Beliefs and Values of an Unethical Criminal Justice System

The criminal justice system is a system of law enforcement that is involved in prosecuting, sentencing, and punishing those who have committed a criminal offence. When every member of society is aware of their individual rights and the laws enforced, the criminal justice system is very effective, but when a contributor to society is mentally insane and commits a criminal offence everything changes. In Frontline’s A Crime of Insanity, a twenty-six year old psychology student, Ralph Tortoricci, walked across the Albany campus of the State University of New York with a hunting knife and a Remington .270 rifle. He took a class hostage and later wounded a nineteen year old sophomore. Ralph obviously committed a crime but the problem is: was he†¦show more content†¦There are many different aspects to a case, but there was an obvious amount of evidence that Ralph was mentally ill and needed help. If the court sentenced Ralph Tortoricci to a mental institution he would still be isolated from society for just as long if not longer than sentencing him to jail, but he would have also been getting daily assistance to help him recover from his mental illness. Throughout the film, it was evident that Ralph needed help. There were signs that he was struggling with his sanity, yet his family members never seemed to step in and get him help. If Ralph’s family was more involved, they would have noticed signs throughout his teen years that could have aided in his mental health. The main underlying issue I personally have of this entire trial is the fact that the prosecutor, Cheryl Coleman, knew within thirty seconds that Ralph was mentally insane yet still did everything in her power to convict Ralph and sentence him to jail. It is understandable that she had to fulfil her duties as a prosecutor, but as a criminal justice system there must be a point where what is right overpowers the legal system of punishment. If not, this system will continue to run unet hically and ultimately lead to a corrupt and exploiting criminal justice system. In Canada alone there are approximately 403,000 criminal justice cases annually (Dauvergne, 2010) with aShow MoreRelatedEthics in Criminal Justice Administration1433 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿ Ethics in Criminal Justice Administration CJA 484 Lori Madison Nowhere is ethical behavior more important than the administration of criminal justice. Lack of ethical behavior undermines the purpose of the criminal justice system. The cost of unethical behavior will be the downfall of the criminal justice system and only by gaining a true understanding of what ethical behavior is and how to maintain it will the system continue to flourish. 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