The conflict and consensus models are two parallel models that work toward furthering the protection of society. The conflict model focuses on preserving the rights of the people while the consensus model focuses on public safety (Cronkhite, 2013). When considering how these two apply to viewing criminal justice as a system it is quite simple. The conflict model creates an urgency to protect the people from harm yet also to preserve individual rights that are guaranteed by the Constitution. If the conflict model is to be applied to criminal justice, then it is important to recognize that laws and policy can be implemented by the criminal justice system to combat crime, while also ensuring that the people do not lose their rights. On the other
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Police officers, for example, make arrests and ensure that criminals are caught and brought to trial. On the other hand, correctional officers ensure that the sentences are imposed and that the offenders are held in their incarceration.
When considering the consensus and conflict models, for example, equal protection under the law is something that comes to mind. Most of the members of lower-income sections of society are ignorant to all of their rights that they are afforded by law. This is not the fault of the government or criminal justice agencies because those that live in lower-income sections of society are never fully educated by their parents or peers. On the other hand, it would be wise for the criminal justice agencies, or even some representative of the government, to properly educate the people that live in these neighborhoods on their rights afforded to them by law. Yet, society has become divided by a class system that is almost reminiscent of the days of the Roman Empire. The government and the criminal justice system now refer to …show more content…
In recent years, there has been a large rise of the presence of gangs in communities, both lower-income and higher-income, which has decreased the overall feeling of safety in communities. Such rises in gang-related crime have caused a more aggressive approach by law enforcement agencies to combat these gang activities, which have even included justifying stereotyping and racial profiling due to the labels of gangs being primarily associated with non-white communities (Duran, 2015). The implications that this has carried for the criminal justice system have been severe in that many members of society are beginning to make themselves more aware of police practices as well as Constitutional law. This sudden interest in such practices has developed due to an increasing need to protect the rights of the people because the government has been accused of failing to do so. Again, applying the consensus and conflict models of criminal justice and how they apply to anti-gang activity, there is a fine line that must be defined. The consensus aspect is that public safety must be a priority and therefore, the justification for the discriminatory practices of law enforcement gang task forces is justified because they are serving to protect the public. On the other hand, the conflict model becomes relevant in that a law enforcement agency must still protect the rights of the people,
Police officers, for example, make arrests and ensure that criminals are caught and brought to trial. On the other hand, correctional officers ensure that the sentences are imposed and that the offenders are held in their incarceration.
When considering the consensus and conflict models, for example, equal protection under the law is something that comes to mind. Most of the members of lower-income sections of society are ignorant to all of their rights that they are afforded by law. This is not the fault of the government or criminal justice agencies because those that live in lower-income sections of society are never fully educated by their parents or peers. On the other hand, it would be wise for the criminal justice agencies, or even some representative of the government, to properly educate the people that live in these neighborhoods on their rights afforded to them by law. Yet, society has become divided by a class system that is almost reminiscent of the days of the Roman Empire. The government and the criminal justice system now refer to …show more content…
In recent years, there has been a large rise of the presence of gangs in communities, both lower-income and higher-income, which has decreased the overall feeling of safety in communities. Such rises in gang-related crime have caused a more aggressive approach by law enforcement agencies to combat these gang activities, which have even included justifying stereotyping and racial profiling due to the labels of gangs being primarily associated with non-white communities (Duran, 2015). The implications that this has carried for the criminal justice system have been severe in that many members of society are beginning to make themselves more aware of police practices as well as Constitutional law. This sudden interest in such practices has developed due to an increasing need to protect the rights of the people because the government has been accused of failing to do so. Again, applying the consensus and conflict models of criminal justice and how they apply to anti-gang activity, there is a fine line that must be defined. The consensus aspect is that public safety must be a priority and therefore, the justification for the discriminatory practices of law enforcement gang task forces is justified because they are serving to protect the public. On the other hand, the conflict model becomes relevant in that a law enforcement agency must still protect the rights of the people,