The Criminal Justice System

The victim states, “And that distorted me, damaged me, almost broke me. It is the saddest type of confusion to be told I was assaulted and nearly raped, blatantly out in the open, but we don’t know if it counts as assault yet (Baker).” The article demonstrates the emotional distress of the victim while also questioning the morality of the aggressor and the democratic system in defending offenses such as this. The reader grows sympathetic to the agony that the assault and the aggressor has caused and continues to cause throughout the case. The victim's letter encourages victims to speak out and find strength to overcome and help others and condemns the assault of anyone, especially of someone who is unable to consent to the sexual activity. The use of ethos encourages victims to speak out and find strength to overcome and help others and condemns the assault of anyone, especially of one who is unable to consent to the sexual

The introduction of Nils Christie’s ‘Ideal victim’ theory (1986: 18) refers to victims of crime who can attain the status of a legitimate victim in the eyes of the public. Christie outlines a criteria which needs to be followed in order to gain this full status of a ‘legitimate victim’. Christie’s ‘ideal victim’ however is not the same as a legal victim and often real victims of crime deviate far from the concept of the ideal victim (Beck & Janbakhsh 2010). This therefore means that using Christie’s ideal victim theory to give someone the title of a legitimate victim is often detrimental. Male victims of sexual assault often deviate from the ‘ideal victim’ criteria set out by Christie, this means that when they encounter the justice system, their experiences are often marginalised or discounted entirely.

In the criminal justice system there is very rarely a single linchpin that can be pointed to and held responsible for the failure to convict a seemingly guilty person. This reigns true for the very public prosecutions of both Casey Anthony and George Zimmerman. In the eyes of a vast majority of the public, fueled by media spectacle and opinion, Anthony and Zimmerman were guilty even before they ever saw the inside of a courtroom. There simply could be no other answer. The public was subsequently outraged when, after what seemed to be trials of certainty, juries acquitted each. The public sought to find someone, or something to blame. The verdict could not be accepted and many turned their focus to condemn the workings of the criminal

The United States Criminal Justice System is an extremely complex, but yet extremely important part of the United States. The criminal justice system is defined as “the set of agencies and processes established by governments to control crime and impose penalties on those who violate laws). Although there are many different groups of people that make up the criminal justice system, the two main and most discussed the state division or the federal division. The state division of the criminal justice system deals with crimes that are committed within any given states boundaries. The federal division of the criminal justice system deals with crimes that are committed on property owned by the government, or if a crime is committed in multiple states.

Victims also emphasised how they don’t always want their offender to be punished harshly, but instead want the Criminal Justice system to use more therapeutic justice practices to prevent further crimes happening in the future. This essay will argue that the process leading to an outcome is more important than the outcome itself to victims of crime. In saying this, it needs to be addressed that this is not the case for every victim. Victims have diverse needs and expectations of their Criminal justice process and many still do want punitive punishment as the main outcome. It needs to be noted that the views expressed in this essay are not the views of all victims of crime and it can never be assumed that all individual victims will want the same outcome or have the same definition of Justice (Williams,

On the one hand, some argue that psychological effects can interfere with a victim’s testimony. The psychological trauma that a victim suffers from being sexually assaulted can have effects that can last for decades. California Coalition Against Sexual Assault often report that after being assaulted victims feel “shame, self-loathing and fear” and Joelle Casteix is no exception. “It took me years to understand the extent of my abuse and recover enough to come forward, but by that time, the criminal and civil statutes of limitations had expired. Even though I had evidence that my choir director had sexually assaulted me, there was nothing I could do to stop him from targeting other vulnerable teens” (Casteix 1). Casteix’s point is that many victims don’t understand that they were assaulted until after the limitations. This makes it very difficult for victims to come forward about their assault because when an assault is reported after the limitations very little can be done for the victim. It had taken Casteix years to understand what had happened to her before she had came forward only to be told that her case couldn't be prosecuted even with evidence because she apparently had taken too long to recover from her assault.

The United States criminal justice system has failed to rehabilitate criminals. Even after being penalized for their crimes, prisoners continue to commit crimes without learning that what they did was wrong from being incarcerated and are sent back to prison. Jails are set up to aid those imprisoned by helping them obtain skills that will hopefully reduce future incidences and allow them to act like the citizens they should be. However, punishing criminals is not as productive as many think it is. This is shown by the increased imprisonment rate from 250,000 in 1976 to almost 2 million by 2003 (Lynch 26, 49). Instead of learning how to work towards handling their problems, inmates are expected to learn from their mistakes by being isolated from society and even sometimes from human contact. Since the prisoners are unable to learn from their delinquencies after doing time in prison, many recommit offenses and find themselves back in jail. Prisons should become more education based, to achieve this goal the overall costs of prisons has to decrees. According to Shadd Maruna, director of the Institute of Criminology and Criminal Justice for Queen’s Law, “of the more than 100,000 released from prison each year, 70 percent will return to prison.” The re-incarceration is mainly due to the incapability of these convicts to re-adapt into society. After being detached from the real world, it is problematic to adjust to changes, depending on how long the prisoners were

The American Criminal Justice System is one of the best in the world, as it works relentlessly to find a balance between Herbert Packer’s suggested crime control model and due process model. Throughout the course, we have analyzed the different levels of the criminal justice system and have broken down where the criminal justice excels, such as the different courts for juveniles that work to meet the needs of children, and other areas that need improvement. Though the Criminal Justice System is a fundamental part of our nation and was created to protect society, while ensuring that certain rights are given to prisoners, defendants, and other actors, there are flaws within the system that need to be fixed. If appointed Czar of the Criminal Justice

There are many aspects of the criminal justice system that must be considered when determining the most important. Each area of the criminal justice system has its place and plays an important role in the process. For example, an arrest cannot be made without the police, the case cannot be reviewed or adjudicated without the courts, and the convicted individual cannot be placed into supervised confinement without corrections. However, the courts are the most important aspect of the criminal justice system because the decisions made in and outside the court system can serve as a guide for the other areas of the criminal justice system to follow. More specifically, judges and prosecutors hold tremendous power and can shape how laws are enforced,

Garland argues that a new predicament has occurred over the last 30 years within the criminal justice system that encompasses one of the six adaptive responses. One of the six is believed to effect the various implications for administrative and political actions.

It is important for the victim to feel like she/he has a clear understanding on how the process works. Up until recently there was no concept of victim’s rights or even compensation for the victim. Media and television producers highlight negative aspects of the process in being a victim going through the criminal justice system. Therefore, it is crucial to address any myths about the criminal justice system. It is also import to address myths about being a victim. For example, a male who has been raped by another male may assume that he is going to be labeled as a homosexual, however, genetically, that is not possible. Addressing fears that a victim may have in the aftermath of the attack may bring comfort and stability to the

Throughout this semester in Criminal law and Procedures I have learned about the criminal justice system more and the laws and procedures behind it all. There have been many cases in the past that have helped us define laws in present day and this cycle continues to happen. But, there are many laws that have not changed or procedures that do not make sense in the court of law. Procedures in the criminal justice system can be so precise that if one word is not said or one small action is not done, it could make or break a case. There are many laws and procedures that I would like to change as well as many I would like to keep.

One approach to change the system may be to incorporate into criminal justice the objective of restoration – repairing the harm done by the crime itself. “Repairing harm may be a more appropriate response to crimes, and may be the only way to truly address the needs of victims of crime.” (Peter Merideth, May 1, 2009). In our traditional system of criminal justice, the victim has little to no role to play other than as witness for the prosecution. “This is the greatest complaint of most victims and victim advocacy groups” (Peter Merideth, May 1, 2009). After the victim reports the crime they are rarely notified or informed of the proceedings unless they are called upon to act as a witness. In order to implement a restorative approach, there

Women around the world are sexually assaulted and victimised, with lack of support systems resulting in them being silenced, leaving them with long term effects such as depression and other mental illnesses and fears of being attacked again. The women that are sexually abused feel that they're being targeted again, either when they're talking about it and receive negative feedback, the fact that they have a higher chance of being assaulted again, and that the fear of the court procedures that they'd have to experience. Most women don't report being raped or having been sexually assaulted because it's such a traumatic event, they fear further injury, fear the court procedures, and they don't want to talk about it, leading them to not get the

The reason why the Criminal Justice System (CJS) exists is to ensure justice is delivered –punish the guilty and help them stop offending, while at the same time protect the innocent. The penal system often employs different measure, some of which may involve the deprivation of fundamental human rights, such as freedom. Nevertheless, they are often justified on the basis of requirements of just social order and beneficial impact. The ongoing political debate and media coverage seem to be constantly accusing the CJS of leniency and inability to take appropriate actions, requiring it to issue harsher punishments.