#8 Project Summary

I found this to be a very interesting and educational project. It seems that crime as we perceive it as a society is very rarely what it appears to be on the surface level. I learned a lot about the different factors going into the criminal justice system and how they may be affected by outside influences. I think the most interesting thing I came to realize was that a criminal is the farthest thing from an isolated individual. He is most often the result of the society he was raised in and the different factors that make up that society, from its values and norms to its sanctions. This was made clearest by the 9/11 events and the motivations and thought processes behind them, but also by the Ted Kaczynski case. Ted did what he did as a result of his views on society and the way society treated him. This idea is stressed in the Patty Hearst case where Hearst was literally brainwashed with the ideas of a new society to the point of committing an act viewed as criminal by the main society. It is often seen that the values and norms of a subculture or counterculture lead an individual to commit acts that the main culture deems criminal. The question must then be asked whether that is truly the fault of the individual, or perhaps the society from which he came. This then brings up the issue of re-socialization. If a criminal is deemed a criminal, what actions should be taken to change their ideology and beliefs to better fit with the main society? Along these lines, I also came across the issue of insanity. One who is found not guilty due to insanity is often given treatment to help them. Should the same treatment be made available to those found guilty? Another issue that came up was whether society's effect on the process. In the case of the Central Park Five, societal pressure caused police and prosecutors to ignore blatant lapses in evidence and convict 5 men who could not possibly have committed the crime. I found this to be one of the most shocking cases of all. That society and its fears and values could have such a strong effect was startling. I had always wanted to believe that the justice system stood independent, but it is clear that societal norms, in many cases, taboos, cause advocates to turn a blind eye.

I think the greatest lesson to be learned from these case studies is that a criminal is never an independent entity. He is always a result of the society, whether it is as a member or as an outcast. Although there may not be a way to use this knowledge to prevent crime, as there will always be in-groups and out-groups, there may be a way to apply it after the fact. With this in mind, one can adjust the system of punishment we have in our society to better help criminals re-socialize to better fit into the norms that we as a society have established. Of course, there is the greater question of whether our norms and values are really the best, but for now, this will have to be made an assumption as the majority, in this case, does rule for the safety and well-being of all.