Can a Corporation Commit Murder?

I believe that there is little chance for a corporation to commit murder because of the definition set out describing murder. Murder can be classified into two categories, either First Degree Murder or Second Degree Murder. First Degree Murder occurs if the murder was planned and deliberate, if the scheme or design was well thought out and planned. It also occurs if the victim is a law enforcement agent, or if death occurs while certain crimes or offenses to society are being committed. Such as hijacking, aggravated sexual assault, kidnapping, forcible confinement, and hostage taking. Second Degree Murder is intentionally causing death in all of the circumstances mentioned above.

                It may often be said that a corporation committed murder, if their actions are not that of a reasonable person and if they don’t take the reasonable safety pre-cautions required to ensure maximum safety. There are laws set out stating safety measures which are to be met in order to ensure the safety of employees and product consumers. If a corporation deliberately disobeys those laws and rules, the angered public may say they should be held accountable for their actions and should be charged with murder. There is no “forgetting” a safety regulation or law in a corporation, it is simply neglecting responsibilities.

                Although it is highly unlikely for a corporation to commit murder in the two stated ways above, their negligence is what caused the death. If a corporation sells a product that could potentially be dangerous they are neglecting their responsibility to guarantee safety of their product. That is where I feel the corporation should be charged, yet I feel that the term “murder” is not the correct one to use due to the definition. I am not sure which term I would feel fits more appropriately. But I am sure in my feeling that the responsible corporation should be held reliable and should face consequences for their actions and decisions. If a default product causes the death of an individual the corporation may potentially be found as the causation, meaning that they are the cause of death or injury. In a case against a corporation Product Liability could be brought forward. Product Liability- manufactures, wholesalers, retailers, repairs, or anyone else involved in the distribution of consumer goods may be found liable for negligence if a consumer is injured by a default product.

                A corporation is a structured organization with people at the top and others at the bottom. Regardless of the corporation I feel that the individual at the top should be checking in on the rest of their corporation to guarantee all safety regulations are being met, and they should personally be taking the time to follow through with safety checks. Their presence should be persistent throughout important regulation checks otherwise they could potentially be neglecting their responsibilities that come along with their position. If a corporation is found guilty of negligence and their product was the causation of death, it would be hard to decide which individual should be held reliable. When the public is angry they tend just to blame the corporation as a whole, but I feel that there are specific factors/ levels within the corporation who are at fault and should be blamed.

Auto Theft

People steal vehicles because of the easy opportunistic theft, and because changing the vehicle is easy. After a little work the vehicle is unrecognizable making it seem as though the original vehicle never existed. Generally people who steal vehicles are experienced thieves, those who can make a profit by selling the stolen product to fences for a large sum. Professional car thieves know what they are doing and some of them can break into a vehicle and have it running in less than a minute. If an auto thief is a professional, stealing vehicles can be their mean of only income. There are also those who steal because of the thrill they get, these are generally known as joy riders. Joy riders do not have to be the stereotypical young teenagers; people of all ages are auto thieves. Joy riders end up getting rid of the stole vehicle either by leaving it in a ditch, by lighting it on fire, driving it into rivers, or crashing it while trying to escape from the police.  Others may use the stolen vehicle as an efficient way of getting from point A to point B.

Here is a look at the top ten places in Canada where vehicles are stolen:

Rank	Cities	% Difference with the National Rate
1	Fort McMurray, Alta.	208.95%
2	Joliette, Que.	200.84
3	Surrey, B.C.	175.98
4	Kelowna, B.C.	140.17
5	Brantford, Ont.	132.40
6	Edmonton, Alta.	122.05
7	Grande Prairie, Alta.	117.53
8	Winnipeg, Man.	108.85
9	Langley Township, B.C.	107.05
10	Saskatoon, Sask.	106.83

It is important to remember that anyone could potentially become a victim of car theft, so we should all take extra pre-cautions to prevent car theft from occuring. Common sense is the most important defense against auto thieves. If you leave your valuables out in plain sight in the vehicle or leave your vehicle unlocked you are only asking for a thief to break into your car and steal it. Auto thieves look for opportunistic targets; they do not generally go out of their way to steal a vehicle. A steering wheel lock is a great mechanism to divert an auto thief away from your vehicle. While it is really not that hard to saw off, it appears to be a hurtle against an opportunistic vehicle. Generally a thief is not going to purposely break into a car that clearly has an extra mean of protection, because it makes the job that much harder to accomplish in a short period of time. Parking your car on street with poor lighting or on a street that is often deserted is another way of asking the auto thieves to target your vehicle. Thieves are less likely to target a vehicle that is in a heavily populated well light area.

Here’ a look at the top ten vehicles most commonly stolen in Canada:

1.      2000 Honda Civic SiR 2-door 2.      1999 Honda Civic SiR 2-door 3.      2002 Cadillac Escalade 4-door 4.      2004 Cadillac Escalade 4-door 4WD 5.      2005 Acura RSX Type S 2-door 6.      1997 Acura Integra 2-door 7.      2000 Audi S4 Quattro 4-door AWD 8.      2003 Hummer H2 4-door AWD 9.      2006 Acura RSX Type S 2-door 10.  2004 Hummer H2 4-door AWD

Hypermasculinity

Hypermasculinity is all about men or boys being tough. When a male is tough they are hard to break, and when they are hard to break women flock to them and hang off them. Hypermasculinity is a view of men that males hold. If you are tough, a real “manly man” then you are cool; and when you are cool women want you. The ideas of being tough and hard to break only works for men, as women compete through fashionable looks and gossip.

 Males are taught to be Hypermasculine from an early age. Boys don’t play with dolls or show their emotions, they suck it up, if they are hurt or offended, and punch the other kid. It is seen as being weak for a male to express themselves in a way other than through violence and dominance.  Males compete through violent means, whether it be in a sport or out with friends. The winner is always the toughest. Throughout history males have always been taught the Hypermasculinity ways. The Roman Empire was full of males who were tough warriors unable to be defeated, the Germans were strong males brought up to show their dominance, and the Japanese males were taught they were the only individuals of true importance.

The demeaning nature of men towards women is also part of Hypermasculinity. Because males are “tough” they hold a superior power of women. Women were not seen as being people in Canada until 1931, because males believed that if women were considered as “nothing” they would live a life of passive obedience. Hasn’t the women’s job over history only been to serve and obey her husband? Although that idea has changed over time the theory has never changed in Hypermasculinity. If a male has power over and the obedience of a women he is seen as being tough. When he is tough he is also cool and is expected to have sex with multiple women, to show his social standing.

Males who commit sexual assaults fit into more than one element of Hypermasculinity. They believe in being tough and stating their social standing in a way that is obvious to others. Because they are “tough” they believe they can have any women they desire. And often along with that comes the need to establish their power and authority. Power and authority is not always established male to male, it can also be established male to female. When it is established in that form the male asserts dominance over the female which comes back to being Hypermasculine.  

As a serial killer Clifford Olson was a rat a man who told on others while in prison, he was also a man the police had a hard time tracking down.  While on the loose Olson continuously switched rental cars and maneuvered inexplicable U-turns to keep his followers confused and off his trail. Olson is a sorry excuse for a man as he preyed on young children. By 1981 Olson had killed ten children in southern British Columbia. He would later kill his eleventh victim.  He was arrested August 12 1981, while it was still unknown at that time to the police how many children he had actually murdered. It was not until he was charged with the first degree murder of Judy Kozma on August 18 18981, that Olson gave a full confession. Negotiating with the police Olson offered the location of ten bodies and a freebie for $100 000 on August 21 1981.

It is unknown why Clifford Olson found such pleasure in the torturing of young children. He has never shown remorse towards the families of his victims saying “If I gave a shit about he parents I wouldn’t have killed the kid.” The only explanation he offers up for his actions is saying that he confessed so that he could live with himself. He says he knew what he had done and needed to give back the bodies to their families for a proper Christian burial in order to live with himself. Talking about being able to live with himself or the pain of never seeing his wife and son, Olson shows that he is a despicable man with no regard for human life, as he only cares about himself. 

On December 6 1989 Marc Lepine went on a mass sexist motivated killing spree at the Ecole Polytechnique at the University of Montreal. The six story brick building enrolled about 5000 students at the time of Lepine’s murderous rage. Beneath his sweater Lepine had strapped on a sheath containing a six-inch hunting knife. He also had a lightweight semi-automatic rifle. Lepine went from class room to class room a little after 5pm. randomly choosing his female victims. Lepine had no regard or respect for the females at the University of Montreal as he attached a high-capacity banana clip magazine so he could fire 30 rounds in quick succession. Before Lepine lined up his first victims he shouted “You’re all a bunch of feminists! And I hate feminists!”In twenty minutes Lepine had killed fourteen women, injured ten other women and four men.Lepine turned the gun on himself, leaving a letter in his pocket explaining his actions. 

Marc Lepine stated that he had waited until he had used up his savings (over $750 on the weapon and ammunition) before he could do “his deed,” He wrote that feminists had always ruined his life and in seven years of life there was no joy. “I have decided to stop those shrews dead in their tracks…The feminists always have a talent for enraging me. They want to retain the advantages of being women…while trying to grab those of men…”  Along with his note of explanation Lepine had left a list of names of 19 “radical feminists”; those who were mentioned in newspapers, female police officers and politicians. Lepine had decided that he did not have the time to execute them all so he had instead decided to make one clear statement. A symbolic attack on women everywhere who were trying to get ahead in positions Lepine felt were only suitable for men. 

I believe that there is a chance for situations to occur similar to these two stated cases. Although we would all hope for nothing horrific to happen again in Canada, it is a high hope. There are many people out around us who are mentally disturbed, people who have no regard for human life, people who are unable to receive the professional help they need. There will never be a way to fully stop monstrous people like Clifford Olson and Marc Lepine; because people like that do what they believe needs to be done. They do it in a way that can be difficult to track down and understand.  They do it in a way to purposely hurt others in order to get their point across and to be heard. It is hard to imagine something this horrific happening somewhere near us, but in reality Clifford Olson was near us. And Marc Lepine was near people who thought they were safe as well.  

Short and Long Term Impacts of a Victim

            I personally believe that there are more dramatic long term affects on a victim of sexual assault, than there are short term affects. Short term affects may lead into dramatic long term affects if they are not dealt with in a professional way.

            Short term affects include change of personality, change of habits, and change of appearance. If a victim has a change of personality they could become slightly/ extremely different from what they previously were. They can go from being a happy bubbly person, to a dark angry person. Often a victim will become secluded to society and isolate themselves as a way of blocking out the people closest to them. The victim feels that if they let people close to them, than the people will realize what has happened. Or the person will realize that the victim is still deeply troubled, and they will try and force the victim to face their pain. A sexually assaulted victim is embarrassed of what has happened, they don’t want to bring it up and isolation is a way of keeping that embarrassment close. Change of habit is also extreme and can be a way of blocking out loved ones. Previously a person could have been outgoing and enjoyed socializing, but once they’re a victim they chose instead to stay home more frequently. Victims are more likely to be alone; they are quiet people who choose not to burden others with their troubles. Change of appearance may be a way for the victim to change what has happened to them. They change their appearance such as makeup, clothing, and hairstyle possibly so the attacker will no longer be able to recognize them. Victims also change their appearance and tell themselves they are over what has happened. They believe a new look is a new beginning, while in reality it is just simply another way of keeping their pain a secret. All of the above can be short term affects, but if the victim does not seek professional help these affects can become long term and destructive.

            There are a variety of feelings a victim goes through after a sexual assault. These feelings can become extreme or minor; they can also be present at any time after the assault. There is no set order for the emotions and feelings to occur. These include stress, fear, paranoia, anger, frustration, confusion, and loneliness. After a sexual assault the victim becomes deprived of their life and any future joy. A victim may blame themselves for what has occurred which leaves them with no self worth. Without self worth there is an opportunity for these feelings and emotions to become dangerous long term affects. This danger can become self destruction in many forms.  

            When a person blames themselves for what has happened they sabotage any chance of happiness for themselves. They block out their former life and begin to form a new life. Some sexual assault victims begin to exercise excessively. There are a variety of ideas to why they exercise excessively. It could be to change their appearance, but it can also be a way of dealing with their emotions in an activity that seems normal in society. Another way for a victim to deal with their emotions is to change their eating habits. They may binge eat, may become anorexic, or they may eat excessively without explanation.  A victim may relocate their life and quit their job in order to escape their pain. Often there is no true explanation of why the victim is moving, they just pack up and go, leaving those behind confused and worried. Financial loss occurs for two reasons. The first being when the victim packs up and moves their entire life they loose their previous job and may have trouble finding a new one once they’ve moved. The second reason is a sexually abused victim may have trouble holding down a job, because they are distracted and they have not dealt with the mix of emotions and feelings they have. Change in sleep patterns can be a result of financial loss, relocation, and their unresolved emotions. If a sexually abused victim is a mother, the people she often hurts the most are her children. A mother does not even realize that she is hurting her children. She is simply just so lost in her emotions and the idea that she is over her abuse that she forgets and neglects the duties she has as a mother. Often the simplest duty is to acknowledge her children in a positive way, and she may move around them without communicating directly to them.

            If a victim is sexually assaulted the life they knew before their abuse vanishes. No matter what they tell themselves or others they simply can not deal with the impacts of this crime on their own. They require a long process of professional help in order to move on with their lives in a positive way.

Crime, Increasing or Decreasing?

                Statistics show that most crime (exempting prostitution and drugs) is on a downfall.  The rate of high violence and crime using weapons has gone down quite a lot within the last couple of years.  Yet a person within our province would never know that crime is decreasing, because of the way the media, news programs, television shows, and newspapers portray violence.

            Turn the television onto a news program; within the first couple of previews you will see a variety of crime related stories. Maybe a stabbing, a robbery, a hit and run, even drug related gangs are portrayed across the beginning of the news.  News broadcasters go after the “big stories” in order to catch you the watchers attention. In doing so they are guaranteeing that you will watch all of the news (boosting up their ratings) in order to see the “big story”. You watch the “big story” to see where the creeps and gangs are, so that you can do everything to protect yourself and your family. It is the same in newspapers; the paper with the best story on the front will obviously sell the most. How sad is it that in our society our attention is caught by someone’s pain and suffering? Let’s be honest, everyone knows they would rather pick up a paper or watch a news program that displays violence and crime of some kind.

            By viewing horrific crimes portrayed within news programs and newspapers, people suspect that crime is out of control. They believe that we should watch our backs and suspect everyone, wherever we go. But that is simply just not true. Although you should take precautions such as locking your vehicle and house, not leaving valuables out and in plain sight, and not walking alone at night, beyond that there’s really generally not a lot to worry about here in our society.

Crime Why It Happens

 Crime, occurs because it is natural and there is no way to avoid it. There never has been a way to fully prevent crime, and there probably never will be a way. Throughout history crime has occurred either as self defense, revenge or the individual committing the crime may have a mental disorder.

            Crime is a part of who we are as humans; we commit crime to cause hurt and desperation, to get back at others and make them pay for the mistakes. We also commit crime because in society there is a detachment between what is real and what is not. There is so much violence in the world of our children and societies youth. Violence is in on T.V. and in movies, on YouTube, on the games they play. Violence has become a regular occurrence and children are unable to differentiate between real life and electronic fiction. Believing in electronic fiction allows children to act violently and commit crimes without seeing their actions as being a problem. Violence in the lives of children can also come through their upbringing.  A child growing up in a violent house is most likely to pick up on violent outrages. This violence is something they will carry with them throughout their lives, whether they chose to act upon that differs from each child.

Crime surrounds us no matter where we live or our financial situation, there is simply no way to avoid it. Simple daily crimes range from not paying the proper fare for the bus or jay-walking. Although they seem harmless they are still illegal none the less. Extreme violence or crime range from domestic violence, murder, trespassing, and stealing. In our society we generally see simpler crimes, but more severe crimes do still occur.