History Of Criminal Justice

Justice while she winks at crimes, Stumbles on innocence sometimes? - Samuel Butler

Crime and punishment have had a dangerous liaison with humanity throughout the history of civilization. People have always done and will continue to do things that are crimes in the eyes of society. They will kill, they will loot, they will rape, and they will plunder, and although the crimes are committed by humans themselves, they alone have the right and obligation to decide how these acts are punished. The only detail that makes a difference in the field of criminology is the perception of right and wrong. Many things that are considered okay on this side of the border become capital crimes on the other.

Crimes come a dime a dozen and so do the ways criminal systems judge them. To decide whether an act is a crime or to justify it under moral auspices requires a close look at the phenomenon, making it essential to study all precedents available. Making the proper assessment of crime, the accountability of the perpetrator as well as the victim in order to mete out punishment that fits the crime depends up on a detailed study of the history of crime and punishment.

The commonest form of punishment since ancient times has been exile. People were sent away from their native lands when they did something wrong with the belief that by sending them out of the kingdom, their crimes are no longer the kingdom's responsibility. Then came the age of tributes: people who committed crimes were to pay suitable compensation to the victim's family as well as to the state for wasting its time with crimes. Of course, this arrangement made no sense for the poor, who were then conveniently engaged as bonded labor. Throughout history, criminal justice has been responsible for committing the most heinous crimes. The 'witches' burnt at the stake, the peasants convicted of treason and the children buried alive are just some of the victims of skewed perceptions of crime and punishment. Most of the time, the poorer classes had to bear the brunt of criminal justice and were forced to endure public flogging, torture and amputations for crimes like staring at a parson or stealing bread.

Article Source: http://www.content.onlypunjab.com

Criminal Justice provides detailed information on Criminal Justice, Online Criminal Justice Courses, Masters Degree In Criminal Justice, Criminal Justice Careers and more. Criminal Justice is affiliated with Criminal Records Online.

Please Rate this Article

5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5 

Not yet Rated