Around 4,000 years ago Hammurabi’s code was created by Hammurabi the king of Babylonia with the goal of bringing justice to his kingdom. He even claimed that Shamash the god of justice commanded him to make these laws. Then his laws were carved into large stone’s called steles, written in the ancient cuneiform written, and then put up throughout all major communities of Babylonia. However, these ancient laws were not fair for everyone in his kingdom. Hammurabi’s Code was unjust because the laws pertaining to family life, property law, and personal injury were unfair.
According to Sentencing Project.org “Racial disparity in the criminal justice system exists when the proportion of a racial or ethnic group within the control of the system is greater than the pro-portion of such groups in the general population.” This article says the inequality can vary upon different levels of criminal activity, law enforcement and decision making. “Law enforcement emphasis on particular communities, legislative policies, and/or decision making by criminal justice practitioners who exercise broad discretion in the justice process at one or more stages in the system.” (Sentenceproject.org) The expansion of the criminal justice system reinforces race and class inequalities in the United States thorough mass incarcerations that are constantly increasing, imperceptible to most, and affects multiple generations.
The United States is a multiracial society that has had many issues on racial disparity. The major ethics categories in the United States are Asians, African-Americans, Caucasians, Hispanic and Native Americans. Racism, a social problem in the United States since the founding of the country, is a belief that all people in that specific category has a certain characteristic. It distinguishes a race being inferior or superior to another. Historically, the white majority has always gotten better treatment than the other races. Out of all the other ethnic groups, “white has singled out of getting unequal treatment in the areas of housing, education, employment and criminal justice” (Racial Disparities). The Justice System is very well racially disperse because, African Americans as well as Hispanics, do not get the equal protection or social benefit from the government.
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”(Rev Martin Luther King, Jr). No one should be treated differently no matter the color of one's skin. Have you ever wondered why african americans face more injusticeness when arrested then any other race? When african americans are arrested they are almost four times as likely to experience the use of force during encounters with the police and are more likely to serve higher sentences than white americans for the same offense. There was “robustus evidence” found that “black male federal defendants were given longer sentences than comparable whites”. Black men's sentences were on average, ten percent longer than those of their white
Have you ever thought of how and what made everyone want to follow the law nowadays? Hammurabi’s code and the Ten Commandments were two early (not the earliest) codes of law that were used in the ancient times as methods of justice, both of the laws shaped society then and now. Hammurabi’s code goes back to ancient Mesopotamian culture that flourished way before the Bible was written or the Greek and the Roman civilizations had even developed. Hammurabi made a collection of 282 laws that established values of manner and justice for keeping order in his kingdom. God engraved the Ten Commandments on stone tablets that were given to Moses and the population of Israel. Even though the code and the commandments
Picture the laws we have now. Now imagine how they would be 3,815 years ago. How different would they really be? How would the differences affect society? Hammurabi was the king of Babylon in 1800 B.C.E. who wrote one of the world’s oldest orders of laws. This particular set of laws is used to research and understand ancient Mesopotamia's overall history, and thoughts about justice this brought us to learn about "Hammurabi's Code", the previously mentioned oldest order of written down laws though this was one of the oldest order of written down laws. Though this is one of the oldest sets of laws, there is a question that's been asked for thousands of years: "were these laws just?" It is true that the set of laws is described as "harsh", and "hasty", but they were written like this because they were the first try at justice. People didn't know any better. This is why a great number of Hammurabi's laws concerning bestowment of power, family, and theft were just and fair to all those it applied to.
How would people feel if they had to follow the laws of Hammurabi’s code? Hammurabi was the king of Babylonia. Hammurabi started being king around 3500 BCE, and Hammurabi made 282 laws. Hammurabi’s Code was unjust based on the evidence from the codes Personal law, Property law, and Family law. Was Hammurabi’s code just?
Laws are usually inspired and taken from the common knowledge of the society, whether the common knowledge was good or bad it does not make a difference. To illustrate, common laws derive from ethical backgrounds passed through generation to generation, where they feel that these traditions are sacred, and they cannot change it, because they fear the resistance that might develop form that change. Similarly, any religion after certain time gets to change in the name of modernity and prestige. To explain more, Hammurabi
There is no denying that the criminal justice system is downright corrupt, unjust, and powerful. By corrupt, the criminal justice system degrades the power it possesses to perform in its out most potential. By unjust, the criminal justice system disposes of equal treatment and exhibits discrimination of individuals of society. By powerful, the criminal justice system utilizes discretion and fear to respond to situations that entail the lives of racial minorities. These ideas extend to a much greater problem which is the disposition on minorities. There is the majority group, also known as the dominant group, and there are the minority groups, also known as the subordinate group. The dominant group have power either politically or economically. The subordinate group have less power and are mostly comprised of people of
The question of fairness and equality in the criminal justice system has its original roots dating back to the Magna Carta in 1215 AD. The latest document to define the criminal justice is the United States Constitution which specifically in the 14th amendment which states ”no state can make or enforce laws on its citizens, nor shall they deprive a person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law, nor will they deny equal protection of the laws”. Section one of the fourteenth amendment means that the states cannot make any laws or enforce them on any person without due process and makes it illegal to deny equal protection. The founding fathers envisioned a justice system that is blind as evidenced by the
For many years there has been a person who did petty crimes who were given sentences that doesn’t match the crime due to what race they are as well. For instance at a party one night a female college student had a little too much to drink. Once she decided to leave the party a young man followed her and raped her in an alley. Two bikers were riding by and witnessed the action and put a stop to it. When he went to trial for the crime he’d committed he received only six months of jail time, but really just did three months. Criminals should get time based on what they kind of crime they commit and not the color his/ her skin.
Don’t mess with the laws or everyone in the city-state will be cursed! Hammurabi had created laws for the people in Babylonia to be protected. Hammurabi had created the first known laws, which he had stated it protects the weak in the social structure from the stronger. He had 218 laws, always put in the center of the town on a stele so everyone can see. Hammurabi made his laws unjust, family laws and personal injury laws prove so. Also, he said the rules were created by Shamash (A god that chose the laws and instructs them) which he could have been lying that Shamash was a god.
Throughout history, people have been trying to create an improved, fair, and equal system of justice, not only to better society in which one lives, but to also find a sense of meaning in what responsibilities people should hold within their civilizations in order to create this just way of living. As early as the Old Testament within the Bible, we see examples of how the Hebrews formed their own justice. This can be seen in the in text of the Ten Commandments which were written in a form of law. Laws were significant even in this basic form of context, such as the Ten Commandments, which offered the ideas of right and wrongdoings and the sin for violating others for one’s own benefit. This not only
First of all in my community there is discrimination through races of whites and blacks. Although the lawful right ended years ago for the equality of all races there is still a fight, in most places worse than others. The law enforcement in my town do not discipline equally. If you
The execution of equality is extremely important when it comes to justice. Whether you're a police officer, courtroom judge, a member in a jury, or and figure that holds a higher say, it is vital not to discriminate against others. “To be morally acceptable, a society’s institutional order must treat its citizens justly.” Thomas Pogge, a german philosopher writes “Institutional designs that moderate inequalities outside the sphere of strict equality are crucial to the stability of a just society. European states illustrate that it is not hard to keep socioeconomic inequality in the moderate range. But once it breaks decisively above this range, it may be next to impossible to prevent justice from unravelling. This is what we may be witnessing