The Key Components Of The Criminal Justice System

Naomi Sewpaul
Mrs. Holland
Internship
28 October 2016
The Criminal Justice System What would The United States do without the criminal justice system? The criminal justice system is supposed to control crime and give punishment for those who commit a crime. It plays an immense role on America and the way crimes are handle. There are three main components that make up the criminal justice system and the way it functions. Law enforcement, courts, and corrections make up this system, and without these three components America would not be the way it is today. Law enforcement is one of the most important components. There are several different jobs that are considered to be law enforcement. Sheriffs and deputies, patrol officers, detectives, federal agents, park rangers, etc. are all law enforcement jobs. These are the individuals
who come in contact with the criminal first (Dunning).
The most important responsibilities for law enforcers is to uphold the law, and investigate the crime that has taken place. They are always the first people at a crime scene. They take reports and collect any evidence that is shown (Dunning). The courts are the second component of the criminal justice system.
The people who make up this component are judges, defense lawyers, prosecutors and jury members. They each play a significant role in the courts, and without one of them the court process will not work ("The Criminal Justice System.").
Judges are the head of the court. They make the decision in many criminal cases and nearly all civil cases. Judges play the most important role when it comes to the court process in the criminal justice system. “The judge is the “trier of fact’, deciding whether the evidence is credible and which witnesses are telling the truth” ("The Role of the Judge”).
A criminal defense attorney plays the role of defending a person who was accused of committing a crime. They are either hired by the defendant or appointed by the court if the defendant cannot afford one (Dunning). A good defense attorney tries to get their client out on bail, and tries to talk to the district attorney about reducing or dropping charges. The main job for defense attorneys is to protect their client’s rights and to defend them in court ("The Criminal Justice
System.").
A prosecutor is also known as a district attorney. They are the ones who work for the state or government and try to put criminals in prison. Law enforcement bring evidence to the prosecutors so they can review the case and decided whether they should proceed with the charges ("The Criminal Justice System.").
In some court cases jury members are needed. The role of the jury members is to listen to a case and decide whether the person being accused of the crime is “guilty “or “not guilty”. Even when a jury is present the judge still plays a huge role in the case (Dunning).
Correction is the last component in the criminal justice system. Probation, parole and correction offices make up this component. Their job is to supervise people who have been convicted of crimes (Dunning).
Probation officers supervise offenders who have been let out before serving their sentence. Parole officers supervise offenders after they have been released from prison, and correction officers supervise inmates while they are in prison (Dunning).
Without the three parts of the criminal justice system the United States with not be the same. Criminals would be free and crime rates would go up extremely. Law enforcements, the courts, and corrections will always be needed throughout the US.