Essay Sample on Victims and Crime Evaluation

Criminal justice is a system in which the government branches are employed in rehabilitation efforts, sanctioning individuals who may violate the laws, mitigating and deterring crime, controlling, and upholding social control. Various roles are involved in criminal justice, such as the victim, the criminal, the defense attorney, and the prosecutor. All these play significant roles within the criminal justice system. The United States has a judicial service system that is well-developed and advanced with roles that are defined.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

The prosecutor plays a significant role in the justice system. A prosecutor acts as a justice administrator and is a court officer. What this means is that a prosecutor needs to use sound discretion and objectivity while performing their duties. There are two primary objectives of the prosecutor seeking justice and convicting the individuals that are found guilty of committing crimes (Dale, 2011). The professional conduct standards guide the prosecutor since he or she is an officer of the court. At no time should a prosecutor allow his or her personal belief to get in the way of justice provision; hence must always follow the established rules of law and what is while convicting an individual who has been found guilty.

Another notable individual within the justice system is the defense attorney. They are viewed as those who uphold anti-justice function in the criminal justice system. However, their primary purpose is to inform the clients they represent the defendant of their rights in this case and start advocating for bail if applicable in their case. The defense attorney seeks bail if the client is incarcerated and can negotiate with the prosecutor to have their clients' charges dropped or reduced. Also, the defense attorney ensures that he or she gives the best representation they can for their client while in court, appeal for other processes, and makes decisions on behalf of the client.

The final individuals with a significant presence in the criminal justice system are the victim and the criminal. The rights of the victims have gradually over time. The function that the victim plays is just filing the complaint and being available when needed for trials and interviews. Their roles have, however, shifted these days. They can act as an information source for defense attorneys, prosecutors, and police. Victims are also entitled to be present at the court and to have legal representation (Wrobleski & Hess, 2003). The functions of the criminals, in contrast, work with the defense attorney in the criminal justice system. They present their pleas through their attorneys and comply with what they are doing or not to by the court. They end being punished when found guilty.

Victimization has a considerable role to play in the criminal justice system. For instance, criminals are known to apply self-victimization for them to seem less guilty. This means that victims would use whatever reasons they might have to justify the inappropriate or harmful behavior they are accused of. They usually resort to doing this because they don't want to receive punishment for their doings. It is worth noting that victimization is the process of acting or wanting to become the victim. The concept of victimization is between the defendant and the victim for the alleged crime.

The prosecutor's goal is to ensure that justice is served and that the victim gets the strictest sentence that can be allowed by the law. On the other hand, the defense attorney has the sole goal of ensuring that the defendant receives the least possible punishment or amount of time in prison. As such, he or she would do anything even if sometimes they are forced to defend an obvious wrong to get their client out of 'trouble' and to receive the least punishment (Neubauer & Fradella, 2016). The goal of the criminal is to follow to the latter the advice of their attorney so they can receive little to no punishment for the doings despite themselves knowing they are outright guilty or not. Lastly, the victim's sentencing goal is to ensure that he or she gets justice and closure such that the criminals get some punishment for their wrongdoing. The alternative sanction goal is first to determine that all that is fair and reasonable. This is especially considerable for non-violent crimes. Everyone involved in each case has a responsibility even though the final judgment lies with the judge. Alternate sanctions are meant for individuals who do not pose a significant threat to the general public's safety.

I recommend that there continue to be as many rights for the victims as there are for the defendants moving forward. Technology can also be employed in the criminal justice system to ensure that justice is served. Such include DNA testing to trace criminals. Humans are never perfect. As such, a system run by humans can never be perfect. The United States criminal system, however, provides a lot of possibilities for fair treatment. The defense attorneys, prosecutors, and judges do their jobs diligently, and they function within the provisions of the rule of law.

References

Dale, E. (2011). Criminal justice in the United States. Cambridge University Press.

Neubauer, D., & Fradella, H. (2016). America's courts and the criminal justice system. SAGE.

Wrobleski, H., & Hess, K. (2003). Introduction to law enforcement and criminal justice. Wadsworth/Thomson Learning.