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Criminal justice system in the United States
Criminal justice system in the United States
Criminal justice system in the United States
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Human services provides help to individuals, families and children that are in crisis or have needs that are not being met. One of the systems within human services focuses on upholding the law to the fullest extent. According to the National Center for Victims of Crime “The criminal justice system is the set of agencies and processes established by governments to control crime and impose penalties on those who violate laws”. In other words this system seeks out to provide justice and safety for victims of horrendous crimes while also prosecuting those who commit these crimes. This system is in place in order to protect and serve the many individuals in the U.S be it at a local, state or federal level. The criminal Justice system include agencies such as law enforcement, courts, and prosecution and defense attorneys. Once a crime has been committed it goes through the law enforce first which includes the police officers that investigate the crimes. Then based on evidence they make an arrest and the case goes to court in front of a jury. In court the prosecution and defense attorneys argues to the right of the client and the state. Finally based on the evidence presented and testimonies the alleged criminal goes to prison for however many years deemed fit by a judge. The Criminal Justice System is a complex system that deals with not simply the perpetrators but also the victims. It helps shed light on what could be a life-altering situation for the victims. In some cases they provide clarity to the issues that the victims are left to face long after the crime has been committed and the perpetrator has been captured. I am interested in this system because it does not focus only on putting the perpetrators in prison but also on the... ... middle of paper ... ...ey work to reduce false alarms as well because if they are too many then the general consensus might to be to ignore the alarm which might reduce the amount of children recovered and the amount of abductors that are put in prison. Amber’s Law helps put two-time sex offenders in prison for life. From that the idea of notifying the public and police officers of abducted children quickly became crucial especially since the abduction and later murder of nine year old Amber Hagerman. The law and the murder of Amber created the Amber Alert which helps law enforcement involves the public by providing information to look out for in order to bring back abducted children. The system which has officially been in place since 2003 has help recover hundreds of abducted children. It is also continuing to improve in order to recover abducted children and prevent abductions as well.
The Criminal Justice System and its agencies encounter challenges while trying to perform their daily activities. The system deals with laws involving criminal behaviour. It dwells on three major agencies: the police, courts, and the corrections. Each agency has its own specific and important roles to contribute to society. This paper will explain both the roles and challenges each agency unfortunately battles.
Mass incarceration has caused the prison’s populations to increase dramatically. The reason for this increase in population is because of the sentencing policies that put a lot of men and women in prison for an unjust amount of time. The prison population has be caused by periods of high crime rates, by the medias assembly line approach to the production of news stories that bend the truth of the crimes, and by political figures preying on citizens fear. For example, this fear can be seen in “Richard Nixon’s famous campaign call for “law and order” spoke to those fears, hostilities, and racist underpinnings” (Mauer pg. 52). This causes law enforcement to focus on crimes that involve violent crimes/offenders. Such as, gang members, drive by shootings, drug dealers, and serial killers. Instead of our law agencies focusing their attention on the fundamental causes of crime. Such as, why these crimes are committed, the family, and preventive services. These agencies choose to fight crime by establishing a “War On Drugs” and with “Get Tough” sentencing policies. These policies include “three strikes laws, mandatory minimum sentences, and juvenile waives laws which allows kids to be trialed as adults.
Today our world is filled with crime. The people committing these crimes must have a consequence for their illegal actions. The system in place to keeping everything fair and safe is called the criminal justice system. This was put in place to ensure there is fairness and justice served to people who break the laws set up by the government.
In its past, the United States justice system has focused on punishment and imprisonment and improving its ability to do so. Crime in the United States has generally been responded to with punishment and large amounts of imprisonment. This has resulted in an imprisonment rate currently standing at nearly 720 prisoners per every 100,000 citizens (“People, not prisoners”). To supply enough room for all these prisoners, approximately...
There are better ways to punish criminals and protect society than mass incarceration. The state and local governments should be tough on crime, but “in ways that emphasize personal responsibility, promote rehabilitation and treatment, and allow for the provision of victim restitution where applicable” (Alec, 2014). The government also succeeds in overseeing punishment but fails to “…take into account the needs of offenders, victims, and their communities.” (Morris, 2002: Pg. 1 and 2). Alternatives to incarceration, such as sentencing circles, victim offender mediation, and family conferences, can successfully hold criminals responsible while allowing them a chance to get “back on their feet”. Research has proven that rehabilitation has lowered the rate of re-offenders, reducing the crime rate, protecting communities and also saves a lot of
Introduction: As of December 23, 2015 there have been 794 children saved and returned due to the Amber Alert System. The system has been very effective and has saved many lives. Today I will be talking about how Amber Alerts work, where they came from, and how effective this system has been. I am credible because I have spent many hours researching this topic.
Unfortunately, the criminal justice system is a vital piece of today’s society. Without it, the public would be free to do whatever they choose with no real consequence to negative actions. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, roughly 3 million workers were employed in the criminal justice field in 2015 (Occupational Employment, 2016). This is made up of countless different agencies, including law enforcement, corrections, homeland security, and many more. Corrections is a key element in the criminal justice system, which has its own unique functional philosophy, administrative structure and functions, theoretical assumptions that govern its existence, organizational mission, goals and objectives, and division of responsibilities.
Through a functionalist perspective, the justice system is an institution based upon the belief that justice, equality and fairness help to form the basic framework of society. If there is deviance, defined as “behavior that violates the standards of conduct or expectations of a group or society” (Witt 135), the society must discover how to deal with it. Examples of crime, which is an aspect of deviance, are theft, murder, and sexual assault. Another concept of this institution is the concept of social control, defined as “the techniques and strategies for preventing deviant human behavior in any society” (Witt 130). Through this concept, the justice system strives to direct individuals to be morally correct. The justice system is a dominant part of this by handling crime through punishment such as arrest. Therefore, when the officers that were a part of the justice system in this article partook in shooting different individuals, this can be viewed as the institution handling deviance through social control. If there was not this social control, then the justice system would not be doing its job that contributes to the overall higher structure of
Across the world, there are a great deal of people that are likely to become victims of offenses against themselves or their property. The criminal justice system is used to govern crimes and impose penalties on individuals that may violate laws. The criminal justice system is made up of different agencies that include: law enforcement, the courts, and corrections. Within this paper, I will discuss the roles of the prosecutor, the defense attorney, the criminal, and the victim and how victimization affects each role. Also, I will inform you about the goals of sentencing associated with each role. The goals of alternative sanctions will be discussed. I will also let u know what recommendations I have regarding victims’ rights.
Each of the three components in the criminal justice system has a specific mission and operates on its own; however, “the actions and reactions of each with respect to crime will send ripples throughout the process” (Peak, 2012, p. 6). The criminal justice system is operated by three points of view: process, network, and non-system. A criminal justice system is viewed as a process because it contains the “decisions and actions taken by an institution, offender, victim, or society that influence the offender’s movement into, thru, or out of the justice system” (Peak, 2012, p. 6). As a process, police officers are tasked with the apprehension of lawbreakers. Next, correctional facilities resume custody of the offenders and hold them there until their scheduled trial (Peak, 2012). Lastly, the courts ensure federal, state, and local laws are applied accordingly to each incoming case (Peak, 2012). As a network, “the public, legislators, police, prosecutors, judges, and correctional officials interact with one another and with others who are outside the traditionally conceived CJS” (Peak, 2012, p. 6). The last point of view of the criminal justice system is described as a non-system. Critics who believed the criminal justice system is a non-system argued that the three segments of the U.S. criminal justice system that “deal with criminal behavior do not always function in harmony and that the system is neither efficient enough to create a credible fear of punishment nor fair enough to command respect for its values” (Peak, 2012, p.
The criminal justice system has a lot people and organizations incorporated within it. Within this system there are police, correctional officers, offenders, lawyers, etc. The criminal justice system is set up for people to keep the society in order. For my semester project I interviewed a friend of mine who I gave a pseudonym of Bart Malone. Mr. Malone was unnecessarily arrested a few months ago while in the passenger seat. He was accused of committing illegal acts which caused him to become a victim. I conducted an interview over the phone with Mr. Malone so he could share his story and give detailed information through the questions I asked him. After the interview I replayed the tape and really focused on the answers he gave to the questions. I was able to gain knowledgeable insight about the criminal justice system.
The law can be referred to as social equalizer. The criminal justice system is a far-reaching and a large segment which ensures laws are followed to the letter. This makes citizens remain loyal to the state. It is the best method of punishing law breakers, and realizing the innocent people. The criminal justice system faces challenges from conviction to prosecution of criminals. The defendant is ineffectively presented. There is overcrowding, over loaded prosecutors, unfeasible caseloads with public defenders and much more. These challenges make enormous cases to be reported without convictions or arrestors. Prosecutors fail to concentrate on serious crimes. Lawmakers, attorneys and intellectuals have identified these challenges which require action, discussion and change (Weinstein, 2004). The challenges have put extreme pressure in the criminal justice system, causing misuse of resources, manpower and time. These situations cause ethical dilemmas, which require critical
The purpose of the criminal justice system is to judge suspects' guilt or innocence and determine punishment when someone is guilty of a crime. Punishment gives justice to the ...
There’s too much pressure on the criminal justice system because it is supposed to solve socie-ty’s ills. One of the greatest challenges facing the criminal justice system is the need to balance the rights of the accused criminals against society interest in imposing punishments on those convicted of
The criminal justice system in the United States is an important structure that can primarily be divided into three central divisions Law Enforcement, Courts, and Corrections each one operates separate from the others and yet coincide with the others as well. The criminal justice system is a global phenomenon, not solely bound within the borders of the United States, not a one shoe fits all; each country has created a form of criminal justice system suited to that country’s needs while allowing for cultural, economic, and historical aspects to influence the system’s development and operations. The law enforcement facet of the criminal justice system in any country very significant due to the fact the law enforcement area is responsible for