The Current State of the Insanity Defense in Virginia

Based upon British common law and legal precedents, the American legal system allows individuals with severe mental instability to plead not guilty by reason of insanity when charged with a criminal offense. In order to prove this claim, defendants are required to show that their mental capacity at the time of the crime was not sufficient enough in order to establish culpability and responsibility for their actions. Proving insanity is a difficult task, requiring that defendants confess to the crime, convince a jury of their insanity, and pass two independent psychological evaluations before they can be released. Because of these obstacles, it is rare that the insanity defense is used successfully. In Virginia, the insanity defense has rarely been used effectively, with a few notable exceptions. The insanity defense may be used in a recent high profile case that is currently underway in Virginia courts, with the outcome to have significant consequences for the Virginia legal system. By establishing clear guidelines concerning the insanity defense, the Virginia criminal justice system has created an efficient and accurate approach to correctly judge cases involving the insanity defense

The Economic and Geopolitical Effects of the European Union

The European Union (EU) is one of the largest trade unions in the world and has a substantial impact on the global economic system. This paper discusses the creation of the EU, the establishment of the Euro as the dominant currency, and the diversity between the member nations, comparing their similarities and contrasting their differences. Organizations that influence and shape the European Union such as the World Trade Organization, the European Central Bank, and the International Monetary Fund are also discussed. As an illustration of this influence, Greece’s declining economy is examined. A brief outline of the migrant crisis that the EU is currently facing is also covered, demonstrating issues related to the cost of and transportation for war refugees, as well as criteria for processing them. In conclusion, an examination of the European Union’s current capabilities of integrating into a political union is conducted, evaluating its level of political and economic cooperation, the capacity and willingness to create a central military force, and the recent developments in negotiations between the EU and Great Britain

The Identification and Exploitation of Terrorist Financing

Terrorism and the threat of terrorist attacks have forced the United States to place a high priority on developing a comprehensive counterterrorism strategy. A crucial component of this overarching strategy focuses on targeting the finances of a terrorist organization, hoping to eliminate or stifle their sources of funding in an effort to render the organization incapable of launching successful operations due to an absence of funding. By analyzing the most common financing options that terrorist groups use, the United States can hone its ability to disrupt the funding operations for terrorist groups. Likewise, developing a method for tracking the laundering and transference of terrorist funds should be a high priority for federal law enforcement and the Intelligence Community. The complicated methods that terrorist groups use in order to launder money and transfer funds require diligence and specialized knowledge to track, and ultimately to shut down, terrorist financing. By establishing effective methods for identifying and exploiting the terrorist financing process, the United States can more effectively counter terrorist attacks and terrorist groups around the world

Beyond The Page: Multimodal Lab-Based Research and Development in Creative Writing

This collection acts as the supporting evidence of the hypothesis that, while acting as Graduate Director of SIU’s Digital Xpressions Lab, Matthew Gordon was able to successfully provide effective support for the digital expression of collaborator’s and client\u27s domains of knowledge while forming innovative research partnerships with academics within the SIU system and beyond. A unique form for a MFA in Creative Writing’s thesis, this collection represents the multimodal creative work a contemporary narrative designer can undertake in a single academic year when given the ability to lead a facility like Southern Illinois University’s Digital Xpressions Lab. Qualitative evidence in the form of Digital Xpressions Lab Collaborator Statements and quantitative evidence in the form of media exemplifying multimodal creative work are collected herein. Sections begin with brief descriptions of their topics as they pertain to Matthew Gordon’s thesis objectives while acting as the Graduate Director of SIU’s Digital Xpressions Lab from fall 2022 - spring 2023. A selection of supporting media from Matthew’s full portfolio has been included in sections where relevant

The Local Community Standard: Modernizing the Supreme Court\u27s Obscenity Jurisprudence

Paper presentation on the Supreme Court\u27s outdated case law on obscenity and how it needs to be modernized to in order to combat the dissemination of inappropriate materials in the age of decentralized digital media