Essay On The Criminal Justice System In America

Improved Essays
Prisons here in America reflect very badly on our own criminal justice system. Our prison is either very harsh or too appealing for outsiders. Prisoners constantly sent to prison or jail because they committed a crime, something that is considered unacceptable. Although the people in the prisons are always thought to be societies best, they’re entitled to their rights and they should not be forced to endure physical and mental abuse. Although the United States have it more together than other countries do, our prison needs major help. We should have proper laws to change this. One we should expand and improve our court systems, build accountability within our prisons, and properly change harsh penalties that is given.
The big idea is that we should improve how we solve the problem that is happening within our courts. In the text it says, “America will only get its prison population down to a more civilized level if its court houses start to properly sentencing the prisoners.” Problem solving courts seek to promote outcomes that will benefit not only the offender but the victim and society as well.
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In particular, law makers responded by passing laws imposing mandatory minimum sentences for drug crimes and criminal acts. Similarly, longer sentences for drug crimes, in turn led “tough or crime” prosecutes to seek longer sentences for burglary, robbery, and other offenses. The author says, “At the same time, harsh “three-strike” rules in 26 states have sent thousands of things time offenders to prison to disproportionately long terms, sometimes for minor crimes…in California, for example, father-of-three- Leandro Andrade was convicted of stealing children’s videotapes worth $153 from two Kmart stores, and was sentenced to two 25-to-life.” Several states have changed how they penalize offenders including revising mandatory minimum sentences and reclassifying

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