Justice can be interpreted in many different ways. Most people believe that justice is when someone commits a crime, they need to get what they deserve and should be sentenced to years in prison. The reason people believe this stems from years ago when a person would have their hand cut off for stealing, or if someone committed murder, they would be killed themselves. Times have changed over the years and a lot of research has been conducted over the years and according to Schmalleger (2012) justice is about fairness, “moral rightness” or “truth in action” (p. 7). Justice is not just about fairness, righteousness, or truth, it is about trying to right wrongs that have been made and provide guidance to prevent any mistakes from happening again. The criminal justice system attempts to deter individuals from committing crimes and after conducting some research it has been noted that incarceration is not a deterrent from committing crimes (Vanenburgh, 2004). There must still be the fact that all individuals must be held accountable for their actions and must have consequences for breaking the law and the punishment should fit the crime. Justice is about how to balance the crime, fit the punishment to the crime, be fair with the punishment, and provide victims with relief that justice has been served. When trying to seek justice it is evident that everyone looks at the facts involved in the case to determine how justice should be done. Some facts that could be looked at could be the defendant's childhood situation, what situations may have caused the commission of the crime, whether the defendant suffers from mental illness, and the defendant's criminal history are good facts to take into consideration.... .middle paper ...returned to the community but was faced with the reality of being unable to find a job because of his crime. Luckily Richard found a job and has been successful since his release from prison. In Richard's case, justice was served through his time in prison, taking responsibility for his actions and learning how to cope with his illness, controlling his feelings, and learning how to be a successful citizen once released from prison. There must be a reason why an individual committed the crime in the first place, so if our justice system can separate why an individual committed a crime whether it is due to mental illness, drug addiction, or other personal issues that one can have and I can sentence them to the proper treatment that can change that person for the better, then in my eyes justice has been done.