Criminal Justice Trends Evaluation

Criminal Justice Trends Evaluation

CJA/394

January 3, 2012

Criminal Justice Trends Evaluation

The criminal justice system was created to serve and protect the citizens of the United States, and it continues to play a major role in today's culture. The rationale behind the criminal justice system is to have written laws that protect the community from mischief and provide them with an environment that presents them with a sense of security, protection for the innocent and to discipline the guilty. As the world continues to evolve, it is imperative that the criminal justice system remain a step ahead of the criminals and what society has transformed into.

The criminal justice system past trends were not as broad as in today's society. Indeed, many of the same things existed and had to be dealt with just like today but on a much smaller scale. Penalties were harsh and often brutal, concentrating more on punishment than rehabilitation. The criminal justice system prohibited any action that was of such a nature that it would bring shame on anyone or his or her family. However, this was when the "beat cop" walked the streets on patrol. They were much more involved in the community and had working relationships with the citizens, getting to know them on a first name basis. During this era, officers were welcomed, appreciated and accepted by the community. Citizens in this era were not afraid and trusted the justice system. They believed law enforcement was on their side and embraced all of the comments and/or advice that they received from them.

Since new trends and current concerns expand in the world, they can have an immediate effect on the various aspects of the criminal justice system, such as technology, capital punishment and sentencing policies, which can adversely affect the criminal justice system. Additionally, the police, courts, and corrections play a critical role to ensure that justice is being served appropriately.

As time has passed, technology has affected the criminal justice system in a major way. Recently, technology has been of primary importance in the criminal justice system and it will continue to be a major concern as time progresses. Technology is evolving daily and it is imperative that the criminal justice system stay current and remain vigilant. With all of the various technologies that have been fashioned, there are various categories of countless levels of crimes, all in which the criminal justice system and all of its various entities should stay abreast of for future trends. Technological devices, such as the use of the retina and iris scans, and hand geometry biometrics, are utilized to recognize and identify criminals for the crimes in which they have committed. Many of these new technological devices, such as biometric scanning, finger scanning, eye scanning, hand scanning and hand geometry, and facial recognition amid others are being utilized to identify illegal drugs and concealed weapons and to avoid general illegal behavior (Muraskin & Roberts, 2009).

Another trend that has been evaluated from recent and contemporary inclination include statuses of women and minorities in the police field. This trend shows that there are hindrances in formal and informal composition of police occupational organizations, which relates directly to race and gender. In spite of numerous studies conducted which illustrate that females are valuable patrol officers, law enforcement has deterred the blend of females into officers for years. As it relates to organizational resistance, three specific resistances have been cites as the most imperative in hindering the recruitment and retention of female officers. One of the resistance measures, known as Technical Resistance, expresses the failure to adjust police attire, equipment, and