Category: Criminal Justice Essay Examples
See our collection of criminal justice essay examples. These examples are to help you understanding how to write essays on crime-related topics. Contemporary study of criminology and criminal justice is also increasingly interdisciplinary and thus features a broad variety of topics on the causes, effects, and responses to crime. Also, see our list of criminal justice essay topics to find the one that interests you.
A description of virtue ethics must begin with recognition of its founder, Aristotle (384–322 B.C.E.). According to historical accounts, Aristotle began study at Plato’s Academy at age 17 and was an exceptional pupil. Aristotle soon adopted his teacher’s passion for investigating fields of study as diverse as logic, …
Although numerous areas of police practice involve what are essentially ethical issues, perhaps nowhere is this of greater importance than in terms of making arrests. An arrest is by its nature an act of coercion, encroaching on individual lives and affecting families and communities. Therefore certain requirements must …
Atkins v. Virginia (2002) is one of the most important cases debated by the U.S. Supreme Court regarding the death penalty. It raised serious ethical issues concerning mental retardation and criminal responsibility. Daryl Renard Atkins was sentenced to death for first-degree murder despite a low IQ of 59, …
The definition of and interventions for at-risk youth have been significant issues in social policy discourse and criminal justice since the late 20th century. The term is used in this context to describe expert and scientific ways in which current and future risks, including health, educational, and criminal …
In the United States, attorneys are both advocates and officers of the court. As advocates, attorneys must zealously represent clients. As officers of the court, attorneys have social responsibilities demanding that they act truthfully and with integrity in both professional and personal dealings. On occasion, attorneys’ dual roles …
Bail is a pretrial release with or without conditions while a defendant is awaiting his or her criminal trial. There is also post-conviction bail, in which conditional and nonconditional release may also be considered for convicted offenders while they are waiting for their sentences and while their appeals …
Battered woman syndrome (BWS) was first introduced in 1977 by clinical social worker Lenore Walker. Battered woman syndrome is defined by a series of symptoms which occur after a woman experiences prolonged physical, sexual, or psychological abuse by an intimate partner. This form of prolonged abuse includes an …
Cesare Beccaria (1738–94) wrote one of the most influential essays on criminal behavior, advocating sweeping reforms to the justice system in Europe. He proposed utilitarian principles to eliminate barbaric criminal justice practices, such as torture. In his estimation, the primary purpose of punishment was to achieve deterrence and …
Jeremy Bentham (1748–1832) worked for legal and political reforms with his ethics providing their philosophical rationale. His ethics is found in his major work, the compendious Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation (1789), which contains his hedonistic theories of psychology and ethics informing not only his …
The term biometrics is derived from two Greek words, bios, which means “life,” and metrikos, which means “measure.” Biometric technologies are used for identity verification, to determine the identity of a person, or to evaluate the intentions of a person through the use of physiological and/or behavioral measures. …
Throughout the history of American policing, there have been periodic accounts of official investigations of police misconduct abruptly terminated because uninvolved officers were aware of wrongful acts of peers but chose to remain silent. In effect, the unspoken code suggests that if they desire to do so police …
Boot camps became a politically popular option, especially for imposing punishment on young offenders and particularly in the United States, but there is no evidence that they are effective in reducing rates of recidivism. Concerns have been raised that the overemphasis on authority in a correctional boot camp …
Borders are a physical manifestation of state social control. Regulatory organizations such as a border patrol serve as the coercive force responsible for both the border’s symbolic and actual effectiveness at controlling goods and personnel potentially transiting the nation’s boundary lines. That coercive control has ethical implications. History …
There are many lively debates surrounding the ethics, efficacacies, and policy implications of capital punishment—especially pertaining to the question of whether capital punishment serves as an effective deterrent to crime. Most social science research suggests that there is no significant deterrent effect, and some research indicates that capital …
The quintessential ethical question about capital punishment is whether it is morally right for the state to intentionally kill its citizens. This ethical question is quite apart from the narrower question of whether the state has the legal right to intentionally kill its citizens. The U.S. Supreme Court …
A sex offender is a person who commits sexual acts that are considered deviant by society and are determined to be illegal. These acts may be done by physically assaulting another, such as rape or child molestation, or in the case of child pornography, by violating the rights …
When attributing moral and legal responsibility or strict liability to an agent, both the law and morality presuppose a causal connection between agents and outcomes. Justice requires such a connection in order for blame to be apt and punishment deserved. However, in both the law and morality, not …
Child abuse and neglect is a relatively new concept. The acknowledgment of children as a separate entity worthy of protection from abuse and neglect (also known as maltreatment) from parents and caregivers began just over 100 years ago. Prior to this time period, children did not hold a …
Actus reus is the physical, observable aspect of a crime, and comprises a bodily action, threat of action, or in some cases an omission or refusal to act. To be held legally responsible for some crimes requires both an actus reus, Latin for “guilty act,” and a mens …
Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, 558 U.S. 310 (2010), is a U.S. Supreme Court case in which federal restrictions on political expenditures by corporations (including unions and nonprofit organizations) were held to be an impermissible suppression of political speech protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. …
