Saturday, April 25, 2020

KWL Approach Essays - Pedagogy, KWL Table, Reading,

KWL Approach The students background information is extremely important. What the child knows will give them a better chance to develop understanding of the vocabulary and of their concepts. A teacher can find out how much background information each student has by using the K-W-L approach. This approach will not only let the teacher know what they already know, but also what they want to learn about the subject and finally what they have learned though their reading. A child that does not have a wide variety of background experiences to draw from can learn from what the others are saying, though pictures, discussion, film, filmstrips and if at all possible a field trip or a guest speaker to bring more meaning to the subject. For example, if the class was beginning a unit on Farm Animals, the teacher could ask what kind of animals live on a farm. They could read stories, look at pictures, make a farm by choosing which animals they would want on their farm, bring in different farm animals, bring in hay to use in the quiet area, have a farmer come and talk to the class and take a trip to a farm. This way the students can see first hand what a farm is, the animals that live their and how they live. Even though some students will have been to a farm or have a knowledge on what a farm is, they can also learn more from these experiences as well as those without first hand knowledge. The more information that is given, the more print rich the environment is, the better off the students will be.

Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Overview of the Republic of Malta

Overview of the Republic of Malta Malta, officially called the Republic of Malta, is an island nation located in southern Europe. The Malta archipelago is located in the Mediterranean Sea, about 93 km south of the island of Sicily and 288 km east of Tunisia. Malta is known as one of the worlds smallest and most densely populated countries, with an area of just 122 square miles (316 sq km) and a population of over 400,000- giving it a population density of about 3,347 persons per square mile or 1,292 people per square kilometer. Population: 408,333 (July 2011 estimate)Capital: VallettaLand Area: 122 square miles (316 sq km)Coastline: 122.3 miles (196.8 km)Highest Point: TaDmerjrek at 830 feet (253 m) History Archaeological records show that Maltas history dates back to ancient times and was one of the worlds oldest civilizations. Early in its history, Malta became an important trading settlement because of its central location in the Mediterranean, and the Phoenicians and later the Carthaginians built forts on the island. In 218 B.C.E., Malta became a part of the Roman Empire during the second Punic War. The island remained a part of the Roman Empire until 533 C.E. when it became a part of the Byzantine Empire. In 870, control of Malta passed to the Arabs, who remained on the island until 1090 when they were driven out by a band of Norman adventurers. This led to it becoming a part of Sicily for over 400 years, during which time it was sold to several feudal lords from lands that would eventually come to belong to Germany, France, and Spain. According to the U.S. Department of State, in 1522, Suleiman II forced the Knights of St. John from Rhodes and they spread out in various locations throughout Europe. In 1530, they were granted rule over the Maltese islands by Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, and for over 250 years the Knights of Malta controlled the islands. During their time on the islands, the Knights of Malta built several towns, palaces, and churches. In 1565, the Ottomans attempted to siege Malta- known as the Great Siege- but the Knights were able to defeat them. By the late 1700s, however, the power of the Knights began to decline and in 1798 they surrendered to Napoleon. For two years after Napoleon took over Malta, the population attempted to resist French rule and in 1800, with the support of the British, the French were forced out of the islands. In 1814, Malta became a part of the British Empire. During the British occupation of Malta, several military fortresses were built and the islands became the headquarters of the British Mediterranean Fleet. During World War II, Malta was invaded several times by Germany and Italy but it was able to survive and on August 15, 1942, five ships broke through a Nazi blockade to deliver food and supplies to Malta. This fleet of ships became known as the Santa Marija Convoy. In 1942, Malta was awarded the George Cross by King George VI. In September 1943 Malta was home to the surrender of the Italian fleet and as a result, September 8 is recognized as Victory Day in Malta to mark the end of WWII in Malta and commemorate the victory in the 1565 Great Siege. On September 21, 1964, Malta gained its independence and it officially became the Republic of Malta on December 13, 1974. Government Today Malta is still governed as a republic with an executive branch made up of a chief of state (the president) and a head of government (the prime minister). Maltas legislative branch is comprised of a unicameral House of Representatives, while its judicial branch is made up of the Constitutional Court, Court of First Instance and the Court of Appeal. Malta has no administrative subdivisions and the entire country is administered directly from its capital, Valletta. There are however several local councils that administer orders from Valletta. Economics and Land Use Malta has a relatively small economy and it is reliant on international trade because, according to the CIA World Factbook, it produces only about 20% of its food needs, has little fresh water and has few energy sources. Its main agricultural products are potatoes, cauliflower, grapes, wheat, barley, tomatoes, citrus, flowers, green peppers, pork, milk, poultry, and eggs. Tourism is also a major part of Maltas economy and other industries in the country include electronics, shipbuilding and repair, construction, food and beverages, pharmaceuticals, footwear, clothing, tobacco, as well as aviation, financial and information technology services. Geography and Climate Malta is an archipelago in the middle of the Mediterranean with two main islands - Gozo and Malta. Its total area is very small at only 122 square miles (316 sq km), but the overall topography of the islands varies. There are for example many rocky coastal cliffs, but the center of the islands is dominated by low, flat plains. The highest point on Malta is TaDmerjrek at 830 feet (253 m). The largest city in Malta is Birkirkara. The climate of Malta is Mediterranean and as such it has mild, rainy winters and warm to hot, dry summers. Valletta has an average January low temperature of 48ËšF (9ËšC) and an average July high temperature of 86ËšF (30ËšC). References Central Intelligence Agency. (26 April 2011). CIA - The World Factbook - Malta.Infoplease.com. (n.d.). Malta: History, Geography, Government, and Culture.United States Department of State. (23 November 2010). Malta.ï » ¿Wikipedia.com. (30 April 2011). Malta.

Sunday, March 1, 2020

The Iliad Book One by Homer - Summary

The Iliad Book One by Homer - Summary | Summary of Iliad Book I | Main Characters | Notes | Iliad Study Guide Song of the Wrath of Achilles In the very first line of the Iliad, the poet addresses the Muse, who inspires him with song, and asks her to sing (through him) the story of the wrath of the son of Peleus, aka Achilles. Achilles is angry with King Agamemnon for reasons shortly to be divulged, but first, the poet lays blame at the feet of Achilles for the death of many of the Achaean warriors. (Homer refers to the Greeks as Achaeans or Argives or Danaans, but we call them Greeks, so Ill use the term Greek throughout.) The poet then also blames the son of Zeus and Leto, aka Apollo, who has sent a plague to kill the Greeks. (The parallel blame of gods and mortals is common throughout the Iliad.) Apollo the Mouse God Before returning to the wrath of Achilles, the poet elaborates Apollos motives for killing Greeks. Agamemnon holds the daughter of Apollos priest Chryses (Chryseis). Chryses is willing to forgive and even bless Agamemnons ventures, if Agamemnon will return Chryses daughter, but instead, the haughty King Agamemnon sends Chryses packing. Calchas Prophecy To repay the indignity Chryses has suffered, Apollo, the mouse god, rains arrows of plague on the Greek forces for 9 days. (Rodents do spread plague, so the association between a divine mouse function and delivering plague makes sense, even if the Greeks werent completely aware of the connection.) The Greeks dont know why Apollo is angry, so Achilles persuades them to consult the seer Calchas, which they do. Calchas reveals Agamemnons responsibility. He adds that the plague will only lift if the dishonor is amended: Chryses daughter must be freely restored to her father, and appropriate offerings made to Apollo. Trade of Briseis Agamemnon is not pleased with the prophecy, but realizes he must comply, so he agrees, conditionally: Achilles must hand over to Agamemnon Briseis. Achilles had received Briseis as a war prize from the sack of Thebe, a city in Cilicia, where Achilles had killed Eetion, father of the Trojan prince Hectors wife, Andromache. Since then, Achilles had grown very attached to her. Achilles Stops Fighting for the Greeks Achilles agrees to hand over Briseis because Athena (one of the 3 goddesses, together with Aphrodite and Hera, who was involved in the judgment of Paris, a war goddess, and the sister of the war god Ares), tells him to. However, at the same time he surrenders Briseis, Achilles sulkily quits the Greek forces. Thetis Petitions Zeus on Behalf of Her Son Achilles complains to his nymph mother Thetis, who, in turn, brings the complaint to Zeus, the king of the gods. Thetis says that since Agamemnon has dishonored her son, Zeus should honor Achilles. Zeus agrees, but faces the wrath of his wife, Hera, queen of the gods, for his involvement in the conflict. When Zeus angrily dismisses Hera, the queen of the gods turns to her son Hephaestus, who comforts her. However, Hephaestus wont help Hera because he still vividly recalls the anger of Zeus when he pushed him off Mt. Olympus. (Hephaestus is depicted as lame as a result of the fall, although this is not specified here.) English Translation of | Summary of Iliad Book I | Characters | Notes| Iliad Study Guide The Muse - without the inspiration of the Muse, Homer couldnt write. There were three Muses originally, Aoede (song), Melete (pracice), and Mneme (memory), and later nine. They were the daughters of Mnemosyne (Memory). The Muse of song was Calliope. Achilles - best warrior and most heroic of the Greeks, although he is sitting out the war. Agamemnon - lead king of the Greek forces, the brother of Menelaus. Zeus - king of the gods. Zeus attempts neutrality.Known as Jupiter or Jove among the Romans and in some translations of the Iliad. Apollo - god of many attributes. In Book I Apollo is known as the mouse and therefore plague god. He is upset with the Greeks because they have dishonored him by insulting one of his priests. Hera - queen of the gods, wife and sister of Zeus. Hera is on the side of the Greeks.Known as Juno among the Romans and in some translations of the Iliad. Hephaestus - blacksmith god, son of HeraKnown as Vulcan among the Romans and in some translations of the Iliad . Chryses - priest of Apollo. His daughter is Chryseis, who was taken as a war prize by Agamemnon. Calchas - seer for the Greeks. Athena - a war goddess who especially favors Odysseus and other heroes. Athena is on the side of the Greeks.Known as Minerva among the Romans and in some translations of the Iliad. Profiles of Some of the Major Olympian Gods Involved in the Trojan War HermesZeusAphroditeArtemisApolloAthenaHeraAres Summary and Main Characters of the Iliad Book I Summary and Main Characters of the Iliad Book II Summary and Main Characters of the Iliad Book III Summary and Main Characters of the Iliad Book IV Summary and Main Characters of the Iliad Book V Summary and Main Characters of the Iliad Book VI Summary and Main Characters of the Iliad Book VII Summary and Main Characters of the Iliad Book VIII Summary and Main Characters of the Iliad Book IX Summary and Main Characters of the Iliad Book X Summary and Main Characters of the Iliad Book XI Summary and Main Characters of the Iliad Book XII Summary and Main Characters of the Iliad Book XIII Summary and Main Characters of the Iliad Book XIV Summary and Main Characters of the Iliad Book XV Summary and Main Characters of the Iliad Book XVI Summary and Main Characters of the Iliad Book XVII Summary and Main Characters of the Iliad Book XVIII Summary and Main Characters of the Iliad Book XIX Summary and Main Characters of the Iliad Book XX Summary and Main Characters of the Iliad Book XXI Summary and Main Characters of the Iliad Book XXII Summary and Main Characters of the Iliad Book XXIII Summary and Main Characters of the Iliad Book XXIV English Translation of | Summary | Main Characters | Notes on Iliad Book I| Iliad Study Guide The following are comments that occurred to me while reading English translations of Book I of the Iliad. Many of them are very basic and may be obvious. I hope they will be useful for people who are reading the Iliad as their first introduction to ancient Greek literature. O goddessThe ancient poets gave the gods and goddesses credit for many things, including the inspiration to write. When Homer calls on the goddess, he is asking the goddess known as Muse to help him write. The number of muses varied and they became specialized. to HadesHades is the god of the Underworld and a son of Cronus, making him the brother of Zeus, Poseidon, Demeter, Hera, and Hestia. The Greeks had a vision of an afterlife that includes having a king and queen (Hades and Persephone, daughter of Demeter) on thrones, various realms to which people were sent depending on how good they were in life, a river that had to be crossed via a ferry and a three-headed (or more) watchdog named Cerberus. The living feared that when they died they might be left standing on the other side of the river waiting to cross because the body was unburied or there was no coin for the ferryman. many a hero did it yield a prey to dogs and vulturesWe tend to think that once youre dead, youre dead, and what happens to your body makes no difference, but to the Greeks, it was important for the body to be in good shape. It would then be put on a funeral pyre and burned, so it would seem it makes no difference what it was like, but the Greeks also made sacrifices to the gods by means of burning animals. These animals had to be the best and unblemished. In other words, just because the body would be burned did not mean the body could be in less than pristine shape.Later in the Iliad, this almost obsessive need for a body in good shape causes the Greeks and Trojans to fight over Patroclus, whose head the Trojans wish to remove and put on a spike, and over the corpse of Hector, which Achilles does everything he can to abuse, but without success, because the gods watch over it. so as to take away the plague from us.Apollo shot silver arrows that could kill humans with the plague. Although there may be some debate over the etymology, Apollo appears to have been known as a Mouse god, probably because of a recognition of the connection between rodents and disease. augursthrough the prophesyings with which Phoebus Apollo had inspired himAugurs could predict the future and tell the will of the gods. Apollo was particularly associated with prophesy and is considered the god who inspires the oracle at Delphi. A plain man cannot stand against the anger of a king, who if he swallow his displeasure now, will yet nurse revenge till he has wreaked it. Consider, therefore, whether or no you will protect me.Achilles is here asked to protect the prophet against the will of Agamemnon. Since Agamemnon is the most powerful king, Achilles must be pretty strong to be able to offer his protection. In Book 24, when Priam visits him, Achilles tells him to sleep on the porch so that any possible emissary from Agamemnon will not see him because, in this case, Achilles would not be strong enough or willing to protect him. I have set my heart on keeping her in my own house, for I love her better even than my own wife Clytemnestra, whose peer she is alike in form and feature, in understanding and accomplishments.Agamemnon says he loves Chrseis better than his own wife Clytemnestra. It is not really saying a lot. After the fall of Troy, when Agamemnon goes home, he takes along a concubine whom he publicly displays to Clytemnestra, antagonizing her even more than he already has by sacrificing their daughter to Artemis to ensure a successful sailing for his fleet. He seems to love her as property, as Achilles recognizes.... And Achilles answered, Most noble son of Atreus, covetous beyond all mankindAchilles comments on how greedy the king is. Achilles is not as powerful as Agamemnon, and ultimately, cant stand against him; however, he can be and is very annoying. Then Agamemnon said, Achilles, valiant though you be, you shall not thus outwit me. You shall not overreach and you shall not persuade me.Agamemnon rightly accuses Achilles of over-reaching and by taunting the king, provokes him to insist on taking Achilles prize. What though you be brave? Was it not heaven that made you so?Achilles is renowned for his bravery, but Agamemnon says it is no big deal, since it is a gift of the gods. There are many biases/alien attitudes in the Iliad. The pro-Trojan gods are weaker than the pro-Greek. Heroism comes only to those noble birth. Agamemnon is superior because he is more powerful. Same with Zeus, vis a vis Poseidon and Hades. Achilles is too proud to settle for an ordinary life. Zeus has much contempt for his wife. Death can confer honor, but so can trophies of battle. A woman is worth a few oxen, but is worth less than certain other animals. Return to Books of the Iliad

Friday, February 14, 2020

Response to the Book George Orwell's 1984 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Response to the Book George Orwell's 1984 - Essay Example From this moment on both Winston and Julia heightened to the awareness of what is next. Both transferred to the Ministry of love for interrogation swiftly followed by systematic physiological and physical torture. This torture consists of three stages, learning, understanding, and absolute acceptance of the Party's reality. These ideologies chewed away throughout the book at Winston's fundamental ideals. Winston and Julia both grew to hate the party, rallying against it in both their thoughts by actions and behaviors as well. The Party's main object is absolute acceptance of their Doctrine. Winston must painfully accept eventually. However, this particular book seems layered like an onion tearfully peeling away each layer to expose the soft underbelly in all of us. The fear of self; which is signified by room 101 where they sent Winston when he refused to betray himself, his love, and his absolute hatred for Big Brother. The final step has Winston facing his biggest fears, rats place d in a cage strapped to his face ready to tear into his skull. In a moment of absolute terror Winston screams out "Do it to Julia" betraying not only her but also the very core of himself. The one thing he believed they could never touch, could never get at, resonated from him the way a gavel echoes with justice in a courtroom.

Saturday, February 1, 2020

Criminal minds Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Criminal minds - Essay Example In spite of the efforts in this direction crimes continue to exist and it can be concluded that the crimes will continue to exist and this problem can not be solved. In order to solve this problem it becomes necessary that the cause of the crimes or the reason why people commit crimes need to be analysed. Traditionally crime has been considered as associated with two domains by the specialists. The domains are the nature or the environment of the individuals including the family and the peers of the individuals. However it must be noted that these specialists belong to different fields of science as the complexity and dynamics of crime extends to different areas which are difficult to comprehend. When reference is made to the science of criminology automatically reference is made to different branches of science such as psychology, genetics, sociology etc. The main purpose of criminology is to deal with crimes and criminals and solve this social problem. As mentioned earlier the main approaches to deal with the problem of crimes and their resolution are the natural approach and the environmental approach. The environmental approach deals with the circumstances that made an individual to commit a crime and it does not consider the heredity or family background of the criminal. Whereas the natural approach is sure that the nature of the criminal, his or her genes, and heredity are the main reasons that make him/her to commit the crimes. The latest developments in genetics have been fairly successful in substantiating the environmental causes for people committing crimes and this has put away the theories about the heredity and genes being responsible for the crimes which need to be proved scientifically. The theories relating to the presupposition of the heredity and genes are ambiguous and are to be established with a scientific base before they can be taken into account. On the other hand the followers of the environmental approach also can not deny the fact that the heredity and genetic causes play an important role in shaping the character of a person. They also contribute to the committing of the crime by the individuals. It is important that environment in which a person is born and brought up is considered while studying the crimes, as such environmental factors do have a large influence on the formation of the personality of the individual and the shaping of his or her characters. Though this new approach is relatively young and new it is becoming more and more popular and deserves to be analysed thoroughly before any conclusion can be drawn from the approach. According to Wilson and Herrnstein (1985) "criminology is the study of delinquency and crime with the goal of developing a body of knowledge including all the dynamics that surround crime and criminals to assist in their understanding of the phenomenon". Thus the focus of the science of criminology is to evolve a deep understanding of crime, the reasons why people commit crimes and also the nature of the people who commit crimes namely the criminals. It is a fact that it would be difficult to understand the crimes as a social phenomenon in general and all the details of the crime in particular as it affects the society, unless the causes which make the people commit the crimes.

Friday, January 24, 2020

An Unnatural Family as the Punishment for Sin in Hawthornes Scarlet Le

In an introductory paragraph to Nathaniel Hawthorne’s works, Perkins and Perkins say that â€Å"Hawthorne elevated some of the darkest events of the colonial period and transformed them into universal themes and questions†(Perkins 433). One of these themes is that of the penalty of sin. In Romans 6:23, Paul says that â€Å"the wages of sin is death† and Hawthorne seems to share this view, or at least some version of it. This view is prevalent in his novel The Scarlet Letter. In it, the penalty for Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale’s sin is a family that is disfigured and unnatural. Dimmesdale, the â€Å"father† in this family shies away from his patriarchal duties and stands by while he lets Hester do all of the work regarding Pearl. First of all, Dimmesdale is absent for the majority of Pearl’s life. He is present in the town but hardly ever sees Pearl, even though she is his daughter. He says that Pearl has, only â€Å"twice in her little lifetime† shown kindness to him(Hawthorne Ch.19). Out of seven entire years, Dimmesdale and Pearl have shared only two meaningful moments together. Dimmesdale has obviously shied away from his duties as a father to Pearl. Even though she is illegitimate, it is his responsibility to help raise her. He also does not deal with Pearl directly when she is acting like a crazed animal. He implores Hester to calm her, telling Hester to â€Å"pacify her,† through any means to show him â€Å"if thou lovest me!†(Hawthorne Ch. 19). Hawthorne uses specific images through the words of his characters to show how much Dimmesdale is shying away from his responsibilities as a father. As a father, Dimmesdale should be raising his child to become a contributing member of the Puritan society in Massachusetts. Instead of doing this, Dimmesd... ..., but this is exactly what Pearl does over both Hester and Dimmesdale. Clearly, during the forest scene, Hawthorne is giving the reader a sense of how unnatural this family that came from a single adulterous act is. It sheds light on Hawthorne’s romantic views because it shows how an unnatural family is detestable. In a much more broad sense, it gives the reader a glimpse of Hawthorne’s own personal theology. He firmly believes in severe consequences for sin and it shows in his novel. Works Cited Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. 1850. New York: Bantam Dell, 2003. Print Perkins, George, and Barbara Perkins. â€Å"Nathaniel Hawthorne.† The American Tradition in Literature. Ed. Perkins and Perkins. 12th ed. Concise ed. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2007. 433-36. Print. The Holy Bible: New International Version. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 1996. Print.

Thursday, January 16, 2020

Prisons As Industry Essay

What is the most profitable industry in America? Weapons, oil and computer technology all offer high rates of return, but there is probably no sector of the economy as abloom with money as the privately run prison industry. Prison industry in recent years has become a high-profit business and it competes with industries such as the oil and gas industry. The aim of this paper therefore is to examine the industry as a whole. In examining the industry therefore, there shall be a cursory analysis of some salient point vis-à  -vis the prison industry.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A very important fact is that the prison industry came about because of the congestion in the various government-owned prisons in throughout the country. The demand for prisons seems to be ever increasing and the public prisons scattered all around the country are incapable of providing adequately for this. Nearly every prison in America is overcrowded and will continue to be so if new prisons do not spring up. So therefore, the aim of the prison industry is to make provisions for more space to keep dissidents at a lower cost than federal prisons can.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In other words, privately owned prisons are unique because demand for prisons is high, while supply of prisons is low.   That is what makes this industry so appealing. Thus, privately owned prisons are good substitutes for federally run services. Therefore, this brings us to the issue of prison privatization. This involves the transfer of running state-owned prisons to private industries to manage. Thus, by using the private sector to build or manage prisons, many states believe that they can reduce costs. Privatization of prisons can take various forms. This includes: Contracting out services: This is the most common form of prison privatization. Currently, 39 states in the US hire private firms to provide such services as medical and mental health treatment, drug treatment, education, staff training, and vocational training and counseling. Contracting out prison labor This also is another means of privatizing prisons. By putting prisoners to work and paying inmates competitive wages, many private companies are reducing prison costs for the government by withholding earnings for taxes, room and board, family support, and victim’s compensation. Such employment also gives prisoners the skills and work experience that will prepare them for the job market when they are released from prison. Construction and lease/purchasing Many states see private construction as a promising solution to the prison over crowding crisis. States normally finance construction by cash appropriations (a â€Å"pay-as-you-go† approach) or by issuing general obligation bonds The points above are some of the ways by which prisons by various states in the US. In another vein, privatization of prisons can also occur at the federal level. For instance, the Federal Government of the United States recently proposed contracting with a private firm for a new 500 bed minimum-secure facility for illegal aliens. In addition, the Bureau has considered contracting for facilities to house â€Å"special needs† prisoners, such as juveniles, women, protective custody cases, and for prisoners needing medical services. However, the federal government is wary in contracting out the more â€Å"mainstream† prisoners such as those imprisoned in the Federal Correctional Institutions and the U.S. Penitentiary System. Nevertheless, the prison industry has raises certain questions. These questions must be answered before a deeper understanding and full grasp of the objectives of the industry can be achieved. The first question is that has the federal government abrogated its responsibility by privatizing prisons. In other words, Should the private sector be responsible for a function traditionally performed by the government sector? Evidence has shown that that prison privatization does not mean that the government relinquishes its responsibility. The government still would select the inmates to be placed in private prisons, choose the type of facility to be contracted out, oversee the contractor’s disciplinary practices and, most important, evaluate the contractor’s performance. Furthermore, another good question to be asked is whether service quality and flexibility is maintained or not? This is because some policy makers maintain that the quality of management in private prisons will tend to be high at first, because of competition and the desire to win contracts. However, they question the private sector’s ability to sustain high-quality standards. This is not true of the prison industry because contracting standards are likely to improve over time as more firms enter the market and competition increases. Periodic bidding creates incentives for firms to improve constantly the quality and cost-efficiency of their performance. These above questions, among others, are some of the questions to ask in order to have an enlightened grasp of the prison industry. Now, it is of necessity to look at the history of prison industry. Historically, prison population started to grow in the United States in the 70s. Statistically, one out of every hundred adults is now imprisoned. In order to curtail the unwanted rise in the number of inmates, larger sentences are being imposed on to act as deterrent and other policies, which are known as the ‘broken window’. They have introduced the ’three strike’ policy which means that if you are convicted of any 3 offences you will receive life which is a very good deterrent. The state of Virginia applies this always, and has managed to slow the growth of the population (Bratton 2002).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In addition, the government has tried to seek alternative modes of punishing offenders instead of retaining them in the prison yards. Undauntedly however, the rate of offenders soars. This has gone a long way in boosting the prison industry. The industry is now much bigger than ever before worth around 40 billion dollars a year. Due to the overcrowding in state prisons and federal prisons, which are on average 34% over designed capacity according to the BJS report, the prison industry has to rely on private prisons. Many states enjoy the companies taking on the task of building the prisons and covering the costs and just charging the state per inmate, as the state tends to be a lot more lenient to a convicted felon in order to save money. So therefore, prison industry continues to soar high. Investors are now having good times because of their net profits from prison business. For example, the leading company in prison business, Corrections Corporation of America, has made a tremendous success in the business. The revenue of this company rose by 81% in 1995 alone. Again, Investors in Wackenhut Corrections Corporation, another leading prison industry,   have enjoyed an average return of 18 percent during the past five years and the company is rated by Forbes as one of the top 200 small businesses in the country as of today. The list goes on an on. Ten years ago, there were just five privately run prisons in the country, housing a population of 2.000. Nearly, a score of private firms run more than 100 prisons with about 62,000 beds today. That’s still less than five percent of the total market, but the industry is expanding fast, with the number of private prison beds expected to grow to 360,000 during the next decade. This could be said to be the reason why a recent headline in USA Today which says that; â€Å"Everybody’s Doin the Jailhouse Stock† In view of this, the prison industry is now a lucrative business. In fact, almost 30 states in the US have 28 states have passed legislation making it legal for private contractors to run correctional facilities and many more states are expected to follow suit. God knows maybe one day, the prison industry will take over as the most lucrative and cost-effective business. To summarize it all, there are many reasons why America has incarcerated more of its population than any other country including China, which has a much greater population. The main reason is still the fact that the prison industry is being portrayed as a business and companies are making money from crime. Therefore, toughening of laws by both the federal and state governments does not help matter. Therefore, one can safely conclude that prison industry has come to stay. What is to be done now is for the government to tighten laws on the establishment of privately owned correction centers across the States. This would go a long way in ensuring that the privately owned prisons function effectively as their public counterparts.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   REFERENCES Tonry M., 2004. Prisons and Imprisonment, International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Sciences, Pages 12062-1206. Walker, S., Spohn, C., Dolone, M., 2004. The Color of Justice, Race Ethnicity, and Crime in America, 3rd Ed, Wadsworth Publishing. Scalia, J., August 2001. Federal Drug Offenders, 1999 with trends 1984-99, Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report, U.S. Department of justice. Samaha, j., 2001. Criminal justice, 5th ed. Wadsworth publishing. Renshaw, B., December 1982. Prisoners 1925-1981, Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report, U.S. Department of justice. Harrison, P., November 2004. Prisoners 2003, Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report, U.S. Department of justice.