The U.S vs Austria’s Criminal Justice Systems
Throughout the history of the U.S., the criminal justice system has been far from perfect. There have been numerous instances of injustice and corruption observed within it. For example, since as early as 1790, the United States has constituted the use of the death penalty (U.S. Marshals Service). On the other hand, because of the corruption-free criminal justice system in Austria, the death penalty was abolished in Austria in 1968 (Winkler). In reality, corruption is just one of the numerous flaws of the U.S. criminal justice system. Although both countries are thriving in many ways, and they share many similarities, only one has the upper hand in their criminal justice system. The U.S. criminal
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In the United States, the death penalty is often used unfairly in situations where it is clear that the defendant is not guilty of the crime or that the defendant is not deserving of the punishment. The appropriate use of the death penalty is very subjective. This is due to the fact that there are very few guidelines, and it is mostly up to the jury and judge to decide whether or not to impose the death penalty when the defendant is guilty of a capital crime. The judge can look at many factors, such as history, the regret of the crime, and the nature of the crime when deciding (U.S. Dept. of Justice). Additionally, in 2009, all five of the women who were on Alabama's death row were condemned for the unexplained deaths of their young children, spouses, or boyfriends. (Stevenson, 201) In these cases, it is obvious that the defendant is not guilty, and most definitely should not be punished in such a way. However, due to the subjective nature of the death penalty, they are punished. On the contrary, Austria outlawed the death penalty in 1968 (Winkler). The maximum sentence is a life sentence for the most severe crimes. This is superior to the death sentence as in the rare case of an incorrect conviction, the defendant can still be released. But, this is just one of the ways the U.S. criminal justice system is