An important way in which the criminal justice system has improved in recent times is that it has become more aware of the racial bias of many of its laws and processes. In the past, since the Reconstruction period, the criminal justice system has often affected African Americans in a dispropportionate way. However, our understanding of racial prejudice has become more refined, and these biases are more easily understood and avoided nowadays.
Another example of how the criminal justice system has changed in recent times is the fact that more emphasis has been placed on rehabilitation, as opposed to simple imprisonment. In the past, criminals were often imprisoned with the purpose of keeping them away from the rest of society. Nowadays, the law focuses more on rehabilitating them and helping them develop a life outside of prison upon their release.