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How has the criminal justice system evolved over the past century?

Dejon Hobson

Well, that's a really interesting question. The criminal justice system has definitely gone through some major changes over the past century, and I think it's important to understand the context in which those changes happened.

One of the biggest shifts has been towards a more punitive approach to criminal justice. In the early 20th century, rehabilitation was seen as the goal of punishment. That meant that the focus was on helping offenders to reform and become productive members of society. This approach started to change in the 1960s and 1970s, as crime rates started to rise and politicians began to prioritize "law and order" policies. This led to a greater emphasis on punishment, including longer prison sentences and mandatory minimums for certain crimes.

Another big change has been the growth of mass incarceration. In the U.S., the prison population has grown from around 200,000 in the early 1970s to over 2 million today. This is partly due to the punitive approach described above, but it's also related to the war on drugs, which began in the 1980s. Drug offenses account for a large portion of the growth in the prison population, and many people argue that the war on drugs has been racially biased and has disproportionately affected low-income communities.

More recently, there has been some pushback against these trends. Some policymakers and activists are calling for criminal justice reform, including reducing the use of mandatory minimums and rethinking the war on drugs. There is also a growing recognition of the importance of addressing issues like mental health and substance abuse in the criminal justice system, rather than just punishing offenders.

Overall, I think it's clear that the criminal justice system has evolved a lot over the past century. While some of these changes have brought progress, others have resulted in unintended consequences, like mass incarceration. It will be interesting to see where things go from here, as we continue to grapple with the challenges of reducing crime while also protecting individual rights and promoting justice.