Over-criminalization

Essay # 53594

Criminology > Criminal Justice and Corrections
Criminology > Drugs Enforcement
Law > Criminal

A discussion of the phenomenon of over-criminalization of the criminal justice system.

1,100 words () | 4 sources | MLA | 2004 United States

Paper Summary:

In the past three decades, a veritable revolution has occurred in U.S. criminal law. It has taken place for the most part at the federal level where the number of crimes with which individuals can be charged has grown rapidly. Once there were only three named federal criminal acts: treason, piracy, and counterfeiting. Now there are thousands of federal laws and regulations, and the violation of any one of them, no matter how unintentional and harmless the transgression, can lead to years of imprisonment for the convicted person.

From the Paper:

"The large number of offenses, especially those criminalizing the vices, has led some people to question whether or not the criminal law is being overused to achieve moral purposes. This situation, called overcriminalization, occurs when behaviors are made illegal even though they do not cause great societal harm and are not regarded as criminal by a significant portion of society."