When it comes to comparing justice systems, it’s common to compare America and Singapore to one another. Singapore is considered a sterile country with one of the lowest crime rates in the world, but is known for its seemingly strange laws and harsh punishments. America, on the other hand, has a rather high crime rate as well as incarceration rate despite having a gentler justice system in comparison. Despite portraying both as opposites, both are based on English common law, and there’s more focus on punishing criminals instead of rehabilitating them. The systems are similar in many ways, but seem to produce radically different results. Though Singapore handles justice in a much harsher manner than Americans do, it seems to be rather effective, …show more content…
This is a clear view of how interdependence and independence can clash with one another. Singapore’s more interdependent approach is concerned with the way things would affect other people, and try to prohibit things that would negatively impact them. In comparison, America is also concerned with these things, but are more focused on making sure that every individual still maintains the individual rights given to them, which falls in line with American’s foundation on freedom. Americans, understandably, tend to criticize Singapore for being incredibly harsh on criminals or even just suspects, arguing that the approach assumes guilt before a trial (Adam, 2011). Singaporeans, on the other hand, believe American attorney and judges aren’t harsh enough, going out of their way to shower them with rights instead of focusing on making sure that their crime is punished. It makes one wonder if one approach is better than the other, even just looking beyond the crime rates in each country. Singaporeans tend to have more confidence in their government, with 84% of surveyed citizens showing confidence compared to the United States’ 35% (Allison, …show more content…
Western independence and eastern interdependence is shown throughout each justice system, such as America’s many divisions and factions that depend on each other but ultimately behave separately with their own responsibilities. Compare that to Singapore’s single party system and behavior as a parliament. Even though America and Singapore have similar origins of breaking away from Britain to assert their own independence, each show cultural traits expected from a Western and Eastern country
Different countries have been known to deal with crime in different ways, some believe that we (Americans) should deal with criminals in a more serious and physical manner. In the article “Rough Justice A Caning in Singapore Stirs Up a Fierce Debate About Crime and Punishment” by Alejandro Reyes, it talks about how we should have more severe and physical punishment inside and outside of the U.S. After a teenage boy vandalizes a car in singapore. While in the editorial “Time to Assert American Values,” the writer attempts to persuade us and into thinking that the teenage boy, Michael Fey should not have been caned after vandalizing a car. After carefully analyzing the two texts, the reader realizes that the article “Rough Justice” has the
While caning is mandatory in cases of vandalism, rape and weapons offenses, it is also prescribed for immigration violations such as overstaying visas and hiring of illegal workers” (Reyes 182). By informing the reader of this, the author gives an example of how harsh the government’s laws are. Reyes states, “At dawn on May 13, six Malaysians were hanged for drug trafficking, bringing to seventeen the number executed for such offenses so far this year, ten more than the total number of prisoners executed in all of 1993” (Reyes 181). This gives an exact count of the offenses and the number of people hanged for their crimes, which informs the reader and allows them to form an accurate opinion on the topic.
Perhaps of the most obvious differences between these two civilizations was in their political beliefs. Two political forces constructed the new form of government in Western Society, known as Nationalism and Liberalism. Nationalists argued that the state should be linked to a single basic culture, and all other natio...
The basis of criminal justice in the United States is one founded on both the rights of the individual and the democratic order of the people. Evinced through the myriad forms whereby liberty and equity marry into the mores of society to form the ethos of a people. However, these two systems of justice are rife with conflicts too. With the challenges of determining prevailing worth in public order and individual rights coming down to the best service of justice for society. Bearing a perpetual eye to their manifestations by the truth of how "the trade-off between freedom and security, so often proposed so seductively, very often leads to the loss of both" (Hitchens, 2003, para. 5).
On the other side of the criminal justice spectrum, there is Germany, a nation with a shaky and complex history. Until October of 1990, Germany was divided into two separate nations, West Germany and East Germany. The criminal justice system existing in modern Germany represents a combination of “Civil Law” as well as “Common Law.” The history and culture of Germany is deeply rooted into the crafting and maintenance of the German criminal justice system. In Germany, “obedience to the laws of the state, and firm discipline conforming itself with these laws, are, in Germany thought to be the most needful things in public life (Hartmann, 1911). This attitude towards obedience and discipline is seen throughout German history and is still to this
The United States has one of the oldest and most valuable criminal justice system in the world today. The first known example of the punishments was in the sixteenth century. The criminal justice system of America has a such an astonishing history, that system around the world admired our punishments system and reformation system.
The criminal justice system is always criticized for a range of issues concerning the injustices that has taken place throughout history and even today. Many political leaders and social activists have sought to reform the criminal justice system; however, some have realized that there are systematic barriers that inhibit reformation. Political ...
Crime is not a homogenous action. Criminals hail from a hodgepodge of backgrounds, socioeconomic classes, and demographics. Patterns, however, have been observed across the spectrum of offenders that predict those most likely to become culprits. These patterns often come in the form of disparities between social, racial, and gender groups. The racial, socioeconomic, and gender disparities inherent in the United States criminal justice system are particularly manifested in the courts, policing methods, and prisons. Examining the policies of foreign countries’ criminal justice systems can paint a picture of reform that spells an end to unequal treatment of America’s delinquents.
The ideal and most effective response to any question is that of a single, straightforward answer, but when dealing with a matter as profound and complex as the criminal justice system, a single answer feels wholly insubstantial. As a consequence, rather than explaining which model of justice that I would like the English and Welsh criminal justice system to embody, I will explain why I would most like to see a criminal justice system, that embodies both models in a reactive and dynamic manner, not dissimilar to the current system in place.
Crime is an extremely prominent part of American society. Recorded activity within the US saw 10,329,135 (1,246,248 violent crimes and 9,082,887 property crimes) crimes perpetrated with 62.5% of all violent crimes pertained to aggravated assault and 68.2% of all property crimes were considered larceny-theft in 2010. (FBI.2011) Despite the large number of crimes the United States also has the largest number of incarcerated citizens per capita in the world with nearly a quarter of the world’s prisoners coming from the United States’ 5% of the world population. This is due to much harder punishments in the US than those that are given a shorter longer period of incarceration or merely fined in other countries.(Liptak 2008) Due to the prevalence of crime in the US, economists have used models to explain the behavior and ramifications of government actions and the motivations behind crime and its effect on society that psychologists and sociologists are usually unable to address.
The process of the court in America values efficiency and tough punishments. Since there are a lot of arrests, the court is overburdened and pressed for time. The prisoners are processed through like animals for the slaughter, quickly and with no mercy. The inequality in the terms of power and money influences the court. People with deep pockets are able to bail out or negotiate for a lesser term than a person assigned to a free lawyer by the state. Those consequences Americans believe will serve as deterrence or warning to people to obey the law...
Panem as a whole has some very basic deep root expectations of its citizens, all of which are very similar to totalitarian dictatorships and set it apart from present day America. They instill in their citizens a sense of national accomplishment, they feel that the populous “owes” them for being “merciful” and “saving them from the chaotic rulings of their past.” The state and not so much the citizens feel this accomplishment ...
The criminal justice system in the United States is an important structure that can primarily be divided into three central divisions Law Enforcement, Courts, and Corrections each one operates separate from the others and yet coincide with the others as well. The criminal justice system is a global phenomenon, not solely bound within the borders of the United States, not a one shoe fits all; each country has created a form of criminal justice system suited to that country’s needs while allowing for cultural, economic, and historical aspects to influence the system’s development and operations. The law enforcement facet of the criminal justice system in any country very significant due to the fact the law enforcement area is responsible for
Theoretical perspectives help us study the underlying questions we have about society. Each perspective concentrates on diverse characteristics of society. These aspects are analyzed on different levels to develop theories. When it comes to comparative criminal justice, the focus perspective is the comparability and connectivity of criminal justice systems. The world’s criminal justice system contains four theoretical perspectives: modernization, civilization, world-system, and globalization theory. Although there are four perspectives that signify the world’s system, I will only be comparing the theories of modernization and civilizational clash and their nature.
Offenses such as robbery, drug dealing, vandalism and DUI should be dealt with according to the number of crimes committed. Robbers and thieves should lose fingers, joint by joint. Multiple offenders should lose their hands. Drug dealers should be put to death by overdose of the drugs they peddled. Vandals should be dealt with in the same manner as in Singapore, caning. Multiple offenders should be beaten to death. Multiple offenders of the DUI laws should be killed by alcohol poisoning except in the case of vehicular homicide in which the offender should be put to good use... as a crash test dummy.