At Fair Punishment, we believe in making legal resources free for everyone, so that civilians understand their rights and the justice system that they’re living under. Cojcr.org believed in the same principles, which is why we are happy to announce our acquisition of their website.
Bringing both our resources together allows us to share more information with people who are willing to learn, helping to enhance public safety and, hopefully, reduce crime rates.
At Fair Punishment, we are a group of attorneys, journalists, and objective content providers. We hope to continue offering important information and useful resources for many years to come.
What makes a law?
Every country has its own legal system and policies that they abide by. These are founded from the sources of law. In the USA, there are four primary sources of law that help us determine what to do with offenders.
These four sources are the United States Constitution, administrative regulations, federal and state statutes, and case law.
Justice for all
We believe in justice, and therefore the justice system. Like many other Americans, we want to see justice for victims, but also offenders returning to society. The scales of justice are an excellent depiction of this, with them representing weighing up the truth and fairness.
The evidence from both sides of the courtroom will be weighed up until a verdict is reached. The side with the more convincing evidence and complete case will win in weight and therefore the verdict.
Conflict
The conflict model of criminal justice is otherwise known as the non-system perspective or system conflict theory. It states that organizations of a criminal justice system should ensure that they achieve justice instead of using mutual assistance.
Conflict theory believes that the wealthy and elite are the ones able to set up laws and traditions, enhancing their feelings of dominance over lower classes. This also prevents people ‘below them’ from being able to work upwards and join them.
Conflict can arise from a number of different places, sometimes even where you expect it to least. During a case, an attorney might not just be representing one party – they might be representing both sides.
Of course, this comes with an increased risk of conflict, as you’ll often see the attorney becoming less objective as they get deeper into the case. This is where conflict waivers come into play. Both parties have to sign it to agree to the risks and benefits of the dual representation.
Conflict waivers are often required in certain situations and strongly advised in others. They should always be read carefully and in their entirety to ensure that the client understands fully what it means for them and their case.
The above topics are just a few that we are aiming to teach people about the justice system they’re under. If you’re interested in knowing more, come and look through our online catalog of resources at Fair Punishment.
