Justice Requisites Flashcards

The Requisites of Justice

• Justice requires the ability to identify, apprehend, punish law violators, and understand their intent.

Justice Premises

• Premise #1: It is unjust for some violators to be punished while others are free; all must be held accountable.
• Premise #2: Law abiders are treated unfairly if known violators are unpunished.

Justice Delivery Errors

• Innocents may be wrongfully punished.
• Guilty individuals might escape accountability.
• The guilty may receive punishments that are either too severe or too lenient.

Discrepancies in Justice

• Disparities exist between the poor and wealthy in justice delivery.
• The poor might face harsher punishments while the wealthy often evade justice.

Definitions of Justice

• Justice as a concept is viewed as serving the interests of the stronger.
• Justice should ideally ensure equitable access to rights and opportunities.

Understanding Deviance

• Deviance encompasses both positive and negative aspects of actions.
• No individual is considered deviant in every facet of existence.

Value of Deviance

• Deviance can catalyze social change and challenge existing values.
• It redistributes leadership opportunities and pushes for societal re-examination.

Nature of Deviance and Crime

• Deviance is an ever-present reality and can only change in severity.
• Crime can be reduced if legislative and law enforcement bodies fail to operate effectively.

Criminal Identification

• Criminal status often depends on whether individuals have been caught or their socio-economic status.

Crime Definitions

• Substantive Dimension: Encompasses legislative details, executive directives, and legal precedents.
• Procedural Dimension: Involves police practice, local legal culture, and judicial determinations.

Crime Reporting Dynamics

• Unfounding Crime: Ignoring known crimes.
• Founding Crime: Reporting unregistered crimes.
• De-founding Crime: Adjusting the representation of known offenses.

Local Legal Culture

• Indicates selective enforcement of laws based on societal norms.

Emile Durkheim

• A founding figure in criminology from France, influencing the understanding of social factors in crime.

Social Class and Crime

• Crime rates vary with social class; impoverished populations often face harsher legal consequences influenced by socio-economic advantages of wealthier groups.

Socratic Insights

• Premise #1: Unlimited liberty compromises justice and societal order.
• Premise #2: A significant danger to democracy arises from those willing to sacrifice liberty for the sake of order.

F. Scott Fitzgerald's Perspective

• The ability to hold contradictory ideas while striving for a better future is essential to navigating life's challenges.