CO2 Value of Safety
Pena, Angel
CO2 Intro to Admin of Justice
Mr. Carey
3/11/2015
CO2 Value of Safety Many people define “Justice” differently; a cop may define justice differently than a civilian or a criminal. The term “Justice” has a different meaning to many individuals, depending on interest and social needs. However, the proper definition to Justice is a principle of fairness, the ideal of moral equality; “the principle of moral rightness or the conformity of the truth (Dictionary, 2002)”. There are some thoughts on how Justice is achieved throughout the Criminal Justice System. The theme of the Criminal Justice Textbook is to show what Justice is and how it shapes the legal system. The theme of the textbook is to have the reader understand crime and justice; including criminal law, police practice, sentencing, and corrections, etc. Every person defines “Justice” differently; most people believe that Justice is in fact social Justice which is the concept that all aspects of civil life are equal. Social Justice defined is “linked to notions of fairness and to cultural beliefs about right and wrong (2015)”. Social Justice can mean anything its owner wants it to mean. One could ask ten different people what they think Social Justice means and would receive ten different answers. Answers that one might get would be: Universal Healthcare, Child Welfare, Gay Rights, Women Rights, Dignity, etc. Social Justice, for me personally, means that a person is able to dream the biggest dream and become everything they’ve ever wanted to be, no matter how big their dream may be. Most people believe that Social Justice has been solved in the United States; however I do not believe that it is to be true; the world is still segregated by Gender, Race, Ethnicity, sexual orientation etc. Social Justice is supposed to be a “natural” law that all persons are to be treated equally and without prejudice. However, I strongly believe the United States has not yet accomplished the meaning.
Charles L. Robins states that “One out of three black males is more likely to be incarcerated and one out of six Mexican males is likely to be incarcerated; they are not more likely to do a crime but they are more than likely to be incarcerated. (TEDx, 2014)” The Criminal Justice System is to be believed to be structured with Social Justice, however that is not what most people see out in the world. Social Justice does have a little sense of fairness; however it is still far from providing equality. There is one thing that the Criminal Justice System is keeping in order, which is safety of others. But, of course, there is a certain extent that is allowing the Criminal Justice System to sacrifice freedom for safety. Every day the government forces laws that are to make our society “safer” for those who live in it. Every single day while most people follow laws that the government has placed we are allowing the
