Criminal Justice System

These critical issues will play a major role in the shaping of the criminal justice process in the years to come, but can be examined using traditional criminology philosophies. For example, does a certain issue favour due process, or crime control? In evaluating modern day issues by traditional standards, it allows us to better understand the unique and dynamic field of criminal justice.

Traditionally, the criminal justice system has been more concerned, and dealt more harshly, with street crime than white collar crime. Street crime consists of common crimes such as burglary, assault, drug possession and sales, robbery, rape, and many less serious offences involving theft or destruction of property. Conversely, white collar crime is non violent, for profit, and usually committed by individuals during the course of their occupations. A major evaluation of criminology issues is the crime control versus due process continuum. An issues placement on the continuum is determined by the way it proposed to treat offenders. Those which are proponents of harsher penalties with less regards to an offender’s rights are placed more in the crime control camp, while those primarily concerned with an offenders rights are more due process oriented. The analysis of street crime and white collar crime in this way is startling.

Harsh penalties such as the ones suggested by Freiberg are in accordance with the crime control method, yet often, sentencing for such offenders is more concerned with due process, even though such an approach isn’t as effective. In contrast, street crime offenders are often treated in accordance to the crime control method.