The term "necessary evil" was brought up in the film to describe the fact that taking the plea deal frees up the legal system which in turn is the greater good for society. I agree to some point that the benefits to society does outweigh the cost to the individual, but that does mean that we should be complaisant to this current system. The legal system is far from perfect as the film clearly depicts. We have a legal system in the united states where we value efficiency over justice. Not only that but we prefer to put a conviction on a defendant regardless if there innocent or guilty. There is no justice that way. On the other side of the coin, the benefits to the plea is that the defendant can avoid the maximum sentence. Society also benefits
But while this revelation complicates and adds relevance to Rakoff's topic, he also asks “What's wrong with that?” – a variation of “so what?” In answer to this question, he says that plea bargains are “secret negotiations” that “invite[] arbitrary results.” Both innocent and guilty defendants, in other words, are placed in the same pot, and the goal is to achieve the appearance of fairness, not the realization of it. Considering ninety-seven percent of federal convictions are the results of guilty pleas (Rakoff), that is a haunting injustice.
“Courtesy is as much a mark of a gentleman as courage.” An amazing man said that, a name most people around the globe has heard. He was an amazing man with such glory and faith within himself, he was one of the greatest presidents known to this day. Though he may have had only two years in term he was a well respected man and a brave warrior. He embarked as the 26th president, becoming president after William McKinley got assassinated. He was known for many things, but was best known for being the governor of New York before becoming the U.S Vice President. One interesting fact about him is that the classic known “Teddy Bear” is named after him. The “Teddy Bear” was named after our 26th president when he went on a bear hunting trip in Mississippi
“It emphasizes efficiency and the capacity to catch, try, convict, and punish a high proportion of offenders; it also stresses speed and finality. (Cole & Smith, 2010). The prosecutor in this model looks at the evidence, and chances of getting a conviction. If there is a slight chance, then the state will not move forward with prosecution of the case. If there is a preponderance of evidence then the prosecution will begin bargaining with the defense, agree on a jail term, and the defendant then usually pleads guilty to the charges. This is a fast and efficient method, which saves money by keeping many trials out of court. On the other hand there is a higher likelihood that innocent people who are facing a long sentence, would plea out to a lesser sentence rather than risking getting the longer time in jail. Think about it, if you were innocent of a charge, and facing life in prison, but were offered a five-year sentence with parole, what would you do? You could simply take the time and move on, or risk a jury trial, where there is a possibility you would still be found guilty. These are the tough decisions that some innocent people have to actually face. Many people that are guilty of crimes also benefit from this system, by getting a lesser sentence. Is the cost of saving money, worth letting a guilty person back on the streets sooner? I do not believe it is worth saving the money, and feel that if you are guilty of a crime then you should
The lottery in this country is a big past time for Americans. It gives hope to the hopeless and disappointment to a multitude of participants. A quick view of statistical information regarding the lottery shows that out of all people who take part in this country wide phenomenon, each individual person has a 1 in 175,223,510 chance of hitting the jackpot (AmericanStatisticalAssociation.org). The author of “Against The Odds and Against the Common Good”, argues that the state lotteries are “urging people to gamble”. Gloria Jimenez, of whom is the author of “Against The Odds and Against the Common Good”, creates assumptions that support her stance on her argument. Jimenez also uses the viewpoint from people who disagree with her logic, by stating various counter statements that contradict her stance. To fully understand Jimenez, we have to view the different factors of her stance on why states should not be urging people to gamble, assumptions that she makes to support her stance and countering views of people who don’t necessarily agree with her argument.
While plea bargaining proposes plenty of advantages through the court of law in America and Canada, it shows some disadvantages as well. First off, plea bargaining seems unlawful to many. Every American is entitled to a right to a fair trial by the court of law. Giving the opportunity to plea bargain is taking away from those constitutional rights. Defendants
In all, plea bargaining serves various functions; nonetheless, the main purpose of plea bargaining is to improve “the administrative efficiency of the courts” (Wheatley 1974 in Goff, 2014, pg. 261). For instance, with plea bargaining, the courts can quickly garner a plea of guilty, and thus, a sentence can be provided for the accused, rather than attempt to prove the guilt or innocence of the accused beyond a reasonable doubt. In addition, Ken Chasse (2011) identifies other advantages of plea bargaining such as cost-saving, no consequences for violating the law and constitutional rights by the courts since the matters of plea bargaining are not reviewable (pg. 1). Furthermore, the “sentence can be known beforehand… [, and thus,] victims can be consulted more precisely about the outcome before sentence is imposed”, disclosure and discovery will not be known, “no trial errors” or reversals of the outcome by appeal courts, and both sides can also claim victory (Chasse, 2011, pg. 1).
A moral panic is the public’s response to problems that seem threatening to the society. Moral panics are used by the media, however people are likely to panic out of proportion due the way it is upheld.
The Federalist Papers provide priceless insight into the spirits of both human government and human nature. In fact, The Federalist Papers repeatedly acknowledge a basic truth of human existence: humans are naturally selfish, hostile, and full of such characteristics that hinder the continuation of peaceful, harmonious existence. The corruption of the human race permeates even the strongest governments, as history has shown time and again. Ironic as it is, governments must take precautions to guard themselves, even from their very own members, from the very thing that all governments are meant to remedy: the shortcomings of human nature. The means by which The Federalists
The following two paragraphs are a summary of Gloria Jimenez's essay Against the Odds and Against the Common Good. States should neither allow nor encourage state-run lotteries. There are five major arguments that people use to defend lotteries. One is that most lotteries are run honestly, but if gambling is harmful to society it is irrelevant to argue if they are honest or not. The second is that lotteries create jobs, but there are only a small handful of jobs that would be eliminated if lotteries were put out of business. Another argument that would support keeping lotteries is that, other than gambling addicts, people freely choose to buy lottery tickets. This is true, however, there are misleading advertisements that may cause people
One of the oldest dilemmas in philosophy is also one of the greatest threats to Christian theology. The problem of evil simultaneously perplexes the world’s greatest minds and yet remains palpably close to the hearts of the most common people. If God is good, then why is there evil? The following essay describes the problem of evil in relation to God, examines Christian responses to the problem, and concludes the existence of God and the existence of evil are fully compatible.
It's so effective because the prosecution has the unique opportunity the use a defendant's physcology against them. Prosecutors understood the threat of a harsher sentence, made their deal almost impossible to refuse. In the case of Brady v. United States, the threat of the death penalty was used as a tool of coercion. The case centered around brady, a man accused of kidnapping, who pleaded guilty after the threat of the death penalty was made, and his co defendant's testimony against him, he later appealed his case to the Supreme Court. His argument was that a threat of death was considered coercion, and the prosecution used it to illicit a guilty plea. The court decided against Brady, the confession was not forced, and he understood his right to a trial and due process. From cases like Brady v. United States, the courts saw plea bargaining as not only constitutional but necessary. This further solidified its popular use in courts, and as a result we have the legal system we know today. If a confession is not forced, it's deemed
A famous philosopher Socrates once said, 'the unexamined life is not worth living.' With that idea, the question 'Are Human Beings Intrinsically Evil?' has been asked by philosophers for many years. It is known as one of the unanswerable questions. Determinists have come to the conclusion that we are governed by the laws of science, that there is nothing we can do about ourselves being evil because we naturally are. Evil is simply the act of causing pain. In this essay I will argue that human beings are born with a natural reaction to 'fear and chaos' to be instinctively evil.
with some evil in it. Better? Why would God being so good and concerned about
Alan Moore’s V for Vendetta, William Shakespeare’s Richard III, and John Garder’s Grendel _______ The topic of evil and from where it originates is one that cannot be proven through factual evidence, and so rather is a notion that exists only in the thoughts of each individual, allowing him or her to possess unique beliefs that affect the way he or she lives.
As our innovative world is rapidly moving into the future, technology is being invented and innovated at every turn. This technology ranges from top-notch video game systems to microscopic robots made to perform internal surgery. Although these impressive technological improvements were recently made, they are not entirely beneficial because this technology damages our social and learning skills, while also damaging us as humans.