Achieving Justice In America

The current criminal justice system caters to arresting and punishing individuals that have violated societal norms and values (Boesten & Wilding, 2015). However, instead of rehabilitating these individuals they are more focus on punishing them as a way to provide general and specific deterrence of future criminal activities (Boesten & Wilding, 2015). However, there are other methods that have proven effective in reducing recidivism of offender’s criminal behaviours (Boesten & Wilding, 2015). One such method is transformative change which has three criteria; “critical reflection, personal transformation and social transformation” (Boesten & Wilding, 2015). Transformative change morphs what seems like obstacles into

The Justice System is a topic that has stirred up a lot of controversy throughout time. Is it fair or is it not? Throughout hundreds of years, people have been treated justly and unjustly by this system. In this paper, I will only be discussing my opinion on America’s justice system. However, there are many other Justice Systems that I will not get to discuss. America’s Justice System is made up of 3 parts. The Law Enforcement, the Adjudication, and the Correction. The Justice System was created to control crime and punish those who commit illegal actions. Without this system, our country would crumble and fall. Although it has been unfair on numerous occasions, we still should respect the law.

Does the American system of justice need reform to ensure that criminals are properly punished?

In what ways is the indigenous justice paradigm in conflict with the principles of the traditional, adversarial American criminal justice system? In what ways do the principles of Native American justice complement more mainstream correctional initiatives?

“The court finds you guilty on all accounts. You are sentenced to 35 years in federal prison. Court dismissed.” If only justice in America was the same as a hollywood movie, where, in the end, each and every person put on trial receives a true and just verdict. It would be nice if America’s justice system was designed so that “you couldn’t be the next victim of corruption - innocent and sent to prison, or strapped to a table and put to death; or robbed of your life savings by American lawyers” (Sachs, America’s Corrupt Legal). Welcome to the new America, where all it takes is pockets as deep as the Pacific Ocean to be innocent and poverty to be found guilty, thrown in jail, and not given a second thought. Although America often prides itself on its just ways of governing and dealing with potential criminals, the justice system is often corrupted because of social issues, ethical issues, corrupt officials, and control of the press.

Injustice for all appears to be the recent motto of the American justice system in the previous years. This system, increasingly known, infamously, for the wrongful incarcerations of many innocent citizens is in large part due to prejudice and a lack of due diligence by society 's finest, the police. Police departments’ focus on making the collar often leads to the use of various forms of torture such as mental, emotional, and even physical coercion. Errors of fact fail to be discovered, and wrongful convictions happen to hundreds of innocent citizens such as William Dillon, who had served 27 years for a crime he did not commit. William Dillon is among those innocent citizens that the American justice system has failed. The dawn of August 17, 1981 a man by the name of James Dvorak was found at Canova Beach beaten to death. The police department was only able to find one article of evidence, a witness, a perjured testimony, and fabricated evidence that pointed towards Dillon. From these William Dillon was convicted due to a bloody yellow shirt found at the crime scene, a half blind man, a false testimony from a past lover and phony evidence fabricated by the police and their consultants.

Restorative justice (RJ) is the practice of trying to restore the victims of harm or trauma back to a state of peace and contentment. It is used to benefit the victims so they can in a way reclaim a part of themselves. Restorative justice has three main models/practices; Victim Offender Conferencing (VOC), Circle Processes, and Family Group Conferences. Victim offender conferencing is the most common application of restorative justice in North America. In, The Little Book of Victim Offender Conferencing, Lorraine Stutzman Amstutz explains, “the victim offender conferencing process brings victims and offenders of crime together in a face-to-face meeting prepared and led by a trained facilitator, often a community volunteer, to talk about the impact of the consequences of the crime.”

Section three of Chapter Eight titled Doing Justice begins with the following sentence “It should be obvious that laws and trials mean something.” The role that legislated laws play in maintaining the stability and integrity of our society is something that many individuals assume to be determined by unbiased social convention. Throughout Section three the perceived significance of the law is critically examined. Additionally, the section analyzes the effectiveness of implemented legislation in the dispensation of justice to all American citizens.

The development of the American justice system is a captivating subject that can prompt to years of recorded study and investigation. A decent criminal justice graduate program will give you enough information to leave you wanting more as I gained from my time in school.

Restorative justice is a system of criminal justice that focuses on the rehabilitation of offenders through reconciliation with victims and the community at large. This criminal justice system that restores promotes accountability between parties involved and builds the community through the provision of assistance and respects to victims and anyone involved in the community because crime disrupts lives.

The criminal prosecutions section of my transitional justice strategy will be spilled into two parts. The first stage I will focus on the past actions of American slavery and the second will focus on the current day abuses against the African American population within the United States.

I think that restorative justice programs are a great way to have offenders take responsibility for what they have done and their actions in the future. I feel that it truly helps the victim and the offender heal. Alternative sentencing is also a great way to deal with offenders because it may help them before they go into the prison system. If I were a victim I know I would be hesitant to meet with my offender but I now know that ultimately, it will help me and the offender. I would try to sit face-to-face with them. The benefits would be to get some degree of closure and to help the victims overcome all the fears the offender gave them. Some risks may be losing control or being overcome with anger when they see the offender. Overall I believe

“Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth”. Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president made this declaration during the Gettysburg address. “Of the people, for the people, by the people.” This is one of many principles our once “great” nation, the United States of America. On average 10 million people are arrested in America. All for different; reasons, drugs, murder, burglary, and so on. These people who are arrested get charged for whatever the case may be in a country that praises fair and equal trials no matter your race, religion, sexual preference, gender, etc. However, unfortunately, that is not always the case. Every day someone, somewhere becomes another victim of injustice in the American justice

The criminal justice system views any crime as a crime committed against the state and places much emphasis on retribution and paying back to the community, through time, fines or community work. Historically punishment has been a very public affair, which was once a key aspect of the punishment process, through the use of the stocks, dunking chair, pillory, and hangman’s noose, although in today’s society punishment has become a lot more private (Newburn, 2007). However it has been argued that although the debt against the state has been paid, the victim of the crime has been left with no legal input to seek adequate retribution from the offender, leaving the victim perhaps feeling unsatisfied with the criminal justice process.

Over the decades, the concept of justice has been continually evolving. This is occurring based upon different moral or legal interpretations. Evidence of this can be seen with observations from Burke (2011) who said, "Few things are of more importance to a society than its concept of justice. This is because it is justice that provides criterion for the legitimate use of force. In the name of justice people are detained, arrested, handcuffed, put on trial and punished. This concept is used to provide every society with some kind of social order. Over the last 200 years, a revolution has taken place with these principles. Our idea of it is what we employ, when dealing with ordinary individuals in daily life including: making agreements, paying bills, resolving disputes and putting criminals in jail. This is a concept that is as old as recorded history and it is familiar to people everywhere. What makes it so unique is that these ideas are constantly changing which focuses on society as a whole and how people are interacting with each other. " (Burke)