...“You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney…” This is what you hear on all your favorite cop shows. But where did this saying come from? Throughout history, the U.S criminal justice system has always relied on the due process of law to ensure fair treatment in the judicial system. Authority figures work tirelessly and endless hours to follow regulations to assure only criminals are convicted. These regulations, have been a part of the justice system since its creation in 1791, which ensures the equal protection of life, liberty, and property to all citizens -- a citizen’s entitlement. However, in the 1960s, the view that crime must be...
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...I have always been interested in crime, criminal justice, and how the system works. My passion for the system began around 3rd grade after watching “Spy Kids” and wanting to be a spy or a cop. I knew then I wanted the bad guys to be put away and find justice for all. This obsession grew and developed into something more in high school when I took Law and Society and Forensics my junior and senior year. These classes had me more interested in the legal side of the criminal justice system, and questions criminals motivates for their crime. After high school I decided that I would be the first in my family to go to college and that criminal justice would be my career path. I am now a senior at The University of Alabama as a Criminal...
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...Criminal Justice 1 Individual Project 1 Ever got pulled over and a police officer gave you a speeding ticket and changed your outlook on cops? Well there are many people in the world that despise police officers and other law enforcing figures because they were just carrying out the rules of the road. Rules and laws are there for a reason; to keep things in order. Policemen, and women, are the front lines of defense against crime and enforcers of the law. Police officers; whether it is local, state, or federal, have a job to do just like you and me. They enforce the law and keep the peace among us human beings. Without them, society would be out of control. The role of a police officer is to maintain public order by arresting offenders, responding to all car accidents on the highway, and dealing with crime every day. The main duty of a police officer, be it state police officer or state trooper, is to maintain law and order in the community. With out these front line enforcers of the law we would never see justice in and out the court room, through an attorney and a judge. State police officers, also known as Highway Patrol enforce the rules of the road and issue traffic tickets as well as tickets for other various violations on the highway. In California, they have CHP Officers patrolling the highway. State police officers pursue offenders and fugitives on the highways all the way to the state boarder. State Officers attend to...
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...The universe may not be as easily read at times, it also isn’t always the nicest. There will be plenty of bumps in the road on my way to my goal, but no matter what I knew I would have the universe right by my side. This year I got sick during my national bmx season I was out for 3 months, this meant missing 5 nationals of the 6 in the season. I was hoping that I would still be able to go to the last race of my season, but when the time rolled around I was still somewhat sick. I was furious that no matter what I wouldn’t be able to perform at my best, even with the medications, the inhaler, and the frequent doctor visits, I was still weak. I was asking myself what had I done to deserve this? I just felt like giving up on my season, but every...
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...The justice system is made to be fair and equal to all. The united states is based in principals of freedom equality. Are these facts and morals actually true within our own system of justice? Endless amounts of data, stats and news coverage tells a different story. While our legal system is designed to be blind, the reality shows that the system benefits those of a higher class. There is also evidence that supports the fact that the system discriminates based off race and gender. First off, the obvious case of the system benefiting those of a higher class is the implementation of bail. Bail is the release if a accused person while they await trail on the payment of a sum of money. This allows people with money to avoid ever going to prison and fall into the detrimental cycle that comes along with it. In this case, simply having money puts people at a major advantage, allowing them to avoid prison and prepare for their trial while poor people must go and sit...
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...who were treated as if they threatened the tenuous foundations of the newly emerged modern industrial society (Pratt, 2000, p.36). The state began to assume responsibility for its citizens' protection from risks posed by such dangerous individuals and the penal system became a mechanism of social defence. According to Foucault, the modern state was thus granting its citizens a "right to life" by taking responsibility for their protection from criminals (Pratt, 2000, p.38). The state regarded early offenders as a threat because of their unknowable identities, and in contrast to the severity attached to property crime, persons who committed sexual or violent crimes typically received lighter sentences, reflecting a time when personal goods were largely uninsurable and irreplaceable (Pratt, 2000, p.39). Governments believed that no persons should be able to reside outside the law and remain unknowable to the state in modern society; Foucault termed this the "transcribing of real lives into history" (Pratt, 2000, p.39). The nineteenth century penal system insisted on matching punishment to the crime an individual had committed rather than the person whom they were thought to be. Indefinite...
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...Is the Youth Criminal Justice fair and equitable? The Act is an important issue to the lives of Canadians, focusing on the youth in our communities. People have been questioning though, is the Act to easy on the youth, or easy to slip through the legal cracks? Other Individuals say that the YCJA is doing just fine, and that the children affected deserve mercy that the act provides. I believe that harsher punishments may be necessary, or else the youth will never learn. It seems that the youth get off too easy in many situations. There are young people who vandalize and steal, get off easy, then just repeat. Myself and other people have gotten sick of this. The youth can just get away with a slap on the wrist and continue wronging others. With harsher punishment and persistence the YCJA can change the youth in our communities. Yet some people don’t realize that not all problems are from the system, but the source, the parents or friends at school....
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...The summer after fifth grade my father decided he wanted to teach me the diamond business, which consisted of going to Downtown Los Angeles’ Diamond District from 8am-8pm, Monday through Thursday and 8am-6pm on Friday. My brother, whom he exploited and abused by forcing him to work every day after school since fourth grade came every day after his mandatory school provided camp provided. With three years of experience Downtown, alone with my father and getting blamed for bad business deals, he taught me the ropes; I trusted him explicitly. No words could express the horror of discovering that the painful and secretive “activities” my brother coerced me and my sisters into were abnormal. However, once I was aware that what was happening to us was wrong and abnormal, I reported it. Little did I know that my choice was a rare one, thirteen year olds keep incestuous relationships to themselves, even once they realize how wrong they are; seventeen year olds keep the secret; even thirty year olds women do so. Out of shame, self-blame and guilt. Feelings I definitely felt; I barely researched incest, I simply thought,” I shouldn’t have to live like this,” before telling my trusted school principal. These things are kept secrets for decades and not only affect the victim, but their child(ren), spouse and surprisingly their tormentor. I’m glad I was mature enough, at thirteen years old, to allow my abuser to receive inpatient therapy in place of going to trial where I was ensured he would...
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...Many years after its development, electronic monitoring, has led to a numerous amount of enhancements within the criminal justice system. Particularly within law enforcement and justice systems, this technology has become a growing, supplemental tool. Historically, the use of electronics in the justice system has helped in creating alternative arrangements for sentencing offenders. In the 1960’s Harvard Psychologist, Robert Schwitzgebel, wanted to establish a more cost-effective alternative to incarceration of people within the justice system. Dr. Schwitzgebel established a transmitter that produced signals, those signals were then sent to a receiver they were then processed and received within a certain range. Although the device existed in the 60’s, it was not until the 80’s when the device was implemented. Since then a lot has changed with technology and the courts. More than ever, there has been a need to lessen prison populations. Today, Intermediate sanctions have been popular in attempting to help reduce overcrowded facilities. House arrest, electronic monitoring, and many other sanctions have become more popular methods over jail or prison sentences. Giving offenders these intermediate sanctions can give them options for treatment and offer services to help them....
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...The right to due process by law is afforded to every American as of the pivotal ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment on July 9, 1868. This amendment guaranteed every American equal and impartial treatment within the justice system. However, within the flawed institution that is the United States justice system, race is undeniably a pivotal factor in the outcome of the legal process. From the disproportionate rates of police stops to the severity of prosecutions and even the likelihood of facing the death penalty, race has evident and extensive influence. The deep-rooted prejudices held against minorities within the American justice system stand in direct opposition to the fundamental respect for human rights that is vital in the maintenance of democracy. Prejudice...
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...race and social status influenced the final decision making (death sentence). According to the article black individuals are twice as likely to be put to death than white individuals. If the black defendant was convicted of killing a white individual, he/she is 4 times more likely to get the death sentence as compared white defendant killing a black person. These circumstances are proofs that expose the capital punishment as unconstitutional. Q2. Discretion in Criminal Justice System is fundamentally a processes that takes place from the point the law enforcer arrests a “criminal” to the point where the final decision as to what to do with this “criminal” is made. This is very important in the criminal justice system because it is through or based on this discretion that a sentence is carried out. Part of this discretion is picking who's going to end on the jury for whatever the case is. Unfortunately these...
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...I never really thought about racism until my family experienced “shopping while black”. After our awkward experience at that upscale mall was then when I realized that racism still exists. Racism is still very alive in our modern world today and present through the media and the criminal justice system. The media is undoubtedly racist and some examples would be that news articles often use unsympathetic headlines towards victims of murder if their skin if darker and often use pictures of them that show them being unprofessional or part of a “gang”. They want to portray the victim of murder if the murder was their fault, and if the suspect or murderer was white, they often portray them as a “brilliant and smart” person. The differences...
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...about the issue or topic you have selected? Says that the constitution racial unexpected difference happens when there is a big difference between the percentage of a racial group represented among most people and the percentage of the same group represented at any point in the justice process. For example, Africana-Americans make up 12 percent of the U.S. population but make up about 40 percent of all arrests, 50 percent of the prison population, and 50 percent of the inmates on death row. 4. What did you know about the topic...
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...In the period of time directly following the creation of our nation, the judicial branch of our government was widely viewed as weaker than the legislative and executive branches. However, with the help of figures like John Marshall and Alexander Hamilton, the judicial branch gained the powers, such as judicial review, it had previously lacked. The powers held by federal judges have been crucial to the outcome of many historical events that shaped our country. At the same time, many have raised questions about if they have become too powerful in their ability to “take over” state and federal agencies. Numerous times in American history, federal judges have used their power to resolve issues and carry a heavy influence on those resolutions. Many examples of this comes from Judge Frank Johnson, who was perhaps the most vital person to the civil rights movement. Along with assisting the civil rights movement, he forced the state of Alabama to improve the living conditions inside their prisons. Johnson made sure that his requests were carried out by appointing a receiver who operated the prisons. He also forced mental hospitals to improve their treatment of patients and enforced the protection of those patients’ rights to be taken care of in a decent manner. He made sure that Congress increased the mental health budget so that these hospitals were properly equipped to bring proper care to their patients. Johnson’s ability to control the actions of the State were heavily...
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...Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teacher Have you ever question yourself, “what am I going to be when I get older?” I bet most of us have done that when we were little and thought and had a good idea on what you wanted to be. Then, once you are a teenager, it is harder to decide what you want to be because maybe you have changed your mind over the years you have grown. Have you ever thought what a Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teacher does? In the Criminal Justice life you learn about all of the people you see, you help them, and you make a better social life with the people around you. First, let's start with the basics with this amazing job! Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers help with people who have done a crime, and you help them learn from their mistake by teaching them. I have always wanted to help people with their problems and make them a better person for a long time. This job would affect my future in many different ways, but I think we should save that for the best part of the story. This job means that you have to talk to hundreds of people and you get to learn their story. That is the best part of the job....
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