Society's Response to Crime

Society's Response to Crime

Nichole McEntire

Argosy University

Society's Response to Crime

The procedural justice model, the restorative justice model, and the study of moral development deal with rule breaking in similar ways. One similarity is the long-term goal of motivating rule breakers in becoming more self-regulating in any future conduct. It is argued that this can be done by focusing on psychological approaches that will connect with and activate internal values within law breakers. Currently our society has focused on a punishment-focused model through the use of being highly punitive towards law breakers. Sanction-based models, such as what we follow, undermine the goals of the other models because it creates negative consequences for the individual wrongdoer and for society. One negative consequence, for example, has been the over-populated prison population in America. Another consequence has been the negative relationship that has developed between the police, courts, and American communities (Tyler, 2006).

The procedural justice model focuses on legitimacy of authority by motivating obligations. The procedural justice model suggests treating people with procedural justice and respect and having a framework of social engagement. When law and legal authorities are viewed as being legitimate than people are more likely to obey and become self-regulating by following social rules with personal responsibility. In order for procedural justice to work effectively we have to create groups, organizations, and societies that procedural justice can be experienced in. Two examples of procedural justice include justice in the quality of decision-making procedures and justice in the quality of treatment that people receive from others. When these forms of justice are experienced by people they are more likely to accept social rules, and voluntarily engage in self-regulatory behavior. Research has shown that people will obey laws, without the...