TERMS, CONDITIONS, AND PRIVACY POLICY
FOR MEGALINKS IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE

PLEASE READ this Terms of Service Agreement (hereafter "Terms of Service") carefully.
Do this BEFORE using the www.apsu.edu/oconnort website domain.
and BEFORE using any services provided by CJ MegaLinks
and BEFORE accessing any links made through its pages
and BEFORE linking to its pages or copying and graphics or text.

Use of MegaLinks in Criminal Justice constitutes acceptance
of the following Terms of Service Agreement
in conjunction with the following Creative Commons license:

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial2.5 License.

1. Terms of Service Agreement
The following Terms of Service Agreement is made between YOU (hereafter the "User")
and CJ MegaLinks (also known as MegaLinks in Criminal Justice),
 its parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, partners, students, and designees (hereafter "CJ MegaLinks").

2. Acceptance of Terms of Service
CJ MegaLinks is an online information service provided to the User under these Terms of Service. 
It is the sole intellectual property of its author and webmaster, Dr. Thomas R. O'Connor.
No host, sponsor, or parent authority is responsible or liable for its contents other than the author.
Complete and total ownership rests with the author and not with the APSU host domain.
The NCWC host domain exercises no property or proprietary rights whatsoever over CJ MegaLinks
 except to provide network, server, password and email services for CJ MegaLinks.  
Content is not edited or censored by anyone other than the author and the APSU webmaster.
These Terms of Service override any other claims posted anywhere else on the APSU domain.    
.
BY USING THESE PAGES, YOU, THE USER, SIGNIFY YOUR ASSENT
TO BE BOUND BY THE FOLLOWING TERMS OF SERVICE.

If you, the User, do not agree to all of these Terms of Service, do not use CJ MegaLinks.
Please be advised that CJ MegaLinks may revise and update these Terms of Service at any time
by posting such revised Terms of Service to this same online page.
Your continued usage of CJ MegaLinks or any of its services will mean you accept those changes.

3. Academic Fair Use
All of the written materials and graphics on CJ MegaLinks - to the degree that copyrights are not held by others - are copyrighted by CJ MegaLinks and all rights are reserved by the author. Citations and bibliographic references acknowledge the intellectual property of others, and this author makes extensive use of them when the source of ideas are known.  In no way is any material on this site intended to be plagiarized, libelous, offensive, obscene or otherwise contrary to law.  Regarding graphics, illustrations, or pictures, the author acknowledges that most of the time, the copyright is usually held by the photographer or the illustrator, and/or in other cases, their employer, and that the fair use exception under U.S. copyright law allows a faithful digitalization of such illustrations when the depiction in question involves a non-reproducible historic event and no free alternative can be located or created, and depiction of a low resolution, no-larger and no-higher quality than necessary alternative is necessary for purposes of illustrating the original content of the author.  Academic fair use is further understood as 25% or less of any page content without the need for citation authorization, and this is a reciprocal privilege.  Copying and redistribution of larger percentages requires acknowledgement, permission and authorization to cite.  Copying and redistribution of whole pages for classroom distribution purposes requires prior consent, and should in all cases be accompanied by citation, reference, or acknowledgement of credit. Copying and redistribution of whole pages by non-educational entities for profit purposes is expressly prohibited.  If in doubt as to whether or not you have permission to copy anything from CJ Megalinks, remember that you can copy 25% or less of any page content without asking, and that you should always ask if larger percentages are involved.  Here's the proper form for citing something from CJ MegaLinks:

O'Connor, T.R.  (Date of Last Update). In Part of web cited, MegaLinks in Criminal Justice. Retrieved from http://www.apsu.edu/oconnort/rest of URL on Today's date.

4. Accuracy and Quality of Information
Every attempt is made to see that the content at CJ MegaLinks is accurate, complete, and updated.  However, in some cases, representational accuracy is sacrificed for the sake of illustration or explanation. Quality control and assurance are accomplished through bibliographic citation, extensive Internet searches, helpful emails from Users, and an informal peer-review process whereby colleagues in various fields of criminal justice, criminology, law, and forensic science volunteer to look over material for errors or inaccuracies, serving as an anonymous board of reviewers for CJ MegaLinks.
No legal advice is given, explicitly or implicitly. No personal or family advice is given. No referrals are made for the purchase of goods or services, including academic institutions or employers. All educational exercises and other assignments are intended primarily for the students of the author who are enrolled in his courses and under direct supervision. No claim is made that any of these assignments or material will be useful in other contexts, although a primary purpose of the website is to afford other instructors access to materials which may assist in their teaching. Any opinions, political, scientific or otherwise, expressed on CJ MegaLinks, are solely those of the author and should not be construed as the opinions of anyone at APSU, the criminal justice community, criminal justice or criminology professors, or any other parties. 

5. No Advertising, Sponsorship, or Commercial Interests
CJ MegaLinks does not accept advertising nor corporate sponsorship except where services such as Bulletin Boards, Search Engines, shareware, applets, and multimedia enhancements offer features consistent with its educational purpose.  Any such installed features shall be client-side since CJ MegaLinks does not operate its own server, and runs no server-side scripts.  Logos, tickers, and popups will be disabled from any such services or scripts.  CJ MegaLinks accepts no payments, remuneration, or favors of any kind for listing a site, service, or other publication. There are no guarantees or warranties regarding the content, completeness, availability or legality of any links to or from other internet sites owned and operated by third parties. No commercial purpose is intended by any mention of involvement by the author with certain publishers, associations, grantors, or academic and research institutions.  There are no fees or passwords required for using CJ MegaLinks.  The information here is only that part of the author's teaching role with his employer that is made freely available to the public, and does not constitute a complete exhaustion of that role.  

6. Reciprocal Link Policy
Permission is hereby given to third-parties to freely link to CJ MegaLinks as they see fit, and requests for reciprocal links will be handled on a case-by-case basis, depending upon the fit with educational purpose, the degree to which the other site is deemed useful to users, and consistency with non-commercial purpose.  A common reason why link requests are not honored is because the other site is deemed too commercial in nature.  Any click-through to other sites by means of links, graphics, banners, or bits are solely between the User and the respective party, as they meet these requirements. The User agrees to absolve CJ MegaLinks and APSU from any and all liability from losses or damages incurred as the result of any such dealings or as the result of any such click-through links.  CJ Megalinks takes no responsibility for the appropriateness, accuracy or quality of other sites it is linked to.   

7. No Guarantee of Uninterrupted Service
CJ MegaLinks does not warrant that it shall be uninterrupted or error-free or that defects in CJ MegaLinks shall not take place. Server crashes and equipment failure which are beyond the control of CJ MegaLinks shall not become the basis of any liability for loss of information arising from any inability to access information. CJ MegaLinks is provided on an "as is" basis, which means "as is available at any given time online." Also, from time-to-time, the site may be reorganized and specific URLs may change without redirection pointers. In such cases, it is the User's responsibility to update their bookmarks.  The most common reason for an URL to change at CJMegalinks is that a course number changes, or the weekly lineup of lectures in a course changes.  The course number is a four digit number between slashes in the URL.  Please refer to the home page for current course numbering.

8. Privacy and Decency Policy
CJ MegaLinks does not collect personally identifiable data about the User unless the User chooses affirmatively to provide that data. CJ MegaLinks does not collect data via trackers, cookies, page counters, or similar items. The APSU domain server may log various aggregate statistical information but in no way identifies individual users. Mailing lists are maintained by the author for students enrolled in classes, prospective students, and prospective distance education learners. In some cases, the latter are shared with APSU officials. Also, upon request and by mutual agreement, CJ MegaLinks may share email addresses between users for educational purposes on a limited basis of information that may be of mutual interest to researchers. CJ MegaLinks will also refer a User to the appropriate law enforcement agency if a good-faith belief exists that this is required by law or the protection of property or life. Minors under the age of majority in their jurisdiction should not use CJ MegaLinks, or if so, only via adequate supervision by their parents, teachers, or legal guardians. Forewarning is hereby given that certain sections of CJ MegaLinks are inappropriate for minors of all ages, and other material exists which might be found indecent, offensive or troublesome since parts of this site often deal with the gruesome aspects of crime scenes or the worst parts of criminal behavior.  It is not the intention of the author to sensationalize any such things, and in fact, just the opposite is intended - to objectively and scientifically explore what are often considered taboo or controversial topics, and to do so in a manner as civil and decent as possible.

9. International Law and Academic Freedom
 Online translation of CJ MegaLinks pages into foreign languages by translating services is permitted, and offline translation is allowable subject to the aforementioned restrictions on academic fair use. Certain government-related information as well as reference to any prominent figures on CJ MegaLinks exist pursuant to 17 U.S.C. Sections 105 and 107 and should not be construed as libel, slander, copyright infringement, violation of National Security directive or any other law because the intended use is criticism, education, or teaching. Ideas expressed on CJ MegaLinks are the intellectual property of the author, and in no way represent the policies or opinions of anyone else. At times, declassified or redacted documents are relied upon as a source of information. No warrant of accuracy is made on any information about governments and the people they control, U.S. or foreign. Users should be advised that international email traffic involving certain keywords commonly used at CJ MegaLinks may be monitored by certain intelligence agencies. Users may normally communicate their ideas freely, without fear of referral or reprisal, as CJ MegaLinks does not normally cooperate with investigations unless directed to do so by Presidential Decision Directive (PDD) 62 or 63.  Users also need not worry about CJ Megalinks and its host domain being subject to government-ordered surveillance and tracking, as this educational institution, including its library services, does not normally cooperate in such activities.  Users should feel free to express their feelings, attitudes, and ideologies under the umbrella protection of academic freedom that covers this site.  

10. Media Relations Policy
From time to time, the author of CJ Megalinks receives requests for interview or comment from members of the news media and/or news reporters, and at other times, the author discovers he has been cited and reported on without forewarning.  In either case, the author sometimes feels the coverage is favorable and at other times feels the coverage is unfavorable.  Since this appears to be a selective process of chance, it is therefore the policy of CJ Megalinks to respond selectively to any and all news media relations.  The author operates without agents or consultants, and accepts no fees or reimbursements of any kind for his news media comments, but be advised if the author does not take affirmative steps to get back to you, as a media representative, this usually means that the author is not interested, does not trust you or your organization, and/or does not consider himself an expert on that particular issue.  This is especially so with ongoing criminal trials and/or investigations, which the author has a definite no-comment policy on.  Telephone calls are not the author's desired means of communication, as the media will find the author more receptive to e-mail inquiries.  The author is most willing to share his commentary with the news media if the particular issue relates to the author's main areas of expertise, which are primarily theoretical, comparative, and criminological in nature.  Do not contact the author if what you are seeking is comment on the specific misconduct of criminal justice employees, for example, or evaluations of specific government decisions since, if any commentary is granted, it will most likely be at such a high level of theoretical abstraction, strategy, or policy to be practically useless for media purposes.  Recording of the author's comments at symposia, conferences, and similar events, even if compensated as a speaker, is expressly prohibited and/or subject to any conditions placed upon such matters by the event hosts.  Requests for obtaining the services of the author as a speaker can be addressed directly to him or via the public relations department of APSU.            

11. Trademarks
 CJ MegaLinks™ and MegaLinks in Criminal Justice™  are trademarks of Dr. Thomas R. O'Connor, and represent both the design and intellectual creations of the Author. It is expected that these trademarks will not be infringed upon with prejudice. Web builders using trademarked graphics in any way are expected to download their own copy of such item instead of pointing to the graphics bin of CJ MegaLinks for it.  CJ MegaLinks will, upon request, remove or amend any link or commentary to any site which regards its own trademark as being violated or negatively affected. Interpretation of recent cyberlaw also mandates limits to deep-linking, e.g. opening CJ MegaLinks up in a new browser window, adding pop-up ads to copies of its content, or keeping Users stuck in a frame while curtailing or constraining the content of CJ MegaLinks. APSU policy strictly bans any commercial uses of its server equipment.

12. Last Update
This CJ MegaLinks Terms of Service Agreement,
including the Privacy and Decency Policy was last updated on Nov. 10, 2006.

13. Contact Information
Questions or comments regarding the Terms of Service Agreement, the Privacy or Decency Policy, or any Disclaimers
should be sent by e-mail to oconnort@apsu.edu or by mail to
Thomas R. O'Connor, APSU, Clarksville, TN 37044
 MEGALINKS IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE

Last updated: Nov. 10, 2006
Not an official webpage of APSU, copyright restrictions apply, see Megalinks in Criminal Justice
O'Connor, T.  (Date of Last Update at bottom of page). In Part of web cited (Windows name for file at top of browser), MegaLinks in Criminal Justice. Retrieved from http://www.apsu.edu/oconnort/rest of URL accessed on today's date.