Criminal Justice in the US - Essay Example

 Criminal Justice Introduction The U.S has less than 5% of the globe’s population. A quarter, however, of the world prisoners are found in America. The U.S certainly, because of this, leads the globe in producing inmates. This is also reflected in the county’s recent distinctive approach to transgression as well as punishment. Americans are incarcerated for offenses that would hardly ever generate jail sentences in other nations. Americans are kept in prisons far longer than inmates in other countries (Liptak, 2008). This paper will discuss whether the United States should implement approaches to criminal justice from other nations. Legal scholars, as well as criminologists in other developed nations, state that they are puzzled and shocked by the length and number of American prison terms. The U.S. has, for example, 2 million law breakers in prisons, more than any other country. This is in line with the information given out at King's College in England by the International Center for Prison Research. China follows with 1.6 million individuals in prison, but the country is four times more populous than America. That figure leaves out thousands of individuals held in administrative custody (Liptak, 2008). Most of these individuals are held up in China's extrajudicial scheme of re-education by labor. The system also isolates political activists who have not committed any offense. San Marino is at the ending of the lengthy list of 218 nations gathered by the center. The country has a population of about 30,000 people. San Marino, however, has only one inmate. The U.S. leads in the list of prison studies center. The country is ranked first in order of the imprisonment rates. America has 700 individuals in jail or prison for every 100,000 in population. If people count only grownups, then the finding would be that one in every 100 American citizens is in prison (Liptak, 2008). The only other key developed country that even comes close to America is Russia. Russia has 627 inmates for every 100,000 individuals. The other countries have much lower rates. Germany's is 70, England's rate is 140 and Japan's is 50. These rates are all out of 100,000. The median among all countries circulates at 125. 125 is roughly a fifth of the American rate. There is little inquiry that the high imprisonment rate in America has assisted to cut down crime. There is, however, debate regarding how much the rates have eased crime. Legal experts and criminologists abroad and in the country point out certain factors to explain America's astonishing imprisonment rate. These factors are: harsh sentencing regulations, high levels of brutal crimes, a special fervor in fighting illegal drugs, a heritage of racial disorders and the lack of a social safety net. Even democracy has its roles in the imprisonment rates. This is because judges whom are chosen accept populist needs for harsh justice (Liptak, 2008). Whatever the cause, the gap between the U.S justice and that of the entire world is vast and increasing. Back in the days Europeans came to America to study its prison organizations. They, however, went away shocked saying that in no state is criminal justice tackled with more mildness than in America. A particular researcher who stated this was Alexis Tocqueville. He visited American prisons back in 1831. Far from serving as a replica for the globe, critics view modern America with horror. Critics think that it would be worthless to send other European governing bodies to learn from the U.S regarding how to manage prisons. They say that prison terms in the United States have become enormously harsher than in any other nation to which the U.S. would be compared to, (Liptak, 2008). The United States imprisonment rate has made the country a rogue nation, a nation that has made a choice not to go by what is a customary Western advance. The spike in U.S imprisonment rates is quite modern. From 20’s to 70’s, the rate remained steady, approximately 110 people in the penitentiary for each 100,000 citizens. The rate shot up with the progress to get harsh on crime in the late 70s. These figures, however, left out citizens held in prisons, as complete facts of inmates held in local, as well as state jails, was not fully gathered until recently. The country’s rather high brutal crime rate, partly influenced by the much easier accessibility to firearms in the country, helps clarify the number of individuals in U.S. penitentiaries. The attack rate in London and New York are not that much dissimilar, but if people view the murder rates, mainly with guns, it is much greater in New York than in London. In spite of the latest drop in the murder rate in the country, it is still roughly five times that of many countries in Europe. That is, however, a biased reason. The U.S fairly has small rates of diplomatic crimes. It has lower robbery and burglary rates than Canada, Australia as well as England (Liptak, 2008). Individuals who commit diplomatic offenses in the rest of the world are less likely to get jail terms and less likely to get extensive sentences than in America. The U.S. is, for example, the only developed country that imprisons individuals for small property crimes such as passing bad checks. An attempt to fight illegal drugs also has a key role in explaining long jail terms in the U.S. In the 80’s, there were approximately 40,000 inmates in American prisons and jails for drug related crimes. These days the number has multiplied to approximately 500,000. These numbers have drawn hatred from critics stating that the United States is pursuing the combat on drugs with a poor devotion. American prosecutors, however, argue that locking up individuals caught up in drug dealing is essential, since it helps to prevent demand for illegal drugs plus it also eases other crime. The American Attorney General, Michael Mukasey, for example, has struggled hard to stop the release of individuals in federal prison on crack cocaine crimes. He says that these people are among the most violent and serious criminals (Liptak, 2008). However, it is the duration of sentences that discern U.S prison policy from other nations. If lists were gathered derived from annual admissions to the penitentiary per capita, several European nations would outpace America. The United States prison, however, stays are much longer than other countries, so the total imprisonment rate is higher than others. Burglars in America serve one year and five months in prison, compared to half a year in Canada as well as three quarters a year in England. Several criminologists dismissed race as a vital differentiating factor in the U.S imprisonment rate. It is true that African Americans are more prone to be jailed than other groups in America, but that is not a characteristic phenomenon. Minorities in Britain, Canada, as well as Australia, are also excessively represented in those country’s jails, plus the ratios are larger than or similar to those in the U.S (Liptak, 2008). Some researchers have found that English-speaking countries have higher jail rates than non English countries. Even though, it is not apparent what it is regarding Anglo-Saxon customs that make English-speaking nations especially offensive. Critics think that it might be connected to countries that are more wealth driven and political customs that are less democratic than most European nations (Liptak, 2008). Some critics also think that it might have something to do with the Protestant beliefs with tough Calvinist implications that are influential. The U.S character, which consists of being self-reliant, judgmental and independent, also has a key role. U.S is a tough country that has strong emphasizes on individual responsibility. That approach has appeared in the U.S. criminal justice of the last three decades. French-speaking nations, by distinction, have moderately mild prison regulations. Prison policies in the U.S. are, however, not monolithic, and national evaluations can be deceptive. Critics say that Minnesota appears to be more like Sweden than Texas. Sweden imprisons approximately 80 individuals per 100,000 of population. Minnesota imprisons about 300 people and Texas imprisons almost 1000 people. Maine has the lowest imprisonment rate in the U.S imprisoning at least 273 people and Louisiana the highest falling at 1138. Whatever the explanation, there is small argument that America's outstanding imprisonment rate has had an effect on offenses. As one might suppose, an exceptional case can be made that less Americans are now being persecuted because of the tougher crime regulations. From the late 70’s to the early 90’s, in line with the Justice Department, the risk of sentence rose in the U.S. and fell in Britain. The crime rates unsurprisingly travelled in the opposite ways, falling in the U.S. and rising in Britain at some point before the 70’s (Liptak, 2008). These facts finalize that European prison sentences are more appropriate than those of the United States. Other commentators, however, think that the United States way of handling crime works. These critics say that locking up offenders for long periods decreases the level of offenses. They also state that the benefits of long prison terms offset its costs. There is a counterexample in Canada. Falls and rises in Canada's crime rate have closely gone along with America's crime rate for four decades. Canada's incarceration rate has, however, remained steady. Several specialists in the United States as well as abroad pointed to an unexpected reason for the high imprisonment rate in the United States stating that it was due to the U.S democracy. Almost all state court prosecutors and judges in the U.S. are selected and are thus sensitive to the society. This means that they, in line with the opinion polls, favor tough crime regulations. In other parts of the globe, criminal justice experts appear to be civil servants who are protected from popular demands for harsh prison sentences (Liptak, 2008). Conclusion America detains more individuals than any other state and holds 25% of the globe’s entire imprisoned populace. America’s governing bodies are trying to break even during this tough economic period. The Congress has broadly to reconsider what alternatives might be accessible to the country. Researchers hope that the American Congress can change the justice schemes to save taxpayers funds, treat Americans fairly and make the country safer at the same time. The Justice Policy Organization, located in Washington, DC, is running to lessen the use of imprisonment, as well as the justice system. It seeks to promote regulations that are expected to enhance the security of all communities, as well as the citizens. This, however, will not change things much. What America needs is to change the whole imprisonment law. The country needs to adapt a law that thrives in a European country and put it to practice in the justice system. This is what will fully change the U.S law. Reference Liptak, A. (2008). U.S. prison population dwarfs that of other nations. New York: The New York Times. Read More