of numerical operations. B ut since reasoning can be seen as a kind of computation, in principle it can be automated as well. Computers represent information using bits. A bit is a symbol with two possible values, zero and one. The word bit comes from binary digit, because zeros and ones are the digits used in binary representations of numbers Computer bit operations correspond to the logical connectives.Information is represented using bit strings, which are lists of zeros and ones. Operations on the bit strings can be used to manipulate this information. At a very basic level, the binary string approach accompanied by the operations that can be performed with these strings via the logical connectives constitute our way of translating the problem in a form the computer can â€Å"understand†. Eventually, the computer is the perfect executant so it will end up doing exactly what we told him to do – which is not always the same with what we intended to have him do.The difference between 0 and 1 ma y not seem large; however, in absolute terms is as large as the difference between true and false, or the difference between black and white. The use of 0’s and 1’s is a matter of convenience if anything else; alternatively we can work with â€Å"dinks† and â€Å"dunks† with exactly the same (logical) result. A quick example is most likely going to drive this point home. One of the places where logical connectives are used most frequently are the internet search engines. Suppose however that by a silly programming mistake a certain search engine XYZ. om reads â€Å"or† instead of â€Å"and† and vice-versa. Suppose your instructor recommended an article written by Jones and Smith on the topic of logical connectives. The instructor could not remember the authors’ first names nor the exact title of the paper but he suggested that a quick search on XYZ. com should help you locate the paper in no time. Needless to say if your search query â€Å"Jones† AND â€Å"Smith† AND â€Å"Logical† AND â€Å"connectives† is interpreted as â€Å"Jones† OR â€Å"Smith† OR â€Å"Logical† OR â€Å"connectives† the chances of locating the paper are just as great as the chances of finding thr needle in the haystack.