The role of law enforcement in our society is something that either is highly praised or severely criticized, and how someone perceives this difference depends on the side of the law that you fall on, whether you are victim or offender or in some cases both sides may feel like the justice system is failing in how it handles cases. There are many different ways on how to approach dealing with offenders. There have been cases where people are released early on parole for good behavior, or put on probation to begin with instead of being incarcerated, while others receive tough sentences in secure facilities. I think a lot of this depends on how you view the root of the problem of people being criminals or deviants.
For me I think that we must look at the system in a way that demonstrates that we believe that some people are willing and able to change if the right steps are taken in terms of support and assistance. I do not think that in terms of punishment, there should be just flat sentencing because different people will respond differently to being incarcerated and if they want to make changes in their lives. Also going along with that I don’t think that being sent to jail or prison is always the best choice for an offender. A lot of times this results in a labeling process where the person begins to identify themselves as a criminal. Also this label of being an ex-con can have harmful effects on the person after they are released. It is harder to get a job, to become a contributing member of society again because they carry this stigma of a criminal. I think that this is a resultfrom the more hardnosed stance we have taken as a country against crime. Such policies as the three strikes rule in some states and the sex offender registrations reflect this trend. As the public becomes more wary of crime and wanting more protection from it, there have been changes in how we have treated ex-offenders. This may become harmful to those who do want to make...