Andrew George Western Civilization 9/13/10 The Roman Twelve Tables Vs. The Code of Hammurabi In today's society we have a system to keep the people safe and in check, this system is known as laws. Simply put if you do something that society does not permit, you get punished. As laws have evolved to hundreds of thousands of them all over the world. With countries having their own set of laws some different in every country and to their cultures.
They are named after a citizen who wrote Athens code of law. According to these laws, the state bares the responsibility of punishing those who commit crimes. Draco’s Laws called for the stiffest penalty which, for many crimes, was death. The Laws of the Twelve Tables included 12 laws. Of the 12 laws, 10 were original laws with 2 other being added at a later time.
Edward Romero Professor Blay AJ 101 22 Oct 2014 Role of punishment in the Criminal Justice System Since the birth of our country non-law abiding citizens have plagued our society which led to the creation and development of our criminal justice system that administers punishment for any crimes committed with-in our society. Punishment for crimes committed is utilized by the criminal justice system as a deterrence that can result in less crimes being committed in the future. The criminal justice system ensures that the correct punishment handed down to a defendant is appropriate for the crime committed which in turn shows future lawbreakers that their crimes will not be tolerated and will be dealt with appropriately. Depending on the crime committed, the evidence collected and how it is presented to a jury of our peers the defendant is usually sentenced to incapacitation (incarceration/capital punishment) or rehabilitation. The criminal justice system ensures that everyone that commits a crime is punished as a result of the crime they commit.
Hammurabi’s Code of Laws Hammurabi was the king of Babylonia. He developed a set of laws called Hammurabi’s Code of Laws, which controlled nearly every aspect of Babylonian society. His laws involved strict punishment of offenders in all levels of society. He is best known today for the concept of “an eye for an eye,” which means the punishment should be equal to the crime. His greatest achievement was forming a strong central government that established law and order.
Both of these codes were originally created to regulate society and keep balance in the world. Hammurabi’s code was established way before the twelve tables and was really strict towards crime, they believed in a guilty till proven innocent system while roman twelve tables were generally fair and rational about crimes. They believed in innocent till proven guilty.
Security measures are implemented through three focal points, watch and ward where individuals would post a night watch to prevent crime. The second is hue and cry where if a felony had been committed, the community had to help in the apprehension of the criminal. The last being assize of arms is when all males within the community 15 to 60 years old had to keep a weapon in their home. (Clifford, 2004) How have these laws led to the historical development of security forces, both private and public? I feel these laws have led to the historical development of security forces private as well as public because of the consistent need to grow, develop and protect.
The ‘broken windows’ hypothesis suggests that maintaining order through the management of minor offenses is an essential function of public police (Wilson & Kelling, 1982). In their article, Wilson and Kelling argue that if minor instances of crime and disorderly behavior are not addressed, more serious forms of disorder and increased levels of crime will follow. “Disorder and crime are usually inextricably linked, in a kind of developmental sequence,” (Wilson & Kelling, 1982). This hypothesis was based on the findings from observations of foot patrol officers managing the occurrences of disorder on their beats, and led the authors to suggest that in order to combat crime, police must refocus their efforts on neighborhood disorder. The concept of ‘broken windows’ is appealing to police departments attempting to reduce crime and restore order in their communities.
A complete, and mostly intact, basalt stele of Hammurabi’s Code survives today, and is on display at the Louvre Museum in Paris, France. If you stole Hammurabi’s stele from the Louvre and were arrested for it in France, you would be presumed innocent until proven guilty in court: a concept introduced in Hammurabi’s code. In fact, this aspect of Hammurabi’s code of laws has influenced provisions in Mosaic Law, Ancient Roman law, Islamic Sharia law, and most western laws, including our own code of laws. This right afforded to the accused establishes an adversarial trial, in which the accused has a right to confront and rebut the evidence presented by an accuser. "Hammurabi's subjects appreciated his code because it eliminated what must have been a very arbitrary approach to crime and punishment.
Police Brutality Role of a Police Officer The role of a police officer is to keep law in human society. They make sure that they keep criminals off the streets and they make sure that the people keep the speed limits everywhere they go. They have the rights to write tickets, citations, and even arrest people that are taking drastic measures. They are to report to calls such as 911 when criminal activity occurs in neighborhoods and other public areas. They have a few more rights than regular citizens, but they also have laws and rights they have to follow, there only job is to enforce laws in a well mannered civil way unless they feel harmed or in danger.
True, every human was born with human rights, but I believe if you take away someone else’s life, you give up your human rights. It is not their job to play god and take away a life with their own hands. The only punishment that fit for the crime is to take away a murderers life. I don’t believe that the death penalty is for everyone. Only in some major cases which includes only death of an innocent person with criminal intent.