¶ … Criminal Justice There are many facets to the field of criminal justice, and many changes that have taken place within it over the years. As such, it is important to consider the current state of that field, and where it is potentially heading in the future. In order to do that, it is necessary to realize that criminal justice contains a significant number of smaller areas and fields in which changes have been seen. In order to be aware of those changes, one has to examine why the changes have been made, whether those changes have been valuable, and if there are other changes that should also be made in an effort to ensure proper treatment for everyone involved. There are still some disparities and unfair treatment issues that have to be considered when it comes to criminal justice, as well, because of many differences in what has been considered fair and just over time and by specific individuals.

Mostly, the current state of criminal justice carriers general fairness for most of the people who are processed through the system, but there is still corruption and greed in some areas (Friedman, 1993). These are most often based on the race of the person who is processed through the system, as well as that person's income level (Hanes & Hanes, 2005; Marion & Oliver, 2011). Poor black men are going to have fewer resources and the chance at longer sentences than rich white men (Williams & McShane, 2013). Naturally this is not considered to be "fair" or even "just," but it is the case in many areas of the country. There is a disproportionate number of black men who end up in serious trouble with the criminal justice system, and these men are often jailed or imprisoned for a very long time for petty or small crimes (Friedman, 1993; Fuller, 2005; Hanes & Hanes, 2005). Once they are released, they are not able to get good jobs due to their criminal records, so they often end up reoffending and going back to prison (Friedman, 1993).

This perpetuates a vicious cycle, but it is only part of the problem with the criminal justice system. In its current state, the system provides more opportunities for people who are affluent, and fewer opportunities for those who have little money or resources (Williams & McShane, 2013). This can be undeniably frustrating for people who are low on the economic ladder, because they do not have what they need to retain a good lawyer and get assistance if they are arrested or accused of a crime. There are also cases of "affluenza" starting to make the news (Williams & McShane, 2013). This is a relatively new term, and used to mean someone who has come from wealth and who assumes that wealth will buy privileges such as lighter sentences for serious crimes. These kinds of sentences have actually been seen in the affluent community. This is unfortunate, because it continues to reinforce the idea that people who have money are "better" in some way, or will be treated differently because they have more "value" to society.

For example, there was a case of a young man who was driving drunk and killed four people. Because of his wealthy parents, his lawyer argued that the young man really did not understand that he was doing anything wrong, and that he did not realize the family money would not just make the problem go away. The judge apparently agreed that the young man did not have this understanding, because no significant sentence was given. Had this young man been of a minority race and/or from a family that did not have financial resources, he would have been in prison for a very long time for causing the deaths of other people while he was drinking. He was not even old enough to drink legally, and was still a teenager. This "affluenza" is becoming a serious problem in the criminal justice system, but it is really not new -- it is only coming to light more frequently now, making it appear as something that has only recently been occurring.

Instead, it has been around ever since there were courts where people could be tried for their crimes. People who were very wealthy and/or had significant ties to the community were given lighter sentences than people who had little money or were not well-liked throughout the community where they lived (Fuller, 2005; Marion & Oliver, 2011)....

That is completely unjust, but the realization of that unjustness has not stopped it from occurring. There is no evidence of this changing for the better, and it appears unlikely that the criminal justice system will become self-correcting. The greed and corruption that take place within it are very ingrained, and they are not going to go away simply because people do not feel things are fair. As frustrating as that is, there is nothing that can be done to make it better without a complete overhaul of the system and the people who have gained control of it. This type of overhaul would be difficult to do, and would have to work its way through all levels of the system, not just focus on one level or area, because the issue is not confined.
That is what it will take to really change things for the criminal justice system -- a thorough and complete overhaul so the people who are currently in power and providing perks to those with wealth and privilege are no longer in a position to do so (Williams & McShane, 2013). This will not be easy, however, because those people do not want to leave, and the people who have wealth and power do not want to see them leave, either (Marion & Oliver, 2011; Williams & McShane, 2013). They need them in power, to protect the wealthy and the privileged when they make mistakes or do careless things that could get them into a lot of trouble. This is what the current criminal justice system has been reduced to. That is not to say that there are no good people in the system or that everyone is corrupt. That is certainly not the case. It is important to point out, though, that people who do not want to "play the game" are generally removed from the system.

They are either forced out through unethical means, they retire, or they decide to leave of their own accord because they do not want to be part of a system that allows people to buy their way out of trouble (Friedman, 1993; Marion & Oliver, 2011). It can be very frustrating for those people, because they know they want to stop the corruption but they do not have the means to do so (Williams & McShane, 2013). That leaves them stuck and unable to do anything important, so they walk away because they cannot handle the frustration and do not want to be part of the problem (Fuller, 2005; Hanes & Hanes, 2005). Fortunately, there are also many good people who work in criminal justice today, and those people remain determined to do something valuable and help others (Marion & Oliver, 2011). They can do so in some cases, and if enough people come into the system at that level, it is possible that real change can be seen in the future. Which way the system will ultimately lean remains to be seen, however.

One area where the criminal justice system is effective is through the mitigation of crime (Williams & McShane, 2013). The rates of violent crimes have been falling all across the country in recent years (Williams & McShane, 2013). Property crimes have also come down. That does not mean there are not problems, or that every area of the country has seen a decline, but it does indicate that there are methods that are working to stop people from committing as much crime as they did in the past. Education programs to get people off the street, ways to help offenders avoid reoffending, and programs that can provide people with help and hope are excellent ways to lower the crime rate (Marion & Oliver, 2011; Williams & McShane, 2013). Additionally, there are more patrols in many cities and towns than their used to be, and that means a larger police presence and lower crime rates for those areas (Marion & Oliver, 2011). It is excellent to see crime rates dropping, even if it is not possible to protect every citizen all the time.

Some lowered crime is certainly better than no lowered crime at all, and the citizens themselves have helped that to take place (Marion & Oliver, 2011; Williams & McShane, 2013). Neighborhood watch and citizens' watch programs are good deterrents, especially for property crime (Hanes & Hanes, 2005). Criminals who know they are being monitored will generally go elsewhere to commit crimes, because they do not want to get caught. While there are no guarantees that all crime will be stopped, it is…