Our Services

Get 15% Discount on your First Order

[rank_math_breadcrumb]

response 2

250 word response due 10/18/2024 1 reference/intext citation

Wilkinson

When referring to the criminal justice system as a non system, the term is used to illustrate the lack of cohesion between the components of said system. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, a system is defined as, “a set of connected things or devices that operate together” (System | Definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary 2024). However, the flaw in the criminal justice system is that the components – police, courts, corrections – fail to consistently work together to the best of their ability. Starting at the first piece of the puzzle, police are typically the first level of defense between the public and offenders who break the law. However, how does it affect the system when the police act improperly? This effect has been seen a lot more recently with the rise in police brutality and discrimination, like with George Floyd, but it is also an issue of the past. Take for example, the infamous trial of OJ Simpson for the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. Many speculate whether Simpson was guilty due to the overwhelming evidence. However, Simpson was found not guilty largely due to the defense being able to imply to the jury that the LAPD were racist and targeting Simpson. This fire was fueled also due to the fact that the LAPD was already under a magnifying glass being accused of police brutality of Rodney King. David Zirin, a political sportwritier for The Nation, discusses with PBS writer William Brangham stating just this. People were already on the fence about the police but, “when there were revelations in the trial of legitimate police misconduct, that only sealed the deal for a lot of folks who thought to themselves, ‘I’m not sure if O.J. Simpson can get a fair trial in the city and county of Los Angeles””(Brangham et al., 2024). By police acting improperly, it ruins the trust between the public and its public servants. People still don’t trust police and often allude back to Simpson when discussing recent brutality as a means to illustrate a pattern. As a result, people lack respect for the system and do not want to adhere to it, leading to further crime. Or on the other hand, people do not trust the system so they do not report incidents where they are victims of crime. So what happens then? This leads to the next step of the system – the courts. 

Within the criminal justice system, there are certain steps in place for a person to go through a trial proceeding for a crime he is charged with. We tend to believe that only guilty people are charged with crimes and innocent people get to go free. Yet sometimes, innocent people are charged and guilty people go free. Take for example, Brock Turner. In 2016, Brock Turner was convicted on three counts of sexual assault after bystanders saw him raping unconscious Chanel Miller. Despite facing a sentence of up to 14 years in prison, Turner was sentenced to six months and served three. This is due to the fact that Judge Aaron Persky thought a longer sentence “ ‘would have had a severe impact on [Turner] — and he did not think Turner was a danger to others” (Neary, 2019). As one could imagine, this sentence was met with outrage. Many felt that Judge Persky was using his power to bend the system in a way to benefit the perpetrator instead of the victim —so much so in fact, that people gathered signatures for a successful recall campaign and Persky was the first judge in over eighty years in the state of California to be recalled. This is just one case that perfectly displays the cracks in the foundation of the criminal court system. In this case and many others, victims are scared to come forward for fear of it being a waste of time or that it won’t be taken seriously. According to the Pew Research Center, “in 2022, only 41.5% of violent crimes and 31.8% of household property crimes were reported to authorities” (Gramlich, 2024). Crimes like sexual assaults and domestic crimes seem to be the most underreported due to the fact that the survivors do not want to face scrutiny and often blame themselves. Growing up, many have heard the victim blaming phrases, “well what was she wearing” and “maybe she shouldn’t have drank so much” or “she was asking for it”. How would victims of a crime trust the system enough to come forward if they can see how the system fails others? If victims don’t come forward, how can justice be served?

The third component of the criminal justice system, corrections, is arguably the most broken part of the system. In theory, the fear of punishment in prison is supposed to deter people from committing crime and if someone does end up in jail, the goal is to rehabilitate this person enough to not reoffend. However, this is hardly ever the case. An article from the Vera Institute noted that, “a 2021 analysis of 116 studies found that prison time does not prevent people from reoffending and, in fact, can increase the likelihood that they will” (Why Punishing People in Jail and Prison isn’t Working, 2023). This is partly due to the fact that once released, people who served time find it extremely difficult to find a job and obtain affordable housing so they often resort back to crime to survive. If prisons focused more on rehabilitation instead of punishment, the recidivism rate could be much lower. For example in Norway, the recidivism rate is 20% which is a staggering drop from 70% in the 1990’s. Norway managed this by getting rid of using punishment as a deterrent for crime and instead, “utiliz[ing] a system of small, community-based correctional facilities that focus on rehabilitation and reintegration into society” (First Step Alliance, 2024). Prisons in Norway prisons also allow visits up to three times each week with the goal of maintaining relationships to have a support system upon release (First Step Alliance, 2024).This is a major contrast to the United States, where many struggle on their own once released. If a piece of the system consistently fails time and time again, why do people in power still insist on it being done this way?

To conclude, I do believe the criminal justice system is in fact a system, but some rusty parts need to be greased. In theory, the system is set up to work, with police arresting criminals, criminals going to trial, and guilty perpetrators going to prison to be rehabilitated and hopefully never reoffend. However, along the way, a lot of bad practices slip through the cracks and end up affecting the overall goal. What we get then is “ a non-system in which the police don’t catch criminals, the courts don’t try them, and the prisons don’t reform them” (Peak & Giacomazzi, 2019). I do believe that the criminal justice system can become a well oiled machine, but the machine can only run if the people running it act accordingly. In addition to this, all components of the machine have to work for the common goal to be achieved. If one part is lacking or broken, the whole system will crumble underneath the damage. 

Share This Post

Email
WhatsApp
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Pinterest
Reddit

Order a Similar Paper and get 15% Discount on your First Order

Related Questions

Dis 5

please view attachment Discussion 11: Outcome and Impact Evaluations, Part II In this module, we continued our exploration of outcome and impact evaluations with three excellent examples from the literature. First, Petrosino and colleagues (2000) published a fascinating piece outlining how and why resistance to evaluation tends to manifest among

6

please view attachment,  Quiz 6 1. According to Allen and Sawhney (2019), what is the difference between the informal and formal leadership roles? 2. According to Allen and Sawhney (2019), explain “transactional leadership theory” and how it is different than “trait theories” or “contingency theories.” 3. According to Allen and

Sab 1 response

1.In our reading, Criminological Theory: Context and Consequences, we explored foundational criminological theories and how they are shaped by the social contexts in which they emerge. Crime is a complex phenomenon influenced by both individual decision-making and broader societal conditions. Early explanations of crime were rooted in spiritual and moral

Mission of Corrections

Part A The Mission of Corrections   Compare and contrast the following mission statements in a discussion board post.   to an external site.   to an external site.   to an external site.   to an external site.   to an external site.   to an external site.   Part

Module 6 constitutional law

Begin this assignment by using the following three databases to research the modification you have in mind after doing your Prework.  As you do your research, you might need to adjust your modification to reflect what you are finding.  Be flexible, and make sure that your resources are reflective of

M5A3 model project

youre using the filled out outline to do the model project template (Model Project Title) (Student Name) (Date) 1. Name of Model Project 2. Type of criminal/deviant behavior (or population) that program targets 3. Goals of the program 4. Estimated annual cost of the program 5. How long will participants

SCMT500

See attachment for assignment  Instructions Please answer the following: 1. Describe the six-step Ethics Job Screen Process. Why should it be used? 2. What four conditions must be present for ethical behavior to occur? What factors impact how our ethical beliefs are translated into behaviors?  Technical Requirements · Your paper

case

Case Study 1: The Defense Attorney’s Dilemma ???? Scenario: Attorney Sarah is defending a client, James, who is charged with armed robbery. During a private meeting, James confesses to Sarah that he did commit the crime, but he also provides her with a false alibi that he wants her to

james madison

Why did James Madison try to avoid going to war with Britain in 1812? What was the most significant impact of the War of 1812? Was it a win for the United States?

Sab dis 1

1- Discuss how ideas–including theories of crime–might be influenced by the social context in which people live? From a personal standpoint, explain how your ideas about the causes of crime might be influenced by your social context. 2- Think about your perceptions of what causes crime. Does it fall in

Discussion Question

What are various types of physical evidence one might collect in a sexual assault investigation.  When might the evidence not be of value (aka probative?)

Law – Criminal Assignment 3.540

Watch this video Write a 3 page paper due 3/27/2025 To plan a program evaluation, we must first understand the program and the needs of the population served.  You may use the elements in bold below as headings in your paper. For this assignment, you will compose a 3 page

Law Assignment 2

Answer questions in paragraph form not IRAC INCLUDE appropriate case law and statutes in answers

fingerprint analysis

Provide the correct pattern type and whorl tracing or ridge count (must be specific, i.e. Central Pocket Loop Whorl with an Inner Tracing; W/CI etc.)

Corruption of Public Officials

Topic: Corruption of Public Officials Assignment Before completing the discussion forum assignment, read and watch the following: Top Spending Lobbyists Questionable Police Stops Police Informant Planting Drugs More Jack Abramoff The influence of money in the government and law enforcement is pervasive.  Lobbyists pour billions each year into influencing politicians. 

Response 2

100 word response 1 reference/intext citation Due 3/22/2025 Miles The Drug Court Program is part of the community criminal justice program. The Drug Court Program is a well-known criminal justice program in my area. It is meant to be an option to jail time for nonviolent offenders who have problems

Response 1

100 word response 1 reference/intext citation Due 3/22/2025 Zia I am originally from Toronto, Ontario. There are quite a few criminal justice programs in my community but the one I will be discussing today will be the John Howard Society of Toronto, which runs the Crossroads Youth Program (CYP). This