The community heavily relies upon the criminal justice system to safeguard the well-being of its members and to procure justice when their rights are transgressed upon. Thus, the criminal justice system holds a high position of authority and responsibility over those individuals in which it serves. Therefore, the failure of this system to adequately perform its duties can have a detrimental impact on the civilian population and more specifically the victims of crimes. For example, committing an act of prosecutorial misconduct by knowingly introducing a coerced confession during a trial proceeding can severely damage the integrity of a case, even in spite of the existence of other evidence indicating a defendant’s guilt. Alternatively, the …show more content…
Therefore, securing the crime scene would by default become the top concern of the investigator. Taking the necessary measures to preserve the crime scene is integral in preventing the destruction of evidence which can result from human interference (Orthmann & Hess, 2013, p. 19). Ultimately, the investigator must take significant action to ensure that the crime scene remains unaltered so that any evidence that is discovered remains intact. In this particular case, it would be practical for the investigator to block off access to the room in which the crime took place and the backyard (Orthmann & Hess, 2013). It would be logical to assume that the perpetrator may have unintentionally dropped evidence in both of these areas. For example, the offender left the state of the room in disarray which implies that they haphazardly raided the room. Consequently, given the inattentive nature in which the crime was committed, it is likely that the offender was equally careless in making certain that they did not leave behind any inculpating evidence; therefore, protecting these two locations is
Ethics is “a branch of philosophy concerned with the study of questions of right and wrong and how we ought to live” (Banks, 2013). Also it involves making moral judgments about what is right and or wrong, good or bad. In the process of everyday life, moral rules are desirable, not because they express absolute truth, but because they are generally reliable guides for normal circumstances. Ethics or moral conduct, are of major importance in the criminal justice field today. If the police force condoned unethical behavior, there would be very little, if any, justice being served. A system of rules and principles helps to guide in making difficult decisions when moral issues arise. Ethics has been shown to be a central component in decisions involving ethical dilemmas. It is “concerned with standards of conduct and with “how I ought to act”, and standards of conduct may vary among different societies” (Banks, 2013). An ethical dilemma arises only when a decision must be made that involves a conflict at the personal, interpersonal, institutional, or societal level or raises issues of moral character. Richard Hare argues that we initially use an intuitive level of moral thinking when we consider ethical dilemma. There are “six steps in analyzing an ethical dilemma and they would be as follow” (NASW, 2014):
Many things contribute to the corruption of our justice system. Within the past five years, through police brutality the United States has shown how tainted it really is. In Just Mercy, Bryan Stevenson argues that because of family history, misunderstanding youth, and background, our justice system is defined by error. His many points and examples give exceptional proof to his findings. While the government has made some changes over the years for the justice system subjects such as the incarceration of minors and police and laws within the system still need adjusting.
Well written procedures, rules, and regulation provide the cornerstone for effectively implementing policies within the criminal justice system. During the investigational process, evidence collected is subjected to policies such as Search and Seizure, yet, scrutinized by the Exclusionary Rule prior to the judicial proceeding. Concurrent with criminal justice theories, evidence collected must be constitutionally protected, obtained in a legal and authorized nature, and without violations of Due Process. Although crime and criminal activities occur, applicability of policies is to ensure accountability for deviant behaviors and to correct potentially escalation within social communities It is essential the government address such deviant behavior, however, equally important is the protection of the accused which also must become a priority when investigating criminal cases.
People with money think they have the ability to get away with their unlawful actions, to buy their freedom. In the show Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, in the episode “Wonderland”, Sarah Walsh was a victim of rape. She was unaware of who had raped her but eventually found out her rapist appeared to be one of her “friends” who was very wealthy. He had paid off his other victims to keep him away from the title of a criminal. Throughout the show, you can see the way people with money think about their position and the law. In the episode “Wonderland” of Law and Order: SVU, the creator portrays that criminals with money are punished not as severely as average income people. The issue of people who believe,
Steve Bogira, a prizewinning writer, spent a year observing Chicago's Cook County Criminal Courthouse. The author focuses on two main issues, the death penalty and innocent defendants who are getting convicted by the pressure of plea bargains, which will be the focus of this review. The book tells many different stories that are told by defendants, prosecutors, a judge, clerks, and jurors; all the people who are being affected and contributing to the miscarriage of justice in today’s courtrooms.
The Criminal Justice System can be very rewarding because it deters crime, protects and minimize recidivism all while treating all Americans equally under the law (Department of Justice, 2013). The Criminal Justice System’s Administration is composed of three system components which collectively functions the Criminal Justice System if effectively enforced and monitored (The Criminal Justice System, 2008). The Criminal Justice Administration is composed of Police Officers, Public Defenders and other Legal occupant whose main job is to protect, serve and rehabilitate (The Criminal Justice System, 2008). When the Administration’s occupants become involved in corruption they become a conflict of interest. Conflicting Rewards can negatively impact the Criminal Justice Administration and the people it was created to serve when the primary goal becomes undesirable (Kirby, 2016).
1 – Question #1: (Ch 5) Child abuse intersects with the juvenile justice system in many ways including but not limited to - sexual abuse, child neglect, family violence, and internet exploitation. One of the most important issues to address when related to the juvenile justice system is child neglect. Child neglect can be defined as a juvenile under the age of 18 whose parental figure(s) and/or person responsible for the child’s well being not providing essential support, education by law, medical or remedial care necessary for the child’s health – shelter, food/water, clothing, etc. Neglect also comes in three forms 1) physical – e.g. lack of necessary shelter, food or water, medical care 2) emotional – e.g. the lack of emotional support or
In the Criminal Justice system, the main goal is justice or in other words, a fair consequence to match a criminal action. An obvious, yet unmentioned underlying goal is to prevent injustice. Many times, justice prevails, and this is why our system prevails today. However, when justice fails, it is key to look at the information offered in order to better the system and to repay those that have been failed by it. One area that has shown itself as flawed is the area of interrogations though many other areas will be presented throughout this paper as well. By examining five cases involving questionable interrogation and showing other system flaws, I will enlighten others as to how our justice system handles its flaws, and hopefully I will provide motivation for further improvement.
The criminal justice system is a group of institutions that work together to protect a society, prevent and control crime, and maintain justice; enforcing the laws regulated by society. As the years have gone by and society has evolved; so have the criminal justice system and its methods to accomplish its role in society. This short analysis will evaluate the main facts that have been affecting the criminal justice system for decades and have influenced the evolution the justice system is enduring in a changing society (Muraski, 2009). Amongst the changes in the system, we will discuss the effect the changes have had on the citizens and how their perceptions have evolved as well.
In history, crimes have been dealt with by the justice system according to its severity as well as the offender: if the crime committed was not very serious and the offender was deemed “non-delinquent”, or “free of any real criminal disposition”, they would be cautioned or fined. However, were the crime a more serious one and the offender appeared to have a “criminal character”, they would receive more severe and more deterrent punishment (Garland, 2001: 42).
The main purpose of this article is to look at the possible link between race and exoneration, and how race and wrongful convictions lead to the exonerations. There were three reasons that the authors chose this topic to research. The first reason was the research previously done in the field show racial biased in the criminal justice system. This paper looks at how that effects wrongful conviction and the subsequent exoneration. The second reason is because if there is an innocent person in prison that means that the real culprit is still out there, and more than likely committing more crimes. The third reason is racial composition of the dyad, victim and the perpetrator. This article is the first to mention the dyad and the authors focus on that in their discussion of wrongful conviction. This article is a very insightful look at the problem of the racial bias in the system that leads to wrongful conviction and how that leads to exoneration. It effectively explains the causes of wrongful convictions and how race affects those causes, especially how the dyad is incorporated in it.
There are multiple crime television shows that are based on a true story or fiction. A well known television show is Law and Order Special Victims Unit, which deals with rape and assault cases. This particular episode deals with a domestic violence case between a retired football star, AJ Martin, and his girlfriend, Paula Bryant. I will be using the National Crime Victimization Survey, which is an interview with the members in a household about reported and unreported crime that occurred within the last six months. “NVCS provides information of characteristics of victims, including age, race, ethnicity, gender, marital status and household income” (Truman and Morgan). Official statistics like the NCVS would be used for comparing its demographics
This essay will discuss the role of the criminal justice professional in serving both individual and societal needs. It will identify and describe at least three individual needs and three societal needs, in addition to explaining the role of the criminal justice professional in serving each of these needs. Illustrative examples will be provided for support.
Police, courts, and corrections are separated government institutions with different goals, histories, and operating procedures. Law enforcement officials report crimes that happen in their area. Officers investigate crimes and gather evidence to identify and use against a presumed perpetrator. Thus, it is the duty of the officer to uphold the rights of offenders, victims, and to conduct police procedures within rules set by law. Depending on the nature of the crime and the evidence gathered it is up to the police discretion to make an arrest or issue a citation for the accused to appear in court. The law enforcement has responsibilities that no other component does, thus an officer does not decide the defendant’s conviction; the jury does (Neubauer and Fradella,
The definition of justice and the means by which it must be distributed differ depending on an individual’s background, culture, and own personal morals. As a country of many individualistic citizens, the United States has always tried its best to protect, but not coddle, its people in this area. Therefore, the criminal justice history of the United States is quite extensive and diverse; with each introduction of a new era, more modern technologies and ideals are incorporated into government, all with American citizens’ best interests in mind.