The major challenges facing the criminal justice system Assignment

The major challenges facing the criminal justice system - Assignment Example The researcher states that crime levels by the youth have reduced more than half in the last forty years. Drug use is a major challenge since it has been increasing despite numerous resources put into reducing the vice. Addicts should not be treated as criminals but as sick people that need treatment. This will lower demand for drugs and bring down its use. Violence against women is an area where not much gain has been made. Strategies need to be revised with a focus on challenging attitudes in men that tend to promote it. Much effort however has been put to support victims and counsel them. Over criminalization reduces liberties and makes every mistake a crime. Certain mistakes should not be criminalized and the public should be educated on the existing laws and regulations as some people could be breaking the law without being aware of it. Public opinion polls and surveys always return a verdict that crime or the fear of it is one of the biggest concerns of the citizenry. Certain a reas would be confused for a war zone as the ring of gun shots, gun shot wounds and injuries or injuries inflicted by other means are a common occurrence. Crime statistics continue to soar; from everyday burglary and cheating to homicides, rape and even terrorism and as time passes and technology advances so does the level of sophistication. A current trend is that of fraud and cyber crimes where there is no contact but the financial and psychological damage is equally devastating. The situation is made worse by a tight economic system, rising inflation and unemployment which puts a strain on people’s finances. ... r challenges facing the criminal justice system from a theoretical, historical and a functional angle by reviewing various literature and trends and makes a conclusion at the end. Literature review Question One: One of the biggest challenges to the criminal justice system is violence by the youth. While the youth are the future leaders and the human capital necessary to move the nation forward, they also participate substantially in criminal activity. FBI statistics show for example that in 2005, youths aged 10 to 17 years comprised 15.4 percent of the population while also committing 15.4 percent of the crimes reported nationally (â€Å"Youth facts†, 2012). Of the youth population, 20 to 24 year olds commit most of the crime with males being the dominant offenders. Statistics show that the leading cause of death among American youth aged between 10 to 24 years is homicide (â€Å"CDC†, 2011). Violence also causes most of the non fatal injuries among the same age group ( 10 -24 year olds). Youth violence has been reducing in number though as data shows that in the period between 1964 to 1969, youths aged between 10 and 17 years made up 21.9 percent of the American population and committed 32.1 percent of all the crimes (â€Å"Youth facts†, 2012). But while the involvement of youths in criminal activity has been reducing, the fatality and lethal nature of youth violence has been getting worse. Acts of violent shootings in schools have been reported and the cause of youth violence is attributed to having criminal parents, broken homes, and abandonment. Early criminal tendencies is a pointer to future crime potential with evidence suggesting that adult criminality and delinquency during adolescence can be traced to problematic behaviors in children (Chaiken, 1995). These