Research and write on The United States Criminal Justice System
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.
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 Answer
Sample Answer
The United States criminal justice system is a complex organization designed to enforce legal codes and maintain public order. It is divided into three primary branches: law enforcement, the courts, and corrections.
Law Enforcement
Police are responsible for enforcing laws and maintaining public order. They operate at federal, state, and local levels. Federal law enforcement agencies, such as the FBI, handle matters within federal jurisdiction, while state and local police enforce laws within their respective areas. Key tasks include selectively enforcing the law, protecting the public, arresting suspected law violators, and preventing crime[4].
Courts
The courts are responsible for ensuring that suspected criminals receive fair trials and determining their guilt or innocence. The U.S. judicial system includes federal courts and state courts. Federal courts handle federal matters, while state courts handle state-specific issues. Cases typically proceed through trial courts, appellate courts, and state supreme courts[3][5].
Corrections
The corrections system, also known as the prison system, supervises individuals who have been arrested, convicted, and sentenced. This includes prisons, jails, parole, and probation. Prisons are facilities for long-term sentences, while jails are for temporary confinement. The goal of corrections is to rehabilitate offenders and make them law-abiding citizens[3][4].
Challenges and Criticisms
The criminal justice system faces several challenges and criticisms:
– Racial Disparities: The system is heavily impacted by racial biases, with African Americans and Hispanics being disproportionately represented in the incarcerated population. African Americans are five times more likely to be stopped without just cause than White individuals, and they are more likely to be wrongfully convicted[2].
– Public Perception: There is a growing divide in public opinion regarding the fairness and toughness of the criminal justice system. A majority of Americans believe the system is not tough enough on crime, while opinions on fairness are evenly divided[1].
– Overincarceration: The U.S. has one of the highest incarceration rates in the world, with significant spending on corrections that outpaces spending on education. This has led to calls for reform to address issues of mass incarceration and racial disparities[2].
Reform Efforts
Efforts to reform the criminal justice system include addressing police brutality, improving judicial practices, and reducing racial disparities. There are also initiatives to reduce the number of people incarcerated and to improve rehabilitation programs within the corrections system[2].
In summary, the U.S. criminal justice system is a multifaceted entity with significant responsibilities and challenges. Addressing its issues requires a comprehensive approach that includes reforming law enforcement practices, ensuring fairness in the courts, and improving the corrections system.
Sources:
– [1] news.gallup.com
– [2] naacp.org
– [3] courses.lumenlearning.com
– [4] www.ojp.gov
– [5] bjs.ojp.gov
