The Criminal Justice System and Its Agents - Essay Example

? Criminal Justice System Gendered- Police Introduction The progress and development of every country is dependent upon strongjudicial and law enforcement system. A country where law and justice are prevailed in true spirits is seen to be progressing by leaps and bounds. The criminal justice system sphere is widespread in developed countries primarily. Improvement and betterment have been brought in underdeveloped countries criminal justice system too (Siegel and Worrall, 2012). The rationale of establishing criminal justice remains to create atmosphere of impartiality in the region. Fairness and unbiased provision by courts is imperative and essential to sustain equilibrium in expanses. It is often deemed that the regulators of criminal justice system are mostly men. The role of women is minimal or zero which is an alarming condition (Neubauer and Fradella, 2010). The purpose of this paper is to analyze the conception of criminal justice with regard to gendered role in the implication of system. What exactly is the police culture and what kind of external and internal interactions matter while maintaining justice system in the region. Gendered Spectrum The role of males is eminent in controlling law and order situation in the countries. The job description of criminal justice and police signify that it is a risky business therefore men should be the front row participants. Women were totally neglected conventionally in the past. Even to catch women convicts, men had to arrange operations. Changes in the traditional setup were brought in the later days but still the position is not satisfying. The major role of bringing alteration in the system was played by feminist activists (Barak, Leighton and Flavin, 2010). They believed that equality in criminal justice system should be maintained hence women role in different law enforcement agencies is important. They should stand along with men and the creation of separate women wing must be endorsed by government and courts. In 1996 first female constable was seen in the world. The efforts of feminist activist finally made roar when their demands were looked upon by the courts of United States and British Empire (Harris, 2010). The circumstances however did not bring promising change; as per the Fawcett Society Engerding Gender Report of 2012, around 27% women are there in the police department. The upbringing of women in police department is indispensible. The conservative mindset present suggests that women are not powerful enough to handle critical circumstances of criminal justice. Their expertise does not lay in the respective field as naturally they are physically different and are not appropriate for the police job. Moreover the natural phenomenon of attraction of men towards women creates problem for police officers. They would be harassed by men and also would lose focus on their job (Muraskin, 2010). The Police Culture The police culture rampant in most parts of the world suggests that it is a tough job where only men can survive. Handling crucial and critical state of affairs is men’s work therefore women should stay out of this. Mental toughness, competitiveness, aggression and tackling conflicts are some of the constraints of police work which are leaned to be lacked in women. The understanding of police duties is another big challenge as they have to perform several tasks at the same time. Police culture was consequently signified as impossible for women to grasp; only men are capable of handling police job perfectly. The tribulations of police duties are of complex nature and men are naturally dynamic to get over them. These assumptions let women in the police force far behind (Rader, 2010). The revival in police culture was brought later on by the inception of women in police role. Their core job responsibilities initially were not complex and prior training was given to them too. The acceptance of women in police job was theoretically accepted as studies on criminal justice advocated the need of vibrant women police force. The paradigm shift was brought in the developed countries but women acceptance only confined them to perform their duties at stations. Outdoor police activities were handled by men only. The acceptance by male police staff was not encouraging. Sexual harassment stream followed tremendously in police workforce (Peffley, 2010). External and Internal Interactions The interaction of police with communities is an important and vital phase. According to researchers and analysts, men have the capability to go intensely into the field and investigate the matter. The level of interaction at all levels by men is overwhelming and plays critical role in the continuity of justice system. Particularly in criminal justice matters, male police force is the real factor of bringing culprits behind the bars (Moretti and Reppucci, 2010). The female role in this regard is manipulated. Another viewpoint arises that women are emotionally bonded and attached while managing uncertainties occurring in their job roles. Men can manage conditions quite easily and in case of bringing women police to crime scene; unavoidable circumstances ground-breaking can even result in handling women workforce in the first place (Rosay, 2012). Women are also believed not to manage their interactions properly with external communities. Their management in their respective department is promising but on fields their role is challengeable. Another viewpoint neglects this notion and believes that women interactions at internal and external levels are more useful in the collection of evidence and solving criminal cases. The bringing of justice into the region is equaled responsibility of both genders (Burman, 2010). Conclusion The criminal justice institutions are mostly male dominant all over the globe. Transformation in developed regions is starting to make roar but the results collected yet are not very encouraging. The acceptance of women in police workforce is basically happened theoretically, practical changes are yet to be experienced. The amount of female police workforce is very few and number needs to be increased. Moreover the myths prevalent around the minds of communities that women cannot manage this job are totally wrong. Reformations in the police culture needs to be brought up. The sexual harassment cases nullify that male police workforce is not even serious in their respective jobs and harasses women workforce. Wider acceptability and active role of women in police can bring real change in the societies. References Siegel, L. J., & Worrall, J. L. 2012, Essentials of criminal justice, Wadsworth Publishing Company Neubauer, D. W., & Fradella, H. F. 2010, America's courts and the criminal justice system, Wadsworth Publishing Company Barak, G., Leighton, P., & Flavin, J. 2010, Class, race, gender, and crime: The social realities of justice in America. Rowman & Littlefield Pub Incorporated. Harris, P. W. 2010, Criminal justice policy and planning. Anderson. Muraskin, R. 2010, Women and justice, Pearson Education/Prentice Hall Rader, N. E., & Goodrum, S. 2010. A gendered assessment of the ‘‘threat of victimization’’: Examining gender differences in fear of crime, perceived risk, avoidance, and defensive behaviors. Criminal justice review, 35(2), 159-182 Peffley, M. 2010, And justice for some: Race, crime, and punishment in the US criminal justice system. Canadian Journal of Political Science, 43(02), 457-479. Rosay, A. B. 2012. College student perceptions of criminal justice system responses to stalking, Sex roles, 66(5-6), 392-404 Burman, M. 2010, The ability of criminal law to produce gender equality: judicial discourses in the Swedish criminal legal system. Violence against women, 16(2), 173-188 Moretti, M. M., & Reppucci, N. D. 2010, A Review of Findings from the “Gender and Aggression Project” Informing Juvenile Justice Policy and Practice Through Gender-Sensitive Research. Read More