Criminology And Criminal Justice Theories

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While the study of criminal justice and the formation of criminal justice theories are largely molded by several other disciplines such as psychology and sociology (Wellford, 2007), the study of criminal justice has grown and it is time for it to stand alone as its own scientific discipline. Crime theories are developed through studying individuals and assessing as well as their environment and other social aspects. These theories are then used to help form policies in order to deter the individual or group from committing further crimes. Criminal justice theories are not only used for crime but there are also theories which aid criminal justice personnel in the application of the practices that they use. The criminal justice policies are implemented …show more content…

Not only is criminal justice used to prepare college students, but the study of criminal justice as a scientific discipline, known as criminology is used to make policies. Criminology is used to study crimes and the impacts that they have on society by using the scientific method to research crime control policies. According to Akers, Sellers & Jennings (2017), Several areas that criminology focuses on are the types of crimes committed, the frequency in which crimes are committed, where the crimes occur, and the measures that government takes to react to criminal activities. The research determined through experiments, investigation, and reviews are usually of delinquent youth to determine crime prevention strategies to policies in order to reduce crime during childhood and adulthood. Laws and political stances are largely affected through the criminal justice policies and practices that are implemented through scientific research (Foster, …show more content…

Though these polices are effective in decreasing the amount of crimes committed, they are often criticized for being harsh to those who commit nonviolent offenses such as drug crimes. According to Wallace (1993), mandatory sentencing takes away the judge’s discretion and allows the prosecution to possess more power within the courtroom. This may be especially true for cases in which the defendant can provide the prosecution with assistance for another case or for another participant in the crime. The prosecutor uses the defendant for information in exchange for shorter sentences, swinging the case in the prosecutions favor, and leaving other defendants without useful information at a

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