Persuasive Essay On Crime

The American Criminal Justice System are sets of agencies and process made by the government to control crime and to penalize those who commit it. The justice system is different based one’s jurisdiction, meaning city, state, federal or tribal government or military installation. The Criminal System is divided into two main parts, the state and the federal. The state portion handles crimes within its state boundaries. The federal portion handles crime committed on Federal property or in two or more states (“Criminal Justice” 1). The American Criminal Justice System needs reform because of its emphasizes on incarceration punishment rather than Rehabilitation. Our justice system especially enforces punishment on blacks and Latinos resulting of overpopulation of prisons like Rikers Island for petty crimes. Also, another reform needed the juvenile cases. For example, juveniles who commit petty crimes shouldn’t be sent to adult prison and shouldn’t be near more dangerous and serious inmates.

Scarce research is available on active offenders due to their unwillingness to corporate with researchers and past and convicted offenders may have changed their perspectives after being convicted or left their lifestyle of crime. The most reliable data on these offenses and their perpetrators may come from active burglars themselves. Richard T. Wright and Scott Decker’s book, Burglars on the Job seeks to explain the reasons why burglars commit the crimes they do. They have taken their research to another level by gaining the trust of active offenders in the St. Louis area and gaining inside knowledge of these criminals’ daily lives and their crimes. This paper will address

Envision if everyone in the world decided to go around breaking laws because they did not agree with them. There would be a bunch of unnecessary arrests, great amount of violence, and the world would be a terrible place to live. As citizens of this country we have the commitment to adhere to the rules, laws, and submit to any consequences we may receive. In the great words of Socrates, “One should never do wrong in return, nor do any man harm, no matter what he may have done to you.” Breaking laws is never morally justifiable.

In Bryan Stevenson's book “Just Mercy”, he discussed how many people are put on death row. He is a real lawyer who had to deal with inmates who were put on death row even if they said they were innocent. It made him realize how bad our criminal justice system is. Injustice, racism, and socioeconomic statuses were the main huge reasons why some were executed. Wealthy, poor, having no criminal records or having a few; there will always be discrimination towards those who are black.

When a city does not have the resources to deal with a large volume of crime, the justice system can seem like a revolving door for the criminals. If the smaller criminals have to be overlooked because the system is swamped with major crimes, then the threat of jail time for shoplifting looses its power. Time after time we see both Fred do little jail time for his crimes. The first time me meet Fred, he’s accidentally been released from jail after only doing 60 days of a one year sentence. He’s been out of jail for one day and he’s already back to shoplifting. Four months later Fred is arrested for Grand Larceny and Vehicular Homicide. He uses an alias along with a phony I.D. to hide his extensive criminal record and ends up out of jail in just three weeks after plea-bargaining down to minor charges as a “first offender”. Fred was responsible for the death of someone and because of an overwhelmed justice system he is set free. After you get away with something like this how much of a deterrent is the law when it comes to shoplifting? Not much to Fred because just three months later he’s arrested for stealing silverware and end up in jail for six months. Of course each time we see the thieves’ stealing they are always with a friend, an accomplice, someone who thinks and acts the same way they do.

Another recommendation suggests that punishments should be the same for all offenders of robbery. For example, one believes it should not matter if this is the first time someone has committed a violent crime such as robbery, or if this is the tenth time, he or she has committed a violent crime. One believes the victim’s fears are the same regardless of the amount of times the offender has committed a violent crime. Another recommendation is the charged of armed robbery should not be reduced to lesser charges. Armed robbery is a serious violent crime. Therefore, those charged with armed robbery must not be allowed to have the charges reduced to a less sever crime just to save taxpayer’s dollars.

When someone decides to steal, they are causing the police to take time out of their day to deal with minor issues. While this happens, there are other important issues occurring where people’s lives could be at risk and police resources are needed. Shoplifters need to think about how they are affecting their community’s safety, not just theirs. Petty crimes like larceny are a burden on police and it is a citizen’s moral duty to understand who they are hurting when they steal. Along with the police being misused, court systems are also using their time and effort for petty things. Millions of people volunteer or are paid to bring justice to those who break the law. Although stealing is extremely wrong and it is an important issue to be addressed, a court’s time and effort would be better spent on dealing with bigger issues. Once again, when someone shoplifts they don’t understand who they are hurting and the burden they are placing on a community. These issues need to be more focused on, and the harms they cause people and the community need to be highlighted.

Imagine you are a teen walking down the street with a friend. Now imagine being surrounded by police and getting searched for something that is not there. Since the item in question can not be placed the accuser changes their story; After multiple versions of what allegedly happened the police arrest you and your friend. Due to having a history of theft, a judge charges you with second degree robbery, even though there is no evidence to prove any wrong doing. Thinking the justice system will come through, and knowing your innocence, a trial is requested. Bail is set and cannot be paid due to economic hardship. Another consequence of not having money for bail, is there is also no money for a private attorney. A public defender, who has to many cases to keep straight, is assigned to help defend in court, yet he is trying to lessen his load and recommends several times that a plea deal is the best option that should be taken, even in the case of innocence. Picture holding out hope that if the case could just go to trial all would come to light. Four years pass by, mostly spent in solitary confinement, where the harsh circumstances begin to take a toll, mentally and physically. Imagine conditions so horrible, death seems better than enduring another day. Now picture the day for “justice” is finally here. No sooner does court get started it ends. The case gets thrown out due to the person who started all of this not being present. All the suffering that has been endured,

The focus of this theory is on the association between social control, the neighborhood structure, and crime (Kubrin & Weitzer, 2003). Social disorganization is the incapability of the community to solve significant problems and achieve common goals. The theory posits that residential mobility, poverty, ethnic heterogeneity, and weak social networks decrease the ability of the neighborhood to manage the behavior of people and hence the likelihood of crime is increased (Kubrin & Weitzer, 2003). Therefore, the social and physical environments of neighborhoods can increase the chances robbery. Factors such as unemployment, vandalized buildings, and poverty can thus be used to explain the occurrence of robbery. When the robbery rates have increased in a neighborhood, an examination of the social and physical environment can yield answers to robbery patterns.

Burglary and robbery are different in many ways, but are the same. Burglary is when a person unlawful entry to a person home or business building to commit the act of theft or a felony. When the action of a burglary is committed by someone, the victim does not have to be present at the time of the incident. (DeMille, 2016). When dealing with building types it can be numerous kind of business offices. Burglary must take place when a person only unlawfully entered your home or building without permission. Depending on the state’s the status of the laws for the offense of burglary can be considered a felony. Robbery is when a person has taken or trying to take something from another person that has value unlawfully by force, intimidation or even threatening that person. Robbery is different from burglary because in order for a person to commit the offense of robbery, a victim must be present at the time of the incident for the crime to occur. Depending on the states and the values of the item that was taken from the victim at the time of the incident the states statues of the laws for the offense of robbery can be considered a felony. (DeMille, 2016). Burglary and robbery are the same in only one category; both are considered to be property crimes.

“Americans have always had ambivalent feelings about crime and punishment” (71). Many say our American System of Justice is broken, for they believe the system is looking to just punish those who have done wrong and is not looking to rehabilitate them, especially for juveniles. Then there are some who say, the American System of Justice does not need to change for it already punishes criminals with due process, and rehabilitates them. The American System of Justice should change the way they punish criminals, because those who are incarcerated for nonviolent crimes are taking up space in our prison system, juveniles are being put in solitary confinement and coming out more damaged than they were, and lastly some offenders are serving to long for the crime they committed.

Fear of crime, especially random violence perpetrated by young Americans, is among the nation's greatest concerns. It has served as the motivation for countless numbers of people to change their lifestyles, take self-defense classes, install home security systems, and carry handguns for protection. Moreover, fear of crime has influenced politicians and

     Crimes against people include assault, kidnapping, murder, and sexual attacks. Such crimes usually bring severe punishments. Crimes against property include arson, automobile theft, burglary, embezzlement, forgery, fraud, larceny, and vandalism. In most cases, these crimes carry lighter penalties than the crimes set against the person. Robbery is the crime most difficult to classify. The law considers robbery a crime against the person or against the property, according to the case. Robbery may involve simply stealing property from another person, but when a personal encounter occurs between the robber and his victim, it may include violence and bodily harm. This usually occurs during muggings or other strong-arm robberies.

Although most people look at poverty and crime as two different social problems, they are interconnected in our society. Wheelock and Uggen (2006) made five core arguments in the article Race, poverty, and punishment: The impact of criminal sanctions on racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic inequality. This article discusses how crime, poverty, and punishment are all connected. Understanding each of the five core arguments allows someone to grasp how this interconnection of social problems affects society.

First of all, the world in which we live in depends a lot on financial