Victimology and Alternatives to the Traditional Justice System Essay

Victimology and Alternatives to the Traditional Justice System - Essay Example And these values would soon drastically increase if nothing would be done about it (Raspberry, 2003). The current justice system is basically grounded on retributive values wherein justice determines the crime or violation, then enjoins the victim, offender and the community to reach solutions of "repair, reconciliation and assurance" (Zehr, 1990;Walker, 2000). Anthropologist Ruth Benedict states that the emphasis of using shame or guilt to control social activities could be a way of categorizing cultures. Some Asian cultures like China and Japan are considered shame cultures in contrast to European and modern American cultures like the US which is said to be "guilt-based." To illustrate, traditional Japanese and Ancient Greek society put more importance to the social consequences of "getting caught" than the feelings of guilt of the offender ("Shame," 2006). The violation of shared opinions and expected behaviors causing the feeling of shame has proved to be efficient in guiding society's behavior. Shame is used against relational aggression and is considered effective in marriage, family and church settings. Also, it is used in the workplace as a form of covert social control ("Shame," 2006). Shame is considered as a pillar of punishment. ... This overwhelming feeling could prevent a person from ever committing the same offense. Thus, on these premises, shaming is believed to be helpful in crime prevention ("Shame," 2006). Victimology Victimology is a multi-disciplinary field covering sociology, psychology, criminal justice, law and advocacy, which identifies and explains how certain factors such as lifestyle affect the incidence of a crime. To cite an example, a "streetwalker" prostitute is very vulnerable to various risks of attacks. There is high incidence of violent crime which often is unresolved involving these people. Victimology then, in this case, may study the social background, legal status of prostitutes, living conditions and risk factors among others ("Victimology," 2006). This provides a better understanding of why crimes are committed and particularly puts some responsibility on the victim rather than simply pointing the blame to the offender. Crime is influenced by a lot of factors and the science of victimology impart the idea that a crime committed doesn't entirely revolve around the offender and his/her motives but may also be triggered by the victim. Restorative Justice Due to incompetence of the current justice system, restorative justice which began evolving around 15 years ago is seen as one alternative (Walker, 2000). The concept, which is presently recognized in North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, is coupled with different practices like conferencing, sentencing circles and victim-offender mediation scheme. The repair of the harm caused by the crime may be achieved by holding moderated meetings with the victims, offenders and other parties affected. This practice can be used in the justice system as a

Critical Resource Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Critical Resource Review - Essay Example (McGrath, 2006, p. 8) Though bullying has been detected in all levels of the educational system, it is widespread in middle school, as pointed out in three studies. There is, then, this marked increase in the incidence of bullying as students graduate from elementary and move on to middle school. (Monitor Online website, 1999) In general, schools can do more to address student bullying within its campus by fostering organizational trust. The more the students trust their teachers to be concerned with their safety and well-being, the less prone they become to being victimized by bullies. The conclusion of a study contends that trust in the faculty has its way of serving as protection for the students against the assaults of bullies, whether verbal or physical. (Smith & Birney, 2005, p. 480) Other than working on the students’ trust in the school faculty, the school can implement some other forms of intervention to address bullying amongst them. Examples of such interventions include curriculum-based strategies to increase the level of awareness of the students regarding bullying as a possible barrier against their overall development. Thus, video films can be shown, theatre plays can be staged and open forums can be held to encourage students to be open about bullying as a threat that would have to be tackled by the faculty and the students together. (Smith & Sharp, 1994, p. 24) These collective actions of the school teachers against bullying must be established as a program that would be continually advocated for the welfare of the students. Schools must send out the messages that they will fight the occurrence of all sorts of bullying activities not just for a time but perpetually (Olweus, 1993, p. 77). Meanwhile, the bully whose behavior has gone unchecked is generally set to grow up as an antisocial person who has no adequate capability for empathy with others and who, therefore, turns out to be selfishly intolerant of