Criminal Justice System Analysis

Words: 790
Pages: 4

Within the justice system there are three components which have been subject to much criticism by the public. Based off of the article written by Chelsea Dunning, the three components are, law enforcement, courts and corrections. Each one has its own function within the system, and each one is necessary for the fulfillment of the justice system's mission. The corrections part consist of parole officers and corrections officers. Within the courts are the judges, prosecutors, defense lawyers and jury members. In the law enforcement faction there are patrol officers, sheriffs and deputies, federal agents, parks rangers, detectives and other individuals that usually make first contact with criminals. Out of these three groups, the one which has …show more content…
Many have critiqued the way law enforcement agents handle situations and ultimately create an unfortunate result. With the training that police officers receive, many point the blame to police academies. Meanwhile others blame the police officer for the way they handled the situation. There is no doubt, however, that police officers have unfairly executed their powers and have unconstitutionally acted while on the job.

Although not all law enforcement agents exhibit misconduct while on the job, there has been evidence that some have unfortunately racially profiled and singled out innocent citizens from minority communities. According to the center for constitutional rights, on August 12, 2013, after a nine-week trial, a federal judge declared that the New York Police Department, (NYPD) had been racially profiling when conducting stop and frisks. New York police officers had been stopping and frisking citizens who were innocent and had no reason to be stopped. The acts of NYPD officers violated the Fourth Amendment therefore violating the constitutional rights of citizens who were doing nothing wrong. According to the Center for Constitutional Rights, about 82% of people
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The unconstitutional use of stop and frisk was an example of how unfair law enforcement can be committed without any direct consequences. Such occurrences should not be allowed to continue, many lives have already been lost because of unprofessional conduct and racial profiling. Bullying poor citizens who cannot afford to defend themselves is, unfortunately, a common practice for some law enforcement officers. It is unfair that law enforcement officers can push around citizens because of the power they have and then be protected by their district when they have violated the constitutional rights of