Criminal Justice

  Description     While in the US there have been significant judicial and social changes/advances in the last 20 years, not all the countries around the world offer the same legal protection to all of their citizens/minorities and the same opportunities for social justice and equality. By reading the statistical information on the legal systems and the incarceration rates in US and South Africa, please compare the two countries in terms of the legal issues faced by various minorities in the two countries, by answering the following questions: Compare the incarceration rates by race in the US and South Africa and discuss the similarities and differences. Why does one country have a higher rate of incarceration than the other in any of the categories of races? Discuss the importance of legal system and political representation in determining the incarceration rates. What are some key differences in the political institutions and political representation that may have the most important effects on the incarceration rates experienced in the two countries? Explain whether the current political systems play a role in explaining the trends in the incarceration rates in the two countries. Discuss if you believe poverty in the two countries affect the incarceration rates ( for example, do you think that the high levels of poverty should affect the judicial system in terms of legislation and law enforcement?)