Criminal Justice System Research Paper

Kristy Stump
Professor Wardrop
Criminal Justice 101
05 February 2011
The Criminal Justice System The ultimate goal of the criminal justice system is justice. The truth in action is criminal justice within the process called administration of justice. During the 60’s and 70’s the American criminal justice focused on the rights of criminal defendants while seeking to understand the root cause of crime and violence. The three core components of the American justice system are Police, Courts and Corrections. The police have several jobs throughout society just like the other two components. They are who enforce the laws made by the government, and they make sure that the Americans are safe. They have to investigate crimes before apprehending any offenders. They are in charge of reducing and preventing crimes against the laws of the government. On top of all of this they
are ensuring the safety of the community by providing 911 services, maintaining public order, and protecting the fundamental rights and freedom of individuals. The correctional agency is the second component in the America Criminal Justice System.
The correctional agencies carry out the sentences that the courts imply on the criminal that have either pled guilty or been found guilty at their trials. They provide a safe and humane place to hold the offenders. The correctional facility takes supervision of the convicted offenders to rehabilitate, reform, and reintegrate them back into the civilian world. They also make sure to respect the legal rights of the convicted offenders no matter their race, gender, religion, or their status in the financial world. The criminal court is the last of the components of the justice system but certainly not the least. The court systems were put into place to make sure fair and impartial trial to place with a jury of the defendant’s pears who determine guilt or innocence. By ensuring due process and upholding the law while protecting the rights of the defendant who is being charged. They require fairness throughout the justice process no matter the defendant’s race, gender, religion, or financial status in the
world. The American criminal justice system has came a long way since the 60’s. The times are forever changing just like the crimes and laws so therefore the three core components of the American justice system must be ready for these changes. They need to always be one step ahead of today’s criminal even though it doesn’t happen sometimes. All three core components of the American justice system are very important to each other due to the fact that it would be very hard for one to work without the other. Like if there were no police to investigate and to apprehend the suspect then there would not be no use for correctional facilitys or courts. If there were no correctional facilities there would be nowhere to hold the suspect after the police investigate and apprehend the suspect and the judges of the court system finds the suspect guilty. So all three components of the police, the correctional facility, and the courts are all needed for the justice system to work correctly for the citizans of the United States of America.