3 Main Parts Of The System

459 Words2 Pages
The criminal justice system is made up of a collection of federal, state, and local public agencies that are charged with the top level responsibility of crime control. These agencies process suspects, defendants, and convicted offenders and are interdependent in that the decisions of one agency affect all the other agencies. The criminal justice system consists of three main parts: law enforcement/ police; courts and corrections. These three distinct areas that are made up of many separate agencies, operate together to try to ensure that justice is served. There are two theories of criminal justice that show ways in which the 3 main parts of the system work together. Those two theories are the Consensus Model and the Conflict Model. The consensus model posits that the three core components work together cordially and without controversy. In contrast, the conflict model posits that the three components work to service their own well being and benefit individually. Police are government officials in charge of regulating and controlling affairs within the community. Police are designed to regulate, control, or keep order with or as if with a law enforcement agency. The functions of the police are to enforce the law, investigate crimes, apprehend criminals, maintain public order, prevent and reduce crime, and ensure community safety. The prosecutorial phase is perhaps the most critical stage of the criminal justice process, as it is at this point that many of the rights of an alleged offender and crime victim are brought into play. The offender's rights in the court proceedings include: The right to have legal representation. The right to a speedy trial. The right to be informed regarding the proceedings and he right to be heard. Each of these rights should be guaranteed to both parties, but currently only the alleged offender is unconditionally guaranteed
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