Month: February 2019
My Dream Jobs: Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) and Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP)
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to discuss my dream job. It includes at least two dream jobs including job titles, salary range, skills, and education required, experience needed, the nature of work, challenges, and rewards.
Keywords: CRNA- Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist, FNP- Family Nurse Practitioner, BLS- Bureau of Labor Statistics
My Dream Job
As someone being in school to become a Registered Nurse, I often do some research on possible future jobs. I plan to work as a Labor and Delivery RN after I finish the RN program. But my dream job, if given a chance is to continue my education to become a CRNA or an FNP.
Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist
CRNA’s or Certified Nurse Anesthetist administers anesthesia before or during major procedures such as surgeries. Based on the BLS survey in May 2017, CRNAs earn between $110,520- $194,990. A typical day of a CRNA involves administering various types of anesthesia in different routes such as IV or spinal. They explain the procedure to the patient or family, implement the plan for anesthesia and help in developing the care plan for the patient. They also monitor vital signs and possible complications from the anesthesia.
There are several steps to become a CRNA and will take a lot of years of practice and education. Without these, a CRNA may face a lot of challenges, like complications or life-threatening situations. An example is an epidural route of anesthesia, if one does not have the accurate skills and experience, A CRNA may accidentally hit the spine causing problems to the brain and spinal cord. The first step to becoming a CRNA is to get a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing and pass the NCLEX exam. After this, you have to work as an RN for at least a year to gain experience in a hospital setting, either in the intensive care unit or medical-surgical unit. Next step is getting a Masters or Doctorate degree in Nursing Anesthesia. After getting the degree, one can apply to take the National Certification, pass it and get the license. The skills needed for the job include a good understanding of medications, be a critical thinker, must possess excellent interpersonal skills and have a good attention to detail. But the most important skill is to be comfortable working with needles. Having all the skills and experiences mentioned above can make a procedure pain free and may also save a patient’s life. To me, that’s the biggest reward.
Nurse Practitioner
FNPs or Family Nurse Practitioners are RNs with degrees in specialization for treatment of patients in any stage of life. They focus on promoting healthy living and prevention of diseases. Based on the BLS survey in May 2017, FNPs earn $74,840 to $145, 630.
An FNP can work in a variety of settings like hospitals, clinics, or physician’s office. A typical day of an FNP involves assessing, diagnosing and treating patients. The steps to becoming an FNP are similar to becoming a CRNA. First is to get a Bachelor’s in Nursing degree, pass the NCLEX and obtain a license. One must gain at least a year of experience as an RN, after which you can enroll in FNP Master’s degree program. Upon successful completion, apply for certification and pass the FNP board certification exams. Skills desired include good attention to detail, must possess strong communication skills and must be a critical thinker with good reasoning skills.
One challenge an FNP can face is working with different physicians, who may have different styles of practice. An FNP should be able to accommodate supervising physicians. Being an FNP can be rewarding because you can to make a difference in a lot of people’s lives. You can meet a lot of families and help them to become healthy. It is a great help to the community.
References
(n.d.). Retrieved August 18, 2018, from https://study.com/articles/FNP_How_Do_I_Become_a_Family_Nurse_Practitioner.html How to Become a Nurse Anesthetist | 10 Tips. (n.d.). Retrieved August 18, 2018, from https://www.allnursingschools.com/articles/become-nurse-anesthetist/ Summary. (2018, April 13). Retrieved August 18, 2018, from https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/nurse-anesthetists-nurse-midwives-and-nurse-practitioners.htm
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My Dream Jobs: Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) and Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP). (2019, Feb 20).
Retrieved November 3, 2025 , from
https://studydriver.com/2019/02/page/4/
My Dream Job in Promoting Green Communities
At this point in time, I find the world of sustainability overwhelming. There are some many possibilities in so many fields of study and application. Every time I research sustainable practices I gain more knowledge that can be applied in so many facets. So, I not sure currently what my dream-job is the field of sustainability. I know that I want to be an advocate for a sustainable world and I like the idea of promoting green communities. I like the idea of “farm to table” services and sustainable forms of food production. But I also, like the idea of natural methods of remediating water and soil resources.
Many of the interests in the sustainable field that I listed, I do not currently have the skill-set to apply. To complete the homework assignment, I did choose an interest that fits the skill-set that I currently possess and applies the theories of sustainability in an educational sense.
Nature-based learning is not just about teaching future generations to be good stewards of the earth. It is about the development of the whole child through the interconnections of their earthly origins. The methodologies of nature-based learning are about the total emersion of academic development and human development. It is a venue in which all learning styles are addressed, and the 5-senses are actively engaged. The nature-based curriculum provides a cornucopia of learning pathways where in which a child becomes a full participant in their own educational process and are confidently able to own their own deductions.
The outdoor classroom engages the mind, body and soul. Children are given the freedom to use the boundless discoveries in an outdoor environment to develop their imagination, ability to self-express, gross and fine motor skills, critical thinking, social interaction and other learning developmental mile-stones.
Nature-based learning is not only an application for holistic learning for the learner it is also, a vehicle for preparation for living in a sustainable world. This current generation is on the cusp of a future in which sustainable practices will be a normal application in every aspect of life. Through nature-based learning, children will be able to make direct physical connections with the elements that make up natural and man-made resources that are used daily. Children will also develop a greater understanding of the interconnections and impacts that human populations have on the earth’s ecological processes.
The oracle of this holistic approach to learning is the nature-based educator. The Nature-Based Educator is responsible for building curriculum that meets academic requirements for each developmental level; however, they must also go beyond the standard application and presentation. Nature based curriculum walks a delicate balance between allowing a child the freedom to discover their own understanding and careful, constructive guidance from the educator.
The nature-based educator must be willing spend most of their teaching time outdoors. They must be adaptive in creatively intertwining standard teaching curriculum with the overriding theme of outdoor education and hands-on learning. Curriculum Development and preparation for nature-based is more intense then the standard classroom curriculum. This is based on the fact that the nature-based educator will be working in an environment with unpredictable variables. The classroom is the great-outdoors, with no walls for spatial boundaries. The nature-based educator will need to build a curriculum that utilizes what nature has to offer on any given day. Safety and protocols must also be built into each activity. Again, safety is another facet in which nature-based education walks a fine-line. The overriding philosophy of the outdoor classroom is to give children the freedom to explore. This means, climbing trees, rolling logs, playing in a stream, building forts and so on – all of which are considered potential hazards in a standard classroom setting.
A nature-based educator must be willing to embrace the elements of the great out-doors and be willing to turn any unpredictable natural phenomena into a learning opportunity.
It is with great enthusiasm that I submit my application for the position of Senior Nature-Based Curriculum Developer.
I have extensive experience in science, nature and recreational education program/curriculum development, presentation and training. My past job experiences have given me a wide variety of program development and facilitation in the classroom, outdoor nature education, and recreational environments. I have worked with all age levels including infants to seniors. I also, have significant experience in customer relations and recreation/park operations.
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My Dream Job in Promoting Green Communities. (2019, Feb 20).
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My Hero is Abraham Lincoln
A hero is someone who has been recognized for a courageous act or nobility in character. Heroes in my opinion are people who have attained special achievements in history and are remembered for their abilities and personal qualities which make them role models. Heroes are often remembered for risking or rather sacrificing their lives for the good of their people. However, not everybody is considered a hero in war, heroes are distinguished as ordinary people doing most ordinary things for a better good for their fellow humans. Moreover, the word hero tend to be overused nowadays making it lose its intended meaning. Heroes are meant to overcome their fears or dangers for the good of their people. Culturally, heroes are the people we look up to and possess admirable values. The long time heroes made a great impact on the society’s culture.
Every time I hear the word hero, I think of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States. Abraham was such a great person. He was the president during the time of civil war which was the bloodiest war ever in America. During his reign, my hero was able to free the slaves which is the main reason why I consider him as the most significant hero in American history. He stood for the rights of all citizens and encouraged freedom for all by considering everyone as equal. Abraham was born on 12th February in the year 1809. He grew up in a very poor family in Hardin County, Kentucky with his parents together with his sister. He was a well-educated passionate reader who studied both mathematics, literature, and law. He faced tragedy at the age of nine when his mother died from milk sickness. After the death of his mother, the father decided to marry a second wife named Sarah Bush Johnston. His sister also died later during childbirth leaving him as the only child. His family relocated to southern Indiana in 1816. Lincoln's faced challenges during his formal education as he needed to work always to help his family.
His family relocated once more to the South of Illinois around Macon County in the year 1830, and Lincoln handled a position wearing down a stream flatboat pulling cargoes from river Mississippi down to New Orleans. After settling down in New Salem town in Illinois, where he filled in as a retailer and a postmaster, he joined the government in support of the Whig Party, and won the race of Illinois state authoritative body in 1834. Lincoln and his Whig Party legends Daniel Webster and Henry Clay, opposed the act of slavery and slave trade within the districts, and had a spectacular plans of developing the country, with consideration on business and urban zones instead of agriculture.
Lincoln was a self-made lawyer, as he was able to learn law by himself and passed the bar examination in 1836 (Allison, Scott & George 167-183). He later moved to the recently named capital state of Springfield. He worked there as a legal advisor for a couple of years where he was branded the name "Honest Abe" due to his honest nature. He served customers running from singular occupants of residential communities to national railway lines.
Abraham was chosen to run for presidency during the 1860’s. He was the most opposed candidate at that time, and almost half the country seceded from the nation after he was elected. Although he was president for about four years, he is still considered as the greatest president leaving behind an important legacy in every nation today. During his reign, he was a courageous, humane and persistent president. First, he won the civil war that resulted at the end of slavery. He also managed to unite the nations despite the civil war. Amongst Lincoln's opportunity, the war was set between the Northern and Southern parts of America. Southern people needed slavery to be lawful however the Northern people wanted to end slavery. Lincoln was one of the general population who tried to free the slaves. He made it his need to free them and in the long run, he did. He led the union to war in order to stop the separation of the Southern State from the United States. Thereafter, he rebuilt the Southern State that was destroyed by the war and transformed it into an industrial state to boost the economy. In 1862, he signed the Homestead Act that entitled every settler who agreed to cultivate land for five years, sixteen acres of land.
Being an abolitionist, Abraham Lincoln encountered several obstacles in his attempt to abolish slavery. The main obstacle was the constitution. Most founders of the constitution were against the abolition of slavery making it difficult to change it. Lincoln made an extremely important move towards the thirteenth amendment that took effect in 1865, at the time of emancipation proclamation, which marked two years later. Also, before becoming the president, my hero ran for the legislative seat but lost twice in all his attempts. He also runs for the position of the speaker of the state and lost again (Blumenthal & Sidney 1849-1856). Next, he contest for the seats of the congress, senate, and vice president and missed all of them. However, in his final attempt to run for presidency, luck was on his side, and he won the election. In all his trials and errors, he was persistent. He stood stronger and showed determination in his mission to accomplish his dreams. Abraham Lincoln’s story shows that one should stand strong in the mission to accomplish their dreams. If you set your mind to do something, you will achieve it through patience and determination.
His win was influenced by Grace Bell, an 11-year-old girl who sent him a letter telling him to grow a beard. The girl thought that if he grew a beard, he would stand a chance to acquire more votes for becoming the president of the United States. Despite being a determined and brave hero, he was also an honest man. He once got extra change from a lady who bought something at a higher price in his shop due to his wrong pricing. When he realized his mistakes, he had to walk extra miles to the ladies house just to return the extra money.
In 1864, Lincoln went up against his rival, the democratic nominee the late Union General George McClellan in the last reelection battle. Union triumphs in challenge especially General William’s catch of Atlanta in September, obtained numerous presidential votes. In his second opening address, passed on March 4, 1865, Lincoln focused on the southern reconstruction mission and patch up the Union with philanthropy for all. Affiliation triumph was close, and Lincoln gave a speech on the White House plant on April 11, empowering the citizens to welcome the new Southern States into the overlay. Unfortunately, Lincoln was not able live to help achieve this goal.
Many Americans consider him as the greatest president of all time history to hold the presidential office. I would say his reputation is very well deserved considering all his achievements during his time in office. He was never a coward. He always stood up tall and fought for what he knew was right. He ran for the presidential seat because he was convinced that being a president, he was entitled to the powers to uphold, protect and defend the constitution. The end of civil war lead by President Abraham Lincoln marked the end to slavery of African Americans. I consider him my hero because he stood up for the rights of the weak people who were treated unfair. He outsmarted his adversaries, competitions, and united the nation amongst an intense time. His splendor, courage and heroic act ended the civil war hence creating a better future for the country.
The American view about heroes has somewhat been distorted. The particular qualities that make a person heroic have evolved with time to fit the preferable characteristics of the American culture at the present moment. To be considered a hero, one has to meet all the timeless and specific criteria of their society. Heroes who fail to meet their society’s changing standards lose their former echelon of respect and prestige from the society. Abraham Lincoln showed all the qualities of a hero and in America he is honored for his excellent work. What truly motivated Lincoln was the pursued of a better life; he was trying to run away from his rough childhood. He looked for books to read and what he read allowed him to see life beyond the farm. The farm did not challenge him intellectually; being poor was the challenge. He stood and led when many others fail to. Lincoln strived for success no matter the situation he found himself in; he either found a way or made a way.
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My Hero is Abraham Lincoln. (2019, Feb 20).
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My Hero is my Grandmother
A hero isn’t someone who wears a mask and a cape. A hero is someone who inspires others, never gives up, and encourages you to keep trying and to strive for greatness no matter how hard it gets. Someone who is there for you through the best, and worst, of times. A hero is someone to look up to, someone to inspire and teach you to always do the right thing, who never loses hope in you. Someone who remains strong and confident through everything. My hero is my Grandmother.
I chose my grandma, Pat, among all my heroes because she is the kind of person who is understanding and helpful even when you’re in trouble. She’s there whenever I need a hug or advice, and she always tries her best to make me feel safe and happy. I live with me grandma so we push each other's buttons, often, but we get over it and are laughing together in a matter of minutes.
My grandma is the absolute strongest woman I know. I was in the 6th grade when we learned that my grandmother had been diagnosed with Breast Cancer. I didn’t really understand what they meant at the time but, I knew it was bad. I also knew how strong my grandmother was. She is such a fighter. I never lost hope in her just like she would never lose hope in us.
Although my grandmother had a lot of sick days during this time period, she always kept hope. She never let anyone know how bad it really was. She always persisted and carried on supporting and caring for the people around her, which looking back I can see how difficult it actually was for her. After all her chemo treatments my grandmother kept fighting, she overcame cancer, and is now cancer-free!
My grandma is so loving, she puts who she loves before anyone else. I can trust her with every secret I have because I know instead of judging, she will try to understand. If I am crying, she will hold me and try to come up with a solution to the problem or try and talk it out. I can complain to her about any and everything without criticism.
She is the one person that inspires me to be a better person. And the only one who has not given up on me, no matter how difficult i may be. I will never forget her inspirational words, and the happiness she gives me on a daily basis. But, most of all, I’ll remember her love for every person in the world. And I hope she always remembers my love for her.
I learned through her experiences that it is better to continue on forward instead of trying to repair the past, which I know is impossible to change. In addition to this, I learned that nobody is born with bad luck, it is just something inevitable that can be changed through hard work and courage. My grandmother has taught me so many things and so many lessons. When I have grandchildren I can only hope I will be as phenomenal as she is. That is why I chose her, my grandma, to be my hero.
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My hero is my Grandmother. (2019, Feb 20).
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My Hero Annie Easley
What is a hero? According to the Miriam Dictionary, a hero is “a person admired for achievements and noble qualities.” For me, it is the noble qualities—those qualities that make up the character of a person--that define the hero. So, while achievements are usually more widely recognized, it is the character of the person that impresses me. The noble qualities I look for in a hero are talent, determination, humility, generosity of spirit, and a sense of humor. Someone who possesses these noble qualities is sure to be my hero!
Let me give you an example. One of my heroes is Annie Easley. She not only has multiple achievements to her name but also has the noble qualities I admire. First, I love math and so does Annie Easley. If we have that in common, maybe we have other traits in common too.
Ms. Easley used her math talents throughout her life. First, she was a “human computer.” That’s right, she did complex calculations for scientists, just like a computer does today. When it became clear that human calculators would be replaced by machines, she took it upon herself to expand her studies. She became a computer programmer while working for NASA. Over the course of her career, she learned computing programming languages like FORTAN and SOAP. She worked on code that provided the foundation for the launches of the space shuttle and communications satellites. She also worked on energy-conservation programs, including the life storage of batteries and alternate systems to solve energy problems. Ms. Easley was curious, and this curiosity led her to noticing what needed to be done. She then used her talents to get it done.
This makes it all sound so easy, doesn’t it? Just use your talents and get the job done. But, Ms. Easley was an African American, who faced racial discrimination throughout her lifetime. She had to take a test and pay money just to vote. She had to pay for her own schooling, even though NASA paid tuition for others. To pay her tuition, Ms. Easley had to continue to work full time while she went to school part time. These examples show her determination to achieve her goals. She did not let others stand in her way, and I admire her for that. She once told an interviewer, “My head is not in the sand. But my thing is, if I can’t work with you, I will work around you. I was not about to be so discouraged that I’d walk away.” Without determination, Ms. Easley may not have accomplished all that she did.
Ms. Easley became a role model for others. She showed her generosity of spirit by actively participating in school mentoring and outreach programs. Through her speeches and presentations, she encouraged female and minority students to consider a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) career. While always working as a scientist, she also took on the role of an equal employment opportunity (EEO) counselor. In this role, she helped supervisors address issues such as gender, race, and age discrimination. All these activities took time, and she graciously gave her time and talents to these efforts. As Ms. Easley herself humbly observed, “I never set out to be a role model or a trailblazer;” but, as you can see, that is exactly what she became.
Finally, Ms. Easley had quite a sense of humor. For example, in high school, she thought about pursuing a career as a pharmacist. When asked why during an interview, she replied, “it may have something to do with going to the corner drugstore, where they had all of the candy and the ice cream.” Let’s face it. Who wouldn’t like a job that puts you near ice cream every day? Luckily, Ms. Easley decided to pursue her math talents at NASA, where her sense of humor, along with her talents and determination, helped her through tough times, such as discrimination, again and again.
Annie Easley has all the qualities of a hero. She has talent, determination, humility, generosity of spirit, and a sense of humor. Annie Easley inspires me not only to pursue my math abilities but also to be a good person. And that is why, Annie Easley is my hero!
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My Hero Annie Easley. (2019, Feb 20).
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My Hero’s Journey
It all started on November 6, 2010. It was my seventh birthday party. I was having an animal themed party. My friends and I had just done presents and were about to go have dessert. For dessert, my mom made two different cakes. One was a chocolate black cat, and the other was a yellow cocker spaniel cake. Right before we went in the kitchen for the cake though, my dad exclaimed that he had to go outside and quickly grab one last gift. Suddenly, my dad opened the front door and walked in carrying the sweetest little cocker spaniel. I was overwhelmed with feelings of thrill, excitement, and amazement! It was a complete surprise to receive a dog for my birthday! The cocker spaniel was pre-owned, and was seven years old too! We decided that his birthday would be celebrated on mine from now on. He was named Chip from his previous owners, and I was as in love with him! Anatole France said, “Until one has loved an animal a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.” (“A quote by Anatole France” Goodreads. ) To me, this is complete truth!
Whenever we took him to the doctors for check-ups, the doctors would be stunned by his health! Almost everytime we picked him up, the doctors would declare, “he is the healthiest cocker spaniel we have ever seen of his age!” Not only was my dog known for his exceptionally good health, he was also the most fantastically behaved dog I had ever met! He only ever barked in the first few years we owned him when someone would ring the doorbell, but after a few years that weared off. He never bit anyone! He would constantly be pinched, hugged, and teased by my younger sister in the first few years we had him, but he never showed any form of rudeness towards her! He just let her do what she wanted and had such outstanding patience and love for her.
He was playfull when he wanted to be, but no one would ever consider him a rowdy dog! Through the years, he kept up this angelic act and never lost it! In conclusion, he was almost as close to perfect as could be!
Flash forward about 7 years. Chip and I are now 14 years old. Chip is still extremely healthy, but is very old now. He is losing hearing and has very little energy. It was Christmas break, and my family left to DisneyLand for a family vacation. While we were gone, we left Chip at a pet hotel. DisneyLand was a dream as expected, and we took very little thought on Chip while we were gone, trusting that he was in good care. He must have felt like Odysseus’ men when they were held captive by Circe in her dungeon, or perhaps like Odysseus himself when he was held captive by the Cyclops along with many others. In the Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus expresses how much he misses his home when he says, “each day I long for home, long for the sight of home….” (Elements of Literature, pg. 654) Chip had no way to escape, all he could do was wait for the day when we come to bring him home once again. When we returned from DisneyLand, it was late on a Saturday night, but we couldn’t pick him up until Monday, because of store hours and policy.
When we picked him up, he was limping and had a little bit drool hanging from his mouth. This was shocking for us, because he never had health problems and never drooled. We kind of just shook it off at first though and figured that it was just a phase that would end soon. It didn’t end though. He continued to limp and his drool got worse. We attempted to wipe his drool, but whenever we did, he would wince. He began to starve because of the pain he felt in his mouth. His food was too hard to chew, and so he wouldn’t eat due to the pain he would feel from attempting to chew his food. Seeing that this was not normal, we decided to take him to some pet doctors to determine what was wrong and what we needed to do to help him.
The doctors told us that he had a disease that basically meant he was allergic to his gums. They removed about 6-10 teeth, and prescribed him with an antibiotic to fight off the infection. They told us to give him watered down canned food, because it would be easier for him to chew. The doctors also informed us that the fact that he was limping had no connection whatsoever to the disease, which means he was probably injured at the pet hotel, and the limping should end soon. We couldn’t believe this and we vowed never to take our pet to that pet hotel again! When his limping ended, he eventually was able to run and go up staircases again. While he was on his antibiotics, his drooling stopped almost completely! It seemed like there was hope at last! But once we ran out of his prescription, the drooling came back, and was even worse! “Seeing someone you love in pain is the most frustrating feeling.” ( Tacoma. Whisper. ) Not only was he drooling, but he was drooling blood! He stopped eating again and was losing weight rapidly. Due to the lack of fat on his body, he was always cold and would shiver and shake. He began to have bowel issues as well. Even his personality was noticeably different! Often times he could be found isolating himself from the family. When we were in the living room, he would go to my sisters room and just lay on her bed. When we were in the kitchen, he would mope in the piano room. He wouldn’t run like he used to. His hearing was worsening by the days. He was growing white and anyone would agree that he was going overhill.
We bought him more prescription, pulled more teeth, and the results just repeated. He was fine while on the antibiotics, but once off he was back to his miserable life. My parents took him from one pet specialist to the next, looking for answers to this giant issue that had spiralled out of control. The doctors and my parents came to the conclusion that he would either live the rest of his life (which wouldn’t be too long anyway, seeing that he was 14) in pain and on antibiotics, or that we put him down and thus end his pain. When my parents shared the news with me, I was devastated. I felt similar to how Penelope must’ve felt when her husband was gone for a decade and wondered if he had died, but tried to have hope that he didn’t. The only difference was, I had no hope. I knew that my dog’s life was coming to an end and there was nothing I could do to stop that.
“You have to accept that some chapters in our lives have to close without closure. There’s no point in losing yourself by trying to fix what’s meant to stay broken.” (“Quotes About Losing Hope” QUOTES HOPE. ) I realized that I had very little pictures of Chip and that if I was going to remember him properly, I needed some pictures of and with him. It was a struggle trying to take pictures with and of him though. First of all, he was never very photogenic and never liked us to take pictures of him. On top of that, he was gravely ill, had permanent blood and drool staining his muzzle, and looked just depressing. Nonetheless, we still took pictures. We took him outside late one night and Lucy (my six year old sister), my mother, and I began posing with him. He squirmed and fought as always, so we didn’t actually get desired-looking pictures with him, but I was still glad we did it. We also took some of just him when we went inside.
The day finally rolled around that we scheduled to put him down. It was a Monday morning, and I did not want to go to school. I wanted to go with my parents to the pet place to put him down and skip school that day because school sucks and I wanted to spend every last minute with him that I could. My parents wouldn’t allow me to though. They told me that it would be a lot easier on me if I didn’t see him go and if it happened while I was at school. Because mother knows best, I reluctantly went to school that day. When I got home, my mother found my sisters and I, and asked if she could talk with us in the bathroom. She told us that Chip was officially put down, and that’s when we lost it. I felt as Romeo did when Juliet died. “Death lies on her like an untimely frost upon the sweetest flower of all the field.” (“Romeo and Juliet Act 4, Scene 5 Quotes Page 1. Shmoop.)
Eliza (my 11 year old sister), Lucy, my mom, and I stood there hugging each other and bawling for probably an hour. My mother didn’t want us to become depressed though, and so she somehow changed the subject. Only after about thirty seconds, Lucy was cheerful once again, unlike Eliza and I. Chip was closer to our hearts than probably anyone else’s in our family, and we lost him. He was gone. We were able to stop the tears for a few hours though, and bleakly carried on. It was hard getting over the loss of our pet. My mother knew this, and she did all she could to lessen the pain we felt. She ordered all three girls cocker spaniel stuffed animals and an ornament with chip’s actual footprint on it. She also gave just me a little statue of an angel hugging a puppy that resembled Chip and said something like, “Chip, you left paw prints in our heart.” The gifts meant so much to me and I put the decorations on my dresser, and the stuffed animal on my bed in memory of him.
I tried to keep a positive outlook on what had happened though. Some days were a lot easier than others. My parents conducted a Family Home Evening on resurrection and the afterlife, and it brought a lot more comfort inside of our home.
Believe it or not, it didn’t take very long for my sisters to move on afterward. They began asking for a new dog almost daily. I was a faithful as Penelope was to Odysseus, and I was not ready to move on. In Loyalty in the Odyssey, it reads, “Penelope told the suitors she would marry one of them once she finished the shroud for Laertes, yet the text said, ‘So every day she wove of the great loom-but every night she unwove it; and so for the three years she deceived the Ahkaians.’ (p. 22). The trick she used to distract the suitors shows her loyalty to her husband.” (Curtis, Christen. “Loyalty in the Odyssey.” Study Guides and Book Summaries.) Therefore, how could I be ready to welcome a new dog into my home a week after the only one I had ever had left? Honestly, how much do you really love your dog if a week after you want a new one?
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My Hero's Journey. (2019, Feb 20).
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Why my Mother is my Hero
We all have someone we admire and want to be just like one day and we all have different opinions about what a true hero is. The person I consider my hero is my mother, Angela Rivera. My mom has been there for me through thick and thin and she’s never left my side, not once. I wouldn’t know where I’d be in life today if I didn’t have her. She has brought me into this world and has done nothing but love me unconditionally and I am forever thankful for everything she does and has done for me. Nobody could ever replace my mother. She is the most humble, loving, and caring person I know and for that reason she is my hero.
When I think of a hero, I imagine someone strong and fearless, someone who works hard and doesn’t give up easily. Someone who can guide you and protect you; my mother has all of those qualities. My mom was raised by two wonderful parents, in a farm with thirteen other siblings. She was born in Mexico in a small Ranch named, “La Campana” it is an hour away from the nearest town, which is called “Coalcoman.” For that reason she wasn’t able to finish school because in order to go to school my grandpa had to drive her and the rest of her siblings to town which was an hour away from where they lived. This required many trips because like I mentioned before, my mom has thirteen siblings. This didn’t stop my mom. Even though she only made it to the sixth grade she has always taught me and my siblings that getting an education is important and that we at least have to finish high school. So every day I wake up and go to school to make her proud. My mother joined my father and came to the “land of the free,” the United States of America. They came here seeking for a fresh start and better economic opportunities. Both my parents worked in the fields every year, all year round to provide us with everything that we needed. After a few years of them being here my father decides to go back to Mexico alone, where he then was arrested. Ever since, my mother has worked very hard to make sure that we are okay.
A hero to me is someone who is there for you no matter what, even through the toughest times. My mom has never left my side, and I know she will always be here no matter what I’m going through. Whether I’m upset or celebrating a new accomplishment, she will be there waiting for me with her arms wide open. I’ve never met a person more loving and caring than her. She has always put my siblings and I first over everything; giving us the best life. My mother and I don’t have the perfect relationship. We disagree on a lot of things and we sometimes get in arguments but that will never change the fact that she is my mother. No matter how big the fight is we always end up making up because we both know that we can’t live without each other.
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My Personal Experience of Hero’s Journey
The Ordinary World
It was an ordinary Saturday. September 12, 2015 was when it all began. It was just another ordinary peach days in Brigham City, Utah. I would be in the peach days parade that morning for the B.E. United float. The time of the parade was coming closer and closer. Then they told us that it was our turn to go in the parade. We were so excited. We were standing on a trailer being pulled by a red pickup truck. We were hoping to throw candy off the float but we weren’t allowed to throw it from the float. It was a great parade and I had a ton of fun with my friends. We went and visited the rest of the booths with my friends and family and then we took a quick break at home.
We then went back to peach days and we went to al the free carnival games that are put on by local companies. At that time it was about 3:30 and then I remembered that I had a soccer game at 6:30. I thought it would just be like a regular soccer game, but that would not be the case.
The Call to Adventure
I warmed up like it was a regular soccer game and I was actually feeling pretty good about it. Then, about 20 minutes into the game we were still tied 0-0 and I jumped to clear the ball out of the penalty box and my own teammate slid under me and I did a front flip and landed awkwardly on to my left arm. At that moment all time stopped in my perspective and I was really confused about what just happened.
Me and 6 other kids heard a snap and then I started screaming bloody murder. It was the greatest pain I have ever felt in my life. Then I looked down at my arm and saw the grossest thing. My humerus bone had split into two parts and they were sticking against the opposite sides of my arm. Then I started screaming harder.
Refusal of the Call
The referee then looked at me gave me a dirty look and was about to turn around and keep going, and then he saw my arm. He blew his whistle to stop the game and motioned the coach and my dad onto the field. My coach and my dad were debating if it was a dislocated shoulder and if they should move me off the field or not. I was yelling “No don’t move me off the field it hurts too bad!” They then came to a solution that they should probably just keep me on the field and call emergency services.
That could have been the longest 10 minutes in my life ever. The soccer field that I was playing at was Perry Centennial Soccer Field. They first went to Perry Park and called my dad and said “We are here at Perry Park and we don’t see you here.” He then corrected them and said “We are at Perry Centennial Soccer Field.” After that they came to Perry Centennial and then attended to my medical needs. They gave me a an I.V. drip with some numbing medicine in it. They flipped me over onto an orange board and it felt like someone had just broken one of the pieces of my arm into even more pieces. Then everything became a blur.
In my brain it felt like they loaded me onto an ambulance and took me to the hospital in like one minute. In reality it was like 15 minutes. Then we had to wait in the waiting room for 15 more minutes to wait for an available emergency room spot. That felt like 5 minutes and then they put me on to the bed. After that the hospital staff immediately took me to the radiology center to take x-rays. They determined that I had broken my left humerus bone.
The Brigham City Hospital did not do humerus bone casts so they were going to send me down to Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City. My dad then contacted one of his friends from high school. His dad was an orthopedic surgeon. He said that we would not have to go to Primary Children’s because he could fix it. The only downside was that I would have to wait until Monday to get in to see him. So, they wrapped it up the best they could with gauze and a sling and sent me on my way with some strong pain medicines.
I wondered how I would be able to complete simple everyday tasks when I had this giant hassle that I had to deal with. I struggled to get into my parent’s minivan right after I left the hospital. It even hurt to get into our super comfy reclining chair that I had. At night time I just sat there and cried because it hurt so bad. I didn’t even know if I would be able to fall asleep that night.
Then the next day the visits started to happen from all of my friends and family. That was hands-down the most sugar I had ever received within a 2 week period. All the people that I knew from my grandparents to my soccer teammates visited me and gave me goodies.
Meeting with the Mentor
Monday came, when it was time to go to school for everybody else. I was going to see what was wrong with my arm and if it could even be fixed. At that point my doctor was debating on whether we should try a cast to fix it, or do surgery and put metal plates around the broken bone to make it stronger so it would never happen again. But he decided that he would be able to fix it with an extra heavy cast to bring the bone back into place. I was really angry at him for making me an extra heavy cast but it did end up fixing it. After he put on the cast I threw up because of all the extra strong pain medicines like percocet and other medications.
Tests, Allies, Enemies
My parents and I walked out of the building. Then with a new confidence about them my dad left for work and my mom took me home. Trying to get around the house without my dad was so hard. I could barely get out of my recliner. They tried to make it better for me by moving the T.V. so I wouldn’t be bored all day. But then there was school. The stress of school was making my life even harder.
This wasn’t your average break of the forearm or wrist. I broke my humerus bone, which is the bone that is connected to your shoulder. It wasn’t a fracture or anything, it was a total and complete break. It broke so bad because I had a cyst in my bone. Nobody really knows a lot about cysts because they are foreign to the human world. They don’t know how they form, they don’t know how you get them, they don’t know if it is genetic or not either. They wanted to test me and see if there was any common things between me and other people that had cysts as well. My parents didn’t ever follow up with the genetic doctors because they didn’t want to pay for anything that wouldn’t benefit us.
For the next two weeks I struggled to move around the house. Then my doctor told me that I would be able to go to school the next Monday. I wondered if I would even be able to go. I struggled to stand for longer than five minutes at a time because of how heavy the cast was.
Without my friends, me going to school would have been impossible. They helped me get to my classes and helped me walk through the halls without anybody bumping my arm. The intermediate school never seemed so intimidating before. The narrow hallways, the crowding of all the people, the demanding teachers. The list goes on and on.
My broken arm took me out of a lot of activities that I loved to do. It took me out of soccer, basketball, and other activities that I loved to do. I really wanted to do all of those fun things but my body was just physically not able to.
The Reward (Seizing The Sword)
Then, exactly a week from when I broke my arm, all of my soccer teammates and friends came over to my house for a huge get together. There was like 40 people in my backyard all there for me. It was so much fun and I got a ton of way cool stuff that I still have. They signed two posters saying get well and a soccer ball with all their signatures. They also gave me two giant bags of candy that added to my massive collection of sugar. This really helped me get through this tough part in my life. Most of them also signed my cast so I had over fifty signatures on my cast.
After that I was able to go to school everyday and make it through having my giant cast. After four weeks of the big cast, they cut it down to a small cast that was just over my humerus bone. Then it became easier and easier everyday to go to school. Even to this day I am still so thankful for all of my friends and soccer teammates that came to my house that Saturday in September 2015.
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My Personal Experience of Hero’s Journey. (2019, Feb 20).
Retrieved November 3, 2025 , from
https://studydriver.com/2019/02/page/4/
My Hero Paper about Officer Nelson
My hero has a lot of grit and bravery he is amazing at his job and in fact he one time arrested his own daughter! He is officer Nelson.
He went to my old school and went in his cop car and circled my old school eight times on thursdays, when that happens he checks that all of us are safe from cars and shady people. Then he rarely would honk at our school cadets just checking we were doing our work and not slacking off. In fact the school was short of a think shirts for me so officer nelson gave me his donut he was saving for later p.s. it was boston creme and I was wearing a neon green shirt anyways. Officer nelson works first and third shift so he only really gets eight hours of freetime which i'm sure he wants to rest for most of those eight hours some of those other hours he is our school police officer then the other few hours he works as a city police officer. Officer nelson also goes inside our school and helps us with our worksheets being super silly (on thursdays as well).
Officer nelson works first and third shift so he only really gets eight hours of freetime which i'm sure he wants to rest for most of those eight hours some of those other hours he is our school police officer then the other few hours he works as a city police officer.
Officer nelson is a really nice cop some other cops ticket you for things you barely did officer nelson gives one warning even if you completely did it usually when you hear cop you get a little nervous or scared not I I think fun when I hear officer nelson. Officer nelson is a corporal so he is really good at his job like he can tell if someone is buzzed and then driving even if they have no signs of it and he can spot cigarettes in someone else's car real easily (if they are underaged).Officer nelson is also forensic as well so he is real good at fingerprinting and sometimes meat grinds peoples fingerprints off and he is real smart about the police building and the us bank building and other places.
Officer nelson gave us a tour of the police station in scouts two times for free buses lunches and the thing itself. Officer nelson teaches think to fifth graders (it's like drug safety) if you think about it he could have saved somebody's life right there.
Officer nelson is really hard to annoy if any children are interrupting him he is completely fine with the children also if they shout out something inappropriate he answers the question Completely normally. In third shift officer nelson sometimes work jail duty he gets to stay with the prisoners to make sure they don’t escape and wreak havoc. Officer nelson even went to some court trials and got to say “will everyone please rise for judge whatever” (note he did not say judge whatever) in state court.
Officer Nelson is funny smart tough and nice rolled up all into one big package that is why Officer Nelson is my hero.
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My Hero Paper About Officer Nelson. (2019, Feb 20).
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Criminal Justice Reform Addressing the Core Deficits of the Criminal Justice and Legal System
INTRODUCTION
The intent behind the criminal justice system includes controlling and reducing crime to maintain public safety, retribution so that people are punished for their wrongdoings, and deterrence, by the imposition of negative sanctions in order to sway people against committing crime. Many founding philosophers have shaped how we view justice and have indelibly defined what justice and punishment is and what those concepts should entail. For example, classical theorist and enlightenment era thinker, Cesare Beccaria believed that, “[…] because people think and act rationally, they will be deterred by a certain degree of punishment, and harsher punishment beyond that is not needed” (Barkan 2015:92). Thus, today we are challenged with the task of deterring crime through punishment, but doing so in a manner that exceeds what is necessary. Today, we have failed the ideals of theorists like Beccaria.
It appears as though in our pursuit toward a more just system, we have instead formed a criminal justice system that is wrought with deficiencies. Some of these shortcomings include, overpopulated prisons, a broken judicial system that inclines defendants, both innocent and guilty alike, to choose plea deals, the over-incarceration of nonviolent drug offenders, poor prison conditions, and high rates of recidivism.
Notwithstanding the vast issues facing all facets of the American Penal System, there are policies we can implement to combat these issues. A few steps toward effective policies include legalizing or decriminalizing marijuana use and lessening sentences for drug crimes can help alleviate mass incarceration. Additionally, treating mental illness outside of the criminal system may help to mitigate mass incarceration as well. Improving prison conditions and better preparing inmates for life after will help reduce recidivism rates, and comprehensive bail reform in all states will ensure that vulnerable populations such as the poor are treated more equitably.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Reviewing current statistics allows us to keep the state of criminal justice issues in perspective. According to Gramlich (30 January 2018), violent crime in the United States has drastically declined over the past twenty-five years. It is also worth noting that in 2016, the incarceration rate in the United States dropped from its peak of 2.3 million in 2008 to 2.2 million, its lowest in twenty years (Gramlich May 2018). Gramlich (May 2018) asserts that this drop may be attributed to the decline in violent crime, along with changes in prosecution, judicial patterns, and changes to criminal law.
These statistics, although accurate, can give us a false sense of comfort in that the prison population has declined, however the fact still remains that even with a total prison population of 2.2 million, the United States still has a significant prison issue. Specifically, the United States makes up five percent of the world’s population, but has about twenty-five of the world’s prison population (Collier 2014). This means that the United States has a higher imprisonment rate than some of the world’s most brutal authoritarian regimes.
Additionally, there are clear racial and socio-economic implications that indicate minorities are disproportionately, negatively affect black bodies and other minorities. In regard to race, racial differences in incarceration rates are narrowing, however, blacks still account for thirty-three percent of sentenced inmates (Gramlich 12 January 2018). While there have been some changes, the fact remains that it will take some time to undo the long-term implications that a criminal record has on ex-offenders. Collectively, society has more work to do towards mitigating these disparaging realities. While numbers may change, the fact remains that our system has become more punitive and less rehabilitative.
Perhaps no recent case outlines some of the many issues listed above as much as the story of Kalief Browder. Gonnerman (2014) was the journalist to break the story. Gonnerman (2014) explains that on or about May 15, 2010, then sixteen -year-old Kalief Browder was arrested with his friend in connection to a robbery (a backpack), after leaving a party in the Bronx. That night, Browder was searched by the police and although they did not find anything and Browder maintained his innocence, the two were arrested and taken to the Forty-eighth Precinct and questioned (Gonnerman 2014). According to Gonnerman (2014), Browder was interrogated seventeen hours later by an officer and prosecutor. Following the event Browder had a court hearing and was told that he was being charged with robbery, grand larceny, and assault (Gonnerman 2014). Next, according to Gonnerman (2014) Browder was held on $3,000 bail, which neither he nor his family could afford.
Truly the details I have outlined do not exhaust the injustices and inhumane conditions Browder was subjected to at the hands of Rikers Island and by the Court System. Ultimately Browder’s case was dismissed, but only after being held on Rikers Island for 3 ½ years (Gonnerman 2014). To name some of the horrors, Browder spent upwards of a thousand days in solitary confinement and he suffered severe mental issues as a result (Gonnerman 2014). Further, he was forced to fight or be beaten by other inmates and did not have protection from guards. In regard to the Court System, Browder had countless adjournments on the case in the prosecutions attempt to stall in order to find the alleged victim that was in Mexico at the time (Gonnerman 2014).
Further, according to Gonnerman (2014), after being released Browder tried to reclaim his life, even finding work and attending community college, however he faced violence in his home neighborhood and eventually succumb to his mental health illness via suicide after the article was written.
Stories like that of Kalief Browder occur often, but go unheard. One reason his story was sensationalized and aired as a documentary on Netflix is because like many people familiar with his case have commented, his story is an example of everything that can go wrong in the criminal justice system all in one. It is often only through grassroots initiatives or media sensitization that the general population is made aware of the horrors of what actually goes on in some of the country’s worse prisons. Therefore, media can have an important role in criminal justice reform by making the public aware of conditions that are usually hidden. However, efforts are often met with polices that keep reporters away. Huber argues that, “[m]edia access policies are important not only because they have an effect on who is allowed inside prisons, but also because of what goes on outside prisons” (Huber 2017:247). Here, he argues:
[m]edia access policies that restrict face-to-face inmate interviews are unconstitutional because (1) there are no viable alternative forms of communication, (2) media access policies are not neutral, and (3) there is no “big wheel” problem. Prison restrictions do not operate in a neutral fashion, and instead seek to censor the content of expression; media access restrictions do not fall within the “appropriate rules and regulations” to which “prisoners necessarily are subject” and, instead, abridge inmates’ First Amendment rights (Hubert 2017:272).
Here, Huber (2017) suggests that the protection of the First Amendment needs to be applied to investigative journalism in order to expose the shortcomings of our prisons so that we can do something about it. Unless we deal with the plights plaguing the criminal justice system, we will continue to hear about more people who had similar experiences to Kalief Browder.
In addition to exposing these issues through investigative journalism, I submit that that if we focus on these core issues: drug laws, bail reform, poor prison conditions and mental illness, and recidivism, we will not only begin to see a more equitable system, but we will also have a system that is more effective in fulfilling some of its founding goals, including and perhaps most importantly, deterrence.
DRUG LAWS
Drug laws should be amended to legalize or in the least decriminalize nonviolent drug offenses such as marijuana use. According to The Federal Bureau of Prisons (2018), 46% of those incarcerated are there on drug offenses. I argue that since many prisons are already overcrowded, we can begin to drastically reduce the number of those incarcerated by legalizing or at least decriminalizing certain drug offenses. Additionally, by allowing states to have control over drugs such as marijuana, they can then tax it and use that money for public services.
Additionally, we must look at what can happen when we place nonviolent offenders who have committed victimless crimes in the same place as violent offenders. According to Albert Bandura’s Social Learning Theory of Aggression, people tend to learn violence and it is learned based on exposure in their environment (Barkan 2015:154). Thus, if someone who was once nonviolent is put into a situation where violence is normalized and sometimes even necessary for survival, they are more likely to learn those norms and continue those acts that are considered deviant to the rest of the population once they are released. This creates the potential for more crime. Therefore, amending drug laws can help reduce overcrowded prisons by keeping nonviolent drug offenders out of prison in the beginning and it may help reduce the recidivism rate.
BAIL REFORM
According to the Bureau of Justice Assistance as part of the U.S. Department of Justice, between 90-95% of criminal cases are resolved through plea bargaining (Devers 2011:1). In a cash bail system and a judicial system where the wealthy can afford better attorneys, many defendants choose to plead guilty instead of going to trial even if they are innocent to avoid the potential of a lengthy sentence or penalty or to be temporarily released. The story of Kalief Browder is similar, except because he refused to admit guilt and maintained his innocence on principle, he suffered greatly. Many others in his situation choose to plea out even if they are innocent.
Luckily, efforts have been made to address the issue of bail. For example, On January 1, New Jersey largely got rid of monetary bail and replaced it with a new bail reform based on a Public Safety Assessment (PSA) (Grant 2017:1). The Criminal Justice Reform (CJR), has, in pertinent part:
(a) dramatically transformed the process for making pretrial release decisions, (b) implemented pretrial monitoring through the newly-formed Pretrial Services Program, (c) created procedures and electronic tools necessary to enforce the speedy trial timeframes established by statute, and (d) developed overall technological solutions, including automation and rapid electronic dissemination of information, to efficiently process criminal cases in our state (Grant 2017:1).
This new system attempts to administer justice in a more equitable way that does not disadvantage the poor, by focusing on factors such as public safety, whether or not defendant is likely to reoffend, defendant’s ties to the community, and whether or not defendants are likely to show up for court proceedings. However, the system is not without flaws. The report also indicates that revenue for the fiscal year declined 2.4% below the previous year, defendants need access to resources to treat substance abuse, mental illness and to gain housing; and the cost of monitoring is too expensive (Grant 2018:5). Despite the apparent flaws with the Criminal Justice Reform, this is a new program and it may take some time and readjustments in its implementation before it functions smoothly.
PRISON CONDITIONS & MENTAL ILLNESS
Many people who encounter the criminal justice system are simply mentally ill and because of the gaps in other social institutions such as affordable healthcare, they often get involved in criminal behavior and some even self-medicate with drug use. Further, once incarcerated, the nature of prisons tend to exacerbate mental illness, not much unlike Kalief Browder who suffered PTSD and other conditions after his experience at Rikers Island. Some likely causes of this include overcrowding, solitary confinement, a lack of fulfilling everyday tasks, a lack of close relationships and a lack of comprehensive mental health care within prison facilitates. Therefore, it is in our best interest as a society to make efforts to improve prison conditions and to provide rehabilitative tools for prisoners so that they can be healthy, functioning and contributing members of society once released.
RECIDIVISM
The ultimate goal of the criminal justice system is arguably to deter criminals and to stop crime. However, I argue that since the prison system is largely not rehabilitative in its current state, it creates an ironic cycle wherein individuals are more likely to reoffend after punishment. In fact, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, “[f]ive in 6 (83%) state prisoners released in 2005 across 30 states were arrested at least once in the 9 years following their release” (Alper et al. 2018:1). There are many theories that try to explain the phenomena, but literature suggests that economics play a significant role.
Robert K. Merton’s Strain Theory or Theory of Anomie suggests that when there is a disconnect between the goals of society and a means to achieve it, that disconnection leads to deviant behavior (Merton 1938). We can apply the strain theory to an ex-convict who was recently release. For instance, when an ex-convict does not gain proper training in order to make them hirable while incarcerated and when employers do not want to hire them, they are faced with the challenge of finding gainful employment in order to survive, but not being able to find any work to sustain themselves. As a result, some turn to crime.
Sociological research compliments this theory by providing a concrete example of how this works. Devah Pager (2003) created an audit study to find out the employment implications that mass incarceration has on black and white men. Specifically:
The basic design of this study involves the use of four male auditors (also called testers), two blacks and two whites. The testers were paired by race; . . . the two black testers formed one team, and the two white testers formed the second team. The testers were 23-year-old college students from Milwaukee who were matched on the basis of physical appearance and general style of self-presentation. Objective characteristics that were not already identical between the pairs—such as educational attainment and work experience—were made similar for the purpose of the applications. Within each team, one auditor was randomly assigned a “criminal record” for the first week; the pair then rotated which member presented himself as the ex-offender of each successive week of employment searches, such that each tester severed in the criminal record condition for an equal number of cases. (Pager 2003: 946-947).
The testers then audited 350 employers by interviewing for open positions.
In regard to race, Pager (2003) found that, “Blacks are less than half as likely to receive consideration by employers, relative to their white counterparts, and black nonoffeners fall behind even whites with prior felony convictions (Pager 2003:960)”. Here, we see this circular pattern in which blacks are both more likely to be incarcerated and are then more likely to be denied employment regardless of any past criminality.
Other sociologists have observed the racial undertones of the criminal justice system. Specifically, Alexander (2010) studied the historical parallels between the implications of slavery and mass incarceration. She found six core parallels: legalized discrimination, political disenfranchisement, jury exclusion, closing court doors, racial segregation, and the symbolic production of race. Alexander (2010) asserts that the shift from Reconstruction era to the Jim Crow era mirrors that of the shift to mass incarceration in which blacks are solidified as subordinate citizens, thus forming “The New Jim Crow,” where blacks are prevented from fully integrating into society after imprisonment. First, Alexander (2010) explains how legalized discrimination is a mechanism used in order to discriminate against blacks. Next, according to (Alexander 2010) political disenfranchisement suppresses black voters who have criminal records. Similarly, closing court doors refers to the colorblindness embedded in the law where because law is written in race-neutral language, it is often difficult to properly argue unfair laws that have clear negative racial implications (Alexander 2010). Finally, in regard to symbolic production of race, the black body is objectified and becomes associated with negative traits inherent criminality; these negative perceptions help justify over incarceration (Alexander 2010). Similarly, in addition to increasing race and class inequalities in incarceration, mass imprisonment may mark a basic change in the character of young adulthood among low-education black men” (Pettit and Western 2004:154). Further, Pettit and Western (2004) found that black men were incarcerated at such a high rate, that it became a part of a life course. From (Alexander 2010) and Pettit and Western (2004), we can see that race-neutral policies have very tangible outcomes that alter the life course for black bodies.
Despite the deeply embedded cyclical nature of recidivism, there are ways to mitigate recidivism rates. Many of these problems and solutions have been viewed from a sociological perspective, but we can and should branch out to other related fields for insight. For example, we can also rely on the work of psychologists who also have concrete solutions. Specifically, Andrews and Bonta (2010) assert that efforts to reduce crime and to deter criminals should focus on rehabilitation of offenders rather than implementing more severe punitive measures. Specifically, “[their] underlying approach suggests that crime prevention efforts that ignore, dismiss, or are unaware of the psychology of human behavior are likely to underperform in regard to successful crime prevention” (Andrews&Bonta: 40). Instead, they advocate for cognitive social learning and counseling to help reduce the chances of ex-convicts reoffending (Andrews & Bonta). In addition to behavior changes, policies can be implemented to address race-neutral laws that have tangible racial implications.
DISCUSSION & CONCLUSION
Based on the data, it is clear that if we attack the core issues plaguing the criminal justice system, namely drug laws, bail reform, poor prison conditions and mental illness, and recidivism, we can begin to make improvements in crime reduction. This is no simple task because many of the issues have a reflexive relationship. For instance, initial incarceration makes it more likely for someone to reoffend and end up incarcerated again. The mentally ill people who are untreated have a higher chance of being incarcerated and we know that incarceration can exacerbate mental illness. However, the key is that we start somewhere. Just like with New Jersey’s Criminal Justice Reform, it may not be a perfect system, but it is a start and it can lead to even more effective changes. Through continued efforts to push new public policy to mitigate the racial implications in race-neutral policies, grassroots organizations and social entrepreneurship business models such as companies who hire ex-convicts, perhaps we can continue to better our criminal justice system one small step at a time.
Cite this page
Criminal Justice Reform Addressing the Core Deficits of the Criminal Justice and Legal System. (2019, Feb 20).
Retrieved November 3, 2025 , from
https://studydriver.com/2019/02/page/4/
Criminal Justice System Principles
The Principle of Legality
The principal of legality means that no one can be convicted of a crime if there is not already a law written defining the specific act as criminal. Although many of the core crimes committed in the United States such as murder, arson, theft, or rape have laws in place to protect its citizens, with the increased availability and use of technology, there are new crimes emerging for which no laws previously existed. Cybercrime was not even a term that existed fifty years ago, so it would have been impossible to have created laws protecting citizens for crimes such as these.
From a moral standpoint it seems that if someone knowingly does something that harms another, even if the act has not been deemed illegal, that person should be held accountable. However, the criminal justice system does not exist to anticipate and punish new crimes. The criminal justice system is in place to render justice and our justice system can never be given the power to convict a person based on what is considered moral over the written law. If a criminal finds a way to do something malicious without breaking the law, it is up to the process of the United States government to propose and pass a law to convict future perpetrators of the same crime.
Most of the laws in the United States are in place to maintain order and the safety of its citizens. Depending on the severity of the crime, the consequences vary dramatically. For example, running a red light will result in a fine, running a red light and hitting another vehicle will result in a fine and financial retribution to the other vehicle owner, running a red light and hitting a pedestrian will cause the police to become involved and criminal charges, such as involuntary manslaughter, could be imposed.
Theories of Criminal Punishment
When someone commits a crime that requires a punishment, the theory of criminal punishment, which considers the purpose of criminal punishment, there are two main classifications that have endured through the centuries (Samaha, 2017). Although the two groups seem as if they follow the same type of thinking, it is the idea behind the incarceration that differs. Retributionists seek a vengeful punishment to the offender. They feel is a person knowingly commits a severe crime like murder or rape, the owe it to society to receive a harsh prison sentence and that they should be hated by society. Although this seems extreme, there is a humane side to this school of thought in that culpability is considered. People who have accidents, such as motor vehicle deaths, are not on the retributionist radar for revenge. They are mainly interested in punishing those who commit crimes with the intent of doing so. Preventionists, on the other hand, think punishment should only be inflicted when necessary to promote the greater good of the rest of the community or to prevent future offenses, Preventionists would rather attempt to rehabilitate the offender by offering alternatives to jail time such as rehabilitation, divergence programs, work release programs, and community services. Deterrence methods such as suspended sentences or parole are also an alternative for preventionists. If a crime is severe or that rehabilitation efforts have not been effective, then preventionists believe a person should be incapacitated through incarceration, but for the good of the community and not as a method of revenge.
My Opinion
I believe that people who commit crime should be held accountable and receive consequences. Retribution has proved over the years to serve no real purpose in preventing criminals from reoffending after being released. In prisons who offer appropriate rehabilitation programs, particularly education, show the lowest rates of recidivism. Inmates who receive college degrees in prison are the least likely to reoffend, while those who receive no type of rehabilitation are likely to be re-arrested within a year of release. This is the reason I think prevention is the correct way of thinking about our justice system. Rather than having a revolving door on a prison, we should teach the inmates the skills to be a productive member of society upon release. Also, for younger prisoners who commit a first offense, other methods should be employed before locking them up. A first-time offender will fall prey to the prisoner subculture and may end up being a more educated criminal upon release from prison.
Presumption of Innocence
Any person who commits a crime in the United States is presumed innocent until proven guilty. Criminal investigators have been known to use surveillance tapes from businesses to try and piece together crimes in the past. Later, social media profiles were added to the list of things that were examined to piece together information about a suspect or victim. Forensic scientists examine the computers of suspects. With the evolution of cell phones that record video, every person can catch anything, including a crime, on video. The video taken by bystanders should be treated as any other piece of evidence that is gathered by detectives. It should be examined, authenticated that is was not altered and entered into evidence. The suspect will still arrive at trial with the presumption of innocence. The video recordings may make the suspects case unwinnable because it is like being caught red-handed, but if treated as evidence the same as a strand of hair or recovered weapon would be handled, then it is perfectly acceptable.
References
Samaha, J. (2017). Criminal Law (12 ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning. ISBN- 10: 1-305-57738-8 or ISBN- 13: 978-1-305-57738-1
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Criminal Justice Policy Making
In the criminal justice system there are many issues that are controversial. Every individual that makes up a society is entitled to having their own opinion based off of their aspect of justice issues and based off of these opinions/concerns, the need for change in these policies is created. One of the criminal justice issues that is controversial and effects many individuals are crime myths on race and crime, which basically is a belief by an individual about certain aspects of crime that isn’t necessarily true. Crime myths that are associated with Race are especially controversial. The policy community framework would lay out the influences on policy making that the participants, networks, and relationships associated with crime myths about race would have.
Crime myths about race often include the belief that White individuals don’t commit the most crimes, but the minorities are the ones who commit the most crimes. Minorities are most often considered to be individuals who are of color. An example of the myth that individuals of color commit the most crimes is, “Even the Reverend Jesse Jackson, a civil rights leader, founder of the Rainbow Coalition, and soldier in the fight for equality for all, subscribes to this myth. Jackson once said, "There is nothing more painful for me at this stage in my life than to walk down the street and hear footsteps and start to think about robbery and then to look around and see if it's somebody White and feel relieved" (Robinson, 3) From Jesse Jackson’s example, it is shown that individuals look at the color of an individual’s skin when thinking of criminality. People of color are not the only ones included in this myth, other minorities are as well. But most often it is shown that individuals associate African Americans with crime. These myths don’t have to necessarily do with the fact that a person is racist or because they are prejudice against a certain type of group, but because the media and institutions present these beliefs about race and crime that these individuals pick up on it and keep the belief going by sharing what has been shared with them, whether they know if it is true or not. Crime myths such as these can influence the policy making process because it isolates certain types of groups and based off of these isolations policy makers create policies that are unconsciously biased towards that group. Which basically makes it so that the myths on crime and race is created from the beginning at the policy making stage.
“Myths of race and crime start at the law-making stage. Such myths are reinforced through the interactions of each institution represented in Figure 1. As the police, courts, and corrections personnel enforce and carry out criminal laws, and as these activities are broadcast by the media, myths rooted in criminal law are reinforced or strengthened.” (Robinson, 3) As referenced above, the interactions of institutions such as the police, courts, and corrections, in a way legitimize the myths created from the beginning. The media just intensifies the reinforcement of these myths because they tend to jump to the conclusion that when a crime occurs, there is a African American suspect, and if there are other suspects, they tend to show the African American suspect first. The news media could be doing this unconsciously as an attempt to gain views instead of losing views, because people in the community tend to have an increased interest on violent crimes.
Using the policy community frame-work, the participants in the race and crime issues are the attentive public, which includes the media, members of the public who are interested in what happens in their communities, academic consultants, and also those individuals who are manipulated by the media. The government and institutions such as the police, courts, etc. are also participants in the race and crime issue present in the criminal justice system. Academics relates to the race and crime issues because you learn one thing about the criminal justice system while at school but then when seeing it being applied in the outside world, you see how different individuals attach their own perspective and beliefs, shifting to a change in the way things are taught to be. The network and relationship between the news media and the attentive public forms when the media broadcasts the new laws or policies being enforced or when they broadcast the mainly violent crimes and forget to include the remaining portion of petty street crimes. From these broadcasts the public forms their beliefs on crime based off of what is presented to them on the television or newspaper.
The relationship between the institutions and the government is one that is a give to give relationship, which means that the governments need the support of the institutions in order for their policies to be successful and the institutions need the government for their voices on issues to be heard and addressed. The reading stated, “Governments, for example, call ill afford to develop policy that will be met with criticism from professionals. Close ties with professional groups are cultivated to preclude such occurrences.” (Ismaili, 12) To gain the support from institutions, the governments seek to gain close ties before introducing policies in an attempt to avoid the negative criticism that could either make or break the success of the policy. There is a relationship and networking between the sub-government institutions and participants, who create the laws that these race and crime myths are attached to, then there is the private institutions and less central government agencies, such as the police, courts, etc. who enforce the myths, through enforcing the laws passed on to them, and the news media broadcasts the end result after a crime is committed or when a new law is created. These participants and their community relationship influence the policy making process because they are each dependent on each other for information on what is going on in the community, and the feedback they give either promotes the success of the policy or it suggests for changes. These participants can also either contribute and enforce the myths on race and crime or they can form beliefs based on the statistics that are also available to them. But they tend to influence the criminal justice policy making process when they enforce race and crime myths because they push for changes that make it harder on individuals of color or of a minority group, if they are arrested. Finally, the public gets their view on everything through the media and the cycle begins again based off of their concerns for what they view or perceive is happening.
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Psychologists Roles in Criminal Justice
The psychological approach of the law automatically prepare us for control in criminal equity framework and the objectives of our instruction definitely interweave our professions with our criminal equity framework. There are three position we may wind up working in, with a wide range of occupations in every, police force, corrections, or the courts framework. Every one of these three regions incorporates distinctive groups in our legal system, diverse capacities with guilty lawbreaker, and diverse purposes behind that wrongdoer contact. However, psychologists don't just focus on guilty parties, casualties, law authorization staff, the member of the jury, any witnesses, judges, prison guards, and probation officers in our justice system. Their exploration discoveries have effect on these career in the criminal justice field, and this duty accompanies the need to take after strict moral rules while creating and imparting exact data to clarify particular legitimate circumstances or settle lawful differences. In view of this, we will investigate the obligations, and moral contemplations scientific therapists confront while playing out these obligations (Greene, Fortune, Heibrun, & Nietzel, 2006) “The Hall (2011) website”
However, most courses in psychology depict just two parts for therapists: the researcher, who conducts essential research about the causes and improvement of conduct, and the applied psychologist (generally a clinical analyst), who tries to comprehend and help people or gatherings in tending to social issues. The potential outcomes are more detailed, be that as it may, when the analyst is associated with the justice system. We portray five unmistakable parts for therapists in the criminal justice system: basic scientist , applied scientist, policy evaluator, forensic evaluator, and specialist. The work inalienable in these parts ranges from separated scholarly research in psychology that might be important to law, toward one side, to dynamic joint effort with individuals who work in the justice system, on the opposite end “The Greene (n.d.) website”
Law enforcement regular assignment in the police analyst incorporate however are not restricted to officer applicant evaluation, officer risk assessment, hostage negotiations, stress administration and counseling for officers and in some cases their families. They may likewise be associated with different obligations, for example, police administration and preparing, instructing at the police institute, and at times work with the sex wrongdoings and manslaughter units on cases giving a mental view to the examination. (Davis, 1998). In corrections there are numerous assorted zones that the mental staff must know about, and obligations to perform. The primary therapist in any office is in charge of basically the emotional wellness prerequisites of their office obviously, yet have numerous different errands allocated too. This is generally unique relying upon which correctional department or office you end up working in as expressed by Correia (2010).
Therefore a few obligations are characteristic of every single correctional. Breaking down and administering to the prisoners with psychological instability in the office, getting ready evaluations for shifted branches of the legitimate framework, even brutality or suicide potential are a portion of these. Correctional officer analysts are additionally in charge of emergency mediation, alongside assessments of staff and treatment for the detainees. (Correia, 2010) Courts framework (barring jury determination) Psychologists work in the courts framework much the same as in the other two occupation, with numerous differing work capacities. One of the numerous regions they are associated with is a warning or specialist limit as a specialist witness, which could be for either the guard or arraignment. In a warning part, the analyst would inform a legitimate customer and lawyer regarding the knowledge that brain science could add to the case. In the duty of advisor, they may instruct the court on the particulars with respect to mental research, finishes of examinations, or even the feelings of other mental specialists “The "Roles Of Psychologists In The Legal System" (n.d.) website”
After reading this essay you will learn there are a few general occupation for psychology in the legitimate framework, and numerous particular vocations exist in psychology in the law (Bottoms, et al., 1004). However, psychological can affect the law in an assortment of ways. Essential specialists, researchers who look for general or fundamental information for its own particular purpose, and connected analysts, researchers who think about functional issues, can altogether impact the legitimate framework. In spite of the fact that these essential and connected methodologies have all the earmarks of being extraordinary, they exist as two finishes of a similar continuum. Essential analysts educate the lawful framework by expanding the accessible learning on points, for example, memory, human insight, and social impact. Therefore the fact that examination on the impacts of various maintenance interims on the review of records does not seem to address issues in psychology and the law, such research adds to the general assortment of learning identified with memory “The "Psychology And Law" (n.d.) website”
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Discrimination in the Criminal Justice System
It has been seen all over the country, causing riots and looting. These controversial events that seemingly happen more often than ever. The racial discrimination of our criminal justice system some may say have hit an all-time high. Nobody is saying that everything about the system is wrong but one person summed it up better than I could. Carlos Berdejo wrote, “research examining racial disparities in the criminal justice process has focused on its two endpoints—the arrest and initial charging of defendants and judges’ sentencing decisions.” (Berdejo 1) This explains it best because it shows us the worst possible points in the process, and where discrimination is most evident. It is very important how you talk about these things to not misrepresent the problem with weak evidence. I want to show one thing here and that is this. Preconceived stereotypes and systematic racism are essential to the discrimination of people of color in the criminal justice system.
Stereotypes can be as harmless as saying just because you're tall you should play sports. However, this isn't always the case, the criminal justice systems discrimination is based off stereotypes of people of color sometimes even over evidence. This isn't just a riding the wave of hype from social media and the top news channels. This problem has been broken down and examined hundreds maybe even thousands of times. The essay written by Berdejo was a great expression of this problem. Berdejo states, “White defendants are twenty-five percent more likely than black defendants to have their principal initial charge dropped or reduced to a lesser crime. This sort of problem will rarely be brought up because of the fact that they are found guilty just for different crimes. This sort of thing can be caused by many things, stereotypes for example. One stereotype you hear on the news about court cases is how dangerous to society the defendants are. If you put two and two together this is saying that people of color are thereby considered more dangerous to society than whites. This can be one of two factors, either it is the jury that thinks this or perhaps maybe even the judges themselves. You can see the problem here. Article #7 of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights from the United Nations puts it exactly how it should be, “All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.”
Not a day goes by that we as a country will ever forget the horrors of what happened before and during the civil war era. That was so long ago there can't be a problem with that now, right? Ever since the Jim Crow Laws were redacted from use many people ask if they are really gone or just taken another form for present-day America. Allen Beck and Alfred Blumstein quote Michael Alexander’s The New Jim Crow (2010) claiming “The racial difference in prison is largely attributable to intentional emphasis on offenses that blacks commit.” (Beck & Blumstein 854) This takes on a huge weight when someone claims this. It does have some substantial evidence of it. What is the difference from back then when they would arrest people of color for little to no reason? Now they can just lock you up for just being of color or maybe just give you an extended sentence. This just proves that previous history still plays a big role in the criminal justice system more than the evidence of the case. One example that you can maybe relate to just to let it sink in is this. When you see a retired professional athlete either working another job or just out and about you only think about who they were not about who they are now. They are just athletes to us nothing more nothing less, and I believe this same concept applies to people of color either before arrests or in the courtroom.
In the US we have a saying in our courts and justice system “justice is blind” this means that no matter what race, religion, ethnicity, gender, etc, that you will be tried the same as everyone else. We know that no matter how hard we want to believe this it is simply not true. Donna Coker brings up an amazing point about a misconception that African Americans account for more drug convictions and arrests because they are more involved in violent trafficking gangs, therefore, it would make sense. (Coker 830) She then goes on to say this, “There is no empirical data that would prove the Government's claim and that data that does exists suggest that claim may be inaccurate.”(Coker 830) After analyzing this find It got me to think what would the reasoning be for the excessive arrests in the black community? Whatever the reasoning is the statistics do not side with lack of evidence to support the Government's conclusion. Coker says “though African Americans make up about 12 percent of the national population, they represent close to half of those who are incarcerated for crimes.” (Coker 831) Although these statistics are not exactly current I have yet to see anything to suggest a change. The conclusion I receive from this is that skin color/ethnicity plays a bigger role is sentencing and initial arrests then some evidence that could be presented.
Racism is a word that gets thrown around a lot in today's day and age but many do not know what it actually means. It is very hard to decipher whether it is truly racism or just hate. This is what many believe is happening in the police departments and courts around the US. Many do not think it is racism involved or they might not be educated enough to talk about it. However, there are many cases and studies were done on this and some interesting experiences have been found putting the system we rely on into question. Deeply embedded racism is the cause of the unbalanced prisons over the actual crime rate. This is saying that the actual crime rate is not being controlled for all persons but instead people of color are targeted more heavily than whites. It has been shown in a study from Florida that blacks imprisonment rate is up to and even more than 6 times that of whites. (Bales & Piquero 743) The reasoning for this varies with each person you ask, but when the numbers are that staggering then something is very wrong. I believe that racism is still embedded in our collective minds and we all use it more or less when making decisions. It never really disappeared after the civil war era and are extremely worrying to a majority of America.
When you see the statistics and numbers showing these huge racial differences between blacks and white you obviously want it to change right? This is a problem that some are finding out recently. When many people are exposed to these things they don't have that expected response, even when you try to be completely clear and really show them what's really going on they tend to actually go in the other direction. (Eberhardt & Hetey 184) This might confuse you and it did me at first too but really it brings me back to what I said before. We are so race-minded that we can not just point out a problem and expect everyone to all get behind it together. When we are faced with an issue that does not directly affect us we rarely muster up much support on the issue. Since this problem isn't blasted over news outlets and kind of shoved aside it goes unnoticed by the general population.
This issue with our system in place isn't something we can just pass a law and completely fix it. However, I do believe one issue is possible to fix. In America we are able to defend ourselves in court with attorneys we can buy, however not everyone can do this so we provide for those individuals. The problem isn't that we leave them to fend for themselves is that the resources we give them aren't good enough to get a fair and even trial. The underfunded and understaffed public defenders offices are the root cause of this and more times than not it directly affects these minority groups. (Engstrom) Nothing will ever be more eye-opening then looking at the poor community when they are on trial for capital punishment. Is it acceptable to put someone's life in the hands of a public defender or should something else be done to ensure they aren't going to die because of a mistake a lawyer can make? “Poor people charged with capital offences in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Texas, and elsewhere usually have no alternative except to be represented by attorneys who lack the skill, knowledge, resources, financial incentive and willingness to protect their rights.” (Bright 690) Really this isn't necessarily a race issue, however, we cannot be okay with putting a below average unmotivated lawyer in charge of someone's life. It can be fixed by proper funding and training it is only a matter of time before this happens but for now, it is a waiting game.
Although this is such a controversial topic the one thing I think we all can agree on is if it's true it needs to be fixed sooner rather than later at this point. There are ways to fix this, however. We would need to completely switch the standards for our policing and our court trials. For some, this seems ridiculous and would hurt more than help but when you look at the numbers we already are almost to the point of no return. If you believe that we do not need drastic changes then this quote from Hester and Hartman will change your mind. “judges will feel ‘‘liberated’’ to individualize the sentence on a variety of factors. This ambiguity increases the likelihood that sentencing decisions might be influenced by the race of the offender (Spohn 2000; Spohn and Cederblom 1991; Spohn and DeLone 2000).” (Hester and Hartman 78) This should scream out to everyone the need for change. Our system should not be incentivized to convict individuals no matter what race. It is a known fact that District Attorneys are rated by their conviction rates and police departments by the number of arrests they make. Justice cannot be incentivized by any means or it goes against the saying I brought up before injustice being blind.
In conclusion, the problem with our criminal justice system has 5 factors that contribute to its discriminatory actions we see through the years. The biggest problem we face is the stereotypes drilled into our brains from movies, news, social media. It sticks with you for the rest of your life-altering your decisions. Next, is the deeply embedded racism starting back hundreds of years and we have yet to break through those grasps. This goes hand in hand with how our previous history affects our country today with The New Jim Crow and everything involving the rights of our black Americans. The one factor I think we as a nation should be able to eliminate is the lack of proper resources for defending the poverty-stricken individuals who put their lives in the hands of public defendants. Lastly the fact that it has been proven that the color of your skin can directly impact your conviction and sentencing is beyond me. You should always have a fair and even trial no matter what the charge or who you are as a person. The systematic racism and stereotyping are essential to the constant discrimination we see on a day to day basis in America. It is only a matter of time before it hits the point of no return.
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Racial Bias U.S. Criminal Justice System
Abstract
Federal government officials have noted there is a great unfair disparity amongst, African Americans and other minority group entering or already in the juvenile justice system compared to Caucasian Americans (karger stoesz 2018, p.365). Recovery from slavery is a massive task for most African Americans in America because they were considered non-citizens which further increased ethnic disparity (karger stoesz, 2018). The Native Americans and Latino Americans were not spared from segregation in addition the treaties serving the Native Americans were unequal to other minority groups practices (NAACP, 2018). After slavery was abolished, there were organizations set up whose goal was to control the acts of the freed slaves (NAACP, 2018). The Caucasian Americans were ruthless to the extent of breaking into jails and killing Negroes (Karger, & Stoesz, 2018). There were constant fights that existed between African Americans and Caucasians Americans as a result many were killed or injured during the interaction (NAACP, 2018). However, the important facts in history confirm that government officials and law enforcement officials did nothing to neutralize racism in poor underprivileged communities (Karger, & Stoesz, 2018). Prejudice in America towards minority youth and adults has been a major setback moving towards the future (Karger, & Stoesz, 2018).
Racial Bias in the U.S. Criminal Justice System
Congress amended an act in 1988, that would ensure that juvenile and adult offenders were confined in secure facilities according to their race (Gabbidon & Greene, 2012). Furthermore, it was decided that this model would be followed by every state to maintain fairness among the citizens (Gabbidon & Greene, 2012). However, each state was obligated to monitor the condition of the juvenile facilities to make sure they were upgraded (Gabbidon & Greene, 2012). In addition, the situation leading to an individual being locked up should follow a similar procedure without racial bias (Gabbidon & Greene, 2012). In 2009, a study was conducted on several inmates in cells official results concluded African Americans incarceration is the highest of all (Gabbidon & Greene, 2012).
Caucasian Americans and Latino Americans had a relatively equal number of individuals that were incarcerated (Gabbidon & Greene, 2012). This has been contributed greatly by the fact that many African Americans walking on sidewalks are viewed as criminals on many occasions police apprehend them (Gabbidon & Greene, 2012). Tremendous efforts to deter any continuous bias toward minority cultural groups have been going on for years (Free, 2003). President Franklin D. Roosevelt, for instance, established a movement which banned discrimination based on race, color, religion, or national origin in the defense industry (Free, 2003). Studies have also reported that the Supreme Court overturned a decision allowing African Americans the right to attend different schools and enjoy equal opportunities (Gabbidon & Greene, 2012).
The unanimous decision allowed schools to be integrated therefore every citizen had the right to attend whichever school they decided to attend (Weich& Angulo, 2000). It is quite unfortunate that many people in American society and some rouge police officers might perceive African Americans as criminals and apprehended them due to prejudice (Weich& Angulo, 2000). Furthermore, stringent measures should be taken into consideration to ensure that all the citizens feel secure and safe (NAACP, 2018). Some of the police officials should live in minority areas where they are stationed to get acquainted with their neighbors and other community leaders and residents, so they won’t perceive them as criminals (NAACP, 2018). Moreover, they should go through rigorous training to differentiate between criminal behavioral and law-abiding innocent civilians (Gabbidon & Greene, 2012). This would help in the future ensuring equality among every American citizen (Gabbidon & Greene, 2012).
American social policy and social programs need to stay consistent with the human developmental approach and the expansion of enriching human beings lives rather than if economic growth will ultimately lead, automatically, to the greater good for everyone wherever they live (Black & Yeschke 2014, p.21). Promoting racism and segregation based on color is bound to lead to stagnant economy (Gabbidon & Greene, 2012). In American society blacks were driven to live in specific areas and were not allowed to interact with Caucasians who were living in wealthy communities (NAACP, 2018). Due to advancement in technology it is expected that all citizens embrace the change .However since blacks have lived in poverty for so long they have to make a choice between purchasing food or expensive computers and I phones (Gabbidon & Greene, 2012).There are many African Americans who are talented in certain areas and could increase their productivity if they are offered the same opportunities as white Americans(Gabbidon & Greene, 2012).
However, due to racism, these cultural groups were ignored along with their talents (Gabbidon & Greene, 2012). These racist actions lowered many young adolescents and adult’s self-esteem which also affected their mental cognitive behavior patterns. Depression affects individuals differently and a person’s brain consists of three different functions the retrieval, encoding and storage each part must interact together daily (Black & Yeschke 2014, p.21). An adolescent or adult encountering a lot of stress could be experiencing encoding” problems brought on by depression and low self-esteem (Black & Yeschke 2014). This behavior can lead to a person using drugs, alcohol and abusing prescription medication (Gabbidon & Greene, 2012). Racial bias has impeded African Americans progress and influenced their behavior to start committing crimes from petty to more serious crimes (Karger, & Stoesz, 2018).
In addition, unfair treatment by the authorities creates a retaliatory atmosphere influencing reckless and violent behavior towards other minority cultural groups (Free, 2003). Congress has attempted to change the judicial system by reducing minority cases due to racism and other means of exclusion (Free, 2003). Researches has shown that bias remains rampant in many states (free 2003). The studies carried out have verified the lack of documentation showing that racial bias (Free 2003). Several studies conducted verified the lack of documentation showing that racial bias is legal (Free, 2004). However, many police officers exert excessive force when handling African Americans opposed to the way they interact with Caucasians it has been confirmed (Free, 2004).
Furthermore, they use derogatory language and abusive words during their interactions with minority groups (Free, 2004). Relationships between fellow police officers also influence their behavior and interactions with minority cultural groups (Free, 2003). A panel of New York state commission consisted of judges, attorneys, law professors found that there are two judicial systems a very different one for minorities and the poor and another one for whites (Karger, & Stoesz, 2018). The panel also found inequality, unfair treatment, and social injustice based on race (Karger, & Stoesz, 2018). The court system failed protecting minority youths for example the central park five (PBS,2018).
Although some law enforcement officers but not all of them because there are good police officers in society working to change the outlook. (Free, 2003). Therefore, not all police officers promote racism in poor communities (Free, 2003). Every law enforcement officer is expected to uphold law and order and not to influence people to commit more acts of delinquency (Free, 2003). Since a law was established that ensured the public could live together amicably, it is important to promote peace along with encouragement to work harder in their respective fields (Free, 2003). Throughout the years, many scholars have shown youths who commit crimes have been arrested and placed in facilities whereby they are expected to change their ways (Free, 2003).
In these facilities, they are treated differently depending on their color and race (Free, 2003). In society blacks continue to be exposed slavery which continues to be enacted indirectly (NAACP, 2018). Even though the laws have been put in place that promote equality, the people who are expected to enhance the laws are unwilling to do so (Gabbidon & Greene, 2012). In addition, it has been noted that many males are jailed as opposed to women (Gabbidon & Greene, 2012). Many young minority juveniles most notably blacks, experience a run in with the law at higher rates than whites (Gabbidon & Greene, 2012).
An analysis was conducted concerning various prisons overtime, and witnesses have attested to experiencing harsher conditions from the police brutality than any other law enforcers(Gabbidon & Greene, 2012).According to Karger, & Stoesz, (2018), “in 2014, 6% of all black males ages 30 to 39 were in prison, while 2% of Hispanic and 1% of white males in the same age group were in prison(Karger, & Stoesz, 2018). Statically out of 682 convicts that received a life sentence 48% consisted of African Americans 29% Hispanic Americans and 20% were Caucasian Americans (karger & stoesz, 2018). African American communities are devastated by the amount of male and female incarcerated every year (Karger, & Stoesz,2018). This proves that in the twentieth century it can be argued that racism and other forms of exclusion and segregation must be been done away with, there still exists cases of the same crimes committed against mankind (Free, 2003).
Conclusion
Researches have determined since slavery was abolished, there have been an effort by the government to reduce racism nation (Karger, & Stoesz,2018). However, many efforts have been futile concerning equality for various races living in society (Karger, & Stoesz,2018). African Americans travel to nations hoping to further their studies have experienced cases of racism on many occasions (Free, 2003). In addition, some learning institutions have been confronted because of racial policies placing African Americans and Caucasians in different quality hotels (Free, 2003). Furthermore, many young minority cultural groups cannot display their knowledge in various learning categories (karger &stoesz 2018) Furthermore racism is a factor that has contributed greatly to the failure of economic growth in many states must make sure that all areas progress moves forward in the future (Weich& Angulo 2000)
References
Black, I. S., & Yeschke, C. L. (2014). The art of investigative interviewing. Massachusetts, MA: Butterworth-Heinemann. Free, M. D. (2004). Racial issues in criminal justice: The case of African Americans. Monsey, NY: Criminal Justice Press. Gabbidon, S. L., & Greene, H. T. (2012). Race and Crime (3rd Ed.). Thousand Oaks: SAG Publications, Inc. Karger, H. K. & Stoesz, D. (2018). American social welfare policy: A pluralist approach (8th Ed). Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon NAACP. (2018). NAACP | Criminal Justice Fact Sheet. Retrieved from https://www.naacp.org/criminal-justice-fact-sheet/ PBS. (2018). Home | THE CENTRAL PARK FIVE. Retrieved from https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/centralparkfive/ Weich, R. H., & Angulo, C. T. (2000). NCJRS Abstract - National Criminal Justice Reference Service. Retrieved from https://www.ncjrs.gov/App/publications/Abstract.aspx?id=182442
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The Injustice in our Criminal Justice System
ABSTRACT
In this paper I will present research on the overt racism in our criminal justice system today and the current mass incarceration crisis. The US is home to five percent of the world’s population and a quarter of its prisoners. Americans have been conditioned to associate a Black face with a criminal one, dehumanizing an entire race in the process. I will also present research on existing nonviolent efforts to combat systemic racism and reform the broken model of our criminal justice system. It is important to look at birth of the Black Lives Matter movement after the Zimmerman trial and how this movement has brought a new way of organizing activists. I will discuss efforts that push for rehabilitation and restorative justice as alternatives to imprisonment as a default punitive method. Lastly, I will reflect on the problem, the current efforts to find and present my own ideas for further activism. When it comes to ending modern-day slavery, we need people of every color to feel the burden and pain that has been inflicted on African Americans. This cannot be a fight that we cheer on from the sides; it is every American’s fight. We’ve become aware of the white man’s privilege. It’s time to start using it, not by presenting quick fixes and short-term support, but by examining what it means to be human and the facing head-on the injustice in our criminal justice system.
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
[Sources on the Problem with Our Criminal Justice System]
Kilgore, James William. Understanding Mass Incarceration?: A People’s Guide to the Key Civil Rights Struggle of Our Time. New York?: The New Press, [2015], 2015. EBSCOhost,.libproxy.txstate.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com.libproxy.txstate.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=cat00022a&AN=txi.b4220685&site=eds-live&scope=site.
James William Kilgore’s book gives a comprehensive overview of the incarceration strategy of the United States, the World’s largest jailor. He discusses many theories and policies in criminal justice from rehabilitation and restorative justice to the War on Drugs and broken windows policing. He also dives into the truth race and gender when it comes to mass incarceration and it’s devastating effects on the communities it impacts the most.
This source is a great way for me to present some key facts and concepts when beginning to understand the way race effects our criminal justice system. It breaks down the root of the problem and the many ways it manifests itself and could help provide some information on possible alternatives and theories for how our criminal justice could be reformed and improved.
Alexander, Michelle. The New Jim Crow?: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness. New York?: New Press, 2012., 2012. EBSCOhost, libproxy.txstate.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com.libproxy.txstate.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=cat00022a&AN=txi.b3156513&site=eds-live&scope=site.
This book by Michelle Alexander takes a close look at the current subordinate status that the African. She argues that the War on Drugs and policies that deny convicted felons equal rights to employment, education, housing, and other public benefits are the way we have redesigned the racial caste system in America and that the way the criminal justice system targets black men is a form of racial control.
This book is the reason for so much debate and is referenced in the majority of my other sources. It sheds light on the heart of the issue and is really the taking-off point for my research. I want to use it to help present America’s current racial climate and the ways the racial cast system still exists. I will use it as a launching point when discussing mass incarceration’s pivotal role in the civil rights movement.
Teasley, M.L., et al. “Trayvon Martin: Racial Profiling, Black Male Stigma, and Social Work Practice.” Social Work, vol. 63, no. 1, Jan. 2018, pp. 37-45
This article examines racial profiling specifically through the lens of the 2012 shooting of Taryvon Martin and George Zimmerman’s subsequent acquittal. The authors use this court case as an example of the effects of racial profiling and the black male stigma. They call for major social work organizations to bring attention to and advocate against this stigma and racial profiling.
It’s important to talk about the events that really gave rise to the Black Lives Matter movement and brought attention to racial profiling in the first place. I want to use this source to talk about deep-rooted stigma’s and how they played a role in this historical case specifically. It’s an important beginning to the nonviolence efforts that took off with BLM.
Pfaff, John F. Locked in?: The True Causes of Mass Incarceration--and How to Achieve Real Reform. New York?: Basic Books, [2017], 2017. EBSCOhost, libproxy.txstate.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com.libproxy.txstate.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=cat00022a&AN=txi.b3842924&site=eds-live&scope=site.
This book, recently published in 2017, presents his findings from 15 years of research on the roots causes of mass incarceration and our broken system. He urges us to look past factors like the war on drugs and private prisons, and instead look deeper at other factors such as a shift in prosecutors bringing in twice as many felony charges than normal in the 1990’s and law and order agendas in minority-heavy cities. This source is everything I could hope for in looking at the root causes of mass incarceration. It also has great data in the beginning about incarceration rates compared to other countries and times in America, starting with the 1970’s. It has true stories, and examines aspects of this crisis I have not read in any other sources so far. I plan to use examples to identify and proved possible solutions to the mass incarceration crisis.
Western, Bruce, and Christopher Wideman. “The Black Family and Mass Incarceration.” The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, vol. 621, no. 1, Jan. 2009, pp.221-242
The article begins by talking about the Moynihan Report of 1965, which linked social and economic struggles in poor urban African American communities to high rates of single parents. Moynihan called for investment in these inner city communities, but politics instead moved in a punitive direction sparking the emergence of mass incarceration. The authors document this growth of the prison population and pose several questions that shed light on the effects and social impact of mass incarceration, one of the newest stages in the history of American racial inequality.
This article is key for the research that I will present on the emergence of mass incarceration and specifically its effects on the Black community. By tying in the Moynihan Report, I can cover both old and new suggestions for alternatives to imprisonment as the go-to punishment for crime. This is not just about a race of people, it’s about communities and the families and individuals in them.
Arnett, Chaz. “Virtual Shackles: Electronic Surveillance and the Adultification of Juvenile Courts.” JOURNAL OF CRIMINAL LAW AND CRIMINALOGY, vol. 108, no. 3, pp. 399-454. EBSCOhost
This paper by Chaz Arnett presents a detailed history of the way youth have been treated in juvenile courts and detention facilities and the road to using the types of surveillance technology we have today. It examines situations and patterns of youth being treated and tried as adult and juvenile detention facilities treating the youth there more and more like adult prisoners. Lastly, it takes a hard look at the dehumanization ankle monitoring has caused.
I want to use several specifics elements from this source in my paper. Arnett brings up statistics starting in the early 1900’s of black youth being more likely to be held in detention centers longer, tried as adults, and detained pending trial. I want to talk about the “Child Savers” and early rehabilitation efforts, and how we have lost our way when it comes to rehabilitation especially with youth. Another interesting fact I may discuss is that Black inmates have significantly lower odds of preferring electronic monitoring to jail time than White inmates. Maybe it’s about a stigma; maybe it’s about being stripped of rights in the world. I am curious.
Kleck, Gary. “Racial Discrimination in Criminal Sentencing: A Critical Evaluation of the Evidence with Additional Evidence on the Death Penalty.” American Sociological Review, vol. 46, no 6, 1981, pp. 783-805. JSTOR
This research article presents an evaluation of research that was published on death sentencing rates from 1967 to 1978 which concluded that black homicide offenders (except in the south) were less likely then whites to receive a death sentence. This reevaluation argues that the devalued status of black crime victims is an reason for this lenient sentencing of black defendants. Crimes with black victims are less likely than those with white victims to result in the imposition of the death penalty, suggesting that black victims are seen as less human than their white counterparts.
A good argument always looks at counterarguments, and I’m really interested in the way this one refutes interesting statistic. It may be slightly dated, but I think it’s important to see how long this problem has not only been around but been researched. I will use the research and statistics to show how racism permeates our justice system from defendants to victims. It is not exclusive, and part of the bigger problem is the dehumanization of black victims.
Eberhardt, J.L., Davies, P.G., Purdic-Vaughns, V.J., and Johnson, S.L. “Looking Deathworthy: Perceived Stereotypicality of Black Defendants Predicts Capital-Sentencing Outcomes.” Psychological Science, vol. 17, no. 5, May 2006, pp. 383-386.
In Cornell Law School’s Legal Studies Research Paper Series, this research report presents the results of a study investigating the role of race in capital sentencing. After looking at 600 death-eligible case in Philadelphia, forty-four of which involved Black male defendants murdering white victims, the study concluded that in cases involving a White victim, the more stereotypically Black a defendant is perceived to be (e.g., broad nose, thick lips, dark skin), the more likely that person is to be sentenced to death. The study did not find this same tendency in cases involving both a Black defendant and a Black victim.
I can use the hard data collected and conclusions drawn from this study to present evidence on the overt racism in criminal sentencing. Whether jurors know it or not, they are influenced by how “Black” a person looks, suggesting that the more stereotypically Black someone is perceived to be, the more criminal they look. This is plain and simple racism. I can use this before or after discussing how we’ve been conditioned to associate African Americans with criminal behavior.
[Sources on Current Efforts and Alternatives]
Agozino, Biko. “Black Lives Matter Otherwise All Lives Do Not Matter.” African Journal of Criminology & Justice Studies, vol. 11, no. 1, Apr. 2018, pp. I–XI. EBSCOhost, libproxy.txstate.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com.libproxy.txstate.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=i3h&AN=129880295&site=eds-live&scope=site.
Agonzino’s article breaks down the logistics of “Black Lives Matter.” He begins by describing the rich history of resistance against criminal justice oppression that existed long before the BLM movement. He then explains how the countering with “All Lives Matter” cannot hold because it rejects the former, ‘Black Lives Matter.” The obvious is stated for the purpose of pointing out that some people still do not believe that black lives matter.There lays the problem- believing that a life is less than or disposable because of a skin tone.
I want to cite this article to introduce the BLM movement and the importance of rallying behind this cause. It is not an act of charity to support this movement; humanity depends on it. I will use these simple yet effective arguments to support talking about how the nonviolence that can be applied in changing people’s perspectives.
Furio, Jennifer. Restorative Justice?: Prison as Hell or a Chance for Redemption. New York?: Algora Pub., 2007., 2007. EBSCOhost, libproxy.txstate.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com.libproxy.txstate.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=cat00022a&AN=txi.b4109852&site=eds-live&scope=site.
In this book, Furio asks how our current justice system is serving us and presents restorative justice solution. America keeps expanding prisons despite the lack of credible evidence to show that punitive justice actually makes our communities safer. She explores the benefits and the possible downfalls of restorative justice from forgiveness and victim relationship to the effects on family and children.
I plan to use this source to dive into restorative justice as a method of nonviolence. This is one of the only proactive methods currently being used to change our criminal justice system. We are bringing awareness and shedding light on the current inequality and injustice, but a lot of the current nonviolent methods are simply resistance based. Restorative Justice offers a tangible solution.
Bagaric, Mirko, Mitgating America’s Mass Incarceration Crisis Without Compromising Community Protection: Expanding the Role of Rehabilitation in Sentencing. Lewis & Clark Review., 2018. Vol. 22. Issue 1. Pp. 60-60p. et al. EBSCOhost, libproxy.txstate.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com.libproxy.txstate.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lgs&AN=130844126&site=eds-live&scope=site. Accessed 14 Nov. 2018.
This article by Mirko Bagaric explains the need to expand rehabilitation when it comes to sentencing and how we can work towards positive change and community safety without always making incarceration the default punishment. We have made community protection our priority when sentencing and have made our way of achieving that incapacitation in the form of imprisonment. Bagaric argues that courts should place more weight on rehabilitation when sentencing even when it comes to serious offences. Courts could adjust penalties in light of assessment of rehabilitation, but to do this we must first find rigorous, reliable criteria to make this assessment.
I believe rehabilitation and restorative justice can work hand in hand. It is a positive way to find solutions instead of a punitive one. This article could be of service in exploring nonviolent approaches to solve mass incarceration specifically and start working towards real safety, real change, and less people behind bars.
Edwards, Elise M. “‘Let’s Imagine Something Different’: Spiritual Principles in Contemporary African American Justice Movements and Their Implications for the Built Environment.” Religions, vol. 8, no. 12, Dec. 2017, pp. 1–22. EBSCOhost, doi:10.3390/rel8120256.
This essay deals with spirituality and its ties to the Black Lives Matter Movement and other African American justice movements. It goes on to talk about how spirituality influences architecture and the environment African Americans create for themselves, but the root of the text focuses on how some of the most visible, impactful campaigns have drawn upon spiritual resources as a source of empowerment.
This essay takes a different angle than I have explored so far in my research, but I think it is important to look at religion and spirituality’s impact on many African American social movements. Nonviolence has drawn on the power of believing in something bigger than ourselves, and that is not something the Africans American community has abandoned. I want to make sure to include this important source of strategy and power in the fight against injustice.
Martin-Breteau, N. “From pass:[#]BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation: Racism and Civil Rights.” Critique Internationale, vol. 75, no. 2, pp. 175–178. EBSCOhost, doi:10.3917/crii.075.0175. Accessed 20 Nov. 2018.
This book outlines the struggles the Black Lives Matter movement has faced since its conception. From Obama, the first black presidents scolding black activists, the rise of police murders, Ferguson, and so on, this book gives the details of the nonviolent ad sometimes violent ways this struggle for freedom has fought its way through history. Taylor argues that real liberation will come when a movement is built that can collaborate on a large scale and force America to face its flaws. The Black Lives Matter movement is well on its way to achieving that.
I needed a source that was able to articulate the long hard road the Black Lives Matter movement has fought to get to where it is today. Movements that demand this much change cannot just be passive. They require passionate people willing to fight, but we can still choose the tools we use to fight these battles. I will use this source to demonstrate the organization that is essential in tackling injustice and how the BLM movement has been able to mobilize people in way we never expected and may not have even supported in the beginning.
Cite this page
The Injustice in Our Criminal Justice System. (2019, Feb 20).
Retrieved November 3, 2025 , from
https://studydriver.com/2019/02/page/4/
Criminal Justice Data Quality
Research study has been done on prosecution of child sexual abuse cases from the past few decades. In today’s paper, this research has been studied and provided facts, methods and conclusion with the help of five articles.
- A meta-analysis of rates of Criminal Justice Decisions.
- Using coplink to analyze Criminal-Justice Data.
- Risk-appraisal versus self-report in the prediction of Criminal Justice outcomes: A meta-analysis
- Prosecution rate and quality of the investigative interview in child sexual abuse cases.
- Factors associated with delays of days to decades to criminal prosecutions of Child Sexual Abuse.
Introduction and Observations:
From the first article, it is evident that this study meta-analyzed rates of criminal justice decisions in 21 studies of prosecution of child abuse. Rates of referral to prosecution, filing charges, and incarceration varied considerably. Compared to national data, child abuse was less likely to lead to filing charges and incarceration than most other felonies but more likely to be carried forward without dismissal. Thus, prosecuting child abuse is generally neither feckless nor reckless. Rates can be misleading and cannot be the sole measure of prosecution success. From the second article, the Coplink project, which unites the technical expertise of the University of Arizona’s Artificial Intelligence Lab with the Tucson Police Department’s law enforcement domain knowledge. Coplink serves the community by bridging the gap between conducting research in cutting-edge technologies and solving real-world problems such as helping police officers fight crime.
The Coplink project attacks several problems existing in many law enforcement agencies by developing a model integrated system that lets law officers’ access and share information with other agencies. Coplink has the additional goal of developing consistent, intuitive, and easy-to-use interfaces and applications that support specific and often complex law enforcement functions and tasks. From the third article, it has been observed that the risk-appraisal and self-report procedures are divergent methods of data collection, with risk-appraisal procedures relying in part or in whole on historical, chart, and non-self-report information and self-report measures relying exclusively on self-report data. The risk-appraisal/self-report differentiation should not be confused with actuarial and clinical methods of prediction, as both risk-appraisal and self-report methods of data collection can be entered into actuarial decision models or treated clinically.
The five risk-appraisal procedures which will be used to for a meta-analysis are: Historical-Clinical-Risk Scales (HCR–20), Lifestyle Criminality Screening Form (LCSF), Level of Service-Inventory (LSI), Psychopathy Checklist (PCL), Violence Risk Appraisal Guide (VRAG). more self-report measures will also be included, such as BDHI, etc. From the fourth and fifth article, a brief analysis about the prosecution rate in child sexual abuse cases. From the study, it has been examined that the reason for the low prosecution rate in child sexual abuse cases is the poor quality of the interviews conducted by the interviewers. The relationship between interview quality and prosecution rate has been clearly examined in this research. Interviews with the older children has been of good quality on one hand and when it comes to interviews with young children has been of poor quality on the other hand. There are various reasons behind this poor quality.
Analysis:
Most of the child sexual abuse cases resulted in many psychological problems especially in younger children. Child sexual abuse can always affect children by causing trauma on the child and resulting in cascading effects in terms of social, sexual, physical and mental problems. This research has been conducted in Sweden and Canada and it has been found that the number of child rape cases have been rapidly increased up to 450% from the year 1987 to 2003. There has been tremendous increase in small abuse cases like sexual harassment about 200% in the same time period. Based on the increasing knowledge of parents and social media effects, people are coming forward and registering cases. These cases have been taken seriously and the convicts who got imprisonment have been increased from 73 to 145 in the same time period.
It has been observed that the rate of reporting is higher than the conviction numbers. There are many reasons behind these figures. One of the main reasons for this low-quality prosecution rate is there is no evidence except the child’s statement. There are statements against this saying that due to advanced medical examinations, the convicts can be easily given imprisonment which will be a big evidence to the justice. Justice has been facing problems with the cases of preschoolers than the teenagers. Hence, interviewer has a challenger when interviewing them which results in a bad quality. In Canada, a maximum of 55% CSA cases were filed in the year 2012 and it has been observed that most of the victims are under age 18. These cases have been becoming a challenge to criminal courts not only in Canada but also in most of the American states, Australia, UK, Europe. Below are only the published CSA cases in Canada from 1986 to 2012. There has been increase in the percentage of cases between the years 1991 and 1998. A substantial decrease can be seen in the years 2000 and 2002.
Factors associated with delays to Criminal Prosecutions of CSA:
There have been a lot of changes in the criminal justice in the past 30 years and there are few factors which are related with the delays in prosecutions of CSA cases.
- Judicial warnings are no longer mandatory in most jurisdictions.
- To lessen the trauma of testifying, courtroom modifications are in the form of testimonial supports but they are fully in progress.
- An attitude that children’s evidence is inherently unreliable.
- Knowledge of terrifying forensic system is very low in children which always plays an important role in evidence.
Conclusion
From the articles, it can be concluded that for the child abuse studies, the Q statistic was statistically significant at p < .001 for all but one rate in Table 2 (for diversion). This provides evidence that the variation in rates is systematic, that is, due to real differences between the studies analyzed and not just sampling error or chance. It is beyond the scope of this article to explore what jurisdictional, organizational, or sample variables could explain this variation, but this suggests the value of additional meta-analytic research.
Coplink CS has been successfully deployed at the Tucson Police Department, where crime analysts, officers, detectives, and sergeants from 16 departmental units use the technology voluntarily as part of their daily investigative routine. This cross-section comprises approximately 30 to 40 percent of TPD’s investigative units and includes 90 percent of the crime analysts. Investigative units include adult and child sexual assault, aggravated assault, auto theft, elder abuse, community office, fraud, gangs, homicide, undercover, neighborhood crimes, night detectives, patrol, robbery, and warrants.
Although risk-appraisal procedures displayed an advantage over self-report measures in recidivism prediction, the two methods produced comparable results when the meta-analysis was restricted to investigations using content-relevant self-report predictors. Incremental validity analysis of 72 risk-appraisal/self-report contrasts revealed that both sets of measures accounted for criminal justice outcomes beyond the variance attributable to the alternate method.
Cite this page
Criminal Justice Data Quality. (2019, Feb 20).
Retrieved November 3, 2025 , from
https://studydriver.com/2019/02/page/4/
Criminal Justice Reform
Criminal justice reform is when errors are found in our criminal justice system, and then are planned to be fixed. Everyone in a courtroom that has had to appear before a judge, has rights. Rights such as due process of law, the right to have bail, to not have your property searched or your personal items confiscated without a warrant. Every citizen in the united states has these rights, including the right to be free from cruel and unusual punishment. These rights help all United States citizens defend themselves against any government abuse.
Controlling technology
Technology is what the world makes it out to be. It is not technology that controls our futures, It is the standards and the activities of our society that lead technology into what it is today. Our technology defines who we are, in saying we have needs to feel connected and accomplished. We all want to improve ourselves in some way or another, but we all seem to face unfamiliar scary changes throughout life. Technology allows us to communicate without that fear of change. We can communicate solutions to problems with technology or end up causing more problems. Technology is becoming more and more advanced to be able to solve society’s problems; but society must be willing to make changes, for these solutions to take place. We have a lot of laws in place for problems we have encountered over the years. However, as time passes more unknown or unexpected problems tend to arise in the future, causing us to have to change some of these laws.
Human trafficking because of the internet is all over the world
In April 2018 a website called backpage.com was seized. It was first created in 2004 for advertising purposes. Backpage allowed people to post ads for prostitution and human trafficking. Human trafficking is when an offender forces their victim commit a sex act; such as prostitution, or pornography. Victims may agree to any sexual act, in exchange for money, drugs, shelter, food, or even what the victim believes is love. Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act makes service providers on websites, legally responsible for information originating from third-party users of their service.
“The passage of bills in Alabama and South Dakota in March 2018 brought the number of states with security breach notification bills to 50. States have enacted security breach notification laws that require businesses or government to notify consumers or citizens if their personal information is breached.”
A lawsuit filed against backpage.com for sex trafficking was dismissed by backpage.com. Backpage.com dismissed this lawsuit under the section 230 immunity. The Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act was not created to protect websites that enable sex trafficking. So, therefore human trafficking offenders are still able contact their victims through social media, and in person.
In March of 2015 a senate bill was passed, that all 7th and 8th graders in schools, will now learn about human trafficking in their health classes. This way our children were aware of these types of offenders. With the section 230 act in place, there wasn’t much anyone could do to stop sex trafficking from happening.
Reforming the criminal law
Sex trafficking was overlooked when the Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act was first created. Our public being the victims of sex trafficking, was an unintentional consequence the law faced, when creating immunity in the section 230 act. This law needed to be reformed and further amended to stop this from happening, especially when our young children are the targets and victims. Finally, this problem started to resolve itself; when congress finally proposed a bill in august of 2017, to stop sex trafficking offenders on backpage.com, and other websites like it. Web sites that had a personal or casual encounters section on their sites, or any section on their sites that promoted sex trafficking was no longer allowed. These websites under this new stop enabling sex traffickers act of 2017, were now held accountable for any sex trafficking on their sites, ensuring all the victims of sex trafficking will now have justice.
Cite this page
Criminal Justice Reform. (2019, Feb 20).
Retrieved November 3, 2025 , from
https://studydriver.com/2019/02/page/4/
The Problems with Police Departments
When it comes to policing, there can be a bad stigma with the police departments and how they work. Police offices can often overstep laws and even break them. Many times, issues of police officers disobeying rules can be turned into worldwide problems. Abuse of power can be classified as excessive use of force, police shootings, and police corruption. Even though the majority of officers are good, the small percentage of corrupted officers can ruin the good image policing has. The corruption can lead to a lack of trust from the community and even protests. Abuse of power in policing will always be a huge issue but the negative media attention it receives will be a bigger enemy. The profession has been ripped apart over the years because of incidents that have to do with excessive force, shootings, and even reacting too quickly on the officer's end.
The problem when it comes to policing is the constant spotlight on every move that is made. The smallest of errors can be broadcasted for the whole world to see because of the strong presence of the media. The question then becomes is it the select few police departments that need to make a change or do these extreme cases show the corruption throughout the States (Samuels, 2000). The challenge to most officers is being able to treat every person as if it is their first interaction with the police, making sure they don’t see race or status and also remember the laws (Rosenbaum, 2005). The media shows a special interest in police misconduct and other issues. Studies have shown that 44% of people learn about police encounters through the media (Rosenbaum, 2005). This just shows how bad headline can go viral and cause extreme cases of protests and fear within civilians.
It is found that many officers find it unacceptable to bring their own opinions into how they treat victims but there is still a solid line of segregation when it comes to officers views on how to handle situations regarding that of race, status, and even gender (Samuels, 2000). Often times, police officers can be blinded by the status or race of a person when handling a fast pace situation. Whether someone is black or white or receives low-income or high-income, it shouldn’t dictate the treatment they receive from any police officer. “Once we form impressions of other people, … we tend to seek out information that confirms our existing expectations and challenges information that disconfirms our expectations” (Rosenbaum, 2005). One study even showed that one in six people believe that white people will be treated better than other races by police. (Samuels, 2000). It is evident that people are very aware of the difference in treatment depending on how you are as a person or even on how you look.
The problems with policing directly affect all three parts of the Criminal Justice System, police, courts, and corrections. Considering it’s talking directly about policing, it should be noted that it has been around since 1829 but it split into different eras, the Colonial, Political, Professional, and Community Policing Era (Cole, 2018). Police officers must know the rights of an individual and the civil rights that come along with it (Samuels, 2000). The court system being the second part involves the police officers because they not only work in the system but they can be involved with the cases going on in court. Abuse of power cases can be brought in front of the court and can make it complicated because of the different types of police contact (Rosenbaum, 2005). They are considered a norm enforcement which means their role in “enforcing society’s rules and standards for behavior - a function that contributes to peace and stability in society” (Cole, 2018). They work alongside police enforcement when it comes to maintaining a peaceful and safe environment. The last part of the criminal justice system is the corrections. Corrections is the different types of programs that are made to manage the people who have been imprisoned or convicted of a crime (Cole, 2018). With corrections, many assume that the way the person is dealt with when being arrested will then result in what happens with that person when choosing what will happen to them afterward (Rosenbaum, 2005). Police corruption can allow one officer to be bias within a situation and treat one person differently than someone who was convicted of the same thing.
Although controlling abuse of power doesn’t sound like it can be done, small changes and strong leadership can lead to trust being rebuilt towards police. Controlling this has to be done on both ends of the spectrum. Four out of every five Americans don’t have direct contact with the police yet there is still a huge barrier between police and their communities because of the bad news constantly circling the media (Rosenbaum, 2005). The police alongside the community needs to rebuild together in order to create better relationships and views for the future. Police discretion, the ability to make smart decisions in difficult situations, needs to be actively used (Cole, 2018). As talked about in Criminal Justice in America, there should be five steps always followed when considering a complex situation. One should always first consider the nature of the crime. This will dictate the severity of the incident and what actions should be taken. Second, how the criminal and victim are related. Arguments between family members and strangers can call in different actions on the police end. The relationship between the officer and the victim can dictate future actions like how hostile or understanding a victim is to a higher authority. Race, gender, and status again are sometimes filed into how someone is treated. Even though that may not always be the best decision, it is one that must be taken into accountability. Lastly, how the policies of each department are different and discretion can be exercised in less or more extreme ways. Officers are going to face difficult challenges with all types of citizens and they “ are charged with maintaining order and enforcing laws.” (Cole, 2018). To fix this issue, policing needs to retrace its steps back to the beginning and see where things took a turn. Another small solution to a big problem is car cameras. By monitoring each situation from either the officer or the car, it allows complicated situations to be read through evidence. New developments have shown that all the evidence collected would automatically be saved so no data will be lost (Cole, 2018). Having smarter equipment will keep officers and victims safer going forward. Going back to the basic things such as the five steps of police discretion and simple problem-solving skills can resolve incidents that end in unnecessary injuries or even death.
Cite this page
The Problems with Police Departments. (2019, Feb 20).
Retrieved November 3, 2025 , from
https://studydriver.com/2019/02/page/4/
Justice Without Justice: what if the Criminal Justice System isn’t Justice
Oftentimes in society, much of what drives law enforcement can be the community and society they are involved in. Socioeconomic status, racial underpinnings within communities, and overall demeanor are factors that affect how a law enforcement officer may interact with the residents of their community. In the movie Murder on a Sunday Morning, these interactions are not only seen within law enforcement but the members of Jacksonville Florida. Identified as the suspected killer in Mary Ann Stephens murder, Brenton Butler is identified and captured within 2 hours of the killing. Much of this swift capture can be attributed to the racial profiling of the husband, as well as Officer Martin’s first-hand account as the first officer on the scene. The public defender, Ann Finnell, supports this theory, stating that racial profiling may have caused a law abiding citizen his life in prison. In this film, views of racial profiling and improper police conduct ultimately led to years of pain, as well as lawsuits filed against the City of Jacksonville, after Butler’s not guilty verdict.
Unfortunately, race, religion, and ethnicity have become too common in our society as catalysts for violent murders, shooting rampages, and organized crimes. The most common is race, being easy to differentiate an African American from a Caucasian. These stark differences have led to wrongful convictions, racial injustice, and a divide between law enforcement and the public. The events portrayed in Murder on a Sunday Morning are just that. Jim Stephens quickly identifies Brenton Butler as the shooting in his wife's death, and this leads to a spiral for Brenton Butler. His lawyer, Pat McGuinness, focuses on the racial profiling that exists. The fact that Jim identifies the killer as a black man, and Butler happened to be walking by should have absolutely no correlation, but Stephen’s upbringing in Georgia may have fueled his ill taste toward African Americans. Ann Finnell begins to break down the story given by Stephen, focusing on the fact that Butler was wearing a shirt with a logo, though Stephens never identified a logo. The perception of an African American often seems to focus solely on the fact that the color of that person's skin is dark. I found it easy to connect this story to modern times, through examples of such profiling. In 2012, George Zimmerman shot and killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, because Zimmerman perceived Martin to be a threat of some kind. This as well happened in Florida and may be due to some sort of cultural bias towards African Americans in the southern region of the country. The racial profiling that occurred may have been taken into account and led to the not guilty verdict of Brenton Butler. Ann Finnell, the public defender highlights this in the beginning, talking about this idea of racial profiling, and it is all too common in the society we live in today. Racial profiling is in someways traced back to the community. We have this sense that everyone should look like us, and that anything different may be bad. Just because someone's skin is a different color in no way means they are either inferior or more likely to cause a crime. Oftentimes, we get caught up in stereotypes. Statistically, people tend to believe that young African American males are dangerous. It is evident all around the country, and yes, there are young African American men who have committed crimes, but what about the older Caucasian woman who also committed the same murder? The criminal justice system clouds its vision with the idea of what a criminal should look like, and this means that people will sometimes not pay for a crime they committed, or even worse, pay for a crime they did not commit.
In addition to racial profiling, police brutality and policing tactics are also a common issue that arises in the criminal justice world. In this film, and in the reading “I Did it” police scare tactics and even violence are used in an effort to get a confession, whether real or coerced. In the film, Brenton Butler was found with bruises and marks indicating that he had been hit. Brenton Butler may have very well have confessed both due to the violence towards him, as well as the fact that he is an African American male who is being charged murder. In the reading “I Did it” Kolker talks about how law enforcement will sometimes lie, making up some false evidence in an effort to get a coerced confession out of a possible suspect. In the reading, Sterling had a solid alibi at the time of the murder, yet somehow, 3 years later, Sterling was in an interrogation room, admitting to the murder of Viola Manville. In some ways, through the reading and the film, I got a sense that much of the coercion that occurs is due to the fact that the suspect does not know their rights to an attorney, is unable to pay for a lawyer, or the police are so convincing that the suspect believes they did it, and sees the officer as a higher power how knows better than them. Whatever reason causes coerced confessions, they cause a skewed vision of the criminal justice system. When Brenton Butler was interrogated, the detectives essentially told him what he had done. Butler, not aware of his rights, is asked to sign the form. The detective then hits Brenton Butler, after threatening to him if he did not sign the form. During the trial, Butler’s lawyers break down the confession, questioning the detective's confession written on behalf of Butler. Butler’s lawyers break down the fact that none of what was written ever came out of Brenton Butler’s mouth. This type of coercion may be a way for officers to be received by the community as doing their duty. This comes at the cost of someone's innocence or a guilty man's free walk. Sometimes, the criminal justice system either fails to review all of the evidence or someone's personal beliefs and intuitions may cloud such judgment and the officer may be unwilling to admit their mistake and fix it. There are entire offices dedicated to the freedom of wrongly convicted felons, many of which were in some way coerced into a confession. In my opinion, this is an example of some type of police brutality. Even though it may not be physical, it is a downright abuse of power that places someones freedom at an inferior level to the officer's ego or vindictive feelings towards a suspect.
The racial profiling and police tactics portrayed in Murder on a Sunday Morning, as well as in the reading “I Did It” reveal a harsh reality that engulfs the criminal justice system to this day. Racism within the criminal justice system places an ethnic divide on communities and can cause a greater gap between citizens and law enforcement. Policing tactics border on illegal and are fraudulent in nature. These acts have unfortunately made their way to the news headlines, and more often than not, lead to a criminal justice system that is skewed, and is viewed as a negative part of the community.
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Justice Without Justice: What if the Criminal Justice System isn't Justice. (2019, Feb 20).
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Corruption of Criminal Justice System
Over the years, acts of corruption by the administrations in authority have for a long time shaken the public faith in government. However, the loss of public confidence is particularly acute when those involved are the police. Unfortunately, the police have acquired a dubious reputation. They have been accused of committing acts of corruption which might include abuse of authority, money laundering, concealing of criminals and also the violation of human rights (Corinthia, 85). As a result, such inhuman acts have led to mass public outcry hence putting the criminal justice system at a tight spot due to the increasing number of attacks resulting from police brutality.
When the security agencies disrespect the law and fail to honor their code of conduct, they inadvertently promote a culture of corruption that breeds deception, greed, and discrimination (Corinthia, 85). Police corruption exists because police culture protects and embraces officers who intentionally, execute innocent people. Additionally, the culture is promoted when close ranks officers to the perpetrators of the crime, cover up knowledge of an officer's misconduct with the aim of self-preservation.
This culture of corruption arises when there is a failure in the recruitment process, lack of resources and failure of the courts to be accountable. As a result, the public acquires a negative attitude towards the judicial and legal systems that condone police impunity (Corinthia, 87). Most security departments in which corruption is rife tend to have weaknesses in the recruitment process. This is because the police units do not adequately investigate the officers been recruited or trained. As a result, some of these officers tend to have serious criminal records that undermine the confidence in law enforcement.
Lack of resources in the police department stems from educational and cultural deficiencies. Research shows that most security departments lack funds to pay the security officers who then end up extorting innocent civilians and receiving bribes to survive (Corinthia, 89). Additionally, some of the security officers act as hit men for organized criminal gangs for them to be paid lucratively.
The judicial system has been accused of lacking integrity and accountability when hearing cases that concern officers who have abused their powers in the line of duty. In most cases, prosecutors have been accused of covering up the evidence and using vague law in the prosecution of the facts (Corinthia, 91). Additionally, the courts have been accused of turning a blind eye to police brutality and also failing to mete out befitting punishment for impunity.
Thus, lack of judicial accountability reflects implementation of vague laws that put inadequate restrictions on security agencies. It also reveals that the state has failed to criticize police impunity hence, police brutality will always creep in where justice gatekeepers fail to shut the door in its face (Corinthia, 97). In conclusion, to reduce police brutality, laws must be passed with zero tolerance for corruption. Furthermore, the state must provide adequate resources to cater for the officers and finally, proper monitoring policies must be established to ensure that the police serve the citizens per the law.
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Reforms in the Criminal Justice System
There have been rising concerns on the criminal justice system that has seen the system require different changes to accomplish the mission of the system. The main reason for presenting this topic on the criminal justice system is because it has experienced various challenges and requires some reforms. Therefore, presenting such information will be in need to understand the changes that should be initiated for the system to be streamlined.
The data was collected from the different areas that make up the criminal justice system. The system is comprised of three areas that are law enforcers, the court system and correctional facilities. Therefore, in understanding the three different areas an individual will be able to come up with a concrete representation of each and how they can be used to help each to curb the issue of rising crimes across the globe (Thomas & McGourlay, 2017). The primary goal of presenting information on this topic is to help people understand the importance of integrating the three elements of the criminal justice system.
The selection of the data visualization was based on the source of the data and the methods that were used to collect the data. The fairness of data visualization was ensured through taking multiple sources and analyzing them to understand the issue better. It can also be achieved by identifying the data that fits in the topic instead of getting bulk data and trying to filter them out them out for the best. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the various departments to ensure that they pass information to the relevant department for the success of the whole system (Vincelette & Bostic, 2013). In writing this topic, I intended to ensure that all the system work closely together and that they understand the importance of each other.
Therefore, it is my call to the instructor that he will find the importance of presenting information about the criminal justice system and find it possible to guide along writing the whole topic. I request the instructor to give the essential aspects that might be missed out in the presentation and how a good compilation can be achieved.
The challenges that are faced in the criminal justice system are as a result of the failure of communication within the three elements. There has also an increased trend in corruption involving the various components of the system and which has led to an inability to accomplish their mission. The law enforcers are regarded as the first-hand information source, and if they fail to present such information to the court system, then the crimes are expected to rise since criminals will not be sentenced or taken to correctional facilities (Vincelette & Bostic, 2013).
The criminal justice system
The data for the reliable information on the criminal justice system should be obtained from the three components presented above. The police should provide information on the incidences that they handle that are crime related and how many proceed to the final stage. The courts should provide information on the number of cases they receive from the police and the way they deal with such information (Thomas & McGourlay, 2017). The court should comment on how effective the information is presented to them by the police and how the police can become more useful in making the system successful. The correctional facilities should also offer services that will make the criminals more useful in the society.
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Criminal Justice Policy in Texas
Introduction
The United States is a federal system made of many states that enjoy significant autonomy. For instance, all states have independent tax systems, health care policies, and criminal justice doctrines. All states design their laws to ensure conformity and agreement with the provisions of the federal law. This paper will investigate Texas as far as criminal justice policy is concerned. The choice for criminal justice attributes to the fact that it is a broad area of law that has faced severe controversies in the United States. The investigation will also target Massachusetts’ case with the same policy area. The reason for choosing the two states attributes to the fact they reformed their approaches to the policy areas in the recent time. The comparison of policies with the same timeline may be reasonable than if choosing another state that has not changed its laws for many years. The choice of the two states was also necessary for deducing an understanding of the conservative aspects of the societies as far as the criminal justice system is concerned. It is worth noting that Democrats control the Massachusetts legislature while Republicans dominate the Texan politics. As such, it is expectable that most of the reforms may reflect the political leanings of the individual states. With the recent controversies in the criminal justice systems, it is expectable that the recent reforms may reflect a lot of issues covered by the federal system. This element of near similarities may ease comparison and lead to the identification of the differences and the impacts of changes. However, the fact that the two states just reformed their policies in the criminal justice system, there may be no significant impacts. Most of the effects of the changes to the justice system may be by inferences and assumptions. In the end, there will be suggestions on the necessary improvements on the Texan law to achieve the necessary gains. The suggestions will reflect the status of Massachusetts’ policies.
Explanation of criminal justice policy in Massachusetts
In 2018, Massachusetts state had the governor signed various laws intended to cut the rate of incarceration. The 121 pages bill has multiple policies that will divert many people to programming and treatment. The bill also seeks to improve the conditions of prisons. It also intends to support convicts to move with life after conviction. According to the Governor of the state, the bill requires $40 million in 2019 to facilitate the hiring of staff and buying of equipment as well as software to fulfill the goals (Murphy n.p).
The new statute eliminates many mandatory sentencings of individuals with minor drug offenses. It creates a procedure for the expungement of records of youths and juveniles incarcerated for crimes that are no longer illegal like possession of marijuana (Schoenberg n.p). Another fascinating thing with the bill is that it increases the least age of criminal accountability from seven to twelve years. Only juvenile delinquents aged 12 years and above can face trial in children courts. It also decriminalizes some minor crimes committed by juveniles. The new bill also recognizes the socioeconomic differences in the communities. As such, the bill advocates for the examination of a person’s ability to pay before issuing a fine or a fee. In the early system, low-income and needy people convicted for crimes could not leave jail before trial because of the inability to pay bails. Additionally, the statute raises the threshold for considering theft as a felony. Murphy discusses that the reformed law also increases the threshold for considering theft as a burglary to $1200 from $250 (n.p). Moreover, the recently signed code pushes for increased humane conditions for prisoners in solitary cells.
The new law increases and strengthens penalties for individuals implicated for trafficking opioids like carfentanil and fentanyl and repeated drunk driving. Nonetheless, the same law repeals many mandatory minimum convictions for low-level offenses involving drugs. The Massachusetts Governor Baker also signed another bill that developed from the examination of reoffending in the state (Murphy n.p). The statute improves the programming present in jails and prisons, fosters community oversight, and improved behavioral health facilities and resources. Another remarkable aspect of the law is the intention to divert youthful offenders and individuals with mental health problems or addiction from undergoing court procedures. The diversion program ought to serve as an alternative to jail terms. The program will also allow judges to apply discretion to enable offenders to execute community service or relevant programs before arraignment in courts. Once someone completes the assigned program, criminal records for the given charge cease to exist.
After reading the proposed bills, Governor Baker introduced recommendations that intended to improve the new statutes. One of the changes purposed to allow agencies responsible for licensing childcare providers and firearms reach to sealed records of crimes. Levin reports that the changes would also prevent some crimes affecting children from dismissal over prosecutors’ objection (n.p). Additionally, the changes by Baker would extend the mandatory suspension of license for homicides involving motor vehicles to 15 years instead of 10 years. Before Baker’s review proposals, the bill forbade guardians from testifying against their children. The new law will end the incarceration cycle, enhance victims’ support, and terminate criminalization because of poverty.
Individuals convicted of minor crimes before the twenty-first birthday now have the opportunities to seal the records permanently if they did not commit other offenses. In the past, juvenile records could follow a person into adulthood and threatened the chances of the individuals to get jobs and housing opportunities.
The new statute in Massachusetts introduces mandates on data-collection and record-keeping to ensure accurate tracking of arrests, incarceration, and reoffending rates. The goal of the new tracking measures is partly to determine ethnic and racial disparities (Schoenberg n.p). There are also directions for the training of law enforcement agents to avoid ethnic and racial profiling, establish trust in their respective communities, and ensure care during interaction with mentally ill individuals. The law also directs for the submission of all untested rape kits with cases of reported sexual assault for “testing within 180 days.” The new legal amendments establish prohibitions on the segregation and application of “solitary confinements” in the Massachusetts prison system. Individuals in isolated cells are subject to periodic hearings for determining the efficacy of continued isolation. The statute also intends to prohibit the placement of pregnant women and juveniles in separate systems. There is also a provision that permits compassionate medical freedom for inmates without safety risks to the community. The rule will allow the transfer of terminally ill and elderly inmates to cheaper care.
Explanation of the criminal justice policy in Texas
In 2017, the Texas legislature embarked on measures to reform the criminal justice system with the intention of enhancing the safety of civilians, redeeming lives, and protecting taxpayers. For a long time, the State used the concept of debtors’ prison to lock people incapable of paying fines. This practice remained rampant in Texas, and the prison population increased significantly. However, in September 2017, the States’ Governor Greg Abbott approved two bills namely, “House Bill 351” and “Senate Bill 1913” that intended to terminate the application of debtors’ prisons. The two bills charged the state courts to issue an alternative to jail for individual’s incapable of paying fees and fines like traffic tickets and the Class C offenses that lack a possible prison sentence (Levin n.p). The reforms also instruct courts to provide community service and payment plans as well as reduce fine to match the income of individual offenders.
Texas legislatures also expanded the “second chance” law of 2015 that established a ceiling for imprisonment. The law covered nonviolent minor sentences other than the first-time DWI. The 2017 reform incorporates the first-time DWI and nullifies the 2015 law as retroactive (Silver n.p). The new statute allows many people with single convictions from the past decades to sanctify their names. This bill relies on the research findings that individuals, who have served communities without recidivism for many years are unlikely to re-offend. In such cases, the “scarlet letter of a criminal record” bars them from employment and housing opportunities, which worsens safety outcomes while compromising economic productivity.
The policymakers in Texas also undertook policy reforms in the criminal justice to reduce the rate of wrongful convictions by passing the HB34, which guide in handling jailhouse informants. Silver demonstrates that some jailed persons concoct stories concerning other people alleged to commit crimes in exchange for better deals in own cases (n.p). The trend has been one of the contributors towards an increase in wrongful convictions in the state. The new legislation (HB34) mandates prosecutors to monitor the application of jailhouse informants. The law also demands that prosecutors should share information of benefits offered to jailhouse informants in exchange of information with the judge, jury, and the defense.
The legislature of Texas also changed the state’s jail system formed in 1993 to tackle nonviolent criminals like those sentenced for carrying below a gram of illicit drugs (Levin n.p). Such offenders have a recidivism rate of 60% and research has demonstrated that better outcomes are possible with local programs, which can hold nonviolent criminals accountable while receiving addiction treatment. The series of policy reforms in Texas has been responsible for the significant decrease in the rates of crime since 1967. Consequently, the state has shut eight prisons within the past seven years.
In 2017, the lawmakers in Texas realized the need to improve public safety by creating laws that protect the police and civilians altogether. The step follows an increase in hate crimes against the police that has complicated the operations of the law enforcement workers (Levin n.p). One of the undertakings in the policy reforms is the equipping of police with sturdy bulletproof vests. The lawmakers also intend to approve laws that recognize the police as a protected group. The issue of police protection gained momentum in 2017 after an attack in Dallas that led to the death of five officers. (Silver n.p) Some legislatures intend to advocate that citizens finance the proposed bulletproof vests for patrol officers. The law also promotes for the treatment of attacks on police as hate crimes. The approval of the law on police protection will classify attacks on law enforcers with hate crimes perpetrated alongside religion, race, color, nationality, ancestry, sexual orientation, disability.
There is the “Senate Bill 273” proposed by Senator John Whitmire that would require the teaching of ninth graders about their responsibilities, rights, and proper behaviors among law enforcement agents and civilians. Another “Senate Bill 202” sponsored by Senator Royce West would require the police to learn together with juveniles about aspects of a criminal offense (Silver n.p). The goal of the program is to reduce police confrontations with youths and help in lowering the rate of juvenile incarceration. The bill by Royce also proposes that the driver’s handbooks and the part of written exams feature questions on encounter strategies with the police.
Comparison and recommendations
The criminal justice policies for Texas and Massachusetts States are similar and different in various ways. The two states are currently using new procedures as Texas approved reforms in 2017 while Massachusetts adopted the changes in April 2018. The first notable similarity between the two territories is the adoption of structures that encourage the examination of convicts to ensure that they receive light bails (Silver n.p; Murphy n.p). The two system mandates the court to run background checks on offenders before quoting binds. The overall goal of the plan is to avoid locking needy individuals because of their incapacity to pay for their freedom. The two systems also approve the use of alternative incarceration measures like community service and treatment of offenders.
Another crucial similarity between the Massachusetts and Texas system concerns the provision that allows individuals to erase their early criminal records if they have no recent encounters with the law. With the reforms, people can enjoy relief from crimes committed in adolescence. The two systems recognize that such measures help the offenders to find jobs and accessible housing opportunities.
The criminal justice policies of Texas and Massachusetts are also similar as far the goal to reduce mandatory minimum imprisonment is concerned (Silver n.p; Schoenberg n.p). in both states, the target to reduce minimum compulsory incarceration focus on minor drug offenses. For instance, the Texan law relieves individuals with marijuana below one gram from mandatory principles.
The Texan and Massachusetts criminal justice policies advocate for training programs for the police agents to increase relationship with the public (Levin n.p; Murphy n.p). However, the approach to the training is somewhat different. The Texan reforms require that the police train in the same class with juveniles to create an understanding of responsibilities during the interaction. The goal of the training is to reduce the rate of incarcerated youths. Massachusetts’ training proposal intends to educate the security officers of manners to relate with people and avoid race and ethnic-based profiling.
One of the differences between the criminal justice policies of Texas and Massachusetts concerns the issues of wrongful conviction. The Texas system has established measures to reduce wrongful convictions by increasing the responsibilities of prosecutors when grilling jailed informants (Levin n.p). In many cases, prosecutors and detained informants create terms of the corporation in investigating other people. The terms usually carry favorable conditions for the jailed information. As such, there is typically the tendency of informants giving false information that lead to wrongful convictions. Massachusetts lacks such provisions intended to reduce wrongful incarcerations.
Another area of distinction between the criminal justice policies applied in Massachusetts and Texas concern the safety of the police officers. The Texan reforms recognize that police officers are facing increasing vulnerability to hate crimes (Silver n.p). This understanding followed a series of attacks on law enforcement officers. In 2017, Texas lost five officers to hate crime attackers (Levin n.p). With the intention to improve police safety, there is a clause in the reform that seeks to buy sturdy bulletproof vests for the police agents. Massachusetts has no law advocating for such direct investment in police safety.
From the comparison of the two policies on criminal justice, some can deduce some recommendations to improve the Texan case. First, it is essential for Texas to emulate the steps by Massachusetts to increase the age of juvenile responsibility for crimes. The undertaking can foster measures to reduce the rate of incarcerating children. Another recommendation is for Texas to clarify the actions it can take regarding the handling of hard opioid drugs. Massachusetts is clear about the legislation and increases punishments for the individual caught with opioids and synthetic substances. The step may help the Texan administration in reducing backlash with civil rights movements that may demand equal treatment of individuals caught with marijuana and opioids. The Texan legislatures should emulate Massachusetts’ system that calls for strict background checks by firearm licensing agency on individuals wanting to acquire guns. The move can help in reducing instances of violent gun crimes.
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Rogerian Argument: Misperception on Growth
The ongoing use of technology and other advancements in the classroom allow students to have quick access to information, grasp onto things using their own learning style and develop long term vital skills. On the other hand, many students and teachers are sometimes prone to distractions and change in the social dynamic thus the debate for whether technology does more harm than good in the classroom continues. Despite this, they both share a common ground in their motives: to create a learning environment in which students can perform their best. Overall, although technology may provide students different benefits, if it is not used correctly or with the right mindset, it can hinder the education system.
Using different gadgets and technology advancements in the classrooms help create an interactive environment in which students are more involved. While learning different skills such as collaborative learning, ways to navigate the online world, and the use of different online applications students begin to apply them into the “real world”. Technology will continue to be engraved into student’s daily life’s even after high school. Students are given many advantages when given the opportunity to learn and poses a vital skill for their life outside of kindergarten through twelfth grade. Furthermore, students are being taught how to work together and communicate online ,research thorough the use of technology. There are thousands of online devices in which students can use to thrive and incorporate their different learning styles into it. Teachers can also use technology to help incorporate different teaching styles into their curriculum.
With the exposure to different advancements, students are more prone to collaborate on different tasks. School board journalist, Allice Armstrong, states that “Utilizing tablets, smartphones, and whiteboards to encourage students to explore the Internet as a legitimate resource and to collaborate with other students or teachers can engage their students in ways that lectures and textbooks do not”. In the 21 st century students are using technology to research , find resources, and collaborate with others. Teachers also use technology to grade assignments, incorporate different teaching styles (with the use of online sites), and document data regarding student progress. While this is helpful, students and teachers can also do this without the use of technology.
Technology and the things that come with it may be considered expensive. According to Ascd.org, 56 billion dollars is invested into technology per year. Although technology is being paid for by the federal government, there are some things that are not included in the budget list: the consist updates and advancements for technology, and the teacher training required to teach using it. Furthermore, “It takes far more professional training through a variety of conferences, courses, professional literature, seminars... in order to get a better knowledge in the use of educational technology”. The debate of whether teachers and students can keep up with consist advancements within technology goes on today. “Technology is changing the way students learn and teachers teach”.
Although it is true that technology may allow students to collaborate, it can become a distraction to scholars. Furthermore, students watch videos, play videos games, and often check their social media. A study done by Telegraph illustrated that the use of technology is to similar to the addiction of drugs: students are able to receive quick results with their use of technology. This may include getting a like on a photo or even a text message, quick results that lecture and notes do not give them. After a while a student begin to crave and ache for this form of satisfaction. When a student does not receive it , their attention spans decrease and they are unable to focus in class. Like a chain reaction, the disruptive student begins to socialize which then leads to the teacher having to stop to bring back the classroom. This domino effect can be traced back to technology.
Technology can do good, but like many other things it can also have negative effects. With this in mind, if students and teachers relied less on the use of technology in the classroom and used it in only in times when it would be most beatifical then the education system would improve. Students can use books to research, paper to write on, and collaborate through things that does not abide with technology. When the use of technology is reduced in the classroom, the amounts of federal fund is also reduced. Furthermore, that money could be invested towards students collage plans or even teacher training in the consistently evolving classroom. The classroom would not be disrupted as much and students would begin to use more critical thinking in order to discover a solution.
In conclusion, the debate of how worthy technology in the classroom really is continues today. With the many factors that reside in this argument, there is not one correct side, but rather sides that have individuals with the same vision, creating the best learning environment, but different outlooks. With that being said, teachers and students may both benefit when the use of technology is reduced. There are thousands of resources in which teachers and students can use in their curriculum. However technology does more harm than good in the classroom if it is not used correctly. Even collaboration could open doors for distraction and side conversation.
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