Critical Response: The administration of criminal justice in the United States

Critical Response: The administration of criminal justice in the United States

The administration of criminal justice in the United States has come under massive criticism in the recent past. The basis of this criticism is that this system is ineffective hence failing in its role of offering justice, protecting and rehabilitating. This inefficiency has resulted in a huge number of people delighting in jails some of whom are innocent.  Bryan A. Stevenson expresses his discontentment in the American criminal justice system in his article Confronting mass imprisonment and restoring fairness to collateral review of criminal cases. He describes the consequences of mass incarceration, points out significant weaknesses in the criminal justice system and offers recommendations for these challenges.

Stevenson (2006) concentrates on three major issues in his article. First, he explores the implication of mass incarceration to the United States criminal justice system. According to him, mass incarceration has overwhelmed this system making it ineffective in its role of delivering justice and rehabilitating. Second, Stevenson identifies specific problems such as racism, corruption and inadequate investigations that are inhibiting the credibility and fairness of the criminal justice system. He attributes these challenges to the increasing number of people in jails some of whom are innocent. He is especially critical of the fact that the criminal justice system is targeting those lagging in poverty and people of color while protecting the elite. Lastly, Stevenson offers some recommendations which can be implemented to make the American Criminal justice more effective, credible and fair.

I agree with the arguments that Bryan A. Stevenson presents in his article. There are genuine and highlight some of the critical issues that are ailing the criminal justice system in the United States. I believe that the establishment of criminal justice was meant to protect, rehabilitate and ensure that justice prevails. It is unfortunate when this system fails to accomplish its role and instead becomes a tool of perpetuating injustices. I agree with Stevenson that the problems that are affecting the criminal justice system need to be addressed to restore credibility, fairness, and effectiveness. Therefore, the recommendation that Stevenson provides should be implemented as the initial step of restoring credibility to the American criminal justice system.

Comprehending the article by Bryan A. Stevenson was difficult. He mainly uses legal jargon which is difficult for an average person to understand. He does not make any attempt to explain some of the legal terms that he uses in the article.  I had to conduct thorough research to understand words such as Class C felony, habeas corpus laws, and felon disenfranchisement laws among others. Generally, Stevenson wrote his article while targeting professionals in the legal sector or law enforcement.

Additionally, Stevenson uses a wide range of external resources making it difficult to keep track of all of them.  To ensure that I am in a position to understand legal content in the future, I have decided to watch documentaries and programs that fall in the category of criminal justice. There are plenty of them in YouTube such as Forensic Files and American Justice.

In conclusion, Stevenson attributes most of the challenges that the United States criminal justice system is facing to mass incarceration. He identifies these challenges and argues that they have to be addressed if the criminal justice system is to restore its fairness and credibility.  He offers various recommendations that he believes are capable of fixing these problems.

 

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