Two topics for two different papers, Broken Windows & Prison Essay

Two topics for two different papers, Broken Windows & Prison - Essay Example But however factual reports and research show that the broken window theory could definitely have an impact in crime reduction and it can be taken as a foundation for other crime reduction strategies. The other article by Wilson and Kelling brings to light the role of foot patrolling officers in helping public regain confidence on law and order. A disorderly place, not necessarily a place where crime occurs per se, becomes an area of fear especially for people living in and around the place. Foot patrolling officers in the earlier days helped remove this fear among the public through order-maintenance. However, in the following years police have been burdened with the additional role of law-enforcement, as a result of which they are forced to abide by certain rules. This has not helped them in achieving their primary duty of order maintenance. According to the authors, one effective alternative to this developing situation could be citizen patrolling. Good examples of which include c ommunity watchmen and setting up of vigilante groups. Despite the efforts by the general public, the patrolling effect of a policeman can be hard to achieve. Thus the article stresses that men in duty should be encouraged to do their extra bit in order to achieve communal harmony. The article ‘The Prison- Industrial Complex’ by Eric Schlosser throws light about the prison system in the United States. The US now has the distinction of holding more citizens in prison than any other country in the world. And a majority of the prison inmates is constituted by non-violent offenders. This has lead to the prison being viewed as an industrial complex, with more prisons being built to house more people. These prisons home a wide variety of criminals, law offenders, even those who are mentally ill, and with respect to their race about half the inmates in the US prisons are African-Americans, and the number of women inmates have

Direct Vs. Indirect Taxation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Direct Vs. Indirect Taxation - Research Paper Example In order to assess our argument it would be important for us to know the difference between direct and indirect taxation.   Direct taxes are those taxes that are levied on one’s income. They are calculated annually and a certain percentage is levied on the earnings of a person. Similarly, indirect taxes or not levied on the people’s income. Instead, indirect taxes are paid on the purchase of goods and services. They are paid whenever a purchase is made. They are included in the selling price of a good and service and hence a person cannot escape indirect taxes since he is paying not only the price of the good or service, but also the portion of a tax. Hence it is unavoidable and is paid by everyone irrespective of his earning. (McConnell)We can use the above definitions to classify the federal income tax and federal sales tax into one of the two classes of taxation. This would help us in determining which is more useful in terms of revenue for the government and welfa re of the society. Since we know that federal income tax is levied on people’s income and is calculated annually, we can classify it as a direct tax. This means that it is levied on the person’s income. It is a progressive tax where the rich person pays a higher amount than a person who is earning lesser than that person. On the other hand, federal sales tax is levied on the purchase of goods and services. People pay this type of tax only when they buy or sell something. It is not charged on the person’s income and it is a regressive tax meaning.... Hence it is unavoidable and is paid by everyone irrespective of his earning. (McConnell) We can use the above definitions to classify the federal income tax and federal sales tax into one of the two classes of taxation. This would help us in determining which is more useful in terms of revenue for the government and welfare of the society. Since we know that federal income tax is levied on people’s income and is calculated annually, we can classify it as a direct tax. This means that it is levied on the person’s income. It is a progressive tax where the rich person pays a higher amount than a person who is earning lesser than that person. On the other hand, federal sales tax is levied on the purchase of goods and services. People pay this type of tax only when they buy or sell something. It is not charged on the person’s income and it is a regressive tax meaning that both rich and poor pay equal amount of tax if the selling price of a good is same for their purch ases. In other words, we can differentiate between these two types of taxes by using mathematic equation. Income tax is charged on one’s income. It is a percentage of one’s income. Let’s suppose that the prevalent income tax rate in the United States of America is 20%. The calculation of taxes for the income will be the following: Income Tax = Annual Income * 0.25 Similarly, in case of an indirect tax such as federal sales tax, the calculation for the income tax will be the following: Tax = Selling Price of Commodity * Percentage of the Tax These two equations tell us that federal sales tax has nothing to do with the income of a person. It is calculated just by looking at the value of the purchase that the person is