The Sentencing Phase in the United States Research Paper

The Sentencing Phase in the United States - Research Paper Example The research paper "The Sentencing Phase in the United States" deals on the sentencing phase of the criminal justice system and tries to discuss some of the more urgent issues regarding this crucial phase. The justice system forms the third leg of the triad in the handling of criminal cases, the other two being law enforcement system and the penal or corrections system. All three must work together for penal sanctions to be effective as a deterrent to the commission of crimes. The wheels of justice can indeed grind very slowly and sometimes it takes years for the victims to get vindication and justice for the harm done to them. In a sense, the concern to be so careful to avoid penalizing the innocent is the main cause of this slowness in the justice system. No criminal justice system is perfect. Be that as it may, it should not prevent society nor preclude the government from imposing justice for deviant behaviors. The idea is that the system must be geared towards fairness and equality; flaws in the system can be corrected over time and must not adversely affect the sense of trust by the people that the system is indeed fair. Lapses in the procedures, processes, and practices must not undermine the whole legal system. There are a lot of variables that can confound and confuse the litigants in many instances. A person can opt out of the criminal justice system through a plea bargain agreement that will lessen the sentence to be imposed and may subject the defendant to probation.