Contemporary Issues in Criminal Justice Managemen - Research Paper Example

? Identify & summarize Contemporary Issues in criminal Justice management. Compare & contrast various community organizational & individual responsesto contemporary issues in criminal justice. Summarize the ethical issues created by contemporary issues. The contemporary issues in criminal justice management and comparing and contrasting different societies, organizational and individual, for example races, religion and sexes. The Criminal Justice System is set to be, “The purpose of the Criminal Justice System is to deliver justice for all.” Criminal Justice is the fundamental system of institution and organizations of governments focussed at preserving crime and stopping crime. The system works to protect those who are accused as well; they have rights and opportunities under the system to protect themselves. In today’s criminal justice system the potential pitfalls are not seen to be a problem as much as it has been in the past. The criminal justice system is equal and is said not to take religion, race or any social differences into consideration because this would show unequal rights. The rule is that no difference such as the above should reflect the proper application of law. The drawback of the “unwritten” code in the Criminal Justice System is that colleagues will always side with each other as they will know each other on a personal level; this would be seen as bias. The law enforcement agencies are seen as “union” which means they all stick together. This has advantaged as working well together helps the system. However on the other hand the serious amount of power that is given to them that could be abused through the legal system. The Criminal Justice System has three parts to it legislative, adjudication and corrections. Legislative means the law that is created, adjudication is the courts and corrections is the prisons and jails. The Criminal Justice System is made from the three parts above and all agencies work together under the law, to prevent crime and to follow procedures correctly. In America there is a need to defend, protect and shield themselves and their properties. The formation of laws is an essential structure of fortification and the organization of a system to pertain and to impose these laws, is crucial. In this work I will be looking at the contemporary issues in criminal justice management and comparing and contrasting different community organizational and individual’s responses to contemporary. The Criminal Justice System is set to be, “The purpose of the Criminal Justice System (CJS) is to deliver justice for all.” Criminal Justice is the fundamental system of institution and organizations of governments focussed at preserving crime and stopping crime. The system works to protect those who are accused as well; they have rights and opportunities under the system to protect themselves. The ethical codes in the Criminal Justice System show similarities, however only a minority mentions the Bill of Rights. The Code of Ethics in the Academy of Criminal Justice Science is widespread. The Academy has been told about the issues surrounding them, some say they may misuse powers and try to influence results and misuse their authority in a wrong way. The members of the Academy should make sure they produce results fairly for everyone. The Code of Ethics could be interpreted slightly different to different states however the main principle is all the same. An ethical code by definition supplies a dilemma at times. Ethics is about personal views and personal opinions as everyone interprets meanings and definitions differently. The ethical code should be there to give guidelines to someone who is new to the system. The interesting factor was that the ethical code was not seen to be standard and that the code varied from state to state. However the following declaration "The American correctional Association expects of its members unfailing honesty, respect for the dignity and individuality of human beings and a commitment to professional and compassionate service." This meant treating others with respect, showing dignity and respect to each human being. If more justice professionals followed this statement it would be better for the American people, and the criminal justice system would be better “The criminal process is part of the State’s response to crime, part of the mechanism which the State applies substantive criminal law to its citizens”. (Ashworth & Redmayne, 2005, p.2) The United States already has the highest imprisonment rate, 1 in 32 American people have been at present or in the past been in prison. The judge when sentencing someone is meant to be punishing the criminal who has done wrong, however at times the judge is bound by sentencing and mandatory laws overtime it has become less amount the criminal and more about the principle. The state at the current time is trying to deal with the growing prison population which is a concerning issue because it is increasing every year and within the next twenty years the problem will be majorly out of control. A study done in 2005 showed that 1 in every 108men were in prison. This gave America the highest imprisonment rate in the world. This issue has been addressed and the system is working on a plan to decrease the imprisonment rate. This debate has caused many different arguments as few argue the system is fine the way it is however others argue that reshaping certain legislations will make a difference. “We can’t pander to people’s worst fears, which is one of the reasons we have mandatory minimums in the first place,” Michael E. Festa. In modern society today in America peoples lives are full of crime. The people that commit these crimes can not have much importance for their unlawful acts. The system which keeps all the criminal activities under control and keeps America safe is called the Criminal Justice System. The Criminal Justice System was put into place to make sure there is equality and that justice is prevailed when someone has broken the law. Criminal Justice is very important throughout America as it is essential to keep the American streets clean and free of crime. The Criminal Justice System varies from different stages, from the frontline of normal cops, to federal officers to criminal psychologists the system is an important factor for all modern society as all these aspects keep America safe from rapists, gun gangs, murders, thief’s and many other types of criminals. The first protocol are always the street cops they are the ones that work the streets on a day to day basis to prevent and preserve crime everyday. The street cops do simple work that helps maintain order in the system like issuing a parking ticket or on a higher level arresting a murderer. The street cops keep everything safe and is a major factor in the Criminal Justice System. In general, crime and law enforcement television programmes have been extremely trendy, with continually high ratings throughout the years. Over a quarter all the programmes on television at prime time from the 60’s to the 90’s have based their shows on the topic of criminal justice and/or crime. The Justice System and crime come hand in hand and are two main vital pillars in today’s society. Crime is part of some people’s human behaviour and justice is to stop and prevent crime from happening or dealing with crime once it has happened. If crime stopped we would not need a justice system. The Criminal Justice System uses the three parts to ensure everything runs correctly on a daily basis (Police, Courts and Corrections) all three work together for civilisation. Merrian-Webster defined crime as “an act that is forbidden or omission of a duty that is commanded by public law and that makes the offender liable to punishment by that law.” Basically Merrian-Webster statement meant if all three parts Police, Courts and Corrections work together it will all run smoothly without problems. The contemporary issues in criminal justice will be looked at in detail for example research to show if certain ethical group have an increase in crime and if racism is still an issue in America today, as many argue that the system still works by looking at individuals race rather than dealing with everyone equally. The people that deal with law enforcement have to come across violence in the job but also find rewarding aspects in their job. They have to use their power to uphold the law and use their powers correctly and not abuse them. Law enforcement is essential throughout the world and because America is so big it is vital the law enforcement has to get it right majority of the time and because America has gone more advance and complex over the years it is important that the law enforcement moves forward with the times however problems have arisen which need to be dealt with accordingly. In order to tackle the problems in America today and have a chance of an encouraging future in the criminal justice system people in the system will have to work together even more. The word ‘justice’ does not have one definition and it is not accurate. Justice is contentious and inevitable when you try and justify it in law. Law enforcement is disputed in all potential ways as the profession is one of many that cause critical results and contentious actions. The Law has been applied to pass justice and law enforcement is liable for ensuring that the laws upheld. Law enforcement is put into place to make lives better for each individual and the criminal justice system is there to help every step of the way. Law enforcement has three significant issues which are police, discretion and assessment of criminal behaviour. The Criminal Justice System in the United States is divided into two models, one is the Consensus model and the other is the Conflict model. The aim is to achieve justice and use the three basic foundations policing justice and corrections as guidelines. The Consensus model and Conflict model are influenced by an excess of factors. The first model is the consensus model. The Consensus model means that all the citizens in the society share all the same norms, values and beliefs. For example “thou shall not kill” (Exodus 20:13). People that live in the American society who are sane and of sane mind will all agree that killing another person is wrong and is seem as illegal. The second model is Conflict model this is the source that the content of Criminal law is based on. In the Criminal Justice System there are seven goals of sentencing revenge, retribution, deterrence, incapacitation, just deserts, restoration and rehabilitation. The concept of revenge comes from vengeance to some types of injury and assault. Revenge can be served in different forms of punishment for the criminal justice system. The jury usually basis there decision on evidence and facts. It is also considered revenge in a number of cases when the victim feels they have achieved justice. Retribution is when ‘pay back’ is given for what the offender has done (Schmalleger & Smykla). It is not just the individual that is affected when a crime has taken place it is also society in general because each crime is registered and is put into statistics to help improve criminal justice in the future. The juveniles in American society should be treated differently in the Criminal Justice System compared to adults. The juvenile system tends to focus on rehabilitation and treatment. Even after a juvenile has been imprisoned there are systems after they have come out to help them back into society and to make sure they stay on the right path in the future. The juvenile system has other agencies that work inside the system such as the child protective services. A child will be tried in juvenile court where an adult will be tried in court. Criminal justice need to ensure in the future more work goes into putting time and money in the system to prevent young people committing crime in the first place. One way is going with schools to show what will happen to people who have been to prison and the consciences. Also if a young person has committed a crime rehabilitation is essential after to make sure the juvenile should not go back to crime but be encouraged to do positive things with his/her life. Another point is run down areas make need the criminal justice system to work more with the local associations to prevent crime occurring. The most important ethical issue in America at the present time is young African American males who have been in more statistical figures throughout decades. It has become a major concern in the black community as 10.4 percent of young African America aged between 25-29 has been imprisoned. The insight in America about African America male is that they are unbalanced and unpredictable members in American society. The one negative point which is portrayed is that the media gives such a negative view about African American males that if this continues all African American males will follow the same footsteps the only way this will stop is if the criminal justice system puts a large amount of resources into deprived areas, so the statistics can change and American’s level of imprisonment can improve. Many African American males have argued that the system makes it harder for them and targets hem ore when they have committed a crime. Also it is argued there is an element of racism in the system which works against black people achieving and bettering themselves. The American justice system is seen to be racist, dated and it is always under public scrutiny. It has made black males the most targeted and the highest imprisonment rate. This is a contemporary issue that is a main focus in America, also the music and the influences that are in the public eye seem to show crime as a positive idea in music videos. Some rap artists in America boast aout guns and shooting and how this is the way they were brought up, and young people especially males want to follow their hero. If the Justice System worked on making ‘famous people’ more respectful towards the criminal activities this would help society. Putting a stop to rappers rapping about guns, crime and violence. This may improve statistical figures from criminals especially from gun crime. The book ‘The Rich Get Richer and the Poor Get Prison,’ demonstrates how the rich can determine and influence the law, the book targets the criminal justice system as targeting the poorer class and favoring the richer class in America. The book believes that the laws that have been out in place are to protect the rich from the poor so the classes will never mix and that the poor will never be able to change their ways and work there way to the top. Most lawyers work to keep the system running according to the rules. For example, if a man is caught stealing from a local shopping store to feed his family food as they are that poor he would receive between three to five years imprisonment. However if a well respected business man who embezzles millions of dollars to deceive a company or a big corporation with the result of many people losing their jobs, he would get a small fine with no serious consequences. On a weekly basis television news and American newspapers have a piece or report on a young, African American male who has been in trouble in his community for a crime. The Tallahassee Democrat newspaper has all the criminal activities on the front page and majority of the times it is always a certain race and age that are targeted on the front page. This is a modern day issue in American society as deprived areas tend to have the highest crime rate. In America the perception has always been that the normal family with a mother, father and children, any other type of family has always been frowned upon and the Criminal Justice System has always encouraged that the ‘normal’ family shows norm and values. This is an issue in the system because it has been argued that the law enforcement such as the police, do not respond to reports for same sex families as they would for ‘normal’ families. Researchers examined that the police lack enthusiasm to get involved in same sex families domestic problems because it is not seen to be the correct way of living. America is to big to think like this and as the world moves forward the only thing that will happen is same sex families will increase if this issue is not dealt with soon it will cause the Criminal Justice System more problems in the future. The System illustrates at every opportunity that it is equal and everyone is treated the same whether people are rich or poor, black or white, Incident Reporting System database this showed that it is not true to same sex families. The system has money to put into new jails and prisons been built and putting resources into them for prisoners, but no-one says where the money is coming from to deal with the increase in crime. Mauer makes a valid correlation, “legislators do not pass an appropriations bill that states that funding for new prisons will be taken from state colleges, nor are parents of state college students informed that tuition increases are due to budget cutbacks caused by increased prison spending. But these are often exactly the repercussions of many public policy decisions.” This showed money from other parts of society like education for young people is taken away because crime is not being tackled efficiently. Some parents may not have the extra money to put into their child’s education and because of that they have a lack of education because building prisons is more important. Overall, the Criminal Justice System has positive views and negative views. Every aspect of the Criminal Justice System portrays it to show equal rights for all, however after further investigation on many different statistical figures and findings the system does not seem to be equal. The one main element of the criminal justice system that seems to be fair and equal is the jury system which is seen to be unique compared to other jury systems. Originally the jury system was made that the result of the verdict being guilty or not guilty would fall on one person’s shoulders but on a group of people. However, this did not occur. The system works that ten people have to agree or disagree if a person is guilty or not guilty. The job of the courts is to show the jury a satisfactory amount of evidence, this is to try and make sure that no-one is wrongly sentenced. The selection of the jury is acquired so strictly it is deemed to show that no-one would favour anyone that is being trialled. Again it could be argued that when twelve members of the jury see a young African American standing being trialled they already have a perception on him because of the way the media shows young African America males to be. The verdict seems clear that the racial inequality is an issue. The Criminal Justice system does not seem updated, Mohahan said, “Recent reviews conclude there is very little evidence that increased incarceration has reduced crime” this is not to say money has not been spent into the problem. In conclusion, people who have supported and applied tougher measures for crime to reduce seem to have failed as crime in America has only increased. The Criminal Justice Management should be looking at new ways to tackle the fight against crime, as tackling the issue goes further that building new prisons to fill them up with criminals, the states that build new jails tend to have an increase in crime rate. The states that do not have new prisons built there crime rate may not decrease but it does not increase. Work Cited David Cole, 2000. No Equal Justice: Race and Class in the American Criminal Justice System, pgs 21-28 David W. Neubauer, 2006. America's Courts and the Criminal Justice System 8th Edition Neubauer, pgs 15-16 David W. Neubauer, Henry F. Fradella, 2010. America's Courts and the Criminal Justice System, pgs 185-189 George F. Cole, 2009. Outlines and Highlights for American System of Criminal Justice, pgs 16-17 Jeffrey B. Bumgarner, 2004. Profiling and Criminal Justice in America: A Reference Handbook, pgs 117-119 Jennifer M. Allen, Rajeev Sawhney, 2009. Administration and Management in Criminal Justice: A Service Quality Approach, 333-335 Jerome G. Miller, 2010. Search and Destroy: African-American Males in the Criminal Justice System, pgs 15-17, 58-62 John Raymond Cook, 2001. Asphalt justice: a critique of the criminal justice system in America, pgs 62-65, 96-98 Richard Kaniak, 2008. Managing Criminal Justice Organizations: An Introduction to Theory and Practice, 242-243 Stan Stojkovic, John Klofas, David Kalinich, 2011. Criminal Justice Organizations: Administration and Management, pgs 212-213, 258-260, 377-387 Read More