Crime Prevention Criminal Justice
Eclpse1
week4discussion_1.docxSome mandatory sentencing laws, called three-strikes laws, were created in the 1990s as citizens and lawmakers became fed up withviolent crime. Intended to be used to lock up repeat violent offenders for life, the laws were not widely implemented in all states, and only California has used its threestrikes law widely.
YOUR ASSIGNMENT IS TO:
Search for "California three-strikes law" on the Internet and read about its benefits as well as costs.
Focus on what type of offenders have been most affected, the law's impact on crime, its financial impact, and whether it has been applied in a racially biased way.
Then, argue one way or the other, whether the law is good or bad. Explain.
THIS ASSIGNMENT ABOVE HAS ALREADY BEEN DONE. THE NEXT ASSIGNMENT YOU NEED TO DO IS:
PROVIDE FEEDBACK ON TWO CLASSMATES POSTS. THE LENGTH MUST BE 200 WORDS EACH POST. THERE ARE TWO FEEDBACKS YOU MUST DO. MUST BE POSITIVE FEEDBACK, PROPER GRAMMAR/SENTENCE STRUCTURE, AND ANY OUTSIDE SOURCES YOU USE THAT RELATES TO THE FEEDBACK FROM THE STUDENT MUST BE PROPERLY CITED/SCHOLARY SOURCE.
Respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts. PLEASE ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS BELOW IN THE FEEDBACK YOU PROVIDE TO EACH STUDENT.
In your responses to their posts, address the following:
Is there a crime prevention program in the policing or corrections areas that would complement the initiative addressed by your classmates?
What concept or theory would support your position?
Will the initiative positively or negatively impact social justice for all groups or just targeted segments of society?
FIRST DISCUSSION RESPONSE FROM CHRISTOPHER E.
Drug Courts
The activity I chose was drug courts. I chose this activity because drugs seem to be a main gateway into criminal activity and individuals becoming offenders and ending up in the criminal justice system. Drug courts are a system that treats drug addicted and mentally ill individuals for their addiction without putting them into the traditional criminal justice system. The drug courts program offer the offender counseling, mental health services as well as job placement programs and vocational training (Robinson, 2013). Like a spoke of drug abuse is the gateway that leads to addiction and this only leads to crimes like robberies, theft or other crimes to support these habits. Some of these crimes are petty crimes and the crime and the cause has to be taken into consideration, so that’s why drug courts are so important. Treating a petty criminal who is drug addicted in the drug courts alleviates the offender going to prison which are already overcrowded and this only costs the government or state more funds to incarcerate this individual. The key is keeping the individual in the program long enough for it to work.
The reward system for the individual for doing well and sanctions for not conforming to the treatment are innovative ways to energize the individual to take the treatment serious. The fact that usually after the offender completes the program all or some of the charges are dismissed this is a great incentive for the offender (Robinson, 2013). Saving money, reducing crime and restoring families are all things that drug court programs have been shown to be successful in completing. These are all things that our society needs. The ability to save money in the economic state and restore families are two of the biggest factors that show that these programs are needed and effective.
References:
http://www.nadcp.org/learn/what-are-drug-courts)
Robinson, M. B. (2013). Crime prevention. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, I
SECOND DISCUSSION RESPONSE FROM NOAH C.
I chose specialized courts. These courts focus on special cases. Specialized courts can specialize in anything from drug, alcohol, DWI, mental health, prostitution, homelessness, community, violence, gambling and many other courts. Each of these specialized courts provides proper treatment and rehabilitation to a certain group of offenders. The drug recovery and rehabilitation courts focus primarily on families and juvenile drug issues. “Each of these courts utilizes resources from agencies already working to address drug abuse problems in these communities.” (Robinson, M., 2013) DWI and Re-entry courts focus on “Problems that may or may not specifically deal with drugs.” (Robinson, M., 2013)
Next there are the courts that focus on providing care and treatment after their release. Mental health, for instance, assists criminals with adjusting to life with an illness. The domestic violence court will not only protect the victim but also the offender. Court for gambling helps criminals that have a gambling problem that is connected to crime. Lastly, truancy court assists with issues with children. Prostitution courts assist with crimes involving prostitution whereas homelessness courts assist with homeless offenders who are involved with crime.
Community courts “Address all kinds of problems in neighborhoods, including drug use problems, prostitution, and other crime problems. Used as part of traditional criminal justice practices, these courts order people to serve their communities while simultaneously offering drug abuse and/or mental health treatment as needed. Since other members of the community are often involved, the term community courts is appropriate.” (Robinson, M., 2013)
All specialized courts have one thing in common, they are there to rehabilitate and treat certain conditions. One major cause for offenders to be sent to a specialized court is drug misuse and abuse. Specialized courts hold a large role in our justice system as well as within our societies. Specialized courts are a positive alternative to sending one to jail. Specialized courts allow an offender to receive treatment as well as punishment. This assists in an ex-offender with maintaining a life without crime.
References:
Robinson, M., (2013) Crime Prevention San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.
