Flaws of The British Criminal Justice System Essay

The Criminal Justice System, a system the British government set up to deal with the treatment of law-breakers, has three main goals to achieve social order, these are, (1) enforcing criminal law, (2) maintaining law and order in the society, and (3) helping victims. This may seem to be a well thought of system, but like any other organisation, there are flaws, and one of the major flaws is discrimination, and the bias that stems from discrimination. Discrimination on the basis of class, gender, sexuality and ethnicity operates at the level of attitude, on the street, in the home, at the workplace or at social venues. In regards to the Criminal Justice System, race and gender are always accounted for in court proceedings. As†¦show more content†¦Conflict theory sees societies comprised of groups with conflicting values and interests. (Vold et al. 1998) There is seen to be a link between power and crime, the more powerful you are, the least likely to be committing a crime , so the lower classes are discriminated here as they don’t have the same power a middle-class or upper-class businessman might have therefore they are labelled to be trouble-makers, they are treated harsher by the criminal justice system than their peers, but the lower class is seen more favourably than ethnic minorities, especially ethnic groups that have less power than them. In the 1960’s, researchers found that blacks were more severely sentenced than whites. Hagan in 1974 reviewed many of the findings supporting racial discrimination and found that studies were not allowing for the possibility that black defendants may be charged with more serious crimes than whites, and may have more serious criminal records (cited in ‘Theoretical Criminology’). Lizotte in 1978 found that blacks have been shown to receive harsher sentences because they are less likely to make bail, since they are less affluent, and this reduces their ability to provide an effecti ve defence. Another model which discusses discrimination is the Learning model of crime. Barnard argued that poverty, urban environment and discrimination resulted in chronic arousal to the people living in inner-city houses. People living in theseShow MoreRelatedThe Criminal Procedural Code Of India1592 Words   |  7 PagesINTRODUCTION The criminal procedural code of India is a vast code containing all the possible procedures that one should follow so as to achieve the proper formula as to Fair, Just and Free trial. The constitution of India in its articles protects various rights of the citizens. This has been extensively discussed in the upcoming chapters of the project. The basis to understanding the criminal justice administration is that India follows an Adversarial system as practiced in the Commonwealth nationsRead MoreThe Issue Of The Canadian Immigration Act1399 Words   |  6 Pages Dating from early British era, Transgender, which is an umbrella term for lesbians, gays and bisexuals have been officially charged for crime called â€Å" gross indecency†. This penalty of this crime at first was death, which later on moderated and became imprisonment for a period of 10 years. Through 1947-1961, many amendments were made to the criminal code, which further criminalized the idea of trans genders. During the 1960s, the British Parliament deiced to decriminalize someRead MoreAmanda Knox Case : The Trial Of The Century1540 Words   |  7 PagesAmanda Knox Case The Amanda Knox case is one of the most widely known cases for its high profile nature and more importantly, its controversial miscarriage of justice and is branded as the ‘Trial of the Century’. Meredith Kercher was a British study abroad student and arrived in Italy in August 2007 to study at the University of Perugia (Fisher, 2011). Only months after arriving Kercher was found â€Å"under a blood-soaked duvet cover . . . with her throat slashed† in her house in Perugia on NovemberRead MoreEssay on Criminal Rehabilitation in the United States Justice System1640 Words   |  7 Pagesbut we go on spending billions of dollars in order to lock up more and more people. We have become the country with the highest incarceration rate in the industrialized world. (National Criminal Justice Commission) This quote from Dave Kelly shows many of the issues with the United State’s criminal justice system today. The prison population is increasing because prisoners are being taken in at a higher rate than they are released. Also these prisons have become dangerous; inmates are exposed toRead MoreCrime Control And The Criminal Justice System1578 Words   |  7 Pagesthe criminal justice system as apposed to the due process model. Crime control is a more aggressive means while Due process model emphasizes on constitutional rights and doing justice to get convictions. Crime control model is a more aggressive approach, order is a value. This emphasizes society’s right to feel safe and feels freedom is very important. This model emphasizes the need to attempt to catch, convict, and punish every criminal with efficiency and speed. According to criminal JusticeRead More The Qualities of the Houyhnhnm’s Civilization in Gullivers Travels840 Words   |  4 Pagesreplaced by criminals and men who were desperate for work. In describing these men, Gulliver shows his master what human nature is like. Gulliver has a hard time explaining the crimes and motives of men and their actions because his master does not understand dishonesty and treachery. Gulliver talks about why humans wage wars against each other. He talks about human sins such as greed and pride. Gulliver tells his master about the laws of man. Gulliver points out flaws in the justice system. GulliverRead MoreCapital Punishment : An Unnecessary Practice1630 Words   |  7 Page shistorical origins. The practice of capital punishment in America started when British settlers discovered the new world and created the first American colonies. Despite of the practice of the death penalty being ancient, capitals crimes have changed over time. Throughout the eras, the abolitionist movement against the capital punishment has been present, presenting arguments about the constitutionality and morality flaws of the death penalty. Indeed, in 1972, the Supreme Court abolished the capitalRead MoreAustralian Criminal Justice System : Australia Essay1780 Words   |  8 PagesAustralian Criminal Justice System The Australian Criminal Justice system has an intricate and diverse structure that makes it one of the most unique systems in the world. The Commonwealth of Australia was approved by the British Parliament in 1900 and came into existence on January 1, 1901. The federal constitution combined British and American practices, with a parliamentary government, but with two houses - the popularly elected House of Representatives and Senate representing the former coloniesRead MoreDescription And Description Of Personal Details1716 Words   |  7 Pagesrelating to criminal activities, references to other data bases in which information on the person is stored and information on legal persons associated with the data referred to under economic and financial information. People working in Europol have immunity with the EU, and though it is denied by Europol authorities, the Europol police is said to be rapidly approaching the status of a European FBI. Eurodac, Enfopol and Echelon system The Eurodac (which stands for European Dactyloscopy) system is likeRead MorePresentation And Interpretation Of Research Material3609 Words   |  15 PagesIntroduction: The recent history of criminal legislation in England and Wales is a startling one, a reluctance to be seen as soft on crime has seen successive governments oversee not only the sharpest rise in prisoner populations but also the total largest number of prisoners in UK history. Throughout most of the 20th century it has almost become common practice to having a new criminal justice act in each successive government. Generally these previous criminal justice acts were considered pieces of