...Disparity and Discrimination Kary L. Wilson CJA/344 Cultural Diversity in Criminal Justice December 5, 2011 Benjamin Harm Disparity and Discrimination This assignment will compare and contrast the terms disparity and discrimination. Sufficient background and examples of disparity and discrimination from the criminal justice system will be used to support persuasively the development of each term. First, the term disparity will be defined, developed, and supported with examples from the criminal justice system. Second, the term discrimination will be brought into focus, defined, and supported accordingly. Third, the similarities, and differences between the terms will be brought into discussion. The assignment will conclude by defining the applicability of the problem as it relates to these terms and will attempt to suggest a solution in curbing or even eliminating discrimination and disparity within the system. It is often said that the American Criminal Justice System directly discriminates against minorities based on race, gender, ethnicity, religion, and economic status. To clarify the credibility of such statement, one must be able to understand that deeply weaved within such claim stands the issue of disparity. Disparity and discrimination are two important social factors affecting the American socio-cultural aspects, especially those aspects related to the criminal justice system. Often, these similar terms are used interchangeably, however...
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...Race and ethnicity issues in the criminal justice system have been a pervasive and deeply concerning phenomenon. Research consistently reveals significant disparities in the treatment of different racial and ethnic groups within the system. Factors Causing the Trend One factor contributing to the disproportionate representation of certain racial and ethnic groups in the criminal justice system is the over-policing of minority communities. Law enforcement agencies often deploy more resources to neighborhoods with higher populations of minorities, leading to increased surveillance, stops, and arrests within these communities. Racial profiling, or the practice of targeting individuals for suspicion of crime based on their race or ethnicity, remains...
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...types of power that may be important to criminal justice organizations. The main role of power in criminal justice administration should be to gain compliance from subordinates of all types, and turn that power over time into acceptable forms of authority (Stojkovic et al., 2008). It is for this reason that power is an important attribute in criminal justice agencies. It is important as a criminal justice manager, and agency as a whole, to have legitimate power. Power that is not coercive and works for the good of the organization is beneficial in gathering information, resources, and compliance. Legitimate, expert, and referent power can be effective in the attainment of goals (Stojkovic et al., 2008). Legitimate power operates on the assumption that those in traditional authority positions are the power holder and wield their authority over the power recipient because their internalized norms justify the amount of compliance needed (Stojkovic et al., 2008). Legitimate power is most useful within criminal justice agencies because it takes into account the culture, and social structure, and operates within a hierarchy to promote successful delegation of duties. While political power does have some benefits within a criminal justice agency, it is easily corruptible and leads one to believe legitimate power should be internally focused for a successful organization. There is a difference is the power structure from group to group, and it has been found that power is mostly...
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...considering the reasons leading to a criminal activity. This theory has its own importance while creating strategies for controlling or reducing crime. For this, it is important to understand the theory and how it affects the possibility of someone taking part in criminal activity and how an attempt to control crime would take place under choice theory. Choice theory has derived from the works of early theorists, Cesare Beccaria and Jeremy Bentham. The Choice Theory obviously affects how society would deter criminal acts. Individuals make their own choices however; can be stemmed from many factors such as the fear of punishment or the benefits which are attained by doing the crime or an illegal activity. If the punishment is severe depending on the crime the more control the individual’s behavior will be. Illegal activity based on weighing the available information. It is also a matter of personal decision making. Rational choice theory has a perspective of crime. Taking into consideration the possibility for being caught. They also choose their targets considering the nature of the crime. For example, offenders decide to choose high-income households for property crimes while they select the lower income homes for a more heinous or serious crime. The society has some common models to determine which acts are considered to be criminal acts. The two common models in the criminal justice system are consensus model and conflict model. Consensus model is a criminal justice model in which...
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...information about a population or a research area of interest.” (Week 3 Podcast) In this paper we are going to discuss the different ways of collecting data, as well as how reliability and validity play a part in the research methods of criminal justice. We will also discuss the advantages and disadvantages of certain survey distribution techniques, and how reliability and validity are important. Also in this paper, I will show you the importance of a police officer and their role in collecting data. There are many different ways that data is collected in the criminal justice system. Examples of these are with surveys and questionnaires, and Sampling. These are used to gather information about the area and the people in it. Surveys are made with premade responses to the questions asked. Questionnaires are made with open ended questions. “Questionnaire development is made of a series of steps. The first step would be deciding what information you are trying to receive, identify the participants taking the survey, selecting the methods of reaching the participants, question development. There are many advantages and disadvantages when it comes to the different forms of surveys. There are in Person, Telephone, Computer-Based, and Focus Group Surveys; just to name a few types. In person surveys are like interviews. You meet face to face and are asked many different questions. The advantages to in person surveys are that you can see the reactions to the questions better, and that...
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...Describe the American experience with crime during the last half century. What noteworthy criminal incidents or activities occurred during that time, and what social and economic conditions might have produced them? a. The American experience with crime during the last half century has been the main reason for the way our courts, law enforcement, and the criminal justice system operates the way that it does today. There have been many crime waves and other events that have played a key role in shaping the system as it is today. Some of these things include: the huge spike in organized crime activity during the prohibition years and its evolution into gangs and the laws concerning them today, the increase in reported crimes and enforced laws through the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s as well as the change/increase in the types and availability of illegal drugs today. For example: prohibition effectively created a black market for alcohol, a sub cultural of illegal gambling, and other organized crime like protection rackets, to name a few. That paved the way for gangs and the way we handle them today. 2. What is the theme of this book? According to that theme, what are the differences between the individual-rights perspective and the public-order perspective? a. The theme of this book is individual-rights verses public-order, specifically; the rights guaranteed by the constitution to criminal suspects and law abiding citizens need to be upheld and defended. On the public-order side...
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...Unjust Justice: The Reasons behind Uncivil Acts of Violence Justified violence. The very words themselves conjure up images of righteous, justified acts, picture your stereotypical law enforcement officer taking down a violent criminal, or military personnel firing upon insurgents and terrorists. These are the prototypical acts that we imagine upon encountering the idea of ‘justified violence’. But when one takes a different perspective on the malleable definition of what constitutes an act of violence being ‘justified’, a fine line is often crossed over legality of the violence that ensues. “Uncivil disobedients” is a term coined by scholar Jennet Kirkpatrick in her book Uncivil Disobedience: Studies in Violence and Democratic Politics, describing these ‘disobedients’ as citizens that break the law because of their belief that their violence is truly done because they believe their efforts are honorable and justified, despite issues of legality or immorality as perceived by others (13). Thus a complex relationship arises between these uncivil disobedients and the law and the treading of the fine line between what is legal and illegal with their actions. Kirkpatrick provides numerous examples of these disobedients, namely western frontier vigilantes and southern lynch mobs. What these unique groups had, despite having varying agendas, was a similar mindset in accomplishing their goals, using violence to meet their demands, often times going above and beyond the grasp of...
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...The criminal justice system consists of three main parts: 1) the police; 2) the courts; and 3) the corrections. In the criminal justice system, these three groups function together under the rule of law to maintain the law within society. Despite its important role, there is a sufficient amount of evidence that blacks and aboriginal people are over-represented in the criminal justice system. The logic behind this problem is that racial discrimination and profiling is present, or it is the result of the differential offending patterns of the minority. After researching, I believe that aboriginal and blacks are over-represented in the criminal justice system due to racial discrimination and profiling. My reasoning behind this is based on the collected data that supports the fact that racial discrimination and profiling is apparent in the criminal justice system. Racial discrimination and profiling is most associated with the police, and that is strictly because they are the first contact with the suspects, victims, citizens, and the offenders. I also believe that the causes of the problem and the potential solutions are the same for both aboriginal and black people. The only variable that might alter the causes of the problem, and the potential solutions is the location in which the aboriginal and blacks live in. This being said, racial discrimination and profiling are without doubt the primary attributes in the over-representation of aboriginals and blacks in the criminal justice...
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...| The Correctional Client | | CRMJ 220-01MWF 10:00-10:50am | | | Alicia Marie | 2/27/2013 | | Abstract In this research paper I will talk about chapter 6. In chapter 6 of my correction process book it talks about the Criminal Client. In this research paper you will understand how the criminal justice system operates as a large selection process to determine who ends up in the corrections system. You will also describe some of the main similarities among and differences between the general population and people who end up under correctional authority. I will identify different types of offenders in the corrections system and the kinds of problems they pose for corrections. I will describe the classification process for people under correctional authority and know why it is important. And lastly you will understand the important problems and limitations in classifying people under correctional authority. The conclusion of the research paper will note how all of these things compare to reality today. Keywords: situational offender, career criminal, sex offender, drug abuser, alcohol abuser, mentally ill offender, deinstitutionalization, mentally handicapped offender, long term prisoner, and classification systems. Chapter 6 starts off telling me about a man name Michael G. Santos’s. He is a long term offender who was sentence to 45 years in federal prison because of cocaine trafficking when he was 24 years old. While he was incarcerated, he has obtained...
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...The challenges of leading AJS/534 11/30/2015 Bob KEHOE The challenges of leading Within the criminal justice field, there are numerous, also diverse challenges that they have to deal with on an everyday basis. The leaders of the criminal justice, police department start from low ranks in move up to one of the highest ranks the chief which they have positions and duties They have to do. While with roles as such, they have to deal with difficult tasks and situations within their rank. The duties they are diversifying the more they move up in rank. In discussion within this paper, it will talk about the challenges the leaders have to deal with currently also give an explanation for the steps that the criminal justice system leaders can do that can alter and help the criminal justice system in the future years to come. The police chief In law enforcement, the police chief is one, of the highest ranks as an officer. The person that has this position must prep their selves, for the negativity that they will have to deal with as chief. As the chief, the person will have to deal with the past also current challenges. Every situation that comes up with the police department are in the duties they, have within this rank is to guarantee the safety of the department as well as society to manage the officers, the public who employed by the department as well. The chief’s ability to communicate so that they can get plans and views to understand by personal, also to society...
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...Forensic Pathology and Miscarriages of Justice: a Journal Article Analysis Merlyn Arostegui Prof. Sigal CRJU 443 | Forensic Pathology and Miscarriages of Justice: a Journal Article Analysis The article chosen for analysis is titled “Forensic Pathology and the Miscarriage of Justice” written by Michael S. Pollanen of the Centre of Forensic Science and Medicine, University of Toronto in Toronto, Canada. The article was published in Forensic, Science, Medicine, and Pathology in 2012. The main purpose of the article was to present the fact that in order for the criminal justice system to operate in a safe and fair manner, any evidence presented in the duration of a prosecution must be accurate and objective—especially medical evidence. If either the accuracy or objectivity of evidence presented is compromised, there lies the possibility of unsafe prosecution which can lead to wrongful convictions or other forms of miscarriages of justice. Main Purpose There has been an increased awareness in the number of cases that have experienced a miscarriage of justice due to compromised medical evidence being presented during trial. Although there are legal tools available to regulate the types of evidence admissible in court as well as the “experts” allowed to present said evidence [such as Daubert hearings], these tools are only partially effective because forensic pathology is a discipline that grows and develops over time. The accepted view in pathology [or any field of science...
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...important role to play when considering the reasons leading to a criminal activity. This theory has its own importance while creating strategies for controlling or reducing crime. For this, it is important to understand the theory and how it affects the possibility of someone taking part in criminal activity and how an attempt to control crime would take place under choice theory. Choice theory has derived from the works of early theorists, Cesare Beccaria and Jeremy Bentham. The Choice Theory obviously affects how society would deter criminal acts. The choice theory of criminology is also known as the classical theory. The fundamental concepts of this theory are that people select all behavior, including criminal behavior. People's choices can be controlled by many factors such as the fear of punishment or the benefits which are attained by doing the crime or an illegal activity. So it implies that the more severe, certain, and swift the punishment, the greater is the possibility to control criminal behavior. The choice theory in relation to criminology, states about punishment, and its effects on criminal behavior. According to choice theory, punishment should have four main objectives. The first and the most important is to prevent all criminal offenses. The second objective is that when it cannot prevent a crime, it should persuade the offender to commit a lesser crime. The third objective is to ensure that a criminal uses no more force than is necessary. And the fourth...
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...Write a 1,400- to 2,450-word paper on the challenges of leading groups in a criminal justice or private security organization. Describe the challenges currently faced by leaders of criminal justice organizations. Explain what steps you can take as a criminal justice or security professional to feel change for the future. Leading Group Challenges AJS/512 Introduction Chief of police, sergeant, lieutenant, and other department titles are leaders, and all have different roles and responsibilities that they must follow through with. Those who hold high titles within the police department have to face certain issues and challenges every day. Chief of Police The Chief of Police is at the top of law enforcement and must be ready to face any scrutiny that comes his or her way. They will always be faced with new challenges and problems. They are responsible for ensuring public safety and law enforcement and effectively managing police and civilian personnel working in law enforcement. A police chief must have excellent communication skills and be ready to give his or her vision to their staff and to the public. They should be unbiased and be ready to lead their organization. They should also make sure they are honest and accurate in everything that they say or do. Trust a huge issue when applying for the position of Police chief or already acting as a current police chief. Those who assume police chief are at the top of law enforcement, which means setting...
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...Agencies Paper Introduction: Discrimination is the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different groups of people or things because of their race, gender, ethnicity, or belief. Sense the founding of the United States and even well before it, discrimination has been the source or strife and conflict in society. Whether this is because of one side’s belief of racial superiority or because of cultural diversity, the fact remains that it is a problem that continues to exist even today. One area I think that bares special mention to how discrimination has continued to exist to this extent is the criminal justice system. Sense the day the Emancipation proclamation was first declared in 1863 to the era civil rights movement (1954-1968), we’ve made many strives in accepting numerous cultures, but where does that leave today? There are three areas of discrimination that bare special intention, institutionalized discrimination, contextual discrimination, and individual acts of discrimination, what they mean and how they compare with the concept “pure justice”. Pure justice is the conceptual belief that there is no discrimination at any place or time in the criminal justice system. But does such a principle exist in the world of criminal justice, and how much of it is really the case? Institutionalized Discrimination: Institutional discrimination is the disparity of an individual or group of people that results from the rules of firms, schools, government, markets, or society as a means...
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...Introduction The United States of America’s national anthem the “Star Spangled Banner” and the “Pledge of Allegiance” state that the United States is “land of the free” with “liberty and justice for all.” Yet, the United States houses 25 percent of the world’s inmates even though it only houses five percent of the world’s population (Martensen, 2012). Additionally the fundamental concept of the United States Criminal Justice System is that an individual is “innocent” until proven guilty. This makes one question whether, people in the United States are really held to this standard, or are certain people more prone to crime in the land of opportunity and freedom? Our society is built around the societal norms of the dominant white group and racial and ethnic inequalities are intertwined in every aspect of our society causing minority groups to struggle against a society built around white privilege. Prevalence Minorities in comparison to their population in the United States are incriminated at a higher rate than Whites. Spohn (2000) stated that “a majority of the studies reviewed…found that African Americans and Hispanics were more likely than Whites to be sentenced to prison, even after taking crime seriousness and prior criminal records into account” (as cited in Hartney & Vuong, 2009, p.10). In 2010, racially the United States population identified as being comprised of 196.8 million Whites who identified as White alone (69.1%), 38.9 million Blacks or African Americans...
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