...incarcerated in adult jails. This subject is given little attention by the public, despite the horrific consequences of being tried in an adult criminal justice system and incarceration in an adult jail. Youth who are placed in adult jails are at a greater risk of physical and sexual assault. I believe juveniles under the age of 18 should not be treated as adult criminals because placing youth in the adult criminal justice system puts their safety at risk, restricts their necessary education and crucial health development, and increases the likelihood of violence and re-offending. Placing youth in adult jails most likely result in inimical situations and it is extremely difficult to prevent these events from occurring. By housing young offenders in the same facilities as adult criminals they are presented as the easiest preys which result in physical and sexual assaults. For example, according to the U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Statistics, in 2005 and 2006,...
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...applied by the state in the administration of justice.' Each country has their set of rules in a unique system, and the UK reflects that perfectly. Scotland has a different system comparing to the one present in England and Wales, which abides by the English Legal System. If an individual does not comply to it, he/she can face some of the criminal justice sentences, the most known one as a punishment, prison, but not only and sometimes not the best choice. That is why throughout the years England and Wales have developed their Criminal Justice sentences in order to prevent crime and rehabilitate its offenders. In England and Wales, Criminal Law or penal law comes under the Public Law (concerning the state and government), and it focuses on the crimes committed against an individual and society, in which is a crime against the state. Punishments are given for its offences; always taking in consideration that what is a crime today may not be a crime tomorrow. Criminal law it is always changing and it is imperative that this continues as society itself suffers constant change. An example of this can be the Suicide offence. It used to be a criminal offence to attempt suicide until it changed in the 1960's where a modern reform, The Suicide Act 1961, dictated that those who attempted suicide would not be prosecuted and it is only a criminal offence if an individual assists another to commit suicide. The criminal justice system has to manage between punishing the guilty and...
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...Jail System Paper Introduction According the National Center on Institutions and Alternatives (NCIA) “453 jail inmates committed suicide in 1985 and 401 in 1986” (Tartaro & Ruddell, 2006 , para1). What is it about prisons that would make an inmate take their life? The jail system traditionally is underfunded and understaffed. Today in prisons and jails the overcrowding is a big concern. For many the jail is a house of horror. The current problems with the jail system will be discussed in this paper. Solutions to the problems will be given as well. Describe the jails place in corrections and its role throughout history. The jails role in corrections is to hold inmates that are awaiting trial, there on bench warrants, unable to make bail, awaiting a transfer, or serving sentences of a year or less. Besides the obvious role of the jail, it also plays a role in corrections because it helps to rehabilitate the inmate. This is done by offering a variety of treatment programs that the inmate has the option to participate in. It is not required for the inmate to participate in a program, unless ordered by the court, but it is a good idea to do so. One may wonder what the historical significance of the jail is which is quite obvious, it has been around for quite some time and has proven a success throughout history, which is why there are so many jails around today. The jails historical role was to hold prisoners that were waiting for their trial or punishment. The...
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...Criminal Justice and Over Crowding Criminal behavior occurs every minute of every day across the globe. Throughout time many offenders have been sentence and released for crimes committed. As the years pass, by not only has the type of criminal behavior changed but also the age of the offender. Overcrowding in the criminal justice system is at an all-time high with no end in sight. Laws are changed through trial and error. Change does seem to be evolving with the focus and understanding of the dangers when it comes to overcrowding. The Dangers of overcrowding: Prison Murders, Rapes, Suicides, (Offenders and Correctional Staff), are increasing within the prison setting. There appears to be fewer officers, nurses, and psychologist to meet the needs of the prisoner. Too few staff members not only promote violence, but also place the community in harm’s way. Prison escapes seem to be a special concern when it comes to the safety to victims and families involved. Mental Patients: In many cases mentally challenged offenders are misdiagnosed or simply housed with the regular population due to overcrowding and lack of staff. This lessens the likelihood of rehabilitation prevailing, without proper medical care and counseling. In these cases violence could present or incite riots, escapes and death. In California, there have been several mental patients who were found dead due to suicide incidents. In these cases it would seem to be easy for a prisoner, who has...
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...term. The role of a probation officer is to monitor the behaviours of offenders so that they cannot engage in any further criminal activity. This is done by setting up regular meetings with the offenders and their family members. They work with other agencies that are community based to try and help offenders with a range of services such as employment, housing, and so on. A young offender is a young person that has been convicted or cautioned for a criminal offence. The criminal justice system often deals with young offenders to adult offenders. The term young offender is applied to different age group depending on the age of criminal responsibility. In the United Kingdom there are three separate and distinct criminal justice systems; in England and Wales the age set for young offenders is 10 years and in Scotland the age for criminal responsibility is set at 12 (need citation). II. In a study conducted by Brookins and Hirsch (2002) entitled “Innocence Lost: Case Studies of Children in the Juvenile Justice System” the two talks about how the juvenile justice system is ineffective in working with young juveniles in helping them integrate with their families and communities based on reports. They pointed out the juvenile justice system lacks in providing information on the young offenders and family backgrounds as well as their efforts in engaging justice and social services to them over time. In addition, there seems to have a downward age trend in juvenile cases, the youngest...
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...Crime and Deviance AN INTRODUCTION TO CRIME AND DEVIANCE Definitions * Crime- An act which breaks the criminal laws of society. * Deviance- refers to the behaviour which is disapproved of by most people in society and which does not conform to society's norms and values. TOPIC 1: FUNCTIONALIST, STRAIN AND SUBCULTURAL THEORIES Durkheim's functionalist theory: * Socialisation and Social control are two key mechanisms which allow social solidarity to occur in society. The inevitability of crime: * Functionalists see too much crime as destabilising society. * They also see crime as inevitable and universal- Durkheim, 'crime is normal... an integral part of all healthy societies.' * There are two reasons why C&D are found in all societies; 1.Not everyone is equally effectively socialised into the shared norms and values. 2. Different groups develop their own subculture and what the members of the subculture regard as normal, mainstream culture may see as deviant. * Durkheim also discusses that in modern societies there is a tendency towards anomie (normlessness). The diversity of modern societies means that the collective conscience is weakened, and this results in higher levels of C&D. The positive functions of crime: * For Durkheim, crime also fulfils two important functions; boundary maintenance and adaptation. * Boundary Maintenance- In Durkheim's view, the purpose of punishment is to reaffirm society's shared rules and reinforces...
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...Juveniles convicted as adults: Unconstitutional How does placing a child in an adult prison, where they risk sexual abuse that eventually leads to suicide, teach them a lesson? Juveniles, who commit serious crimes, are usually seen as convicts or criminals who should pay the price of what they committed even if that means sentenced as an adult and occasionally with no parole. Some of these juveniles who are being tried as adults suffered from psychological traumas caused at home by their parents or own family members. People need to know what can be done to prevent these crimes. Placing a juvenile in an adult trial is unconstitutional and is abusing their rights. Many of the juveniles prosecuted as adults are placed in adult jails pretrial, where they are at risk of harm, abuse and suicide. People need to understand the importance and dangers of incarcerating a child in an adult correctional facility. The administration of justice should implement meaningful juvenile justice reforms such as, rehabilitation centers, counseling, and they should correspondingly perform psychological test before being prosecuted in an adult trial so the U.S can uphold the dignity and human rights of our children and ensure that no child in our nation is considered a throwaway person. Juvenile crime rates soared in the mid- 1990s, and that is why every state initiated strict laws against juveniles and began incarcerating minors as adults. That high rates of juvenile delinquency dropped quickly...
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...Crime and Deviance Revision SCLY 4: Crime and Deviance with Methods in Context Sociology Department Greenhead College SCLY 4: Crime and Deviance with Methods in Context Remember: You have to revise everything, because you have no choice on the exam paper. The specification 1 Different theories of crime, deviance, social order and social control * Different definitions of crime, deviance, social order and social control * The distinction between sociological theories of crime and other theories (eg biological, psychological); crime and deviance as socially constructed * Functionalist theories of crime: Durkheim, anomie, collective conscience; Merton’s strain theory; manifest and latent functions; functionalist subcultural theories * Marxist and neo-Marxist theories of crime: classical Marxism, laws reflecting class interests; Neo-Marxism, hegemony, the CCCS studies, critical and new criminology * Interactionist theories of crime: labelling theory, the self-fulfilling prophecy * Feminist theories of crime: patriarchy, male control of women’s lives * Control theory and other contemporary approaches to crime: social bonds, communitarianism, situational prevention; postmodern theories; Foucault on individualisation and surveillance * Realist theories: New Left Realism and Right Realism * The relevance of the various theories to understanding different types of crime, and their implications for social policy. 2 The social distribution...
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...Crime and Deviance Revision SCLY 4: Crime and Deviance with Methods in Context Sociology Department Greenhead College SCLY 4: Crime and Deviance with Methods in Context Remember: You have to revise everything, because you have no choice on the exam paper. The specification 1 Different theories of crime, deviance, social order and social control * Different definitions of crime, deviance, social order and social control * The distinction between sociological theories of crime and other theories (eg biological, psychological); crime and deviance as socially constructed * Functionalist theories of crime: Durkheim, anomie, collective conscience; Merton’s strain theory; manifest and latent functions; functionalist subcultural theories * Marxist and neo-Marxist theories of crime: classical Marxism, laws reflecting class interests; Neo-Marxism, hegemony, the CCCS studies, critical and new criminology * Interactionist theories of crime: labelling theory, the self-fulfilling prophecy * Feminist theories of crime: patriarchy, male control of women’s lives * Control theory and other contemporary approaches to crime: social bonds, communitarianism, situational prevention; postmodern theories; Foucault on individualisation and surveillance * Realist theories: New Left Realism and Right Realism * The relevance of the various theories to understanding different types of crime, and their implications for social policy. 2 The social distribution...
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...Two reasons why crime and deviance are in all societies: - No everyone is equally socialized into norms and values. Some are likely to be deviant. - Diversity of lifestyle and values. Different groups have their own subcultures with distinctive norms and values. Some may see deviant acts as normal. > Durkheim says in modern societies there is tendency towards anomie. The rules for behaviour become weaker and less clear-cut. This is because modern societies have a complex division of labour meaning individuals become more different from each other. Crime is more likely. Positive functions of crime – it also performs two positive functions Boundary maintenance - produces a reaction from society, uniting members in disapproval of criminals and reinforcing their commitment to shared norms and values. Adaptation and change – all change starts with an act of deviance. There must be scope to challenge existing norms and values and this will seem deviant in the short run. Criticisms - Durkheim says society requires deviance to function properly but states no way of knowing how much is the right amount. - Functionalists see crime in terms of its function. Crime may not exist to fulfill these functions. - Functionalists look at how functions of crime serve society as a whole and ignore how it might affect different groups or individuals within...
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...Grace Peterson Crime & Justice Hr: 2 Mr. D “Every day, I think, why am I still here? I’m stuck. What’s left of me now? Nothing stops. I have nobody. I need someone. My name is Amanda Todd.” Amanda Todd was a Canadian teen that was harrassed, bullied, and manipulated through the Internet. The 15-year-old made a heartbreaking video on September 7th, 2012, in which she opened up about years of bullying in school and online, previous suicide attempts and humiliation that lasted up until her death. The bullying online and in school drove her to depression, anxiety, drugs, alcohol, cutting and a suicide attempt with bleach. The authorities were called to her house on October 10th, 2012, almost a month after she released the video, Amanda Todd was found hanged in her home. The online bullying became to be too much that she decided she was better off dead, and she is not the only one. According to stopbullying.gov, 42 percent of teenagers with technology access report being cyberbullied over the past year. Out of all teenagers cyberbullied 20 percent have seriously thought about suicide, and 1 in...
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...trading, prostitution, bigamy and attempted suicide to name but a few. They should entail punishment in the ideal situation. These situations can and do take place in extremely dissimilar conditions and for conflicting reasons. This stochastic variable makes it hard for the criminal justice system to be foul proof and have a “recognized measuring standard” of crime to a level that incorporates the total outlook of various social groups (Digital Films, 2012). Any action against the word of God, the laws of a country or one intended to cause harm and hardship to an individual or a society is defined as crime (Danny Dorling et al, 2005). ANALYSIS Two parameters determined the public’s perception of crime in most cases; the most reported crimes in the mainstream media and the most likely crimes they encounter in their daily lives. The majority of the interviewees are more inclined to see a criminal in the terms of a “gun – toting street criminal” not as an “immaculately dressed wall street banker”. Time and lack of information insulates the public when it comes to white collar, corporate and state sponsored crimes, which are more sophisticated and have much wider impact. According to the Jones and Bartlett, a Gallup poll of 2009 found fifty percent of the respondents believed street crimes such as burglary, rape, murder, drug peddling, assaults as the immediate serious crimes they worry about most. Spending on security systems has been estimated to be an upwards of ninety...
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...CLEVELAND STATE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK ------------------------------------------------- POLICY BRIEF VETERAN TREATMENT COURT SHOULD BE EXPANDED TO THE COMMON PLEAS COURT OF CUYAHOGA COUNTY TONY D. MORRIS PREPARED FOR: Honorable John J. Russo Administrative and Presiding Judge Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court July 1, 2014 SWK 300: SOCIAL WELFARE POLICY PROFESSOR MICHAEL A. DOVER SPRING 2014 GOAL STATEMENT The sole purpose of this policy brief is to deliver concrete and measurement evidences that Veteran Treatment Courts (VTC) promotes public safety by diverting veterans with addictions and/or mental illness into a voluntary specialized court as oppose to the traditional criminal justice system. At present the Cleveland Veteran Treatment docket is only available to veterans that reside in the City of Cleveland. By expanded the court to Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court, veterans would have access to the resources available, especially at the county level. There are 38 cities and 19 villages in Cuyahoga County. According to the United States Census Bureau and there are 90,753 veterans residing in Cuyahoga County and increasing as service members from Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom & Operation New Dawn (OEF,OIF,OND) begin to return and reintegrate back to civilian life. The VTC has proven to be smart, cost effective ventures that assist veterans on the road to recovery, effectively and successfully reducing recidivism...
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...security guards in shops, better street lighting, metal detectors at airports, neighbourhood watch schemes and the re-designing of housing estates. ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- SCP does not rely on intervening in children’s socialisation to prevent them becoming criminals later, or on the threat of punishments to deter current criminals. Instead, it makes specific changes aimed at influencing the decision or ability of offenders to commit particular crimes in particular situations. Like rational choice theory, SCP sees criminals as acting rationally. By making certain crimes less rewarding, more risky or needing greater effort, SCP makes criminals less likely to choose to commit them. 02 Using material from Item A and elsewhere, assess the usefulness of conflict theories for an understanding of crime and deviance in contemporary society. (21 marks) Jan 2010 Read Item A below and answer the question that follows. 02 Using material from Item A and elsewhere, assess the view that ethnic differences in crime rates are the result of the ways in which the criminal justice system operates. (21 marks) June 2010 Read Item A below and answer the question that follows. 02 Using material from Item A and elsewhere, assess sociological views of the relationship between crime and the mass media....
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...in!). You also need to show ‘conceptual confidence’ – this just means that you should make it clear to the examiner that you know and understand the important concepts, e.g. anomie, relative deprivation.Make sure you make reference to the item – both essay questions will have their own item. You can often use the information in the item as a springboard into the essay in the introduction. However, you will be penalised for ‘overuse of the item’, so don’t just copy it out. You can use short quotes or statistics from the item though. | Question: | What to include: | Assess the view that ethnic differences in crime rates are the result of the ways in which the criminal justice system operates. | This question is essentially about the presence (or not) of institutional racism in the police, courts and penal system. You will need to compare the importance of this as opposed to explanations that argue that ethnic minorities do commit more crime - either as a result of relative deprivation (left realism) or poor upbringing, absent fathers, etc (new right). * Try to include some stats, reference to patterns of offending, stop and search, ethnic make-up of prisons. There may well be some in the item for this question. * Black people make up 2.8% of the general population, but 11% of the prison population. 7 times more likely to be stopped and searched than the white population. * Police racism – Phillips and Bowling – oppressive policing of ethnic minority communities –...
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