Essay On The Criminal Justice System
The American criminal justice system makes up a huge part of a society. Not only in the sense that many people actively work in this system, but it impacts our society in a major way. Crime, according to the chapter, is when people in the community deviate from the norm of that society. Crime will always exist, in any place where there is a group of people. The consequences of one or more people committing a crime can help improve the society.
The government has tried many times to pass legislation that deters crime. Whether that mean more police officers, harsher punishment for crimes, or stricter policies for the community, it may or may not work out.
The structure of the criminal justice system is very complicated, but can be split up into different sections: law enforcement, court, and corrections. All of these things work on a local, state, and federal level, which makes it a decentralized government.
The first step in the criminal justice system is law enforcement, where about 18,000 agencies exist locally and federally. The first step in this process is the “initial contact”, which includes an officer or citizen …show more content…
All of these operate on a local and federal level, with the highest appellate court being the U.S. Supreme Court. The Courts are where the defendant is charged (or not) with a crime, and sentenced (given the punishment). It begins with the charging of the defendant, where a prosecutor decides if the suspect deserves to be charged. Later, there is an initial appearance or a preliminary hearing. After this, defendants can either post bail (to remove them from the holding jail) or continue as a detainee. Most cases go to trial at all, due to plea bargaining, which is the act of pleading guilty in exchange for some perks. Lastly is the actual trial, and then the defendant can appeal if he or she felt that they were not given due
The government has tried many times to pass legislation that deters crime. Whether that mean more police officers, harsher punishment for crimes, or stricter policies for the community, it may or may not work out.
The structure of the criminal justice system is very complicated, but can be split up into different sections: law enforcement, court, and corrections. All of these things work on a local, state, and federal level, which makes it a decentralized government.
The first step in the criminal justice system is law enforcement, where about 18,000 agencies exist locally and federally. The first step in this process is the “initial contact”, which includes an officer or citizen …show more content…
All of these operate on a local and federal level, with the highest appellate court being the U.S. Supreme Court. The Courts are where the defendant is charged (or not) with a crime, and sentenced (given the punishment). It begins with the charging of the defendant, where a prosecutor decides if the suspect deserves to be charged. Later, there is an initial appearance or a preliminary hearing. After this, defendants can either post bail (to remove them from the holding jail) or continue as a detainee. Most cases go to trial at all, due to plea bargaining, which is the act of pleading guilty in exchange for some perks. Lastly is the actual trial, and then the defendant can appeal if he or she felt that they were not given due