The Adequacy of the Criminal Justice System

by | Jul 12, 2023 | Essays

One of the more interesting aspects of studying political science is examining public policies to learn how and whether they work to achieve the goals that gave rise to them. Public interests are not well-served if public policies fail to respond adequately.

Relevant to the study of Texas government and politics are policies that address crime and punishment given that a sizable chunk of the state’s budget is allocated in this policy area. With an annual budget in excess of $3 billion, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice oversees a vast network of correctional facilities and expenses. Chapter 12 of the textbook describes criminal justice in Texas, and this information will help you understand the importance of this policy area.

Criminal justice reform has been a hot topic nationally and in Texas for several years, as you are learning. Disparities in sentencing, and overcrowded and violent jails and prisons prompted reforms here in Texas in the early 2000s. Recently, however, bail procedures, death penalty laws, and drug policies have placed criminal justice reform back on Texas’s policy agenda. For more information about the backdrop of criminal justice reform generally, please review:

https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/criminal-justice-reform-state-levelLinks to an external site.

 

Among the topics covered in the Brennan Center report, you learn that prosecutors enjoy considerable discretion over criminal cases. What do you know about the role of prosecutors? What assumptions do you have about them?

Watch this TED Talk presented by prosecutor, Adam Foss. Jot down a few notes and consider the importance of the prosecutor in the criminal justice system.

Adam Foss: A prosecutor’s vision for a better justice system

http://www.ted.com/talks/adam_foss_a_prosecutor_s_vision_for_a_better_justice_system Links to an external site.

 

After listening to this TED Talk and considering the Brennan Center and textbook information, you will prepare an essay in which you:

Describe the general theme of criminal justice reform, as explained in your textbook, the Brennan Center, and Adam Foss’s TED Talk. Why do you think criminal justice reform continues to be part of the public policy agenda in Texas?
Identify and describe three distinct significant points about criminal justice reform that resonate with you. Why do you find them important? (Worth up to 25 points)
Discuss how you believe elected officials in Texas can address each point of significance you identified.
What role, if any, can you play in criminal justice reform, say as in the selection of prosecutors in your community?

 

Sample solution

Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell. 

In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.


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God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.

Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.

To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.

 

References

Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.

Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.

Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.

Sample Solution

Sample Solution

ou are correct that the study of public policy is an important aspect of political science. Public policies are the laws, regulations, and programs that governments create to address important issues. They can have a significant impact on the lives of citizens, and it is important to understand how they work and whether they are effective.

The policy area of crime and punishment is particularly important in Texas. The state has a high incarceration rate, and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) is one of the largest state prison systems in the country. The TDCJ’s annual budget is over $3 billion, and it oversees a vast network of correctional facilities.

There are a number of different perspectives on crime and punishment. Some people believe that the goal of the criminal justice system should be to punish offenders and deter crime. Others believe that the goal should be to rehabilitate offenders and help them become productive members of society. There is also a debate about the effectiveness of different types of punishment, such as incarceration, probation, and parole.

The policy area of crime and punishment is complex and there are no easy answers. However, it is an important issue that deserves careful study. By understanding the different perspectives on crime and punishment, we can make better decisions about how to allocate resources and create effective public policies.

Chapter 12 of the textbook describes criminal justice in Texas in detail. The chapter discusses the history of the Texas criminal justice system, the different types of offenses that are punished in Texas, and the different types of punishment that are available. The chapter also discusses the challenges facing the Texas criminal justice system, such as overcrowding and recidivism.

The information in Chapter 12 will help you understand the importance of the policy area of crime and punishment in Texas. It will also help you understand the different perspectives on crime and punishment and the challenges facing the Texas criminal justice system.

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