Discretion, undoubtedly plays a massive role and is implemented in various aspects of the system. But what is discretion? Discretion, as defined in Canadian Criminal Justice: A Primer, is merely the freedom to choose among different options when confronted with the need to make a decision. As significant part of the criminal justice system in Canada, being a police officers “involves the use of a significant amount of discretion” (McKillop & Pfeifer, 2004) . Due to the portrayal of the police by
When it pertains to discretion, the criminal justice systems perspective is defined as being the authority in which is granted by the law as well as other officials to act on their own judgement in certain situations throughout the legal system (Williams, 2009). In order to maintain the best discretion possible within the criminal justice system, it is always necessary for those involved making the decisions to come to a conclusion based on the facts. If one mistake is made, an innocent man could
Reforming the Police Discretion Criminal justice system has three main subsystems: police, courts and corrections. Each subsystem has its particular duties, but they work together to meet the goals: doing justice, controlling crime and preventing crime (Cole, Smith, & DeJong, 2015). Although this system had been built for a long time ago, continuously, some of its policies need to be reconsidered and reformed to suit the society with various situations. One of the characteristics that exercised
those who work as criminal justice personnel are held to a much higher expectation compared to the average day citizen; criminal justice personnel are in charge of enforcing the law, hence breaking the law themselves would be illogical. I am arguing that the discretion given to those who work as criminal justice personnel, such as the police, is necessary in order to entirely exercise the law. In order to argue that discretion is necessary in the Canadian Criminal Justice System, I will discuss the
Police discretion is widely considered a vague term that has an appropriately vague definition. It is defined as the decision-making power afforded to police officers that allows these individuals to decide if they want to pursue police procedure or simply let someone off with a warning (Beckett, 2016). It is an important enforcement option in policing and plays a key role in our criminal justice system here in Canada. Examples of when discretion is used include: traffic violations, youth crime,
Explain the role of discretion in the criminal justice system. As a society we believe that offenders should be held accountable for their actions but also treated fairly in the criminal investigation, trial process and sentencing. As a result of this, the power of discretion, that is the ability to choose from a range of options, is granted to some authorities ensure some flexibility for decision making within the system, enabling a more holistic outcome for all parties involved. The issues
Running head: COMPONENTS OF THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM 1 Components of the Criminal Justice System Bradley Gibson University of Central Washington COMPONENTS OF THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM 2 Abstract This paper explores how law enforcement, courts, and corrections work together to form the criminal justice system. More importantly this paper explains the duties of each subsystem and how
The movie “A Few Good Men” is a highly recognized film that focuses on the foundation and flaws of the military system. Major characters within this story include Lance Corporal Harold Dawson, Private First Class Louden Downey, Lt. Daniel Kaffee, Lt. JoAnn Galloway, LTJG Sam Weinberg, Lt. Jonathan Kendrick, Lt. Matthew Markinson, and Colonel David Jessup. This film is based around two marines, Downy and Dawson, as they are charged with murder, conspiracy to murder, and conduct unbecoming of US Marines
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. In the United States the criminal justice system is broken down into two models, the Consensus model and the Conflict model. The procedure of achieving justice is comprised on three basic levels: policing, justice, and corrections. The two models of criminal justice system are influenced by a plethora of factors
The criminal justice system is always at the center of the public eye for reform. Whether it is an issue at the top of a political campaign or the highlight of the media after a major shooting, the topic of reform seems to always come up. Each area in the criminal justice system is ran differently. Policing, courts, and corrections are just three different branches of the criminal justice system each involving issues that need to reformed. The issues of each of these three different branches are