preview

Criminal Justice System Essay

Decent Essays

In the criminal justice system, the main goal of all three components is to deter crime and make sure those who have been convicted of a crime serve their time. Each component of the criminal justice system is broken down into different divisions. Within law enforcement, there is local, state, and federal law enforcement. In the courts, there is the judge, prosecutors, and defense attorney. Lastly, in corrections, there is probation, incarceration, and community-based corrections. Law enforcement officials function to keep people from committing crime and apprehending those who do. The courts then decide who is guilty or innocent. Finally, corrections is meant for the criminal to correct their behavior.

The job of law enforcement is to investigate …show more content…

The purpose of this division is to provide the criminal a route to rehabilitate themselves and serve their sentence. There are three different types of sentences a person can receive, probation, incarceration, and community-based corrections. Probation allows the offender to return to the community if not a harmful threat to society. They are given a parole officer that checks to make sure they are following their rules given by the judge and not breaking anymore laws. If the offender does not follow the rules it can lead to incarceration. Incarceration is a correctional facility where an offender is sent to serve their time. The two incarceration places are jail or prison. People go to jail for minor crimes or those with short sentences. Prison is for major crime offenders and those will long sentences. The last option for criminals is community-based corrections. They will be sent to a place that will provide them with the necessary care and preparation for returning into the community. Some places include halfway houses, residential centers, and work-release centers. People who do not pose a threat to society or need help that incarceration will not provide will be sent to community-based corrections

Get Access