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Compare And Contrast The Models Of The Criminal Justice System

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The criminal justice system consists of models and theories that often contradict one another. Of these models are the crime control model, the due process, model, the consensus model and the conflict model. In this paper these models are evaluated and defined, as well as each entity in the criminal justice systems role within each model. Policing, corrections and the court system all subscribe to each model in some way and in a hurried manner in cases that dictate such a response. As described by Erik Luna in the Models of Criminal Procedure, the following statement summarizes the aforementioned most appropriately.
The slippery slope becomes exceptionally slick during times of intense public anxiety and perceived social peril. …show more content…

This model consists of public moral decisions on criminal justice rather than the justice systems element involvement.
The Conflict Model

The conflict model is named appropriately as it directly conflicts with the consensus model. “Those who reject the consensus model do so on the ground that moral attitudes are not absolute. [sic] “In large democratic societies such as the United States, different segments of society will inevitably have different value systems and shared norms” (p.6). The conflict model basis its stance on social class, income, age, and race. This model cites that those who exist separately within each aforementioned category are fighting for control against the other. The only similarity of the consensus and conflict models is that in the consensus model, those who consider themselves of moral value and the norm in society are also considered so in the conflict model; making the decisions in criminal laws because these attributes make them superior. The above comparison can result in an integrated definition of crime. The basics of crime or criminal action are:
1. Punishable under criminal law, as determined by the majority of a society or, in some cases, a powerful minority.
2. Considered an offense against society as a whole and prosecuted by public officials, not by victims and their relatives or friends.
3. Punishable by statutorily determined sanctions that bring about the loss of personal freedom or life. (p. 6).

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