StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Criminal Justice System - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
From the paper "Criminal Justice System" it is clear that in the discussion of regulating children in America law, Scott and Stenberg mention the Bellotti v. Baid which can be used as a benchmark in trying to understand the responses of the society in regards to juvenile crime. …
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER94.4% of users find it useful
Criminal Justice System
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Criminal Justice System"

Scott and Steinberg (2008) argue that adolescent criminal offenders should be taken through different sanctions and procedures from those of juvenile delinquents and the adult criminal justice system. They further state that adolescents require a detached alcove of procedures and sanctions instead of being put together with delinquent children who are much younger in the juvenile detention or on the reverse extreme, the adolescents being put through the same criminal justice system as the adults.

The lack of mental development and / or moral awareness in regards to their diminished cognitive capacity and ethical immaturity should not be used as an excuse to suggest that the adolescents are less liable and therefore their punishment in the event of a crime should be less harsh than the punishment meted out to an adult reprobate. One of the issues facing the justice system is the existence of a gap in terms of punishment to adolescent offenders, especially for extreme crimes such as murder.

Scott and Steinberg argue that the adolescent cannot be punished as a juvenile delinquent as this maybe too lenient while punishing the adolescent as an adult maybe also be too harsh. The justice system is then faced with a difficult decision as both of these punishments is seems inappropriate. For example, in a recent case of Graham versus Florida, Graham, 16 years old was found to have violated his probation terms by committing other crime. In the hearing, the court found Graham culpable of the previous charges, revoked his probation and sentenced him to life imprisonment without an option of parole.

In this case, the first ruling seems quite lenient in that the offender does not reform or cease to engage in criminal behavior but in fact seems to increase his engagement in crime. The second ruling of life imprisonment without parole seems to be too severe considering his was a non-homicidal crime and regarding his age, he would spend most of his life in prison. The fact that there is no national consensus on the punishment of criminal offenders between the ages of 14 and 18 years presents another challenge to the justice system in the US.

For example, in the case of Roper versus Simmons, Simmons had planned and committed a murder at the age of seventeen. Such a violent crime cannot go unpunished. At the age of eighteen, he was sentenced to death which is the punishment for adults. Whilst the evidence presented was overwhelming, the fact that he committed the crime while he was still seventeen did influence the reduction of his sentence from a death penalty to a life imprisonment. The justice process cannot resolve the crime while taking into serious consideration the age of the offender and hence this kind of information is useful and could be used by the juvenile justice policy and practice in their consideration while dealing with adolescent juvenile delinquents.

This is important because like in the case of Roper vs. Simmons, it was clear that the cognitive ability of Simmons at seventeen years old was developed to the point where he could plan and execute the offense (Scott & Steinberg, 2008). A premeditated crime is committed by an individual who understands that there are repercussions to his / her actions and knows what the law holds as criminal activities and hence the adolescent juvenile delinquents should be tried using the laws meted out for adults.

In the discussion of regulating children in America law, Scott and Stenberg mention the Bellotti v. Baid which can be used as a benchmark in trying to understand the responses of the society in regards to juvenile crime. Uniformity cannot be used and applied in all cases of adolescent juvenile delinquents because there are situations like that of mentally ill adolescents who should not be punished like other adolescent juvenile delinquents of the same age. ReferenceScott, E. S., & Steinberg, L. D. (2008).

Rethinking juvenile justice . New York: Havard University Press .

Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Criminal Justice System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words”, n.d.)
Criminal Justice System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words. Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/law/1405487-essay
(Criminal Justice System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 Words)
Criminal Justice System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 Words. https://studentshare.org/law/1405487-essay.
“Criminal Justice System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/law/1405487-essay.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Criminal Justice System

Canadian Criminal Justice System

Canadian Criminal Justice System Author Institution Abstract The legal system of Canada is based on English Common Law (old) by explorers and colonists.... Canadian Criminal Justice System The legal system of Canadian is based on English Common Law (old), which were brought by explorers and colonists.... Most aspects of the Canadian Criminal Justice System are unique and different from other systems in the world.... However, the Canadian system of criminal justice inclines towards utilizing the due process model....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

US Criminal Justice System

… The US Criminal Justice System consists of two tiers- the state courts and the federal courts.... The founding fathers established this system of division of the two courts and had this system not existed, the state of the country and its Criminal Justice System would be much different today....  US Criminal Justice System The US Criminal Justice System consists of two tiers- the state courts and the federal courts....
1 Pages (250 words) Essay

The Criminal Justice System

The Criminal Justice System can be defined as a system of institutions that are directed by the government to uphold social control and mitigate crime.... In regard to the description by Professor Matheson about the Criminal Justice System, I do agree that the justice system is… The system is not always fair when dealing with certain kinds of people.... When we The Criminal Justice System The Criminal Justice System Question one The Criminal Justice System can be defined as a system of institutions that are directed by the government to uphold social control and mitigate crime....
2 Pages (500 words) Assignment

The Criminal Justice System

The paper "The Criminal Justice System " seeks to investigate the basis of the criminal punishments that are given in the United States.... Many research studies uncovered evidence that ordinary policing often involved checking immigration status (asking, for instance, for passports) when people from ethnic minorities reported crimes of which they had been the victim (Newburn 2007)The Criminal Justice System should be the epitome of fairness and equity.... It analyzes the effect of the punishment given to the criminals and evaluates the possible forms of criminal reform systems that can be used instead of jail sentences and other forms of punishment....
7 Pages (1750 words) Assignment

The Criminal Justice System

The Government Structure As It Applies To the Criminal Justice System The Criminal Justice System comprises a collection of local, state and federal (public) agencies that are dedicated to dealing with crime (Randolph, 2005).... According to the former, criminal behaviour is any act that is in conflict with the beliefs and values of the whole society.... On its part, the conflict model holds that criminal law is determined by those people who hold social, political, and economic power within a given community....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

The Criminal Justice System

This research aims at exploring ways to reduce crime among the British male black teenagers remaining within the existing Criminal Justice System of Britain.... This proves that black girls are definitely quite less in number than black boys who are suspected of the crime yet their representation in the British Criminal Justice System is far more than that of non-black girls.... In order to minimize the widespread susceptibility of black male teenagers towards crime, and minimize the number of real young black male teenagers remaining within the existing form of British Criminal Justice System, it is imperative that the factors that increase their susceptibility towards crime are identified and evaluated against other ethnicities....
11 Pages (2750 words) Research Paper

The Criminal Justice System

This coursework "The Criminal Justice System" considers the statement that when all is said and done, the current Criminal Justice System is about as fair and effective as we can reasonably expect and its merits in the actual Criminal Justice System.... hellip; This coursework considers the viability of the statement while assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the current Australian Criminal Justice System.... nbsp; This paper is being carried out in order to establish a clear and comprehensive understanding of the Australian Criminal Justice System in terms of its actual application and efficacy....
10 Pages (2500 words) Coursework

American Criminal Justice System

… The paper "American Criminal Justice System " is a wonderful example of a law assignment.... There are serious deficits in the American Criminal Justice System with regards to the mentally ill.... The paper "American Criminal Justice System " is a wonderful example of a law assignment.... There are serious deficits in the American Criminal Justice System with regards to the mentally ill.... This outsourcing has been very unsuccessful in helping improve the situation of the mentally ill with regards to the Criminal Justice System....
1 Pages (250 words) Assignment
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us