Criminal Justice Reflection

I grew up in a neighborhood which is riddled with crime. Unfortunately, people who I grew up with became involved in gangs and criminal activities. Those actions led to them having a criminal record. When looking through the options of the podcast, People who are involved in the criminal justice system is the one I thought would be most interesting. The person Bradley Jacobs discusses what he does in the Center for Alternative Sentencing and Employment Services (CASES).

There are three significant issues concerning law enforcement, namely enacting the law, police discretion, and assessment of criminal behavior. Different entities create and enact laws that are specific for the societies those laws represent.

At the majors fair I visited a total of three different major tables. Those majors were Criminal Justice, Anthropology and Simulation and Game Design. The first major that I visited was the Criminal Justice table because I am taking intro to Criminal Justice and wanted more information about the major. At the table was Ms. Kusko the department chair and also my professor for my Criminal Justice Class. At the table I learned that students interested in the Criminal Justice field have to take the intro class and also a few psychology classes such as the intro class and the Psych and Law class. Additionally, I learned that there are very interesting jobs for graduates in the Criminal Justice major from working in local law enforcement all the

The criminal justice system is composed of three parts – Police, Courts and Corrections – and all three work together to protect an individual’s rights and the rights of society to live without fear of being a victim of crime. According to merriam-webster.com, crime is defined as “an act that is forbidden or omission of a duty that is commanded by public law and that makes the offender liable to punishment by that law.” When all the three parts work together, it makes the criminal justice system function like a well tuned machine.

Throughout this course, we learn that women’s studies originated as a concerned at the time that “women and men noticed the absence, misrepresentation, and trivialization of women [in addition to] the ways women were systematically excluded from many positions of power and authority” (Shaw, Lee 1). It has always been known that in the past, men have had more privilege than women. Women have battled for centuries against certain patterns of inadequacy that all women experience. Every culture and customs have divergent female identities, however this does not hinder the fact that many of these cultures are based on patriarchal past where men hold more rights than women. Canadian women have sought to overcome these stereotypes and have managed to gain a position of near equality. This was

1) There are multiple goal statements (see the highlighted statement in the body of your paper). What is the ultimate goal and thesis statement for this project?

The official version of the law (OVL) is “what the legal world would have us believe about itself – is that it is an impartial, neutral and objective system for resolving conflict” (Comack, 2014, p. 11). Prior to reflecting on course material I would have undoubtedly accepted the OVL, however, at this time I believe our Canadian legal system and criminal justice system lack the ability to be impartial, neutral, and objective, therefore requiring considerable changes. The chapters in which utmost enhanced my understanding of the sociology of law were “Theoretical Approaches and the Sociology of Law” by Elizabeth Comack and “Standing Against Canadian Law: Naming Omissions of Race, Culture, and Gender” by Patricia Monture as they explain and demonstrate the inequalities marginalized groups must endure at the hands of the law.

Canada today faces a major challenge when it comes to access to justice. The civil, criminal and family justice system has become very complicated, slow and extremely expensive for majority of Canadians. These issues are particularly glaring to low income earners, people with disabilities and other minorities. Canadian justice system have become incapable of providing solutions that can addressing problems brought to it. With the creation of the Canadian charter of right and freedom, access to justice became more of an equality issue. It moved from simply being the capacity to litigate, to the quality of outcome or outcome focused. While there have been efforts to reform the system, our courts continues to lack institutional structures that can address change and create a more equitable judicial system both in capacity and outcome.

In a 2007 speech by Beverly McLachlin, the Supreme Court of Canada Chief of Justice, she stated that “access to justice promotes social stability” and also that “if people can’t get justice, they will have less respect for the law” (Eberts, 2013). By her words alone, the necessity and importance of legal aid is demonstrated. Socioeconomic status can put individuals at an unfair disadvantage in many aspects of life, especially in regards to legal proceedings. “Legal aid [was] introduced to Canada in the 1970’s” as a way of ensuring fair trial, and decreasing the frequency of common problems that result from misunderstanding of the law, unrepresented litigants and the power of money (Abell, 2010). However, like any tool or procedure used to improve society, there are always imperfections. Legal aid resources have become difficult to obtain financially and situationally, and the quality of this resource is often put into question. Without it, people and the justice system face consequences that need to be resolved in order to achieve the social stability that McLachlin speaks of.

This paper will describe my understanding of the text and of the lectures provided in the class. Unlike most classes, where I understood only my view of the text, this class was geared so each student would understand each other’s view. 3 An organization is a collective that has some boundary and internal structure that engages in activities related to some complex set of goals. Members of organizations attempt to meet their psychological, ego and emotional needs within the organization. Criminal justice organizations are particularly unique compared to other public or private sector organizations because of the governmental granted authority. Management within these organizations can be defined as the process by

The criminal justice system has built specific procedures over the years, which it implements to ensure that all policies and laws are followed without interruption in effort to support a speedy trial. It is crucial that each one of these procedures is conducted with utmost professionalism until it is complete. In this paper I will outline the criminal justice system from investigation and arrest through probation and parole. A deviation during any one of these procedures could result in a criminal going free with impunity.

The three major institutions in the criminal justice system are Law Enforcement, Courts, and Corrections. In order for them to work together and make the right choice, they have to go through fifteen steps. The Law Enforcement is very important because is where it all begins. Police officers are the first one to contact and to know about the situation. There is going to be a call for service, observation and maybe, if is necessary an arrest.

The criminal justice system is a group of institutions that work together to protect a society, prevent and control crime, and maintain justice; enforcing the laws regulated by society. As the years have gone by and society has evolved; so have the criminal justice system and its methods to accomplish its role in society. This short analysis will evaluate the main facts that have been affecting the criminal justice system for decades and have influenced the evolution the justice system is enduring in a changing society (Muraski, 2009). Amongst the changes in the system, we will discuss the effect the changes have had on the citizens and how their perceptions have evolved as well.

Service learning at the Orleans Public Defenders was eye opening. I worked as a client services intern, and it was strange because even though I did the same thing each week, how it happened or the cases I would hear was always interesting and different. Usually court would start at 9:30a or 10:00a depending on the judge or 11a if the judge was delayed. I would work with my supervisor to prepare the files that the lawyer would need for the preliminary hearing and walk over to the courthouse. Once there, I asked clients for contact numbers so we could call the requested people about their bond, and then, I would take notes on each person’s case so we could make a memo after the arraignment for OPD reference.

Before going into college to study Criminal Justice, I had the same opinion as most people had when it came to criminals or deviant behavior. The classic “if you can’t do the time, don’t do the crime,” phrase was mentioned many times throughout my youth, whether it be for something as simple as an explanation for grounding me or to explain why doing the wrong things will give you a one-way ticket to prison. My life was surrounded by crime. I managed to separate myself from the “wrong-doers” with the help of my mother, but I still spent most of my life around law enforcement. To me, police officers were always the ones doing everything right. In my mind, if someone died at the hands of a police officer it was probably their fault, if they were beaten they deserved it, the police were only doing what they had to do to make our communities a safer place.