Criminology

1.  Compare and contrast the major tenets of the Classical, Neoclassical and Positive schools of criminology commenting upon each schools philosophy of behavior, views of mankind and society, understanding of crime and punishment and any famous persons associated with the school. Also, what current criminal justice policies seem to flow from the respective schools.

Under the Classical School, the view is that man is a calculating animal that all people are guided by freewill that all behavior is guided by hedonism that punishment should be commensurate to the offense committed. It finds basis in the Social Contract Theory, which explains that violation of a persons liberties also violates the social contract by which he lives. The Classical school advocates that people should be presumed innocent until proven guilty, and that the law should be codified with punishment prescribed in advance. The Classical School led to the development of prisons, as well as contributing to the development of the United States legal system. The Positivist school of thought searches for factors as the cause of human behavior. It is characterized by the demand for facts and scientific proof (OConnor, 2010).

Under positivism, there are differences between peoples minds and bodies punishment should be commensurate to the individual, and not the crime itself, the criminal justice system should be guided by scientific experts. Additionally, criminals can be treated, rehabilitated, or corrected.

Under the Neo-classical school of thought, a compromise is reached between Classical and Positivist schools. In this school of thought, character, and not freewill nor determinism, is the source of criminality. It stressed on individual accountability and individualization of punishment. Crime and punishment is seen as being equivalent, and not necessarily proportional or fitting. It also notes that imprisonment should be the normal method of punishment, and that treatment should be the normal method of punishment. It also advocates the abolition of the death penalty (Ibid).

2.  We have studied criminological theories that can be considered as individual difference theories. Each theory suggests that crime is related to some unique physical, biological, or psychological attributes of the individual. Compare and contrast the major beliefs of two dominant theories in this category and indicate the policy implications of each. Also comment upon the empirical support, or lack there of, for each theory.

Under the Choice Theory, the focus is the link between domestic and societal violence in the criminals background, while the Control Theory focuses more on the characteristics to non-criminal activity. The Choice Theories helped bring about policies such as get-rough tactics, police crackdowns some kinds of problem-oriented policing selective incapacitation deterrence strategies of almost all kinds and sometimes, ideas about using shame of embarrassment rituals for offenders (See Special Issue on Criminology and Emotions Theoretical Criminology, August 2002, Vol. 6, Issue 3).

3.  Durkheims theory of anomie is one of the classics in criminological literature not only for what it held, but also for the subsequent thought that it spawned. Please discuss Durkheims theory and compare that to Mertons formulation of the theory.

Anomie is a sociological term meaning personal feeling of a lack of norms. It denotes lack of rules, structure and organization. Durkheim introduced the concept of anomie to describe the mismatch of collective guild labor to evolving societal needs when the guild was homogeneous in its constituency. Mertons Strain theory states that social structures within society may encourage citizens to commit crime. In the comparing the two theories, Merton expanded the Strain Theory based on Durkheims Anomie. An individual suffering from anomie would strive to attain the common goals of a specific society yet would not be able to reach these legitimately because of the structural limitations in society (Merton, 1968).

4.  Please discuss and evaluate Sutherlands theory of differential association commenting upon its strong and weak points and research testing the theory.

The Theory of Differential Association, developed by Edwin Sutherland, explains that individuals learn values, attitudes, techniques, and motives for criminal behavior through interaction with others. This theory focuses on how individuals learn how to become criminals, but does not concern itself with why they become criminals. A person becomes delinquent because of an excess of definitions favorable to violation of law over definitions unfavorable to violation of the law. The weakness to this argument is that no one knows which came first, the delinquency or delinquent friends. Additionally, critics point out that although delinquency causes delinquent friends, delinquent friends do not cause delinquency (OConnor, 2006)

5.  From a control theory perspective, please explain and elaborate upon the phrase, . . . all people naturally would commit crimes if left to their own devices.

If viewed from a control theory perspective, the phrase can be interpreted as such people commit crimes if, left to their own devices, they realize that the benefits or advantages for committing such acts outweigh the benefits of refraining from it. Under the Control Theory, people stay rational and refrain from committing deviant acts when they see that the attainment of his selfish goals and desires is possible through conformity. However, the Control looks to the aspect of refraining rather than the reasons for committing crimes.

The social learning theory is based on the premise that crime, like other types of behavior can be learned through social interactions with individuals and communities. Crime therefore is not an innate quality, but rather consists of acquired deviant behavior (Schmalleger, 2008, p. 300). The social learning theory looks at the role communication and socialization play with regard to the development of delinquent behavior. Peer groups for example may lead to the development of criminal behavior in youth. It places emphasis on values that sustain such criminal behavior.

Our environment and the people we look upon as role models have a great influence on our behavior. I grew up in a home where both my parents were smokers. As a child my parents told me that cigarettes were not toys, however even while knowing this I was naturally drawn to smoking. As I grew older, some members of my peer group used to smoke this led me to try smoking. Media is also full of images of perpetrators of violence being portrayed as heroes. They are hardly ever punished, the victims of such violence show little pain and the long term consequences of such violence are never shown. John Hickley Jr. the man responsible for the attempted assassination on President Reagan was supposedly imitating the lead character in the movie Taxi Driver (Carter, 2002, p. 294). People might therefore pursue criminal behavior not only based on real but also imaginary persons whom they view as setting role models.

Edwin Sutherland blamed the reduction in community life and conflict in cultural values caused by the separation of people, and the rapid changes in group membership for the rise in crime. He stated that presently we have many laws to take the place of spontaneous controls that groups used to provide (Gaylord  Galliher, 1988, p. 85). Societies are capable of providing the rewards that promote good behavior or the punishments that discourage deviant behavior. Criminal behavior has similar patterns to those of ordinary learning (Schmalleger, 2008, p. 300). Criminal behavior can thus be reinforced or discouraged. Future crime reduction policies have to address this learned behavior.

An effective crime reduction and prevention policy would be one that focuses on the young. This would involve the establishment of positive peer groups, which impart positive values. Such groups would establish ways of rewarding and recognizing positive behavior within the peer group.  Sutherland stated that learning is a product of interaction especially within intimate groups such groups include family, friends and peers. Delinquent peers are able to amplify bad behavior, while the opposite is also true, positive peers moderate criminality (Siegel, 2008, p. 201). The establishment of peer groups such as clubs, and getting young people to do voluntary work can help to reduce the attractions to crime. People having a purpose are less likely to engage in deviant behavior compared to those who dont. People who also belong to groups that hold them accountable are also less likely to be immoral. It has been shown that people who attend religious services often are likely to eschew crime. In addition, kids from broken homes are more likely to choose delinquent peers (Siegel, 2008. 201).

If a policy focusing on the youth is adopted, we can reduce both the present rates of crime perpetrated by youths and also reduce future crimes. Social learning can be used to reinforce positive behavior. The economic, psychological and emotional costs associated with crime will decline. The impetus that makes crime attractive will be eliminated in its early stages, resulting in safer societies.

Analyzing Mr. Jones predicament, it can be seen that he has no other legitimate way to get the 4000 he owes to a loan shark. Due to this, he had to result to drastic means in order to procure something within 48 hours. Looking at his personal profile, Mr. Jones is 35 years of age, Caucasian, around 62 inches tall, and is comparatively lean built. When he was young, he lived in the suburbs during his youth where he had friends with some juveniles within the area. However as his family transferred to the city, to pursue further education, he became a city policeman. He is considered by many to be friendly and responsible in performing his tasks. Due to this, he is known by many of the citizens and is well integrated to the community.

Given the current predicament surrounding his debts, Mr. Jones is faced with a tough decision to break his code of discipline and engage in a criminal act. To achieve this, he had to first come up with a particular strategy in addressing what type and how many victims will be involved in such incident. His overall objective of course is not to be caught and at the same time, create opportunities to be discreet and relatively undetectable in some processes. It is through such that he decided to create different plans of actions wherein he can initiate the plan.

However, given the time constraint, he had to synthesize the corresponding plan to only three (3) wherein Mr. Jones would pick a combination of two or just one approach. Among these choices include (1) selling drugs to a city outside his jurisdiction and make around 2,000 for 48 hours, (2) tamper towards intelligence records of police department and try to blackmail companies who are suspected of engaging in illegal activity to get 4,000, and (3) stealing parking ticket payments in a span of 48 hours. Given these scenarios and options available for Mr. Jones, each of these plans must carefully be analyzed so as to provide the success on his part to procure the money.

In the first approach, it can be seen that Mr. Jones can reconnect with his juvenile peers who are still out in the open. In this process, he can say that he needs money and would ask if there are some options to make easy one. From this point, there is a corresponding exchange of drugs and selling them to consumers at a considerable profit. Since there are risks involved, the process should come slowly. For Mr. Jones, he has the chance to target this during two consecutive nights and try to earn as much as 1,000 dollars per day. So those in the last night, he can gain around 2,000 and complete half of his tasks.

The next strategy that can be employed by Mr. Jones revolves around his ability to steal parking ticket payments within the department. Analyzing this situation, this responsibility is given to the person on a given schedule. It is thus essential that during the two days that he has to engage in the plan, Mr. Jones is assigned in the responsibility. In here, he can tamper with both financial records and omitting some figures during the first day and second day. Since the delivery of these payments happens twice a day, he can effectively break down these amounts accordingly and justify appropriate directions to earn 2,000 dollars within the day.

The last strategy involves looking into the intelligence division of the department and addressing business entities or persons who are investigated for possible engagement in criminal act or unfair business practices. Since this is relatively destructive material for the company, Mr. Jones believes that he can money from it and bribing the people involved in such acts. If he chooses this strategy, he can acquire as much as 4,000 per day. However, he has to plan the approach in less than 48 hours to fully execute the given strategy in detail. At the same time, he has to use his connections both in the police department and community to gain significant information about the possible victim. At the same time, it establishes

Analyzing the capacity of the first endeavor to achieve success, it can be argued that Mr. Jones has to first secure his connections with his previous peers. That alongside the availability of drugs remains the only hindrance in pursuing this effort. However, if this pushes through, the next challenge for Mr. Jones would be to effectively target the given amount accordingly. Seeing this, it is then crucial to target high valued illegal drugs such as cocaine and MDMA. It is in here that he can gain large amount of profits at a short period of time. Similarly, since this would be made in the outskirts of the city, this can be very good in securing his identity. This complements along with the fact that Mr. Jones can operate during the night.

In the second option, success entails carefully laying out the plan and knowing the different procedures involved in handling money within the police department. One advantage that Mr. Jones has over this issue is his ability to handle the money himself. The only setback here is if he can correspond and be on duty during the time that he needs money. On the other hand, since he has been doing this job now for quite some time, he has full knowledge of what transactions and paperwork occur. In addition, he also knows what elements should be made to get the money. Likewise, he can also use the twice a day delivery as a means to delegate the needed amount to these areas accordingly.

The last aspect process to be successful needs multi-faceted approach from intelligence tampering to communication with target victim. This remains to be the least most effective because of high risk involved in establishing appropriate actions. At the same time, the plan can fail especially if there are no available intelligence to be utilized in the process or the company or entity does not succumb to these threats and instead exposes Mr. Jones

Overall, it is then crucial for Mr. Jones to identify which one can pose the least amount of risks possible. For example, since option 1 and 2 can go hand-in-hand and compensate one another, the value of choosing option 3 is still relatively higher because of other factors adding up to the value of risk. Thus, choosing the first and second option remains to be the most plausible actions that Mr. Jones can take.

The USA Patriotic Act is a legislation that was enacted with a view to ensuring that the countrys fight against terrorism was boosted. The act provides the for law enforcement agencies the right to treat suspects of terrorism in a way that is extra-judicial, and more specifically by engaging in areas that greatly affect and compromise the privacy of the suspects. This paper discusses the USA Patriotic Act in detail, pointing out its main provisions. Finally, it discusses the impacts that the Act has had and continues to have on the privacy of the people, especially those suspected to be terrorists or those who are immigrants.

Ever since the 911 terrorists attack this country has worked tirelessly to do all it can to not only minimize the incidence of terror acts but also to ensure that suspects of terrorism are apprehended  and that their accomplices are pursued wherever they are. It is for this reason that this country has been passing laws aimed at ensuring efforts to fight terrorism - both international and domestic - are boosted (Ball, 2004). While the Combating Terrorism Act of 2001, passed just three days after 911, is perhaps the most popular legislation ever enacted after 911, many more laws have come into being to strengthen it and to give law enforcers more powers to carry out investigations and intelligence gathering concerning terrorist suspects. One such law is the USA Patriotic Act.

USA Patriotic Act
This legislation, enacted in 2001 just a month after 911 and closely following the Anti-Terrorism Act, was officially signed into law on 26th October (Doyle, 2002). It was meant to ensure that there was a lot more room for law enforcers and criminal intelligence services to legally do their work by expanding widely the powers that they had been given. The name of the Act is actually a contrived acronym standing for Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (Solove, 2006). Law enforcement agencies are given power under the Act to search records, telephone and email contacts and other information, all forms of communications, peruse medical records, check financial statements, and  virtually do any search or probation that is deemed important for soliciting relevant information about terrorists or any people that can pose a security threat to the country (Doyle, 2002).

The Act also empowers the Treasury Secretary to carry out any form of financial regulations and restrictions especially of those groups and individuals deemed to be a security threat to the country and more so if such people are immigrants or foreign nationals suspected to have links with terrorist networks (Doyle, 2002). The Treasury Secretary reserves the right  under this Act - to monitor the transaction undertaken by such people with a view to tracing where their finances come from or are destined for, and how this could be affecting their role in suspected criminal activities. The Act also ensures that gathering intelligence on foreigners based in the country is made rather easy, because it is foreigners who pose the greatest threat to the security of the country and its interests elsewhere (Ball, 2004).

In addition, the Act provides for immigration officials, working alone or in conjunction with law enforcement agencies, to detain for unusually longer periods of time or even deport immigrants who are suspected of having links to terrorist activities or of being terrorists themselves (Ball, 2004). Finally, the Act makes the definition of the term terrorism to be expanded to cover domestic terrorism which is also becoming more of a security threat to the country. Thus, it has made it possible for law enforcement agencies to have a wide range of activities to which they can be able to apply their powers (Doyle, 2002). In summary, the USA Patriotic Act aims to do a lot more to prevent and control terrorism at home and abroad by making it legal for certain acts to be carried out by law enforcers and especially criminal intelligencers.

Implications of the USA Patriotic Act
Although the motives of this legislation can be termed as good and so bound to reduce and even totally curb terrorism and terror-related acts in the country, it has come to stand squarely in the way of most people who are not necessarily criminals or terrorists (Wong, 2007). The Act sets a precedence where the basic rights of people are trampled on grossly, especially as far as their privacy is concerned. First of all, the right to search for emails and other communication between people is very degrading indeed. Everyone requires that what one does is subject to a certain level of privacy. The USA Patriotic Act takes way this privacy (Wong, 2007).

This is because emails and telephone conversation will be recoded, listened to again, and this will expose very secret matters that have nothing to do with security. For instance, family bonds and friendships are going to be greatly threatened because what is exchanged between friends and spouses might just end up being in the public domain (Wong, 2007). After all once a third party, be it the law enforcer or not, gets wind of the issue discussed or the information exchanged, then it is as good as public information because such will be used as evidence before courts of law (Solove, 2006). With financial transactions regulated, it will make it possible for the financial positions of people to be known everywhere whether they like it or not. This makes people prone to criminal attacks. Searching for voicemail information is wrong because voice mail is not supposed to be heard by a third party (Solove, 2006).

Conclusion
The USA Patriotic Act greatly tramples on the privacy rights of the people, especially the immigrants, and seeks to expose even personal information that might not necessarily have anything to do with terrorism. As such, the Act is grossly in violation of the countrys constitution which provides for the right to privacy.

Bob is a maintenance worker at a local high school.  He is married but has no children.  He has been going to community college to get a degree for the last year.  He is 26 years old.  His parents are living but they do not communcate often.  He likes his job, but does not feel any particular loyalty to it.  He often checks the want ads to look for possible opportunities he would be qualified for.  He has been working at the school for a few years and has gained the trust of his supervisor.  His job duties include general maintenance and cleaning.  One of the more useful skills Bob has been trained on is locksmithing.  He has a good understanding of how locks work and how they are installed, as well as how to open one if it is locked.

Because of his situation Bob has a plan to break into peoples houses that live close to the school during school hours.  The neighborhood behind the school is a good area and most of the families are dual income.  Bob will go to work as usual and at the first opportunity, he will walk to the neighborhood and rob several houses.  Then later at night he will take the stolen goods to his brother-in-law who works at a pawnshop.  Bob will mainly look for jewelry and small but valuable electronics that can be easily taken.  IPods, laptops, DVD players, MP3 players and cash are all on his wish list.  All are easily moved and hidden and with luck some families may take a few days to realize that their property is missing.

He has two days to procure the necessary money.  Bob is not greedy, but he realizes that he needs to steal more than what he is wanting to get for the items.  He determines that if he steals roughly 7000 to 9000 worth of items he should be able to get the 4000 he needs.  He had to make up a lie about why he needed money in order to convince his brother-in-law to help him.

Bob would start his day like normal.  Get up, get dressed for work and get to work on time.  He would make sure several people saw him at work and that the work day was underway before attempting to leave the school grounds to start his robberies.  To jimmy locks Bob needs only basic tools that he can get from work, and he brings a crowbar along just in case he has trouble with a lock.  Since his job requires him to visit various locations in and around the school, he will be able to leave the school grounds unnoticed for a decent about of time.  Bobs goal is to hit 5 to 7 houses in a 4 hour time span and be able to find roughly 1500-2000 worth of items in each house.  Bob has worked at the school for a couple of years and knows the neighborhood and basic layout of the houses.

Bob will stash his maintenance clothes in the schoolyard before he goes into the neighborhood.  Most houses have backdoors or garage doors and Bob will go to the larger houses in the neighborhood because he believes they may have more valuables.  Since this neighborhood is in a good area, Bob knows that most houses do not arm their burglar alarms during the day.  Bob will go to the houses that have no movement and no cars in the driveway or garage.  He will break into the house quickly and go to the Master Bedroom to look for jewelry and money.  He will then go into any other bedrooms to look for small electronics.  Finally he will go to the living room but only if there are no windows or there are blinds or curtains that can be shut.  He would look for home electronics (laptops, av equipment) to take.  Bob will wear a backpack and gloves so that he  can put the items away and not leave fingerprints.  Bob will go to several houses and repeat this process.  Bob will try to disturb as little as possible.

His focus will be to get enough to pay back the 4000 and he will not get greedy.  Bob feels his best chance for success would be to get all of the money that first day.  The second day would be much riskier to try and hit the same neighborhood.

In order for Bob to pull off this theft and not get caught, several things would need to happen.
No one is home or comes home when he is robbing a property and the burglar alarms are not set.
No one notices Bob being gone from work.
He is not noticed in the neighborhood he is robbing.
His brother-in-law does not turn him in.
Bob does not leave a trace of himself that can be detected that can lead back to him
If he is questioned by the police he needs to be a good liar so they do not become suspicious.
In order for Bob to be successful he will need to act like he belongs in the neighborhood.  He needs to be prepared to be quick about getting in and out of houses.  He needs to have good excuses lined up for work in case someone notices his absence.  He needs to convince his brother-in-law to want to help and cover for him if necessary.  He needs to be prepared to answer questions by the police.  Bob needs to think ahead about his actions and make no mistakes.

Dick finds himself in a very awkward position given his standing in the society.  Seen in the society as an honest man he now finds himself facing the prospects of having his well cultivated image dismantled in less than 48 hours by a local loan shark.  To all who know him he is successful.  He has a wife and two handsome children and a good job in the local bank.

The people who know him intimately will tell you Dick owns nothing but the clothes he wears.  He married the only daughter of a banking magnate and thus all he has belongs to his wife.  In fact, if it was not for his father-in-law he would have been jobless. The wifes family owns the bank where he works.  The local loan shark is demanding 4,000 from Dick which has accrued from an initial loan of 2500 for which he stood collateral for a friend.

 The friend has done a runner and now the loan shark has given Dick 48 hours to come up with the money or else.  Dick knows the loan shark is not to be taken lightly and has for the past month been trying to have the loan rescheduled for another two months to give him time to come up with the money.  He has already drained his meager savings servicing the interest from the loan.

In Dicks mind he knows time is not on his side.  In his young days he was known for being a very resourceful fellow.  He could get anything he put his mind to and was known to have a soft spot for vulnerable and people in need.  Many are the times he got in problems just because he was doing something to help a friend in problems.

As he sits in office desk early in the morning with only twenty four hours left he knows what he must do.  It is not an easy decision and it will have the consequence hurting his family if he is found out.  He knows in his father-in-laws office there is a safe that has at least 100,000 at any given time.  He is also aware that his wife knows the lock combinations as he has seen her open it on numerous occasion to either put or get money.  He reckons no body would miss let alone notice 4,000 and after all he plans to return it.

He knows that with a bit of persuasion he could easily get the lock combination from his wife.  She has on many occasions in the past offered to give him the combination but he had flatly refused. Dick does not have access to the keys so he knows he must get to the safe between his father-in law leaving the office and the assistant leaving for the evening.

He knows the personal assistant has a soft spot for the local junior league soft ball coach who happens to be Dicks bosom friend.  Unfortunately he has never given her a second of his time and she is always frustrated.  She has intimated countless times to Dick that she would do anything in her power to go out with him.  Dick decides today is the day her wish will come true. For this to happen, Dick needs to explain his plan to his friend.

He sets out one afternoon to make him understand why he should risk having to be berated by his girlfriend for taking out the assistant for a date.  Before he is through explaining to his friend what he has in mind, he gets two calls on his mobile phone.  One is from the office his father wants to see him in thirty minutes. The second is from the loan shark informing him they are considering reducing the time and coming to collect in the next eight hours.  Dick pleads with them promising to have the money before the appointed time.

His friend seeing how dick is sweating from speaking with the shylock agrees to come to his friends aid.  He tells him to worry about his part as the assistant will be out of the office by 4 oclock.  With that he hurries back to the office.  At the meeting, his father-in-law to inform him that he being happy with his work has decided to give him a promotion to assistant bank manager and a pay rise.  News that would have at any other time made Dick overjoyed does not even register in his mind.  He is trying to figure how he will get the lock combination when he hears his father-in-law speak words that jolt him back to reality.  He informs him that he expects delivery of very important documents and that could he keep them in the safe for him when they come since he would be out.  He gives him a note with the safes combination.

With the new twist he informs his friend that he now needs his help in delivering the money.  He cannot afford to go to downtown and be at his house in time for the evening and would his friend deliver the money for him since he also lives in the neighborhood of the loan shark and it was actually on his way home.  They agree he is to call him once he has gotten the money.  

He then proceeds to the managers office and ensures he locks the door on entering.  As he works the combination lock of the safe, he is sweating and shaking.  His whole life is going through his mind.  He remembers how he had sworn to himself that he would lead a clean life and now he was about to steal from his father-in-law.

Dick opens the safe and almost collapses in shock.  In it there is almost a million dollars in hundred dollar bills.  They are not neatly arranged which is unlike his father-in-law.  He starts second guessing himself as to what he is about to do.  Just then the phone rings.  He picks it up and on the other end is the loan shark informing him the deadline has been brought forward to six oclock.  That seems to be the catalyst for Dick for after replacing the receiver, he goes to the safe, places the documents, arranges the money, counts 4,000 and puts it in an envelope.  He closes the safe and walks out of the office majestically like one who has just done a routine task.

Jay tried to close his eyes and sleep but in vain. He wished he could vanish from the surface of the planet and move to another planet where the loanshark could not call or ask for the 4000. He remembered the phone call that day. He had been given only 48 hours to get back the money. He recalled vividly the deal he had made with the loanshark. He was to refund the 4000 the previous day. His plans had not worked out and he had not yet got hold of the money. The events of the past day flashed through his mind like those of a movie he had watched the previous weekend. Jay had failed to meet three payment deadlines by the loanshark. He had ardently believed that he would get the money but all his efforts were frivolous. His attempts to steal and sell spare parts had yielded no substantial returns. He had been warned twice and his job was hanging on a balance. He could neither ask for help from his boss nor his supervisor.

A quick reflection on Jays life revealed an unreliable background. Jay had been brought up by his foster parents who could not afford to take him to a good school. He learned in a local school near his home. He took a mechanics course which landed him on a job that could hardly support him. He could rely not on his relatives for help. He had to fabricate a plan to help him get money to repay the loanshark and for his upkeep. Jay had no assets to offer as collateral or sell to pay back the loanshark.
 
He mentally surveyed the whole city for any possible opportunities. He analyzed all the possible centers and settled for one. The restaurant would his prime target. He prognosticated that the daily sales would be above 10000. He had been an occasional customer of the High Life Restaurant and was certain that his prediction was authentic. This was the catch he would dash for. His faced gleamed at the idea. He needed to take all precautions in his plan. He went through the operation in his mind and was convinced that it would not be in vain.

Jay first needed to take a thorough survey at his target, to know exactly where the money was kept, the location of exits, the number of security men, the arrangement of the whole building and all the necessary details that needed to be considered. He knew that such activities needed proper planning and a sound mind. A slight blander would land him in jail. Jay had been bright in school, in spite of the financial huddles encountered. He resolved to incorporate his two close allies in the scheme since he could not execute it alone. These were his most trusted pals. He needed to go through the plan with them and give them clear instructions. Since he had only 48 hours to pay back the loanshark, Jay would spring into action the following morning.

The process would commence with a lengthy discussion by the trio, laying their strategies and plan of action, he thought. The initial step would be for them to survey the restaurant. They would pass as customers and confirm how the cashiers operate. It would be important to know this so that they could know exactly how to strike and run for the money.  With a little concentration and keen observation of the activities of the restaurant, this could be established. They only needed to divide their areas of concentration, with one focusing on the cashiers and others on the security and exits.

The next course of action would be purchase of the necessary operation equipment. Jay wanted the operation to be a success. The equipment would include daggers, gloves, masks, a pistol, and master keys to unlock the safe. Most restaurants save money in the safe before taking for banking. The safe would be the target of the operation. They had to be quick and precise. The whole operation would not last more than ten minutes. Jay went through the operation again for his friends to internalize.

The time of the robbery is very crucial. Proper timing should be set where a lot of money would have been collected and less attention is at the counter. The position of the trio was also vital. They would dress neatly and stash their tools in a brief case. This would not raise any eyebrows. They would move to the washroom in turn to put on their masks, gloves and get ready for the operation.

The operation would start by firing in the air to confuse and instigate fear in the people. The second person would give stern orders for all people to lie down. The security men would be highly guarded. Instantaneously, the third person would dash for the money. Firing into the air would send ripples of fear across all workers and the cashier would be ordered to unlock the safe at gun point. The whole exercise would occur in a split of a second and once the safe is emptied, Jay and his team would swiftly leave through the rear exits. The trio had to hire a taxi and brief the driver of the plan. The taxi would pack near the rear door of High Life Restaurant with its engine running. The doors would also be open and the taxi driver was to be instructed to be extremely alert.

The plan was complete. The final phase of the operation would be sharing the money. After the mission was completed, Jay would confidently pay back the money to the loanshark and the trio would move out of town for a couple of days. Jay realized that necessity is the mother of invention and where there is a will a way could be found.