An Effective System
20, March 2013
2nd Assignment: “An Effective System” “Specifically, the growing threat that sexual predators pose to our Nation's children and their families represents an area where our criminal justice system has failed the American people,”(Unknown) is a quote by an American politician of the Republican Party, Paul Gillmor that illustrates the failures of the current American criminal justice system. According to The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes, the purpose of the criminal justice system is to enforce its distinct agencies: legislative, adjudication and correction to operate together both under the rule of law and as the principal means of maintaining the rule of law within society (UNODC 2). The problem with the system is that, according to William J. Stuntz, a professor at Harvard Law School, the justice system emphasizes on process and procedure rather than principles (Stuntz 3). One of the major failures of the criminal system is that it is adversarial; it focuses on winning rather than discovering the truth. Another issue is that the justice system has given up on rehabilitation. It is just a place where convicts go to be warehoused. Prison makes criminals worse when they come out, instead of trying to get them to stop committing crimes. Also, the fact that the system is incredibly tilted against the poor and minorities is a concerning issue. According to the Dodge County Judge Steven Bauer, an effective justice system should be based on steps such as: problem identification, agenda setting, policy formulation, policy implementation, and policy evaluation (Bauer 4). These steps are necessary to reshape America’s justice system and thus alleviate prison overcrowding. What would be then, an effective solution for American criminal justice system? I believe that an effective criminal justice system should be enforced equally, rigidly and educational.
For one, an effective criminal justice system should be enforced equally. Bauer says that
2nd Assignment: “An Effective System” “Specifically, the growing threat that sexual predators pose to our Nation's children and their families represents an area where our criminal justice system has failed the American people,”(Unknown) is a quote by an American politician of the Republican Party, Paul Gillmor that illustrates the failures of the current American criminal justice system. According to The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes, the purpose of the criminal justice system is to enforce its distinct agencies: legislative, adjudication and correction to operate together both under the rule of law and as the principal means of maintaining the rule of law within society (UNODC 2). The problem with the system is that, according to William J. Stuntz, a professor at Harvard Law School, the justice system emphasizes on process and procedure rather than principles (Stuntz 3). One of the major failures of the criminal system is that it is adversarial; it focuses on winning rather than discovering the truth. Another issue is that the justice system has given up on rehabilitation. It is just a place where convicts go to be warehoused. Prison makes criminals worse when they come out, instead of trying to get them to stop committing crimes. Also, the fact that the system is incredibly tilted against the poor and minorities is a concerning issue. According to the Dodge County Judge Steven Bauer, an effective justice system should be based on steps such as: problem identification, agenda setting, policy formulation, policy implementation, and policy evaluation (Bauer 4). These steps are necessary to reshape America’s justice system and thus alleviate prison overcrowding. What would be then, an effective solution for American criminal justice system? I believe that an effective criminal justice system should be enforced equally, rigidly and educational.
For one, an effective criminal justice system should be enforced equally. Bauer says that