...Justice Trends Evaluation University of Phoenix Contemporary Issues and Future in Criminal Justice People in society continuously change therefore people continue to evolve as our perceptions change. In this paper the student will assess the past, present, and future trends in the interface between elements of the criminal justice system. In the assessment the student will evaluate the criminal justice connections with surrounding society. The student will identify the recent and future trends affecting the criminal justice system. Last, the contemporary issues and the value of the criminal justice system in a changing society. Interface between Components The American Justice in the 1800s was quite different in the aspect of how the laws have changed. In the 1800s there were not enough law enforcement officers to enforce the laws. Therefore, many people believed it necessary to take the law into his or her own hands. An example of vigilante justice in the 1800s was the lynching of Henry Smith. This is a sad example of how people were treated; in 1893 Henry Smith was tortured and burned alive in front of a crowd of 10,000 people. People were executed for crimes not committed and trials were not an option (Keene, 2012). In the 18th century B.C.E. the first know death penalty was in the Code of King Hammurabi of Babylon. A person could have 25 crimes before the sanction of the state for the death penalty. Capital punishment in the 18th century consisted...
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...(theology profession) HOW DOES THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT RELATE TO THE ISSUE OF CAPITAL PUNISHMENT AS A CONTEMPORARY ISSUE. Jeremy Rose March 20, 2009 All Holy Scripture is taken from the New American Standard Bible '95 unless otherwise noted. Capital punishment is an issue that affects the United States in many ways, and even to a larger extent the world. Many industrialized nations have forgone capital punishment as a tool in their criminal justice system. In the United States, 38 states still have provisions in their penal code that allow capital punishment in various forms, in various circumstances and with various populations. Capital punishment--death penalty--is argued by both sides of the issue for diverse reasons. The death penalty may be opposed by some by stating it is considered cruel and unusual punishment (which is in violation to our Constitution). Others would argue that because our legal system is not perfect we should not risk putting to death someone who may be innocent. On the reverse side, the two most common reasons to support the death penalty would be first, it is a just punishment and acts as a deterrent for further crimes that meet that nature. Still others argue the "eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth" argument; which is biblically based but certainly out of context in this argument. An important question is "where might a Christian come down on this issue?" The answer is not as easy as one might expect. This pastor will attempt...
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...government may also decide they have grounds to seek capital punishment, even if the crime is in a state that doesn’t allow the death penalty. With such uncertainty about whether capital punishment should be legal or illegal, it is important to take a closer look at some of the reasons why it should be illegal which include; the risk of innocent people being executed, evidence of racial bias in regards to sentencing for the death penalty, and the cost of the death penalty in comparison to the cost of life in prison without parole. In the end you will see that an eye for an eye is not the answer. Bedau set out to provide the information to show why the death penalty should be illegal. Bedau started out looking at the questions that have caused argument throughout the years in regard to the death penalty. The questions he sought to answer were: Is the death penalty more of a deterrent than imprisonment, is there racial bias when it comes to administering the death penalty, what are the risk that someone who is innocent could be prosecuted, and what is the risk that someone who is convicted of a capital offense will commit again? During Bedau’s research to determine if capital punishment is no more of a deterrent than imprisonment, he found that they were both ineffective in preventing murders. He found very little evidence to support his idea that the death penalty was being administered based on racial bias. In regards to the risk that someone who was innocent being executed, he found...
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...ACKER, JAMES. "The Death Penalty: An American History." Contemporary Justice Review 6.2 (2003): 169-187. Academic Search Premier. Web. 2 Oct. 2012. This article shows the history of the death penalty as well, this supports my thesis because you should learn from the past and not do what use to happen on the daily. Aldhous, Peter. "The Grisly Lottery Of Death-Row Iqs." New Scientist 215.2878 (2012): 6-7. Academic Search Premier. Web. 2 Oct. 2012.This article is a perfect example of why we should not execute someone who's IQ is at a low standard. It's wrong and inhumane. Bing, Zou. "Improvement On Rights Protection Of Criminals Of Death Penalty In China." Asian Social Science 8.8 (2012): 40-44. Academic Search Premier. Web. 27 Sept. 2012. This article states in china's ways of protecting there inmates. French, Laurence A. “Mental Retardation and the Death Penalty in the USA: The Clinical and Legal Legacy.” Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health 15.2 (2005): 82-86. Academic Search Premier. Web. 20 Sept. 2012. This source discusses a famous case involving a criminal with mental retardation and how it is cruel and unusual punishment to execute criminals with such a condition. Therefore it supports my position on eliminating executing the mentally ill. Switzer 2 Johnson, David T. "American Capital Punishment In Comparative Perspective." Law & Social Inquiry 36.4 (2011): 1033-1061.Academic Search Premier. Web...
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...The vital problem of death penalty for children as one of the most important issues of the contemporary system of justice. The death penalty issue has always been one of the most important issues of the contemporary system of justice. Years ago the majority of the criminals were male over 20, but nowadays the situation has quite changed. Not only grown-ups but also by children who are under 18 years old nowadays commit murders and other terrible crimes. Ordinarily, a young criminal is not applied the same restrictions for his crime as a grown criminal is, nevertheless if it especially goes about capital crimes people start talking about the death penalty for such juveniles. A child always remains a child and if he commits a crime it is not because he has had a good life. It is not the guilt of the children, but their big misfortune. It is a misfortune of not having anybody to love and truly support them and lead them in the correct direction. Along with that it is common knowledge that the period of 11 through 17 is a period of an especially intensive changes both in the organism and the mind of a child. That is why it is not fair to put a child in the same line with a grown up that can be completely responsible for his actions. A child is not mentally capable of comprehending the crime he or she commits. The system of values in the age under 18 is not built yet, other people can easily influence children and the psychic process are not stable yet. Under these conditions...
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...could intentionally or potentially do harm them. The two works together to try to meet the same end result to protect the innocent and punish the guilty. Society has people who continuously choose to evolve. Society continues to change and as well as their perceptions, this is responsible for the trends that take place in our society and within the criminal justice system. This paper will attempt to assess the previous, current, and imminent trends in the criminal justice system. This paper will attempt to evaluate and identify recent and future trends, and contemporary issues that the criminal justice system is faced with. The criminal justice system is viewed as a system that presents a harsh existence. Some view the system to be too lenient. There are many people who believe that the criminal justice system has been judged to be one sided. Criminal justice has had trends that have taken place for many centuries. A major issue within the criminal justice system which has had many trends and this is capital punishment. Capital punishment has always existed in the criminal justice system. And it was way worse centuries ago when the form of capital punishment was beheading, this was done with an axe or a sword, this was a cheaper way of executing a criminal and axes and swords were easy to come by. Beheading was considered to be less painful and dishonorable type of execution according the Greeks and the Romans. Beheading was used for its citizens by the Roman Empire. This form...
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...Head: Death Penalty Larry Williams Contemporary Issues in Criminal Justice CJA/313 University Of Phoenix Robin Rabiner May 10, 2009 Death Penalty There are crimes that take place throughout society. When crimes are investigated, and investigators have evidence that prove who were involved, there are consequences for their actions. In some cases, there are crimes that involve consequences such as the death penalty. This consequence can be one of the severe punishments that are placed in our judicial system. There are many people that are for, as well as those are against the death penalty. In many cases, the death penalty has its benefits, as well as its flaws. Unfortunately the death penalty seems to cause problems that leaves many mulling over. In this case, it seems that the flaws of the death penalty needs reinstituted. History The death penalty laws were founded in the early 1800s. This punishment was implemented for 25 different crimes. However, the death penalty establishment goes back as the early Fourteenth Century. “The death penalty was also part of the Fourteenth Century B.C.'s Hittite Code; in the Seventh Century B.C.'s Draconian Code of Athens, which made death the only punishment for all crimes.” (Death Penalty Information Center, 2009). As the centuries progressed, the number of death penalty crimes increased. By the early 1700s, there were over 200 crimes which systematize the death penalty...
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... The Death Penalty: Is It a Crime Deterrent? The death penalty is morally permissible punishment for those who kill. Intentionally taking the life of an innocent victim is so malicious that in short supply extenuating circumstances, the murderer surrenders his or her own right to live and society is justified in sentencing him to die. Every year more people are convicted and sentenced to death row. Many are executed. Once a jury has convicted a criminal of an offense they go to the second part of the trial, the punishment phase. If the jury recommends the death penalty and the judge concurs then the criminal will face a form of execution, lethal injection is the most common form used today. There was a period from 1972 to 1976 that capital punishment was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court (Honeyman & Ogloff, 1996). Their reason for this decision was that the death penalty was cruel and unusual punishment under the eighth amendment. The decision was reversed when new methods of execution were introduced (Honeyman & Ogloff, 1996). The Gallup pole lists public opinion of the life without parole as compared to the death penalty 48% versus 47% (Stop killing, 2007). Capital punishment is a difficult issue and there are as many different opinions as there are people. There are many murders each year. Does the death penalty create a deterrent for these criminals? There is a need for the death penalty. There are always two...
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...consequentialist and non-consequentialist elements. What distinguishes these theories is their focus and goals: Consequentialist theories are forward-looking, concerned with the future consequences of punishment; non-consequentialist theories are backward-looking, interested solely in past acts and mental states; and mixed theories are both forward- and backward-looking, with each hybrid placing a different emphasis on culpable past conduct versus future consequences. The present paper will briefly examine the two dominant consequentialist and non-consequentialist theories of criminal punishment–utilitarianism and retributivism, respectively–as well as leading hybrid theories. In between using the utilitarian and Kantian arguments fallacy of death penalty has also been explored. Research Methodology Aims and objectives: Present paper attempts to sketch the significance of two seemingly opposing justifications of punishment....
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...society changes. This is responsible for the trends that take place in our society and inevitably within our criminal justice system. In this paper we will endeavor to assess previous, current, and imminent trends in the boundary amongst mechanisms of the criminal justice system and criminal justice associations with adjacent society. In our assessment we will also attempt to evaluate and identify recent and future trends and contemporary issues that affect our criminal justice system and try to determine the value of the criminal justice system in a changing society (University of Phoenix Student website, 2010). Many have viewed the criminal justice system as simply presenting a harsh existence. Some have viewed it as being too lax. There are many individuals that could agree that at one point or another, the criminal justice system has been judged to be too much on side or the other. Criminal justice has had trends that have taken place over centuries. A major issue within the criminal justice to which there have been many trends has been the issue of capital punishment. Capital punishment has existed for centuries. Beheading was something that goes back a very long way in...
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...Abolishing the Death Penalty George L Turner III PHI 103 Mr. Russ Tompkins August 31, 2009 Abolishing the Death Penalty The Death Penalty in America today is a highly debated issue and has been for many years. Could you imagine not having a life threatening consequence at all, such as the death penalty when it comes to criminals that commit very severe crimes? There are many people in the United States today with many different opinions on why the Death Penalty should or shouldn’t be abolished in our Country. I’m one who feels that we should not abolish the Death Penalty; however our Capital Punishment system can be much improved. One advantage to keeping the Death Penalty is that it’s suppose to act as a deterrent against those people who might think about committing a serious crime. I believe that it does help as a deterrent for some people, but not to the extent that it should. If we started sentencing more murderers and serious offenders to death, then I believe that more people will fear the consequences in which they may face. Now, if we start convicting the serious criminals to death, then that doesn’t mean continue to let them appeal their sentence and take years before they’re actually put to death. One other thing that I believe that keeps the Death Penalty from being as effective as it should be is T.V. I know it’s only T.V. but that’s what people see and a lot of people believe that is the way it is. Whether or not T.V. is how...
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...this case, the state has the responsibility and the legal authority to punish the criminal or groups of criminals based on the given law. The punishment of the criminals may vary from simple fines and imprisonment to sever torture and the deprivation of life. Capital punishment or the death penalty has existed as part of the human justice system since ancient times. In these earlier periods people were sentenced to death as a punishment for crimes considered as first degree offenses by the state. These crimes were most of the time political as well as religious and the method of execution, in addition to different brutal ways, was mainly beheading. With additional types of crimes resulting in capital punishment and more sophisticated methods of execution, the death penalty has continued to be practiced in the 21st century. However, capital punishment, especially after the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, has became an issue of greater debate among states, human right organizations and other nongovernmental organizations. Since 1948, the number of countries employing death penalty is decreasing and currently nearly half of the states in our world have abandoned the death penalty for all kinds of crimes. This paper will focus on presenting the diverging views regarding capital punishment mainly from a human right perspective. The study then tries to present facts, figures, and tries to look in brief the move towards its universal abolition. As far as the methods...
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...Capital Punishment: Why the Death Penalty is Morally Permissible Karina Morgan April 13, 2010 Professor Mark Reynolds PHI 206 Sec. 04 Word Count: 1,910 Syllogism for Argument: 1. Every human has a right to life 2. But this right is not absolute because a person’s life can be overridden for good reasons 3. So the right of life does not hold in every situation no matter what 4. One of these situations includes taking the life of another innocent human 5. Therefore, it is morally permissible to set the right to life aside, and use the death penalty, if they took the life of an innocent human. Outline I. The Death Penalty -Thesis- Although all humans have the right to life, there are certain situations that can overrule this right, such as taking the life of an innocent human. Since the right of life does not hold in every situation and if an innocent human’s life is taken, then it is morally permissible to set the right to life aside and use the death penalty on the person who committed murder. II. Pro-Death Penalty A. Retribution a. The death penalty is the best way in order to serve justice to convicted murderers of innocent people. b. The families and friends of victims will feel more secure if justice is served. c. There will be no worry about the murderer being able to commit more murders or to have any chance of receiving parole. B. Deterrence b. If the death penalty is continuously used in all...
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...to American society. The reason for laws are to defend society from harm, make certain each person is safe as well as to be treated fairly. The criminal justice system labors to defend the guiltless and to discipline the guilty without putting at risk an individual’s rights.This paper will evaluate the future of the criminal justice system as well as the past and present trends in the interface between components of the criminal justice system. Furthermore, it will identify contemporary issues that are affecting the criminal justice system as well as the value of the criminal justice system as society changes. Seeing that society is advancing, the criminal justice system must also change. The need for new laws are apparent in order to continue with advancement and new trends in society. However, new trends and contemporary issues can have an immediate influence on the various operations of the criminal justice system. These include, advancing technology, sentencing, and the death sentence. All of these have huge effects on the criminal justice system. Additionally, law enforcement, courts, and corrections also perform an important task of making certain that justice is served. Future Trends The future trends of the criminal justice system are obvious by the trials, opportunities, advanced attentiveness, and technological growth. However, it is not definite whether or not any technological advanced changes in the...
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...The Use of the Death Penalty A Paper Presented by the National Policy Committee to The American Society of Criminology National Policy Committee James Austin, Chair Kitty Calavita Roland Chilton Jeffrey Fagan Calvin C. Johnson Delores Jones-Brown Mark Moore Ira Schwartz Linda Teplin Franklin Zimring November 2001 The findings and opinions contained herein are those of the National Policy Committee and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the American Society of Criminology. Ronald Weitzer, Professor of Sociology, Dana Coleman, Research Assistant, and Sarah Benatar, Graduate Research Assistant at the Institute on Crime, Justice, and Corrections at George Washington University provided substantial assistance in the preparation of this document. Introduction Capital punishment is among the most hotly debated issues in American politics. Passions run high for both those who want the death penalty abolished and those who seek to preserve or expand its use. What follows is a summary of key issues in the death penalty debate, research findings on the application of capital punishment, and a discussion of policy considerations. The American Society of Criminology (ASC) is greatly concerned with the death penalty and its application in the United States. This year, ASC President Ronald Huff and the ASC Executive Board authorized the ASC’s National Policy Committee (NPC) to develop a policy paper that would focus on...
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