Several sources distort information relayed to the citizens on how the justice system ought to be. What is perceived “to be” is not necessarily, “what happens” as indicated in the subsequent paragraphs.
“The term fair exemplifies freedom from self-interest, prejudice or favouritism” (Mudd & Govern, ND). It is a belief that all court proceedings ought to derive their basis from this concept. Any one taken to court believes that he needs to obtain a fair trial thus the suggested punishment should be equal to the crime committed. Through this, one expects justice. Secondly, the court needs to conclude its proceedings in a short time. “As the adage, justice delayed is justice denied”.
Thirdly, individuals joining the correction facilities undergo reformation. After punishments for the crime committed, one goes to a correction facility. In this facility, he or she joins the various rehabilitation programmes obtainable at the entity.
Fourthly, It is a common belief increases in the number of police officers would reduce crime. With an increase in the number, police officers, most citizens expect that the police would be deployed to all crime prone neighbourhoods thus curbing crime.
An imperative aspect in gathering substantiation at an offence scene is through the concerns issued by eyewitnesses. Eyewitnesses incorporate persons present when the offence was committed. Additionally, they incorporate the victims of the crime. Eyewitness statements are the most sought after evidence at hand in court. It is a reliable and accurate form of acquiring evidence (Mudd & Govern, ND).
The constitution is a set of elemental ideologies, which enhances the governance of a state (The US National Archives and Records, ND). These are primary source of laws, which govern a state. Persons breaching the constitution commit crimes. The constitution provides three guidelines that the “criminal justice system” should address. The first guideline is that not a single person is above the law. Consequently, every citizen needs to adhere to laws as indicated in the constitution.
Any one in breach of the law faces prosecution and receives a sentence equivalent to the crime committed. Secondly, the constitution expects equal treatment of all citizens despite differences in race, gender or social status. Thus, the courts, police and correction facilities ought to adhere to this provision as they conduct their responsibilities (Robinson & Williams, 2009). Thirdly, it spells out the rights, which every citizen needs to enjoy. These rights encompass having an attorney to stand for a suspect in court proceedings. Therefore, the court has to employ one in case the accused fails to do so.
Enacting stricter laws and unsympathetic punishments would put off criminals from adopting offences. The option of offence can be less striking by increasing the costs of illegitimate conduct. For example, death decrees for all crimes affiliated to offences.
The sources by (Robinson & Williams) and (Mudd & Govern) are valid since they provide adequate exposure on the justice system. Additionally, they are peer reviewed thus the facts have been authenticated. The online source is coordinated by government entities thus making it possible to attain validity.
Some of the above conceptions do not portray the real experiences in the modern day justice system thus are false. Most suspects undergo different experiences, which may limit their perception of the system. Increasing the number of police officers patrolling the various crime hot spots has reduced the prevalence of crime. Most of these criminals possess lethal. Additionally, the police officers collaborate with criminals. They offer differential treatment to the dissimilar members of the society. Some of these treatments are dependent on “social status, race and gender” (Mudd & Govern ND). For example, poor people in the society face harsh treatment, upon comparison to their wealthy counterparts. There have also been incidents of unfair treatment to the people of colour.
Court proceedings fail to sufficiently, serve their functions. For instance, if a suspect has the capability of engaging a highly professional lawyer to represent him, he can easily avoid punishment by exploring the loopholes in the law system. Courtroom proceedings are subject to the ability to counter the alleged crimes rather than having justice served. Court proceedings have also been marred with the allegations of delay. It can take even years for a simple court proceeding to come to render judgement. Most of these proceedings are postponed due to missing relevant case files. The investigating authority may require more time to engage in further investigations. Allegations of individuals conspiring with the ‘victims’ to present false evidence to incriminate individuals are evident.
Enacting strict legislation has not helped in the reduction of the crimes. These laws would be useless if the moral standards of the society were low. For instance, the notion of having death sentences has never reduced the capability of people in engaging in violent robberies.
The notion that joining a correction facility helps in reformation is misleading. Evidence indicates that some convicts’ status has deteriorated. This is due to the interaction between hard-core felons and petty offenders. These petty offenders learn new, which pose major concerns. Most of these correction facilities lack the necessary facilities needed to carry out their intended functions. This undermines the correctional programmes offered to the felons to aid in correcting their behaviour.
The justice system is malfunctioning. Research ought to be conducted to unearth the various vices present in the “criminal justice system”. Through this, reliability and efficiency are tenable. I will investigate the impressions by exploring the trend in the justice system.
References
Mudd, K., & Govern, J. M. (N.D). Conformity to Misinformation and Time Delay Negatively Affect Eyewitness Confidence and Accuracy. North America Journal of Psychology, 227 – 236.
Robinson, M., & Williams, M. (2009). The Myth of a Fair Criminal Justice System. Justice Policy Journal, Vol. 6 (1) 16 – 17.
The US National Archives and Records. (n.d.). The Charter of Freedom. Web.