The criminal justice system is composed of three parts – Police, Courts and Corrections – and all three work together to protect an individual’s rights and the rights of society to live without fear of being a victim of crime. According to merriam-webster.com, crime is defined as “an act that is forbidden or omission of a duty that is commanded by public law and that makes the offender liable to punishment by that law.” When all the three parts work together, it makes the criminal justice system function like a well tuned machine.
This first week the assignment was to Define crime, its relationship to the law, and the two most common models of how society determines which acts are criminal, Describe the government structure as it applies to the criminal justice system, Identify choice theories and the their assumptions in regards to crime, Describe the components of the criminal justice system and the criminal justice process, Identify the goals of the criminal justice system.
The Criminal Justice system, created by governments in order to make sure that no laws are being violated and to penalize individuals that violate the laws. In the United States there are many criminal justice systems. Each system works based on their jurisdiction. For example; city, county, federal or state. Every jurisdiction is different. They all have different ways of regulating certain processes. They also have their own laws. In the criminal justice system there are two main systems; state and federal. These two systems consists of five parts; corrections, courts, prosecution, law enforcement, and defense attorneys. Each of these five parts hold an extremely important role. Prosecutions consist of prosecutors who are lawyers the represent
First of all the criminal justice system is composed of agencies and processes established by government to control crime and enforce punishments on those who break laws. How the criminal justice system works in every capacity varies on the jurisdiction that is in charge be it, city, county, state, or federal. Different jurisdictions have different regulations, agencies and techniques of handling the criminal justice processes. The main systems include, state (state criminal justice systems deal with crimes committed in the states boundaries) and federal (the federal criminal justice system deals with crimes committed on federal property or in more than one state). Now, most criminal justice systems have five components, which often include;
The criminal justice system has been proven to play a very important role in society. The criminal justice system is used to keep the citizens in check and to make sure that the laws that are made are being followed. It also is there to penalize anyone who disobeys the laws. In the criminal justice system, there are 3 main parts, law enforcement, adjudication, and corrections. Law enforcement is self-explainable. It consists of the law enforcers such as police officers and sheriffs. Adjudication is made up of people in the court house such as judges and lawyers. Corrections is made up of jailhouse matters such as prison officials. In these many components of the criminal justice system, there are all put in place to help correct people to do the right thing. There are punitive efforts and rehabilitative efforts. At time, the system may lean towards one category or more, which can be dangerous in terms of disciplinary action. The criminal justice system is more punitive than rehabilitative which makes the system ineffective.
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 criminal justice system is a virtuous system. Its purpose is to prevent crime and to create a peaceful society. We acknowledge our rights from wrongs, we punish those who do in the wrong and not tolerate the bad actions of others. On the other hand, the system could be a bad thing because things aren’t always equal or people have different perspectives. Such as race, laws, and people. Perspectives on the hand meaning that everyone sees things in their own point of view. The police officers that we hold trust in are not always the ones to trust. The laws that we abide by can be corrupt or not easy to want to follow, such as prosecuting the wrong people for crimes that they did not commit. With the help of our law enforcements, courts,
The criminal justice system goal is to maintain social control and crime through sanctions and rehabilitation. There are laws in place to help keep people in control, because society needs a way to keep control of individuals who violate the law. You can see examples of the criminal justice system in the 2003 film Monster. You see the fear and risk of victimization, homicide, and police corruption. It shows realism that is happening in the world around us.
The news reports, crime daily. Crime is something that we cannot run from in today’s society; so we depend highly upon the justice system. Criminal Justice is a major concern. Criminal Justice consists of three areas: our police, courts and corrections department. The Criminal Justice system was put in place by these agencies, and established by the governments to help control the crimes and applies penalties to those that violate the law. Many people feel that the criminal justice system is there to protect and serve while others feel that the criminal justice system fails them daily.
“The criminal justice system is the set of agencies and processes established by governments to control crime and impose penalties on those who violate laws. There is no single criminal justice system in the United States but rather many similar, individual systems.” “Criminal justice is when a criminal who breaks the law is tried for their action, and sometimes punished for it according to the law. There are various people who help the community by catching the people who break the law, putting them in jail, gathering evidence, and keeping them in jail.
The criminal justice system as a whole can be looked at in numerous ways depending on the sub category you want to approach, whether it be the federal law, law enforcement or correctional programs. In most eyes, the federal law is the law of the land and by that it provides a stable community of rules that everyone must follow with efficiency while providing public safety. With that comes the enforcement of the law, the most common being police. In essence majority of the united states looks at the police in a positive light as they are providing support to the community, controlling crime and making the areas we live at safer on a daily basis. Finally you have the correctional programs which provide imprisonment or probation for those who
Fred is drunk and driving his dad’s car. Fred is a 21 year old student at Columbia College. Fred rams into a parked car at 10th and Rogers. Thinking no one saw him; Fred moves his car and parks it on an adjacent lot. He sprints to his dorm room in Miller Hall. A neighbor saw the wreck and Fred running to the dorm. Police are called and they arrive ten minutes after the wreck. The officers see several empty beer cans and a bottle of tequila (half full) in the front seat. The tags are traced to Fred’s dad, who is called by police. Dad says that Fred is a student at Columbia College. Police run Fred's record and determine that he has two prior DWIs within the past five years. The third DWI in 10 years is a felony. Police contact
We the people of the United States depend on the Criminal Justice system to prevail and never fail its citizens. Criminal Justice System is the ideological institution responsible for the protection, preservation of, and adherence to the civil rights and civil liberties expressed within the Constitution of the United States. The Criminal Justice System is obligated to defend, and uphold the legal rights of citizens in the event of the suspicion of criminal activity, the investigation process, and protocols within arrest and or sentencing. We want the fair and just court system and individuals that work for them to do what right. What happens when the justice system fails to do its parts? Many times it seems that they get away with and very
The old adage, "The more things change, the more they stay the same," first stated by Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr, perfectly describes the current Criminal Justice System in America. The racially-motivated statutes passed during Reconstruction, commonly known as the Jim Crow Laws, enforced and perpetuated the racial divide in the South supposedly eradicated by the Emancipation Proclamation and the end of the Civil War. Lasting until 1965, these statutes prevented African Americans from voting, owning land, and earning an equal education (Alexander 3). While not outwardly racist, through wording and enforcement, these laws subjugated African Americans to unfair and racist treatment.
Whenever the subject of justice arises in the mind, millions of questions flood the neurons of the brain. As one pauses to ponder over the birth of justice, often wonders what is really justice and why is it so important to us? What is the role of every individual in the matter of justice? Can anyone truly define it? Can a perfect justice be ever achieved? Whatever the dilemma, we know for sure, we cannot ignore this topic as long as we are living together as a human race! We, as individuals, and citizens certainly have some, if not all, important role to play in this battle of injustice versus justice. From fairytales to holy scriptures all over the world, expound the victory of good over evil. Surely, to achieve this, it has to do more than