The American Criminal Justice System - 3283 Words

Since the policy was enacted in the early 1990s, three strikes laws have been one of the most controversial issues facing the American criminal justice system. In general, advocates believe that locking up criminals will protect society. Critics believe that three-strike policy can only be effective with offenders that are on their last strikes (Worrall, 2008). However, other critics explain how three-strike laws don’t significantly reduce crime because most criminals mature out of the criminal lifestyle (Worrall, 2004). There are two cases that pushed and guided the three strikes policy that received national attention. First, was Kimber Reynolds, who was murdered in cold blood in 1992 during a purse snatching where the man pulled out his .357 Magnum and shot her in the ear (Walter Downs, 1994). This horrendous crime helped her father, Mike Reynolds, become one of the lead advocates for California’s Three Strikes Law in 1993. Reynolds wanted to target repeat offenders that have two prior violent offenses that have committed a third offense which would put them behind bars for life. State legislators were concerned about the law and many thought of rejecting the law because they believed the sentencing for the policy could be costly (Walter Downs, 1994). The second case that really made a difference was the 1993 kidnapping of Polly Klaas from her home during a sleep over with friends. Richard Allen Davis broke in and tied her friends up then kidnapped and murdered her.Show MoreRelatedThe Amer ican Criminal Justice System1398 Words   |  6 PagesThe American Criminal Justice system is arguably one of the most fair systems in the world. However, like anything it has its flaws. There are many flaws but the largest three, in my opinion, would be the fact that we have the highest incarceration rate of any other country, the high penalties for drug users, as well as the jury system. The high incarceration rates and the penalties for drug users affect each other but they are still issues on their own. In fact, many of issues within our system coincideRead MoreThe American Criminal Justice System873 Words   |  4 PagesThe American criminal justice system has set up laws and by breaking the laws would be considered a crime, and depending on the crime that is broken have different types of degrees. And these crimes can be broken into three different categorize and whether or not it will be classified as a felony, misdemeanor or an infraction. A victimless crime is a crime th at goes against societies values, norm but the people involved with these criminal acts do not feel victimized, compared to if they were beingRead MoreThe American Criminal Justice System1866 Words   |  8 Pagesthe American criminal justice system for more than two centuries. In its mandate to regulate government power to judge people accused of transgressing against the laws of the society, the mechanism of the jury allows the citizens themselves to determine the guilt or innocence of the person. Though juries have generally served a vital function in the criminal justice system, the reputation of the jury system has come under fire over the past several years. Commentators charge that the system insulatesRead MoreAmerican Criminal Justice System Change990 Words   |  4 Pagesconcept of American criminal justice system change? At first, I didn’t know anything about American Criminal Justice System. The definition of criminal justice system I looked up on the internet was that it is a system that is established to control crime and impose penalties on those who violate the law in order to maintain social order. But is it the full definition of criminal justice system in America? Are there any aspects that can be added to this definition? American criminal justice system seemsRead MoreRacism And The American Criminal Justice System1584 Words   |  7 PagesToday, African Americans and other minorities are over-represented in the criminal justice system, but under-represented politically in the United States of America. Since well before its inception in 1776, the United States of America has been a nation characterized by white supremacy. In fact, modern day America may not exist if not for the taking of land from the Indigenous Peoples on this very premise. Today, many Americans believe they live in a post-racial nation, citing the abolition ofRead MoreAfrican Americans And The Criminal Justice System Essay1688 Words   |  7 PagesThere are many ways the criminal justice system plays a huge role in the discrimination against all people of color. Mostly, there are a wide range of studies within the African American communities that expresses concern, prejudice, and even racial profiling in the criminal justice s ystem pertaining to blacks. Judges, jurors, police officers, and even marriages are key roles of the societal disadvantages African Americans have. African Americans are even being arrested more than any other race inRead MoreAfrican Americans And The Criminal Justice System1542 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction African American males are overrepresented in the criminal justice and many times are subject to harsher sentences than their Caucasian counterparts. African American males also experience racial profiling and have more negative interactions than any other population in the United States. Ibie, Obie, and Obiyan states, â€Å"African Americans have continued to be the repository for American crime and to be treated as amalgamation of presumed group trait rather than as individuals†. ThisRead MoreThe Bias Of The American Criminal Justice System Essay1855 Words   |  8 PagesThe bias in the American criminal justice system is first reported in the first stages of the system, which includes the (act of asking questions and trying to find the truth about something) and arrest of the suspected people by police personnel (American Civil Liberties Union, 2013). These police personnel discriminately target the minorities as criminal suspects, which eventually skews the racial popu lation of the people arrested, charged, put in jail or convicted (Cole, Smith, DeJong, 2013)Read MoreAfrican Americans And The Criminal Justice System1500 Words   |  6 PagesThroughout American history, the African-American population has been in the minority, and has been persecuted for hundreds of years. What Taylor-Thompson is stating is that African-Americans usually hold the minority in court decisions as well, which poses a problem due to the majority overriding their vote. Due to the racial tensions, the judicial system ultimately changed in order to include more minorities in juries, however it was lopsided during the Simpson trial. During the tumultuous 1990sRead MoreThe American Court System And Criminal Justice System1750 Words   |  7 PagesThe System Each year, approximately ten-thousand people are convicted of crimes that they did not commit (Spring). Ten-thousand people that will never see their kids grow up, ten-thousand people that will miss out on life, ten-thousand people whose lives will never be the same. Men and women are on death row for decades, only to be exonerated after their execution. Where is the justice in that? Prisons are also overcrowded and according to political scientist David Hudson, America holds five percent