Policy Process
CJA 580: Public Policy Issues
University of Phoenix
Dr. Matthew Geyer, Faculty
May 15, 2010
Policy Process Society relies on the criminal justice system to maintain order within communities and to maintain a safe environment for community members. Society expects the criminal justice system to provide justice by separating the guilty from the innocent, to incapacitate dangerous individuals, to promote deterrence to law-breaking individuals, and to rehabilitate offenders. An important expectation of the criminal justice system is to provide fair and just consequences to criminal offenders and assist the offenders with reintegrating into society. Some of the expectations of the criminal justice system are not met
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Many narcotic offenders do not desire to break laws; their main concern is monetary gain. Alternatives policies in regard to narcotic offenders should be implemented to assist them with reintegration, rehabilitation, and to actually deter them from reoffending. A possible policy to implement to avoid incarcerating non-violent offenders is implementing a program that assists offenders with education and seeking employment. A program of this magnitude will give offenders the opportunity to remain connected with society and will give them the opportunity to become successful members of society. The program may provide job training skills, education courses, and employers who are willing to employ individuals with a criminal history. Not only will this program benefit ex-offenders, it will also benefit the companies that hire them. The Work Opportunity Tax Credit is a federal tax credit given to companies to reduce the federal tax liability of employers to be used as an incentive for employing ex-offenders (Tax Credits, n.d.). The main objective of the policy is to provide crime control and crime prevention oppose to punishing offenders only for them to reoffend. Implementing this policy may become a challenge because of the procedures necessary to implement the policy. The first step and most important step of starting this policy is compiling a list of employers
One of the main barriers that inmates face when they are released from prison is limited cognitive skills, limited education and work experience, and substance abuse or other mental health problems. Substance abuse and other mental health problems limit employability because it limits the job readiness that is required for employment (Holzer, Raphael & Stoll, 2003). Another issue that is faced when inmates are released into society is that any skills that they did have prior to conviction has diminished greatly and they face lower pay due to their diminished or lack of skills, and the attitudes that have been developed during their time in prison deeply affects their attitude during their search for employment. Offenders also face another barrier when searching for employment. Many businesses can be held legally liable for any criminal action that their employees may cause (Holzer, Raphael & Stoll, 2003). These barriers that offenders face upon release is why solid solutions and planning must be implemented when considering the integration of ex-felons into society and preparation for reentry must begin well before the scheduled release date in order to successfully reintegrate an inmate into society and reduce the rate of recidivism.
Statistics have proven that incarceration alone is a monetary pitfall and does not deter the cluster of non-violent drug related crimes in this country. We need to create an alternative habilitation pattern for these offenders including an assessment of their mental health, specialized life skills training, and occupational employment assistance: in some cases, in lieu of incarceration and in others, in conjunction with incarceration. Ask yourself these questions: What affect would this type of intense program have on the recidivism rate? Would we be saving tax-payer dollars by producing graduates from drug rehabilitation programs instead of housing repeat criminals? To
Within the Criminal Justice system, comes a structure of both practices as well as organizations that main role is to uphold not only social jurisdiction, but to discourage and diminish criminal activity. The Criminal Justice system also sanctions those who violate the laws of the land with penalties and reintegration of the criminals into society. In the United States, our policy has been guided by the 1967 President 's Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice, which issued a ground-breaking report 'The Challenge of Crime in a Free Society ' (President’s Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice [Presidents Commission], 1967).
Finding a job in today's labor force is difficult for those who have been incarcerated in their past. This issue must be addressed in the near future because it affects a significant portion of society. Those affected by this disfunction in the job market are at a great disadvantage. They have a much lower likelihood of finding a job because employers see a criminal background, but do not notice any of their redeeming actions. This is a big problem for ex-felons because they are unable to be employed after their release from correctional facilities. Their inability to find a job deprives them of a constant income in which they need to support themselves. This not only affects the ex-felon but his or her family as well leading to an increase
Throughout my policy paper process, I experienced a full range of emotions. If I am being completely honest, I did not I want to write a policy paper. I had been dreading for the past three years. I had always heard the horror stories about how terrible they were. However, throughout the process of writing this paper, I deduced that all of the stories to be extremely exaggerated. I unexpectedly found myself enjoying my topic as well as discovered the ease of the actual writing itself.
Factors that increased the risk of incarceration, if not addressed while in prison, may well impact the rate of future incarceration? Focusing prison resources on known factors for incarceration as well as providing programs that improve or help bring an offender into the parameters of societal norms, should at the very minimum indicate that a primary responsibility of incarceration is to release offenders who are more able to function within society. This paper would address the conditions that correlate with risk of incarceration and recidivism. Counter strategies may minimize recidivism thereby significantly reducing prison
The American criminal justice system is built upon societal contribution. The Police Commission defines criminal justice as “the means for society to enforce the standards of conduct necessary to protect individuals and the community” (President's Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice, 1967, p. 7). By “societal contribution,” individual persons help furnish both figuratively and realistically the interior and exterior of the criminal justice system by helping the institution both financially and physically. Nonetheless, a few common misconceptions arise with the system. In most cases the distinction between the different branches in the criminal justice system leaves behind unclear and misunderstood images of what
I once believed the police and fire departments, court, correction, and social services to be independent entities that provided communities with individual services that sometimes complimented one another by the basic interchanging of information and services. Through this module, I have learned these entities are a very complex and although independent rely on inter-connectivity and communication comprise the criminal justice system. These entities share a common goal to uphold the law and maintain justice in our society (Silver, S. 2011. CJ in the USA an introduction to Criminal Justice. (1st ed., p. 1). The criminal justice system is divided into
Some inmates are fortunate enough to be released to families who are expecting their return and are willing to help support them until they get back on their feet, which is one less barrier that they need to overcome. However, some are returned to the community with no one to help look after them or provide them with a home or monetary relief until they find a job. Which continues to add to preexisting barriers that offenders already face. When prisoners are released into the community in similar terms like these, they are left to be their own support system. At this point the offender must look for a place to live and a job to supply for their necessities. But when someone has a criminal record employers in most states can deny jobs to people who were arrested, but never convicted of a crime. (After Prison: Roadblocks To Reentry, 2004, p. 10). When states allow employers to ask about prior arrests and convictions that limits the ability for offenders to gain employment. In the United States there are 37 states that allow employers to ask about their criminal background even if the applicant was not convicted. And then there are 10
The criminal justice system recognizes the importance of restorative justice practice and programs to offenders in reducing the overall national crime rates. It also recognizes that a range of improvements is necessary to achieve successful integration of offenders to the community. Some of the programs that will ensure reduction in the number of individuals incarcerated must be
The criminal justice system contains different aspects such as the due process, restorative justice, crime control and social justice models. Criminal justice contains both historical and social content of crime. This article discusses a claim made by many journals, articles and the entertainment results.
Primarily, the goals can be categorized into two very distinct missions: the need to enforce the law and maintain social order, and the need to protect people from injustice. (Peak 2001) I find the criminal justice system very beneficial to society. The Criminal Justice System has come along way. Theses practices were established in England prior to colonist settling here in America. The study by Herbert Parker recognized crime control and due process being two models of the criminal justice system. Crime control model resembles an assembly line justice, which a premium is placed on solving and closing cases with little concern for individual’s rights or attention to actual guilt or innocence. Due process model assumes the most important that the rights of innocent or falsely accused be protected. The Criminal Justice System is made up of 3 components: police, courts, and correction. All 3 play a major role in crime control today. I will discuss the history of each
The criminal justice system and the criminal justice process has shaped the laws of this country into what they are today from the concerns of politicians and government leaders as far back as the 1800s with crime control. Basically, the criminal justice system was designed to ensure the safety of individuals whom are citizens of this country. Essentially, the criminal justice system is “the structural basis used to maintain social control” (Education Decisions, 2010). The criminal justice system has many components that work together to provide justice for criminals and victims of crimes. This enables violators of the law to be prosecuted in a fair trial. The legal definition of a crime is a wrong doing
The consistent stigma and discrimination towards individuals with a criminal history makes the transition back into society particularly challenging. Individuals struggle to find gainful employment and stable housing, which often leads to their engagement with criminal activity, increasing chances of becoming incarcerated again. Incarceration should discourage prisoners from returning to bad habits, but unfortunately those who are released sometimes they feel they have no other choices. The judicial system needs to have proper systems in place to help prisoners transition into their new lives.
This journal focuses on the aims of criminal justice system in delivering quality service to the community through public safety enhancement. The author has highlighte some of the measures and steps the system has taken to ensure it achieves its objectives and interaction with various parties. These parties include; victims, witnesses, the accused and criminal justice professionals.