Problems Within the Criminal Justice System

ProblemsWithintheCriminalJusticeSystem
BrenanEpley
ArkansasTechUniversity

Problems Within the Criminal Justice System

WithmymajorbeinginCriminalJustice,Ihavebeenabletolearnmoreabouthowthe
UnitedStatesCriminalJusticesystemworks.Whenthereisasysteminplace,suchasthis,there
areboundtobeissuesandproblemsthatoccur.Ihavebeenlookingintotheissuesthatseemto
haveanegativeimpactonourcriminaljusticesystem.Inoursystem,wehavealargeproblem
withprisonovercrowding,drugswithintheprisonsystem,andthenewthreestrikelegislation
thatisbeingimplementedinsomestates.Thesethreetopicsareimportantbecausetheyaffect
howwetreatindividualswhohavecommittedacrime.Thequestionproposedduringthis
researchiswhatcanwedohelpchangetheprisonsystem?
Somepeopledonotrelatethecriminaljusticesystemandtheprisonsystemtogether.
However,thedefinitionofcriminaljustice,perDictionary.com,isthesystemoflaw
enforcement,involvingpolice,lawyers,courts,andcorrections,usedforallstagesofcriminal
proceedingsandpunishment.Itstartsfrompolicingcommunitiestoprosecutingindividuals
whohaveknowinglybrokenthelaw.Thereisastigmathatprisonismadeforviolentoffenders,
whichisnotfalse.However,only3.1%ofinmatesareinforindexcrimes(homicide,aggravated
assault,andkidnapping).Amajorityofinmatesareincarceratedduetodrugcrimes.TheFederal
BureauofPrisonsreportsthat46.4%ofinmatesareinfordrugoffenses.Prisonovercrowding
canbeextremelydangeroustonotonlytheinmates,buttheprisonguardsaswell.Whenthere
aremoreinmatesthancorrectionalstaffitcanmakeitdifficulttokeeppeacewithintheprison.
Inmatestendtobecomemoreviolentcanactuallysufferpsychologicaldistress.Anotherstudy
donein2006foundthatahighprisonpopulationhasadirect,negativeeffectonthe
psychologicalstateofinmates.Overcrowdinghasbeenknowntocausefarmorestressful
situationsandhaspromptedprisonofficialstoreactinappropriatelyonoccasionduetobeing

Problems Within the Criminal Justice System

forcedtoaccommodateilladvisednumbersofprisoners(PortlandStateUnviersity,Prison
OvercrowdingisaGrowingConcernintheU.S.).Howareweabletomakeachangeinprison
overcrowding?Changingtheprisonpopulationdependsontheentiresystemworkingtogether.
PortlandStateUniversitylistthreekeyfactorsneededinordertomakepositivechange.They
statethatmonitoringprisonovercrowding,examiningpracticessuchassentencingandhandling
thementallyill,andtostrengthenourpenalsystem.
Anotherissueandnegativetrendthatiscirclingaroundoursystemisdrugs.Thisisnt
justacriminaljusticeproblem;thisisaworldproblem,too.Aspreviouslystated,mostlydrug
offendershouseourprisons;mostofthesehavenoviolentcriminalrecord.Accordingtothe
OfficeofNationalDrugControlPolicy,anywherefrom52%to80%ormoremalearrestees
testedpositiveforthepresenceofatleastonedrugatthetimeoftheirarrest.Oftheinmates
whoabuseddrugs53%hadatleastthreepriorsentencestoprobationorincarceration,
comparedto32%ofotherinmates(OfficeofNationalDrugControlPolicy,CriminalJustice
Reform).Thewarondrugshasaffectedoursocietyandourprisons.Itmaybehardtopinpoint
wherechangeneedstobemadeinrelationtothedrugproblem,butitallstartswithtreatment.
PertheNationalInstituteonDrugAbuse,Manyprisonsarenotmakingtreatmentapriority,
despiteclearbenefitstooffenders,theirfamilies,andcommunitiesshowninmultiplestudies.
Drugaddicts,whethertheyarecriminalsornot,needtreatmentbecausewithoutittheyusually
cannotdefeatthehabitontheirown.Itisimportantforprisonstostepupandtakenecessary
actiontoimplementtreatmentprogramssothatwheninmatesarereleasedtheyhaveabetter
chanceofbeingacontributingmemberofsociety.

Problems Within the Criminal Justice System

Lastly,morestatesareadoptingthethreestrikerule.Thethreestrikeruleisdefinedby
beingconvictedinafederalcourtofaseriousviolentfelonyandhastwoormoreprior
convectionsinstateorfederalcourts,atleastoneofwhichisaseriousviolentfelony.Theother
prioroffensemaybeaseriousdrugcharge(Harris,SentencingEnhancementTheThreeStrike
Law).Oncethethirdfelonyiscommitted,theindividualissentencedtolifeinprison.This
particularlawisbecometrendyinthecriminalsystem.Currently,28statesimposethisrule.
Therearedisadvantagestothislaw,andinmyopinion,Idonotfeelthislawshouldbeenforced.
AnexamplegivenbyNicoleShoenerregardingthislawisadefendantwhostealssome
videotapescouldreceive25yearsinprisonunderthethreestrikeslaw.Thatsamedefendant
wouldonlyspendafewmonthsforthesamecrimeifthethreestrikeslawwasntinplace
(Shoener,ThreeStrikeLawinDifferentStates).Unfortunately,thislawisdecidedonastateto
statebasissoitisuptovotersofthatstatetoputitintoeffect.Thistrendcanbeviewedas
negativeinmanyways,buttheexamplestatesaboveisonereasonsomeopposeit.
Ourcriminaljusticesystemcould,tosome,beseenasbroken.However,withevery
brokensystemitleavesroomforrebuilding.Iftherewereaneffortputtowardstheovercrowded,
controllingandtreatingthedrugs,andmoredetailsgiventothepubliconthethreestrikelaw,
oursystemwouldbeabletostartmending.Itisallabouttryingtofixtheissuesinsteadof
coveringthemup,andhopingtheyfixthemselves.

Problems Within the Criminal Justice System

References
CriminalJusticeReform:BreakingtheCycleofDrugUseandCrime.(n.d.).RetrievedOctober
18,2016,fromhttps://www.whitehouse.gov/ondcp/criminaljusticereform
DefinitionofCriminalJustice.(n.d.).RetrievedOctober18,2016,from
http://www.dictionary.com/browse/criminaljustice?s=t
FederalBureauofPrisons.(n.d.).RetrievedOctober18,2016,from
https://www.bop.gov/about/statistics/statistics_inmate_offenses.jsp
H.(2014).DrugAddictionTreatmentintheCriminalJusticeSystem.RetrievedOctober18,
2016,fromhttps://www.drugabuse.gov/relatedtopics/criminaljustice/drugaddictiontreatment
incriminaljusticesystem
Harris,J.A.(n.d.).1032.SentencingEnhancement"ThreeStrikes"Law.RetrievedOctober18,
2016,fromhttps://www.justice.gov/usam/criminalresourcemanual1032sentencing
enhancementthreestrikeslaw
PrisonOvercrowdingisaGrowingConcernintheU.S.(n.d.).RetrievedOctober18,2016,from
http://online.ccj.pdx.edu/newsresources/articles/prisonovercrowdingisagrowingconcernin
theus.html
Shoener,N.(n.d.).ThreeStrikesLawsinDifferentStates.RetrievedOctober18,2016,from
http://www.legalmatch.com/lawlibrary/article/threestrikeslawsindifferentstates.html

Problems Within the Criminal Justice System