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The American justice system is theorized to be one of the most fair, humane and practical legal systems that has existed throughout history and differing cultures. Even so, there are a number of flaws that are recognized and problems that are inherent to the system. A jury trial by our peers is not always a guarantee that the truth will be revealed and a just answer will be given. In addition, the financial aspect of paying for representation brings with it the ability of the upper classes to buy the best lawyers in the land, while the poor and destitute are frequently represented by state appointed attorneys who are overworked and underpaid. All things considered, there are a few other factors that enter into the potential problems. One of the ongoing theoretical dilemmas of our justice system occurs before the accused actually enters the courtroom. This is the topic of confessions and the occurrence of false confessions. And while the topic might seem single structured and simple to address, there are a few components and perspectives that are attached to it.

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On the face of it, the majority of the population believes that if a person confesses to a crime they are guilty. That is also the intuitive response and in a similar line of thinking most of the population believes that they would never confess to a crime they did not commit. And here we have that dangerous word ‘never.’ Interestingly, the majority of the population also believes they would not respond to peer pressure or succumb to the majority mindset that was proven in the 1950′s psychological experiments. The only problem is, that with everyone believing they would stand out, no one is left to be the majority. Online networking sites and social media outlets are becoming popular places to discuss political and other socially relevant topics such as these. Videos for Elixir Interactive demonstrates the value of networking to businesses and professionals, while many sites are also excellent resources for topical discussions.So, back to the topic at hand, people do succumb to pressure and false confessions do exist. An interesting example has been recently highlighted with the release of the Memphis Three.

The crime took place in 1993 and the conviction was reached in 1994. The crime and the men convicted have remained in the public eye primarily through various online media sites. Elixir Interactive social media tips demonstrate the effectiveness of online networking options and the important role they can play in social awareness. The three men were convicted of the brutal murder of three children outside of West Memphis, Tennessee. There was, and remains, a lot of controversy surrounding the case and the subsequent conviction of the three teenagers who were convicted. The conviction rested largely on the confession of one of the teenagers, whose IQ has been estimated at around 70 and who endured about 12 hours of interrogation. He later recanted his confession, and the facts he gave at the time were in conflict with those of the crime. The three men received a lot of media support due to the attention and advocacy of various celebrities that believed the three were innocent, or at least falsely convicted.

Debra Brown has finally been released from prison and is enjoying her freedom. She was originally convicted of the murder of Lael Brown in 1993 but has recently been found factually innocent of the crime.

Brown spent 17 years in prison for a crime she is now found innocent of. She has started to answer press questions at her attorney’s law office in Salt Lake City. Debra talks about how different everything is and how much things have changed while she was in prison. She is now able to build relationships with her children and her grandchildren and she compares herself to an adult child, as she has to learn how to do pretty much everything.

With so many changes in technology in the past 17 years, Debra has to learn how to turn on a vacuum, work a cell phone, and use a computer. She is enjoying the simple pleasures of life such as carpet, pajamas and being able to multi task. Brown says she can now watch tv, ride her stationary bike, and crochet all at the same time, a pleasure she wasn’t afforded in prison.

Brown was released May 9 and has been living with her children. Recently, the Attorney General has called for an appeal of her case which could end up sending her back to prison. The Attorney General states that he doesn’t want to set a “flawed legal precedent” and allow other prisoners to challenge their convictions.

Debra Brown and her family are worried about this new appeal but her lawyers are confident that she will win the case, especially having been found factually innocent.

The FCPA, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act sets out to ensure that no American company will become involved with foreign companies that may have connections to such acts of corruption as terrorist financing and money laundering.  These two criminal acts are often found hand in hand.  Two countries most noted for corruption in these current times are Somalia and Burma.

They have made it to the top of that list for a few years running, a list compiled by Transparency International.   This list rates countries based on the perception of the public, and of the politicians and officials of each given country.  The same list reveals that the countries with the least amount of corruption, remain to be New Zealand, Finland and Denmark.

What has been concluded by political scientists, is that the countries that are either developing, or torn apart by war or conflict, tend to rank at the top of the corruption list.  These are places wherein the public and private institutions remain perpetually crippled or in many cases are simply non-existent.

There are many accusations that can fly, especially from foreign countries, towards the situations in Burma and in Somalia, but without access to resources and funding, these countries are on one their own, basically, and each citizen remains responsible for just doing the best that they can in any given moment.

Until 1988, Burma was the jewel of the region in Southeast Asia, but now through this corruption, the mismanagement of the government, and repression, this is one the worst places to attempt to live and to exist, in any healthy fashion what so ever.

Anarchy and violence has been the curse in Somalia since 1991, when Mohamed Siad Barre was overthrown by warlords.  These gangsters have since turned on each other, and the country is a mess because of it.  Control is being sought however, as it is every one’s dream to just live, to just simply live in harmony.

One of the components of the practice of regulatory compliance is variety.  Variety in the procedures and the policies that are required by law of companies and firms.  Companies involved in the financial sector must have these practices set in place in order to meet the regulatory and the legislative laws that have been designed to deter the misuse of the financial systems of the country.

These involve mainly cases of terrorist financing and money laundering scams.  One of the most detrimental aspects of these crimes is the damage done to an institution when they are connected in any way to such crimes, be it knowingly or un-knowingly.  Not only the reputation is at stake, but legal action will be taken.  Especially during these times, if one’s business is connect to a terrorist act, they will lose credibility and eventually will need to close their doors.  For even if one is innocent, just having their names attached to such crimes will have serious consequences in the public eye.

Terrorist acts evoke images of carnage and death, and this will damage an institution tremendously.  These companies require assistance in ensuring that they are provided with the knowledge necessary to properly identity those that may be terrorists and to then exclude them from their list of clients.  Money laundering is the key for those wishing to fund criminal acts.

Money laundering is a crime that sits in the middle of a multi-faceted crime, for it is either the product or the means for and of criminal acts.  Either someone is seeking to distance themselves from a crime already committed such as embezzlement or drug trafficking, or they are seeking to distance themselves from a crime that they are about to commit, such as funding terrorists.  When institutions follow regulatory compliance, to such procedures as the suspicious activity reports and “know your customer”, they are ensuring that not only will they themselves remain protected, but that the people of world will protected as well.