Judgment Guilty

One of the darkest moments for anyone is being the center of a criminal investigation. Many emotions can fuel statements that may not be in the best interest of the suspect. These statements can turn a suspect into a defendant relatively easy. Without proper, sufficient legal council, a defendant can be a convicted criminal. If the defendant was aware of his rights, the outcome could be inherently different. The United States is one of very few nations that will provide legal counsel for criminal matters. Every so often a person becomes a spectacle in our Judicial System and case law becomes of it. Sometimes, the case law is beneficial for the government such as Florence v Board of Chosen Freeholders of Burlington County, citing that strip searches of inmates regardless of the crimes they committed without probable cause is justified in the interest of inmate, staff, and jail safety. Other case law such as Miranda v. Arizona it reinforces constitutional rights for United States citizens. Miranda v. Arizona is case law that mandates the government to inform people of their constitutional rights during a criminal investigation. Many people often argue, so what. They are guilty, why do suspects have any rights anyway. Simply put, we are a Constitutional Democracy with established rules, norms and values. What makes our nation so wonderful is we are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Circumstantial evidence leading authorities to assume a person is

Crime is committed everyday; some are reported and others crimes are not. Defendants accused of violating the law have characteristics that are implemented in the judicial system. The characteristics of a defendant in the judicial system is male, poor ,minority, uneducated, unemployed and unmarried. High crime rates, racial discrimination, bias makes the the judicial system broken. Racial discrimination has been part of the American judicial system. It Defendants are not treated fairly based on racial discrimination is an example that the judicial system is broken. It is stated that in America one third of Americans are

In 2009, a survey showed that blacks were arrested for drug possession more than three times as often as whites, and a survey made in 2011 showed that whites have abused drugs more than blacks (The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Data Archive). Yet, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, one out of every 3 black males can expect to go to prison in their lifetime, and 225,000 of the people who were serving time in state prisons for drug offenses in 2011, blacks made up 45 percent while whites comprised of just 30 percent. One must question, why is there a disproportionate number of African Americans in the criminal justice system? Well, the majority of Americans are unaware of this mass incarceration and outright racism in the criminal justice system. When we think of racism, we think of the 1930’s-60’s, slavery, and Jim Crow which come to mind, but what

Many people believe that Whites are treated better than minorities. I agree with this opinion, however; I believe that the justice system favors Whites more than African-Americans. Throughout history it shows that the criminal justice system was never in place to serve and protect every human being. When slavery was legal the criminal justice system created laws to enslave human beings. It is not a surprise that the justice system does not work in favor with African-Americans because it has never worked in our favor. The legal system only benefits those of White people.

In America we have an Adversary System of Justice, which means that criminal trials proceed under the adversary theory of justice to arrive at the truth in a given case. One characteristic of this system is intensive cross-examination of both defense and prosecution witnesses. In a jury trial, it is for the jury, which observes these witnesses, to weigh the evidence and make the ultimate decision in every case—guilty or not guilty. However, not every case makes it to trial in fact, about 80% of defendants plead guilty allowing them to just be sentenced and not have to go through the whole process of a trial. Other cases are dropped, or dismissed if the prosecutor, or in some cases a grand jury, feels that there is insufficient evidence to carry on. Some defendants are sent to diversion programs, these individuals are often sent here because an official involved in the case believes that there is a better way to deal with a defendant than to prosecute them.

Any criminal justice system reflects its society and its times. Currently, in my culture, the African American culture, people commit crimes for the number one reason being to feed their families. What is considered a crime? How does the Criminal Justice System work? How is the amount of time determined? Why do African American get more time than the white man? Why are more black men in prison than any other ethnicities? The Criminal Justice System is a social problem within the African American community. The following are the social problems within the CJS, how they became social problems and why is the Criminal Justice Systems (CJS) bias towards African Americans.

It is obvious that there are several race disparities within the criminal justice system. For decades minorities (black Americans to be specific) have been subject to higher drug related arrest rates than whites, even though there is no evidence to show that black American use or sell drugs more than whites (Spohn & Belenko, 2015, p. 143) . You made a great point about the prison race population versus the overall race population of the United States. I too agree that since a majority of the population is white, majority of the prison population should be white. However, as we all know, that is not the case. According to research, black Americans constitute for roughly twelve percent of the American population, however practically

Some possible solutions to this is simply more diversity in the judicial bench. America needs to have a criminal justice system that represents the diversity of America. When people think of America, they think of the many faces that occupy our country. Unfortunately, this is only embraced by some. It is impossible for someone to completely understand all circumstances of someone 's situation without first experiencing similar or the same realities. A white person simply does not know what it is like to be a black person in society. This goes along with the concept of privilege, something everyone has in different amounts, and something in which few people will acknowledge. This goes along with gender, and sexuality. A center for American

This is one reason the justice system is setup in favor for whites. Only 3 to 5% of criminal cases go to trail and the rest are plea bargained. Most black defendants never get a trail. Plea bargains are the promise of a longer sentence if a person exercises their constitutional right, which is to a trial. In result, people caught up in the system plead guilty even when innocent. "Who wouldn't rather do three years for a crime they didn't commit than risk twenty-five years for a crime they didn't

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.

The number of African American males in prison is astounding. I feel that without a doubt, blacks are no more criminal than anyone else in our society. Yet, it is as if blacks are more familiar with the criminal justice system than anyone else. It is almost as if

here is a serious problem with our justice system. It is not a secret that people are judged by the color of their skin, ethnicity and in some cases by religious beliefs. I strongly believe that race affects how an individual is perceived/ treated and it plays an important role in the American criminal justice. Unfortunately, race plays an important role in the American criminal justice system, also this issue exists in other countries and societies. The American justice system is not an exception of this wrongdoing. For instance, minorities, such as African Americans and Latinos, are often prosecuted differently than Caucasians offenders. Verdicts not only tend to be much harsher, but are also accompanied by longer-term sentences. According to the article titled, “Justice is harsher in America than in any other rich country. Between 2.3m and 2.4 m Americans are behind bars, roughly one in every 100 adults.” where for the most part, the majority of inmates are minorities (Too Many Laws, Too Many Prisoners). “The incarceration rates disproportionately impact men of color: 1 in every 15 African American men and 1 in every 36 Hispanic men are incarcerated in comparison to 1 in every 106 white men” ([infographic] Combating Mass Incarceration – The Facts). The question is, why have minorities have become the majority of the American prison population?

Criminal justice has always played an important role when it comes to judging people who have committed a crime. Criminal justice usually controls and protects the white race when they face justice accused of a crime. Many times they argue that the crime was committed due to a mental illness which makes the criminal eligible for medical treatment. And have privileges of favoritism at the time of being judged and sentenced. In contrast, minorities such as blacks or Hispanics are treated as criminals. “Crime and criminal justice… served as a primary function of social control of persons of color and the poor” (Brewer & Heitzed, 2008; Davis, 1998, 2003 as cited in Heitzed, 2015, p. 204). Moreover, socially whites with criminal records are considered not entirely ‘bad’ they are ‘sick’ (Heitzed,

There are many reasons for “Innocent until Proven Guilty”. A lot of innocent people get accused when innocent over cases that had nothing to do with them. Sometimes these cases ruin their life, even take them, like death role if it’s not too late. It’s easier for not just the innocent but everyone involved in the case as in who it might affect. Not looking at the case closely can affect multiple people.

In order to understand the state of our criminal justice system, I believe we must understand the criminal justice in the past and how similar it is when compared. For example, slavery which was once considered illegal after the civil war, was used as punishment in the criminal justice system (13th). This undoubtedly served the powerful people in power, which was still whites and they used it to their advantage. “Blacks were convicted for minor offenses and forced back into slavery to repair the south after the Civil War” (13th). Furthermore, the same reasoning can be applied to today’s Criminal Justice system, most people of color are incarcerated for petty offenses and becoming felons. Although, this may not seem as harmful as the effects of slavery, however, one can argue it is an advanced version of slavery. “Those who are felons have no voting rights, limited employment, provide free