Even though there are many avenues for victims of criminal offenses to be reimbursed for financial loss, sadly, and too often these victims never actually see any of that money (Karmen, 2015). One of the obvious reasons, unfortunately, is that the offender(s) are never apprehended. This would eliminate restitution because there would be no conviction in a criminal trial (Karmen, 2015). Then, in many cases, the offender is tried and convicted. Even though the offender has been ordered to pay restitution, they may not work or have any means to pay the victim back any substantial reimbursement (Karmen, 2015). Civil suits also present their own issue. If the defendant simply has no property, material goods, or anything of value in which the victim can be compensated, the civil suit is relatively meaningless even if the plaintiff wins (Karmen, 2015). …show more content…
The insurance company can have specific guidelines on the types of crimes for which it will pay out a claim (Karmen, 2015). If the victim does not fit those parameters, than this option is not viable. Other issues with insurance policies are the victim simply cannot afford to pay the deductable or the cost for a policy is too high to even begin with (Karmen, 2015). Typically, these victims also do not have the financial means to pay for a lawsuit in an attempt to seek compensation from a responsible 3rd party, and are unable to successfully be
Cohen (1985) supports this sentiment, and suggests that community based punishment alternatives have actually led to a widening and expansion of the retributive criminal justice system, rather than its abolishment. The current criminal justice system is expensive to maintain. In North America, the cost to house one prisoner is upwards of eighty to two hundred dollars a day (Morris, 2000). The bulk of this is devoted to paying guards and security (Morris, 2000).
Prostitution is one of the oldest professions in history. In this modern age there are several classes of prostitutes with several methods of finding work, but they still face violence in their business. Though prostitutes are frowned upon by society and treated as criminals, under the law they should not be scrutinized by the morals of the people. Prostitutes frequently feel they have no options due to their illegal work, should they be assaulted they cannot turn to the police since many officers refuse to aid them as criminals. Prostitution should be regulated to fight human trafficking, increase quality of life for the women working in the industry, and generate taxes for the government while reducing the cost of dealing with prostitution.
Caroline Stevermer, an American novelist, once wrote, “How dreadful… to be caught up in a game and have no idea of the rules.” Indeed, the quest for eternal prosperity bares an ancient path that allures pursuers into a deep state of oblivion. As one follows this trail, their vision of reality soon becomes blurred by their dreams of triumph. Ultimately, this enduring road guides an innocent pursuer onto the board of another’s game to become their lifeless pawn. Prostitution is this game. This immoral act involves the exchange of sexual services for financial gain. In Canada, the act of prostitution has never been a crime, but the government has combated this atrocity through criminalizing all activities surrounding the transaction. However,
A wrongful conviction is the worst thing that a jury, witness, investigator or judge could be responsible for. The burden and the guilt that will be placed on the shoulders of them, knowing an innocent person had to spend time out of their personal life in prison is unbearable. Nobody is perfect, but everybody should try to be as close as possible to perfect when they are putting a person in prison for a crime they are sure they committed. Compensation will help the innocent victim who had to waste time in prison but nothing will replace the time missed away from families and many families turn on and hate the person thrown in jail because they thought they were indeed guilty, little to their knowledge their innocent. Money can sometimes buy happiness, but it cannot replace lost love and wasted time in prison.
“There is no difference in work in which a women sells her hands, such as a typist, and a work in which a women sells her vagina, as in sex work.” Claims author Lacy Sloan. In today’s society, many people believe that prostitution is an immoral act. It is the world’s oldest profession and because it has been long condemned, sex workers are stigmatized from mainstream society (ProQuest Staff). However, the act of purchasing sex between consenting adults should not be prohibited by the government, but regulated for society's overall best interests. Prostitution is illegal and as a consequence prostitutes are often victims of violence and sexual assault; therefore, prostitution should be legalized and regulated to ensure the safety of sex workers.
Elizabeth Anderson makes a claim that “The attempt to sell gift value on the market makes a mockery of those values.”(Anderson 188) Anderson uses this claim to object commoditized sex (prostitution). There are two premises that Anderson uses to support her claim. The first premise being the gift value of sex cannot be realized in commercial terms and the second premise being that the gift value of sex is more significant that the use value of sex itself.
Today, the United States has reached a milestone in the acknowledging and responding to victims and their advocates. Victims’ rights laws have been enacted in every state, more than 10,000 victim assistance programs have been developed around the country, and every state has a crime victim compensation program in place. The creation of a federal Crime Victims Fund has provided more than $2.3 billion from fines paid by federal criminal offenders to support services for victims. The fund was established by the Victims of Crime Act of 1984 and is financed not by tax dollars, but by fines and penalties paid by convicted federal offenders. As of September 2013, the Fund balance had reached almost $9 billion and includes deposits from federal criminal
The consideration of victims by policy makers has taken a much larger role in influencing legislative change in the prevention of crime and the assistance of crime victims, however reforms based on victims remain largely localised to popularised cases and often fail to enter the trial side of the criminal justice system. Victims have the capacity to act as catalysts for reform, but their treatment and consideration in the criminal justice system continues to act more as an indicator of success by the system.
Depending on the nature of the offense, a court may be required to order a convicted corporation to pay victim restitution. In other instances, it may do so as a matter of discretion. In still others, the court may impose restitution as a condition of probation or pursuant to a plea bargain. Restitution is required when a defendant has been convicted of • a crime of violence; • a crime against property including fraud; • maintaining a crack house; tampering with consumer products; • theft of medical products; • sexual abuse; • child pornography; • domestic violence; • telemarketing fraud; • child support; • copyright and trademark infringement; • production of methamphetamines; or • human trafficking.
A face-to-face meeting is set up, in the presence of a trained mediator, between the victim of the crime and the offender who committed the crime. In some cases, the victim and offender are joined by a family member or a community member. During this meeting, the offender and the victim can converse with one another about the crime, what happened, the effects of the crime on their lives, and their feelings about it. They may choose to create a mutually agreeable plan to repair any damages that occurred because of the crime. This idea was brought together based on age-old values of justice, accountability, and restoration. This process allows crime victims the opportunity to get questions answered they have about the crime and the person who committed the crime. The victim can take an active part in getting their material and emotional needs met, which suffered as a result of the crime. Research has shown that the victims who participate in VOM receive more restitution as well as feeling safer and less fearful afterwards, than those who do not participate in VOM. The offender is given the opportunity to take responsibility for what they have done and they learn the impact of their actions on others. They get to take an active role in making things right with the person they committed the
Wright elaborates that this terminology is a shift with the meaning of crime, stressing the fact that people are harmed, rather than a crime was broken (Wright 216). The preeminent source of restorative justice is a strong link between the welfare of the victim and the criminal. The victims are offered a central role in the process of restorative rehabilitation, which provides the individual affected by the crime a platform to express emotions and ask questions, as well as decide the reparation needed for the specific criminal (216). This element of restorative justice contributes closure and reasoning towards the negative experience, for all parties involved. This instigates a process of healing towards an often emotionally strenuous experience.
Little do most know, but on “[a]verage [prostitution] arrest[s], court and incarceration costs amount to nearly $2,000 per arrest. Cities spend an average of 7.5 million dollars on prostitution control every year, ranging from 1 million dollars to 23 million dollars.” Prostitution is the oldest known profession. Currently in 49 countries and counting prostitution is legal. Here in America there is a stigma following the label prostitute. We would rather resort to underground markets of sex labor. Endangering health, rights, and economics. Legalizing prostitution can reduce health hazards by giving heath care, also by giving rights to those that choose prostitution as their profession. In the long term this
As the purpose of restorative justice is to mend the very relationship between the victim, offender, and society, communities that embrace restorative justice foster an awareness on how the act has harmed others. Braithwaite (1989) notes that by rejecting only the criminal act and not the offender, restorative justice allows for a closer empathetic relationship between the offender, victims, and community. By acknowledging the intrinsic worth of the offender and their ability to contribute back to the community, restorative justice shows how all individuals are capable of being useful despite criminal acts previous. This encourages offenders to safely reintegrate into society, as they are encouraged to rejoin and find rapport with the community through their emotions and
As reported by Strang (2002), more and more victims of crime are feeling dismayed with their experience of the punishment of ‘their’ offender. Victims stated that their needs are often seen as secondary during the process, and that this leads them to feel that they have not obtained justice (Strang, 2002). This flaw can be resolved with the introduction of restorative justice into prison systems. Restorative justice sees crime as being conflict which
Prostitution is one of the most controversial topics that is constantly debated. Prostitution occurs when a person sells themselves for money to pleasure others. It is illegal in many places, but yet still seems to be prevalent. The question that is often debated is, “Is prostitution ethical?” Utilitarianist, Jeremy Bentham and Deontologist Immanuel Kant both view prostitution as an unethical act. They both have slightly different reasons as to why they think of prostitution as unethical. Bentham’s method of Hedonic Calculus and Immanuel Kant’s “means to an end” test, and duties to oneself, will demonstrate how prostitution is unethical. I will also be defending the view that prostitution is unethical.