Generally law is decided by either the government or a monarch, and it can be altered if attitudes, circumstances or ideas change. Different countries and times have different laws. The existence of law creates a belief that it is morally right and therefore should be obeyed. It also creates punishments for people that disobey it, it creates the whole justice system we have today. It is intended to prevent people from committing a crime and in doing so make our world a safer place to exist in. However, there are many opinions and criticisms of modern day law.
Laws have to pass through various motions to be passed, however, the question remains that who actually decides whether or not laws are acceptable, a good idea – do they represent the whole population or are they decided by just one dominant group of individuals with authority? The idea of law is that it is best for everyone and echoes the will of the people of our country, but some views suggest that this may not actually be the case. The fact that the society we live in is very money driven, and those that have a higher financial status have more say than those than do not is a valid opinion. Money gives both social and political power, it could be suggested that law is a result of the wishes of powerful individuals and that the majority of the population have no say in it and are powerless to change it.
However, not all laws are entirely for the benefit of the working class. It is obvious that many laws are there to protect everyone, laws concerning stealing, assault etc. For a legal system to be effective, any law must have the majority support of the population, otherwise they would have no use. If this statement is to be believed, then law must be for the protection and rights in society and people must agree with it surely?
Another argument would be that law is pointless, as it is not always obeyed by numerous individuals. Although, it is impossible to control the actions of every person on our planet and no method could be 100% successful in preventing crime. Respect for the law will exist if it is regarded as reasonable. If a law is thought unreasonable, pressure for change will develop. Law is usually a compromise between different views and is often open to interpretation.
Cases of injustice, when people are falsely accused and sent to prison for a crime that they were not guilty of, is constantly in the tabloids and media. This evokes a negative view of our law system. Courts are independent and exist to defend the values of society against law breakers. Their function is to provide fair trials and correct verdicts for people accused of offences, to demonstrate equality of treatment for all regardless of social position and to allow accused people the right of defence. Obviously, there are always some mistakes, as with every system in our day and age, but it is almost impossible to escape occasional errors, the majority of punishments are correct and justified.
Another criticism of the law is that the law is meant to be a compromise between views and that the majority of the population should agree with it. However, what can you do if you do not agree with the law? If the law reflects peoples opinions and views as it suggests, then why do people that protest against the law get arrested too? Surely, in our current world of freedom and free will we should be free to evoke our opinions?
To conclude, I agree to this statement to a certain extent but not totally. There are arguments both to support and challenge it. However, one thing is certain – no matter what method of controlling our society we adopt, there are always going to be mistakes and criticisms, nothing will ever be perfect. As with everything, the law will improve over time and become more and more efficient, the law will change according to opinions and attitudes of our population. Pressures for change can come in various ways: - New knowledge may make changes possible or necessary. - It may come from changing attitudes and values. – People may campaign about laws that they do not agree with. – Events may cause a panic amongst the public and therefore society would demand new laws. – Campaigns may be supported or encouraged by media. – Structure of society may change over time and make new laws necessary. – Changes in opinions or attitudes of other countries reported in the media may affect our laws. – Dominant groups, particularly political parties that have an agenda for change may come into power and enforce these changes. Over time, as more and more changes are made our law and justice system should gradually improve and eventually be as effective as possible in protecting the rights of individuals and society without favour or prejudice.
