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Policing Functions Paper Criminal Justice Trends The crossing point between components of the criminal Justice system and criminal justice connections with surrounding society is constantly changing. For this assignment I will evaluate the past, present, and future trends. In addition I will discuss the recent and future trends and contemporary issues affecting the criminal justice system, and the value of the criminal Justice system in a changing society. For instance there has been a trend in new technology that is used by criminals that the rimming Justice system has to act in accordance with and combat.
Past Trends In the past the criminal Justice system had it easier, sure they dealt with rapes, robberies, murders, fights, and many of the same things they do today but on a much smaller scale. In the past law enforcement which was more involved with the communities due to the fact that officers walked the streets on patrol. They talked with the citizens and got to know the people within their communities. The outcome of this was a community that was not fearful and that was trusting of their Justice system. Years ago there was not the forensics to aid in a case, at the same time there was not the technology that we have today.
As for the forensics this was a hindrance because it made figuring out who the criminal actually was much harder. In the same right they did not have the technology of the criminals today, which at times can make it easier for law enforcement agencies to find the criminals. In the mid-asses began such things as organized crime groups, prostitution, and the start of prohibition, gambling, and corruption on a larger scale. At this time many of the law enforcement officers, majors, Judges, lawyers, and many more officials were corrupt, which caused an even larger problem with enforcing laws and catching the bad guy.
At this time the citizens and society had no clue who, they could depend upon and who to trust. In turn this caused society to become fearful and untrusting when it came to the criminal Justice system. Present Trends Today there are rapes, robberies, murders, and so on, but in addition there is drug trafficking, human smuggling, terrorist groups, street gangs, and many other types of organized crime groups. Technology has progressed so quickly over the past decade alone that criminals are committing crimes internationally, and this is making the Job of law enforcement agencies even more difficult, more time consuming, and more dangerous.
Law enforcement officers today do not have the luxury of getting out into the communities as they used to and becoming familiar with the people. They are full of activity setting up stings and doing drug busts, making sure that the street gangs are not killing each other, and trying to combat national threats to the United States n top of performing their daily duties of traffic stops, patrols, and answering 911 calls.
There is still corruption within the criminal Justice system from the police officers to politicians so in addition to the vast increase of their duties they have to make sure that the people they work for and contained by are moral as well. Future Trends The future trends are new technologies that have officers need to continually learn to combat identity theft, fraud, and racketeering. Attorney General Eric Holder (2009) said “The globalization of criminal networks and advances in technology have made international criminal organizations a major threat to the safety and security of our nation. “But we are answering that threat by on the increase a 21st century organized crime program that will be nimble and sophisticated enough to combat the danger posed by these criminals for year to come. OIC-2 gives us the capability to collect, synthesize, and circulate information and intelligence from multiple sources to enable federal law enforcement to prioritize and target the individuals or organizations that pose the greatest international organized crime threat to the United States” (Eric Holder, Attorney General, 2009).
Value of the Criminal Justice System The value of the criminal Justice system in a changing society is convincing. Without the criminal Justice system and all the agencies within this nation would be taken over by organized crime and terrorist groups, by drug that are being made, sold, trafficked, and taken, by identity theft, prostitution, and so on. The criminal Justice system is what gives the people their rights, what keeps them safe and what upholds the law. Our societies are changing on a daily basis there are more illegal immigrants Han ever, which leads to the vast difference in races, cultures, beliefs, and ideology.
The criminal Justice system is what keeps many of these things from taking over our nation and without them there is no hope. “Predictions and visualization of the future are marked by challenges, anticipations, progression, awareness, and technological developments. Criminal Justice professionals are encountering enormous challenges and organizational alterations. Whether or not the technologically advanced changes in criminal Justice investigations and crime control ill continue to considerably reduce violent crime rates remains to be seen.
But, technological and social developments as well as policy changes offer much promise for the future” (Marking & Roberts, 2009). In conclusion I have looked at the past trends of the criminal Justice system as well as the present and future trends of the criminal Justice system. I have discussed the future trends and contemporary issues affecting the criminal Justice system. In addition their have listed the value of the criminal Justice system in a changing society. The criminal Justice system has and will continue to change.