Justice Mean to Me? What Term Paper

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If the convicted criminal feels that his sentencing was not just and fair, he can 'appeal', and his case would be tried again, if necessary. (Justice and Prisons, how justice works)

It must be remembered that in general, when a crime is committed, it can mean that there has been a violation of a local or a state or a federal law, and for which there was no real justification. However, the term 'justice' can mean different things for different people, and there is no real agreement on what exactly it means. This has what, in fact, led to the many controversies in the criminal justice system today. There are some individuals who conceptualize justice as meaning 'equality for all', that is, everyone must have the same amount, no matter what amounts they have produced. Some others define justice in terms of 'equity' wherein a person must get benefits in the same proportion to what they may have contributed in production. When this is applied to the justice system, the converse of the principle would apply: the punishment for a crime must be in direct proportion to the intensity of the crime that has been committed. This is in fact an ancient principle, termed 'just deserts' or even 'an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth'. (Survey of Criminal Justice, what is Criminal Justice?)

Some others define justice as being a concept that lays emphasis not on outcomes, but on processes, and justice would be served, if the process is found to be impartial or fair. This definition of justice is closely related to the legal concept of due process, and omnipresent in the American legal system, wherein due process can be taken to mean 'equal treatment to all' within the legal system.
All these different ideas and concepts of justice do tend to create controversy and conflicts within the criminal justice system, and when an individual has protection and assurance for his 'rights', then it is assumed that due process has been fulfilled. These so-called 'individual rights' are of critical importance to criminal defendants facing the criminal justice system, and equally important is the idea of the 'public order' which refers to the basic protection of society, where future crimes are prevented.

Individual rights and public order are concepts that are considered extremely important to the criminal justice professional, who is fighting crime and maintaining justice within his society. In a juvenile criminal justice system, it is the juvenile court that has the jurisdiction of matters concerning children, including delinquency, neglect of a child, and adoption. The processing of children is not very different from that of adults in the criminal justice system, but there are quite a few differences as well, and the professional has to ensure the fact that justice has to be upheld in any case. (Survey of Criminal Justice, what is Criminal Justice?)

Although justice may have several different connotations, the bottom line is that the criminal has to be punished, and the victim awarded respite and retribution for the crime that he has suffered......

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