Describe the criminal justice system and explain how the police and courts have considerable discretion in dealing with offenders
What will be an ideal response?
The criminal justice system refers to the local, state, and federal agencies that enforce laws, adjudicate crimes, and treat and rehabilitate criminals. The system includes the police, the courts, the correctional facilities, and the people in myriads of police agencies, courts, prosecutorial agencies, correctional institutions, and probation and parole departments. The criminal justice system is made up of many bureaucracies that have considerable discretion in how decisions are made. Discretion refers to the use of personal judgment by police officers, prosecutors, judges, and other criminal justice system officials regarding whether and how to proceed in a given situation. The police are a prime example of discretionary processes because they have the power to selectively enforce the law and have on many occasions been accused of being too harsh or too lenient on alleged offenders. The role of the police in the criminal justice system continues to expand. The police are responsible for crime control and maintenance of order, but local police departments now serve numerous other human service functions, including improving community relations, resolving family disputes, and helping people during emergencies. The problem of police discretion is most acute when decisions are made to use force (such as grabbing, pushing, or hitting a suspect) or deadly force (shooting and killing a suspect). Generally, deadly force is allowed only in situations in which a suspect is engaged in a felony, is fleeing the scene of a felony, or is resisting arrest and has endangered someone's life. Although many police departments have worked to improve their public image in recent years, the practice of racial profiling— the use of ethnic or racial background as a means of identifying criminal suspects—remains a highly charged issue. Criminal courts determine the guilt or innocence of those persons accused of committing a crime. In theory, justice is determined in an adversarial process in which the prosecutor (an attorney who represents the state) argues that the accused is guilty and the defense attorney asserts that the accused is innocent. In reality, judges have considerable discretion but are still constrained in some cases by structured sentencing guidelines. Prosecuting attorneys also have considerable leeway in deciding which cases to prosecute and when to negotiate a plea bargain with a defense attorney. As cases are sorted through the legal machinery, a steady attrition occurs. At each stage, various officials determine what alternatives will be available for those cases still remaining in the system. About 90 percent of criminal cases are never tried in court; instead they are resolved by plea bargaining, a process in which the prosecution negotiates a reduced sentence for the accused in exchange for a guilty plea. One of the most important activities of the court system is establishing the sentence of the accused after he or she has been found guilty or has pleaded guilty.
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Orlofsky and his colleagues identified five intimacy statuses, one of which is the "intimate." Describe this status
What will be an ideal response?
Research shows divorced fathers often eventually stop seeing their children altogether
Indicate whether the statement is true or false
Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of a secondary group?
a. Association is based on some form of contract. b. The group has a limited number of goals. c. There is a great deal of intimacy among the members. d. There is a great deal of role playing.
Answer the following statement(s) true (T) or false (F)
1. After a divorce, many men remain stable and confident in their identity or masculinity. 2. Divorced fathers often feel confused about their new roles. 3. Today, it’s very common for men to slow their career trajectories to spend more time with their children after divorce. 4. Research suggests that custodial mothers do better than custodial fathers in maintaining authority over children after divorce, because they do not attempt to befriend their children, as men do.