Criminal Justice The Barstow Beauty QueenIn May 2001, just weeks after being named Miss Barstow in the small California
towns beauty contest, Emily Arnold, a high school senior, was celebrating
winning the crown, her 18th birthday, her pending graduation, and her acceptance
to the University of Arizona when she did a prank, never imagining the consequences.
Read the excerpt below about what transpired and decide what you
think should have been done to address the misdeed:At a rival classmates house, she impulsively grabbed a piece of chalk and scrawled the
words NOT NICE and MEAN on a car windshield. The schoolmates father [Stan
Clair], a California Highway Patrol (CHP) sergeant, caught her in the act, called for
backupthree squad cars showed upand had her and six friends arrested. The father
wants the district attorney to file charges of vandalism.
Tonight, Emily Arnoldcheerleader, honor student and class treasurer, so long the
beneficiary of small-town life, now the victim of itwill give back her crown. The sudden
controversy has left Barstow divided. There are some people who felt that she
should be asked to leave [the position], and others who felt that she should not, said
Kris Watson, director of the Miss Barstow contest for the last 12 years. (Scott Gold,
The Short, Sad Reign of Miss Barstow, Los Angeles Times, 28 Jun 2001)1. What three to four thoughts or suggestions would you share with Kris Watson, director of
the Miss Barstow contest?2. As you might expect, the public responded. Set out your thoughts on the comments about
the case printed in letters to the editor of the Los Angeles Times:RESPONSE #1, WALLY ROBERTS: Any reasonable father in such circumstances would
have made the errant teens clean up the mess and apologize . . . i
n the circumstances, he
grossly overreacted and used his authority as a CHP [California Highway patrol] officer to do
so.RESPONSE #2, MARK HERDER: I want to commend Sgt. Clair and the CHP for
their courageous takedown of Miss Barstow. Few people know or even care about thegrowing epidemic of teenage beauty queens run amok.Just yesterday I caught one scribbling
wash me with her finger on the dusty windshield of my car. Sgt. Clair, where were you and
your three squad cars of brave highway patrolmen when I needed you?RESPONSE #3, MARK ESPENSCHIED: Shame on Clair, shame on the Kiwanis Club and
shame on half the citizens of Barstow. . . . In a perfect world, Clair would be reprimanded by
the CHP and kicked off the school board. By all means, get out of town, Emily Arnold. Go to
where you cancontinue to excel. Answer Preview
There are various ways through which the Kris Watson could tackle the situation. The charges that Emily Arnold is facing are vandalism. The very nature of the offense is that it is not a felony. In many states, the level of aggravation of the crime was mild. In effect, there is the legal, sociological and organizational aspect of the matter. These three methods of looking at the issue will give Miss Watson a holistic view of the questions that the incident poses. The Legal Aspect of miss Barstows Behavior. Vandalism is an offense that is a misdemeanor in the state of California. However, it can also be classified a felony. The distinction arises when the effect of the vandalism. We must understand, however, the factors that must be present for an act to be considered vandalism. The physical act must deface or cause physical damage to the property in question (Levesque, 2006)
.APA 1238 words
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