Criminal Justice in Ransom TV show
Ransom is a TV show that is based on government crisis negotiators who work to prevent violence where crime is intended. The characters move around the world to assist in solution generation to criminals who threaten in exchange for a prize. The crime portrayed in nearly all episodes is the kidnapping of innocent individuals. Some do it for money others are seen to do it to achieve a sense of control and others out of anger. There are three parts of criminal justice that deal with such kinds of wrongs; the enforcement department which include the police, supervisory departments such as courts, and the collection department like prisons. A lawbreaker is taken by the enforcement department then taken to court and later punished according to the judge’s ruling. The role of this government system is to ensure order and justice for all (Neil, 2007). The arm prevents future crimes, punishes wrongdoers, and educates society on what is required of them in regard to obeying the laws set. In this summary, an illustration of how professional negotiators deal with crimes will be significant as to what happens to law offenders.
Kidnapping an individual or a group of hostages is repetitive in the TV show and a different solution is provided in each case. However, the show focuses on crime, the police, and the type of punishment given. Police officers and federal agencies play an important role in society in ensuring justice and security for every individual (Surette 2015). They are a bridge between the courts and the correctional systems of the government. They testify in courts, arrest criminals, conduct patrols, and respond to urgent calls among other roles. Negotiators on the other hand play along with the needs of the criminal but focus on winning over the criminal to prevent crime.
In one episode, a man who is mentally disturbed because his wife was shot holds fourteen hostages in a church and threatens to kill them. The man is fully armed with a bomb vest and a gun. In exchange for the release of the hostages, the man demands for a sign from God that his wife will not die. Eric, the negotiator, plays along together with the police and has a gunshot in the church as the sign he asked for. This works perfectly as the hostages go free and the man does not die from the bomb vest as well and takes it off himself. Though the man is not seen being arrested, the law demands that justice is done to anyone who threatens the life of an innocent person or people in this case (Ransom, 2017).
In another case, a child is kidnapped and the kidnapper asks for 5 million dollars in return for the boy. The negotiator uses tactics for the kidnapper to agree to his terms instead of the other way round; the negotiator meets the terms of the kidnapper in other words called force position as Maxine, one of the negotiators calls it. Later on, the kidnapper is given the prize he asked for but as a fake and let's go the boy after the location is found. The police then arrest the kidnapper and punish them according to the crime committed (Ransom, 2017). Courts use different types of precedence in decision-making on what punishment is to be administered for certain crimes. One, the judge may rule according to the originality of the case. This means that there was no history of the case in the record of crimes made therefore the judge rules according to his knowledge in disciplinary of the stated crime. Secondly, the ruling may be based on declaratory precedence. Similar crimes made in the past should be punished equally (Lawgovpol, 2014). For example, kidnapping was punished with ten years imprisonment the last twenty years, and the same reoccurs. Thirdly, the biding precedence demands that when the superior court applies a similar ruling to a similar case, the inferior courts should do the same without making any changes or negotiations. Lastly is the persuasive precedence which demands a ruling from the inferior court to the superior and is negotiable and changeable. Depending on the kind of offense in question, judges administer justice to lawbreakers who are termed guilty (Lawgovpol, 2014).
In other cases, punishments are administered to suspected criminals. In episode five of Ransom, Shallot is detained for suspected bombing systems she used on different people and are nearly exploding until Eric of the crisis resolutions plays along with her demands and she opens up to the suspected crime and stops the bombs before it was time as set (Ransom, 2017). However, there are different kinds of punishments administered to wrongdoers. One is probation, the defendant is supposed to meet certain requirements as per the judge’s expectations (Janet, 1994). For example, the offender is required to keep off from committing crimes during the period, to report on a monthly basis or as agreed to the probation officers among others. The second is a penalty. Some offenses committed are called upon by the judges to pay a price as a correction method of the broken law. This fine is usually paid to the court dealing with the crime. Most criminal corrective measures embrace this kind of punishment for offenders.
The third punishment type is compensation. In this, if a person tampers with another person’s property or their well-being, they are entitled to repay them some amount of money as a due (Janet, 1994). Fourthly, one may be released on parole. This means that the offender is given a period of observation after early release from prison. Other punishments include imprisonment for a specified period of time as seen in Shallot’s case, and rehabilitating. In rare cases and few countries, capital punishment is imposed on very serious crimes (Janet, 1994).
Theories of punishment
Two theories explain the reasons why correction measures are imposed according to Janet Portman. One; She says that punishment serve as a warning for future crimes. Prisoners after completing their jail terms fear committing the crime again to avoid the recurrence of the punishment. Similarly, it serves as a lesson to others who have not experienced the kind of punishment also to avoid committing the crime. Second, Janet’s theory states that punishments are meant to compensate society since it’s the victim. This could be true, but criminals pay for their wrong deeds through harsh experiences in prisons or rehabilitation centers which do not directly involve society (Janet, 1994). But, as earlier mentioned, all corrections are aimed at rectifying and preventing a re-occurrence of the same crime.
According to this TV show, the police together with the professional negotiators work hand in hand to control the crime rate. Their interest is to ensure security is served to every individual in society. They are rather not enemies but friends of society and can be trusted with reports of suspicion of a crime. Ransom also teaches the public and the criminal justice component that clear evidence and full information concerning the crime in question should be at hand before imposing respective punishments. Law empowerment brings about uniformity and social control in society. This ensures that everyone is knowledgeable and aware of what is expected of them and what is not. Punishments bring about fear and this regulates the number of crimes to a lower percentage. People learn through those who have experienced these punishments and avoid situations that may lead them there thus crime reduction in today’s society.
Lastly, growing technology has become the order of the day in minimal durations of time. People spend leisure on different media platforms. Educative TV shows as Ransom and others related to crime should be made widely available on social sites. The young generation that is jobless is more critical to crimes as well as seen in the seventh episode as well where a young man and a lady hold a group of health professionals hostage in search of the right candidate to open a virus safe with the eye detector (Ransom, 2017). Therefore sites that would capture the attention of the young generation would be more commendable. For instance, substitute moral information in books for movies as most of the people don’t enjoy reading as they would enjoy watching a movie. Secondly, active training sessions on the laws set to govern the society once formulated would create wide knowledge of what is expected of everyone in the society. Crisis resolution practices Ransom has played an important role in spreading awareness and education around the globe at large
References
Janet Portman. (1994). How Are Crimes Punished/ - Lwyers.com. Retrieved from http://criminal.lawyers.com/criminal-law-basics/punishment-of-crime.html
Lawgovpol. (2014). Types of precedent. Retrieved from http://lawgovpol.com/types-precedent/
Ransom. (2017). Ransom (TV Series 2017) – Plot Summary –IMDb. Retrieved from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5809150/plotsummary?ref_=tt_ov_pl
Surette, R. (2015). Media, crime, and criminal justice. (5th edition). Wadsworth, Cengage. ISBN: 9781285459059
