Due Process Model Vs Crime Control Model

478 Words2 Pages

In Herbert Packer's criminal justice scale we get two extremes that come together to form what we know today as the American criminal justice system. The Due Process model is founded upon the presumption of innocence and operates on more than just factual guilt but judicial guilt as well. On the other hand we have the Crime Control model which is essentially the exact opposite of due process in that its founding principle is the presumption of guilt. The primary focus of the crime control model is just that, crime prevention, rather than actual justice for the accused/accuser. Proponents of the crime control model feel that if police officers have spent the time to investigate and arrest a suspect for a crime and the prosecutor has charged …show more content…

You see more non-violent drug convictions in predominantly black and latino neighborhoods because of the crime control model. It allows for more policing of neighborhoods that have been deemed "more susceptible to crime" when in all actuality the neighborhood is only a high volume crime area due to the high volume of police in said area to arrest people for the crimes. In my opinion, to improve our criminal justice system there has to be a true balance between both extremes of this scale for everyone. Too often we see criminal justice is left up to the interpretation of the powers that be and depending on a number of circumstances that could be the difference in two or twenty years in prison. In a nutshell, the crime control model is designed for crime prevention and protection of a community take precedent whereas the due process model is designed for the preservation of an individual's personal freedoms. Personally, I feel as if the crime prevention tactics used to police and protect these communities unfairly target certain groups of people depending on the demographic. In an urban environment that targeted group may be black people versus in a more rural community it may be those who are simply less fortunate and seem to have a higher inclination for crime due to