Criminal Justice in the Ancient Times Research Paper

Criminal Justice in the Ancient Times - Research Paper Example Key words: Criminal justices, human rights, penalty and punishment Aspect of Human Rights in Criminal Justice in the Ancient Times Introduction Criminal justice refers to a coordination of practices and institutions of governments majoring at upholding social control, preventing and mitigating crime. Criminal justice sanctions those who break laws by applying criminal penalties and efforts of rehabilitation (Bauman, 2002). Those who are accused have protectors in opposition to abuse of investigation and powers of prosecution. The recent criminal justice system has evolved since the olden times with new versions of penalties, added rights for offenders and victims, and various policing reforms. These reforms have subsequently reflected a change on political ideals, economic aspects and customs. In ancient times especially the middle ages, exile was a common form of criminal penalty. During the middle Ages, compensation to the victim or the victim’s family which is known as werg ild was another form of punishment together with violent crimes (The justice cascade, 2011). This was appropriate for those who could not make their way out financially. Rash penalties included various forms of corporal punishment such as mutilation, flogging and branding. A criminal justice system consist of three major sections namely, legislative (creates laws), adjudication (courts) and corrections such as jails, probation and prisons (Journal on Courts, law, and justice, 2011). In this system, these separate agencies operate both under the rule of law and this is the valid means of keeping the rule of law within the society. Human rights as an aspect of history of criminal justice are considered to be an evolving aspect throughout human history. This is because they have been specifically tied to laws, customs and religions in the entire ages as from the ancient times (Journal of Forensic Social Work, 2011). One of the first codified rules of law that include references to pers onality rights is the code of Hammurabi. In the olden times, it was a big crime to displease either the gods or the king. The king of Mesopotamia, Hammurabi who existed in 1795 to 1750 was an exalted prince who respected God and thus was divinely called to create about the laws of righteousness in the land, to eliminate the immoral and the wrong doers so that they don’t harm the weak (Bauman, 2002). The code of Hammurabi was discovered in 1901 (about 4000 years ago)and it was carved into the sides of a high monument which was eight feet tall and for the first it was known for spelling out transparently, for every one within that community to observe the penalties and expectations that was valid to each and everyone leaving in that society. A larger portion of the Hammurabi tablet majorly focuses on matters that recently would be considered as human rights in the context of family or civil law. This might include incidents such as felling trees of the orchard that belongs to a particular person or the right to remarry or pass dowry on her sons. In addition, other parts of this tablet granted debt relief for farmers who were inconvenienced by natural calamities such as drought, famine and famers whose crops were damaged as a result of careless irrigation practices of their neighbors (The justice cascade, 2011). There were various penalties for pasturing sheep in the field of another and provisions for the incentive of