The below assignment has been written by another student. Please read it very carefully and reply to it by providing 200 words, apa format, at least 2 or 3 citations in addition to course textbook Schmalleger, F. (2011). Criminal justice today: An introductory text for the 21th Century (11th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Your work should be original work. Thanks (joseph) There are many factors that are attributed to the sentencing of a defendant when they are guilty. Policies, criminal record, the severity of the crime, the judge, plea deals, the jury, public opinion, the quality of the lawyer the defendant has, and overcrowding of jails and prisons. Alternative and innovative solutions of sentencing have been and are being used substantially more. “There is considerable support in criminal justice literature as a crime-reduction strategy (Schmalleger, 2011, p. 387).” The public and the jurors need to be more informed about the way judges’ sentence defendants. Most people would like to see sex, drug, and violent offenders sentenced more harshly than those who commit property crime. Warner and Davis explain further in their introduction that, “First, it has been shown that respondents who think sentences are too lenient were likely to be thinking of sentences for violent offenders. Second, perceptions of leniency are linked with misperceptions about crime rates and sentencing patterns. Survey results show that the less-informed are more likely to think courts are soft on crime (Warner & Davis, 2012, p. 93).” It is important to for the public to be more informed about the sentencing process and the case that is currently on the docket. The news channels also use sensationalism to get higher television rates and sometimes misconstrue the crime rate and violence that is actually happening in the community. Citizens have to use other outlets besides what the news reports to come to a more informed decision if the sentencing too lenient, too harsh, or just right. Alternative sentencing might be an option for those who commit minor, nonviolent crimes, but not an option for murders, rapes, and other heinous crimes. Prisons in the Unites States are extremely being over used and alternative sentencing and solutions to sentencing need to be addressed. Nagin states that, “Taking into account jail populations, approximately 1% of the adult population in the United States is behind bars…the United States accounts for 25% of the world’s prison population (Nagin, 2014, p. 499).” The policy makers for criminal justice need to realize that there needs to be other options for criminal offenders besides jail, because citizens are paying for the room and board of criminals in prisons. “Faced with prison overcrowding, high incarceration costs, and public calls for retribution, other judges have used shaming strategies to deter wrong doers (Schmalleger, 2011, p. 386).” At least for the minor property crime, drug possession crimes, traffic offenses and other minor crimes shaming tactics would be a viable option instead of incarceration. There should be a criminal justice policy that outlines what types of shaming sentences judges can demand to remove ambiguity and increase the fairness in the system. In Biblical times an eye for an eye was perceived literally in that society. If there was some type of criminal justice policy that the offender can experience what they did do the offended, then it might be feasible that would deter crime. For minor crimes such as vandalism, and theft this could be a viable option. Violent offenders also would probably think twice about committing crimes if they knew what they do to someone else will be done to them if they get caught. This is highly unlikely in our present society, but it is a reality in some Middle East countries that abide by their religious statutes in a fundamental manner.