Discussion replies

Question

Some would argue crime is driven by social injustice and wealth inequality. Select any crime related story linked to social injustice or economic inequality

Reply 1

The article that I found is titled “Aligning anti-trafficking programs with UN Sustainable Development Goals” The article mentions “Modern slavery arises because of economic, social, cultural and legal conditions that create a state of vulnerability. These conditions are in part caused by global trends related to poverty, climate change, war and conflict, globalization, migration, and other serious human rights violations, including the violation of social and economic rights, and racial injustice. Many of these root causes have been exacerbated by Covid-19. People in extreme poverty, for example, are recruited by human traffickers into economic sectors that are mostly informal and hidden from the public eye and scrutiny. In vulnerable communities, there is no access to formal credit. Traffickers offer loans that result in debt bondage. Another example is climate change. It disrupts weather cycles and agricultural production, which causes food insecurity and interrupts the livelihoods of families who depend on farming. Many are forced to migrate in an unsafe environment where traffickers offer false hope of jobs far from home to lure unsuspecting victims (MSN).” Human trafficking is not a state-to-state problem it’s a global issue. It can definitely be seen as most shameful crime going on in the world. This crime is affecting millions of people lives.

Reply 2

Crime has long been known to have a direct correlation with poverty. However during the civil unrest of 2020 in the wake of the death of George Floyd we have seen that when the public feels that an injustice has occurred they begin to lose faith in the criminal justice system and the very thin fabric of order that is maintained between the government and its people can be torn. During the protest state and local law enforcement were unable to maintain order and the demonstrations quickly began to turn into a free for all with multiple crimes being committed by portions of the protesters being opportunistic. In the city of St. Louis some protester engaged in shootouts during the demonstration, as well as looting, arson, and massive amounts of property damage. St. Louis was not unique in that regard, virtually every major US city was dealing with the same issues across the board. In total, as a result of the protesting that was occurring, over 1 billion dollars worth of property was damaged or stolen (Kingston 2020). This makes the 2020 civil unrest the most expensive in the United States history. With that being said it is clear to see that when there is a social injustice the ability of the government to work effectively and maintain peace and order is severely compromised. If you look at a city such as Seattle, during the demonstrations they allowed for a six block portion of their city to be taken hostage by a rogue group of radical extremist who were terrorizing business owners and residents in that area. It is very eye opening to imagine that a US city is so vulnerable or on the edge of total chaos that they would allow a portion of their city (and tax paying residents/business owners) to be victimized for weeks. It just goes to show how thin the fabric of order truly is.

Question 2

What do you think of the concept of moral entrepreneurs and moral panics? Is it an overblown academic position, or does it represent reality? What would you say to someone who says that any moral panic still represents a real problem that must be dealt with? Finally, what examples of potential moral panics can you identify that would call for new criminal justice policies?

Reply 1

Moral entrepreneurs incorporate morals into their operations. Potentially a business that operates openly based on their morals and they dont allow their morals to be compromised for the benefit of the business. Moral Panic is when society or portions of society are fearful that their morals may be compromised within the society. I think equally they both present a reality in today's age. I dont know that moral panic presents an issue that must be dealt with. I think it should seriously taken into account when members of society feel that a decision is immoral and that it could affect their own morals then it is a very serious matter. The government is supposed to represent its constitutents and therefore if some of them feel a decision or law is immoral then it should be carefully examined. An example that comes to mind to me is that of abortion. I feel that abortion is a moral panic and that if a law were enacted to legalize it outright or ban it outright, either way each side would feel that their morals are being compromised. On one had, one side views the abortion as a woman's choice as it is her body that is growing the child and therefore the decision should be left to her to decide. On the other hand, the other side views the child as being a living human being and therefore an abortion of that human being should be considered a murder. It is clearly a major topic of debate and highly polarizing among much of the nation. 

Reply 2

I believe moral entrepreneurs who take lead and spread a certain label through society.  As for moral panics is a widespread of free that occurs. Moral panics come from the media. According to our textbook” These moral entrepreneurs are part of the process Cohen (1972) termed moral panics and known more generally as constructed social problems. The process is identical in all aspects to the process of recognizing social problems. Focusing on a real (or even imagined) issue, the moral entrepreneur brings the issue to the attention of the public with exaggerated claims of its frequency. Those with a vested interest (for example, an agency handling such issues and thereby having a financial stake) pick up the public claims and make public announcements designed to support the image of the problem as a relatively common occurrence. The media then circulate this information, again reporting claims and the frequency of the problem. The claims tend to escalate the exaggeration and stress the moral offensiveness of the problem. At this point, a politician or bloc of politicians, sensing a gain in both publicity and political image, become “saviors” by creating public policy against the heinous problem. Thus, public policy in the criminal justice arena is often a knee-jerk reaction to an exaggerated problem.  If someone says that moral panic represents a real problem I would agree.  Moral panic represents reality. Human trafficking is a moral panic all across the world it is still an issue that seems to be unstoppable. There are more than 21 million slaves globally and this number is growing daily.

Question3

The criminal justice system is in a constant state of change. Looking forward to the 21st century, how do we see police, courts, and corrections changing to meet the needs of society?

Reply 1

The criminal justice system and aspects of it are extremely vulnerable to change and can be changed by the stroke of a pen and overnight a common police practice could become abolished and unlawful. It is imperative for law enforcement agencies and really all of the justice system to be flexible and able to make a change to a years long practice. With the justice system constantly evolving, I believe that we are attempting as best as we can to try and make it as good as we possibly can while maintaining the framework of our constitution. I do feel at times that certain case law and legislation hinders the officers abilities to do his job or essentially can just make it more difficult. Some view this as a good thing and others view it negatively. While the goal of case law is to protect the citizens from the government or violation of their rights, sometimes they can endanger citizens by the taking away the officers ability to handle/investigate or the courts ability to convict/sentence someone who needs it. My own personal biggest issue with the US court system is the civil courts. I find the civil courts to be absolutely ridiculous with some of their justifications for decisions. Aside from that the award amounts granted by federal civil courts have created this new "United States of Liability" that we all live under and in fear of, at any job really not just pertaining to criminal justice employment. 

Reply 2

The criminal justice system is heading for change and Improving for the better. Throughout these last two years I would say we have seen some negative and positive changes occur. I believe improvements can occur by considering all of the issues our criminal justice system faces.  A lot of focus has been shifted to things like mass incarceration, unfair sentencing, high risk for youth, corruption, targeting minorities, and incarceration rates. Our criminal justice system is supposed to be designed to deliver justice for all meaning protecting innocent people, convicting criminals, and providing a fair justice system to keep order in America.  Officers are our first responders protecting our community. They have one of the largest impacts in the world. Court’s goal is to provide a peaceful jurisdiction with holding people accountable for their action’s things such as reprimanding. Corrections is another key component to our criminal justice because not only keeping criminals confined but rehabilitating individuals and setting them on a path of success. All three of these branches have to run properly to maintain law and order in society.

 A few issues that our criminal justice has been working on is “ Ending mass incarceration will require changing sentencing policies and practices, scaling back the collateral consequences of conviction, and addressing racial disparities in the criminal justice system. In recent years most states have enacted reforms designed to reduce the scale of incarceration and the impact of the collateral consequences of a felony conviction. This briefing paper describes key reforms undertaken in 2019 prioritized by The Sentencing Project.”