U.S. Criminal Justice System Essay -- legal reform, social issues, cir

Before proposing a reform to the American criminal justice system, we must first examine the problems that plague the process of justice on all levels. American society plays an important role in shaping the criminal justice system. Their beliefs and values determine the type of deviants and the consequences of the crimes. Often their beliefs contradict each other. Americans believe that the more serious a crime is, the longer a person should spend in a prison. In reality it means that a law at discretion can sometimes just set a number of years that a person should spend in the jail, regardless of the situation. The time in the prison is often very long (Randall, Brown, Miller& Fritzler, p.216) because some states have definite sentence or mandatory sentences which leave little room for the judge to decide on the merits of the person. For example, California favors â€Å"Three Strikes and You’re Out†(Randall & et al., p.216) stance on the laws which means after third felony crime, a person must spend 25-year-to-life sentence in the prison. They believe that the deprivations of basic needs, isolation from the society, and in extreme cases, death are consequences of committing a crime. The process of the court in America values efficiency and tough punishments. Since there are a lot of arrests, the court is overburdened and pressed for time. The prisoners are processed through like animals for the slaughter, quickly and with no mercy. The inequality in the terms of power and money influences the court. People with deep pockets are able to bail out or negotiate for a lesser term than a person assigned to a free lawyer by the state. Those consequences Americans believe will serve as deterrence or warning to people to obey the law... ...not the answer to all of the problems that America is experiencing in the criminal justice system, but however it may take the pressure off the state to provide the help to people. The reduction and the reform in the prisons are strongly recommended before using this new model. Works Cited Shelden, R.G., Brown, W.B., Miller, K.S., & Fritzler, R.B. (2008). Crime and criminal justice in american society. Long Grove, Illinosis: Waveland Press, INC. Bohet, A.K. & Wadhwa, T. Beyond the prison walls: reforming through silence. Indian Psychology Institute. http://ipi.org.in/texts/nsip/nsip-full/toolika-tihar.html Doleschal, E. (1977). Rate and length of imprisonment: how does the united states compare with the netherlands, denmark , and sweden?. Crime & Delinquency, 23(1), p. 51 -56 http://cad.sagepub.com/content/23/1/51 doi: 10.117/001112877702300105