Ways of Studying Other Justice Systems - Literature review Example

Ways of Studying Other Justice Systems The Descriptive Approach Reichel designs the first chapter of hisbook to explain the complex elements of justice systems around the globe effectively. In this chapter, he explains the rationale of teaching other criminal justice systems. The author makes a comparative technique that people can comprehend and access easily in the process he helps interested parties recognize the ever-increasing value of a international perspective. In doing this, the chapter presents specific methodologies applied in the entire texts. Reichel starts by examining the criminal law in the perspectives of courts, police, as well as corrections. This anchors the book on the American criminal justice system that comprises of main areas including law enforcement, crime data collection, corrections, and adjudication. Every type of criminal justice system centers on the safety of citizens, attaining justice for the community and victims, as well as eliminating deviants from the society. The system continues to undergoe refurbishment including evolving and changing regarding processes of achieving goals. However, the role of every player in the justice system continues to remain the same fairly. The first perspective in this case covers the first perspective in the descriptive approach entails criminal justice research and crime data statistics. Data statisticians as well as criminologists analyze and review data and reports on the flow, effectiveness, of officers, and uniformity of punishment and sentencing procedures. Other components of the criminal justice system apply in this information in the bid to strengthen tactics and re-evaluation of methodologies to criminal justice techniques in general. Members of this team do not have the direct responsibility of adjudicating, arresting, and punishing criminals demonstrating criminal behavior. Their biggest responsibility however, is to offer expert opinion and analysis on the dynamic and historical techniques to the criminal justice system applied by other players within the system. Law enforcement appears as the second aspects when assessing the justice system using the descriptive approach. This broad category puts together the federal agencies and the police. The former includes among others Federal Bureau of Investigations, Bureau of Alcohol, and Tobacco and Firearms bureau with responsibility of assessing and trying to find solutions to criminal behavior in addition to apprehending suspects. This system uses many tactics during execution of day-to-day activities (Reichel, 2013, 26).. It is easy for citizens to experience the deterrent nature of the criminal system by simply noticing a police car on patrol. This in some cases prevents criminal activity from talking place. Other sophisticated means include using forensic science to implicate suspects and give solutions to criminal situations. Adjudication starts when the police or other agencies arrest a criminal. It is the third type of criminal justice. It comprises of judges, defense attorneys, prosecutors, and the public who take the position of juries. It is the responsibility of the prosecution to use collected evidence to their case in corridors of justice. This is because in the courts the prosecutors must prove that an individual is guilty. On the other hand, the defense attorney takes the initiative to plant a reasonable amount of doubt in the mind of the jury with aim of convincing them to acquit the defendant of the charges leveled against him, mostly his or her client. The jury has the role of evaluating information provided to sieve the truths form half-truths as well as lies. In this case, the jury presides over the trial process and delivers judgment. Conviction comes at the tail end of the justice system. It only occurs if an individual is convicted of a crime. Many countries and states in the United States have guidelines applied during the sentencing process. Judges adhere to these procedures while delivering sentences. Among other things, punishment entails a jail time, prison term, probation, and parole. Jail time is actual incarceration taking a maximum of twelve months behind the bar while prison term includes incarceration involving more than twelve months behind the bar. This type of system aims at keeping the criminal secure far from the community in the process of trying to rehabilitate him or her during the time. The Historical Approach This entails studying other criminal justice systems. The criminal justice system for Wales and England for instance, brings together organizations among them the courts, the police, as well as the Crown Prosecution Service. The system refers to the manner in which the components operate in the local and national spheres in the process of managing crime while at the same time upholding the law. Other factors exist that promote the interest of people to study criminology. These are in addition to the September 11 incident in the United States, the seven-seven railway incident in the United Kingdom, increasing popularity of the Wire, and the tabloid zeal advocated for by the media that entails disclosing information about terrorist networks beside criminal networks. This approach is important because it helps those learning criminal justice comprehend the wide range of career opportunities available to individual after completion of their course. Having satisfactory knowledge and education in the criminal justice system goes beyond working as bobby on the beat in a small police station, or some CID office. Graduates of this degree have a chance to focus on a career in law, which leads him to become a barrister or a lawyer. Another opportunity presents itself for a person to engage in community-based work besides undertaking rehabilitation duties for ex-offenders as well as juveniles. Knowledge in this field traverses many areas including enforcement and upholding the law, and analysis of the reasons explaining the existence of crime. Others include the study of economic and social implications on areas experiencing high rates of crime as well as the reasons detailing the extremes and types of crimes varying in different zones. Understanding other aspects of criminal justice systems in other nations brings forth the most relevant and current areas of law and crime. Ways applied by other systems with success become very crucial in tackling crime in other parts of the world. However, even if such methods did not work, they offer an opportunity for the criminal justice system to use the same techniques as the basis of making corrections towards having an affective criminal justice system (Reichel, 2013, 56). Important areas worth learning from international systems include racism, human rights, children rights, terrorism, and other important components related to these areas. Studying this is also important in criminal justice policy making. Clear explanation in this case means that policymaking emanates from vertical and horizontal power decision-making system. The political Approach Since makers of policies carry out their work in a contemporary process with information gained from different sources including foreign criminal justice systems, it is important to understand what and when decisions made and the appropriate instituted policy take place. Important in the political sphere are those decision-makers in the justice system getting their jobs through political appointments or election. Other states allow voters to elect judges while in others the governor makes the appointment. In both cases, the process is political. Lawyers with the record of working for the people in government in the past remain favored to secure the appointive positions. This explains the reasons why the political processes influence decisions of the criminal justice system in the United States and across the globe. The president appoints the justices and sends the list to the senate for confirmation. This means that they reflect the political opinions of the president and the ruling party, which indirectly influences their decisions during court judgments. Preference The author of this discourse recommends the descriptive approach in studying elements of other criminal justice systems. This is because the method is all-round and covers important details of other systems appropriate for application in the United States. The seven-seven incident took place in the United Kingdom long before the September 11 disaster. Decisions made by judges presiding over this case would go miles away in helping the United States criminal systems in handling terrorism and the same applies to other systems across the globe. It is important to remember that courts set precedence. For instance, in the world over no sitting jury has overturned a decision by majority citizens to reverse a decision by the electoral body to change results of an elected president. The same statement applied by the judge whose vote stopped the re-tallying of votes in Florida thereby handling the presidency to George Bush beating the Incumbent Vice President Al Gore in the American two thousand presidential election. Furthermore, policy changes at the international and local level influence decisions and actions in the criminal justice systems in many nations. It is essential to note that policies do not have to involve justice issues directly. Instead, they relate to war on drugs, guidelines followed by judges when they pass sentences. Through this, they influence local and state criminal justice proceedings. Their biggest responsibility however, is to offer expert opinion and analysis on the dynamic and historical techniques to the criminal justice system applied by other players within the system. Law enforcement appears as the second aspects when assessing the justice system using the descriptive approach. This broad category puts together the federal agencies and the police. The former includes among others Federal Bureau of Investigations, Bureau of Alcohol, and Tobacco and Firearms bureau with responsibility of assessing and trying to find solutions to criminal behavior in addition to apprehending suspects. This system uses many tactics during execution of day-to-day activities. However, broader policies for instance, those touching on economic globalization entail important implications to the nation as a whole. Sitting judges have the role of evaluating information provided to sieve the truths form half-truths as well as lies. In this case, the jury presides over the trial process and delivers judgment. Conviction comes at the tail end of the justice system. It only occurs if an individual is convicted of a crime. Many countries and states in the United States have guidelines applied during the sentencing process. Bibligraphy Reichel, P. L. (2013). Comparative criminal justice systems: a topical approach. Boston, Pearson. Read More