Introduction to Criminal Justice
Criminal justice in this country has been under scrutiny for a considerable amount of time. Many are the arguments for and against the view that our criminal justice system is soft on crime. As a matter of fact, I have held this view to on its positive extent. Let’s have a quick look at our country’s criminal justice funnel.
When we examine the criminal justice funnel, it leaves a lot to be desired. And we are forced to ask whether the criminal justice system really delivering on its mandate, or if it is just a toothless dog, ever backing but never able to bite.
Crime and justice are two issues which are meant to have a very vibrant public policy. This is due to the fact that crime is real and is practiced. A blend of both liberal and conservative solutions can work well in managing crime. This is not practiced as it ought to be. Crime control in a democracy ought to have a crime model, and clearly defined due process in order to be efficient. The country lacks such a model. Very few arrests from the vast number of arrests made. We need to find a system for a large number of crimes.
The other challenge is caused by cultural diversity in the country. This ought to be strength but instead; we witness an overrepresentation of the minority groups in the criminal justice system. More over racism thrives so well, coupled by discrimination in the society general and in the criminal justice systems in particular. All these challenges lay so bare the fact that the criminal justice has failed to deal with crime as efficiently and effectively as it ought to.
It is not a secret that our criminal justice system has rightly dealt with crime very effectively. When we examine our criminal justice system, we realize, firstly that our country being a thriving democracy has ensured public safety by granting individual liberties. This is in addition to the fact that crime and justice are held as very vital issues of public policy.
Our society being multicultural offers very many challenges. These include racism and ethnicity and discrimination both in the larger society and in the criminal justice system, however, it is encouraging that our criminal justice system has been able to mitigate this challenges and ensured that justice on crimes is not aborted.
Although, there are many improvements that needs to be made especially on the number of arrests being made from reported cases of serious crimes, and the processes that follow, our criminal justice system is on the right path as evidenced by the many strides it has made when dealing with crime.
