The Three Major Components Of The Criminal Justice System

Ryan Willis West
Professor J. Paul Newman
Discuss the function and structure of the three major components of the criminal justice system (law enforcement, courts and corrections). Law enforcement is the beginning component in the criminal justice system. The people involved in this component are as follows; patrol officers, deputies, sheriffs, federal agents, wild game rangers, park rangers, and last but not least detectives as well any other people that typically come in contact with criminals first. These people are accountable for maintaining the laws, looking into crime and arresting the criminals that are accountable for the crime. Enforcers of the law must be well educated of the person’s rights of supposed wrongdoer for example Miranda rights, search and seizure rights and rational stops to designate a few. These personnel also need to be mindful of citizens’ and civil rights that way they do not break their rights or disable an investigation if a crime was actually committed.
Courts are the second component in the criminal justice system.
Major personnel involved in this component are as follows; judges, prosecutors, defense lawyers, as well as jury members. Most of these settings are controlled by personnel that have been voted in for example county attorneys, district attorneys, and judges. Defense attorneys are typically exclusive practicing attorneys who are educated in specific areas of the law, for example family or drug law, as well as they are usually hired by a defendant. Defendants who are unable to pay for legal assistance are given a public defender. The defendants get appointed one of two ways either from a public defender office or a nominal demand by the court. As is typical in some family law courts, the public defenders are personal attorneys in the field of which they are established with and are hired by clients but rotate cases nominally people in need of a court appointed
attorney. The last component of the U.S justice system is corrections. Corrections involves these personnel as follows; probation officers, parole officers, and last but not least corrections officers. These personnel make certain that convicted offenders obey their sentences given out to them by the courts as well as overseeing the criminals as they serve out their sentences. Correctional officers superintend criminals that are being took care of and serving out their sentences in prison. As well as correctional officers being stationed in prisons, they can also be found in county and local jailhouses, where inmates serve out time for misdemeanors or getting detained prior to or throughout trial. Probation officers watch over young adults and adolescents who are being watched by the courts instead of serving out their time in jail. These probation officers also control presentence examinations for the court system, providing suggestions for a sentence to a judge with their collecting of details. Parole officers give administration of criminals liberated from prison who are out sooner on parole, managing in-home visits, as well as drug tests and implementing obedience of parolees’ parole terms, as well as providing proposals of repeal when conditions have been broken. All three of these components of the U.S criminal justice system are necessary to the efficient operating of the bigger system all together.