The Beheading of Precious Doe

On April 28, 2001, the nude, decapitated body of a 3-year-old girl was found near an intersection in Kansas City, Missouri. Two days later her head was found nearby in a plastic garbage bag. It would be more than four years before the girl, given the name Precious Doe by police, would be identified as Erica Green. Sketches, computer drawings and busts of the child were distributed nationwide and on several television crime programs before a relative came forward and identified the victim on May 5, 2005. Mother, Stepfather Charged in Case The Precious Doe case had frustrated police for four years and had been featured on several television crime shows, including Americas Most Wanted.   In the end, police say, it was a tip from a family member that finally helped authorities identify the child and also those responsible for her death. Press reports said a grandfather of one of the principles involved came forward and provided police with photographs of Erica as well as hair samples from the child and the mother. On May 5, 2005, Michelle M. Johnson, the 30-year-old mother of Erica, and Harrell Johnson, 25, her stepfather, were arrested and charged with murder. Police said Johnson told them he was under the influence of alcohol and PCP when he became angry with Erica when she refused to go to bed. He kicked her, threw her on the floor, and left her there unconscious. Erica remained on the floor unconscious for two days, because the couple refused to seek medical help because they both had warrants out for their arrest, police said. After Erica died the Johnsons carried her to a church parking lot, then into a wooded area where the stepfather cut her head off with hedge clippers. Ericas body was found near an intersection and two days later her head was found nearby in a plastic trash bag. On December 3, 2005, prosecutors announced that they would seek the death penalty in the case against Harrell Johnson. Authorities believed that the child died while Johnson was decapitating her with hedge clippers. Cousin Sheds Light on the Abuse Suffered by Erica According to Harrell Johnsons cousin, Lawanda Driskell, The Johnsons moved in with Driskell in April 2001. Michelle Johnson helped her husband dispose of Erica by placing the dead child in a stroller as if she was asleep. Later, she told Driskell that she had given Erica to another woman to raise. She described Harrells treatment of Erica as abusive, stating that he beat her for small infractions such as crying or not wanting to eat. One day she heard a loud bang coming from childs room and for the next two days, Erica was kept in the room. The couple told Driskell that the child was sick. Michelle Johnson then told Driskell that she took Erica to live with the woman who first raised the child. Michelle Johnson Pleads Guilty   On September 13, 2007, Michelle Johnson pleaded guilty to second-degree murder of her 3-year-old daughter. In a plea deal, she agreed to testify against her husband, Harrell Johnson, who was charged with first-degree murder. In return, prosecutors agreed to recommend a 25-year-sentence for the mother of the murdered child. Precious Does Mom Testifies Against Husband Michelle Johnson told the jury that Harrell Johnson was on drugs when he kicked her daughter in the head and the child dropped to the floor unconscious. He just picked up his feet and kicked her on the side of the face. I said, What the (expletive) did you do? It shook him out of his high, Johnson said. She said she put the child in a tub of cold water, but she failed to come around. She then put her on the bedroom floor where she stayed for two days before she died. Fearing that she might be arrested on outstanding warrants, Johnson made the decision to not call for medical help. Guilty Verdict A Kansas City jury deliberated for about three hours before returning a guilty verdict. Harrell Johnson, 29, was charged with the death and the decapitation of three-year-old Erica Green, the daughter of his then-girlfriend who he married a year later.   Johnson was also convicted of endangering the welfare of a child and abuse of a child. During closing arguments, prosecutors told the jury that a guilty verdict would finally bring justice for Erica. This selfish coward made the decision to put himself before this 3-year-old childs life, said prosecutor Jim Kanatzar. Sentenced On November 21, 2008, Harrell Johnson was sentenced to life without parole.

Violence In Schools Is A Big Social Issue That Occurs Almost

Violence in schools is a big social issue that occurs almost everyday throughout the United States. There is no way to tell when it is going to happen, but when it does, people need to be prepared. This violence leads to devastating effects on the students, teachers, and families of these kids. Some violence that occurs within the schools across the United States include physical, mental, or sexual abuse, theft, vandalism, and, the most common form, fighting and bullying. One form of violence within schools that doesn’t come to mind right away though, is gun violence. Going to a smaller school in a smaller community, this wasn’t a big concern, but it can happen within any school, anywhere. Gun violence, not just within schools, but†¦show more content†¦While the concern is understandable parents should not be afraid to send their kids to school worried that something like this will happen. By doing this parents can actually harm the mental health of their children. It is also wondered if schools bring about the victimization or if it is brought into them from outside sources. A study was performed to assess the extent to which high school kids felt threatened or victimized by a threat or an actual attack using a gun. An anonymous, volunteer survey of 1653 students of both genders was taken inside a high school. 23% of the the student’s were categorized as victims. Therefore, those students have a higher risk of victimization than students who didn’t fit into this category. Some factors that played a role in predicting the levels of victimization were gender and if they were involved in violent actions outside of school. It is concluded that violence is brought into the school rather than being provoked or produced by the school. Children can have psychological effects due to gun violence, both short and long term. Those exposed to the violence can have effects such as anger, posttraumatic stress disorder, withdrawals, and desensitization to violence. (Garbarino et al., 2002). Exposure of gun violence to children, especially those who have been injured due to it, those who have witnessed it, or those who experience it quite often within the schools are at a greater risk for those negativeShow MoreRelatedProblems and Solutions to Violence in Schools Essay1239 Words   |  5 PagesViolence is a very important issue that is coming to the front in todays school systems. School violence is a `complex social policy problem and is considered very complicated and hard to define. My paper is on school violence and the methods in which the government and schools can provide support and/or programs to help stem the recent rash of incidents. These steps include: use of `less violent materials, peer mediation interventio ns, police presence and action, individualizing of the troublemaker(s)Read MoreYouth Violence: Identify the Cause and Work Towards Prevention1494 Words   |  6 Pagesdictionary, Violence is the exertion of physical force so as to injure or abuse. Violence is often a behavioral response that children are taught to use in order to achieve their goals. On the other hand, violence can become a routine and automatic way of coping with stressful situations for some children (Youth Violence and Suicide Prevention Team 1999). You violence is an old problem that is frequently an issue over which there is much debate. Unfortunately, the increasing violence amongst childrenRead MoreEssay on Bullying and Violence in Public Schools1365 Words   |  6 PagesBullying and Violence in Public Schools Although bullying has always been a problem in schools, it has more recently become a bigger crisis with vicious consequences. â€Å"However it is defined, bullying is not just child’s play, but a terrifying experience many schoolchildren face everyday. It can be as direct as teasing, hitting or threatening, or as indirect as exclusions, rumors or manipulation† (Garrett 2). Most kids do not think certain actions are classified as bullying, yet theyRead MoreThe Correlation between Crime and Poverty Essay1122 Words   |  5 PagesA violent crime occurs every 23.5 seconds in the United States of America. Even though crime has been at a low during the past decade, violence is still prevalent in today’s society. Most of these crimes happen in places that are socio-economically disadvantaged. There then is the debate of whether violent crime is associated with environments struck with poverty. There is a correlation between violent crimes and poverty becaus e of the unemployment rates in major cities, the culture of poor areasRead MoreDomestic Violence in the United States1516 Words   |  7 PagesDomestic violence affects a large amount of relationships in the United States each year. As the times have changed, abuse has become less accepted as a normal occurrence, and society has begun working together to provide awareness towards violence in intimate partner relationships. â€Å"Problems of family violence are potentially the most destructive in our society† (Kurland 23). Domestic violence is a problem that begins in the home, and spreads to affect the world around it. Violence is present inRead MoreBullying Is A Modern Threat Of The Security Of Many People Around The World1726 Words   |  7 Pagesbully? There is no easy answer to that question, but a good place to start is by defining what a bully is. A bully is someone who uses strength and/or power to harm another individual. Bully is a label that most people do not wea r all the time, but almost everybody has bullied somebody else in their lifetime and have been bullied in their life. Bullying can be so extreme that it can bring physical harm to some people. Bullying is a modern threat to the security of many people around the world. To figureRead MoreArgumentative Essay On Cyber Bullying1705 Words   |  7 PagesAvian Williams Mrs. Crenshaw ENGL 2010 18 October 2017 The idea of cyberbullying is truly frightening, and the arrival of modern technology and the rise of social network make it even worst. With the invention of the Internet and its mass commercial use, some people might not have foreseen the issue of â€Å"cyberbullying† and how harmful it can really be. Cyberbullying is a real phenomenon that has been present for some time. Cyberbullying is defined as the use of the Internet and technology to purposelyRead MoreThe Issue Of Gun : Americas Lifeline Essay1686 Words   |  7 PagesGuns: Americas Lifeline One of the most debated and polarizing issues in modern day America is the issues surrounding the second amendment. The issue of gun control has been raging on in the American political scene for years and, talk about the issue has only grown. The debate has always been brought to the limelight after major shootings throughout the United States, most recently with the horrible attack at the nightclub in Orlando, Florida. According to the crowd sourced website, Mass ShootingRead MoreTeens And Teenage Depression892 Words   |  4 Pagestheir parent’s youth. Teenagers are suffering from stress that is not understandable by people from the previous generations since this wasn’t as big an issue in the centuries that have passed. Due to this, teenagers aren’t comfortable with acknowledging the fact that they are suffering through this and most certainly aren’t comfortable sharing this issue with their parents because they wouldn’t be able to understand the seriousness of this use. There are many factors that lead to adolescents sufferingRead MoreBullying in America Essays1107 Words   |  5 Pagestreat abusively† (Merriam-Webster). There is more than one way to abuse someone. So a complete definition, that comes from www.bullyingstatistics.org, is any type of verbal, social, physical, and cyberbullying abuse that occurs (Naas). Bullying is seen everywhere. It is talked about in movies, media, songs, and inside school programs. What makes the bullies, or aggressors, do what they want? How does the bullying effect everyone? Let us start with why the bullies bully. Ian Rivers, of Brunel University

How Successful Was the New Economic Policy Free Essays

string(51) " true society republic of workers and peasants’\." The New Economic Policy (NEP) was a measure implemented in order to counter the arguably disastrous effects War Communism. The New Economic is controversial. Some historians argue it allowed the Soviet economy to solidify and begin to recover, and also allowed the Bolsheviks to retain control over Russia. We will write a custom essay sample on How Successful Was the New Economic Policy or any similar topic only for you Order Now Others, like Orlando Figes, state it was ultimately a failure, arguing that under the NEP the peasants grew away from the Bolshevik regime, inviting a future, and brutal, reassertion of central control. This essay will discuss the effectiveness of the NEP economically and politically as well as outlining War Communism and why it failed Michael Lynch argues that ‘By 1921, the grim economic situation had undermined the original justification for war communism. During its operation, industrial and agricultural production had fallen alarmingly. ’ War Communism was first introduced as an extreme economic measure in order to deal with problems created during the Civil War as well as enabling the Army to be fed. However in accordance with Lynch, the policy did not improve Russia’s productivity or indeed the Bolshevik popularity. The existence of the Cheka and the Red Army enabled Lenin to embark on the policy of centralisation. This resulted in a considerable increase in Bolshevik influence in the factories via the infiltration of the Workers’ committees by political commissars. This development helped prepare the way for issuing the Decree of Nationalisation in June 1918 and within two years it brought practically all major industrial enterprises in Russia under central government control. Yet nationalism did nothing to increase production due to being imposed at the time of severe industrial disruption caused initially by the strains of World War One but which worsened during the Civil War. Furthermore the military needs were given priority thus denying resources to those industries not considered essential. The situation was made more serious by factories being deprived of man power as a result of conscription into the Red army and flight from urban areas of large numbers of inhabitants who left in search of food or by means of escape from the Civil War. This led to the population of Petrograd and Moscow to drop by half between 1918 and 1921 causing a dramatic decrease in Russia’s productivity. Problems were deepened further by hyper-inflation. The scarcity of goods and the government’s policy of continuing to print currency notes effectively destroyed the value of money and by the end of 1920 the rouble had fallen to 1% of its worth in 1917. Ultimately War Communism tightened the Bolshevik’s grip on industry but did not lead to economic growth. Agriculture was also largely affected by War Communism. A major purpose of War Communism was to force the peasants to provide more food. However peasants were resistant to the government’s demands and this was largely blamed on the Kulaks who the Bolsheviks claimed were hoarding the grain. As a result the government become infuriated by the peasant’s refusal to conform and condemned them as counter-revolutionaries and restored to coercion. Cheka requisition units were sent into the countryside to take the grain by force. In 1920 the order was given to hang one hundred kulaks publically in order to terrify the population however this seemed to have the reverse effect of the one intended. With the knowledge that any surplus would be confiscated, peasants produced the bare minimum to feed themselves and their family. By 1921 a combination of requisitioning, draught and general disruption of war resulted in national famine with grain harvests in 1920 and 1921 being less than half that gathered in 1913. The matters became so desperate that the Bolsheviks admitted famine and accepted foreign assistance however foreign help was too late to prevent mass starvation. Of the 10 million of the Civil War period over half starved to death. Although War Communism proved catastrophic in terms of industrial and agricultural output the Bolsheviks saw it as true socialism due to the squeezing of the peasants and the ending of private ownership. Even after the Red Army’s victory in the Civil War, the policy of War Communism was maintained. As a short-term measure the policy produced the results Lenin wanted but severity increased Bolshevik unpopularity resulting in a number of minor outbreaks of resistance during the 1920s. But the Kronstadt Rising of 1921 proved to be highly disturbing to Lenin as he described it as the ‘lightening flash that illuminated the true reality of things’. Lynch claims that ‘As long as unrest was confined to the peasants and the Bolsheviks’ political enemies it was a containable problem’ but Lenin began to worry over the development of War Communism within the party itself. The two prominent Bolsheviks involved Alexander Shlyapnikov, labour commissar, and Alexandra Kollontai, who led a ‘workers’ Opposition’ movement against the excess of war communism. Kollontai accused party leaders of losing touch with the proletariat and from this, groups of workers in Petrograd went on strike in early 1921 justifying their actions in the proclamation than change is needed in the policies of the government. By February 1921 thousands of Petrograd workers crossed the naval base on Kronstadt claiming that Russia should be better, not worse, than Tsarist times ,as the Bolshevik government claimed Russia to be a workers’ state. In an attempt to pacify strikers Lenin sent a team of political commissars to Kronstadt who were greeted with derision. In early March, the sailors and workers of Kronstadt produced a manifesto. It was not the demands that frightened the Bolsheviks but the people who drafted them as the workers and sailors of Kronstadt had been great and popular supporters of the Bolsheviks in 1917. Shelia Fitzpatrick describes them as ‘The Kronstadters, heroes of the July Days and supporters of the Bolsheviks in the October Revolution, had become almost legendary figures in Bolshevik mythology. Now they were repudiating the Bolsheviks’ revolution, denouncing ‘the arbitrary rule of the commissar’ and calling for a true society republic of workers and peasants’. You read "How Successful Was the New Economic Policy" in category "Papers" The danger for the Bolsheviks was that due to their popularity of the Kronstadters revolted the rest of the people would be due to follow. The rising was finally crushed when Trotsky ordered the Red Army to storm the Kronstadt base with violent results. Lenin took an important lesson from the Kronstadt uprising which was to avoid scandal and embarrassment of another open challenge to his party and government and so decided it was time to soften his severity of war communism leading to the introduction of the NEP in order to tackle the famine and thus prevent further uprising. The majority of historians agree that the NEP was certainly an economic success compared to the catastrophe of War Communism with both Shelia Fitzpatrick and Orlando Figes agreeing that NEP was introduced as ‘an impoverished response to desperate economic conditions’. Lenin is a pragmatic character and so seeing that peasants could not be forced to produce more food so instead must be persuaded and thus temporarily abandon the idea of War Communism. The success of the NEP can in reality only be measured by its aims. The NEP was set up primarily to stabilise the economy; this included decreasing inflation, increasing agricultural and industrial production and re-establishing trade outside of the country. The other major aim of the policy was to minimise the gap between the worker and the peasant in order to get peasant co-operation and support. Due to the fact that the NEP was set up as a result of Kronstadt its other aim is to demolish the possibility of such a rebellion happening again. Many reforms took place in Russia due to the NEP. Under the NEP the Government stopped its policy of requisitioning the peasants entire crop and instead began to take only what was needed to meet the minimum requirements of the army and the urban workers. Fixed tax in kind was introduced and although the peasants were forced to pay the tax, they were now allowed to sell the remainder of their crop for profit. They could sell either privately or to the state. This gave peasants the initiative to grow more crops as a result the grain harvest went up from 37. 6 million tons in 1921 to 72. 5 million tons in 1925. This was a success of the NEP as it increased agricultural production to Russia’s pre-war levels, which helped to stabilise the economy. Nationalisation was minimised with only the large industries remaining under state control. However, this was still a lot as 85% of the workforce worked for state enterprises, the rest for private enterprises or co-operatives. Also conscription of the workforce was abandoned. Over the course of five years, the NEP allowed industrial and agricultural output to rise to its pre-war levels. In this sense, the NEP did achieve economic recovery. However, the NEP was bitterly disliked by many leading communists who saw it as a reversal of everything they believed which will be discussed later in the essay. Although industrial production increased at a slower pace than agricultural production, which caused many problems such as the scissors crisis in 1923, it did increase. For example, coal in 1921 did not exceed 8. million tons while in 1925, it was around 18. 1 million tons, and steel production increased nearly 10 times from 183 thousand tons being produced in 1921 to 2135 thousand tons in 1925. However industry did not attain the same levels of recovery as agriculture and did not reach the pre-war level. This shows that the NEP was successful in increasing industrial production. However, the increase in heavy industry was not as great as light industry, consequently it suffered in comparison. Trade with foreign countries was also reintroduced, as earlier it had been prohibited. The ban against free trade was lifted too so the whole population was permitted to trade with one another. The state only had control over 15% of the trade; the rest was under Nepmen or co-operative control. However, the boom in private trade led to a widening gap between rich and poor. This can clearly be seen by the sudden rise in unemployment in the first two years of the setting up of the NEP. There was a lot of anger focused on the Nepmen, who were seen as the ‘new class’, between rich and poor. The workers also felt resentful towards the Bolsheviks as they felt the NEP was sacrificing their class interests in favour of the peasantry. Therefore although the NEP allowed free trade and re-established foreign trade, not everyone benefited from it. And in fact this lead to the very thing communism went against class. Nepmen became the new beneficiaries, as they grew rich. Also, the gap between rich peasants and poor ones increased as class, once again became an issue. In addition, a new currency was set up to ease the economic problem. This currency was known as the chervontsy. However, they were in heavy demand and only available in large denominations. The rouble was still legal tender until February 1924. Inflation can clearly be seen as in January 1921 there was 1,169 milliards of roubles in circulation and by January 1923 there were 1, 9994,464 milliards. This clearly shows that a change in currency was needed. Although this helped the economy as the rate of inflation decreased slightly, it did not do enough to help the people and their financial difficulties. The NEP did minimise the gap between workers and peasants. The policy meant that peasants could make more of a profit as they were allowed to sell their own produce and trade with others. It also encouraged them to work harder. However, it was the peasants who suffered most due to inflation. Although they made money, it was worth little in industry. In this way the NEP had been partly a success as it had minimised the gap and made things better for the peasants but did not improve everything. As for the NEP’s other aim, that being avoiding another rebellion like Kronstadt, the policy was successful as there was no threat of them ever losing power. Although there were protests against the NEP or some parts of it, overall these were unthreatening to Bolshevik power and were ignored or came to an end after a while. Aside from economic issues, the NEP also caused dispute amongst the Bolsheviks themselves in political terms. As Fitzpatrick argues ‘From the communist standpoint NEP was a retreat, and a partial admission of failure. Many Communists felt deeply disillusioned: it seemed that the revolution had changed so little. ’ The NEP was a mixture of socialism and capitalism and was referred to as a â€Å"step back† for the Bolsheviks as they had just defended socialism in the civil war but was now retreating into capitalism and the â€Å"old ways†. A major objection from the Bolsheviks was the reintroduction of money and private trading had created the Nepmen. It was the profiteering that Victor Serge, a representative of the Left Bolsheviks, had in mind when he described the immediate social effects of NEP: ‘the cities we ruled over assumed a foreign aspect, we felt ourselves sinking into the mire. Money lubricated and befouled the entire machine just as under capitalism’ As the NEP had become such a contentious issue among the Bolsheviks Lenin introduced the banning of factionalism as well as outlawing all other parties except from Bolshevism. The object of this was to eliminate party disputes and political rivals and to a certain extent this worked. In conclusion, the NEP was successful to a certain extent. Because of the New Economic Policy the Soviet economy revived quickly. There was more food from the farmers; there were goods in the shops and outdoor markets, However many Bolshevik members did not consider the NEP as socialism and thought that it was a betrayal of communist principles. On the whole the NEP was a success. It met most of its aims. The policy helped stabilise the crumbling economy and re-established pre-war levels. The policy decreased the rate of inflation, it increased agricultural and industrial production, it allowed free trade and re-established foreign trade. However, some of these aims it only met partly. For example although the rate of inflation did decrease it was still very high and the NEP did not stop it completely. Industry production also suffered as a result of the NEP. Although its production increased its prices rose due to the fast increase of agriculture. Trade also caused problems like the re-establishment of classes. So these aims were only partly successful and created many other problems. The NEP tried to minimise the gap between peasants and workers. Many of the aims in stabilising the economy were for the peasants’ benefits like the end of requisitioning and allowing them to trade. However, the high prices in industry and high inflation left the peasants with money which was not worth as much. However, the policy did try to get peasant support. It was partly successful in bringing workers and peasants together, however many workers felt let down by the party that was supposed to cater to their needs. The fact no major rebellions threatened the Communists shows that the policy had kept many people happy and those that protested were insignificant or in such small numbers they were unable to mount a decent threat on the party. Thus the NEP was one of the major factors that had enabled the survival of Communism in Russia. The step back from socialism and the reintroduction of capitalism had worked. Peasant uprisings virtually ceased, the economy recovered and the Bolshevik regime was consolidated How to cite How Successful Was the New Economic Policy, Papers