Mr. Beccaria and other members of the Classical School fought for punishment to be set by legislative instead of judges having all of the authority for punishment. The members of the Classical School of Thought believed that preventing crime was more important than punishing the criminal. When criminals know what the punishment is going to be for the crimes that they are going to commit it will help to deter the crimes from being committed. When people do commit crimes the crime is done of their own free will. This procedure of knowing the punishment with it being severe to the
Criminal Justice Policy Process Amber Pickett AJS/582 February 4, 2013 Joseph Gutheinz Abstract This manuscript will describe the criminal justice policy process. The manuscript will also include the key actors in the criminal justice policy process, the steps involved in the criminal justice policy process, and suggestions to improve the criminal justice policy process. Criminal Justice Policy Process Crime control policies, protocols, standards, and guidelines are the efforts of the government to protect society from criminals by reducing crime through initiating policies to control criminal justice issues. The actors of the criminal justice policy process unite to determine what laws and policies can make society a safe place for everyone (Marion & Oliver, 2012). The criminal justice policy process reflects what is best for society as a whole and not what is best for individuals.
Assess the usefulness of functionalist approaches in explaining crime The functionalist approach to analysing deviance and the causes of crime looks at society as a whole. It explains crime that the source of criminal behaviour lies in the nature of society itself rather than in psychology or biology. Functionalists such as Durkheim see deviance as an inevitable and necessary part of society and too little is unhealthy. Some also consider crime to have positive aspects for society. In this essay we will assess the usefulness of these functionalist theories, and look at how it helps us explain crime.
I will also discuss what and how citizens’ rights are taken advantage of by the police. Some measures necessary to protect ourselves from police taking advantage of their positions as law enforcement officers with greater permissive rights than private citizens. All citizens must take affirmative actions from physical brutality, rights violations, and information abuse. Police brutality is one of the most serious and divisive human rights violations in Kenya and it occurs in every community. The job of a police officer is to maintain public order, prevent, and detect crime.
However, the use of red light cameras has resulted in more tickets being issued to motorist rather than providing safety. There has been rising controversy over the recent installment of photo enforced traffic light cameras for this reason. Red light cameras do not improve traffic safety, in fact they are only installed to generate revenue and have increased accidents. Supporters of the cameras claim they increase safety and reduce accidents. However, opponents argue the cameras only bring in revenue for cities and do not prevent accidents.
Assess the usefulness of official statistics to our understanding of social problems. Illustrate your response with sociological arguments and evidence. To assess the usefulness of official statistics to our understanding of social problems, I will first look at what official statistics are, I will then look at crime and suicide as two examples of social problems. I will look at how both Positivists and Interpretativists use these statistics and how useful each of these sociological approaches find them. Official statistics is the name given to the numbers of crimes reported to or unveiled by the police themselves, which lead to a conviction, caution or are dealt with in some formal way by the law.
Criminal Profiling August 13, 2012 CJ230 Police operations and Administration Criminal Profiling Criminal profiling defines as the investigation of a crime with the hope of identifying the responsible party, based on crime scene analysis, investigative psychology and behavioral evidence analysis. Many claim that criminal profiling is a science or an art. Criminal profiling’s use helps law enforcement make positive evaluations. Behavioral scientists and criminologists use the criminal profiling technique to examine criminal behavior. In the future criminal profiling will go further to help investigations and help in the predictions for future actions of criminals.
The very nature of police of criminal investigation in and of itself fosters and causes police discretion. The biggest advantages of police discretion is the interpretation of the law. Running Header: Police Discretion 3 Criminal law “has attempted to establish those forms of conduct which its members desire to be declared criminal” (Goldstein 1977). These laws are so many time written in very broad terms that vaguely define crimes which leaves the individual officer to decide if the criminal activity they are investigating meets the elements of the criminal code and to which extent. The written law simply does not cover all aspects of behavior that police officers will encounter (Wortley, 2003).
The primary and most difficult portion of a police officer’s duties is to protect themselves and the public from harm or death. This sometimes requires the use of excessive force but the degree the officer uses can always be in question. Deadly force is defined in the Rampart Independent Review as "responsible and necessary" to protect others or themselves from bodily harm (Drooyan, R, 2000). Deadly force is essentially broken down into three categories: immediate defense of life, to prevent crime where people are at risk of death or serious bodily injury and to apprehend a fleeing felon who poses a serious risk to others. An officer must exercise deadly force appropriately by always using alternatives and only resorting to such extreme measures when deemed necessary.
Cell phone use increases the likelihood of motor vehicle accidents The use of a cell phone while driving increases the likelihood of having an automobile accident and as such the use of cell phones in vehicles should be restricted and irresponsible drivers should be prosecuted under the letter of the law for reckless driving. Cell phones have become a commodity in our everyday lives. Some people however are taking the trend to extremes by engaging in conversations while operating a moving vehicle. This widespread phenomenon has increased the rate of motor vehicle accidents throughout the state. It is believed that actively using a cell phone while driving increases the likelihood of an accident by as much as four times the rate as those who do not use a cell phone.