English Criminal Justice Argumentative Essay

Over the past couple of years, many people have seemed to question whether or not the criminal justice system proved to be an effective system. The Criminal Justice System is best defined as the set of agencies and processes established by governments to control crime and impose penalties on those who violate the law. For some, the criminal justice system has proven to be an effective system, because of its established laws and regulations to keep violence and crime under control, as well as keeping our society safe from harm. Others who oppose the ideals and principals of the criminal justice system believe that the system is a monumental failure that unfairly targets minorities and individuals. How the criminal justice system works in each area depends on the jurisdiction that is in charge; city, county, state, federal or tribal government or military installation. Different jurisdictions have different laws, agencies, and ways of managing criminal justice processes. The main systems of the criminal justice system are state and federal. State criminal justice systems handle crimes committed within their state boundaries, while the federal criminal justice system handles crimes committed on federal property or in more than one state. Despite its flaws and downfall, I believe that the criminal justice system has always and will continue to be the most effective system today, creating laws to help stabilize society, and to help our country back on the right track. One of the main reasons why the criminal justice system is effective and successful is because of its equity and effectiveness in wealth. For example, according to the article “The System Is More Fair and Effective than Ever,” the wealth of criminals also strongly influenced the early criminal justice system. The exposes of Lincoln Steffens and other early 20th century muckrakers revealed many cases of polices, prosecutors, judges, and prison wardens systematically corrupted by bribes from criminals, by politicians who had been bribed by criminals, or by both. Criminals who had no wealth routinely suffered beatings and torture in police attempts to elicit confessions. Confessions obtained by force were not barred by the U.S. Supreme Court until the 1940s. This helps us to understand that some criminals who were wealthy greatly influenced the ideals and hard work of the criminal justice system, in which the criminal justice system greatly worked hard to put an end to violence by establishing laws that were meant to keep society out of harm’s way. Secondly, the criminal justice system was more focused on fairness and effectiveness than ever as the 20th century closed. For example, specialized courts, such as drug courts and gun courts, were established to solve problems. The Department of Justice (DOJ) suits against police agencies filed under legislation passed in 1994 placed the police under stricter scrutiny than ever, although court supervision of prisons was reduced by 1996 legislation. Surveillance cameras in patrol cars, lockups, and in the hands of citizens (as in the Rodney King case) have greatly increased the visibility of police encounters with citizens, likely resulting in less police misconduct. This is important to understand that since the criminal justice system is broken up into many systems; courts, police, probation and prison services all have a central role in tackling discrimination, in making sure that person is entitled to their rights as a citizen. Police agencies nationwide, motivated by New York City’s success in reducing crime; pay more attention to identifying crime patterns and focusing patrol resources for crime prevention. Those against the criminal justice system might say that despite the criminal justice systems’ sustainable growth in reducing crime, the criminal justice system still remains far from perfect. The evidence to support their claim might be that evidence of racial discrimination, violations of citizen rights, waste, and inefficiency is abundant. Racial profiling, sentencing disparities, pockets of corruption, and unjustified killings remain major concerns. There is strong evidence that the system discriminated against African-Americans, recent immigrant groups (especially Roman Catholics and Jews), women, and children. African-American slaves had no legal rights and could, in most states, be killed by their owners without legal consequence; not much changed in the South during the first century after Emancipation. Women had fewer rights under the law than men. Children were especially susceptible to assault by adults, as incest and child abuse were rarely discussed or prosecuted. Despite how the justice system experienced flaws and failures, the criminal justice system is more fair and effective than ever, ensuring domestic tranquility and accomplishing the basic purposes of government. From unfair practices to handling discrimination and violent crimes, the justice system has greatly shown improvement over the past few years. However, our justice system is still far from perfect. The justice system must continue to work hard in making sure that they end violence, crime, and prejudice that threatens to destroy our society and way of life. In order for our country to be at peace and harmony, our nation must fight willingly to make ends meet in restoring our country to the way it’s supposed to be.