Essay Sample on the Criminal Justice System

Essay Sample on the Criminal Justice System The Criminal Justice System has many components that make up its system. The police, corrections, and the courts all play the role and act together in trying to maintain the most respectable and functional CJS. A system where each uses their own judgments on how to play their role. The views of each can vary from how they each feel the court system works and the integrity of it. Many factors can play a role in the way in which these people feel on the actual court system process. Such factors being where they work within the system, if they are judges, cops, lawyers or social service officers can change the way they feel the system works. Factors of where they work geographically and the views and opinions of those areas can also shape the way the person feels about the system. The Police are the gatekeepers of the CJS. They are the ones who find the people who are violating laws and arrest them based on their discretion and situation of the case. Since, the patrol officers are who start many of the cases that go to court. They are the ones that should be interviewed on whether or not the court system works, the court system has integrity and what would that specific officer do to change the court system. The first patrol officer that was interviewed was from the Mount Prospect police. When he was asked the first question on if he felt the court system worked, he paused and then smiled the word â€Å"yes†. He felt it did for the most part, as he felt most Americans did as well. He believed it all mattered on what side you might be on. He mostly found this question to be elementary and found himself confused, but he concluded it with determining it the best system in the world, but could use much improvement. The second question given to the officer was if he felt the court system had integrity. He thought that most people within the system do have integrity. However, he has seen situations where it has caused absolute murder towards the system. He thinks that internal and external pressure on the police, attorneys, judges, etc., can cause for some to turn the dark side. But he noted that every other profession has the situation for anything to occur that can hurt their system. When the officer was asked the final question on what he would like to do change the court system he seemed to get excited, as if he had a lot to say. He first off felt that their should be better monitoring of all the pieces within the system. He felt that from the judges to the police officers they all should be better monitored. He felt last of all that the citizens as a whole, consisting of the police, judges, etc, should not allow the System to be manipulated by the powerful and therefore cost the weak to lose their rights and privileges. The second officer that was interviewed was from Hawthorne Woods and he and their department are located Lake County. He was younger than the first which figured he might have a different opinion, and the fact that the Counties were different may also play a role. Lake County is more conservative and has far more Republicans than Cook county. Therefore, the Court system in Lake may differ from those of Cook due to the political background and lobbying that may be done in the system. When the officer was asked the first question whether he felt the court system worked, he confidently replied in favor. He believed that for the most part the court system does work. He felt with the right people and right direction then the court system will work. However, he also noted that just like anything in life there are faults and clinks. Not everything is perfect, therefore, the system worked with little problems. He concluded the question with saying it was the best game in town. Meaning possibly that he felt that in many games, organizations and such, that there are corruption, cheating, stealing, fraud, etc., but the court system was the best. Which leads into the second question on he felt if the court system had integrity and he replied again with approval, that it did. He thought most people involved in the court system were people with integrity. He felt that most people who pursued jobs in the system were ones who have integrity. He felt people looking for corruption look elsewhere in other lines of work. He thinks people in these jobs work towards justice. The officer was then asked his final question on what would he like to do the change the current court system. He felt much the way he did about the integrity question. He felt that he would want to strive to find people in the system that believe in just, and fairness. The people would have to be able and willing to stick by their convictions. He would like to take these people and promote them to top jobs and replace any of those who did not follow in these feelings. Another aspect to the CJS is the branch of corrections. This is where people go when they are arrested and the judge will give out supervision, supervised supervision, and probation. All three mean different and have more serious consequences, but all three mean that you are to be under the watch of a probationary officer. Probationary officers will either meet with the felon on a schedule, or have some kind of contact with them. They make sure that the felon follows their sentence and can violate them and send back in front of the judge with harsher penalties. The last interviewee was a probationary officer from Lake County. The officer was also asked the same questions as the first two police officers. When he was asked on if he felt the court system worked, he was unsure. He felt that the court system works when it is able to keep offenders from repeating the crimes they have committed. He felt that some sentences, or, probation time, counseling hours, etc. are not enough sometimes and can’t change all people. That most offenders do not like to have to pay fines and go to court. Tightening around the edges he feels needs to be done to keep offenders from committing more crimes. When the second question was asked to the officer on whether he felt the system had integrity he responded with a common answer. He felt that some people in the court system could be blinding by bias views. That for the most part the court system is fair. That judges use good discretion and if you think the system is not fair, then don’t go out and commit the crime. The final question asked to the last interviewee was what would he like to do to change the court system. He responded to this question with more humor than he did any of the others. He first of all thinks that the court system works the best when it is not over crowded. He would like to decrease the flow of traffic through a court house. Even though he didn’t have much to much insight on the changing of the court system, the idea is one that should be honestly looked at. Each of the officers that were interviewed seemed to be of short answers and not much insight. Each would always say or start off staying that there is so much they could say but then wouldn’t say much. And that to stick them with these basic questions which could send discussion groups into the morning were hard to tackle at the moment. The main difference was the atmosphere of that of the probationary officers, office and that of the police stations. The two seemed miles apart, but continue to work together to keep the CJS in flow.

Fat Pig a Play by Neil LaBute

Fat Pig a Play by Neil LaBute Neil LaBute titled the play Fat Pig (which first premiered off-Broadway in 2004) to get our attention. However, if he wanted to be blunt, he could have named the play Cowardice, because that is what this comedy-tinged drama is really about. The Plot Tom is a young urban professional who has a bad track record of quickly losing interest in the attractive women he dates. Although in comparison to his crude friend Carter, Tom seems more sensitive than your typical cad. In fact, in the first scene of the play, Tom encounters a smart, flirtatious woman who is described as very plus-sized. When the two connect and she gives him her phone number, Tom is genuinely interested, and the two start dating. However, deep down Tom is shallow. (I know that seems like a paradox, but thats how he is.) He is too self-conscious about what his so-called work friends think about his relationship with Helen. It doesnt help that he dumped a vindictive co-worker named Jeannie who interprets his overweight girlfriend as a personal attack: JEANNIE: Im sure you thought this would hurt me, right? It also doesnt help when his sleazy friend Carter steals a photo of Helen and emails a copy to everyone at the office. But ultimately, this is a play about a young man who comes to terms with who he is: TOM: Im a weak and fearful person, Helen, and Im not gonna get any better. (Spoiler Alert) Male Characters in Fat Pig LaBute has a definite knack for obnoxious, callous male characters. The two guys in Fat Pig follow in this tradition, yet they arent nearly as loathsome than the jerks in LaButes film In the Company of Men. Carter might be a slimeball, but he is not too vicious. At first, he is flabbergasted by the fact that Tom is dating an overweight woman. Also, he firmly believes that Tom and other attractive people should run with [their] own kind. Basically, Carter thinks that Tom is wasting his youth by dating someone of Helens size. However, if one reads the synopsis of the play, it asks: How many insults can you hear before you have to stand up and defend the woman you love? Based upon that blurb, audiences might assume that Tom is pushed to the breaking point by a barrage of awful insults at his girlfriends expense. Yet, Carter is not completely insensitive. In one of the best monologues of the play, Carter tells the story of how he was often embarrassed by his obese mother when in public. He also supplies the wisest piece of advice in the play: CARTER: Do what you want. If you like this girl, then dont listen to a goddamn word anybody says. So, if Carter lays off on the insults and peer pressure, and the vengeful Jeannie calms down and moves on with her life, why does Tom break up with Helen? He cares too much about what others think. His self-consciousness prevents him from pursuing what could be an emotionally fulfilling relationship. Female Characters in Fat Pig LaBute offers one well-developed female character (Helen) and a secondary female character who seems like an artistic misfire. Jeannie doesnt get much stage time, but whenever present she seems like a typical jilted co-worker seen in countless sitcoms and movies. WireImage / Getty Images But her stereotypical shallowness provides a nice foil for Helen, a woman who is bright, self-aware, and honest. She encourages Tom to be honest as well, often sensing his awkwardness when they are out in public. She falls hard and quick for Tom. At the end of the play, she confesses: HELEN: I love you so much, I really do, Tom. Feel a connection with you that I havent allowed myself to dream of, let alone be a part of, in so long. Ultimately, Tom cannot love her, because he is too paranoid about what others think. Therefore, as sad as the ending of the play might seem, its good that Helen and Tom face the truth of their faltering relationship early on. (Real life dysfunctional couples could learn a valuable lesson from this play.) Comparing Helen to someone like Nora from A Dolls House reveals how empowered and assertive women have become in the last few centuries. Nora builds an entire marriage based upon facades. Helen insists upon facing the truth before allowing a serious relationship to continue. Theres a quirk about her personality. She loves old war movies, mostly obscure World War II flicks. This little detail might just be something that LaBute invented to make her unique from other women (thereby helping to explain Toms attraction for her). In addition, it may also reveal the type of man she needs to find. The American soldiers of World War II, by and large, were courageous and willing to fight for what they believed in, even at the cost of their lives. These men are part of what journalist ​Tom Brokaw described as The Greatest Generation. Men like Carter and Tom pale in comparison. Perhaps Helen is obsessed with the films, not because of the pretty explosions but because they remind her of the male figures in her family, and provide a model for potential mates, reliable, stalwart men who arent afraid to take a risk. WireImage / Getty Images The Importance of Fat Pig At times LaButes dialogue seems like it is trying too hard to emulate David Mamet. And the short nature of the play (one of those no bak 90-minute ventures like Shanleys Doubt) makes it reminiscent of those ABC After School Specials from my childhood. They were short films that focused on cautionary tales of modern dilemmas: bullying, anorexia, peer pressure, self-image. They didnt have as many swear words as LaButes plays, though. And the secondary characters (Carter and Jeannie) barely escape their sitcomish roots. Despite these flaws, Fat Pig triumphs with its central characters. I believe in Tom. I have, unfortunately, been Tom; there have been times when I have said things or made choices based upon the expectations of others. And I have felt like Helen (maybe not overweight, but someone who feels like they are removed from those labeled as attractive by mainstream society). Theres no happy ending in the play, but fortunately, in real life, the Helens of the world (sometimes) find the right guy, and the Toms of the world (occasionally) learn to how to overcome their fear of other peoples opinions. If more of us paid attention to the lessons of the play, we could replace those parenthetic adjectives to often and almost always.