Question
Write a paper in which you evaluate past, present, and future trends in the interface between human services and the criminal justice system and criminal justice connections with surrounding society. In your paper include the following:
?Identify recent (within the last 10 years) and contemporary issues affecting human services provided within criminal justice system.
?Identify at least two therapeutic trends that may affect future human services as provided within the criminal justice system.
?Explain how these two issues and trends affect society.
Sample paper
Trends in Criminal Justice System
The formal criminal justice system is a complex network of independent but procedurally connected police, prosecutors, courts, correctional agencies and parole boards (Auditor General, 2002). The past, present, and future practices of law enforcement associated agencies is to prevent crimes and protect the citizens.
Trends in the Criminal justice system
Smart on crime- over the years, there have been very overcrowded prisons in the United States of America. The United States judicial system together with the Attorney General are coming up with ways on how to have a fairer justice system for all people that addresses the low-level crime and also decrease the recidivism rates. This will decrease the prisons populations and programs are being made on how to make the societies safer.
REDEEM act- this act of 2014 helps in ensuring that the juvenile offenders are not put through the adult courts, set minimum sentences and have the criminal records of former juveniles seeking employment being simplified unlike in the earlier years. They are hence most likely to find good jobs after being released and hence help the society in a productive manner.
Smarter Sentencing Act- this act has an aim of reducing the sentence if the accused has never been involved in other crimes, reduce the sentences of manufacturing, distributions and importing of controlled substances.
Rehabilitation Vs Retribution- the Conservative Political Action Conference has been encouraging on rehabilitation. It has been asking individuals to help the released offender to make good use of themselves and help the society. This is different from earlier days whereby they were seen as outcasts and dangerous even after they had been released hence discouraging them and causing them to go back to crimes making the country more prone to crimes.
Contemporary issues affecting human services provided within criminal justice system.
In order to be successful, the justice system leaders are supposed come together and think on strategic solutions to different problems in crimes and on how to deal with terrorists. By doing so, better services in the justice system will be offered and crimes might reduce in different ways. This will also help in reducing the number of cases in the courts since most of them will be concluded in time.
Violence against women- according to the National Institute of Justice, over 1 million ladies are physically assaulted by their partners each year. The justice system has not been clear and effective on how this kind of serious matter is to be solved and what time it should take for the case to be cleared. The response of the criminal justice system should be faster to ensure that those caught in such situations get their justice as quickly as possible and also clear the accused in the case that they are not guilty.
Use of drugs and the crime cycle involved with the drug use- most of those people that are arrested due to different crimes are found to be positive for different kind of drugs. This usually led to a certain cycle of many criminal activities and drug usage. This has a very negative impact in the society’s future. Many potential talents will be involved in crimes whereas they could they could help the society in better ways. The professionals in the justice system have sleepless nights trying to solve such issues especially considering that the arrested individuals were under the influence of drugs at the time of their arrests.
Youth in the criminal justice system- the justice system needs to sit down and rethink on how the youths who are criminals are dealt with. In this modern era, many youths are involving themselves in criminal activities at such young ages that it becomes a headache for the professionals to make judgements on their cases. Some cases have even been ruled as adult cases are ruled since it’s not even clear on how to deal with such youths. Some states had even imposed death sentences for juveniles though it seemed so cruel and unusual hence the Supreme Court ruled out such sentences. The justice system has always been trying to come up with ways on how to deal with the youth involved in crimes though it is always difficult.
The ‘three strikes legislation’- this is a system which is now being by some states in the country. If individuals are arrested and convicted three times, they are deemed to be “out”. Such sentences don’t consider the fact that the person might be involved in criminal activities again. There need to be alternative sentences and avoid paradigms from happening. This has been difficult for the justice system to come up with laws that are almost perfect and ones that will cater for the specified crimes.
There is an issue on how the forensic evidence is usually used in the courts. Innocent people are sometimes imprisoned for mistakes they have not made. A commission need to be set up made up of prosecutors, defence lawyers and judges to study better ways to instruct juries (Gruber, 2015). The law enforcement agencies need to have better methods of interrogating the arrested individuals so as to make sure that they have enough information before convicting someone.
Trends that may affect future human services in the criminal justice system and how the issues and trends affect the society.
- Drug addiction Treatment in the criminal justice system
- Youth in the criminal justice system
Many people in the prisons that have been arrested, have been found to have used drugs prior to them having committed crimes. Treating criminals that were using drugs helps more than taking them through the normal court proceedings since they will eventually go back to drug use. Those offenders that use drugs and don’t get treated are more likely to engage in criminal activities thereby endangering the people in the society and taxing the criminal justice system many resources in terms of funds and time.
If those found to commit crimes under the influence of drugs are treated and taught how to live in peace in the society, the future of the country is in good hands because they will also be a testimony to other people especially the youths in the society. If such cases of crimes due to individuals using drugs reduce, the professional in the justice system will be able to deal with other important cases since they will save a lot of time. The country will also be saved a lot of money (NIDA, 2014). The youths will then be drug free making them to use their lives better in a profiting way to help themselves and the society for the future generations.
The justice system should come up with some types of courts that deal with cases caused people under the influence of drugs. There should also be treatment while the offenders are in prison then after they are out in future, there will be community based treatment whereby they will be showed how to live with the others in the society. This will reduce the chances of such individuals being involved in crimes again. This will hence save the justice system time, money and other resources but helping the society positively. If such methods are successful, then they also be used in future to solve such situations.
If the future of a society is to be in good hands, then the youths are supposed to be well taken care of. The country has some juvenile courts that take care of the youths that have engaged in crimes. These courts are having ways of teaching the youth the right way of living rather than prosecuting them like adults. By teaching the youth the right way of living and avoiding crimes, the society will be in good hands since they will in turn be giving lessons to other youths who seem to be lost.
“Those working in the criminal justice help to reform citizens who have entered the justice system, help the troubled youth, reunite families and keep the communities safer” (Human Services, 2015). The justice system need to come up with better ways of dealing with youth crimes to avoid mix-ups in future as cases are ruled.
Violence against women should be ruled in a timely manner so that even those other men who might be involved in them can learn and change. In doing so, the couples in the society will live peacefully respecting each other (NIDA, 2014). There should also be laws for different crimes since, the ‘three strikes legislation’ might not be applicable to all. This will mean that some individuals in the society might be given chance to commit more crimes thereby putting lives of civilians at risk. Such individuals should be removed from the society and be taken where they belong.
If the justice system does its work perfectly, then there should be no issues about it and people would find the justice they so need. By doing all this, the society will always be safe for living by all individuals.
References
Gruber. C., (2016). 5 Challenges Facing Criminal Justice Professionals Right Now. Retrieved from; www.cps.neu.edu/prospective-students/tips-for-success/challenges-facing-criminal-justice-professionals.php
Auditor General. (2002). Chapter 4-The Criminal Justice System: Significant Challenges. Retrieved from; www.oag-bvg.gc.ca/internet/English/parl_oag_200204_04_e_12377.html
NIDA, (2014). Drug Addiction Treatment in the Criminal Justice System. Retrieved from; https://www.drugabuse.gov/related-topics/criminal-justice/drug-addiction-treatment-in-crminal-justice-system
Human Services, (2015). The Human Services Worker. Retrieved from;www.humanservicesedu.org/human-services-worker.html
