Critical Criminal Justice Issues, Essay Example

A person’s view on corrections is deeply imbedded within the context of their experience.  A person’s race, creed, or socioeconomic position has a profound impact upon how they view the role of corrections and violence within their communities.  This view is deeply embedded in how their particular community relates to the overall society at large, and how the authorities in turn view or relate to them.

If a person, community, or society as a whole end up viewing the role of authority and their relationship with it as negative then it will have an impact on their view of violence and corrections within their lives, in regards to whether they view it as protective or preventative.  Laws can be put into place that target specific groups or individuals, and if they feel as though this is the case, then they will regard the law or rules as specifically against them and their way of life.  In this way, those who are incarcerated may feel as though they are the specific targets of that institution’s goals or purpose.

Those who receive the protection of the authorities will most likely view them in a more favorable light than those who don’t receive those same protections.  Furthermore, if people feel as though their needs aren’t being met by the correctional system, they may take it into their own hands, in which case, violence would be the solution to their lack of belief in the correctional system.

Works Cited

Travis, Jeremy. Critical Criminal Justice Issues. Task Force Reports From the American Society of Criminology to Attorney General Janet Reno U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice ProgramsNational Institute of Justice. April 2014