Criminal Investigation Essay

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Domesitc Violence I resource cited I provided source: To access book online website: www.coursesmart. Login info. Username: latoyamnichols@yahoo. Password: Lj101509 Directions: Once logged MY BOOKSHELF link top corner book titled Heavy Hands Scenario: BEHS453 FINAL PAPER Javier Escondido a 68-year Mexican-American man living Los Angeles.

The case of Javier Escondido's death and the injuring of his partner, Pablo, has generated much controversy as a consequence of the circumstances of the incident. Both the authorities and the general public have mixed opinions concerning the event, with the victim's sexual orientation making things somewhat divisive for some. The reality is that the contemporary society still contains homophobic elements and many are hesitant about discussing with regard to the topic on account of how the masses are yet to fully accept homosexuality as an active part of the social order.

Background

In order to gain a more complex understanding of the case, one should focus on Javier's history with the perpetrator -- Manny. The two men lived together for several years in spite of the fact that the latter had caused much harm to the former. When regarding Manny's attitudes toward Javier, one can see a pattern of violence and a general tendency to persecute him. Javier himself was insecure and had little to no power in their relationship. This influenced Manny to extend his influence over the household and to force Javier to accept his presence in spite of his partner's reluctance to do so.

Javier was obviously afraid of Manny and felt like the best thing for him would be to put an end to the relationship. However, consequent to coming into contact with the authorities on a series of occasions and seeing that they were hesitant about actually doing anything to penalize Manny, Javier gradually came to accept his position. Even after the relationship ended, he felt like it would be pointless for him to attempt to talk to someone about Manny's vindictive behaviors.

As emphasized in Chapter 7 (161-162), a person going through the occurrences that Javier came across is likely to suffer greatly. Horror, depression, or post-traumatic stress syndrome are just some of the issues that are likely to appear as a consequence of staying in an abusive relationship. Suffering can extend beyond the relationship between the two individuals, as it can affect the victim's life as a whole. Javier risked losing most of his friends and losing interest in activities he enjoyed as a consequence of the suffering he experienced as Manny was present in his life.

Society's role in the crime

Although Manny is the primary assailant in this situation, it would be wrong to ignore the way that society as a whole is somewhat responsible for Javier's condition. Being a gay man in a homophobic society can be especially stressful to the point where an individual can accept any form of treatment just because he or she believes this is normal. Javier had difficulty finding the best way to react to the abusive relationship he was in. "Victims tend to internalize and falsely blame themselves for being with the offender in the first place." (Kindschi Gosselin 2013, p. 179)

Attempting to ignore the negative aspects of a relationship as a consequence of one's position both in the respective relationship and in society is typical for individuals who are abused. In spite of the critical condition he was in, Javier chose to reluctantly accept Manny's role in their relationship and it took more than a year for him to eventually get his partner to leave. The police did not react positively to Manny's abuse as a result of the fact that the couple was gay and Latino.

Individuals experiencing domestic violence have been accustomed to the authorities limiting their involvement in such cases. Research points toward the belief that police officers are typically inclined to be influenced by the lifestyle of individuals they interact with (Kindschi Gosselin 2013, p. 200). As a consequence, it would be safe to say that the authorities considered Manny's abuse to be not as important as abuse involving a 'normal' couple.

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Moreover, it appears that the police are inclined to express little interest in conflicts involving same-sex male couples. Males are believed to be perfectly able to protect themselves and the police thus express disbelief with regard to cases of men claiming to be victims of domestic abuse (Kindschi Gosselin 2013, p. 201). Society has trouble accepting gay people and individuals trying to get protection on account of being abused are even less likely to gain access to resources generally available to 'normal' people. The very idea of normal is controversial, as even though people today seem supportive toward same-sex relationships, instances such as the ones involving Javier and Manny prove the gravity associated with individuals being denied access to basic rights. The idea of mutual abuse is also important at this point, as many police officers are reluctant to interfere in a conflict involving same-sex couples because they consider the stereotype claiming that such behavior is normal in these couples (Kindschi Gosselin 2013, p. 201).

Javier was not only ignored by the authorities, but his own sister had abandoned him upon becoming acquainted with his sexual orientation. This further contributes to painting an image of the individual -- he felt that no one could help him and that the world as a whole was inclined to be prejudiced when it came to his problems. As a consequence, he chose to refrain from involving anyone else in the conflict. When Pablo urges him to get protection, Javier emphasizes his thinking by relating to how people are unlikely to do anything to help a gay person, regardless of the condition he or she is in.

Ethnicity plays an important role in shaping the way that the authorities react to situations involving people being abused. The idea of machismo is common in social work with regard to Latino couples and this alongside of the fact that Mexicans are discriminated in the U.S. further influenced the authorities and Javier to consider the situation hopeless (Kindschi Gosselin 2013, p. 346).

Manny's perspective

Manny was well-acquainted with the fact that his relationship with Javier was not going anywhere. As a consequence, his frustration materialized into violence and he started to abuse his partner as a means to prove both to himself and to Javier that he was in control of the situation and that things would stay 'normal' for as long as he wanted to. Eventually being forced out of the relationship and of the house had left a deep mark on Manny, as he felt cheated and considered that it was once again time to use force as a means to get what he wanted. The fact that he threatened Javier on numerous occasions before going through with the murder demonstrates that he was uncertain about the attitude he should take. It is surely difficult to determine whether he committed the crime because he still had feelings for Javier or whether he did so because he wanted revenge.

The murder itself was just another response that Manny provided to Javier's actions. While early responses involved a limited use of violence and a general type of persecution, the fact that Manny was now no longer in a relationship with Javier and that the latter moved on by befriending Pablo has had a critical effect on the abuser. He felt that this time he needed to do something that would be greater than all of his previous actions -- he was in a position in which he needed to act in accordance with his thinking. Doing otherwise would simply mean that he would overcome his feelings and that he would accept Javier as the person who eventually gained control over their relationship. He thus chose….....

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