Qcc - course work throughout the semester PDF

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course work throughout the semester...

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Intro to Criminal Justice 101: Queensborough Community College (QCC) Homework#11: Critical thinking Questions Chapter 13 Chapter 13: 1. Discuss the sentencing dispositions in your jurisdiction. What are the pros and cons of each? - Sentencing deposition is defined as the judgement or outcome of a criminal case which is usually undertaken by a judge in a court of law. For the sentencing guideline, its advantage is that it helps in guiding for the general consistency where the judges have the responsibility of dealing with different cases while warranting different sentences depending on the cases. Its disadvantage is that some of the judges will tend to let some criminals off the way too easily. For the mandatory minimum sentence, has an advantage in that the judges experience limited discretion where everyone is treated equally. Its disadvantage is that some of the judges may tend to convict an individual that has a lesser crime. 2. Compare the various types of incarceration sentences? What are the similarities and differences? Why are many jurisdictions considering the passage of mandatory sentencing laws? - There are three types of incarceration sentences that exist. They include, mandatory, indeterminate, and determinate. An indeterminate is where a person is kept in prison for 3-10 years. For the determinate, its that fixed amount of incarceration, for instance, a sentence that is given for five years. For a mandatory incarceration people are convicted of the crimes where it is the law that determines the minimum number of years to be spent in prison. The three are similar in that there is a required minimum number of years to be spent. The differences comes in where these years are not fixed. Many jurisdictions are considering the passage of mandatory sentencing laws because they help eliminate personal bias, eliminate the sympathy factor to litigation, and they can lead to a decrease in crime by acting as a deterrent. 3. Discuss the issue of capital punishment. In your own opinion, does it serve as a deterrent? What new rulings has the U.S. supreme court made on the legality of the death penalty? - Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is a government sanctioned practice whereby a person is put to death by the state as a punishment for a crime. In my opinion, the capital punishment should not serve as a deterrent. For the criminal, the punishment is not quick in that they only sit on the death row for fifteen or more years. Without considering this, people do commit crimes because they think they can get away with it and they do not always consider the repercussion that results from their actions. The new new rulings the U.S. supreme court has made on the legality of the death penalty are that in 1972 in Furman V. Georgia they decided that the discretionary imposition of the death penalty was cruel and unusual punishment under the 8th and 14th amendments of the constitution. 4. Why does the problem of sentencing disparity exist? Do programs exist that can reduce disparate sentences? If so, what are they? Should all people who commit the same crime receive the same sentence? Explain.

Sentencing disparity refers to an inequality in criminal sentencing which is the result of unfair or unexplained causes, rather than a legitimate use of discretion in the application of law. Sentencing disparity exists because not ever criminal case is identical, so there will naturally be disparity in sentencing, and judges must be very careful in imposing sentences because the punishment must fit the crime. Programs such as concurrent sentences (sentencing of an offender for different criminal offenses that can be served at the same time), and consecutive sentences (sentencing an offender for different criminal crimes that must be served separately, back to ack) can help reduce the disparity of sentences. While I personally feel that everyone who commits the same crime should receive the same sentence, I know that we do not live in a perfect world, and things such as social status, age, or victim characteristics can influence ones sentencing. 5. Should convicted criminals be released from prison when correctional authorities are convinced they are rehabilitated? Why or why not? - Everyone deserves a second chance. We call make mistake and we learn from these mistakes. Convicted criminals should be released from prion where correctional authority they are convicted that they are rehabilitated. This is because by doing the time in jail, the criminals learn their lessons and most likely will not do the same crime again. Another way I think this is because we cannot keep everyone in jail for long periods because them jails and prisons world overfill. Overall, convicted criminals should not be released from prison when correctional authorities are convinced they are rehabilitated. -...