Purpose of Justice in the Criminal Justice System
Purpose of Justice in the Criminal Justice System
Amani Aboelnour
The College of New Jersey, Ewing
100: Criminology
Professor Thompson
20 April 2025
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Purpose of Justice in the Criminal Justice System
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Justice is the foundation of any criminal justice system, but its meaning and how it is
used often vary depending on who is speaking. The term "justice" can seem vague, yet it holds
powerful significance in decisions that affect lives, freedoms, and public trust. The purpose of
justice in the criminal justice system is to ensure fairness, accountability, and equal treatment
under the law. However, justice can often be affected by racial bias, systemic inequality, or
conflicting interpretations of what fairness truly means.
To me, justice means fairness and moral rightness. In the criminal justice context, it
involves ensuring that both victims and accused individuals are treated fairly, with a system that
remains transparent and upholds equality under the law.
As defined by procedural justice theory, justice is not just about outcomes but about the
processs itself. According to Van Hall et al. (2023), when individuals feel respected, heard, and
treated fairly, they are more likely to accept outcomes, even unfavorable ones.
When prosecutors and defense attorneys say, "We seek justice," they may be referring to
different aspects. Prosecutors typically mean securing a conviction or outcome that they believe
protects society and punishes wrongdoing. Defense attorneys, however, often seek justice by
protecting the rights of the accused and ensuring due process. These goals can clash, which is
why justice is not always clear cut or easy to define.
True justice for both victims and defendants is difficult, and sometimes impossible to
achieve. For example, in the recent case of Nixon Jose Azuaje-Perez, a suspect in a violent
shooting in Colorado, he was deported before trial (Markus & Sherry, 2025). The vicims may
never see justice through the court system, while the defendant is denied the opportunity to
defend himself in court. This case shows how external systems, like immigration enforcement
can interfere with the criminal justice process and deny justice on both sides.
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Justice is harder to achieve when systemic racism is involved. Van Cleve and Mayes
(2015) argues that the U.S. criminal justice system treats Black and Latino communities unfairly
by punishing them more than others. This racial inequality affects decisions and outcomes
throughout the system. Justice isn’t just about fairness in individual cases but about fixing larger
unfair systems.
In conclusion, the purpose of justice in the criminal justice system is to promote fairness
and equality. However,, this goal is often affected by conflicting interests, systemic barriers, and
unequal treatment. Prosecutors and defense attorneys both invoke the term justice, but their goals
differ. Justice for both victims and defendants is ideal but not always realistic, especially when
race, power, and outside factors affect legal decisions. To achieve true justice, we need to
address individual behavior and the systems and structures that shape it.
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References
Markus, B., & Sherry, A. (2025, April 10). ICE detention, deportation can deny justice in local
criminal cases, frustrating prosecutors. Colorado Public Radio.
https://www.cpr.org/2025/04/10/ice-detention-deportation-impacts-victims-rightsjudicial-system/
Van Cleve, N. G., & Mayes, L. (2015). Criminal Justice Through “Colorblind” Lenses: A Call to
Examine the Mutual Constitution of Race and Criminal Justice. Law & Social Inquiry,
40(2), 406–432. https://doi.org/10.1111/lsi.12113
Van Hall, M., Dirkzwager, A. J. E., van der Laan, P. H., & Nieuwbeerta, P. (2024). Detainees’
Perceptions of Procedural Justice: An Examination Throughout the Criminal Justice
System. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology,
68(13–14), 1323–1341. https://doi.org/10.1177/0306624X221132229
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