Criminal Justice Free Essays

Within modern criminal justice, there is no more permanent and controversial punishment than capital punishment. Throughout this paper, various facets of capital punishment, as well as the criminal justice system will be discussed. To begin this research, it is important to first define capital punishment. We will write a custom essay sample on Criminal Justice or any similar topic only for you Order Now For the purposes herein, capital punishment will be defined as the court-sanctioned killing of a criminal defendant, after that defendant has been convicted through due process of law. While this research emphasizes the modern era of capital punishment, the process as a legally mandated one has been in place since the first written laws emerged from Hammurabi’s Code and various laws that were put forth by ancient Egyptian pharaohs (Morris, 1997). One Opinion on Capital Punishment The controversial nature of capital punishment earns it a fair amount of scrutiny and discussion on the part of researchers. It is for this reason that an opinion on capital punishment is now offered. Because of the irreversible nature of capital punishment once it is imposed, it is essential that capital punishment only be administered in cases where the guilt of the defendant is beyond question, such as a situation where a crime is witnessed by multiple, unimpeachable individuals. This requirement, while quite fair and reasonable, in itself opens up additional issues to be discussed, not the least of which is the issue of what defendants may challenge on appeal. Defendants Challenges on Appeal When American defendants are convicted of a crime in a court of law, there is still an opportunity for the defendant to issue a challenge to the conviction through a formal appeal. Most commonly, appeals will cite errors of law, fact or procedure as a basis for the possible overturning of a verdict (McAllister, et al, 1993). Obviously, in capital punishment cases, the use of the appellate process is extremely valuable when the guilt of an individual is in possible question, as literally, life and death hangs in the balance. This process is aided greatly in the 21st century by technological advancements and new forensic techniques. Given all of the advancements, however, nonscientific suspect identification still has a place in modern criminal justice and is worthy of discussion. Methods of Nonscientific Suspect Identification Aside from the benefits of modern science, criminal justice can likewise still benefit today from nonscientific suspect identification, most commonly eye witness and ear witness testimony (McAllister, et al, 1993). It is through the reliable testimony of what people see and hear that many crimes are solved to this very day. However, as this research concludes, it will be stated and explained that nonscientific suspect identification is only reliable under certain conditions, much like its high-tech counterparts. Conclusion: Most Reliable Method of Nonscientific Suspect Identification Lastly, it is possible to clarify exactly what is the most reliable method of nonscientific suspect identification. As a matter of fact, either visual or audible witnessing of a crime can be the most reliable, within certain conditions. In either case, the reliability of the witness must be rock solid; ideally, multiple reliable witnesses would be best, as is evidenced from secondary research on the topic (McAllister, et al, 1993). In conclusion, what must be understood is, especially in capital punishment cases, testimony must be beyond question, for without solid evidence, the criminal justice system lacks the integrity it needs to protect the public from the worst members of society itself. Bibliography McAllister, H. A. , Dale, R. H. , Bregman, N. J. , McCabe, A. , Cotton, C. R. (1993). When Eyewitnesses Are Also Ear witnesses: Effects on Visual and Voice Identifications. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 14(2), 161-170. Morris, C. (Ed. ). (1997). Capital Punishment in the United States A Documentary History. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. How to cite Criminal Justice, Papers Criminal Justice Free Essays Global Crime Analysis Crystal M. Baldwin CJA 394 March 18, 2013 William Kelly Global Crime Analysis Cybercrime has become a major issue in the United States today. One of the major issues is identity theft. We will write a custom essay sample on Criminal Justice or any similar topic only for you Order Now Criminals are taken citizen’s identities and start living as if they are really these individuals. The distressing part about identity theft is that the victim suffers from these types of crimes for years to come. In this paper, I will identify the diverse major global crimes and criminal issues that have a global impact on national and international justice systems and processes. I will compare and contrast the various international criminal justice systems and how these major international crimes and criminal issues will and have been addressed and things that need to change in the criminal justice field to help global crime become more thriving. We have to stick together in this field to make sure that we stay one-step ahead of the criminals so that we that citizen can feel more safe and secure while on the electronic devices. I have listed below some of the major global crimes that our world is facing today and the parts of the country where these horrible crimes are taking place. Diverse nation states handle law-breaking citizens different than we do in the United States of America and this is a huge problem. We have certain laws that we have to go by when dealing with a criminal because even thought they have broken the law they still have laws under the constitution of the United States of America. The FBI and CIA are the head of our Homeland Security and they are the ones that are suppose to protect us from foreign countries but the problem is that they are not communicating with one another so the job is falling through the loops. The CIA wants to take credit for all the work and so does the FBI so this is causing our country to allow cyber crime to reach an all time high. We need to come together in this criminal justice field so that we can catch these illegal lawbreakers and defend a wonderful country of ours. Stephens states â€Å"†¢ drug cartels are spreading violence in Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean. The whole of West Africa is under attack from narco-traffickers, that are buying economic assets as well as political power; †¢ collusion between insurgents and criminal groups threatens the stability of West Asia, the Andes and parts of Africa, fuelling the trade in smuggled weapons, the plunder of natural resources and piracy; †¢ kidnapping is rife from the Sahel to the Andes, while modern slavery (human trafficking) has spread throughout the world; †¢ in so many urban centres, in rich as much as in poor countries, authorities have lost control of the inner cities, to organized gangs and thugs; †¢ the web has been turned into a weapon of mass destruction, enabling cyber-crime, while terrorism – including cyber-terrorism – threatens vital infrastructure and state security† (1996). In conclusion, I have identified the diverse major global crimes and criminal issues that have a global impact on national and international justice systems and proc esses. I compared and contrasted the various international criminal justice systems. I explained how these major international crimes and criminal issues will and have been addressed in the criminal justice field. In this world today, people need to realize that we face a transgression wave that has developed into a safety measures crisis. This has to be taken into account, we have to come together, and it must be congested before it spreads even more terror, dishonesty, violent behavior and deficiency. The supporting will of our states is mightier than the voracity and firepower of unlawful citizens. Stephens states, â€Å"Working together does not mean surrendering sovereignty, it means defending it. So let us enforce the rule of law where uncivil society prevails† (1996). References Stephens, M. 1996. Global Organized Crime. Retrieved from https://www. fas. org/irp/eprint/snyder/globalcrime. htm How to cite Criminal Justice, Essay examples Criminal Justice Free Essays Criminal Justice week 1 paper When you think about criminal justice, the first thing that comes to mind is the word, crime. Many people do not understand the actual definition of crime or its relationship to law. Society usually sees criminal justice as an officer making an arrest, when there is a lot more to it. We will write a custom essay sample on Criminal Justice or any similar topic only for you Order Now Within criminal justice there is a government structure, choice theories, goals and three components that make up the criminal justice process. Many have posed the question of wanting to know if the criminal justice system is actually a system. Using the three components and the process and goals I do believe that it is a system. What is crime? Crime is when a person has created an act or omission against the law. According to â€Å"Merriam-Webster † (2012), â€Å"a grave offense especially against morality. † defines crime. How does this relate the law? Have you heard of the old saying, you cannot have one without the other? Law can be defined as the set of regulations determined by a group of people who decide what is right and what is wrong. When those regulations are broken, it creates a crime. There are two models that help society determine what acts are criminal. The consensus model is a diverse group of people, who come together and decide based on their beliefs. The conflict model, leaves it to those with the higher power. There are different theories on why crimes are committed. One theory would be classical theory, it suggests that crime is committed with individual will. For example; each individual has the will to say they are not going to rob that store or steal that truck. There is a theory that seconds guesses the classical theory and that is the social theory. The social process theory relates to crime being made because those individuals had failure in self direction. For example; if a boy grew up in a home where gang relations were present, that is a failure of self direction because it is leading him to commit the same acts of crime. These two choice theories can have an impact on the components of criminal justice and its structure and process. The government structure applies the criminal justice system and its process components. The government structure includes legislation, judicial and executive branches. According to â€Å"Cliff Notes† (2012), â€Å"Legislatures, both state and federal, define crimes, fix sentences, and provide funding for criminal justice agencies. The judicial side of the government is the ones the over sees the trials of those who are suspected of committing the crime. The executive can apply to the criminal justice system by being the ones that appoint the leaders such as judges. That can help in grand jury and supreme court. These effect the three components of what makes the criminal justice system. The thre e components are the police/law enforcement, courts and corrections. The police and law enforcement are the enforcers, they take care of situations such as booking and warrants. Courts are the ones that submit the preliminary hearing, making sure that the individuals rights are being taken care of. The corrections are those who carry out the sentencing of those convicted. Corrections can be from probation officers to correctional officers for prisons. These three components and what they do are the process of the criminal justice system. Having a strong criminal justice system is important and without any of these, it would not be strong. Goals are a big part of making sure that the criminal justice system stays strong and acts sufficiently. How to cite Criminal Justice, Essay examples Criminal Justice Free Essays As with many chastisements, theories about how police corruption comes about have prospered In many generations. The three theories that are often in evidence in the criminal justice field are the society at large theory, the structural theory and the rotten apple hypothesis. Every one of these theories takes a singular assessment about how police corruption originates and each holds its own right in police work. We will write a custom essay sample on Criminal Justice or any similar topic only for you Order Now The slippery slope in law enforcement is a moral career hypothesis. Where corruption begins with apparently harmless well intentional practices and leads over time.This can happen with individuals or a department in any situation. Basically the slippery slope is what people call crimes for profit. Rationalization shows corrupt routine in police work. The free cup of coffee, or half price meal or discount is something police rely on a little too much. To begin with the slippery slope has a lot to do with social sex. Social sex is about boy and girl attitudes, and how genetics display ethical behaviors. Banks, Scully Shakespeare (2006) noted that genetics have a number of concerns about the development of public understanding of the science involved (p. ). Recently there has been less attention paid to the actual process of public making of ethical evaluations about novel biomedical issues. . Banks, Scully Shakespeare (2006) wrote that they observed an ethical evaluation where they held ten discussions with different groups of people during 2002-2004, in North east England; they discussed prenatal sex selection and medical issues (p. 2). These disscussions were essential to understand relationships with in a police department. The concept of fallacy is the actual argumentation between two or more people.Fallacies are the types of errors that come up in every day discussions. Walton (1995) questioned if fallacy is sustainable to be analyzed for argumentation(p2)? Fallacy is a key objective in the slippery slope for law enforcement officers. Walton (1995) researched that the framework of practical logic as a dialectical art of conversation between two parties who reason together(p. 2). This is exactly what happens with the slippery slope concept, the officer receives a discount. This is clearly analyzed as an error of reasoning in the slippery slope concept.Business managers want police to eat for cheap, because they believe customers want to feel safe while in the restaurant Walton (1995) wrote about refutation meaning reasoning involving the contradictory of a given conclusion(p. 3). I actually have a personal experience to relate to this subject. I previously worked for a restaurant, where police officers, and fire fighters were the main source of business. I asked my boss why we always gave discounts to men and women in law enforcement, he said it was due to the respect that officers deserve.The actual owner has a personal relationship with the North Las Vegas police department, the police liked the food, and as well enjoyed the service. Me as the server I received well tips in return for the discount, and good service. I see nothing wrong with receiving really good tips for the service provided. This is a good example of the slippery slope theory; gratuities are just a way of saying thank you in return for the service that police officers give. Unfortunately, several incidents in the past years have altered society’s perception of police in some communities.The society at large hypothesis is about the roots of corruption with apposed remedies. The practice of incessant settlements from entrepreneurs can be prolonged to more unsmiling crimes. Delattre (2006) noted that When Wilson became superintendent of police of Chicago in 1960, he told the people of the city that â€Å"the same kind of special consideration that they were buying for small amounts, could, by the same logic, be purchased by criminals and crime syndicates for larger amounts†¦. (p. 79).This is a great example that gratuities in some ways can be a bad influence for some police officers. Basically this theory is the result of the actions of a society at large. Another example is citizens receive goods at regular price, and police officers get the discount. It’s not just the discount, theses goods in return can be exchanged to criminals for harsh crimes. On the other hand structural hypothesis is the actual affiliation that holds the hypothesis. Its kind of like a guilty conscience, you receive something, and want to turn it into something more.Delattre (2006) noted that the police loss of faith in mankind generally spawns individual and Departmental corruption. Corruption is what you call a traditional society, and it does not have a negative meaning. Officers do not start out corrupt, but the irregular behavior and the response to such behavior in the police work starts a corruption cycle. The social structure and political traditions of many countries are based on beneficial exchange of rewards for services rendered and cannot survive in its absence.Basically corruption is centrally involved in politics, and politic relate to the slippery slope. The rotten apple hypothesis is poor recruitment of police officers. This includes many officers that are not well suited for the job within the department. Delattre (2006) noted that this rotten apple hypothesis, critics reply ignores socializing influence within departments and is too individualistic, like the analogous free will explanation of criminal behavior(p. 84) One good example of this when criminals get light sentences, that means that they are weak willed.Delattre (2006) wrote according to an old truth, if the bad cannot corrupt the good, it will seek to drive the good out or destroy it(p. 95). The answer to corruption, likely, lies in a combination of all the theories mentioned. Theses three theories alone are not really conclusive, they are all different. . The three theories that are often in evidence in the criminal justice field are the society at large theory, the structural theory and the rotten apple hypothesis. Every one of these theories takes a singular assessment about how police corruption originates and each holds its own right in police work. How to cite Criminal Justice, Papers Criminal Justice Free Essays I put myself in the situation of the investigators in he TV shows and think of what I would actually do. My dad used to work in the department of CSS for the Texas police Department so I have some background knowledge and terminology of what is going on. I frequently asked questions and I felt like I somewhat knew the life of a crime scene investigator. We will write a custom essay sample on Criminal Justice or any similar topic only for you Order Now They get calls in the middle of the night and they have to go out to the scene. Let is a very stressful and traumatizing job. When it comes down to the two shows of First 48 and CSS, they deal with crimes that involve murders and have investigation element. CSS is full of trained investigators trying to examine the evidence. They find the missing pieces that will solve the case. â€Å"A criminal investigator is a person who conducts investigations for criminal cases. This person is responsible for collecting and assessing evidence for a case to pinpoint guilty parties. If you have ever watched an episode of CSS, you have seen criminal Basic Carnally Investigation 2 investigators in action. The ones In the real world do roughly the same work, but they don’t always have dramatic cases to deal with. This explains the Job of a criminal investigator and the Job duties will vary depending on what type of crime there is. When It comes to every crime scene, it goes through steps before It Is considered solved or unsolved. If It Is unsolved, they have tried numerous times to solve the case, but had no leads or no witnesses. The steps are evaluating the case,collecting the evidence,analyzing the forensics, identifying the suspect, if you have a suspect, interrogate him/her, then you bring the case to court for trial and lastly, depending on if the criminal investigators did their Job right justice will be served. Most investigators want to put the suspect in Jail, but that is not always the case. I explain the procedures and process of a crime scene investigator because this is what the the show CSS deals with. Though, CSS is not like Law and Order where they interrogate a suspect, go to trial , and show if the suspect goes to Jail or not. CSS has added drama and it deals more with investigating the actual crime scene. It is a scripted TV show and you can tell some of the scenes are over dramatic and side of the road on a highway. It is about how the team of investigators find out the woman was once a man who underwent a sex change. They investigate and go out figuring out the life of transgender. The way they showed reconstruction of the crime scene is how they would picture the crime in their head. They focused on the evidence in the car and they Basic Criminal Investigation 3 tried to find the fabrics in the car if there was any evidence left behind. They find out who the suspect is, but they do not let the viewers know what happens to the suspect. They have the viewer assume. When they show how the evidence is transferred on to a body part, that is when determination and special effects come into play. They show the victim in the crime lab, and they investigate the possibilities f what may have happened. This episode was more realistic because they found the killer in a reasonable time because the suspect confessed. Usually, they would find out the suspect in the same amount of time, but it was unrealistic. SSL makes up more their unrealistic scenes by doing what actual Crime scene investigators do. Watching an Episode of the First 48, this episode was on 9/7/12 and it was about a scene that occurred in Dallas Texas and two friends were walking in the woods and discover a dead body. Let was near the rail road tracks and they call the police. It was ruing May 5th. The body was burned and it had no arms. It is missing the head and hands. The criminal investigator has experience of 19 years. First 48 is based on real life situations and and it is filmed on site, This show focuses more on catching the criminal and investigating what happened within the first 48 hours. This is more realistic because the time frame is actually a real scenario. There is no determination to it. This is actual real life homicides that happen in different cities. The investigators actually use forensic evidence, and witnesses to find the suspect. Though only says 48 hours, it goes on more than that and could even lead into years. The investigate the body and Basic Criminal Investigation 4 they actually go into the scene. They did not show any crime lab or any special investigating on the body. They focused on more investigating the case and how it happened. Watching both shows there are definitely more differences than there are similarities. When it comes to CSS, they find the body to open up the show rather than scene and then they take the body to the forensic lab. They actually take the time to observe the body and find out possibilities and theories of what could have happened in the lab. That is how they portray the scene by going through what they think had happened. Watching First 48, it actually a whole real life scene. Someone calls the police, they set up a crime scene, and they start to investigate instantly. They take the body to the forensic lab. Both shows are different in a way where CSS actually shows you what they do in the lab, and First 48 does not show you the lab and they focus more on the crime scene. The two shows both have reconstruction crime scene, UT the way CSS does is that they dramatist the scene of the evidence. You can tell that there are unrealistic possibilities in CSS rather than watching First 48 where everything is what would actually happen. Both shows used the proper equipment for the scene. SSL is a lot shorter and the way they find the suspect is unrealistic because they show it in a half an hour time frame rather than an actual 48 hours. SSL leaves you wanting more as well as First 48, but First 48 will always be in favor of real Crime scene investigators because it is documentary based rather and a Hollywood reality TV show. How to cite Criminal Justice, Papers