 | This user is a student editor in UW-Madison/Global_Politics_of_Policing_(Summer_2024). |
- Article Evaluation
- This page has a lot of potential, as well as being reasonably well sourced. one issue with it however (specifically in the section 'Depth of the Issue"), is that it makes value statements worryingly often, such as "Overcriminalization comes with problems as all excessive use or overuse of power does" or "This malicious utilization of the code to get around potential limitations damages the integrity of the criminal justice system and its goals". These statements need to be quoted from one of the sources, rather than one of the previous contributors, and should be weighed as to if they should even be included.
- In addition, the article does not explain any history of the usage of the term, simply including two sources of studying overcriminalization, without context or explanation of pressures that would lead to that research.
- Possible Improvements
- 1. Rewrite existing value statements in the context of their sources and authors, using direct quotes whenever possible to maintain impartiality on the part of the article.
- 2. Create a new section about the history of the term, who coined it first, and how long it has been in common parlance.
- 3. Include more international information, specifically on what dialogues are happening on overcriminalization in other countries worldwide (sources for this could include news reports of protests, government reports on crime and convictions, and academic papers on the subject).
- 4. Wherever possible, replace current news article sources with academic sources (especially for the definition and usage of the term, where the article currently uses a politico article written by oil CEO Charles Koch).
- Sources
- 1. https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/231036331.pdf Overcoming Overcriminalization by Stephen F. Smith
- -This source can be used for much more than the article currently does, and could provide a source for a section on "Causes".
- 2.https://sier.skku.edu/_res/sier/etc/2014-02.pdf Causes and Consequences of Overcriminalization by Bruce L. Benson and Iljoong Kim
- -This source can not only be used to provide a perspective on what crimes are bieng created (customary v. regulatory crimes), but also to provide for a section on overcriminalization in Korea.