Answer each of the following questions in a minimum of 150 words per response.
1.How should the criminal justice system, specifically the courts, address issues of racial and gender inequality within the system? Should a judge or governor be permitted to intervene in a jury’s decision if certain biases are suspected, specifically in death penalty cases? Should a jury have the power to determine death sentences, considering that many members are not informed on current research and potentially untrained to avoid bias in decision making?
2. What are the focus and purpose of specialty/problem-solving courts? While it is important to address special needs, is it more important that every court be trained to address these issues, rather than segregating populations by judicial district, crime committed, or background information? What may be the consequences of judicial districts that do not use specialized courts compared with those that do?
You are in charge of managing community corrections for the state. You are deeply troubled by the dual responsibilities of probation officers as both social worker and law enforcement agent. These roles, though equally important, come into conflict with each other.
A subordinate suggests splitting the role and having two probation officers overseeing each probationer. One would take on the law enforcement role, checking to see if the person on probation commits a technical or criminal violation of their sentence. The other would take on the social work role, assisting the person serving with educational opportunities, employment assistance, and other needs.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of this approach? As the leader of the community corrections division of your state, would you recommend implementing this style of overseeing community corrections? Why or why not?
Many scholars and experts believe we have entered a stage of mass incarceration. Why are prisons overcrowded and unsafe? How have get-tough approaches (e.g., sex offender registries) contributed to the overcrowding problems in prison? What would you do to remedy the situation? How might COVID-19 releases influence the prison population in the future?
2. What types of reentry programs do released prisoners need in order to be successful? Imagine you were the reentry coordinator for a state prison; what services would you prioritize?
