Comparison between the United States justice system and another country.

by | Mar 20, 2025 | criminal justice

 

Create a visual representation of a comparison between the United States justice system and another country.

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.

Code snippet

graph LR
    A[US Justice System] --> B(Key Features);
    C[Country X Justice System] --> D(Key Features);

    B --> B1[Adversarial System];
    B --> B2[Federal & State Courts];
    B --> B3[Jury Trials];
    B --> B4[Emphasis on Individual Rights];
    B --> B5[High Incarceration Rate];

    D --> D1[Inquisitorial System];
    D --> D2[Unified National Courts];
    D --> D3[Judge-Led Investigations];
    D --> D4[Emphasis on Social Harmony];
    D --> D5[Lower Incarceration Rate];

    E[Comparison] --> F{Key Differences};
    F --> G[Adversarial vs. Inquisitorial];
    F --> H[Federalism vs. Unity];
    F --> I[Jury vs. Judge];
    F --> J[Individual vs. Social];
    F --> K[Incarceration Rates];

    G --> L[US: Parties present evidence];
    G --> M[Country X: Judge investigates];
    H --> N[US: State & Federal laws];
    H --> O[Country X: National law];
    I --> P[US: Jury decides guilt];
    I --> Q[Country X: Judge decides guilt];
    J --> R[US: Focus on individual rights];
    J --> S[Country X: Focus on social order];
    K --> T[US: Higher rates];
    K --> U[Country X: Lower rates];
Code snippet

graph LR
    A[US Justice System] --> B(Key Features);
    C[Country X Justice System] --> D(Key Features);

    B --> B1[Adversarial System];
    B --> B2[Federal & State Courts];
    B --> B3[Jury Trials];
    B --> B4[Emphasis on Individual Rights];
    B --> B5[High Incarceration Rate];

    D --> D1[Inquisitorial System];
    D --> D2[Unified National Courts];
    D --> D3[Judge-Led Investigations];
    D --> D4[Emphasis on Social Harmony];
    D --> D5[Lower Incarceration Rate];

    E[Comparison] --> F{Key Differences};
    F --> G[Adversarial vs. Inquisitorial];
    F --> H[Federalism vs. Unity];
    F --> I[Jury vs. Judge];
    F --> J[Individual vs. Social];
    F --> K[Incarceration Rates];

    G --> L[US: Parties present evidence];
    G --> M[Country X: Judge investigates];
    H --> N[US: State & Federal laws];
    H --> O[Country X: National law];
    I --> P[US: Jury decides guilt];
    I --> Q[Country X: Judge decides guilt];
    J --> R[US: Focus on individual rights];
    J --> S[Country X: Focus on social order];
    K --> T[US: Higher rates];
    K --> U[Country X: Lower rates];

subgraph "Country X"
        D; D1; D2; D3; D4; D5;
    end

    subgraph "United States"
        B; B1; B2; B3; B4; B5;
    end

    subgraph "Key Comparison"
        E; F; G; H; I; J; K; L; M; N; O; P; Q; R; S; T; U;
    end

Explanation of the Visual Representation:

  • Nodes A and C: Represent the two justice systems being compared (US and “Country X”).
  • Nodes B and D: List key features of each system.
  • Subgraphs: Organize the features and comparison points.
  • Nodes B1-B5 and D1-D5: Detail specific characteristics.
  • Node E: Represents the overall comparison.
  • Node F: Highlights the key differences.
  • Nodes G-K: Outline the specific areas of comparison (adversarial vs. inquisitorial, etc.).
  • Nodes L-U: Provide further details on the differences in each comparison area.
  • Arrows: Show the relationships between the nodes.
  • Country X: Replace “Country X” with a specific country (e.g., France, Germany, Japan) for a more targeted comparison.

Key Differences Highlighted:

  • Adversarial vs. Inquisitorial: The US uses an adversarial system, where two sides present their cases. Country X uses an inquisitorial system, where the judge actively investigates.
  • Federal vs. Unified: The US has a federal system with state and federal courts, while Country X has a unified national court system.  
  • Jury vs. Judge: The US relies heavily on jury trials, while Country X relies more on judge-led decisions.
  • Individual vs. Social: The US emphasizes individual rights, while Country X may prioritize social harmony.  
  • Incarceration Rates: The US has a significantly higher incarceration rate compared to many other developed nations.

How to Use This Visual:

  1. Replace “Country X”: Substitute a specific country for a more meaningful comparison.
  2. Add Details: Expand on the key features and differences with specific examples and statistics.
  3. Customize: Adjust the visual to focus on the aspects of the justice systems most relevant to your comparison.
  4. Use Color: Use different colors to distinguish between the US and Country X, and to highlight key points.
  5. Add Icons: Incorporate icons to make the visual more engaging.

This visual representation provides a clear and concise overview of the key differences between the US justice system and another country, making it easier to understand and compare their respective features

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