Compose a reflection upon the successes and failures of the project undertaken. Did you achieve your goals? (Application) How do your findings change the way you see the topic? What would you have done differently? (Thinking) What connections can you make between the findings of your project, the course material, and the findings of your peers? (Knowledge) Your reflection must be well constructed and communicated, a minimum of one page, typed, double-spaced, in a size 12 font. (Communication) I have been able to have an interesting and an exciting experience by doing this project for the criminal law unit. As well, I have learned so much more about the justice system, and been able to experience the criminal system in real life. For my project, …show more content…
Some of the cases that I looked at were so displeasing and mortifying. I could not even begin to imagine what the victims must have suffered through. Especially the cases about sexual assault are difficult to even read about because the victims have to live the rest of their lives, knowing what they went through, and suffering for their entire lives. After realizing this, I have started to feel as though some of the punishments for indictable offenses are insufficient and inadequate. Even the life sentences in Canada are only 25 years, which seems like a very small price to pay for some of these crimes that people have committed. I do believe in rehabilitation, and understand that sometimes putting people in prison just makes the situation worse. As well, I realize that it is not always easy to decide on the punishment because of different factors. However, I think it's also important for the Canadian government to consider how victims feel when the offender is out, and walking around the streets very shortly after committing the crime. Overall, studying indictable cases, and looking at many different cases about serious crimes has made believe that the government should have a stronger punishment systems for some
Canada’s criminal justice system largely focuses on rehabilitation, but Bourque’s harsh sentence is similar to the sentencing practices of the United States (Gagnon 2015). This is troubling as Canada’s rehabilitation focused criminal justice system appears to be working. Canada has a low rate of recidivism for offenders who have been convicted of murder (Gagnon 2015). Research shows that Canada’s rehabilitation focused criminal justice system has also worked with crimes that are not as severe as murder. Between 2010/2011 and 2013/2014, there was a 12% decrease in completed adult criminal court cases. Most cases in adult criminal court involve non-violent offenses (Maxwell 2013/2014). Similarly, in 2013, the police-reported crime rate was at it lowest since 1969 (Statistics Canada). The homicide rate is also declining, as in 2013, it represented less than 1% of all violent crime (Statistics Canada). Notably, probation was the most common sentence given in adult court cases and custody sentences were less than six months (Maxwell, 2013/2014). These types of sentences showcase the rehabilitation focused thinking of the Canadian criminal justice system and reinforce the impact and possible repercussions of Justin Bourque’s
Canada is a country where rehabilitation has been a formal part of sentencing and correctional policies for an extended period of time (Andrews & Bonta, 2010). Furthermore, a group of Canadian researchers have examined the methodology and effectiveness of rehabilitation, and are principal figures in the correctional rehabilitation field (Cullen & Gendreau, 2000). However, despite rehabilitation being a central aspect of Canadian identity, there has been a shift in the justice system’s objectives. The rise of the Conservative government and their omnibus bill C-10, Safe Streets and Communities Act, has created a move towards retribution. Bill C-10 was passed on March 12, 2012 (Government of Canada, 2013) and was a proposal to make fundamental changes to almost every component of Canada’s criminal justice system. Law changes included new and increased mandatory minimum sentencin...
The Canadian Justice system is run like a well-oiled machine. It is based on the fair and humane treatment of suspects who remain innocent until proven guilty. There is one big question that has been debated since July 14th, 1976 - should the death penalty have been abolished in Canada? The new younger generation of Canadians seems to agree with me that the death penalty should be resurrected in Canada.
Sentencing is an extremely individualized basis, which should be treated as such (Pomerance, Renee M, 2013). The causes and effects of each individual situation cannot possibly be summed up into one punishment. Judges are extremely good at their job, and should be able to supply punishments that they believe are fair and just for each individual incident. Canada does not need so many mandatory minimum sentences, and should be allowing the judges to do their job, by using their own discretion. By allowing the judges to think for themselves, and use past judgements on certain cases, Canada will have a much more fair and democratic criminal justice program. Therefore, causing the crime rates to eventually
Assignment 3A reflective letter allowed me to express how the process went when writing my research paper. Writing this letter also allowed me to know what could have been done differently when writing the research essay and future assignments. Another assignment that allowed me to reflect on my writing process over time was the Literary Narrative. For this assignment I created a poem about my reading and writing process from the age three years old until now. I enjoyed this assignment and was able to share my creative writing style while expressing how much I value reading and writing
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
Criminal profiling, first undertaken within the nineteen-seventies, has been used throughout thousands of police investigations from bureaus all over the globe, currently some question their practicality in police investigations. This essay argues the utility of offender profiling in police investigations. Police Investigations utilize Offender and Criminal Profiling methods because it narrows the field of investigation, needs diminutive physical evidence to begin investigations and uses victimology to predict future actions of the offender.
Criminology as a genre is defined as the scientific study of crime, as well as its causes, law enforcement interaction, criminal behavior, and means of prevention. In its own way criminology is the history of humanity. As long as people have been on earth there has been criminal activity. Much like most other work atmospheres, it was a male dominated field. A woman seeking to work in criminology was unheard of. Men filled the jobs as police officers, lawyers, judges, and politicians. However, in the 1860s Belva Lockwood became determined to pave the way for women in criminology. As a women’s rights activist, she became one of the most influential women in criminology.
The media is a dominating aspect of American culture. The way the media depicts crime and criminal behavior has an effect on the way society views crime and criminals. Television series such as CSI, NCIS, Law and Order, Criminal Minds and countless others, have become very popular in our society today showing that our culture has an immense interest in crime. It is clear that there is a fascination with criminals and why they do the things they do. To analyze the way crime dramas represent crime and criminal behavior, I completed a content analysis of one episode of Criminal Minds. The episode I chose was season one; episode eight, which first aired in 2005, titled ‘Natural Born Killer’.
The concept of minimum sentences for certain criminal charges, though always controversial, has remained a staple of Canadian Criminal Justice throughout the decades. In fact, under the current Canadian Conservative government lead by Stephan Harper, mandatory minimums are seeing an increase in popularity amongst policy makers as a response to crime. Mandatory minimums are often part of the ‘tough on crime’ ideology – which often garners public support (Borovoy). However, public opinion is largely just that – opinion, with little true knowledge of the effectiveness of mandatory minimums or their implications for ethical criminal justice operations. Within the legal and criminology fields there exists more of a critical view of mandatory minimums
Criminology is the scientific study of crime and criminals. It is also a study that is constantly changing due to the people in our society, which political, economic and spiritual views of individuals come into consideration. Robert Agnew, an important man to the world of criminology, he was born on December first, in 1953, in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Agnew fortunately is still living, and ages sixty years of age. He Attended Rutgers College, a school in New Jersey, where he received his Bachelors of Arts in sociology, although both his Masters and PhD in sociology he obtained in University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Sociology being the study of the functioning of human society. Agnew discovered his passion for teaching after her worked as a teacher’s assistant and served as Associate Editor to Social Forces Journal for a couple years. Agnew started teaching at Emory University, the courses he taught varied from criminology to the introduction of sociology. In addition to teaching, Robert Agnew wrote many books and articles about either criminology or sociology. He was also involved in both field’s sociology and criminology through academics, and contributed to them greatly. Although his best contribution was his development of the general strain theory. A theory in which Agnew elaborated on and decided to adjust his perspective. Having gone through bad experiences in one’s life, can influence in the way that a certain individual thinks, and can lead them towards a life involving crime in their everyday lives.
The outdated nature of the Nigerian criminal justice system has been a topic for deliberation in recent times. Rightly put, there is work to be done by the legislative arm of the Nigerian government as the present procedures for adjudication of laws are old and present a problem to judicial officers as there are loopholes which are frequently exploited, and its archaic nature makes it unfit for use in a modern society. The criminal justice system is defined as the collective institutions through which an offender passes until the accusation has been disposed of or the assessed punishment concluded. The system typically has three components: law enforcement which includes; police, sheriffs, marshals; the judicial process which includes the judges, prosecutors, defense lawyers; and corrections which includes the prison officials, probation officers and parole officers . By the above definition, it can be elicited that the criminal justice system is a necessary organ of a functioning society, and it is necessary that an organ of such invaluable importance be kept in good shape. An effective criminal justice system is fundamental to the maintenance of law and order this is because it addresses behavioral issues, but due to the outdated nature of the Nigerian criminal system, the pivotal functions of the organ which is conviction and acquittal have been hindered drastically and have become exceedingly rare.
By the end of Dostoyesky’s Crime and Punishment, the reader is no longer under the illusion of the possible existence of “extraordinary” men. For an open-minded reader, and even perhaps the closed-minded ones too, the book is a journey through Raskolnikov’s proposed theory on crime. It is a theory based on the ideas that had “been printed and read a thousand times”(313) by both Hegel and Nietzsche. Hegel, a German philosopher, influenced Dostoyesky with his utilitarian emphasis on the ends rather than the means whereby a superman existed as one that stood above the ordinary man, but worked for the benefit of all mankind. Nietsche’s more selfish philosophy focused on the rights to power which allowed one to act in a Hegelian manner. In committing his crime, Raskolnikov experienced the ultimate punishment as he realized that his existence was not that of the “extraordinary” man presented in his theory. In chapter five of part three in Crime and Punishment, this theory is outlined by its creator, Raskolnikov. Such an innovative theory would clearly have placed him in the “extraordinary” category, but when he fails to meet its standards, by submitting to the common law through his confession, the theory crumbles right before the reader’s eyes.
In Intro to Criminal Justice class, I had the opportunity to learn about the Criminal Justice System more thoroughly. I learned that there are three components that make up the Criminal Justice System such as the courts, law enforcement, and corrections. Each component has its own role in making sure the the Criminal Justice System is functioning properly. If one of these components are not efficient the Criminal Justice system will not be as strong as it could be.
The chapter of discussion was composed of five parts: introduction, reflection on the project, reflection on implications of the project, reflection of the MA experience, and summary.