Essay on Criminal Justice System
Assignment 1 Robert D. Brown Professor Aprille W. Campbell Lithonia Campus CRJ 100 April 13, 2013 STRAYER UNIVERSITY [pic] The criminal justice system is a group of component agencies, which consist of the police, followed by the courts, and the corrections. Each component supports each other to achieve the overall success of the criminal justice system. The system begins with the police where the law is enforced, if a crime is committed it is the policeman duty to investigate and apprehend the criminals for questioning.
These are not the only functions of the police according to; Frank Schmalleger Criminal Justice Today Eleventh Edition “the police enforce the law, investigate crimes, apprehend offenders, reduce and prevent crimes, maintain public order, ensure public safety, provide emergency and related community services, and protect the fundamental rights and freedom of individuals. Many individuals look at the policeman as the “BAD GUY” but this is a very important job and is critical to the criminal justice system. The criminal courts system is the second phase of the criminal justice system.
Is very important to maintain professionalism at all times, fairness, integrity, and impartiality is expected of all criminal justice personnel at every stage of the criminal case processing. During this process it is the duty of the courts to ensure that the highest standards and expectations are met and maintained during the entire criminal courts process. The criminal courts must conduct fair and impartial trials, decide criminal cases, and ensure due process, the idea that laws and legal proceedings must be fair.
The Constitution guarantees that the government cannot take away a person’s basic rights to ‘life, liberty or property, without due process of law. ‘ Courts have issued numerous rulings about what this means in particular cases, (According to www. lectlaw. com). The courts system must determine guilty or innocent, and only impose sentences on guilty personnel. The criminal justice system is charged to uphold the law and be fair throughout out the justice process. Protect the freedom and rights of anyone facing processing by the justice system, and must provide a check on the exercise of power by other justice system agencies
The third and final stage of the criminal justice system is the correctional agencies, once an offender has been sentenced, the corrections stage begins. Once in the correctional system there are many local procedures and the individual are assigned to confinement facilities and treatment facilities. All correctional facilities are charged to provide safe and humane custody and supervision of offenders. Some criminals with minimal offenses are housed in lower security facilities and have many more privileges. Those with more serious crimes such as rape, killers, and organized crimes are housed in the maximum security facilities.
The purpose of the correctional facility is to punish criminals for their crimes and depending on the charge try to rehabilitate the individual, followed by reform, and reintegrate convicted offenders back into the community. The rehabilitation phase is a lengthy process, which includes counseling, and many different classes that are designed to help the convicted offenders make better choices in life. The correctional facility often has repeat offenders; some of these crimes are Murder, Rape, Robbery, Aggravated Assault, Burglary, Larceny-theft, and Motor Vehicle Theft.
While serving time in a correctional facility, the legal and human fights of the convicted must be treated with respect at all times. The criminal justice system is a long and drawn out process, that has many steps to ensure that everyone is entitled to fairness and equal treatment. Without following the correct procedures, in the criminal justice system there could be errors that could include false imprisonment, and could create many other problems for the criminal justice system. References Frank Schmalleger Criminal Justice Today Eleventh Edition, Retrieved April 13, 2013 www. lectlaw. com
