Free Essay Providing the Investigations of Violence, Property and Other Crimes

Sexual assault laws

The state of Virginia has put in place several statutes that address illegal sexual behavior under the section criminal sexual assault. One of the main unlawful sexual behaviors is rape which is defined as sexual activities with a person or spouse without their consent or taking advantage of a helpless person or a child who is below 13 years. The offense is punishable by five years to life imprisonment at the discretion of the court. In case of a spouse, the court can consider the use of therapy on the defendant in case he has not committed an offense before. The punishment is also awarded according to the age difference of the persons involved.

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In the state of Virginia, the consent age is 18, so this person is considered an adult and can make an informed decision regarding sexual activities. On the other hand, juvenile rape, victims are any persons below 18 years because they are not able to consent on the sexual matter. Their incapacity is inscribed in the law hence the offender will have committed statutory rape. The state also differentiates consensual sex between minors of the same age as opposed to that of a minor and an adult.

The state of Virginia provides the Juliet and Romeo exception for young lovers which are meant to protect young people from criminal charges due to engaging in sexual activities with other minors with a difference of less than three years in age. In this case, where the sexual activity is between 14 and 17 years old, and it was consensual, the Juliet and Romeo exception will affect the charges of the offenderas it reduces the crime from felony to misdemeanor which translates to low fines and a reduced sentence. If the victim is 14 and the suspect is 17, and the rape was forced then the charge is termed as a felony and can be charged to serve over five years in jail. This is because the law of Romeo and Juliet does not apply in this case. The suspect is given five-year imprisonment for the charge (State of Virginia 2018).

Work stress

Investigators undergo a lot of stress as they perform their duties which can affect their performance. Some of the stress relieving techniques that I would recommend to an investigator includes participating in exercise programs that aim to relieve stress through overall body and mind relation. According to Violanti (2017), the investigator can also use relationships as a way of reducing stress by talking and sharing their problems with his peers. Finally, the investigator can always find private time for meditation to help ease stress.

Stress can affect the conduct of an investigator in a crime scene where he or she fails to follow the crime management techniques that help in the recording and collection of the exhibit. The investigator can have emotional attitudes towards his colleagues and fail to cooperate with them due to the effects of stress. It can also lead to misconduct and policy violations at the crime scene(Territo& Sewell, 2017). The law enforcement department has various options when dealing with a detective who is under stress. The department can provide counseling services to the detective to help reduce stress. They can also use crisis intervention method through stress debriefing and also refer the detective to other providers such as psychiatrists to give professional help to the detective to manage stress.

I would recommend that the investigator who is under a lot of stress be provided with professional counseling session to help him reduce the stress. Professional counseling will help the investigator identify the main causes of stress in his life and how to combat stress. The law enforcement department can force the detective to get psychological help to combat stress because it has responsibility for the welfare of the detective. It would also help in ensuring that the detective is fit to continue with his duties (Violanti et al.2017).

Conclusion

The law enforcement department is essential in a state as it ensures the enforcement of laws in the society. The department should ensure that it helps the officers manage both occupational and personal stress. Laws such as those of sexual assault are essential as they help curb forced sexual activities among people in society.

References

State of Virginia (2018). Rape - Virginia Law- commonwealth of Virginia. Retrieved from https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title18.2 /chapter4/section18.2-61/

Territo, L., & Sewell, J. D. (Eds.). (2007). Stress management in law enforcement. Durham, NC: Carolina Academic Press.

Violanti, J. M., Charles, L. E., McCanlies, E., Hartley, T. A., Baughman, P., Andrew, M. E., ...&Burchfiel, C. M. (2017). Police stressors and health: A state-of-the-art review. Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, 40(4), 642-656.