First, a case starts with the law enforcement. The police are first to make contact with accused offenders. Not only do the actions of law enforcement officers influence the criminal justice system, but police are said to be known as “gate keepers” of the system Police functions include gathering evidence, taking …show more content…
statements, conducting investigations, arresting offenders, and testifying in court. (Hendrix, 2013, p. 142) Though some rights acquired from the Constitution to protect the accused from violations and to overreach from law enforcement officers, the most important of these rights are the Miranda Rights, and the Fourth Amendment prohibits against unreasonable searches and seizures. When police take a suspect into custody, then the police required to read the Miranda rights to the suspect before they are questioned; which include the right to remain silent, the right against self-incrimination, and the right to an attorney. (Hendrix, 2013, p. 167) The prohibition on unreasonable searches and seizures prevents officers from searching a suspect or their home without a warrant. There are exceptions for situations, such as when an officer is in pursuit of a suspect or where evidence might be destroyed which is known as Fresh Pursuit. (Hendrix, 2013, p. 147,156)
The case then proceeds to the court system. After charges are filed, a case against the criminal offender will begin. The court system involves prosecutors who file charges against offenders, defense attorneys who defend offenders, and judges who preside over the cases. The prosecution is where the accused are confronted with the consequences of their crime. Prosecutors are responsible for enforcing the law, representing the government and community in matters of the law, and representing the government and the people in the matters of legislation and criminal justice reform. (Hendrix, 2013, p. 217) Defense Attorneys have a significant role in the criminal justice system due to the fact that they defend the offender at trial and make sure that the offender's rights are protected. (Hendrix, 2013, p. 220) There are plenty of restrictions on the court's ability to prosecute a case; the sixth amendment guarantees the rights of criminal defendants including the right to a jury trial, the right to counsel, the right to confront one's accusers, and the right against incriminating one's self. The primary purpose of all of these protections to ensure a fair trial for the accused. (Hendrix, 2013, p. 257)
Then finally, it goes to the corrections system to punish and correct the behavior of the offender.
Those that are found guilty of a crime may be suppressed to a variation of punishments. These include probation or parole, incarceration, and death. Probation can be supervised or unsupervised. Supervised probation orders the offender to check in regularly with a probation officer to ensure agreement with the terms of their probation. Unsupervised probation intends that a person only faces jail time if they violate the terms of their probation and violate the law ( Hendrix, 2013, p. 344) Parole is the release of a prisoner before the completion of a sentence, on the promise of good behavior, It allows the offender to serve the final portion of the sentence in the community. (Hendrix, 2013, p.350) Imprisonment is also a general result of criminal trials, especially in more severe cases. The criminal is removed from society through the use of jail or prison sentence. There are different types of sentences: indeterminate; determinate, or flat, fixed, or straight; definite; intermittent; and mandatory, in addition to others. (Hendrix, 2013, p. 285) the death sentence is the execution, or taking of the life, of an individual convicted of a crime, most typically murder (Hendrix, 2013, p. …show more content…
285)
What I also learned from this course is how to combine biblical principles in critical thinking and decision-making. Crime is prevalent throughout the world. The Bible explains that evil causes crime. The Lord recognized that the sinfulness of man was great on the earth. (Fischer, 2015, slide 11, 21) “The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time, “Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence.” (Genesis 6:5, 11) God established a government as the means of punishing criminals and protecting law-abiding citizens. (Fischer, 2015, Slide 20) Other scriptures that show how important abiding the law is would be 1Peter 2:13-14 which states that we need to listen and obey the rules and laws provided to us by our government because God gave them the position of the government and Romans 13:1-5 clearly breaks down the need for law and that God established authorities and there is always a consequence to our actions.
My original perceptions toward the criminal justice system have significantly changed.
I feel as though I used to think that the criminal justice system worked flawlessly and that all rules and laws were stable and for the most part obeyed. I have found though that this is not so, and the rules and laws of the criminal justice system are not stable and followed. I do not believe that my perceptions are based on truth because I follow crime shows and movies like Law and Order: SVU, Criminal Minds, and Bones to name a few. I merely thought that was what the criminal justice system was portrayed as. The media has a great deal to do with how we portray crime and how we deal with it. I believe that it is important for our perceptions and beliefs to be based on truth because Perception is not truth, and occasionally is a lie, and it is inaccurate to the facts. I think that it is necessary for us to seek the
truth.