CJUS 550 Discussion3-reply1

CJUS 550 Discussion3-reply1

The below assignment has been written by another student. Please
read it very carefully and reply to it by providing 200 words, apa
format, at least 2 or 3 citations in addition to course textbook
Schmalleger, F. (2011). Criminal justice today: An introductory
text for the 21th Century (11th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Prentice Hall. Your work should be original work. Thanks (penny)
Sentencing is the final step of judicial involvement in the justice
system and, in many respects, it is the most important and
difficult one. Its importance lies in the obvious impact on the
offender, the victim, families and the community. Its difficulty
lies in the necessity of balancing many factors, including the
human factors and the protection of society (Pelaez, 2011).
Criminal sentences may involve one or more different elements,
including incarceration prison, jail, probation, restitution victim
compensation, and community service. Some state laws require the
judges to impose what are called determinate prison sentences
(Pelaez, 2011). A determinate sentence is a fixed-term sentence
pronounced by a judge. For example, a defendant sentenced to 30
days in county jail or five years in state prison has received a
determinate sentence. Other state laws require judges to give
indeterminate sentences. Indeterminate sentences are those in which
the legislature sets a minimum and or maximum time of incarceration
but leaves the decision as to when to release an inmate to prison
officials (Spaho, 2013). As a general rule, indeterminate sentences
are only imposed on people who are sentenced to state prison after
being convicted of a felony. Sometimes a defendant’s prison
sentence is suspended. A suspended sentence is jail or prison time
that is put on hold if the defendant complies with certain other
obligations, for example, the conditions of probation or the
completion of a drug treatment program. Under a suspended sentence,
if the prosecution or probation department can convince a judge
that the defendant violated the condition that led to the sentence
being suspended in the first place, the judge has authority to
order the defendant to serve the original sentence (Spaho, 2013).
The probationer is not entitled to a full-blown trial when the
question is only whether the defendant violated probation, though
the prosecution can choose to also file charges on the incident.
Offenders who are put on probation are typically required to adhere
to a number of conditions of probation; including obey all laws;
even petty laws like jaywalking have been known to land a
probationer back in jail, abide by any court orders, such as an
order to pay a fine or restitution and report regularly to the
probation officer. There are many different types of alternative
sentences, which can include fairly innovative punishments.
Offenders have been required to, for example install breathalyzer
devices in their cars so that their cars will not start unless the
offender has clean breath, give lectures or teach classes about the
dangers of criminal behavior, attend lectures given by crime
victims, complete a drug or alcohol treatment program, do weekend
jail time, or stay at home under house arrest (Spaho, 2013). Some
cases can be diverted out of the criminal justice system. Criminal
charges are normally dropped when a defendant successfully
completes a diversion program. Diversion gives defendants a chance
to escape the stigma of a criminal conviction. Defendants whose
cases are diverted typically have to participate in a treatment or
rehabilitation program (Pelaez, 2011). Diversion programs are most
often available to defendants charged with misdemeanors and
nonviolent felonies involving drugs or alcohol. In some
jurisdictions, diversion may be available to defendants charged
with domestic violence, child abuse or neglect, traffic-related
offenses, or even writing bad checks (Pelaez, 2011). Prosecutors
sometimes voluntarily offer diversion to defendants who are clearly
eligible under a community’s guidelines. Defense counsel may also
suggest diversion to prosecutors, sometimes even before formal
charges are filed. Some sentences are design to not necessarily to
punish but to correct and deter the crime. In offering other
alternative solutions this will help cut the cost, prison crime,
and prison numbers. Also an important fact is that there are some
innocent people in prison today. There was a case just recently on
TV of a man that was on death row and had been in prison for over
thirty years for killing two people. With the moderation of today’s
technology being more advance the evidence showed that the bullets
did not come from the defendant’s gun. Therefore this man has lost
over thirty years of his life that he can never regain. Criminal
justice system must look for alternative and innovative sentencing
options so that no innocent person is sentenced to death.
Policymakers are becoming increasingly aware of the research-backed
strategies for community corrections as better ways to identify
which offenders’ need a prison cell and which can be safely handled
in the community, new technologies to monitor their whereabouts and
behavior, and more effective supervision and treatment programs to
help them stay on the straight and narrow. Taken together, these
trends are encouraging policymakers to diversify their states array
of criminal sanctions with options for low-risk offenders that save
tax dollars but still hold offenders accountable for their actions
Spaho, 2013). We have all sin and come short of his word; one thing
that we could do better is read the Bible and live by it.
Everything you need is in the Bible. Hebrews 13:3 reads, “Remember
them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer
adversity, as being yourselves also in the body” (KJV).

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