Assignment Moral Virtues

PART I: SHORT ESSAY

Directions: Please answer the following shot essay questions. Each question should have a 1 to 3 page response that addresses the questions. Remember to support your work with APA references and in-text citations. Please use proper APA format. Please visit the Academic Resource Center for concise APA guidelines.

1. Briefly discuss what is meant by moral "virtues" and "vices," incorporating specific examples of each into your response.

2. Briefly describe Aristotle's concept of the "Golden Mean," providing at least one example of how it might be used to identify virtue in a particular scenario.

3. Illustrating your answer where appropriate, briefly discuss the approach to justice emphasized by an ethic of care and how it might differ from conventional approaches to justice.

4. Describe the difference between moral virtue and moral vice. As you think about criminal justice professionals (e.g., police officers, probation/parole officers, lawyers) list the five characteristics that you would argue are most typical of these kinds of professionals. Are these characteristics virtues or vices? Finally, list five characteristics that you feel would be ideal or desirable for such professionals to embody.

5. Explain two requirements of living the "Examined Life." Give examples of each.

6. As the ethic of care requires us to consider situational factors before making decisions, what types of situational factors might be important in determining whether an arrest needs to be made in the following cases; solicitation of prostitution, possession of small quantities of illicit substances, a simple assault stemming from a drunken verbal confrontation at a bar, public intoxication, loitering.

PART II: CASE STUDY

Review the following videos that you viewed in the Lecture Notes.

• MacLeod, M. (n.d.) Aileen Wournos: Killer Who Preyed on Truck Drivers. Crime Library, Criminal Minds and Methods. Retrieved February 15, 2013, via http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/notorious_murders/women/wuornos/1.html

• View YouTube video "Aileen Wuornos: Life and Death of a Serial Killer (Full Documentary)" (01:29:45 minutes). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trty0OObpK8

Complete the following tasks:

Watch the video and read the biography of Aileen Wournos (note there are 14 chapters to her story) on the website. Based on your research and the information contained in these videos, write a case study/research paper being sure to address the following questions and include additional information you feel is relevant and will add value to your submission. Remember to include correct APA format with a cover page, reference page, and in text citations. You should also utilize the LIRN Library through AAU for peer reviewed journal articles related to this topic. Your case study/research paper should be at least 3 pages in length.

1. Summarize the events that took place in Aileen's life, both in her life of a serial killer and her life as a victim.

2. What ethical and moral implications does the life of Aileen Wournos have for the criminal justice system?

3. Using an example from juvenile justice (e.g., teenage prostitution) explore how a virtuous or vicious character can give rise to "good" intentions, "right" actions, and "good" consequences. How does this translate to Aileen Wournos?

4. How did Aileen's prostitution contribute to her first killing and those that followed?

5. Do you believe Aileen was turned into a "monster" by those that victimized her or do you believe she was just a bad person all along? Thoughts?

6. Any additional thoughts on the topic of this crime ethically motivated by her tremendous anger for her victimizations she had suffered and the perceived need to provide for the only person who ever truly loved her?