Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: Discussion in Relation to the Criminal Justice System
Number of pages:
7
ABSTRACT:
This is a 7 page paper discussing fetal alcohol syndrome, its incidence, cost to society and relation in the criminal justice system. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), Fetal Alcohol Effects (FAE), Alcohol-Related Neurodevelopmental Disorders (ARND), Alcohol-Related Birth Defects (ARBD) and alcohol-exposed Static Encephalopathy (SE) are all terms for the defect which occurs to a child when his or her mother drinks alcohol during pregnancy. It is estimated that 1 in every 10 children born have some form of this disorder which can result in mild learning disabilities to major mental, physical and developmental disorders. Children with an alcohol related disorder may or may not have physical defects and because of this most go undetected at birth. Youths with FAS exhibit impulsive and anti-social behavior, lower IQs, attention deficit, emotional instability, impairment in judgment and little awareness or consequences of their behavior among many other factors; all of which can lead them into criminal behavior. As a result, over 55% of youths and adults with FAS have spent time in a criminal facility; a fact which many critics within the legal system state may go against some of the fundamental principles of the legal system in which people must understand the rules in society and understand that the rules must be obeyed. From another legal aspect, legal critics also argue that pregnant women who drink could be considered as committing child abuse; an argument which has led some states to impose involuntary treatment and confinement of drinking women during the course of a pregnancy in order to protect the unborn child.
Bibliography lists 8 sources.
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File: D0_TJfetal1.rtf
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