Criminal Justice Opinion Portfolio

Opinion Portfolio

Outlines

Are the media a real cause of violence and crime , or do they simply report what they see

The Media does not create the news it merely reports it . It sensationalizes events , but cannot take responsibility for its impact on viewers . In general the media has a responsibility which is married to society 's right to the free flow of information . The irresponsible manner in which the media reports information can have both a deterrent and encouraging impact on the masses . But in the end criminal conduct is

br a creature of conscience and each member of society is responsible for his own conscience . The greatest fault that can be attributed to the media 's role in reporting violence and crime is one of desensitizing the viewing public

Should the media be used to fight crime

The media is viewed as an instrument of social control and in that sense it can and should be used to fight crime . The key to successful detection , investigation and prosecution of criminal conduct is primarily attributed to information sharing . The mere nature of the mass media 's role in information sharing puts it in a unique position to influence the commission of crimes . The freedom of the press can be exploited to such an extent so as to reduce recidivism in a number of useful arenas and to deter criminal conduct in general

Should the exclusionary rule be abolished

The exclusionary rule exists as a safeguard against public abuse of powers in respect of innocent persons . All evidence presented at a criminal trial is required to be relevant . If evidence is collected in an arbitrary manner it becomes suspect and therefore not relevant to the issue of guilt or innocence . This is so because its probative value is outweighed by its prejudicial effect . When one piece of evidence is tainted it has the capacity to taint all other evidence no matter how relevant it is even if that other evidence was collected and preserved with integrity . It is therefore essential that the exclusionary rule remain a part of the criminal justice process

Does a racial disparity exist in regard to the application of the death penalty

Many surveys conclude that blacks are more likely to receive the death penalty than whites while just as many surveys reveal that whites are more likely to receive the death penalty than blacks . The end result is that the surveys merely reflect the demographic variables relative to the specific surveys conducted and do not reflect a prejudiced criminal justice system

Are sexual assault cases under prosecuted

Sufficient data exist to support a contention that sexual assault cases are indeed under prosecuted . This fact is married to the fact that sexual assault cases are by and large under reported . Experts conclude that the under reporting and under prosecuting of sexual assault cases is directly linked to society 's general view that sexual assault only happens to others and the survivor 's reputation and credibility becomes as...