This essay will start by highlighting how the media may shape society's response to young people who break the law through the moral panic model. The media's role will be outlined and youth crime data summarised. The urban disturbances of the early 1990s and the death of James Bulger will both be discussed in turn. In both cases a description of the event will be followed by an outline of the media response, identifying elements typical within the moral panic model. An attempt will be made to...
There have been several issues concerning the policies that underline the use of force within the field of law enforcement. Favorable opinions, negative objections, and indecisive feelings about the use of force have varied throughout the public as well as within the criminal justice system when it comes to this policy. For a number of years, it has been extremely difficult in determining the proper definition of what is considered to be the use of force or the proper use of force, especially...
The classical school of criminology is a group of thinkers of crime and punishment in the 18th century. The most prominent members, such as Cesare Beccaria, shared the idea that criminal behavior could be understood and controlled. The classical theory insisted that individuals are rational beings who pursue their own interests, trying to maximize their pleasure and minimize their pain. The following manuscript will cover three key concepts the origins of classical thought, popular forerunner...
Eyewitness testimony is a legal term and it refers to an account given by a bystander in the courtroom, who describes what happened during a specific incident under investigation. This is the principal way in which the guilt of the accused is established through verbal witness evidence in court. It is considered to be a reliable accepted form that provides evidence and jurors tend to pay close attention to it. However, it is questioned that eyewitnesses' identifications are among the most imp...
Sometimes users ask to have their accounts deleted. When this happens we remove information that refers specifically to the user, but we keep their old comments and essays. The user you clicked on has been deleted and can no longer be contacted. Violent offenders and the criminal justice system The criminal justice system can be the first place that a domestic violence offender can receive the help that they need to overcome their abusive behaviors. Many offenders find themselves in the crimi...
The overrepresentation of ethnic minorities in the Criminal Justice System looks like this: in 79.6 of arrests in 2009-10 those who were involved classified their ethnicity as white (Race and the CJS, 2010). In 2010 the rates for indictable offences were higher for white persons at 81% than for ethnic minorities, 74% for black and 77% for Asians (Race and the CJS, 2010). However, statistics show that ethnic minorities are overrepresented at all stages of the Criminal Justice System. In 2009 B...
Little is known about white collar crime among ordinary people. Many people are unaware of its damage, because it is a less apparent harm. They can't even detect it themselves as happens, for example, with descriptions of consumer goods, with major frauds, corruption and pollution. They can just observe and endure its effects long after it occurred. This essay explores what is known about white collar crime and will expose every part of it in order to comprehend its gravity. This essay aims t...
Torture inflicts severe pain to force someone to do or say something, and has been used against prisoners-of-war, suspected insurgents and political prisoners for hundreds of years. In the 1970s and 1980s, governments began to identify a specific form of violence called "terrorism" and to identify prisoners as "terrorists" (1). This is when the history of torture and terrorism begins. While many countries practice torture against political prisoners, only some name their dissidents terrorists...
Diversion programs are becoming increasingly popular as an alternative to incarceration among correctional institutions as studies emerge showing the success rate in reducing recidivism rates, substance abuse, and treatable mental illnesses of offenders who are dually diagnosed. Evidence shows that the strategies used in these programs are highly advantageous in the areas of increasing community involvement, rehabilitation and cost efficiency. Diversion treatment plans offer intricate, method...
Cultural criminology centres on how cultural practices mix with those of crime and crime control in a modern societal setting. It stresses the importance of meaning, symbolism and power relations in explaining the causes and effects of crime and deviance. Generally cultural criminology considers culture to be something that gives significant meaning to groups and gives them identity, however the do details vary from theorist to theorist but it is agreed that culture cannot be seen solely as a...
