Sam Cahill EPQ

  How did my presentation go? I think my presentation went well; I delivered it well and explained more on points that I needed to. I felt as though I was confident when answering difficult questions and explaining the project to someone who would have little/ no knowledge on the subject prior.    2 feedback sheets from my presentation. How did my project go? Overall, I would say that my project was a success. I followed the plan, however deviated once or twice but got back on it swiftly. I had to put my project on hold sometimes, as I had to prioritise my A-Levels and maintaining a healthy work-life balance. 

What is the plan of action? My dissertation will follow the guide of: Introduction Case facts, including behaviour at trial and summary of behaviour at interviews  Nature v Nurture In depth behaviour at interviews  Morals Judicial report  outlying factor  legally fair- extra research on offences charged under needed to compare with actual sentence morally fair- what occurred post sentence, and can we judge those events of now with what we knew then? Conclusion.  How do I reference?  According to https://www.rlf.org.uk/resources/mla-apa-harvard-or-mhra/ (published 2022, accessed 10th March 2022), there are four main styles of referencing. They are  MLA (Modern Languages association), in which the author and page number are in brackets and the full reference is at the end in a bibliography i.e (Kennedy, 17) APA (American Psychological Association), in which the author, date published and page number are in brackets, with a full reference at the end ...

What style of source did I use and why? I used completely secondary sources as the nature of my source meant that I had little option but to look at prior studies and publications about the two offenders and facts. This massively meant that I was looking at others work, asking what it taught me and how reliable it is. As the case is such high profile, it means that many people know about it already so would have a pre-cognitive bias against the two offenders, believing they should have a higher sentence.  Why did I feel as though this topic was right for me? I felt as though this topic was perfect for me, as I ambition to study law later on in life, so thought this would be the best avenue to start that pathway. Everyone has heard about the case of James Bulger, and most people believe that they should have received a higher sentence than they should. My question throughout all of this is "why should they have gotten a higher sentence?"; and "should they really have gott...

  What have I learnt? I first learnt about the facts of the case and how both boys behaved in the interviews. This behaviour became extremely useful when then evaluating how guilty and innocent suspects behaved in interviews. I then looked at the trial of the offenders; however this was linked to the facts of the case. After this, I looked at the judicial reports over the constant variation in the sentence of both offenders. This provided me with the first thought that the sentence wasn't just and fair as the Home Secretary overstepped his jurisdiction by altering the sentence.                                                                                                      ...

 What do I mean by an outlying factor? An outlying factor is something that is not directly related to the points and facts of the case. This can take the form of politics, public opinion and the role of the media. As these are not legal factors, they shouldn't have made a large difference in the way the sentence was given. I am aiming to decide if they did make a difference in the overall sentence and why.  Media: "UK media coverage of the trial deeply affected public opinion not just about the perpetrators of the crime but also about juvenile criminals and in fact all children." "On the 25 November 1993, the day after the judgement, the Daily Star...ran the photos of the boys with the headline "How do you feel now you little bastards?" ".  The media launched a campaign to allow the anonymity of the 2 offenders to be released on conviction.  "The press were further outraged by the conditions in which the boys would live while at the Secure Traini...

  Where have I gotten to? From my original list of the order in which I will conduct my research, I have so far completed:  Case facts   the law relating to the case  The social factors of Venables and Thompson (I covered this in my nature v nurture debate)  If the sentence given was ethical What Have I missed off/ not completed yet? Behaviour of people in interviews and how Venables and Thompson are similar/ different to it.  If any outlying factors such as media and politics affected the sentence given If those factors did  affect the sentence given What occurred post sentence Plan and write dissertation and present findings to audience.  From this list, I have left out the question on if the law was ethical or not. This is because I believe that the question was not relevant to the overall course that my project will follow.  Where next? From this, I will answer each of the questions in order, and aim to complete all my research by Oc...

  What are morals compared to Ethics?  "Morals are the prevailing standards of behaviour that enable people to live co-operatively in groups" is the definition according to ethicsunwrapped.utexas.edu/glossary/morals (published 17/2/2017; viewed 2/9/2021). Morals are what society believes is right and acceptable, and to be living within these morals enables people to live as part of a large group. However, the website goes onto say that "morality is not fixed", so it can adapt and change over time as society does with it. Morals and society are intertwined more than ethics and society, as ethics will only affect decisions whereas morality allows people to feel a sense of belonging.  According to britanica.com/topics/ethics-philosophy (reviewed 22/8/2021; viewed 2/9/2021) ethics are what society considers "morally good and bad", note the morally part. For decisions to be ethical, they first need to be morally acceptable by society, so a decision that is cons...

What Skills have I developed?   I believe I have developed a number of skills so far over my EPQ. Most of these skills include analysing facts and evidence, and attempting to link them back to the case; a good example includes when I had researched the Nature v Nurture debate and applied to the case. What am I aiming at developing next? The next skills I am aiming to develop are my skills at evaluating contemporary sources and interpreting them and applying them to the case.  Where Next? From this I am going to look at the morals of the sentence given to both offenders, and looking at if it is morally acceptable to send children to prison and if it is morally acceptable to release them as soon as they did. 

  What Source Have I used? This is a supreme court law report on an appeal by the Home Secretary to increase the tariff from 10 to 15 years. I originally accessed this source on the 18th August 2021, through  House of Lords - Reg. v. Secretary of State for the Home Department, Ex parte V. and Reg. v. Secretary of State for the Home Department, Ex parte T. (parliament.uk)  (published 1997).  This source is extremely useful as it allows me to see why the appeal of the Home Secretary was dismissed, and the relevant legislation as to why their sentence was so low.  What have I learnt? Trial Judge- "The killing of James Bulger was an act of unparalleled evil and barbarity....you will be securely detained for very very many years until the Home Secretary is satisfied that you have matured and are fully rehabilitated and are no longer a threat to society" Trial Judge's Mandatory Life Sentence Case Trial: Judge's Report to the Home Secretary- "If the defendants had been...

  What source have I used? I have used the paper "Guilty and innocent suspects' strategies during interrogations", from Psychology Crime and Law (2007). This source is a research paper, using 3 professors form different universities. The professors are Hartwig, Granhag, Stromwell. This source is reliable because it talks through different projects that have gone on before, however they attempted to apply and prove these previous theories. I have also used the source of the short film Detainment. this was based off of the police interview tapes of Venables and Thompson. This source is reliable for the verbal signs that a guilty person might display, however not for the non-verbal due to the fact that we cannot access that footage due to the offenders being children. This source was written and directed by Vincent Lambe, who has done multiple films of a similar nature. He was not directly involved in the case, which reduces his reliability slightly.  How do guilty suspects ...

  What is the Nature v Nurture Debate? According to https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780195396607/obo-9780195396607-0163.xml (Published 30th September 2013, viewed 30th June 2021) the nature v nurture debate is evaluating the conditions regarding a defendant's reasoning/ ability to commit a crime. The Nature side focuses on how a defendant's behaviour or actions are a result of genes and DNA. The Nurture side focuses on how a defendant's behaviour or actions are a result of upbringing, the environment they live in and the morals they have been taught. The source I used is very reliable because it quotes theorists who used and have added to the nature v nurture debate; meaning that their information is up to date and accurate as many people have added to the debate.  How does this Apply to the case? Having looked at https://www.crimeandinvestigation.co.uk/article/born-evil-what-drove-james-bulgers-underage-killers (published 2021; viewed 4th Aug...

  What sources have I used?  For this, I have once again used the source  https://www.crimeandinvestigation.co.uk/crime-files/james-bulger#The%20Trial , dated from 2018. This source is extremely reliable because it is updated when new material comes to light, meaning that the details  used are up to date and reliable. What have I learnt from the source? on 22nd February 1993, both boys appeared at South Sefton Magistrates Court in Bottle to face the charges. Both enter a not guilty  there is a crowd of 300 outside and they riot when the boys arrive and when they leave. There is a decoy van sent out, which begs the question of what the crowd would have done if they got hold of the defendants. As a safety measure, the trial is relocated to Preston, and on the 1st November 1993 the trial begins at Preston Crown Court.  Denise Bulger refuses to come to court, as she is adamant that she won't sit in the same vicinity as James' killer.  The boys ha...

  What source have I used? As with last weeks source, I have continued to use the website  https://www.crimeandinvestigation.co.uk/crime-files/james-bulger/investigation , dated from 2018. This source is extremely valuable because it has been updated as new case facts have come to light, meaning their information is extremely valuable and reliable.  What have I learnt from the Source? On Thursday 18th Feb 1993, the police began to investigate Venables and Thompson Thompson was investigated at Walton Lane Police Station Venables was investigated at Liverpool's Lower Lane Police Station Both have blood, hair and fingernail samples taken Police are entering new territories with this as no-one has interviewed child murder suspects before. In order to ensure that their testimonies will stand up in court, it is critical that the boys understand the implications of telling lies and telling the truth; and the differences between right and wrong.  The police ask specific ques...

  What Source Have I used?  For this section of the research I have used the Website https://www.crimeandinvestigation.co.uk/crime-files/james-bulger/arrest. This website was originally published in 2017, however was modified in 2018. This means that the source will be extremely valuable because as new information has come to light they have modified the page, meaning that it will be accurate. The Date I visited this source is the 14th May 2021.  What Have I learnt from this source? Below is a list of the timeline and key details of the case up to the murderer's arrest(s): On Friday the 12th February 1993 Denise Bulger visited the Bootle Strand Shopping Centre with her 2 year old son James Bulger As she is making a final visit to A. R Tyms Butchers, she is momentarily distracted and takes her eyes off James, long enough for him to be taken.  She searches frantically for him and alerts security, who call the police after the failed to locate James She describes h...

Why Have I chosen to study EPQ? I have chosen to study EPQ because I believe that it will help develop my research, time management, evaluating and essay writing skills. I believe that the EPQ will help develop all this skills and will place me in a good position for later life and university.  What topic have I chosen to research?    The topic I have chosen to research is: Was the sentence given to John Venables and Robert Thompson just and fair?  The mindmap below shows the branches of my research: What order am Going to do the project in?          the way I will do the project is as follows:  Look at the case facts  Look at the law relating to it  question whether the law is ethical look at the social factors of Venables and Thompson Look at if any outlying factors such as politics or media attention affected the sentence given.  Look at if these factors affected sentence look at what what occurred post sentence Ev...