Criminal Justice: Upholding Social Equality and Redressing Injustice - Research Paper

Introduction

Criminal justice is a set of systems and institutions established to uphold the integrity of the society by deterring criminal behavior, sanctioning offenders and establishing rehabilitation institution for those that are seeking redemption from crime (Lee & Gibbs, 2015). Social justice through criminal justice has a role in ensuring social equality through its ability to address injustice and diversity in the community. People share a common humanity and require equal treatment; the criminal justice system has a role in ensuring that universal human rights are upheld, and community resources are equitably shared. Police officers are part of the fabrics which serve and protect the public on a day to day basis, and with many police agencies in America, there are critical issues concerning policing that undermine their execution of duties. Most of these concerns are attributed to internal and external forces that affect policing agencies (Lee & Gibbs, 2015). This paper will assess the contemporary issues and challenges facing policing today in the United States.

Police Brutality

Police brutality refers to the abuse of authority and power by the criminal justice personnel, especially the police, which results in suffering and even death of the subject. Police brutality is a major criminal justice issue that requires the immediate address to resolve the negative reputation of the police by the public. Police brutality incidences have been on the rise in the recent past, especially towards black Americans (Lee & Gibbs, 2015). Police brutality has put criminal justice in lousy shape, which has led to several riots by Americans calling for police reforms. Police today more than before face a significant threat of retaliatory attacks from the public as a result of the increasing unethical practices (Hutto & Green, 2016). Police brutality is a significant problem that is racially instigated; history has it that the most affected people by police brutality are African Americans. In the recent past, the news of black Americans teenagers being executed by police officers has been a significant theme. This has caused the rise of the dreaded topic of police brutality against black American communities (Lee & Gibbs, 2015). Most of the incidences in the police executions that have hit the media in the recent past are carried out by white policemen in the pretext that their life was in immediate danger from their victims.

In the recent past, video recordings of police officers battering and sometimes executing young black American males have resuscitated the longstanding issue of police brutality. The numbers of cases that have been filed against the police by the community are on the rise, the recent video recording of police arbitrary executing black Americans in cold blood reveals the generational problem of police brutality (Lee & Gibbs, 2015). Most of the police officers accosted with the heinous acts walk scot-free because of the protection they receive from other friendly government agencies like the department of justice. This could turn out to be a time bomb as more people lose trust in the police from the increasing number of police brutality being exposed in print media and social media platforms. There is a need to act by policymakers to initiate urgent police reforms and reconciliation between races (Howard & Navarro, 2016). Police brutality cases have been decorating local media outlets with a high number of cases being reported every day. Statistics show that most of the victims of police brutality are young Americans, especially people of color. Police brutality is unlawful and unprofessional because the role of the police in the community is to serve and protect. However, despite the existing protocols and procedures for handling criminal cases, many people continue to die in America as a result of police brutality. The media and the public are increasingly raising the question of police professionalism and ethics regarding police-community engagement and the criminal's apprehension (Lee & Gibbs, 2015). Most of the cases reported poses questions regarding the need for the police to use force. Most of the cases involve young male Americans who could have been apprehended using other means provided by law (Gilbert & Ray, 2016).

Police brutality happens in all states but mainly in states and counties inhabited by the black people. Police brutality continues to grow as people start questioning why most of the incidences are directed to black Americans by white law enforcement officers (Gilbert & Ray, 2016). Despite the efforts of creating the use of force policy, which assesses and provides guidelines on when the police should use excessive force, excessiveness aggressiveness of the police continue to affect many Americans. The number of widows and American mourning their family and friends lost through police brutality continues to rise. Police brutality cases continue to increase; in the year 2014, reported deaths caused by police brutality stood at 1149 people (Gilbert & Ray, 2016). Many of the police brutality victims were not found with any weapons, which show a significant reduction in police brutality. In 2014 reportedly of all the police brutality killings (Gilbert & Ray, 2016).

Police brutality incidences have become routine and should be dealt with in providing a solution to the problem. The lives of the locals are at risk when police fire carelessly at suspects who pose no threat to the police. The police brutality is unacceptable when their law enforcement strategies are putting the citizens' lives in danger. The officers escalate the incidences, yet they should instead use accepted and effective tactics. With a reduced level of police misconduct, the police force will earn respect and trust from the public (Sen, 2010). Curbing the brutality issue is vital in a society, where police ignorance has become a common culture. Though some reports are well reported, documented, and investigated, most of the responsible officers evade prosecution for their actions. The impartial investigations end up in the accused officers facing lesser punishment than expected. A change in this form of prosecution will improve the police force and instill impartiality in the justice and legal system. As a result, there will be reduced constitutional violations that the police have taken advantage of, knowing that they will not be charged in a court of law. Also, people will have confidence in the police, division, and state leadership.

Racial Profiling

Racial profiling is a significant problem facing the American people; stereotypes and inadequate policies have instigated racial profiling. Racial profiling is a threat to social progress and the stability of every nation. America is a multi-racial society; hence, the criminal justice should play a central role through corrective policies and educating the people on the importance of cohesion as a nation (Caldero, Dailey & Withrow, 2018). The criminal justice should ensure laws that apply to all races and diversity of the American people and avoid divisive policies. The critical role of the criminal justice system is ensuring fairness and cohesion in the face of a diverse society. Caldero et al. (2018) have defined racial profiling as an act of discrimination by police agencies in conducting an investigation or handling a criminal activity. The bias occurs when a police officer targets an individual for illegal activities based on the individual's racial background or ethnic group. Police discrimination has been witnessed in various routine encounters by the police, example scenarios include the racial targets of drivers for a traffic violation, targeting a given race for illegal contraband, and stereotyping of blacks as suspects whenever a crime happens (Caldero et al., 2018).

Rise of Organized Crime and Criminal Gangs

Organized crime is the group of people that are organized within an international, regional, or local geographical area to manage and carry out criminal activities to make money, gaining political power, and influence. Organized crime can be differentiated from random criminals in that organized crime is more disciplined and systematic (Rios, 2015). Organized crime can be perpetrated by criminal organizations and also legitimate organizations that engage in criminal behavior. Organized crime has grown more sophisticated in the recent past due to the growth of technology and access to technology, which makes it challenging to track and bring culprits into the hands of justice. Organized crime perpetrators are more educated and sometimes command enough resources to cover their tracks hence avoiding apprehension by law enforcement agencies (Rios, 2015). The organized crime of the 21st century is quite different from the crime of yesteryears; criminal syndicates can perpetrate some illegal activities. Criminal groups in terrorism are also the same people being involved in extortion and even electronic financial irregularities (Rios, 2015). Organized cyber criminals are on the rise, whereas the resources available and people with technical needs to apprehend such people are few. This has led to the growth of criminal organizations that are operating locally, regionally, and internationally.

Organized crime has some negative implications on the society, economy, and political organization of a country. Most criminal syndicates operate within the community institutions undermining their power and legitimacy through corruption and extortion. Corruption and extortion result in the destruction of the community institutions and the rule of law. Most organized crime criminal gangs have enough resources to carry out their activities right below the noses of the authorities (Rios, 2015). Organized criminal gangs cause fear amongst the community members because of their brutality in asking for protection fees. Most organized crime organizations run extortion syndicates within the community, and those that do not comply are met with severe consequences. Apart from fear, there is a lot of suspicion amongst the community members as they live suspecting each other since most organized crime perpetrators operate discretely. Criminal justice and policing agencies have failed to control the ownership of guns. Ideally, guns are supposed to be protecting people, but on the contrary, we have witnessed more murder cases associated with firearms. Controversies over the ownership of firearms have been seen whereby people have different opinions in regards to possession of guns; basically, others believe that it is the right of the tan individual to own a gun, while others argue that there should be a distinct control of guns possession (Rios, 2015). It is a debate baring no results, as the conservatives argue the solution of gun violence is buying more guns.

Growth of Transnational and Cyber Crimes

Transnational crimes are crimes that transcend national boundaries by going against international values and morality of the people from a global perspective. Transnational crimes have been on the rise due to the development of technology that has reduced the world into a global village (Jakobi, 2015). This age of information people can communicate across the borders as well as travel very easy and fast. However, criminals are taking advantage of travel and communication technology to orchestrate global-based crimes. Law enforcement agencies face challenges dealing with an increase in transnational crimes in the face of little policies to respond to t...