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Due process requires that a person held in United States custody as an enemy combatant be given a meaningful opportunity to contest the factual basis for that detention before a neutral decision maker.

The specifics around procedures for detaining an enemy combatant in the U.S. we recently made clear by the president's top counterterrorism adviser, John Brennan in an interview discussing the attempted attack on the Northwest airline in December, 2009. Brennan confirmed that the FBI protocol for handling terror suspects is to (1) detain suspect, (2) bring in high-level interrogators to question the suspect for intelligence purposes and (3) read suspect Miranda rights.

Critics of this protocol are pushing to militarize the process for all terrorism suspects and deny them the basic due process rights provided by the law. The arguments is that offering terror suspects Miranda rights after an initial intelligence interrogation by the FBI dooms the chances of obtaining useful intelligence.

This idea was formalized as "enemy combatant" logic by the Bush administration whereby those accused of terrorist activities or connections lose all rights to due process and the ability to challenge the accusation. The courts definitively rejected this proposal and during the eight years of the Bush administration every terrorism suspect arrested in the United States was initially interrogated by the FBI and every one that was tried had their trial in a civilian federal court.

While results ultimately will vary based on the circumstances, the current protocol in place has proven to be successful under the watch of John O. Brennan, Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Adviser for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism.

Would you like to aid in the protection of our country? There is an increased demand for trained safety and security employees throughout the nation. Earning your Homeland Security Degree or training to be an FBI Agent will provide you with a solid foundation in planning, implementing, and managing security operations for security organizations across the U.S.

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How far can Homeland Security take domestic surveillance?

Terrorism Prevention and Homeland Security

Labels: enemy combatant, FBI, FBI protocol, homeland.security, homeland.security.degree, homeland.security.experts, terrorism

There is reason why television shows on crime are so popular. The entire science of discovering the who, what, where, when and why of crime is so interesting that even the most minute details and discoveries can cause a view to be on the edge of their seat. It is for this reason that so many students have begun to enter the field of Criminology. Becoming a Criminologist gives you a front row seat to solving crime, and although it is an extremely interesting career path, is not nearly as glamorous as portrayed on television.

Although it involves science, for the most part you couldn't be a good Criminologist unless you had analytical thinking skills and the ability to think subjectively about the world around you. When studying criminology, you will be exposed to course work beyond the scope of simple criminology. All of these will affect your ability to reason deductively and perform your job to the best of your ability.

What specifically does a criminologist do? Criminology is the very basic study of crime. If you've ever heard the term "profiling" you will have hit upon one of the many tasks that is up to the criminologist. Working with law enforcement agencies such as the local police or as high up as the FBI, criminologists analyze crime, criminals, and patterns in order to create profiles both complex and simple. Profiling assists in capturing criminals in that you can get inside their heads prior to the crime being committed. In this way, the criminologist also assists in preventing crime, as police officers can identify behaviors and work to avoid situations before they arise. In addition, the criminologist will analyze the criminal justice system at large and identify patterns in laws and how they are broken.

To become a criminologist, you will need an Undergraduate degree with a major in Criminology. Courses taken during your time at University will include basic and abnormal psychology, criminal and constitutional law, sociology, and computer science. For those who wish advancement in their field, a Masters degree in Criminology is preferred.

When entering this field, you can expect employment with local police, FBI or CIA, or as a medical examiner. If you have a higher degree and experience, you can also become a professor at a University. As well, you could find a job as a social worker, security officer, or as a profiler for a large corporation.

The average salary for a person who chooses to be a criminologist is approximately $60,000 per year. For those with advanced degrees, the ability to make $100,000 per year is not out of reach. This is a career field that is rapidly growing, as the need to eliminate crime before it happens has never been more important to the safety and security of our country.

A criminologist has the benefit of providing a real service to those who employ them. Not only do they assist their employers in solving and preventing crime, they assist the public by making our neighborhoods and cities safer places to live. If altruism is your focus, becoming a criminologist is a sure to be a fulfilling career.

If you want to start or accelerate your career in the field of criminology, explore these accredited online criminology degree programs and request more information from our accredited colleges and universities today.

Labels: Criminal Psychology, Criminal Rehabilitation, Criminologist, Criminology, FBI

Prison wardens are head administrators of adult correctional facilities. They manage the day-to-day operations of correctional facilities or prison, ensuring that specific laws and regulations are strictly enforced. Wardens are responsible in supervising public funds, securing public safety, and meeting the needs of thousands of people housed in a complex institution. Prison wardens also keep the prisoners secure within the facilities.

Prison wardens should meet the required educational and work experience. A college degree in law enforcement, corrections, criminal justice, or psychology is usually required, but courses in administration, business and law are also helpful. Wardens begin their careers as a corrections officer or probation officer. After acquiring the required education, experience, and training, correction officers can advance to the position of warden.

Wardens are trained both in administration and law enforcement. They should also have experience in management or administration in other jobs, even outside the law enforcement field. A background in law enforcement and experience as a police officer, investigator or criminologist is beneficial when working your way up to prison warden.

The National Institute of Corrections offers training for wardens to make them ready for the basic institutional and administrative institutional skills to efficiently manage a prison. There are different stages of training necessary, starting with fundamental supervisor course, a bachelor's degree or equivalent to 100 hours of management and organization training. A master's degree in supervision or administration is also required, or an equivalent of 50 hours of supervision and management training, in addition to other supplementary trainings and programs. Furthermore, it is also required for the prison warden to render an annual minimum of 40 hours for additional on-the-job training to keep the certificate.

How does a prison warden spend his workday?

• A prison warden usually starts his day with a staff meeting to know what happened while he was out of the office.
• During the meeting, the warden also notes any concerns or problems of the inmates that needs to be addressed, such as the transfer of an inmate to another facility.
• He visits cell blocks or inmate housing units.
• He makes sure that prisoners are provided with their needs, such as food, clothes, and programs.
• Wardens also make phone calls to the family of an inmate or take calls from anxious crime victims who ask for updates on the status of the prisoner.
• Wardens also coordinate the death sentence of an inmate. He provides the inmate with a chaplain, the last meal, and other rights in accordance with the law. He also supervises the training session how to carry out the death procedure to make sure there will be no mistakes are made while performing the sentence.

Average salaries of prison wardens vary greatly due to company, location, industry, experience and benefits. Prison wardens make a starting salary of $43,000 per year. This salary will continue to increase as wardens gain more experience and years of service. Some wardens of large prison systems make over $100,000 per year.

Read More about this topic:
Bachelor Degree Programs in Criminal Justice/Corrections
Career Profile: Correctional Officer
The Test: Would You Be a Good Cop?
Interested in Becoming an FBI Agent?

Labels: law.enforcement.officer, Police Officer, Warden

The study of criminal psychology, also called forensic psychology, focuses on the study of the thoughts, intentions, motivations, and reactions of lawbreakers. It does not only study the reasons why people commit criminal acts, but also their reactions after doing the crime, either in court or fugitive.

Criminal psychologists develop psychological profiles of perpetrators to help police understand the nature, patterns and motives of criminals. They study the childhood background of serial killers, the psychological pressures people experience that led them to rob banks to solve their financial problems. They are also concerned in the methods how criminals deal with the outcome of a crime, including criminals who decide to run or misbehave in court.

The perceptions of criminal psychologists are important in investigating a criminal. They can also make use of the diverse clues to obtain a clear and deep perception into the type of crime and the individual who executed it. Similarly, criminal psychologists also look at the profile of the victims the offender chooses, derive inferences about the criminal and possibly figure the target victims from their profiles.

Criminal psychologists often testify in court cases to assist the judges understand the mentality of the offender. A criminal psychology expert may be asked requested to observe or partake in the questioning and cross-examination of a crime suspect or to work together with the offended party to collect information. He can also collect psychological evidences from circumstances at the scene of the crime or the criminal's home, and propose places of search, which may satisfy the investigators.

Many criminal psychologists concentrate on working with juvenile delinquents or criminal victims. They generally have degrees in child psychology, and pursued further training in forensic psychology and criminology. These children may be their patients in a clinical practice. Criminal psychologists testify in court about child criminals, or suggest support to criminal examinations and inquiries involving children.

Criminal rehabilitation aims to lessen unlawful recidivism. In fact, it is the most cost-efficient form of crime prevention. Education is one of the means to successfully rehabilitate a criminal. The society is educated as a whole to uphold the significance of guarding the laws and guarantee that there is less prejudice against former prisoners. It ensures that former criminals have fewer tendencies to go back to a life of misconduct.

Education is also recommended to let the prisoners to improve and stay important to the changing world beyond the prison walls. In criminal rehabilitation, inmates are given the privilege to boost their knowledge because studies show that a lot of inmates do not have fundamental grade school education. This severely hinders their success of getting jobs; thus, they turn to criminal lives. Basic criminal rehabilitation courses ensure that inmates who signed up for the program have a standard level of literacy.

Read More about this topic:
Master of Science in Rehabilitation Counseling
Career Profile: Correctional Officer
The Test: Would You Be a Good Cop?
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Labels: Criminal Psychologist, Criminal Psychology, Criminal Rehabilitation, Forensic Science, Forensics

Technology is all around us. It's responsible for that IPOD or IPHONE you take for granted, it's the reason we all have laptop computers. If technology didn't evolve, we would never have new and exciting gadgets to play with every year. You get to the point where you wonder what amazing innovation they are going to come up with next? What fantastic invention will they market to the public that you just have to have to make your life easier? Yes, technology does simplify life, almost to the point where we really struggle without our Blackberry's or computers. But with the good always comes the bad. You aren't being paranoid if you think that big brother is watching over you, and you might not even believe the extent that new technology can go to both protect and monitor you.

After 9-11, President Bush declared a global war on terror. Suddenly one of the most talked about news items was "Homeland Security" and thousands of jobs were created for those with security training or a homeland security degree. For many, this was the first glimpse into how never-ending changes to technology are benefiting people who may not have the best interests of the general public at heart. Homeland Security has several purposes, the most important in that they attempt to console the people of the USA into feeling some sort of comfort again after such a vicious attack on their country. We saw immediate changes in how we travel, socialize, and even shop. The other not so hidden purpose of Homeland Security is that it gives the Government free reign to step on civil liberties in such a way that under any other circumstances would have resulted in a massive public outcry.

The war on terror gave President Bush and his team an open invitation to monitor for, seek out, and condemn those who were deemed terrorists in his own country. Eight years after 9-11 and one newly elected President later, the USA is still under constant surveillance by the Government. Assuming that their role is to protect us from terrorists, many consider that the powers that be have every right to go to extremes in order to protect our country's independence. Others, knowing the technology that has been utilized in our countries to seek out terrorists, aren't so sure they want that type of monitoring in the USA. Yes, they are protecting our independence from the terrorists, but who is protecting our personal independence from the government?

In Iraq and Afghanistan, retinal eye scans are the military's choice to keep an eye on local terrorists. The massive database of suspected individuals and inventory of eye scans has resulted in suspects being dealt with quickly and efficiently. With this technology, they can identify a suspected terrorist and shoot them immediately. There is no need for conversation, detainment, or to put the solider in harms way. If that sounds scary to you, that's because it is. Can you imagine this type of technology in the USA? Although you may feel secure knowing that you are protected from the crazy people who hijack airplanes and plot to kill innocent citizens, this type of monitoring would mean that the Government knows everything about you, including where you went shopping that day and what you had for lunch.

Yes, the USA needs protection after 9-11. It's clear that there are terrorists who are gunning specifically for the country and that they continue to make efforts to gain entrance. The protection that has resulted due to progress of technology is mind-boggling. However, if the new innovations that are being used in the war on terror make their way to the USA, you can guarantee that the war on terror will never truly be over either. What started as a means of protection has evolved into an enterprise, where fear fuels the industry. It remains to be seen whether the fight against terrorism will give the government a legitimate reason to expand on domestic surveillance to the point where we all feel we are under a microscope.

Read More about this topic:
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Labels: 9-11, domestic surveillance, homeland.security, homeland.security.degree, homeland.security.experts, terrorism

Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Senator Joe Lieberman will offer a legislation to systematize a White House cybersecurity adviser. He told the Chamber of Commerce during a Cyberspace Conference meeting in Washington that the post will require Senate confirmation.

Although President Obama said last May that he planned to appoint a cybersecurity coordinator without requiring Senate confirmation, the position continues to be unoccupied. On the contrary, lawmakers say that cybersecurity coordinator would report to both the National Security Council and the National Economic Council; thus, he must be subjected to Senate confirmation.

Lieberman said that the cybersecurity coordinator would manage cybersecurity activities over all federal agencies, provide tactical leadership and guidance to the president and control power and assets to make modifications as needed. The cybersecurity adviser is needed "to ensure that the classified work conducted by Department of Defense and intelligence agencies is informing the defensive actions taken by our domestic agencies."

Lieberman also stated that Congress must provide the Department of Homeland Security the necessary power and human resources to supervise the federal civilian networks to protect against malicious traffic. Although DHS already has the same authority through a presidential order, he recommended that the department could expand its personnel via legislation and gain support from other federal agencies to succeed. (To learn more about entering the Department of Homeland Security, read this information about earning your homeland security degree.)

Furthermore, Lieberman stated that DHS must identify the weaknesses in the IT systems of businesses, especially the financial, power, and transportation infrastructures, and protect them from cyber attacks. He added that DHS should also identify the most critical cyber infrastructure and ask its operators to perform risk assessments to identify existing vulnerabilities. DHS will then work with these companies to decide the best way to mitigate the vulnerabilities but will not mandate a one-size-fits all strategy to bolster security.

Lieberman also discussed his plans for DHS to establish a voluntary cybersecurity standards program to encourage businesses to comply with specific standards through a certification program and award them a seal of approval that will be placed on the company's website, similar to the standards of Good Housekeeping or Energy Seals.

Lieberman also expressed his plans to tighten federal acquisition policies to guarantee IT wares are preconfigured with security controls and grant agencies employment and salary flexibilities to attract competent IT security experts.

While Leiberman laid out his proposal to the executives of the Chamber of Commerce, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano disclosed the new 61-station National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center in northern Virginia. This center will merge the US Computer Emergency Readiness Team and the National Coordinating Center for Telecommunications. Napolitano also displayed vivid charts and maps of possible cyber threats and suspicious internet traffic. He also revealed that the watch center will allow high-tech teams to monitor government networks to work better together.

Read more about this topic:
Fighting Cyber Crime, one computer at a time - Cyber security focuses on issues such as identity theft, computer hacking and viruses, and other horrific crimes such as the use of child pornography and cyber stalking. 20 years ago there was no need for specialists in this area, because our technology simply wasn’t what it is today.

Labels: homeland.security, homeland.security.degree, homeland.security.experts, homeland.security.grants, Leiberman, Obama, us.department.of.homeland.security