Criminal Justice System Paper

762 Words4 Pages
Criminal Justice System The criminal justice system has many components that make up its system. Law enforcement, court systems, and correctional systems all play vital roles and work together to protect and serve the country as a whole. Before the criminal justice process can begin, a crime has to be committed. The laws determine if a crime has been committed, and then it is possible to determine the next step in the process. The criminal justice system has three central components: police, courts, and corrections. (Schmalleger, 2011) The police are the first in the system and possibly the most important. Police are made up patrol officers, investigators, and the office personnel who work beside them. Police are the ones who enforce the laws, investigate the crimes committed, and also apprehend the criminals. The police first have to conduct an initial investigation to decide whether or not a crime has actually been committed. If they decide that a crime has been committed, the patrol officer will normally conduct the initial investigation and write a report on his findings or the complainants accusations before the case is turned over to the investigators. The investigators will then conduct a more thorough investigation to solidify the case before it will be brought before the courts and the offender is apprehended unless the responding officer actually saw the crime being committed. The courts are next portion of the criminal justice system, and decide the innocence or guilt of the accused. The court will then decide on the sentencing of the criminals who have committed the crime or the acquittal of those who have been wrongly accused of committing a crime. The courts are made up of judges, juries, prosecutors, and defense attorneys. If the accused is found to be innocent by a jury of his peers, the judge will dismiss the case against the accused

More about Criminal Justice System Paper

Open Document