Criminal Justice

Introduction

The criminal justice system is necessary component of any country that is charged with the duty of addressing criminal activity and managing all of the agencies that are responsible for upholding and enforcing laws. It is composed of an integration of practices, people, and government agencies that function together with the objective of maintaining social control, discouraging and alleviating crime, and holding those who violate the law accountable for their actions. Along with mitigating crime, the criminal justice system also aims to provide a means of rehabilitation for those convicted of crimes. The United States is an example of country that has one of the most comprehensive systems that includes law enforcement, correctional facilities and agencies, and a judicial system that must work as a cohesive unit in order to be an effective organization (Hirschel, Wakefield & Sasse, 2007). The Virtual City Justice Alliance must efficiently share both the responsibility and authority of all agencies to include law enforcement agencies, courts, prosecution teams, defense attorneys, as well as corrections facilities and officers in order to combat the criminal activity of the Very Bad Birke Club (VBBC).

Virtual Criminal Justice Alliance

The Virtual Criminal Justice Alliance is the prime example of a group of agencies that are interdependent upon each other in pursuit of the same objective. The alliance was formed to combat VBBC, a criminal organization that actively participates in illegal actions such as possession of drugs and distribution of drugs, violent crimes, and petty larceny. These crimes require a multidimensional approach that combines the efforts of all the judicial system agencies in order to prosecute members of VBBC. Raymond Burr, the Chief Criminal Prosecutor from the Office of the District Attorney has a significant task in holding the line and attaining convictions for those that continue to be a hindrance to the safety and well-being of the community. To ensure that there is an successful manner in addressing the issues of Virtual City, Raymond Burr has to bring on board all the agencies and combine efforts to develop more effective strategies of eliminating crime.

Previous approaches have seen many setbacks namely because the different agencies have worked independently to accomplish their own agenda. While this could be seen as a success for each self-governing agency, it does little to combat the issues of crime in a productive manner. Because of this inability to function as a cohesive unit, the VBBC has been able to circumvent prosecution of any significance. The law enforcement teams have been a hindrance to the prosecution of VBBC members because of haphazard investigation tactics and ill-advised arrests without incriminating evidence. The leader of the gang Robert “Buddy” Pole continues to maintain control of the organization while in a parole status. This is easily accomplished because of the lackluster performance of the department of parole, who is charged with monitoring the activity of released criminals. In addition to this the gang also has laid groundwork for operations from within the prison due to the correctional facilities passive approach to suppressing criminal activity from within its walls. Because of this there are substantial gaps that are weakening the criminal justice system in Virtual City.

It is clear that a new plan is needed that will involve all agencies, and at the forefront there must be a strategy that addresses the necessary steps that must be taken to increase collaboration while decreasing crime in the city. The Prosecutor’s Office, must make clear what the requirements are for conviction, and the police department and security force must understand that in order to successfully accomplish the mission they have to work hand in hand with the District Attorney. In order for arrests and apprehensions to have any impact on the city the law enforcement agencies will have to devise a comprehensive and detailed investigation process that adheres to the laws they are governed by before attempting to charge apprehended criminals, if not the same vicious and unproductive cycle of catch and release will continue. With little to no incriminating evidence, the District Attorney has no feasible option except to adjudicate via plea bargains, which carry lesser sentences with minimal jail time. Traditionally, the approach has been to apprehend as many offenders as possible in order to eradicate the criminal activity in the city. The problem with the approach is that removing the foot soldiers of the gangs has little to no impact on the operation of the overall criminal organization. With a continued recruiting process, replacing those gang members arrested on menial charges is a simple task, and has little impact on the gang. The focus of the alliance must be redirected to the upper echelon of the VBBC, eliminating the hierarchy of the gang. Executing a comprehensive assault on the entire Pole family to include the father, the son who is in charge of the prison operations, and his daughter who uses the school to distribute and recruit new members would have the greatest impact and be vital in dismantling their operations.

Previous attempts of eradicating the gang have been unsuccessful because the actions of each agency have been predictable. This predictability of the steps and strategies at combatting crime has put the members of the gang in a position where they can evade or manipulate the reach of the justice system. The correctional facility leadership must develop a robust framework of curtailing communication amongst those incarcerated within the facility to those in leadership positions outside of prison, such as Robert Pole. Steps must be taken by law enforcement leadership to address the shoddy investigation procedures of the police officers and detectives and this will in turn further aid the District Attorney’s Office in consummating triable cases. Ensuring these two essential agencies work together in this collaborative effort would ensure that comprehensive evidence was gathered for a solid case against the Pole family and would guarantee that the prosecutors could effectively perform their duty of “prosecuting criminal defendants at the district courts” (Siegel, & Worrall, 2018).

Courts have the role of offering a forum to find solution for disputes as well as to test and administer the issues of laws in a just and coherent manner. The District Attorney is charged with coordinating with other agencies to ensure critical elements of the law are observed. If investigations are not conducted with the utmost care, the circumstances of the case may result in a plea bargain or even release of the apprehended criminal because no matter the situation the courts and District Attorney must always act within the restraints of the law. For this sole reason, the District Attorney must work hand in hand with the police force to train them on the nature and the standard of evidence that can win a case, otherwise, the defense attorneys will find holes in the cases which will increase the chances of charges being reduced. When such incidents as these happen, it is counterproductive and creates a belief that the legal system is failing not only the town but the community itself. The inability of the alliance to have a significant impact on the crime in Virtual City has been driven by a lack of cooperation, and a focus on independent successes. In order for the collaboration to be successful both the local and state government and the community must first work together to suppress the continually growing crime in Virtual City. If this does not occur, the band of criminals will continue to grow and will take a complete hold of the city causing economic loss, drug addiction, and increased criminal activity.

Conclusion

In order for the justice system to function adequately there must be a concerted effort to disband the Very Bad Biker Club and its criminal activity. If the components of the alliance continue to operate individually the legal system will continue to fall short, and the gang will in reality continue to grow in membership and power in Virtual City. The alliance as a whole must operate together so that it may effectively deal with the increased criminal activity. The most important thing is to adequately define the roles of each agency while sharing the authority and power that is necessary to deconstruct the issue at hand.

References

Hirschel, J. D., Wakefield, W. O., & Sasse, S. (2007). Criminal justice in England and the United States. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.

Siegel, L. J., & Worrall, J. L. (2018). Introduction to criminal justice. Boston, MA : Cengage Learning