Taylor Silman

Dr. Angela Mitchell

University Writing 1104

10 September 2017

Topic Proposal for Extended Inquiry Project

From colonial days to present day today, our criminal justice system has impacted the

nation and its people greatly. Our criminal justice system is made up of three basic key

components. They consist of cops, courts, and corrections. Cops is the understanding of the

police force and the protection the police force gives. Courts involves the court systems and what

makes up each court. Inside the court system involves our judges, attorneys, victims and

witnesses, and jurors. Each member of the court system plays a vital role in how our courts are

operated. Finally, we have our corrections. Corrections involves the prison systems in which we

hold criminals for long periods of time. Depending on how severe the crime is, depends on how

long their prison sentence will be. All three of these components make up our criminal justice

system today. The problem we face as Americans is that our CJ system is corrupt. What I mean

by that is that the people who work inside the criminal justice system become selfish and dont

follow the laws within the system. For example, in todays society we here and see all the

attention police officers are receiving whether its for their racial comments and/or actions or

whether its for their unlawful practices. We watch the news and see the unethical actions of the

police force and it stops you and makes you wonder why theyre acting so malicious. You stop

and wonder what causes them to act in such a corrupt manner. Now Im not saying that all police

officers are malicious but those select few impact our society greatly. These acts cause riots, they
cause people to act out, and they affect our nation in a negative way. This corruption is affecting

our future and how we view others. Its affecting our future criminal justice system and the

people who make it up.

Considering we hear and read about the corruption that goes on in our criminal justice

system, many questions spur around in my mind and it makes me think and wonder the causation

of such acts. I think and wonder why the criminal justice system is so corrupt, what makes the

criminal justice system corrupt, who makes the criminal justice system corrupt and this curiosity

makes you want to learn and research about the issue. Other questions such as Does the media

blow the corruption of the CJ system out of proportion or is the CJ system that corrupt? or

What are some factors that influence these specific people to make the CJ system corrupt?

stimulates curiosity and it makes you want to get involved in the issue. These questions will not

only provide answers but it will help me understand the criminal justice system.

Ever since the beginning of high school, Ive been very interested in the criminal justice

system and how it operates. Ive researched and studied what makes up the criminal justice and

the functions of it. I believe I have a good background knowledge of what the CJ system is and

the disciplines involved. Since Im not an expert in this course of study, this piece still peaks my

interests. It makes me want to research more on the issue, to get a better understanding of the

criminal justice system. Now although Ive been learning about the CJ system since the

beginning of high school, there is still plenty more to learn. With the problems/ issues arising

today, more and more events/ information arises and it gets me involved. I love how the CJ

system works, how they operate amongst the nation, and how they shape our nation today. Even

though the corruption that goes on inside stimulates arguments, the criminal justice system still

tries to portray a positive outlook on the nation. The criminal justice system itself isnt bad but
the people who make up it frame it to be malicious. My interest for this topic will not only help

better my knowledge of the CJ system but it will help me grasp the true issue that arises in

America today.

My next steps toward my extended inquiry project is trying to fully understand what Im

trying to investigate. As I start to research on this very controversial topic, I will go in depth on

smaller issues relating to this overall topic. With the help of these subtopics, I believe I will be

able to produce an excellent final product that solves this so-called investigation. I will take in

what I know to better my research on the matter. I will use institutions, such as the FBI, CIA,

Homeland Security, etc., to back up my research and to provide examples on the issue of

corruption in the CJ system. I will research both sides of the spectrum to try and fully understand

why corruption exists in our Criminal Justice system. I will research peoples opinions/

viewpoints about why and how they think the Criminal Justice System is corrupt. I want to be

able to come out of this project knowing what the real issues are covering our nation and why

they are arising. I want to figure out what started this domino effect of malicious behavior and

who first caused this issue. As I dive deep into this topic, I hope to form a project that circulates

conversation as well as opinions.