Rights, Morality, and the Criminal Justice System (Discussion 1)

Human rights are basically “natural rights […] that basic[ally] guarantees exist and that all people possess them simply by virtue of being human.” (p.177) An example of this is the right to live, we are born and deserve to die a natural death. Another right would be to perform reasonable work for a reasonable wage under safe conditions that do not unnecessarily cause harm, injury or death.

Legal rights are developed by man and afford certain protections that other men should abide by. These protections result in the orderly administration and operation of communities and societies. There are many different types of legal rights from criminal and processes, to medical and real estate that establish who is responsible for what and under what conditions. They also create how violators will be tried and punished. 

Sometimes man creates laws that don’t quite make sense or don’t seem right. That conflict is the result of clashing with a higher moral standard known as moral rights. Moral rights are another form of human rights that exist simply because of human existence and are “inalienable liberties and protections [that] possess deeper and more enduring significance than any formal rights that might or might not be created by government.” (p.178)

Williams, C. R., & Arriago, B. A. (2012). Ethics, crime, and criminal justice (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.