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More handpicked essays just for you.
Racial discrimination within the U.S. criminal justice system
Race in criminal sentencing
Racial discrimination within the U.S. criminal justice system
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Nico was viewed as unlikely to be a reoffender because of his race and economic background, and his deviance was viewed as a one time occurrence. Nico falls under what can be classified as a “saint,” and these types of people are viewed by the police as “good boys who were among the leaders of the youth in the community” (Adler, 222). Members of other races, or economic backgrounds are typically heavily scrutinized and do not normally get the same benefit that Nico got. Furthermore, when it came to hiring an attorney, Nico was able to get a white male, who was in his thirties, at a discounted rate. Nico mentioned to his attorney that he was a history major, and one day hoped to become an attorney. Nico’s attorney sympathized with his situation and said Nico …show more content…
Nico did not have the intention of harming anyone or doing any serious damage, but nonetheless his actions were still illegal and he should have been arrested for what he did. He may have been treated with leniency by the justice system, but I think ultimately that was for the better. Incarceration is not an effective means of rehabilitation for most people, and I can personally attest that Nico is remorseful for his actions, and the ARD program was successful. He is on his way to getting his undergraduate degree and will soon pursue his law degree, and all of that may not have been possible with a criminal record. His race and economic status has allowed him to avoid a deviant label, because the people around him and the justice system do not view him as a repeat offender and his offense is being classified as a one time act of deviance. Not everyone who goes through the justice system will get the same advantages that Nico got, but it appears that the way his case was handled was beneficial for Nico, and it will be beneficial for society if he goes on to become a successful
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):
James Desmond Booth, who is presently 30, had received good grades all throughout all his years in school and had a good family life, after being adopted by his grandparents. He also played varsity basketball in his hometown, at New Smyrna Beach High School. His grandmother, Beulah Booth, stated that her grandson was also a good father to his daughter and infant son, while other family members suggested that he loved his young children and he continues to make contributions in their lives. It is peculiar that a man with these beginnings and familial connections went on to receive seven felony convictions, with some including “possession of a stolen firearm, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and possession of ammunition by a convicted felon” (Frederick 2014 p.1: Sept. 29, 2009). After sitting in on the current trial brought against Mr. Booth and taking notes, sociological theories of crime were utilized to help to interpret the previous actions of this particular man’s history of misconduct.
Upon reading your responses, I can see how individuals are labeled based on race and on stereotypes. In the film, “Boyz n the Hood”, I agree to what Sabrina said about the two scenes expressing discriminatory treatment by the criminal justice system. It was sad to see how when you are in need of help and the only source is turning their backs. It is not fair to be judged by your ethnicity, class, or where you live. This is related to labeling theorist, Howard Becker; whereas he states that certain individuals can even be labeled by being falsely accused. An individual can be labeled as a deviant, because of their race and yet never committed a crime (Adler, Mueller, & Laufer 2013, p. 189). We saw this in the one scene you pointed out, whereas Tre and his dad called the cops because of the break in at their home. Then
After watching the full documentary on the crime that Alonza Thomas committed, I believe that he received a much harsher sentence than he deserved. I agree that what he did was wrong and he should have been convicted of a crime, but the extent to which he was punished was far more severe than the crime itself.Personally, I feel that 1) he should have not been tried as an adult and 2) he should have not been sent to a maximum security prison with adult criminals. For example, if a rapists commits a crime, they receive somewhere between three to four months jail time in some cases. In Alonza’s case, he never had past criminal record and never committed a crime but I feel due to him being an underprivileged minority, he was given maximum sentencing.
Oakland County Probate Judge Eugene Moore hopes that rehabilitation will put an end to Nathaniel’s criminal activity. Nathaniel, a black youth from the slums of Pontiac, Michigan, grew up without a father, or a strong family unit. He, in turn, never learned the responsibility of his actions; he was not privy to an upbringing that reinforced positive ideals. Crime & Criminology describes, in depth, the relationship between family and criminal activity in youth. Page 126 (chapter four) listed two relevant facts: 1) Blacks have much higher rates of illegitimacy and female headed households.
Which, is completely unreasonable since his crime was that he stole a book from the library and returned it, if anything he should have been given a small punishment, maybe a therapy session for stealing, not racial insensitivity since no one was getting their race attacked by racist words. Even, then he should be perfect since he “is now on parole”, and will be expel if less than
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
Though crime, in general, is on the decline there are specific crimes and group offenders that are actually increasing. Specific crimes such as hate crimes, those crimes motivated by hostility to the victim as a member of a group, based on color, creed, gender, or sexual orientation, and juvenile crimes have become escalating debates. Lionel Tate, a 12-year-old boy at the time of his actions, is a suitable case to investigate. Using his case, I will address the increase in juvenile delinquency, the contributions to the malice acts, the severity of the crimes being committed by youth, and possible, yet reasonable repercussions.
Correctional system has directives in place to manage fundamental responsibilities set in accordance with particular commissions with criminal offenders. The corrections system has two duties one is the duty of serving punishment for the crimes that the offender was found guilty for. Secondly, the correctional system is a mean of restoring the offender and to prepare the offender for reentering the community.
A high school criminal is a stereotype that never has friend and always annoys the others because of their mutinous acts. In fact, a high school cannot be a high school if it is lacked of the presence of this stereotype. In this essay, I want to talk about John Bender – the criminal, the one I think to have the most complicated nature and to be the most honest person in the club. The question I often wonder is that whether John Bender comes off as an asshole, or a necessity for personal growth. His personality reflects the one of the aspect in the diversity of human behaviors of Anthropology. If someone does not question something, it does not get re-examined. John Bender is probably the most honest, blunt and without him
Prisons will be a part of society for as long as it is faced with social enemies. Incarceration is the state of being confined in prison, typically for committing a criminal act. Ideologies, resulting in a positive outcome, either for the individual or society, are what dominate the Canadian criminal justice responses to crime. These beliefs are enshrined in the Principles of Sentencing that are included in the Criminal Code of Canada. Section 718 of the Criminal Code states that:
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).
... that he was a grad student to familiarize them with his education levels; he shares his job position of being a writer, and at the same time openly reveals the emotions people feel with a black man's presences around them.
Criminologists generally agree that young people are more likely to commit crime than old people, men more than women, city dwellers more than country folk, the poor more than the rich, and the minorities more than whites (Cole, 1999). Logically, there is no one criteria of who can be immediately classified as the “type” of person that would commit crimes and the...
Most recently, on October 30th, I called my father at work to ask if I could give him an in-person interview on this current issue. As soon as he arrived at home, the questions have begun. I asked him the three main questions that I addressed in the introduction. The interview took place in my kitchen since I was already doing school work in there. We spoke for about twenty minutes minimum about the issues since he was so thrilled to discuss about his daily occupation. Christopher Trujillo, my father, worked at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Men’s Central Jail for six years, patrolled in the city of Norwalk for six years, and in the Compton Courthouse for the past four years.