Social and Criminal Justice

Abstract

Justice is not just a requirement but can be seen as an urgent need not only to prevent crimes but also to progress with equality. The debate on the importance of social and criminal justice has been a practice of government, justice and other circles as the changing American society needs continuous modifications in the social as well as criminal justice systems of the United States. This paper aims to discuss the U. S. prison system and understand the relationship between social and criminal justice and other issues associated with them.

Table of Contents

Abstract2

Introduction4

Discussion6

Relationship between Social Justice and the Operations of Criminal Justice System6

Social Justice6

Criminal Justice8

Criminal and Social Justice Theories and the United States Constitution9

Socioeconomic (Cultural) Diversity to Contemporary Criminal and Social Justice12

Constitutional Recognition14

Assessing the Centralization of Criminal Justice Agencies16

Assessing the Homeland Security Act of 200216

Assessing the International Aspects of Social and Criminal Justice Systems20

Conclusion21

References23

Social and Criminal Justice

Introduction

Prison System in the United States can be seen as a legal penalty and an effective way to protect American society from individuals who intend to harm innocent people. It is also believed that American prison system also aims to rehabilitate prisoners in order to help them become a productive member of society (Noble, 2006). However, it is also a reality that country's current prison system is facing many problems in relation to population diversity, discrimination, cost, health, etc. No one can deny the fact that laws are created to control a social structure and every crime is seen as a violation of law. In the United States laws are designed at the state and federal levels where the federal laws have precedence over the state laws (Muraskin & Roberts, 2008). It is also important to understand that morals serve as basis of the majority of American laws. If we look just forty to fifty years back, it can be seen that African-American were not allowed to marry a white woman or sit in the front area of a bus that was reserved for whites only. In addition, American women were also not allowed to participate in politics, vote and work outside their homes in the past (Walker et al., 2011). In fact, these laws were against the morals and lost their existence as the society grown. Today, the United States of America has a very changed society where people demand for legislation on the issue of same sex marriage. No doubt, time changed many things in the country but role of beliefs and morals cannot be ignored.

The role of criminal justice becomes more important in a society that has been facing change and also has potential to change in future (Kalunta-Crumpton, 2011). This suggests that the criminal justice system is an effective way to beat crimes in a changing society. The most important thing to know is that if criminal justice is not present in any society, the society will become heaven for individuals involved in crimes or who have criminal ...