ADVOCATE

Introduction

A number of writings have addressed the issue of change within the criminal justice system. The topic is rather wide and it is necessary to split all the possible issues into a number of segments. The essay shall look at the need for change in criminal justice administration and the various mechanisms for instating change. The need for change in criminal justice administration Reform is a necessary part of criminal justice administration owing to the fact that certain problems still exist in the courts. For instance, in the month of January 2006, a US judge sentenced a defendant based on racial inclinations. According to this judge, it was necessary to teach the defendant a lesson because he was embarrassing Martin Luther King. While this was more of an extreme case, there are still numerous scenarios within the criminal justice system that necessitate a need for reform. Many juries, judges, police administrators are not blind to race and this severely impedes the administration of justice. (Livinstone, 2002) One of the issues that has received severe criticism from experts with regard to the criminal justice system is racial profiling. After the September eleven attacks, the world realized that there was a need to revamp the fight against terrorism. While these fears were well founded, they resulted in some negative repercussions in the field of criminal justice administration. Countries that had placed racial profiling on the periphery began considering this method as a viable option for identifying potential offenders, consequently, more law enforcers, lawyers and judges began using it again. The major problem with racial [profiling is that it promotes prejudice in criminal justice administration. Individuals are not judged on their deeds or character but on their race. The issue of jury selection is also critical within the criminal justice system and has also brought a lot of controversy. Many stakeholders believe that this does indeed necessitate change in this area of criminal justice because there is the belief that the process does not create or ensure fairness. Additionally, it does not ensure that the right persons are chosen for the job. This means that most people may be judged in the wrong manner merely because the jury selection process is flawed. The criminal justice system also requires radical changes owing to the fact that some crimes require other methods of treatment other than imprisonment. In close relation to the latter assertion, the prison department has also adopted better mechanisms for handling criminals. In other words, there are certain methodologies that try to institute these changes by working with the following categories of criminals * Repeat offenders * High risk offenders

In close relation with this is the need to work with victims. Many law enforcement systems have changed their strategies in this area because there is a realization that crime prevention can also be achieved by working with victims. Social workers are collaborating with them to look for ways in which they can prevent any future crime. Criminal justice reform is also visible through increased collaboration between stakeholders in the system. Some of these stakeholders include * Government agencies * Local community programs * Police This approach entails creating positive environments in which children can be brought up to become responsible citizens in the future.There are number of publications about the problems of the criminal justice system and some of them cover issues such as * Nullification base on race * Corporate criminal liability * Community policing reform * Racial profiling in cocaine arrests Such publications indicate the fact that reformers are speaking against the problems within the criminal justice system through their writings. By addressing the issue, then some faults within the strategy are identified and workable solutions identified. (Sklansky, 2002) In close relation to this is the fact that a substantial number of companies still manage to get away with crime because there is some sort of immunity against them. A number of authors have spoken out against corporate crime immunity and the need for liability in this case.

Conclusion

The essay has examined some of the reason why the criminal justice system needs change and the areas that have already been changed by these mechanisms.

References

Harcout, B. (2001): The false promise of broken windows policing; Crime and Criminology journal, 3, 14, 56 Steiker, C. & Steiker, J. (2002): Seductions of Innocence in capital punishment, Crime and Justice, 95, 3, 587 Sklansky, D. (2002): Race, Equal protection and Cocaine, Stan. Rev. 47, 1283 Livinstone, D. (2002); Police and the discretion; Crime and criminology, 97, 6, 55 Buell, S. (2006): Novel Criminal fraud, Routledge, p 81 Butler, P. (20003): Racial based Jury nullification, Yale university press, p 105 Richman, D. (2003): Past, present and future of crime federalism; Crime and Justice 12, 377, 145