Criminal Justice Trends Paper

The basis of criminal justice in the United States is one founded on both the rights of the individual and the democratic order of the people. Evinced through the myriad forms whereby liberty and equity marry into the mores of society to form the ethos of a people. However, these two systems of justice are rife with conflicts too. With the challenges of determining prevailing worth in public order and individual rights coming down to the best service of justice for society. Bearing a perpetual eye to their manifestations by the truth of how "the trade-off between freedom and security, so often proposed so seductively, very often leads to the loss of both" (Hitchens, 2003, para. 5).

Terrorism has never been in the States; only in third world countries. Since 9/11-2001 is has been a reality and ongoing nightmare and hit close to home. The attack on the World Trade Centers in New York was a wakeup call. United States has been on high alert ever since, waiting for the next possible Terrorists attack. This paper will explain why terrorism is a law enforcement concern as well as how terrorism is considered a crime. At last the paper will state some recommendations that the American Criminal Justice should do, to better prepare for future crimes.

This paper takes into consideration many of the challenges that are present in the current United States criminal justice system. It engages in the discussion of changes that should be made in order to increase the public value in public agencies including the police and the courts. Initializing these reforms can create the necessary public value for a more democratic justice system that serves the needs and reflects the values of society.

You succinctly described how people should conduct themselves daily as if they are being videotaped. As you noted, the moral compass of a person is heightened when they believe they are being watched. In the Criminal Justice System, video evidence has become a necessary measure to ensure transparency and accountability. Video documentation such as body cameras are said to improve behavior and deter the use of excessive force. When citizens see police officers wearing their body cameras, they will also tend to act more constrained. It is then a plus for both law enforcement and the community. However, some critics of this type of video documentation belief that it becomes an invasion of privacy and certainly contains some limitations. “Body-worn

A 2014 U.S. National Research Council report, authored by some of the nation’s leading criminal justice scholars, notes:

For many decades the population in the U.S. has been in the hands of the criminal justice system. Law enforcement, courts, and corrections have been making sure that the streets stay clean and that the community is safe. These three components work together in order to ensure justice is being served fairly. Although these three parts, of the criminal justice system, are different in many ways they succeed because of those differences. The different knowledge and insight each individual has about the criminal mind and behavior helps them make a fair assumptions and decisions when dealing with criminals and the society.

The book “Out-of-Control Criminal Justice” highlights how the criminal justice system is out of control. Daniel Mears, the author of the book, uses a research-based strategy to show the perceptions of people who work or have been affected by the criminal justice system. This book is a valuable read and a brilliant resource for students and criminal justice enthusiasts who are interested in how the criminal justice system works. The book gives a list of comprehensive problems that are plaguing the system. The book then offers ample strategies on how these problems can be controlled to increase justice, accountability and reduce crimes at a less cost. The strategies include greater responsiveness to victims of crimes, understanding the consequences

The old adage, "The more things change, the more they stay the same," first stated by Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr, perfectly describes the current Criminal Justice System in America. The racially-motivated statutes passed during Reconstruction, commonly known as the Jim Crow Laws, enforced and perpetuated the racial divide in the South supposedly eradicated by the Emancipation Proclamation and the end of the Civil War. Lasting until 1965, these statutes prevented African Americans from voting, owning land, and earning an equal education (Alexander 3). While not outwardly racist, through wording and enforcement, these laws subjugated African Americans to unfair and racist treatment.

One of the most fundamental functions of any civilized society is the protection of its citizens from criminal victimization. In the United States, the primary responsibility for protecting innocent people from those who would harm them rests with the criminal justice system. In the United States, the criminal justice system is divided into three categories: federal, state and military. In addition to these three categories, each state has separate divisions that deal with adult and juvenile cases.There are three components of the criminal justice system; policing, the court system, and correction. The policing component of the criminal justice system is comprised of the police department and the officers who enforce the laws.

The criminal justice system serves a couple of purposes, it allows investigating and punishing of anyone that is committing a crime also, it protects the citizens and tries to detour the public from criminal activity. What is a crime? It can be anything from illegal gambling to a very serious matter all together such as murder. Our elected representatives and congress make decisions about acts that can be punished by government. For all this to run smoothly there are a couple of objectives that the criminal justice system follows.

Justice is the next main debate that the couple discusses. There is some confusion about it that they try to clarify. Justice is what happens when someone does something wrong and they have to pay for what they did to someone else in a fair way (Barash 140). It is the price you pay from becoming the predator instead of the prey in today’s age. They argue that it is different from payback, but deals with punishment. That justice is, “payback with a purpose” (Barash 142). Punishment is deliberately inflicting pain (Barash 141). The victim in payback then could get punishment on a non-guilty person, which is wrong. On the other hand, justice is to obtain peace and have someone pay for a crime in a fair and equal way for their crime (Barash 142).

What is the criminal justice system composed of? The criminal justice system is composed of law enforcement, courts, and corrections. Law enforcement is in charge of enforcing the laws set by the legislature. Courts determine if a law has been broken and punish the person who has broken the law. Corrections make sure the penalty the person gets is enforced.

It is through the Criminal Justice System’s close collaborations with like-minded agencies such as the Police, Prison and Courts Services, that the public’s concerns and worries are resolved, in order to bring about justice in our communities (Cavadino and Dignan, 2007 as cited in Fox, 2014). With that in mind and out of the way, this essay will aim to explore some of the strengths and weaknesses, which are prominent within the Criminal Justice System. To do this successfully, the Police and the Courts Service will be the key agencies that will be explored in relation to the key Models that shape the whole Criminal Justice System. These Models were founded by Herbert L. Packer (1968) and Michael King (1981).

Such strategy may include targeting high crime areas, increased patrols, traffic stops, profiling, undercover and sting operations, wiretapping, surveillance, and aggressive raids and searches designed to break the back of criminal activity. Proponents argue that certain individual rights must be sacrificed for the common good. The positive effects of the strategy are obvious in that criminals and criminal activity become the direct target of law enforcement (Frank Schmallegar, 1999).

In the practice of criminal justice in the United States is one that attempts to create public safety to local, state, and federal communities safer for everyone in our society (Brody and Acker, 2010). We see over the