Criminal Justice Planning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Criminal Justice Planning - Essay Example On the 16th of April 2007, this student went on a shooting rampage, killing 32 people, and injuring many others, before committing suicide by shooting himself. This shooting incident in campus shocked the entire world, and while the bereaved and distressed families are still trying to put their shattered lives in order, a lot of questions have emerged, chief among which are how a mentally disturbed and psychiatrically treated patient came into possession of guns and such large quantities of ammunition, to be able to murder and main by dozens. "Under federal law, the Virginia Tech gunman Seung-Hui Cho should have been prohibited from buying a gun after a Virginia court declared him to be a danger to himself in late 2005 and sent him for psychiatric treatment, a state official and several legal experts said." (Luo, 2007). Most significantly, it has raised questions about the current levels of security and safety available to students, faculty members and staff, in present day campuses. The incident has raised disturbing questions regarding public life in the surroundings and how harrowing a real life experience, such as this would be for its traumatic spectators and sufferers. In the light of the killings it became necessary to evaluate the problems in all its perspectives- social, medical, psychological and legal. The writer has made forays in order to establish a strategic Plans which could, alleviate the extend of damages and sufferings caused to innocents and also methods, by which these kinds of incidents could be avoided in the future, with the active co-operation of all concerned- the State and Federal Agencies, the student community and their parents/guardians, the teaching faculties, support staff and the administrative personnel involved in the day to day scholastic activities of the institutions. Most significantly it is also necessary for the law enforcement agencies to be able to deal effectively with the crisis and move out for relief and rescue operations with alacrity and speed and also take necessary precautions to reduce the levels of fatalities and injuries. Further the lacunae between the State and Federal laws have been glaringly mani fested in this case "Mr. Cho's ability to buy two guns despite his history has brought new attention to the adequacy of background checks that scrutinize potential gun buyers. And since federal gun laws depend on states for enforcement, the failure of Virginia to flag Mr. Cho highlights the often incomplete information provided by states to federal authorities." (Luo, 2007). Mission Statement: To minimize campus violence by planned, co-ordinated and effectively executed methods. One of the reasons why the Virginia killings took place was because although the killer was undergoing psychiatric treatment, as an outpatient, this fact was not considered when the guns were sold to him. The lacunae in the laws that provide that only someone who is "involuntarily committed" or a person "ruled incapacitated" could be disallowed from the purchase of firearms was not applicable in this case, as he was just an outpatient. He had undergone medication after psychiatric evaluation and assessment, but at the time of killings, he was not under drugs, as the post-mortem reports did not reveal any drugs in his body. Therefore, it is necessary