Criminal Justice System: Inequities in US Society Persist - Research Paper

Introduction

The United States criminal justice systems protect the public by arresting criminals. It protects public freedom from abuse of power by law enforcement. Incomplete and inaccurate data fuel the passion of citizens and lawmakers to address the issue. The police use armed forces to stop-and-frisk laws to differences in drug arrests and lengths of criminal sentences. Criminal justice is where the citizens feel inequities in the society are persisting (Cole, Smith & DeJong, 2018). Some of the contemporary issues in criminal justice are drug substance use, the violence against women, the three strikes legislation, and the rate of incarceration in prisons. The purpose of this paper is to discuss contemporary issues in court criminal justice.

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The United States legal system the criminals enjoy the right and protection which is legally in the justice laws. It is provided in various courts' ruling. However, court criminal justice is a contemporary issue because of the lack of adequate counsel for the poor. The poor are a disadvantage in achieving criminal justice cannot afford to pay for efficient legal defense. The wealthier can afford better lawyers and get proper legal protection. Although they receive a free legal counsel, in practice, there is inappropriate legal counsel (Peck, 2016). A report by judicial commission State 2006 shows that the constitution is falling in providing legal representation to the poor (Peck, 2016).

Secondly, another court criminal justice issue is the defendant is supposed to plead guilty to reduce the sentence. The criminals are entitled to a trial by jury, although they are scarce. The defendants favor asking guilty because they help to ensure a lower sentence than they were supposed to receive if the exercise jury trials (Peck, 2016). It means the defendants are punished if they exercise their rights. The defendants are forced to plead guilty if when they have chances of winning the case in the courts. Wealthier prosecutors oppress the weak defendants.

Third, the court criminal justice is a contemporary issue is because mandatory sentencing laws target law-class offenders (Siegel & Worrall, 2018). The compulsory sentencing, such as those involving federal drugs, has increased. The national drug laws contain a maximum sentence for any crime that you commit. The low-class citizens are unfairly sentenced, and the code is stacked to people who cannot afford legal representation. Due to their low-class status, they receive an unfair sentence that is against criminal justice.

Racism in the court system is another contemporary issue with the court's criminal justice. There is increased racism in the criminal justice system at the state and federal level. According to the American civil liberty union, black caught with drugs is likely to sentenced more compared to a white person (Siegel & Worrall, 2018). It implies that there is a problem with racism in criminal justice in courts.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the court's criminal justice is a contemporary issue because the system lacks adequate counsel for the poor. The poor are oppressed because they cannot afford a qualified attorney in their cases. The poor are a disadvantage in achieving criminal justice cannot afford to pay for efficient legal defense. The court criminal justice is an issue because the defendant is supposed to plead guilty to reduce the sentence, mandatory sentencing laws target the law-class offenders, and racism in court systems. Prosecutors unfairly sentence the low-class citizens, and the law is stacked to people who cannot afford legal representation. According to the constitution and bills of right, the court should provide a fair criminal sentence. It is supposed to protect the public by enforcing laws and equal judgments.

References

Cole, G. F., Smith, C. E., & DeJong, C. (2018). The American system of criminal justice. Cengage Learning. https://books.google.co.ke/books?hl=en&lr=&id=Ra9EDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=contemporary+issues+in+court+criminal+justice&ots=fjl0KX2VTY&sig=kT5XXJUVVNn_yyYd11uncLhHN4U&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=contemporary%20issues%20in%20court%20criminal%20justice&f=false

Peck, J. H. (2016). Contemporary issues of race/ethnicity, offending behavior, and justice responses. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0735648X.2015.1136381Siegel, L. J., & Worrall, J. L. (2018). Essentials of criminal justice. Cengage Learning. https://books.google.co.ke/books?hl=en&lr=&id=Ka9EDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=contemporary+issues+in+court+criminal+justice&ots=BcmLvVGOzM&sig=8AF15yymoP3UHTdkpGvqnCaz-pw&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=contemporary%20issues%20in%20court%20criminal%20justice&f=false