The purpose of a criminal justice system is to reprimand those who have broken the law while maintaining social order. However, nothing man-made is without flaws. There have been countless cases of corruption in the criminal justice system, which have drastically altered the outcome of numerous cases. In recent decades, government officials in various countries have started to recognize the problems caused by corruption and have consequently created anti-corruption plans and institutions. Despite these efforts, corruption has remained a notorious force around the world. The presence of corruption in criminal justice systems around the world jeopardizes people's safety, continues the cycle of crime, and challenges the idea of ​​what is fundamentally a just system. It is reasonable to conclude that the greater the spread of corruption in a given country, the more dangerous the nation. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The 2017 Global Peace Index (GPI) report analyzed the degree of peace of various nations based on a variety of factors such as security, militarization, internal conflict, and even relations with neighboring countries, to name a few . These indicators were carefully measured, and each of the 163 countries included in the report were assigned scores and rankings determined by these measurements. The five highest-ranked countries overall were, in descending order, Iceland, New Zealand, Portugal, Austria and Denmark. Countries further down the list include Yemen, South Sudan, Iraq, Afghanistan and, finally, Syria. To draw conclusions on the real correspondence between peace and corruption, the results of the Global Peace Index mentioned above can be compared with those of Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index (CPI). Individuals around the world reported the perceived level of corruption in their home countries as experts conducted various assessments of the nations. The scale on which the 176 countries were rated ranged from zero to one hundred. Zero represented the highest prevalence of corruption while one hundred represented the lowest. The nations were then ranked from highest to lowest based on their respective scores. Denmark and New Zealand were in first place, followed by Finland, Sweden and Switzerland. The countries at the bottom of the list were Libya, Sudan and Yemen, tied with 170, followed by Syria, North Korea, Sudan and Somalia. Clearly, the countries were not exactly correlated in their GPI and CPI rankings. However there were several distinct similarities. Denmark and New Zealand ranked in the top five on both lists, while Yemen, Sudan and Syria remained among the lowest-ranked countries on each list. Iceland, the most peaceful country, ranked in the top twenty of the CPI. While most nations had similar positions in terms of peace and corruption, there was one notable exception to the rule. The United States, which ranks 18th in the CPI, is ranked 114th in the GPI. The latter score, which is eleven places lower than the country's 2016 ranking, is attributed to an increase in internal conflict, homicide rates and “a decline in the level of trust in government and other citizens that has generated a deterioration of the score per level”. of crime perceived in society". Nearly all other countries included in the two reports, however, showed very similar rankings, demonstrating a significant correlation between the amount of corruption in a nation and its peace and security. One way corruption can make themore dangerous society is to continue the cycle of crime. Because of their fundamental similarities, each nation's criminal justice system should be able to function as long as people's compliance is ensured. present. There are a few theories to explain why people generally respect authority, one of which is the public legitimacy principle. This can be defined as the perceived effectiveness of authority figures by members of the public, or citizens, of a given country). However, since there is currently no single proven reason to explain why people tend to respect the law, this remains one of many theories. What is certain is that people's compliance with law enforcement is starting to decline as corruption grows in prevalence. “…even a small number of corruption cases…will have a negative impact on public opinion because it is precisely this system that punishes corruption in other sectors. This leads to a decrease in public trust…and reinforces doubts…”. In a corruption-free criminal justice system, the criminal trial will take place as expected, i.e. around eleven steps will be followed, depending on the complexity of the case. Simply put, if an investigation takes place and someone is charged with a crime as a result, the accused can take a plea deal or go to trial. The lawyer of the accused, who during the trial is called the accused, will defend him from the public prosecutor, who has the task of proving that the accused has committed that particular crime. Members of a jury, or judge, will then find the defendant innocent or guilty based solely on the evidence and testimony presented. Although the United States criminal justice process is not used by other countries, it can be used as an example of a fundamentally just system. While a system may be fundamentally fair and just, as is the case in a large number of countries, in practice they may deviate from this theoretical scheme. Often this divergence is due to various forms of corruption. The most accurate definition of corruption is “the abuse of entrusted power for personal gain.” The four main types of corruption that emerge during the criminal trial are political interference; extortion of victims, witnesses or officials; nepotism that benefits those close to the case; and misuse of court funds and resources. One of the most common forms of corruption is bribery. Bribing someone or accepting a bribe is itself a crime; according to 18 USC §201, being convicted of a single count "can result in fines of up to triple the amount of the bribe, up to 15 years in prison, and a sanction disqualifying the defendant from holding public office in the future." The officials involved in this illicit activity undermine the very purpose of criminal justice. The criminal justice system should discipline and then rehabilitate those who have committed a crime. However, bribery and other forms of corruption impede the proper delivery of justice. Criminals who bribed a judge or jury member are more likely to receive an innocent verdict, regardless of whether or not they were the actual perpetrators of the crime. Going against the established procedures of the justice system creates injustice, which becomes evident when corruption is exposed. be at least somewhat prevalent. As corruption increases, citizens begin to distrust the criminal justice system, causing a variety of problems for both citizens and officials. People will begin to believe that using corrupt tactics is an effective way to achieve the desired result. “…and it will generate the perception that corruption isthe only way to obtain high quality services, thus encouraging the public to resort to it further… which will weaken the very concept of democracy”. Once some people start to consider the use of corrupt methods as an effective way to achieve the desired result, others will use them too. As for officials, instead of trying to correct corruption, they could place the blame only on those who directly contributed to corruption, rather than using the reporting of a corruption scandal as a means of correcting the entire system. “Blaming a few bad apples can become an excuse for commanding officers to deny that a more systemic problem exists.” This is simply one of the wrong ways corruption is handled, but it's not the worst. Ignoring the problem may be worse than blaming another person or group of people. Failing to recognize corruption simply encourages it to persist, and a justice system rife with corruption engages in the very type of activity it is supposed to correct: criminal activity. Numerous countries have begun to address corruption in their criminal justice systems, including France, the United Kingdom, the United States, Romania, Kenya, and Malaysia, to name a few. France recently implemented the French Anti-Corruption Agency, called AFA. This agency was created under a new anti-corruption law called Loi Sapin II, passed on November 8, 2016. In 2014, the United Kingdom published its anti-corruption plan. The report details the implementation of four key principles: prosecute, prevent, protect and prepare. There is also a strong focus on informing other countries about corruption risks and seeking to eliminate corruption in countries beyond the UK. In the United States, there are internal affairs units of police departments, which “…investigate resident complaints and violations of administrative rules alleged against police personnel and report the results of such investigations to the chief of police; and support residents' and administrators' complaints in departmental hearings and councils." A number of principles and laws have been adopted with the intention of targeting more specific branches of the justice system. Frank Schmalleger's book Criminal Justice: A Brief Introduction describes various principles that govern the actions of criminal justice officials. For example, the exclusionary rule prevents illegally seized evidence from being used in a trial, thus preventing most police officers from falsely accusing an individual. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom EssayCorruption poses a huge threat to the criminal justice system. It jeopardizes people's safety, continues the cycle of crime, and challenges the idea of ​​what is fundamentally a just system. By eliminating this threat, the justice systems of various countries will be able to function properly and in a fair and equitable manner. Criminals will be punished for their actions, innocent people will not be unfairly reprimanded, officials will carry out their work in accordance with regulations, and the entire system will be able to function as intended. The criminal justice system should eliminate crime, not become part of it. Works Cited Global Peace Index. (2017). Institute for Economy and Peace. Retrieved from https://www.visionofhumanity.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Global-Peace-Index-2017-1.pdfTransparency International. (2021). Corruption Perception Index 2020. Retrieved from https://www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2020/index/nzlUnited Nations Office..