Can Criminal Justice Reform truly be effective? Abstract This essay examines the effectiveness of criminal justice reform systems, chosen due to its global relevance and my personal connection to it. By analyzing past and current approaches, the research encompasses the historical evolution of these systems and the ever-rising need for improved reform efforts. By exploring the pros and cons of past and current systems, the potential improvements that can ensure fairness and efficacy in the criminal justice system are pointed out to my readers. Honestly, I was excited about conducting my research and deepening my understanding of the topic. There are various proposed improvements to current solutions, ones that will treat people more fairly …show more content…
They may contend that implementing widespread reforms could disrupt the functioning of the justice system and compromise public safety. They argue that any significant changes to the system could lead to chaos and undermine law enforcement's ability to maintain order and protect communities. However, this perspective overlooks the fact that the current system itself is flawed and contributes to injustices and inefficiencies. Dodsworth (2021) implies, “Bureaucratic professionalizers, or “bureaucratizers,” on the other hand, argue that we should vest power in insulated experts who can make more informed decisions than the public. The criminal justice system is broken, according to bureaucrats, because a vengeful public pressures its not-so distant officials to crack down on crime.” While sitting on a panel at the Third Circuit Judicial Conference in 2014, I had the opportunity to speak about my own experiences and root causes that led to my criminal past, opening the hearts and minds of many prosecutors and judges in the audience. Hence, the following one on one conversations about the events leading up to my mistakes, were met with compassion and understanding instead of judgment and bias. Maintaining the status quo might provide a sense of stability in the short term, but it fails to address the root causes of systemic inequities and undermines long-term efforts to promote fairness and justice for all. While it's understandable to be cautious about making substantial changes to the justice system, sticking with the status quo is not a viable solution. By turning a blind eye to the systemic injustices and inefficiencies that plague the current system, we perpetuate a cycle of harm and undermine the principles of justice and fairness. As noted by Kubrin & Tublitz (2022), “Black, Latino, and
“Corruption is like a ball of snow, once it’s set a rolling it must increase (Charles Caleb Colton).” Colton describes that once corruption has begun, it is difficult to stop. Corruption has existed in this country, let alone this very planet, since the beginning of time. With corruption involves: money, power, and favoritism. Many people argue today that racism is still a major problem to overcome in today’s legal system. American author (and local Chicago resident) Steve Bogira jumps into the center of the United States justice system and tells the story of what happens in a typical year for the Cook Country Criminal Courthouse, which has been noted as one of the most hectic and busiest felony courthouses in the entire country. After getting permission from one of the courthouse judges’ (Judge Locallo) he was allowed to venture in and get eyewitness accounts of what the American Legal System is and how it operates. Not only did he get access to the courtroom but: Locallo’s chambers, staff, even his own home. In this book we get to read first hand account of how America handles issues like: how money and power play in the court, the favoritism towards certain ethnic groups, and the façade that has to be put on by both the defendants and Cook County Workers,
Just Mercy’s Bryan Stevenson exposes some of these disparities woven around his presentation of the Walter McMillian case, and the overrepresentation of African-American men in our criminal justice system. His accounts of actors in the criminal justice system such as Judge Robert E. Lee and the D.A. Tom Chapman who refused to open up the case or provide support regardless of the overwhelmingly amount of inconsistencies found in the case. The fact that there were instances where policemen paid people off to testify falsely against McMillian others on death row significantly supports this perpetuation of racism. For many of the people of color featured in Stevenson’s book, the justice system was unfair to them wrongfully or excessively punishing them for crimes both violent and nonviolent compared to their white counterparts. Racism towards those of color has caused a “lack of concern and responsiveness by police, prosecutors, and victims’ services providers” and ultimately leads to the mass incarceration of this population (Stevenson, 2014, p. 141). Moreover the lack of diversity within the jury system and those in power plays into the already existing racism. African-American men are quickly becoming disenfranchised in our country through such racist biases leading to over 1/3 of this population “missing” from the overall American population because they are within the criminal justice
...system that has existed in the United States or anywhere else in the world” (Alexander 234). W.E.B. Dubois argued that “The burden belongs to the nation, and the hands of none of us are clean if we bend not our energies to righting these great wrongs” (Alexander 217). Our nation must address this burden and correct that racial injustices created by our so-called criminal justice system. The criminal justice system cannot continue to hide behind the front of being a colorblind system - racial inequality and injustice must be challenged.
The United States has a larger percent of its population incarcerated than any other country. America is responsible for a quarter of the world’s inmates, and its incarceration rate is growing exponentially. The expense generated by these overcrowded prisons cost the country a substantial amount of money every year. While people are incarcerated for a number of reasons, the country’s prisons are focused on punishment rather than reform, and the result is a misguided system that fails to rehabilitate criminals or discourage crime. The ineffectiveness of the United States’ criminal justice system is caused by mass incarceration of non-violent offenders, racial profiling, and a high rate of recidivism.
This research essay discusses racial disparities in the sentencing policies and process, which is one of the major factors contributing to the current overrepresentation of minorities in the judicial system, further threatening the African American and Latino communities. This is also evident from the fact that Blacks are almost 7 times more likely to be incarcerated than are Whites (Kartz, 2000). The argument presented in the essay is that how the laws that have been established for sentencing tend to target the people of color more and therefore their chances of ending up on prison are higher than the whites. The essay further goes on to talk about the judges and the prosecutors who due to different factors, tend to make their decisions
The criminal justice system is full of inequality and disparities among race, gender, and class. From policing neighborhoods, and the ongoing war on drugs, to sentencing, there are underlying biases and discriminatory practices in the criminal justice system that impacts minority communities and groups. Fueled by stereotypes and generalizations, it is important to identify and discuss what crimes take place and who actually makes it up.
These authors’ arguments are both well-articulated and comprehensive, addressing virtually every pertinent concept in the issue of explaining racially disparate arrest rates. In The Myth of a Racist Criminal Justice System, Wilbanks insists that racial discrimination in the criminal justice system is a fabrication, explaining the over-representation of African Americans in arrest numbers simply through higher incidence of crime. Walker, Spohn and DeLone’s The Color of Justice dissents that not only are African Americans not anywhere near the disproportionate level of crime that police statistics would indicate, they are also arrested more because they are policed discriminately. Walker, Spohn and DeLone addi...
In the American criminal justice system, we are often led to believe that they serve for the good of the people, but have we overlooked that these intentions may truly be for the good of themselves? In the novel, There are No Children Here, written by Alex Kotlowitz, motives behind decisions made by the criminal justice system are revealed, shining light on an unbiased truth which begs the question: Can we even rely on our justice system to protect us, if they can’t do the same to those who have a different skin color? There is an unfortunate shadow of devastation in many corners of this book, reflecting how the American justice system has failed to bring their so-called justice to many Americans due to their own selfish, mercenary agendas. One of the biggest tragedies
Neubauer, D. W., & Fradella, H. F. (2011). America’s courts and the criminal justice system (10th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
This paper proposes that three major factors play a role in the high rate of convictions of black men versus whites and Hispanics. These factors are the lack of diversity among legal professionals in positions of power for decision-making, specifically those in the criminal justice system; secondly, the racial disparities that exist in arrest conviction and sentencing and thirdly, the incidence of discriminatory actions within the justice system. The paper seeks to examine litera...
The Criminal Justice system was established to achieve justice. Incarceration and rehabilitation are two operations our government practices to achieve justice over criminal behavior. Incarceration is the punishment for infraction of the law and in result being confined in prison. It is more popular than rehabilitation because it associates with a desire for retribution. However, retribution is different than punishment. Rehabilitation, on the other hand is the act of restoring the destruction caused by a crime rather than simply punishing offenders. This may be the least popular out of the two and seen as “soft on crime” however it is the only way to heal ruptured communities and obtain justice instead of punishing and dispatching criminals
The definition of justice and the means by which it must be distributed differ depending on an individual’s background, culture, and own personal morals. As a country of many individualistic citizens, the United States has always tried its best to protect, but not coddle, its people in this area. Therefore, the criminal justice history of the United States is quite extensive and diverse; with each introduction of a new era, more modern technologies and ideals are incorporated into government, all with American citizens’ best interests in mind.
By analyzing past and current approaches, my research encompasses the historical evolution of these systems and the ever-rising need for improved reform efforts. By exploring the pros and cons of past and current systems, the potential improvements that can ensure fairness and efficacy in the criminal justice system are pointed out to my readers. Honestly, I was excited to conduct my research and deepen my understanding of the topic. There are various proposed improvements to current
All over America, crime is on the rise. Every day, every minute, and even every second someone will commit a crime. Now, I invite you to consider that a crime is taking place as you read this paper. "The fraction of the population in the State and Federal prison has increased in every single year for the last 34 years and the rate for imprisonment today is now five times higher than in 1972"(Russell, 2009). Considering that rate along crime is a serious act. These crimes range from robbery, rape, kidnapping, identity theft, abuse, trafficking, assault, and murder. Crime is a major social problem in the United States. While the correctional system was designed to protect society from offenders it also serves two specific functions. First it can serve as a tool for punishing the offender. This involves making the offender pay for his/her crime while serving time in a correctional facility. On the other hand it can serve as a place to rehabilitate the offender as preparation to be successful as they renter society. The U.S correctional system is a quite controversial subject that leads to questions such as how does our correctional system punish offenders? How does our correctional system rehabilitate offenders? Which method is more effective in reducing crime punishment or rehabilitation? Our correctional system has several ways to punish and rehabilitate offenders.
The only way changes can be made within our criminal justice system is that we the people must change first. (McNamara & Burns, 2009) Today’s criminal justice system is mostly composed of and influenced by individuals from various backgrounds, in which some are biased and some are unbiased. But, many of the problems are posed by the unbiased which can be addressed through greater professionalism in the criminal justice system. (McNamara & Burns, 2009)