criminal Justice

In what ways do you believe that the criminal justice system can ensure fair and equal treatment for all?  Be sure to use course readings to support your thoughts.

After posting your original post, be sure to engage in discussion with your peers.

Please use the rubrics and the references should be in 7th edition APA format.

Some of the week reading

Here is a bit of information about each of the readings:

Topic: Crime & Criminal Justice

          Reading 1.1

This reading will introduce you to the topic of Criminal Justice, the process and crime.

Topic: Deviance, Rule Violations and Criminality

            Reading 1.2

This reading will introduce you to the idea of deviance.  While most criminal acts are deviant, not all deviant acts are criminal.  This is important because some deviant acts are defined as criminal, while others are not, therefore impacting the creation of laws prohibiting certain behaviors and not others.

Topic:  Different Views in the Creation of Laws

      Readings 1.4, 1.5, 1.6

The definition of crime dictates whether a behavior is viewed as deviance, a rule violation, or a criminal violation. It is important to discuss who decides whether a law becomes criminalized or decriminalized.  Understanding the different definitions of crime help to understand the different laws.  These readings present you with information regarding the different definitions of crime: interactionist, consensus and conflict.

Topic: Components of the Criminal Justice System

            Reading: 1.7

Criminal justice is the study of Police, Courts and Corrections. This reading will introduce you to the three main components of the system.

Topic: Crime Control & Due Process Models

            Reading 1.8

A controversy of sorts exists in the Criminal Justice system in terms of balancing the expectations of society for the system to be efficient and timely all while protecting individual rights and “serving” justice.  Herbert Packer in 1960 created two models to describe these expectations of the criminal justice system.  Today, these models attempt to blend and to work together.  The Crime Control and Due Process models are fundamental to understanding justice.

Topic:  The Formal Criminal Justice Process

            Reading 1.9

While many are intrigued by what they learn watching crime television shows, the process of how cases move through the system are much different than what you see on television.  Most often referred to as a “funnel” the system has many decision points in which cases are “dropped” out of the system and in the end, very few cases make it completely to the end of the funnel. Discretion and ethics are important components in this process.  This reading will introduce you to the funnel model, ethics and discretion.

Topic: The Informal Criminal Justice Process

            Reading 1.11

Another model of justice is what is referred to as the Wedding Cake Model Theory.  This theory addresses how cases move through the system and how they may be treated differently by media and society. It is important to understand the formal and informal processes as you continue to learn about Criminal Justice.  This reading will explain this model and will serve as a comparison to the funnel model of justice.

Topic:  Different Types of Crimes and Offenses

            Reading 1.13

There are many different types of crimes and offenses. This reading discusses the primary types of crimes and offenses: Crimes against the person; Crimes against property; Crimes against public order; Drug offenses; Misdemeanors and Felonies.

Topic:  Media Coverage of Crimes

            Reading 1.10

The majority of knowledge about crime and criminal justice is derived from the media.  This reading will discuss the role of media in the perception and understanding of Criminal Justice.