Abstract The media's engagement in the process of fighting crime has been on the rise and is apparently yielding positive results from the crime sect. The public have a chance of getting first hand information on the court cases that involve murder and other callous acts. This paper examines the various ways in which the media has been part of the policy making process. An additional area discussed on the article is the systems under the criminal justice department that require reforming.
Criminal Justice Theory and Policy
Identification of Topic Discussed
The three websites major on a single topic, which is murder, related. Two of the websites focus their attention on people who murdered their spouses and the third one draws its attention on a case of a civilian who faces charges on mass murder. These murder cases are or the rise in the present day despite the fact that not many people are aware of such cases. A tremendous number of individuals face charges of having murdered their wives. People tend to think that they can get away with murder yet they face charges that get to the public. The media has been of great help in the process of fighting crime in the present day (Kraska & Brent, 2011). Publication of the murder cases that take place in the courts is apparently making the public aware of the crimes. This way, people are becoming mindful in terms of violence.
The websites that alert the public on the various murder crimes have differing ways in which they present their information to the public. Some websites upload the videos of the court hearing of different murder cases to have the public get first hand information concerning hearing. Other websites create articles that people can read and review at their own free time. The websites that use articles are advantageous especially to the individuals who have gadgets that have an internet access yet cannot stream live videos. The main purpose of having such websites is to help reduce the cases of murder within states (Kraska & Brent, 2011). The media has generally been effective in the process of fighting crime at individual levels.
When people get informed on such cases then it helps in the process of fighting murder crime. There is fear of publicizing ones private life and the moment one is aware of the fact that he or she will go public for such acts as murder then he or she will decide to keep off. The modest in which the media presents there cases differs depending on the target audiences.
The best policy outcome for the first story is to have it on the internet in both written articles and live videos of the court hearing. This is helpful since it will get the attention of the public through a way the public will get details concerning the progress of the case. The first case is a mass murder and the society has to be aware of people under such charges to ensure that justice prevails (Hancock, 2004). Involving the public on such matters is important since it determines how effective the judgment upon the accused will be effective.
On the second website story, there is an article with prior focus on the situation plus videos on other cases the media targets to inform the public. The charges on Oscar Pistorius for murder of his wife is antagonizing in that he claims that he thought it was an intruder yet he had a chance of ensuring who was at his home before shooting (Hancock, 2004). To have an appropriate policy outcome, an investigation is necessary to determine the basis of their relationship. This is necessary since both the attorney and the public will be in a position to justify if he shot his wife unknowingly.
On the third website there is a case concerning a murderous ex-cop who faces cases of murder and hopes to get another chance. In such a case, there has to be evidence on the charges laid against the ex-cop and they are applicable in the case to establish the significant policy outcome. In lack of concrete evidence then it is unnecessary to charge the ex-cop against a series of murder, which is a callous act. The jury has to get proper information and then establish the kind of justice that will prevail on the case.
The three above proposals are similar in a way that they entail an important part before deciding on the kind of justice. The similarity on the three proposals is the fact that there is need to conduct an investigation before charging the accused. The difference is the fact the final policy outcome will differ in accordance to the case. Some cases will have evidences that are not reliable enough to charge the accused.
Looking Forward
One area on the criminal justice system that needs reforming is the corrections system that has had an augmented rate of corruption cases. The system apparently faces serious allegations for having their officers entwined in unlawful acts within the system such participating on the drug dealing transactions. The best way to ensure that there is a successful reform within the system is to have gradual transfers at least thrice a year in that it gives the officers very minimal time to relate with the inmates and encourage the illegal dealings within the systems (Neubauer, 2011). In addition to officers gradual shuffling, there is necessity of an improved security system that monitors the inmates as well as the officers to distinguish the ones encouraging corruption on the systems.
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