Evidence Course Essay Example

Evidence Course Essay Derechos reservados de autor El origen y conceptos basicos de Evidencia El termino Evidencia proviene del latin indictum, que significa aparente y probable de que existe alguna cosa y a su vez es sinonimo de senal, muestra o indicacion. Por lo tanto, es todo material sensible significativo que se percibe con los sentidos y que tienen relacion con un hecho delictivo. En terminos legales significa, una certeza clara y manifiesta tan perceptible de un hecho que nadie puede racionalmente dudar de ella. Se diferencia del termino Prueba, porque el significado de prueba, es el resultado de la evidencia cuando ya ha sido admitida en el foro judicial. En castellano se dice que es toda razon, argumento, instrumento u otro medio con que se pretende mostrar y hacer patente la verdad o falsedad de algo. El Tribunal Supremo de P. R. resolvio y definio el termino Prueba suficiente en derecho en el caso 117 D. P. R. 283 Pueblo V. S Ismael Rivera Rivera (1986) el Tribunal sostuvo que es la prueba que produce certeza o conviccion moral en una conciencia de preocupacion o en un animo no prevenido por parte del juzgador de los hechos en controversia. We will write a custom essay sample on Evidence Course specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Evidence Course specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Evidence Course specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Desarrollo de las Reglas de Evidencia en Puerto Rico En Puerto Rico segun Resumil (2000) la jurisprudencia e interpretacion de las Reglas de Evidencia se consideran fuentes del Derecho Procesal Penal y establecen la forma en que el proceso habra de llevarse a cabo reglamentando las etapas y la forma y manera en que los funcionarios del estado han de presentar la evidencia en contra de las personas imputadas de hechos delictivos. Ademas, la Constitucion de Puerto Rico posee el poder de reglamentar los procedimientos judiciales. Sobre este particular el articulo V seccion 6 establece que el Tribunal Supremo adoptara, para los tribunales, las reglas de evidencia, procedimiento civil y criminal que no menoscaben, amplien o modifiquen derechos sustantivos de las partes. Las Reglas asi adoptadas se remitiran a la Asamblea Legislativa al comienzo de su proxima sesion ordinaria y regiran sesenta dias despues de la terminacion de dicha esion, salvo desaprobacion por la Asamblea Legislativa, la cual tendra facultad, tanto en dicha sesion como posteriormente para enmendar, derogar o completar cualquiera de dichas reglas, mediante ley especifica a tal efecto. Disposiciones Generales Aplicabilidad de las Reglas en los Tribunales Las Reglas de Evidencia de P. R. de la Ley de Evidencia de P. R. antes del ano 1979, posteriormente en ese mismo tiempo en octubre de 1979 surgen unas nuevas reglas sufriendo enmiendas hasta el a no 2010 donde reaparece una transformacion y se adoptan nuevos cambios que van a tono con los adelantos tecnologicos y el desarrollo social moderno. Las regla 101 (A) 1, y (A) (2) establecen que estas reglas se aplican a todos los casos civiles y criminales en las salas del Tribunal de Primera Instancia, ante un Tribunal de Apelaciones y ante el propio Tribunal Supremo, con arreglo a los limites establecidos en sus respectivos reglamentos. La Regla 103 (B) establece ademas que estas reglas no aplican en casos de desacato sumario. Bajo las reglas de evidencia de 1979, en los casos administrativos no era obligatorio su aplicacion, pero el Tribunal Supremo ordeno su aplicacion de manera flexible en caso de aplicarlas, es decir si usa su discrecion al utilizarlas el oficial examinador garantizara el derecho a todos por igual. Continuacion de aplicabilidad La regla 103 (B) postula que en todas las acciones de indole civil y criminal (penal) asi como en todas las etapas de estos procesos se deben aplicar y respetar lo concerniente a los privilegios de los testigos y lo relativo al medio de prueba conocido como conocimiento judicial. En palabras entendibles los jueces deben de aplicar estas reglas bajo el examen de informacion que puede ser considerada privilegiada o sea que si se demuestra que es una informacion privilegiada el juez no puede obligar a ese testigo a que tenga que revelar tal informacion. Ejemplo conversaciones entre abogado cliente, medico paciente, negocios, secretos profesionales, trabajador social y cliente y todas aquellas senaladas en estas reglas. Igualmente ocurre en la aplicacion de introducir el conocimiento judicial como medio de prueba, el juez debe admitirla aplicando estas reglas si es legalmente aceptable. Aplicabilidad en otros procedimientos criminales La regla 103 (D) (2) (a) expresamente excluye y descarta la aplicacion de estas reglas de evidencia en la regla 23 de Procedimiento criminal conocida como la Vista Preliminar. Debemos recordar que este es un proceso de presentacion de una mera cintila de prueba de parte de la fiscalia es decir el fiscal no tiene que traer toda la prueba que tenga para probar el caso mas alla de toda duda razonable, tampoco se trata de un minijuicio. El caso de Opio V. S. Opio (1975) 104 D. P. R. 165 en su opinion el Tribunal Supremo afirmo que los procesos judiciales incluyendo la vista preliminar no son competencias en las cuales ha de prevalecer el mas listo si no que mas bien la meta final de todo proceso judicial es que siempre se haga justicia y que nosotros los seres humanos somos capaces de lograrlo fundamentando esta aseveracion en el esclarecimiento de la verdad. Aplicacion de las reglas en casos administrativos Ampliando un poco mas acerca de la aplicacion de las reglas en casos administrativos especificamente en cuanto a la Ley de Procedimiento Administrativo Uniforme, la seccion (3. 13) adopto las normas jurisprudenciales resueltas por el Tribunal Supremo de P. R. y dispuso que, en las vistas administrativas adjudicativas formales las reglas de evidencia no serian aplicables, pero los principios fundamentales de evidencia si podrian ser utilizados. Todos los privilegios de los testigos contenidos en estas reglas si se aplican en los procedimientos administrativos. Es decir un oficial examinador puede tomar conocimiento judicial igual que lo haria un juez del tribunal y tambien puede excluir evidencia que no sea pertinente o que constituya informacion privilegiada como ya reitere anteriormente. El caso de J. R. T. V. S. Autoridad de Comunicaciones, 1981, 110 D. P. R. 879 establecio como norma juridica que estas reglas seran interpretadas mas liberalmente en casos administrativos y mas aun en casos de arbitraje, para facilitar todo aquello que sea pertinente a una controversia. Continuacion de la aplicacion Otro caso Lopez V. S. Policia. 118 D. P. R. 219, reitero en su fundamento juridico que bajo la antigua regla (2) de evidencia hoy dia la regla 103 (E) se explica que las reglas aplican en procedimientos establecidos por leyes especiales, salvo que expresamente se disponga lo contrario o sean incompatibles con la naturaleza del procedimiento especial contemplado en la ley. Por tanto, en los procedimientos administrativos regidos por la ley la norma juridica es la no aplicacion automatica de las reglas de evidencia, desde luego queda a discrecion del oficial examinador que presida la vista administrativa aplicar aquellas reglas que no sean incompatibles con la flexibilidad de los procedimientos administrativos. En arroz y habichuela de aplicar cualquier otra regla no flexible que esten dentro de las discutidas antes o sea conocimiento judicial o privilegio de los testigos debe entonces darle oportunidad igual a las partes envueltas en la controversia, su aplicacion seria de forma justa e imparcial para ambas partes. Continuacion de la aplicabilidad La regla 103 (D) establece que tampoco aplican en los siguientes casos o situaciones: 1. Las determinaciones preliminares a la admisibilidad de prueba, de conformidad con la regla 109 (A) 2. Los procedimientos interlocutorios o post sentencia entre otros: a. Causas para arresto o acusar, vista preliminar, para expedir ordenes de registros y allanamientos. b. Fases de sentencias en procesos penales. c. Imposicion de fianzas o condiciones en procedimientos criminales. d. Vistas de revocacion de libertad a prueba o condicionada. e. Entredichos provisionales o Interdictos preliminares y los procedimientos ex parte en ninguno de los procedimientos o etapas procesales en los Tribunales de Puerto Rico son de aplicabilidad estas reglas de evidencia segun lo establece el Tribunal Supremo de Puerto Rico en sus interpretaciones judiciales. Los medios de prueba bajo la antigua ley de Evidencia †¢ Conocimiento judicial †¢ Evidencia testifical †¢ Evidencia documental †¢ Evidencia real, cientifica o demostrativa †¢ Las pruebas de referencia que on admisibles como excepciones a la regla de no admisibilidad †¢ Confesiones Regla 109 ( C) se examina si fue voluntaria †¢ Testimonios en peligro de muerte ( requiere corroboracion para ser valida) †¢ Testimonios de testigos no disponibles por muerte o enfermedad cuando hayan sido contrainterrogados previamente y cumplen con la admisibilidad del testimonio bajo el examen de la regla 109 el juez determina si se puede usar esa declaracion jurad a en ausencia del testigo que no esta presente y declaro antes. Las reglas apelativas y los efectos de errores en procesos apelativos Una cosa que muchos abogados aun no tienen claro es que un juez puede equivocarse al admitir una evidencia o al rechazarla, y aun asi, no se revocara la sentencia en apelacion. El caso de Colon V. S. K-mart, 154 D. P. R. 510 (2001) implanto la norma juridica que un tribunal de apelacion solamente intervendra con las determinaciones de hechos y de creedibilidad del tribunal de instancia es decir el tribunal inferior de donde proviene la apelacion cuando las determinaciones sean claramente erroneas o atenten contra una politica publica disenada en un estatuto. Esto significa que los tribunales apelativos no cambian las decisiones de los tribunales inferiores lo que significa es que ellos examinan si existe algun error en derecho que pueda ser sub sanado obviamente de existir algun derecho esto cambiara el curso de esa decision entre los que estan una revocacion, confirmacion o modificacion del caso que esta bajo revision. Examen de las reglas 104, 105 (y) 106 de evidencia Las reglas 104, 105 (y) 106 examinadas conjuntamente, disponen que cuando un juez por error, admita durante el juicio una evidencia o una pregunta que no debio admitir o la rechace cuando debio admitirla, ese error, por si solo, no ocasionaria que el tribunal apelativo revocara la sentencia en ese juicio. Para que pudiera revocarla, se necesitarian (2) dos requisitos. (1). Que el abogado contrario hubiese objetado a tiempo y por el fundamento legal correcto en derecho, lo establece y ordena la regla 104 (A). En el caso resuelto por el Tribunal Supremo de Puerto Rico Pueblo V. S. Rivero, 121 D. P. R. 454, se implanto y reitero la norma juridica que establece si un abogado no puede solicitar en el proceso apelativo la revocacion de un error cometido por un Juez sin antes haber hecho esa objeccion antes de que el caso suba al tribunal apelativo y no puede entonces esperar que llegue al apelativo para entonces solicitar la revocacion de esa admision erronea de evidencia. En idioma espanol el Supremo sostiene que renuncia a la objeccion que tenia que haber hecho antes de subir el caso Continuacion del analisis de la regla 104 (A) Fundamento de la objeccion La regla 104 (A) aclara que si el fundamento de la objecion surge claramente del contexto del ofrecimiento de la evidencia, no sera necesario aludir a tal fundamento. Para entender lo ilustrado esto lo explica el caso resuelto en Pueblo V. S. Chevere, 139 D. P. R. 1 (1995) una psicologa opino que una testigo estaba diciendo la verdad la defensa no objeto su opinion. En este caso no hubo objecion por el abogado pero debio haber objetado. El caso de Pueblo V. S. Canino 134 D. P. R. 796 (1993) habia establecido previamente que lo que una psicologa diga no era admisible porque un perito no puede determinar sobre si un testigo esta diciendo la verdad o no. Esa funcion corresponde al juez . Por lo que ese abogado debio haber objetado en ese momento la opinion de la psicologa y no esperar a plantearlo en la apelacion ya que el alego que el caso de Canino todavia no se habia resuelto y el alego no saber nada. El Supremo le dijo que eso no era una excusa para no poder objetarlo debio hacerlo aunque hubiese sido la primera vez Otro requisito esencial para la revocacion de la decision o sentencia La regla 105 (A) (2) establece ademas que esa evidencia especifica que se objeta de parte del abogado haya sido un factor decisivo o sustancial en la sentencia que se dicto. Los casos del Supremo Pueblo V. S. Rodriguez 146 D. P. R. 860 (1998) y Pueblo V. S. Rivera Nazario, 141 D. P. R. 65 (1996) aclararon que si fue una tonteria, o era prueba acumulativa, o no hubiera variado el resultado final del caso no se revocara la sentencia en estos casos citados la admision de unas fotografias por error no se consideraban errores sustanciales. Es decir si ese error no es sustancialmente parte de la decision del caso y en nada afecta la decision los tribunales apelativos no apreciaran esa evidencia como parte del proceso de una revocacion de esa decision o sentencia del caso que ha sido objeto de revision en ese tribunal de apelaciones. Errores extraordinarios (fracasos de la justicia) que conllevan revocacion automatica La manera mas sencilla y clara de entender que aunque los abogados que postulan ante un tribunal no hayan podido objetar oportunamente y por el fundamento legal adecuado y/o en otros casos segun la regla 104 (B) haciendo un ofrecimiento de la prueba que en castellano y en arroz y habichuela significa que que el abogado que postula le pueda indicar al tribunal (Juez) la naturaleza, pertinencia y proposito de esa evidencia que quiere introducir como parte del proceso y el mismo Juez que ve la vista no le permite presentar, nada de lo antes dispuesto impedira que un Tribunal Apelativo pueda considerar errores crasos y perjudiciales de admision o exclusion de evidencia cuando sea un fracaso de la justicia. En el argot pueblerino se le ve la costura de que ese juez abuso de su poder discresionalmente como Juez. Como por ejemplo validar un arresto ilegal como uno valido. El caso de Pueblo V. S. Rivera Nazario 141 D. P. R. 865 (1996) aclaro que aun cuando no se cumpla con las objeciones y o frecimientos de prueba como parte de las exigencias para acudir en apelacion y se incurrio en un error extraordinario es revisable en apelacion ese caso y podria revocarse su decision. Continuacion de errores extraordinarios (revocacion) En cuanto a los errores acumulativos el caso de Pueblo V. S. Echevarria, 128 D. P. R. 299 (1991) resolvio que tambien se puede revocar una decision cuando un error no extraordinario por si solo, no ocasionara la revocacion, pero el efecto acumulativo de varios de estos errores fueran sustanciales sobre esta excepcion. Para entenderlo significa que por muchos errores que tengan sustancia y que se vayan acumulando, los tribunales apelativos pueden tambien revisar los casos y hasta revocarlos por ser un fracaso de la justicia aun cuando el abogado litigante no haya cumplido con su funcion de objetar la prueba en controversia, no obstante bajo esta situacion se considera este metodo como una excepcion a estas reglas de evidencia. Lo importante es que esos alegados errores que se acumulan sean sustanciales para poder cambiar la apreciacion de la prueba Situaciones donde los fiscales deben plantean que no son errores sustanciales Cuando los fiscales ofrecen evidencias que supuestamente afecten los derechos del acusado se deben guiar por la norma establecida en los casos Pueblo V. S. Lopez 118 D. P. R. 515, Pueblo V. S. Ruiz Bostch, 127 D. P. R. 762 (1991) aclaro el Supremo que el fiscal tiene la obligacion de probar ante el tribunal apelativo que el error no fue perjudicial para el acusado y lo tiene que probar de tal forma que el tribunal apelativo quede convencido mas alla de duda razonable. Tambien se resuelve en el ultimo caso aqui citado que no siempre se revocara la sentencia condenatoria aun cuando en este caso se planteo que se obtuvo una confesion del acusado sin que el fiscal le hubiese hecho las advertencias legales antes de comenzar su confesion como parte de la investigacion del caso. En este caso lo que sucedio fue que el abogado defensor no objeto la confesion hecha sin que el fiscal le hiciera las advertencias o sea el abogado se durmio en la zona de los (3) segundos y no objeto a tiempo y por el fundamento legal correcto, Admisibilidad limitada La regla 107 postula que se puede ofrecer una pieza de evidencia o hacer una pregunta a un testigo que seria admisible para un proposito e inadmisible para otro. En el caso de juicio por derecho donde el juez decide el caso entonces el abogado le pedira al juez que le aclare cual es la parte que sera admisible o inadmisible y para que proposito. En juicios por jurado el juez instruira al jurado que esta admitiendo la pregunta o la evidencia para un proposito limitada nada mas. En forma entendible un emplo es cuando se presenta una declaracion jurada de una persona el Juez puede aceptarla con el proposito de establecer y conocer que esa persona sabia firmar aunque el mismo juez no haya aceptado el contenido de esa declaracion por no ser valida en derecho. Lo que se quiere conocer es si sabia firmar o no. No se quiere saber el contenido de la misma. Regla de la totalidad de la evidencia La regla 108 nos dice que cuando parte de una declaracion es ofrecida en evidencia, el abogado de la otra parte puede ofrecer el resto del escrito o cualquier escrito que le complemente. El proposito de esta regla de la totalidad es que el juzgador tenga la evidencia dentro de su contexto para que pueda comprenderla mejor lo que se pretende demostrar al tribunal. Ejemplo (X) presenta una carta donde admite haberle tomado dinero prestado a (Y). La parte contraria puede presentar tambien la segunda carta donde decia que (Y) le habia pagado a (X) la mitad del dinero. En el caso normativo Pueblo V. S. Echevarria, 128 D. P. R. 229 (1991), el Tribunal Supremo interpreto esta regla y dictamino que la regla 108 no significa que si un abogado o fiscal presenta tan solo una de las paginas no serian admisibles en evidencia. Lo que significa es que la parte adversa no tendra que esperar su turno para pedir que el tribunal admita la totalidad del expediente en el turno en que estan presentando esas paginas. Se puede hacer todo en ese momento. Las determinaciones preliminares a la admisibilidad Regla (109) La regla 109 tiene el proposito de disponer la funcion del Juez y su responsabilidad para determinar las siguientes cosas: (1). Admitir cualquier evidencia. (2) Declarar que un testigo tiene la capacidad, es decir esta capacitado para ser testigo. (3). Si alguien puede reclamar un privilegio. En ese caso el Juez puede oir prueba, o escuchar brevemente los argumentos de los abogados, o excusar al jurado de la sala, o celebrar una vista informal. Tenemos que recordar (2) dos cosas que se hacen en esta etapa, (1). Al hacer estas determinaciones preliminares el Juez no tiene que seguir las reglas de evidencia, excepto las de los privilegios segun lo establece la regla 109 (A). En los juicios por jurado, el jurado nunca admite evidencias solo para juicio en asuntos del peso de la creedibilidad. Solamente es funcion del Juez admitir o rechazar las evidencias a ser utilizadas por los litigantes en la etapa del juicio en casos por jurado los miembros del jurado deben salir fuera de la sala hasta tanto el Juez resuelva la admision de las evidencias. Juicios por jurado En el caso de Pueblo V. S. Torres, 126 D. P. R. 724, el Tribunal Supremo sostiene que cuando la vista informal previa tiene el proposito de determinar si un testigo es o no competente para declarar, tan solo debe celebrarse en juicios donde hay jurado. Se excusa temporalmente al jurado. En los casos por tribunal de derecho, el tribunal puede oir al testigo y apreciar si esta capacitado para declarar, dependiendo de la forma en que declare. Otra funcion del Juez en esta etapa es examinar si una identificacion de un sospechoso fue confiable es decir dentro de los parametros legales. Ademas determinar si la confesion fue voluntaria o fue coaccionada por funcionarios del estado. Tambien si se debe permitir al fiscal repreguntar al acusado que esta declarando sobre si ha sido convicto previamente por mentir o si una prueba de referencia es admisible esta norma se reitero en el caso de Pueblo V. S. Martinez, 126 D. P. R. 561. Integracion de la regla 109 de evidencia y la supresion de evidencia en procedimiento criminal Cuando se presenta una supresion de evidencia bajo la regla 234 de P. C. n la regla 109 de evidencia uno de los fundamentos para solicitarla es que lo afirmado bajo juramento en la declaracion prestada por el agente que obtuvo la orden de allanamiento era falso total o parcialmente. En cuanto a esta aseveracion en el caso de Pueblo V. S. Maldonado 135 D. P. R. 563 (1994), se planteo si era o no obligatorio que el Juez celebrara una vista evidenciaria cuando se radica esta mocion de supresion de evidencia. En este caso el Tribunal Supremo resolvio que el que presenta la mocion de supresion de evidencia viene obligado a alegar en la misma los hechos o razones especificas en que apoya su reclamacion. Por tanto, si cumple con este requisito, el tribunal viene obligado a celebrar una vista evidenciaria y adjudicar los hechos en disputa. Si la mocion no cumple con el requisito, o si no hay hechos en disputa, el tribunal puede resolver la mocion sin celebrar una vista. Esta ultima aseveracion surge de la ultima enmienda a la regla 234 de P. C. Ley Num 44 de 2007. Pertinencia de la evidencia ofrecida Cuando tenga que celebrarse una vista debe hacerse antes del juicio, para lograr la economia procesal. La regla 109 (B) por su parte dispone que cuando para determinar si es o no pertinente una evidencia ofrecida, se haga necesario que se satisfaga una condicion de hecho, el tribunal admitira la evidencia al presentarse evidencia suficiente para sostener la conclusion de que la condicion ha sido satisfecha. El tribunal puede tambien admitir evidencia, sujeto a que posteriormente se presente evidencia suficiente para sostener la conclusion de que la condicion ha sido satisfecha. Ejemplo de esto es cuando se presenta el resultado de una prueba de alcohol para satisfacer la condicion de que la prueba fue valida el fiscal debe mostrar al Juez que fue autenticada y que fue confiable si no se satisface esa condicion puede ser descartada por el tribunal. En el caso Pueblo V. S. Nazario 138 D. P. R. 760 (1995), el Supremo, expreso que se trataba de un caso de pertinencia condicionada, bajo la regla antigua 9 (B) ahora 109 (B). Por tanto, no cometio error el juez al admitir la evidencia con la instruccion al jurado sobre lo que dice esta regla. Corresponde entonces al jurado aquilatar el valor probatorio de la prueba de alcohol, o descartarla, luego que escuche toda la evidencia de la defensa para impugnar la autenticidad de dicha prueba de alcohol. Las confesiones voluntarias El caso que mejor explica este proceso es Pueblo V. S, Rivera Nazario, 141 D. P. R, 865 (1996) el Tribunal Supremo de Puerto Rico aclaro en el mismo que en los casos por jurado, la regla 109 (C) que examina el procedimiento para ver si una confesion fue valida o no es decir voluntaria o coaccionada por los funcionarios de estado se tiene que pasar prueba en (2) ocasiones por los abogados litigantes en la determinacion preliminar. Primero ante el Juez, y si este la admite, se pasara ante el jurado para que el jurado resuelva sobre el peso de la creedibilidad de la confesion. Un dato mportante que no debemos olvidar nunca y que hemos examido en el curso de procedimiento criminal es que estas confesiones deben ser objeto de corroboracion siempre por part e de los investigadores, este proceso le da mas peso y credibilidad a la prueba que la fiscalia va a utilizar en contra del declarante. Esto evitara que otras personas se echen culpas que pueden ser por proteger a otras personas. El derecho del acusado que declara en la determinacion preliminar La regla 109 (D) establece que si el acusado declara en esta etapa, el fiscal no puede contrainterrogar sobre otros aspectos del caso. En espanol boricua el acusado se le esta preguntando si lo obligaron a confesar o si fue voluntariamente, el fiscal no puede preguntarle otras cosas de como lo asesino etc. La regla 109 (D) no prohibe a las partes que una vez que el juez ha determinado que una prueba es admisible o un testigo puede declarar porque esta apto, la otra parte litigante pueda presentar en el juicio evidencia pertinente para impugnar el valor probatorio o credibilidad de esa evidencia. Ejemplo de esta situacion es que si el Juez resolviera en la determinacion preliminar que una prueba de referencia es admisible, ello no le impide al otro abogado que pueda contradecir esa prueba de referencia admitida para restarle credibilidad, es decir impugnarla ante ese tribunal que esta litigando esa prueba. Continuacion de la regla 109 (D) de evidencia Jurisprudencia aplicable En cuanto a evidencias admisibles o peritos cualificados como testigos que pueden emitir opiniones ( Expert Opinion Evidence Witnesses) bajo la citada regla de evidencia el mejor caso que explica esta situacion que no puede pasar por alto es el de Pueblo V. S. Bianchi, 117 D. P. R. 484. El Tribunal Supremo de Puerto Rico manifesto que el Juez debe usar esta regla para recibir el testimonio de base (foundation testimony) necesario para determinar, en los casos que se requiera, si se cumplio o no con la cadena de custodia ,evidencia cientifica o demostrativa. Explicado en forma sencilla el hecho de ser admitido como un testigo con unos conocimientos especializados en su area, no impide que el abogado defensor impugne el rocedimiento llevado a cabo en el manejo de la custodia de evidencia, ademas este testimonio del perito al sentar las bases le brinda una mejor oportunidad al Juez que cualifica testigo para poder apreciar cualquier irregularidad en el proceso del manejo y custodia de l a evidencia. Obiamente el abogado contrario debe objetar cualquier irregularidad en el proceso de cualificacion y presentacion de esas evidencias cientificas. Evaluacion y suficiencia de la prueba La regla 110 (A) lo que dice es que los abogados que litigan en un tribunal tienen que presentar el peso de la prueba o de lo contrario resultarian vencidos en sus argumentos si no presentan esa prueba, Un caso que ayuda a entender mejor esta aseveracion es Colon V. S. Loteria de Puerto Rico, 2006 T. S. P. R 65. En forma sencilla explica que un fiscal tiene el peso de la prueba para probar un caso criminal con evidencias mas alla de una duda razonable o de lo contrario el acusado saldria absuelto. El inciso (B) de esta regla manifiesta que tiene primeramente la obligacion de presentar evidencia quien sostiene la afirmativa en la controversia. En Puerto Rico el fiscal presenta primero sus testigos y pruebas ya que son ellos los que afirman que la culpabilidad del imputado es cierta a base de las pruebas que ellos someten al tribunal. Un breve analisis de la regla 110 (C) la explica el Tribunal Supremo en Pueblo V. S. Torrers, 117 D. P. R. 6 (1994), la norma reitera que la ley no requiere certeza matematica para establecer un hecho, pero el Supremo resolvio que solo se exige que llegue al Juez la prueba que produzca conviccion moral en un animo no prevenido. Continuacion del analisis de la regla 110 de evidencia La regla 110 (D) lo que establece es q ue cuando los Jueces tengan ante si una evidencia directa de un testigo si para ellos es creible es decir tiene suficiente garantia de ser confiable los propios jueces pueden establecer ese hecho por considerarla como suficiente. Ejemplo si un testigo dice que (X )fue el que le quito la vida a (Y), y el Juez considera como creible esa declaracion entonces el Juez puede establecer cualquier hecho como verdadero hasta tanto no se demuestra prueba de lo contrario. Los casos que explican mejor este concepto son: Rivera Figueroa V. S. Autoridad de Acueductos, 2009 TSPR 162, Pueblo V. S. Santiago Collazo, 2009, TSPR 101, Ramirez Ferrer V. S. Conagra, 2009 TSPR 55. Una razon es que la evidencia directa por lo general muestra el hecho sin que medie una presuncion o una inferencia a tales efectos, el Juez tiene la capacidad de analizar la prueba mejor. Continuacion de la regla 110 de evidencia La regla 110 (E) lo que significa es que no importa la cantidad o numeros de los testigos que los litigantes presenten en un caso. El Juez o el jurado son los que determinan y deciden a quienes le van a creer, aqui se aplica el argot puertorriqueno no es la cantidad sino la calidad del testimonio a evaluarse. La regla 110 (G) lo que postula es que cuando pareciere que uno de los abogados que litigan su caso, teniendo disponible unas pruebas mas contundentes y firmes que satisfagan los requisitos de buenas pruebas, ofrecen las mas debiles y menos satisfactorias la evidencia que ellos ofrecen debera ser considerada con sospechas. La regla 110 (F) establece que en los casos civiles, la decision del juzgador se hara mediante la preponderancia de la prueba. En casos criminales debe ser mas alla de toda duda razonable. Es decir en casos civiles la prueba es mas liviana para establecer un caso puede ser hasta de un 66% o mas, en casos criminales un 98% o mas por lo que el peso de la prueba es mas contundente. Definicion de duda razonable El caso que explica el concepto de duda razonable es Pueblo V. S. Irizary Irizary, 156 D. P. R. 80 (2002), el Supremo sostuvo que duda razonable no es otra cosa que la insatisfaccion de la conciencia del juzgador con la prueba presentada. Otros casos Pueblo V. S . Santiago Collazo, 2009 TSPR 101, Pueblo V. S. Sanchez, 134 D. P. R. 577 (1993) (y) Pueblo V. S. De Leon, 132 D. P. R. 746 afirmaron que no basta con que el fiscal presente prueba que sea meramente suficiente. Se requiere que la prueba sea suficiente en derecho. Esto significa que la evidencia, ademas debe ser suficiente y tiene que ser satisfactoria. En buen castellano, eso quiere decir lo que reitero la norma juridica de Pueblo V. S. Torres, 137 D. P. R. 56 (1994) que quiere decir que produzca conviccion moral o certeza en un animo no prevenido. Es decir que la prueba se analizo objetivamente y libre de prejuicios. Si los fiscales no prueban su caso mas alla de una duda razonable los casos pueden ser desestimados por crear duda razonable en el juzgador de los hechos que se estan litigando ante ese tribunal. En casos civiles la norma de preponderancia es a base del criterio de probabilidades. Evaluacion de credibilidad por los tribunales apelativos en casos penales En relacion a este analisis (2) casos importantes son Pueblo V. S. Viruet, 2008 TSPR 60 (y) Pueblo V. S. Acevedo, 150 D. P. R. 84 (2000) estos casos reiteraron la norma juridica que establece que en los casos criminales el Tribunal Supremo de Puerto Rico no intervendria con la valoracion de la prueba que haga el jurado o juez en ausencia de pasion, prejuicio, parcialidad o que exista un error manifiesto. Los Jueces tienen que creerle a los testigos que declaran en un juicio cuando no incurren en constantes contradicciones aunque el abogado contrario no le haya hecho preguntas en otras palabras debe merecerles credito al juzgador. En el caso de Miranda V. S. Mena 109 D. P. R. 473, el Tribunal Supremo aclaro que la unica manera en que los Jueces no den credito al testimonio en estos casos es que: 1. Lo que dijo sea fisicamente imposible, ejemplo que visito la luna en media hora y regreso. 2. Sea totalmente inverosimil, son disparetes que parecen imposibles, ejemplo testigo manifesto que recibio (10) disparos y no sangro. 3. Contradicciones que sean increibles. Continuacion de evaluacion de credibilidad en casos criminales El Tribunal Supremo reitero que bajo las situaciones antes explicadas los Jueces no gozan de su discresion absoluta para no creerle al testigo, razon por la cual se revoco la decision del Tribunal de Primera Instancia en el caso de Miranda V. S. Mena ya citado, ya que no se dieron los criterios de imposibilidad. Otro caso Pueblo V. S. Falcon, 126 D. P. R. 75, resolvio que aun cuando un testigo incurra en contradicciones, el Juez puede creerle. Pero si es el unico testigo del fiscal, e incurre en contradicciones crasas sobre los asuntos esenciales del caso, el Tribunal Supremo puede revocar porque no se establece la culpabilidad mas alla de duda razonable. En el caso de Pueblo V. S. Gonzalez, 138 D. P. R. 91 (1995) se implanto la norma de que si un

What Justice Means to Me Essays

What Justice Means to Me Essays What Justice Means to Me Essay What Justice Means to Me Essay In social institutions, justice is the very first virtue. On the other hand, truth would be considered to be of systems of thought. In the case of theories, certain revisions could be done if it is found to be untrue. Even if the theory seems to sound elegantly, changes would be required on it. The same thing applies to laws and institutions. If these laws and institutions are untrue, they would be reformed, or worst, they would be abolished. Utilitarianism states that a moral action is the â€Å"greatest good for the greatest number of people† (Mill, 1863). But each and every individual has the ability to discern based on justice that the wellbeing of a whole society does not often overrule the wellbeing of its citizen. Justice rejects the idea that an individual could lose his freedom for the benefit of the other individuals. In a society, justice must provide the equality which the citizen or the people should receive. Their rights should be protected by justice and that in equalities are reduced, if not totally removed (Rawls, 1999).Justice for me is fairness. It is a way to give the things that is due to a person or an individual who experiences unjust treatment. Each and every individual should experience equality especially with regards to rights and liberty, comparable to that which is experienced by other people. In addition to this, if there is the presence of social and economic inequalities, it should be reformed. The inequalities should be arranged in a manner as to be rationally anticipated to be to everyone’s advantage. Also, it should be fixed as to make positions or offices open to everybody, and not only to a specific individual or group of individuals.In a case stated by Claire Andre and Manuel Velasquez, an individual named Beatrice Norton who was fourteen years old worked in a cotton mill just like her mother. Few years after, she had stopped from working due to problems with regards to her health. Exposure to the cotton dust i n the cotton mill had resulted to a disease called â€Å"brown lung†. â€Å"Brown lung† can is a chronic disease, and if it gets out of hand, it could be fatal. The symptoms of brown lung are similar to asthma and emphysema. Due to this disease, she was not able to work anymore and provide money for herself and to her family. As such, she asks for the government’s help in giving justice to what she had experienced. More specifically, she wanted to receive stability compensations from the government. Another case talks about Mrs. Vinnie Ellison’s husband who also worked in a cotton mill. Her husband had experienced difficulties in breathing and her husband’s health was in serious problem fulfilling his job due to this. Mrs. Ellison’s husband was fired because of this. Aside from being jobless, Mrs. Ellison’s husband had no pension, as such, they had difficulty living (Andre and Velasquez, Spring 1990).In these two incidents or cases, b oth Beatrice Norton and Mrs. Vinnie Elison, only wanted what is due to them or to their loved one. They wanted to be treated equally or fairly as to what they had experienced. They had worked for the cotton mill for years and morally speaking, the victims should be given compensations or financial help. In this way, their efforts, labor and loyalty to the company could be rewarded. In a just society, they should not be treated indifferently and that justice should protect them as well, just like how it protects other laborers or workers experiencing other diseases.As a Criminal Justice professional, I would see to it that they would be given what’s due to them. I would try to investigate and check if there’s any fault, mistake, neglects or shortcomings done by either Beatrice Norton and Mrs. Vinnie Elison or the cotton mill. I could readily give help or assistance to the victims of the â€Å"brown lung† in receiving at least a small compensation to pay for their medications. The improvement of their health could also be pushed through as deliberations and investigations go on. I would also help in granting pension to these victims if it is found that they had not committed any shortcomings as to endanger their own selves to the disease. In the case of the cotton mill, I could assist them in finding a suitable compensation or pension for the victims without incurring much loss to the mill. Their policies could also be revised in order to adapt to these problems in the future. Certain safety regulations can be pushed through the court for the cotton mill to create or improve existing health or safety regulations so that the well-being of the workers could be addressed. If the court finds that the victims did not follow such regulations then, they may not receive what they want fully since it is not due to them.Distributing wealth and good things in life that is equally deserved by one could be thought through common sense be given based on m oral desert. Justice is happiness according to virtue. While it is recognized that this ideal can never be fully carried out, it is the appropriate conception of distributive justice, at least as a prima facie. As a Criminal Justice professional that considers that justice is fairness, this conception is already eliminated or disregarded. Identifying the necessary criteria in this situation seems to be impossible. In addition to this, from the point of view of distributing according to virtue, moral desert and legitimate expectations are neither eminent nor identifiable. Therefore, it can be a fact that individuals who take part in certain arrangements receive claims from one another because of the existing agreements which were made. In the case of the â€Å"brown lung† cancer, certain agreements could be arranged in order to come up with a fair decision that would not push one side to the losing end. By creating an agreement between the two conflicting identities, they coul d receive claims and equality or fairness can be served. Furthermore, the principles of justice as fairness that maintains a fundamental structure do not pertain to moral desert. Through justice as fairness, there would be no predisposition of share distribution that would keep up a correspondence with it.ReferencesAndre, C., Velasquez, M. (Spring 1990). Justice and Fairness. Issues in Ethics, 3.Mill, J. S. (1863). Utilitarianism. London: Parker, Son and Bourn, West Strand.Rawls, J. (1999). A Theory of Justice. New York: Oxford University Press.

Method of chemical strengthening Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Method of chemical strengthening - Coursework Example   A glass has low tensile strength compared to other solids. Glass is considered to be a liquid solid, an amorphous solid. It lacks crystalline structure which other solid used to have. Lacking crystalline structure, a glass has a very slow moving set of molecules with no definite arrangement. There are several techniques to strengthen tensile strength of a glass material. One technique is strengthening by means of so much heat and cold. The glass material is first heated at an extremely high temperature and then suddenly cooled. The effect of heating is by loosing more the molecules and the sudden cooling is to compress it thereafter. Another method of strengthening is called chemical strengthening. This is where the glass material is submerged into a potassium nitrate solution. The high-mass potassium molecule, which is bigger, then replaces the sodium molecule in the glass material. It compresses the surface of the glass material and thus, making it more tough. 3. Griffith is co ncerned not for the strength of a material but for more, the defects. His equation is to know the ability of a material to resist a flaw and fractures. He used Young’s modulus or the stress over strain ratio to get how much stress energy is needed for a material to rupture from a certain length of fracture. Needless to say, the less stress over strain ratio a material has the little stress energy it will need to rupture and collapse. Now steel in general has 200 GPa and a glass only has 90 GPa.

Choose Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Choose - Essay Example Rawls and Nozick have different conceptions of justice and liberty because of their divergences on deserts, government’s role in ensuring justice, and whether justice or liberty is more important than the other. The paper asserts that Rawls has a more superior theory of justice than Nozick because he relates his theory of justice to liberty and rights and justifies the importance of justice to liberty, while Nozick’s framework of justice may improve liberty’s basis for individual rights, but his theory can lead to gross inequalities that can be justified as moral. Rawls says that we do not deserve the talents and natural gifts we are born with and the products we get from them because we are all born with some form of social advantage/disadvantage in one way or another, but such social inequality can be fixed to promote justice. He asserts that people start from biased positions in life that impact their social status, which, in turn, shapes his conception of jus tice. Rawls says that a man is not born equal with another because â€Å"[h]is character depends in large part upon fortunate family and social circumstances for which he can claim no credit† (Rawls 219). People are not born equal if they are born with varying levels of social advantage or disadvantage. ... He argues that people with more social and wealth endowments should sacrifice for the poor to reduce injustice in the world. Rawls underlines the role of the government and institutions in addressing inequality: â€Å"What is just and unjust is the way that institutions deal with these facts [of injustice through inequality]† (Rawls 218). In particular, Rawls stresses that what is just is to redistribute wealth to benefit the most worst off: â€Å"Those who have been favored by nature†¦may gain from their good fortune only on terms that improve the situation of those who have lost out† (Rawls 218). In other words, Rawls is saying that people do not deserve what they get from their talents and natural gifts, if others in society are worse off than they are, and to correct this, the government must step in to redistribute wealth that can lead to greater equality. To do this is to just, according to Rawls. Nozick disagrees with Rawls and argues for private property ri ghts where we deserve our talents and natural gifts and the products we get from them. Nozick asserts that a particular distribution of goods is just depending on how it came about (110), where people are seen as ends, not means to an end, whatever that end may be. He states: â€Å"An end-state view†¦would express the view that people are ends and not merely means† (104). The paper interprets that, if people are ends, then the state should not see them as means of improving justice. In addition, Nozick offers three kinds of justice to argue that people deserve the talents and natural gifts they have and the products from them. He asserts the first form of justice, where a person who acquires property â€Å"in accordance with the

Magic Realism in One Hundred Years of Solitude

Magic Realism in One Hundred Years of Solitude Magic Realism is a term found by art historian Franz Roh in 1925, to describe a visual arts movement emerging throughout Europe. It is known that a large number of critical terms in literature are borrowed from painting. Magic Realism is one of those terms. The usage of that technique leads the author make the themes and subjects are more imaginary, outlandish and with a fantastic dream like quality. Gabriel Garcia Marquez, who is the author of One Hundred Years of Solitude, does not like to be considered a writer of Magic Realism, even it is clear to see Magic Realism technique in his novel, he claims only to be realist without much exaggeration in his work. He states, As the final judgment runs, the source of all creation is reality. In One Hundred Years of Solitude for example, the banana company treats its workers so badly that they all go on strike. They gathered in the main square of the town, where the government has them surrounded by soldiers armed with machine guns. When the crowed refuses to disperse, the order is given to open fire, and three thousand people are killed. Their corpses are, then, put into the trains and sent off to the sea, and the whole incident is officially denied to the point that Jose Arcadio Segundo finds it impossible to persuade anyone that it has taken place. For a European observer, the ability of a government to hide such incidents is indeed unbelievable. However, in Latin America, as well in the most of the third world countries, the situation is still worse than can be imagined. To the eye of European and North American common sense, the career of the Central character in One Hundred Years of Solitude Colonel Aureliano clearly belongs to the realm of magic and fantasy and not of reality. For, in the course of his career he, Organized thirty two armed uprisings and he lost them all, he had seventeen male children by seventeen different women and they were exterminated one after the other in a single night he survived fourteen attempts on his life, seventy three ambushes and a firing squad. He lived through a doze of strychnine in his coffee that was enough to kill a horse. He refused the Order of Merit He rose to be the commander in chief of the revolutionary forces with jurisdiction and command from one border to the other and the man most feared by the government Although he always fought at the head of his men, the only wound that he received was the one he gave himself. He shot himself in the chest with a pistol and the bullet came out through his back wi th out damaging any vital organ. (MÃ ¡rquez, 2003) Early in the novel, a mysterious girls arrives who either cannot or will not speak and whom they call Rebecca. She brings with her the sickness of insomnia of which the most fearsome part, as an Indian woman explains, was not the impossibility of sleeping, for the body did not feel any fatigue at all, but its inexorable evolution towards a more critical manifestation; a loss of memory. Melquiades, a man of letters discovered its remedy but before him, Jose Arcadia has already invented a memory machine in which he has recorded almost fourteen thousand entries. World, in this way, becomes a slave of dictionary as it refuses all possibility of change by overcoming the loss of memory. It is not difficult to count a number of reasons for these apparently incredible details, which Gabriel Garcia Marquez provides in his work, but the most convincing one is, perhaps the obvious mundane purpose of enabling him to avoid censorship. Marquez technique has also been described as a kind of narrative hyperbole which seeks to expand the sensibility with which we perceive the world we live in. In One Hundred Years of Solitude, Marquezs characters are often endowed with a kind of supernatural power. Aureliano can see the future. Remedios The Beauty is taken up into the clouds as a divine being. Melquiades survives death, and stays on earth as a ghost. Ursula chooses not to die and lives for over a hundred years. In One Hundred Years ofnSolitude, if the resolution is strong enough, nothing can overpower it. It is perfectly possible for people to have power over even death. The characters struggle to create and define their own worlds, their fight is against time, history and fate. It could be said that Marquez endowment of his characters with special power is an illustration of our powerlessness against forces which remain outside our control. By crossing the border of normal possibility, Marquez reminds us of the limit ations of our own real lives, but also of the possibility of viewing the world in an entirely different way. Marquezs characters struggle to control, and to create their own world. It is through this act of creation that we can truly escape the forces in life over which we have no control. Marquez suggests that literature is the means by which we can gain understanding of a world-view different from our own, and therefore an understanding of our common humanity. While politics and ideology have the power to de-humanise, literature has the power to remind us of our humanity. Through imagination, and art, we can be elevated from the restrictions we face in day to day life, and we can also be enlightened as to the true potential of our lives, and our own individual power to create and shape our own destinies. Bibliography MÃ ¡rquez, G. G. (2003). PURPLE PATCH: Liberal Paradise . Retrieved from Daily Times: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_3-12-2003_pg3_7

ABC Healthcare Company Essay

Healthcare companies, like ABC Healthcare, that operate as for-profit entities, are facing a multitude of challenges. The regulatory environment is becoming more restrictive, viruses and worms are growing more pervasive and damaging, and ABC Heathcare’s stakeholders are demanding more flexible access to their systems. The healthcare industry is experiencing significant regulatory pressures that mandate prudent information security and systems management practices. Furthermore, the continued pressure to reduce cost requires that management focus on streamlining operations, reducing management overhead and minimizing human intervention. The regulatory focus at ABC Healthcare is on the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX). Both pieces of legislation highlight the need for good systems administration and controls, but focus on different aspects of the business. The main focus of HIPAA is to protect personally identifiable health information while SOX is concerned with data that impacts financial reporting. Violations may be met with both civil and criminal penalties. Therefore, the company must be ever watchful of new threats to their systems, data, and business operations. The most prevalent security related threat to on-going business operations is the continued development and propagation of viruses and worms. Virus and worm prevention or containment is a vital component to the overall risk mitigation strategy. Virus and worm outbreaks have multiple cost aspects for the company including lost patient charges due to system unavailability, lost productivity because of recovery efforts due to infection, and potential regulatory impacts depending on the virus or worm payload. However, the company must balance risk with opportunities in order to serve the stakeholders and grow the business. ABC Healthcare’s stakeholders include multiple groups that depend on or need access to clinical and/or financial systems in order to help support and grow the company. The access requirements and associated risk model varies by user group. The main access groups are internal only users (i.e. nurses, hourly employee, etc.), internal/remote users (i.e. salaried employees, doctors, etc.), and business partners (i.e. collection agencies, banks, etc.). Risk mitigation solutions must be developed for each user group to help ensure that the company recognizes the benefit that each group brings and to minimize the risk to business operations. The high-level management goals of the network design implementation are as follows: †¢Support the business and balance security requirements without introducing significant overhead and complexity; †¢Maintain and enhance security without significantly increasing management overhead or complexity; †¢Implement systems that are industry supported (standards where appropriate), scalable, and fault-tolerant; †¢Ensure that the design is implemented to help ensure compliance with any and all applicable regulations; †¢Proper management of access control for legitimate users and malicious users is of the utmost importance for the security of the ABC Healthcare management system. The threat is not limited to outside malicious users but also legitimate users engaged in illegitimate activity. Based on the above description you are to provide a recommendation of how you would address each of the following ABC Healthcare’s computer network security requirements. Note, whereas cost is typically an important factor, this is not a consideration for this case analysis. Therefore, you do not need to include cost estimates. Your solution should have the â€Å"right feel†, despite the lack of depth or details necessary to be accepted by upper management. Be specific in your answers. Write them as if you were writing a proposal to your boss. You do not need to include citations. Since you are developing a solution to a specific circumstance, material that is copied from an outside source will not likely fit so everything should be in your own words. 1.Describe your vision for addressing the security requirements in the  overall technical design of the ABC Healthcare network. This should include both internal and external (untrusted and trusted) aspects. Untrusted would include user connectivity to the Internet. The â€Å"trusted† network has the main purpose of supporting the business functions of known entities (i.e. partners, suppliers, etc.) which have a business relationship with the company. Note that you are to concentrate on the high level, and you are not expected to provide low level details for your recommended design. (40 points) A threat is defined as â€Å"a potential for violation of security, which exists when there is a circumstance, capability, action, or event that could breach security and cause harm† (Stallings & Brown, 2008, p. 13). In essence a threat is a possible danger that may reveal vulnerabilities. There are many threats associated with online services especially when you add in personal information. The first threat to ABC Healthcare that should be identified is the â€Å"continued development and propagation of viruses and worms† In the development phase of the network design program managers has to ensure not only that there will be antivirus software which will be ran continuously (maybe a network scan done daily after hours) but also ensure there are intrusion prevention and intrusion detection systems (IPS/IDS) in place that would identify network intrusions. A simple antivirus software like McAfee is easy to use and will not drastically increase their budget which in my opinion would be the first balanced approach. Although they may have to pay a little more for other services to ensure a proper IPS or IDS many companies (including the Navy, uses SNORT which is an open source product). Another area that will have to be identified deals with both trusted users and untrusted users and that is unauthorized disclosure which in essence is the ability for someone to gain access to information which they shouldn’t be allowed to view. This does not always have to be malicious in nature as it could simply be a glitch in the system which allows a user the ability to view others information indirectly. We also can’t rule out the threat of deception, when dealing with medical information you want to ensure a patients privacy is kept as just that, private. To gain access hackers can pose as someone who should have access to a system. This could be accomplished by simply calling a help desk and providing them with  information and having them reset your password (which is one reason why I am glad we finally did away with the infamous â€Å"mothers maiden name† security question†¦well for the most part). The third threat would be disruption which would challenge system availability and in some cases the integrity of the system. This threat could be carried out in numerous ways; one would be a denial of service attack which would prevent users from accessing the website. Some more basic disruption techniques could be simply damaging network devices or even theft. Overall to prevent or reduce such threats ABC Healthcare will have to take the different defense-in-depth strategy (people, technology, operations) into consideration. Vulnerability is â€Å"a flaw or weakness in a system’s design, implementation, or operation and management that could be exploited to violate the system’s security policy† (Stallings & Brown, 2008, p. 13). One example of a vulnerability to this system would be system performance. A slow running network is just a useless as one that is unavailable and as such will usually result in users opting to find other means to conduct business. Although I can understand the importance of keeping the cost of network security low at times you will have to remind yourself that you get what you pay for. It is paramount that ABC ensures they have well trained and qualified IT personnel to run their networks (hence my further education into the cybersecurity field) Not only do you have to ensure you have qualified and well trained IT support personnel you have to ensure that each user (employee) that is operating the system is well trained. The biggest threat to a network system is the end user as such they should be trained as to what to look out for such as social engineering. Social engineering could be simple questions asked to a user that they feel are innocent in nature but really provide information to someone who they think would be using the information to help them but in essence be using the information to deceive the user to gain access to network resources or patient information. Additionally, I would first ensure there is some type of disclaimer provided that the user would have to acknowledge stating something to the effect of: the passing of medical records or privacy information is not recommended  unless you can for certain ensure the person you are passing it to will use the information as agreed. Though I am sure it could be written a tad bit better it’s important that users know even though they’re on a secure site their information could still be leaked and disseminated. By having this in place, if something were to happen IT personnel can refer back to this acknowledgment page as issues arise. To protect patients or other groups that utilize the network outside of the ABC Healthcare organization such as collection agencies and banks, along with the above disclaimer I would ensure that the website utilized port 443 for secure connectivity. Although it can still be breached and users can still become victimized, it adds an extra level of security and prevents sniffer attacks. 2.Discuss the way you will address requirements for system monitoring, logging, auditing, including complying with any legal regulations. (15 points) The first thing ABC Healthcare IT personnel should consider when conducting security checks is starting with a checklist. This will allow the administrator to ensure they are able to catch all necessities. This is where risk management should come into effect. According to Kathy Schwalbe, there are six major processes involved in risk management: †¢Planning risk management involves deciding how to approach and plan the risk management. †¢Identifying risks involves determining which risks are likely to affect a network and document the characteristics of each. †¢Performing qualitative risk analysis which involves prioritizing risks based on their probability and impact of occurrence. †¢Performing quantitative risk analysis which involves numerically estimating the effects of risks on objectives. †¢Planning risk responses involves taking steps to enhance opportunities and reduce threats. †¢Monitoring and controlling risk involves monitoring identified and residual risks, identifying new risks, carrying out risk response plans, and evaluating the effectiveness of risk strategies. (Schwalbe, 2010, p.427). With auditing it is a good practice if using Microsoft to utilize the â€Å"Event Viewer† which would allow you to track events that occur on your system. Eckert and Schitka states that â€Å"events that occur on a system are tracked and recorded in different log files, and you can use Event Viewer to view  the contents of these logs. For example, you can use Event Viewer to view the contents of the Systems log to determine when and possibly why, a specific service failed to start† (Eckert, J. & Schitka, M. 2006). It would also be a good idea to have a disclaimer on the login screen informing all users that they are subject to monitoring when using the IT asset that way the user (although it may not always help) will be aware that what they do on the network can be traced and the user has the potential to be brought up on disciplinary charges if the matter warrants. Another thing ABC Healthcare IT administrators should be doing is reviewing files and folders for accuracy. All common server operating systems provide the capability to specify access privileges individually for files, directories, devices, and other resources. By carefully setting access controls and denying personnel unauthorized access, ABC Healthcare IT personnel can reduce intentional and unintentional security breaches. For example, denying read access to files and directories helps to protect confidentiality of information, and denying unnecessary write (modify) access can help maintain the integrity of information. Limiting the execution privilege of most system-related tools to authorized system administrators can prevent users from making configuration changes that could reduce security. It also can restrict an attacker’s ability to use those tools to attack the server or other hosts on the Healthcare’s network. 3.Describe how the system will identify and authenticate all the users who attempt to access ABC Healthcare information resources. (15 points) ABC Healthcare administrators should consider Group Policies. According to Microsoft (2003) â€Å"Group Policy is an infrastructure that allows you to implement specific configurations for users and computers.† Additionally, Microsoft (2003) states that: Group Policy settings are contained in Group Policy Objects (GPOs), which are linked to the following Active Directory service containers: sites, domains, or organizational units (OUs). The settings within GPOs are then evaluated by the affected targets, using the hierarchical nature of Active Directory (Microsoft, 2003). Active Directory in this case would be an added benefit to ABC Healthcare as it allows for the deployment of the Group Policy feature which in turn will allow network  administrators the ability to manage each user and computer object. By creating security GPOs an administrator can apply settings to affect the whole network and not just a standalone computer. This saves time and allows an administrator to affect multiple computers. Another benefit to using GPOs is the ability to define settings for wireless network connectivity. GPOs allow you to configure which wireless networks’ workstations can connect to, and automatically configure Wireless Encryption Protocol (WEP) (Aubert & McCann, 2006). If ABC Healthcare ensures GPOs are set up and followed correctly, users will not be allowed to alter many functions without having advanced administrator privileges and with auditing in place if foul play is suspected it will be quickly noticed. The best form to ensure that a site is available to authorized users would be to enforce the use of a username and password. This would ensure that the right person is accessing their appropriate material. Some security concerns would be that a hacker may try to access a user’s account without the appropriate credentials. There would be steps in place that would prevent access from repeated incorrect password attempts; many times this is covered by having a lockout function. Additionally the ability for users to be able to utilize the â€Å"forgot username and password† function will be readily available. Another option that can be utilized (much like that in the military) would be the use of Common Access Cards (CAC) and Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) which will carry the â€Å"non-repudiation† clause that states that what is sent or uploaded is indeed authenticated by the user and as such cannot be disputed. 4.Discuss how the system shall recover from attacks, failures, and accidents. (15 points) In order to safely ensure that you will be able to maintain information that is stored on your network it is key to ensure IT personnel are conducting backups. Backing up the system is another quality assurance feature that should be viewed by the management personnel. It is paramount that IT management personnel ensure administrators are conducting daily, weekly, and monthly backups of their network. A full backup should be conducted at least once a week with daily differential backups and, with maybe an incremental backup being performed mid-week. This will ensure that in the  event of a data loss IT personnel can restore lost material with minimal downtime. Ensuring there is a baseline in place that has all the original configurations is another way to ensure data safety. When looking at attacks if the system has the IPS/IDS and antivirus software installed the risk could be minimized. Michael Goodrich and Roberto Tamassia also states that administrators should ensure to have checksums and data correcting codes in place. â€Å" Checksums are the computation of a function that maps the contents of a file to a numerical value. A checksum function depends on the entire contents of a file and is designed in a way that even a small change to the input file is highly likely to result in a different output value. Checksums are like trip-wires, they are used to detect when a breach to data integrity has occurred. Data correcting codes are methods for storing data in such a way that small changes can be easily detected and automatically corrected. These codes are typically applied to small units of storage, but there are also data –correcting codes that can be applied to entire files as well† (Goodrich & Tamassia, 2011). 5.Discuss how the system will address User Account Management and related security improvements. (15 points) ABC Healthcare would have to ensure they had proper polices, procedures, standards and guidelines in place to ensure user account management and the improvement of their network security. Although many times in conversation we tend to think that policies, procedures, standards, and guidelines are coupled together. Policies are set rules established by a company or organization. A policy usually is the stepping stone for the creation of standards, guidelines and procedures. A policy would not have to incorporate the other three whereas it would be virtually impossible to create standards, guidelines or procedures without the reference of a policy which is your governing documentation. Having a standard in a way would be a rule used to measure as to how something should be. In the military we have what is called ‘Standard Operating Procedures’ which are rules that provide step-by-step instructions as to how to accurately operate equipment. This  prevents users from using the â€Å"I didn’t know excuse†. ABC Healthcare would have to have policies in place if they want to create a governing document that should be followed. This would establish rules that are to be followed by the organization. In order for a policy to be changed it must first be approved by leadership personnel. Having something like the military’s standard operating procedures wouldn’t be a bad idea either. The procedures would be the instructions that a user would follow to ensure something is operating appropriately. Like stated in question 4 for base-lining they should also have standards. So it would be understood how something is to be completed. For security improvements ABC healthcare can for example create a policy stating that the use of USB drives on computer systems are no longer authorized (as evident by military policy). This is a governing documentation that if not followed could have punitive damages associated with it. References Aubert, M. and McCann, B. (2006). MCSE Guide to Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Active Directory, Enhanced. Boston, MA: Course Technology. Eckert, Jason W. and M. John Schitka. (2006). Linux+ guide to linux certification (second edition). Boston, MA.: Course Technology. Goodrich, M.T. & Tamassia, R. (2011). Introduction to Computer Security. Boston, MA: Pearson Education INC. Microsoft TechNet. (2003). Windows Server TechCenter. Retrieved Nov. 29, 2012. from: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc779838(WS.10).aspx Stallings, W. and Brown, L. (2008). Computer Security: Principles and Practices. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Educations, Inc. Schwalbe, K., (2010). Information Technology Project Management (sixth edition). Boston, MA: Course Technology.

The Indigo Spell Chapter Eighteen

I CERTAINLY HADN'T EXPECTED to walk away from today's trip with joint custody of a miniature dragon. (I refused to call it a demon). And, as it turned out, Adrian was already proving not to be the most dedicated of â€Å"fathers.† â€Å"You can take him for now,† he told me when we got back to Amberwood. â€Å"I'll handle weekend visitations.† â€Å"You don't have anything going on. Besides, we're only a few days from the weekend,† I protested. â€Å"And you don't know that it's a ‘he.'† â€Å"Well, I don't think he'll mind, and besides, I'm not going to investigate to find out the truth.† Adrian put the quartz in the basket and closed the lid before handing it over to me. â€Å"You don't have to summon him back, you know.† I took the basket and opened the car door. â€Å"I know. But I feel kind of bad leaving him as a rock.† Ms. Terwilliger had told me it'd be healthier for him if I let him out once in a while. â€Å"See? Motherly instinct already. You're a natural, Sage.† Adrian grinned and handed me a bag of pie slices. He'd kept some for himself. â€Å"Look at you. You don't even need to break the tattoo. You think you would've been mothering a baby dragon a month ago?† â€Å"I don't know.† But he had a point. It seemed likely I would've run screaming from it back in the desert. Or maybe tried to exorcise it. â€Å"I'll take him for now, but you've got to pull your weight at some point. Ms. Terwilliger says the callistana needs to spend time with both of us. Hmm.† â€Å"Hmm, what?† I shook my head. â€Å"Just getting ahead of myself. Wondering what I'd do with him if I did go to Mexico.† Adrian gave me a puzzled look. â€Å"What about Mexico?† It had never come up, I realized. All Adrian had known about was Marcus's mission and the initial tattoo breaking, not the sealing. I hadn't been keeping the rest a secret, but suddenly, I felt uncomfortable telling Adrian about it. â€Å"Oh. Well, Marcus says that after I perform this rebellious act, we can break the elements and free me from the tattoo's control. But to truly bind the spell and make sure the tattoo is never repaired, I need to tattoo over it – like he did. He calls it sealing. But it takes some special compound that's hard to find. He got his done in Mexico and is going to take some of his Merry Men there so they can do it.† â€Å"I see.† Adrian's smile had vanished. â€Å"So. Are you joining them?† I shrugged. â€Å"I don't know. Marcus wants me to.† â€Å"I'm sure he does.† I ignored the tone. â€Å"I've thought about it . . . but it's a big step. Not just for the tattoo, either. If I did that, there'd be no going back. I'd be turning my back on the Alchemists.† â€Å"And us,† he said. â€Å"Unless you really are only helping Jill because of your orders.† â€Å"You know it's not about that anymore.† Again, I didn't like his tone. â€Å"You know I care about her and . . . and the rest of you.† His face was hard. â€Å"And yet you'd run off with some guy you just met.† â€Å"It's not like that! We wouldn't be ‘running off together. I'd be coming back! And we'd be going for a specific reason.† â€Å"Beaches and margaritas?† I was speechless for a few moments. It was so close to what Marcus had joked about. Was that all anyone associated with Mexico? â€Å"I see how it is,† I snapped. â€Å"You were all in favor of me breaking the tattoo and thinking on my own – but that's only okay if it's convenient for you, huh? Just like your loving from afar' only works if you don't have an opportunity to get your hands all over me. And your lips. And . . . stuff.† Adrian rarely got mad, and I wouldn't quite say he was now. But he was definitely exasperated. â€Å"Are you seriously in this much self-denial, Sydney? Like do you actually believe yourself when you say you don't feel anything? Especially after what's been happening between us?† â€Å"Nothing's happening between us,† I said automatically. â€Å"Physical attraction isn't the same as love. You of all people should know that.† â€Å"Ouch,† he said. His expression hadn't changed, but I saw hurt in his eyes. I'd wounded him. â€Å"Is that what bothers you? My past? That maybe I'm an expert in an area you aren't?† â€Å"One I'm sure you'd just love to educate me in. One more girl to add to your list of conquests.† He was speechless for a few moments and then held up one finger. â€Å"First, I don't have a list.† Another finger. â€Å"Second, if I did have a list, I could find someone a hell of lot less frustrating to add to it.† For the third finger, he leaned toward me. â€Å"And finally, I know that you know you're no conquest, so don't act like you seriously think that. You and I have been through too much together. We're too close, too connected. I wasn't that crazy on spirit when I said you're my flame in the dark. We chase away the shadows around each other. Our backgrounds don't matter. What we have is bigger than that. I love you, and beneath all that logic, calculation, and superstition, I know you love me too. Running away to Mexico and fleeing all your problems isn't going to change that. You're just going to end up scared and confused.† â€Å"I already feel that way,† I said quietly. Adrian moved back and leaned into his seat, looking tired. â€Å"Well, that's the most accurate thing you've said so far.† I grabbed the basket and jerked open the car door. Without another word, I stormed off toward the dorm, refusing to look back in case he saw the tears that had inexplicably appeared in my eyes. Only, I wasn't sure exactly which part of our conversation I was most upset about. The tears seemed like they were going to stay put by the time I reached my room, but I still had to calm down. Even once my emotions were settled, it was hard to shake his words. You're my flame in the dark. We chase away the shadows around each other. What did that even mean? At least smuggling a dragon into my room provided a pretty good distraction. I brought the basket inside, hoping demonic dragons weren't contraband. No one stopped me when I went upstairs, and I was left wondering how I was going to confine him if I did summon him back. The basket didn't seem all that secure, and I certainly wasn't going to let him run loose in my dorm room. When I reached my door, I found Jill standing outside, her pale green eyes wide with excitement. â€Å"I want to see him,† she said. The bond was strongest in moments of high emotion, and judging from Adrian's face when the dragon had been chasing us, his emotions had been running pretty strong. I wondered if she'd witnessed our argument too or if that hadn't come through the bond. Maybe the tension between him and me was second nature to her now. â€Å"I can't let him out yet,† I said, letting her into my room. â€Å"I need something to keep him in. Like a birdcage. Maybe I can get one tomorrow.† Jill frowned in thought, then brightened. â€Å"I have an idea.† She glanced at my alarm clock. â€Å"I hope it's not too late.† And without further explanation, she took off, promising to be back soon. I was still a little shaky from today's magic but hadn't had time to rectify the situation after all the other excitement. So, I sat at my desk with a spell book and ate the rest of the now-soft coconut cream pie, careful to first cut off the part where the dragon had eaten. I didn't know if callistanas had communicable germs, but I wasn't taking any chances. Jill returned an hour later, bearing a rectangular glass aquarium, like the kind you'd keep fish or gerbils in. â€Å"Where'd you get that?† I asked, moving a lamp off my desk. â€Å"My biology teacher. Our guinea pig died a couple weeks ago, and she's been too sad to replace him.† â€Å"Didn't she ask what you needed it for?† I examined the tank and found it spotless, so someone had apparently cleaned it after the guinea pig's unfortunate passing. â€Å"We can't have pets.† â€Å"I told her I was building a diorama. She didn't question it.† Jill eagerly brought the aquarium over to the desk. â€Å"We can give it back when you get your own.† I set the quartz crystal inside and slammed on the tank's lid, making sure it was securely attached. After more entreating from Jill, I spoke the summoning words. A bit of smoke appeared, and the quartz transformed back into the dragon. Mercifully, he didn't make any more of that screeching, so I guessed he was still full. Instead, he scampered around the tank, examining his new home. At one point, he tried to climb the side, but his tiny claws couldn't get traction on the glass. â€Å"Well, that's a relief,† I said. Jill's face was filled with wonder. â€Å"I think he'll be bored in there. You should get him some toys.† â€Å"Toys for a demon? Isn't it enough that I give him pie?† â€Å"He wants you,† she insisted. Sure enough, I glanced back at the tank and found the callistana regarding me adoringly. He was even wagging his tail. â€Å"No,† I said sternly. â€Å"This isn't a Disney movie where I have an adorable sidekick. You aren't coming out.† I cut off a piece of blueberry pie and put it in the tank in case he wanted a midnight snack. No way would I risk a late-night wakeup call. After a moment's thought, I added a stress ball and a scarf. â€Å"There,† I told Jill. â€Å"Food, a toy, and a bed. Happy?† The callistana apparently was. He batted the ball around a few times and then curled up on the nest I'd made with the scarf. He looked more or less content, aside from the fact that he kept watching me. â€Å"Aww,† she said. â€Å"Look how sweet he is. What are you going to name him?† Like I needed something else to worry about. â€Å"His ‘father' can name him. I'm already on the hook for the Mustang.† After a bit more swooning, Jill finally retired for the night. I made my own preparations for bed, always keeping one eye on the dragon. He did nothing threatening, however, and I even managed to fall asleep, though my sleep was restless. I kept imagining he'd find a way out and come get into bed with me. And of course, I had my usual fears about Veronica coming after me. I did hit one stretch of sound sleep, during which Adrian pulled me into a spirit dream. After our earlier fight, I honestly hadn't expected to see him tonight, a thought that had saddened me. The reception hall materialized around us, but the image wavered and kept fading in and out. â€Å"I didn't think you'd come,† I told him. No wedding clothes tonight. He wore what he'd had on earlier, jeans and the AYE shirt, though both looked a bit more wrinkled. He was dressed as he was in reality, I realized. â€Å"You think I'd abandon you to Veronica?† â€Å"No,† I admitted. â€Å"What's wrong with the room?† He looked a little embarrassed. â€Å"My control's not all it could be tonight.† I didn't understand . . . at first. â€Å"You're drunk.† â€Å"I've been drinking,† he corrected, leaning against one of the tables. â€Å"If I was drunk, I wouldn't be here at all. And really, this is pretty good for four White Russians.† â€Å"White what?† I almost sat down but was afraid the chair might dematerialize beneath me. â€Å"It's a drink,† he said. â€Å"You'd think I wouldn't be into something named that – you know, considering my own personal experience with Russians. But they're surprisingly delicious. The drinks, not real Russians. They've got Kahlua. It might be the drink you've been waiting your whole life for.† â€Å"Kahlua does not taste like coffee,† I said. â€Å"So don't start with that.† I was insanely curious to know why he'd been drinking. Sometimes he did it to numb spirit, but he seemed to still want to access that magic tonight. And of course, half the time, he didn't even need a reason to drink. Deep inside me, I wondered if our fight had driven him to it. I didn't know whether to feel guilty or annoyed. â€Å"I also had to come tonight to apologize,† he said. He sat down, apparently not having the same fears about chairs. For one inexplicably terrifying moment, I thought he was going to take back the part about me being his flame in the dark. Instead, he told me, â€Å"If you need to go to Mexico to finish this process off, then I understand. I was wrong to criticize you for it or even imply that I had some kind of say in it. One of the greatest things about you is that in the end, you always make smart decisions. Can't always say the same for myself. Whatever you need to do, I'll support you.† Those annoying tears almost returned, and I blinked them back. â€Å"Thank you. That means a lot . . . and to tell you the truth, right now, I still don't know what I'm going to do. I know Marcus is worried about me eventually getting in trouble and being under their control. Then again, staying part of the Alchemists seems like it'd give me more power, and besides . . . I don't want to leave you. Er, you guys.† He smiled, and it lit up his whole face. Like a flame in the dark. â€Å"Well, ‘we' are certainly happy to hear that. Oh, and I'm also happy to watch our darling little love child dragon while you're in St. Louis.† I grinned back. â€Å"As a rock or in his real form?† â€Å"Haven't decided yet. How's he doing right now?† â€Å"He's locked in an aquarium. I'm guessing I'd wake up if he got into bed with me, so he must still be asleep.† I hoped. â€Å"Well, I'm sure getting into bed with you would be – † Adrian held back whatever comment he'd been about to utter. He instead gestured to the table, and a Monopoly board appeared. â€Å"Shall we play?† I walked over and peered at the board. It apparently was also suffering from his drinking, seeing as half the streets were blank. The ones that were there had names like â€Å"Castile Causeway† and â€Å"Jailbait Avenue.† â€Å"The board's a little incomplete,† I said diplomatically. Adrian didn't seem concerned. â€Å"Well, then, I guess that improves your odds.† I couldn't resist that and took a gamble on sitting in one of the chairs. I smiled at him and then began counting money, happy that all was (relatively) right in the world with us again.