The Criminal Justice System - 3724 Words

Introduction The goal of this paper is to analyze if the criminal justice system, as it is constructed today, is doing enough to punish and to deter crime. It will also look to see if there is deterrent in punishment at all. To do this there are a number of theories that should be examined. This includes the following Deterrence theory, rational choice theory, and lastly the positivist theory. The deterrence theory is a very basic, but overlapping theory to all of the others. We learn that at a very early age that reward vs cost is a critical thing to weigh when making decisions. This carries over to the decision to commit a crime and not to commit a criminal act. The rational choice theory states that human beings are decision making creatures. This theory would subscribe to the idea that the tougher the punishment, the higher the cost. The higher the cost, the likelihood of an individual committing a crime would drop. The positivist theory subscribes to the opposite of th e rational choice theory. Under this school of thought individuals with lower intelligence or lacking social status do not have the same ability to make a rational choice when it comes to the ability to make a choice to, or not to, commit a crime. Recidivism will also be further examined. The National Institute of Justice defines recidivism as the following; â€Å"Recidivism is one of the most fundamental concepts in criminal justice. It refers to a person s relapse into criminal behavior,Show MoreRelatedJustice Systems And The Criminal Justice System Essay1248 Words   |  5 PagesThe criminal justice system is a complex and often uncoordinated system that operates by enforcing the law and seeking justice across countless jurisdictions. It is comprised of many separate agencies including agencies at the federal, state, and local level. Each agency has its own function and goals while operating at different levels of government. The agencies also represent different concerns and values of the public, creating a fragmented system rather than a monolithic, unified system. A monolithicRead MoreThe Criminal Justice System1308 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿Criminal Justice System The criminal justice system refers to the way in which a society chooses to handle all aspects of crime and punishment. In the Western world, particularly the United States, the criminal justice system is an official governmental system that focuses on crime and punishment, though some societies still incorporate a significant amount of informal social controls into their criminal justice systems. The criminal justice system covers everything from crime-prevention andRead MoreCriminal Justice System1524 Words   |  7 Pagesfor the Criminal Justice System is to reduce the crime and the fire of crime. In order to achieve this it is using different agencies and the major of them are the Police, Prosecution, Courts, Prisons and Probation. 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