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More handpicked essays just for you.
The Canadian criminal justice system
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The Canadian criminal justice system
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77% of felony defendants have at least one prior arrest. 69 percent have had multiple prior arrests. That means if 100 people that have been arrested were given a second chance only 23 people would use their second chance wisely and would not take advantage of it. If all of the 77 people out of the hundred killed someone when they were given a second chance that would mean that 77 people would die because a second chance was given to a criminal that did not earn it. Not everyone deserves a second chance because some crimes that people do are unforgivable and some people will take advantage of the second chance they are givin. Some crimes that people commit do not deserve a second chance. If a person murders another person, the murderer should
One tragic decision in October of 2012 changed the lives of 5 young men forever. One of these young men, Danzele Johnson, lost his life that day; the other four have been convicted of his murder. These young men were committing a felony at the time of his death and they are being held accountable for his death under the felony murder rule. The charge carries lengthy sentences for all four men, between 45 and 55 years. In the words of Elkhart County Prosecutor Curtis Hill, “If you start a fire your responsible for all it burns, even if it burns you...and that's the basis of felony murder,"(Yuill). The reasoning behind charging the young men with felony murder is sound, if they had not been committing the felony, the death would not have occurred. The Elkhart four are now serving the severe sentences they deserve under the felony murder rule.
One of the most controversial laws in the efforts to reduce crime has been the "three-strikes" laws that have been enacted. This law, which is already in twenty-seven states, requires that offenders convicted of three violent crimes be sentenced to life in prison without chance of parole. The law is based on the idea that the majority of felonies are committed by about 6% of hard core criminals and that crime can be eliminated by getting these criminals off the streets. Unfortunately, the law fails to take into account its own flaws and how it is implemented.
Throughout the nation there are 5.3 million Americans who are denied their right to vote because they have a criminal conviction on their record (“Felon Voting Rights”). In the state of Florida, a felon can’t apply for his right to vote to be restored until at least five years after he has completed his sentence, with no guarantee of his rights being restored. Violent and repeat felons haven’t proved they are good citizens; however non-violent felons, who have committed victimless crimes, should be allowed to have their rights restored when they have served their time and paid off their fines. Non-violent felons would have a better chance of readapting into society because they would be able to vote in elections, be rehabilitated, and return to fully contributing members of society.
Everyone deserves a second chance; no one is perfect in this world.Certainly teens who may now be adults have come to realization that what they did was morally wrong but they have to be given the possibility to redeem themselves.To demonstrate that the heinous crime they committed does not necessarily make or mark them as harsh and insensitive human-beings.Occasionally the circumstances are what cause juveniles to behave a certain way.Moreover, it 's important to take in consideration that kids are considerably more impulsive and emotionally volatile than adults.Their brains don 't function and aren 't fully developed the way an adults brain is, their actually more reactive to stress.If you have no faults of your own;which is quite unlikely
In the United States 2.2 million citizens are incarcerated on felony charges. Laws in America prohibit felons from voting. As a result, on Election Day 5.3 million citizens of America are disenfranchised because of crimes they once committed. Though they once broke the law, they have served their time and have been punished adequately in accordance with the American Justice System. Felons should regain full voting rights after their stint in prison.
Criminal Law declares what conduct is illegal and proscribes a penalty. Although, we rely on our court system to administer justice, sometimes the innocent are convicted (Risinger). Most people would not be able to imagine a person who is convicted of a crime as innocent, sometimes that is the case. Imagine what a variance that is: an innocent criminal. In an article by Radley Balko he asks the question, “How many more are innocent?” In his article, he questions America’s 250th DNA exoneration and states that it raises questions about how often we send the wrong person to prison. The other issue that follows is the means of appealing the court’s decision and who they can turn to for help.
...ctims who are at risk. Capitol punishment is an appropriate consequence for murdering someone. Will life in prison ensure they will not kill again? No. Will life in prison prevent a lawyer from finding a loophole to release them back in public? No. Only the death penalty can assure that. It may not give victims families just but it is a start.
The Death Penalty Should Be Enacted In Illinois Due to the recent releases of newly exonerated Death Row inmates, individuals and organizations are calling for a moratorium- a cooling off period for state executions. The cases of just a few inmates makes it apparent that this would be a necessary step to save innocent lives. After 17 years in prison, Illinois Death Row inmate Anthony Porter was released from jail after a judge threw out his murder conviction following the introduction of new evidence. This reversal of fortune came just two days before Porter was to be executed. As reported in USA Today, Porter's release was the result of investigative research as conducted by a Northwestern University professor and students. The evidence gathered suggested that Porter had been wrongly convicted. Were these new revelations and the subsequent release of Porter a lucky break or a freak occurrence? Not likely, reports DeWayne Wickham, also of USA Today. He points out that since the reinstatement of the death penalty in the United States in 1976, of those sentenced to death, 490 people have been executed while 76 have been freed from Death Row. This calculates into one innocent person being released from Death Row for every six individuals that were executed. This figure correlates with the 1996 U.S. Department of Justice report that indicates that over a 7-year period, beginning in 1989, when DNA evidence in various cases was tested, 26% of primary suspects were exonerated. This has led some to conclude that a similar percentage of inmates presently serving time behind bars may have been wrongly convicted prior to the advent o...
...m committing the like offense." How many times has this worked. It is known that many murders get paroled and 1/3 of these commits another murder. Do we really want to try to make prisoners better people? They committed crime once who is to say they won't again.
Recidivism rate in the United States is extremely high. According to the National institute of Justice, “Within three years of release, about two-thirds (67.8 percent) of released prisoners were rearrested. Within five years of release, about three-quarters (76.6 percent) of released prisoners were rearrested. Of those prisoners who were rearrested, more than half (56.7 percent) were arrested by the end of the first year.” Those who have been in prison are more
The justice system in America is a failure and should be immediately reformed to a more standardized system that encourages reform over punishment. This is clearly evidenced by the 76.6% of prisoners that are rearrested within five years of release, the inequality of sentencing based on race or socioeconomic class, and the widely varying prison terms, which in many cases do not fit the crimes committed.
"In 1991, a young mother was rendered helpless and made to watch as her baby was executed. The mother was then mutilated and killed. The killer should not lie in some prison with three meals a day, clean sheets, cable TV, family visits and endless appeals. For justice to prevail, some killers just need to die." (Macy). This poor mother watched her child get killed in front of her eyes only to get murdered afterwards and never received the proper justice she deserved. The murderer who committed this heinous felony only got time in prison. Is it not fair that this man should have received the death penalty after committing such a brutal murder? He murdered this poor mother and child and received an unfair punishment. If he were to have received the death penalty if would have done some just to the family. There is absolutely no way for the mother and child to receive full proper justice, but if the convict had gotten the death penalty it would be a step in the right direction. If someone such as a family member or a person who you are close with was to be murdered, would it not be fair for the crook who murdered them to receive the death penalty? It is only moral for that delinquent to suffer the same fate as
Inmates are six times more likely to get off death row by appeal than by execution. The argument that murderer’s are the least likely of all criminals to repeat their crime is not only irrelevant, but also increasingly false. Six percent of young adults paroled in 1978 after having been convicted of murder were arrested for murder again within six years of release (“Recidivism of Young Parolees”).
"Common sense, lately bolstered by statistics, tells us that the death penalty will deter murder... People fear nothing more than death. Therefore, nothing will deter a criminal more than the fear of death... life in prison is less feared. Murderers clearly prefer it to execution -- otherwise, they would not try to be sentenced to life in prison instead of death... Therefore, a life sent...
... system is overflowing with many cases involving violent crime, but it doesn't seem rational to have a system in place where there are cases where first degree murder has occurred and the sentence doesn't match the violation. I believe that if you take a life, you deserve a life sentence in prison. Allowing criminals to get away with murder is something that will hurt all of us. If we live in a world where this continues to happen, the system will fail to do its job to protect our city's from the worst kind of criminal.