The United States Criminal Justice System - 1848 Words

The United States’ criminal justice system has been under scrutiny by countries of equal standing for good reason, what this country is doing, in an attempt to eliminate crime, is not working. Currently, in the United States, we are living in an era of â€Å"mass incarceration.† Almost 1% of men in this country and .1% of women are incarcerated (Phelps). With an incarceration rate of roughly 693/100,000 The U.S. stands far behind it’s NATO counterparts with the next highest rate of incarceration, in the United Kingdom, at roughly 145/100,000 (Wagner et al.). These high incarceration rates are reason for concern, and many researchers have begun to suggest solutions to this dilemma. In order to begin to solve this problem, we need to further†¦show more content†¦Tittle goes on to suggest different definitions, equating rehabilitation to law abiding behavior and stating that lower recidivism rates can be seen as proof of successful rehabilitation (Tittle, 3 86). Over 95% over our current prison population will be released back into society (James). While all four goals of our criminal justice system are important, it seems as though rehabilitating our former prisoners to better assimilate back into a law-abiding society should be our biggest priority. This â€Å"war on drugs,† initiated by Nixon, has been embraced by all presidents since and focuses on goals of incapacitation, retribution, and deterrence. In the 1970’s, more money was allocated to criminal justice, more strict laws were passed, more prisons were built, and more arrests were made. All of which pertaining to drug law enforcement (Anon, 2016). The implementation of the â€Å"war on drugs†, also brought about mandatory minimum sentences. These sentences invoke a specific minimum amount of time required to be served for each crime of which the defendant is convicted. This practice takes discretion away from judges and shifts responsibility to the prosecutors to decide with what to charge the defendant (Anon, 2016). These mandatory minimums also do not allow for the whole picture of the crime to be considered when deciding a verdict. The idea ofShow MoreRelatedThe United States And The Criminal Justice System Essay1662 Words   |  7 PagesThe Unit ed States considers itself to be the best country in the world. This sense of nationalism is present because of the country’s history of opportunities and their emphasis on the power of their people. Safety is a crucial aspect that peopleconsider when choosing where to live. The United States provides their citizenswith national safety throughthe enforcement of their criminal justice system.As a result of their intentions of maintaining a secure living environment, the United States has theRead MoreCriminal Justice System Of The United States1722 Words   |  7 Pages  Criminal justice is the system of practices and institutions of governments directed at upholding social control, deterring and mitigating crime, or sanctioning those who violate laws with criminal penalties and rehabilitation efforts. Those accused of crime have protections against abuse of investigatory and prosecution powers. Goals In the United States, criminal justice policy has been guided by the 1967 President s Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice, which issuedRead MoreThe United States Criminal Justice System Essay1132 Words   |  5 Pagespunished for a crime. The film focuses on racism in the United States’ criminal justice system. According to DuVernay, the part of the 13th Amendment that says â€Å"unless you are being punished for a crime† is a loophole that has been used to allow slavery to continue in the early days during reconstruction and even now. This loophole coupled with the criminalization of the black man has led to mass incarceration of minorities. The United States which has only five percent of the world’s population butRead MoreThe Criminal Justice Systems And The United States1169 Words   |  5 PagesThe criminal justice systems in Bolivia and the United States have different structures with some similarities. I was born in La Paz Boliv ia and we will be taking a look into Bolivia and the U.S’s governmental and criminal justice systems. Bolivia is a republic with a democratic government. The U.S. also has a democratic government. The Napoleonic code (civil code) and Spanish law compose Bolivia’s legal system, whereas the US is based on common law. The U.S. and Bolivia may have their similaritiesRead MoreThe United States Criminal Justice System1670 Words   |  7 PagesThe 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 â€Å"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 justiceRead MoreCriminal Justice System And The United States2244 Words   |  9 PagesAbstract The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world. Many failed policies have led us to the issues we have today. Policies such as America’s â€Å"get tough on crime† failed us and put us into a bigger hole than we already were in. Our criminal justice system needs to be evaluated and failed policies and procedures must be thrown out. It is a time for a reform for our criminal justice system. However, we must first address these policies and procedures that led us to where weRead MoreThe United States Criminal Justice System2824 Words   |  12 PagesThe United States criminal justice system is essential to the functioning of American society. A central component to the criminal justice system in our country is the U.S. courts. The U.S. courts uphold those rights guaranteed to U.S. citizens under the Constitution while also enforcing the laws and precedents set forth by the United States government. Over the course of the last several months I have b een given the opportunity to sit in and observe the workings and proceedings that take placeRead MoreThe United States Criminal Justice System1827 Words   |  8 Pages The United States criminal justice system has failed to rehabilitate criminals. 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