A system of criminal justice is a set of social and legal institutions for criminal law enforcement in accordance with a set of limitations and defined rules. Based on the theories of punishment, their functions include retribution and crime deterrence through punishment, rehabilitation to reform criminals, and incapacitation of offenders to exclude them from the society. However, the system of criminal justice also faces many issues/challenges. This paper focuses on discussing an issue that is most pressing in the system of criminal justice today, their effects, causes and what can be done to reduce or eradicate this issue.
The Most Pressing Issue in the Criminal Justice System Today
Even though many issues facing criminal justice system exist today, one of the most pressing is the high rates of incarceration because of the many debilitating consequences this issue poses to the society and the system itself (Gleeson, 2017). The U.S. imprisons more people more than any other country in the world with the number of inmates amounting to over two million accounting for seven percent of the total population (Gleeson, 2017).
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Effects this Issue have on Our Criminal Justice System and Communities
In the system of criminal justice, high incarceration rates have led to increased spending totaling to $80 billion of taxpayers money, and thus this reduces focus on spending on developmental projects like education (Kearney, 2014). Besides, Jeremy, Bruce, and Steve (2014) add that it leads to overcrowding in prisons, which is associated with poor behavior and health consequences, and increased suicide risk. Overcrowding also results in less rehabilitation of inmates thus contributing less to crime prevention giving the criminal justice system a hard time of controlling crime.
Additionally, Besides, Jeremy, Bruce, and Steve (2014) assert that high rates of incarceration negatively affects communities in myriad ways. Different researches show that incarceration may impede marriage and employment prospects among former inmates, increase behavioral problems and depth of poverty among their children, and increase the spread of infectious illnesses among the communities that are disproportionately impacted. This is especially true for disadvantaged communities which are impacted disproportionately (Besides, Jeremy, Bruce, & Steve, 2014).
Causes of the Issue
According to Kearney (2014), the high rate of incarceration leading to prison overcrowding is driven by changes in policies of system of criminal justice, which have been enacted at both levels of state and federal emphasizing harsher rules of sentencing and greater criminal sanction enforcement. Jeremy, Bruce, and Steve, (2014) supports this point and adds that the unparalleled rise in the incarceration rates can be accredited to “an increasingly punitive political climate surrounding criminal justice policy formed in a period of rising crime and rapid social change” (Jeremy, Bruce, & Steve, 2014). This offered the context for choices of policy series across all government levels and branches, which substantially amplified the length of prison sentences, the required time of prison for minor offenses, and intensified drug crime punishment (Jeremy, Bruce, & Steve, 2014).
What Can be Done to Decrease the Issue
Given that there are only small effects of prevention of crime with long sentences of prison and the probable high social, human, and financial incarceration costs, policymakers from state and federal should review the current policies of criminal justice with the objective of minimizing the number of incarceration rates in the U.S. Also, they should provide conditions that are better for those the inmates (Jeremy, Bruce, & Steve, 2014). To promote these goals, precisely, policymakers should revise policies concerning sentences that are long and sentences of mandatory prison. This involves reviewing some programs including incarceration alternatives such as community-based programs especially for non-violent crimes, parole and probation, support of prison reentry, and prosecution diversion, as well as initiatives of crime prevention (Jeremy, Bruce, & Steve, 2014).
Additionally, policymakers should also take the initiative of improving the experience of incarcerated women and men (through proper rehabilitation programs) and minimize unnecessary harm to their communities and families. As such, attention should be focused on how the released prisoners can better serve the community and support how they can successfully reintegrate with their families as well as the communities (Jeremy, Bruce, & Steve, 2014). This will help reduce the chances of felonies going back to crime again and reentry into prisons.
References
Gleeson, P. (2017, June 16). Issues in the Criminal Justice System. Legal Beagle . Retrieved August 3, 2018, from https://legalbeagle.com/5474825-issues-criminal-justice-system.html
Jeremy, T., Bruce, W., & Steve, R. (2014). The growth of incarceration in the United States: Exploring causes and consequences.
Kearney, M. S. (2014, December 22). The Economic Challenges of Crime & Incarceration in the United States. Brookings . Retrieved August 3, 2018, from https://www.brookings.edu/opinions/the-economic-challenges-of-crime-incarceration-in-the-united-states/
