¶ … U.S. Criminal Justice system as in the last few decades and link the trends to the future. We will access the following, including: Recent and future trends and contemporary issues affecting the criminal justice system.

Value of the criminal justice system in a changing society.

Traditionally, American citizens have traditionally thought of the United States criminal justice system as being in the business of dispensing justice for crimes that are actually committed. Unfortunately, over several decades a move within the criminal justice system has been unfolding where instead of punishing past offenses, it attempts to prevent future crimes through the incarceration and control of dangerous offenders. This is a fallacious approach and erodes our constitutional protections of individual rights under the Bill of Rights and the United States Constitution.

Unfortunately for individual rights in the United States, the criminal justice system has misused the War on Terrorism and an act of the Congress that was signed into law on October 26, 2001 by President George W. Bush. The U.S.A. PATRIOT Act. This law enhances law enforcement's law enforcement per view to search personal records. Further, it eases limitations on domestic intelligence gathering as well as greatly expanded the government's authority to regulate financial transactions. Also, it broadened the discretion of law enforcement and immigration officials in detaining and deporting immigrants suspected in terrorism-related acts. Finally, the act expanded the definition of terrorism to include domestic terrorism. That has enlarged the number of activities to which the U.S.A. PATRIOT Act's broadened powers can be applied ("Usa patriot act," 2001).

Just before the midnight...

The detention facility was established in 2002 by the Bush Administration to hold detainees from the war in Afghanistan and later Iraq. Since then, detention facilities have grown in number with many other enemy combatants are being held at secret U.S. facilities in various countries, including some American citizens who are held for months and years without charges (Priest, 2005).
Unfortunately, the War on Terrorism is not the only venue where the criminal justice system is out of control. Due process is routinely hampered by mandatory sentencing laws which limit the discretionary power of judges to tailor the law to situations. Changes in the law have reduced the age at which juveniles can be considered and tried as adults. Shockingly similar to the issues of free assembly that has come under attack with people accused of being members of "terrorist" groups, gang membership. Similarly, gang recruitment and membership is punishable as a crime. "Sexual predator" laws provide for the civil detention of sexual offenders after the normal term of their criminal detention is over. Due to the supposedly dangerousness of their nature, they are singled out for special attention by a criminal justice system that…