Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Criminal Justice System
Criminal Justice System
Criminal Justice System - is the system of practices and institutions of governments directed at upholding soc
control, deterring and mitigating crime or sanctioning those who violate laws with criminal penalties
and rehabilitation efforts.
Goals of Criminal Justice
1. to protect individuals and society
2. to reduce crime by bringing offenders to justice
3. to increase the security of the people
Criminal Justice System consists of three main parts
1. legislative - create laws
2. courts - adjudication
3. corrections - jail, prison, probation, parole
Participants of Criminal Justice System
1. police - first contact of offender since they investigate wrongdoing and makes arrest.
2. prosecution - proves the guilt or innocence of wrongdoers.
3. court - venue where disputes are settled and justice is administered.
4. correction - after accused is found guilty, he is put to jail or prison to be reformed.
5. community - where the convict after service of sentence comes back to be integrated to be a productive
member of society.
Community Policing - the system of allocating officers to particular areas so that they become familiar with th
local inhabitants.
Early History of Punishment
1. Early Greece and Rome
a. most common state administered punishment
Sensational Crime - certain offenses are selected for their sensational nature and made into national issues.Mu
of what we know about crime comes from the media.
Street Crime - includes a wide variety of acts both in public and private spaces including interpersonal violenc
and property crime.
Justice - the quality of being just, fair and reasonable.
Rule of law - is a legal maxim whereby governmental decisions be made by applying known legal principles.
Judge - a public officer who presides over court proceedings and hear and decide cases in a court of law either
alone or as part of a panel of judges.
Prosecutor - the person responsible for presenting the case in a criminal trial against an individual accused of
breaking the law.
Law - is a system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs,
maintain the stability of political and social authority and deliver justice.
Plaintiff - the person who brings a case against another in court of law.
Respondent - the defendant in a lawsuit.
Appellee - the respondent in a case appealed to a higher court.
Appellant - the party who appeals the decision of the lower court. A person who applies to a higher court for a
reversal of the decision of a lower court.
Stare Decisis - the legal principle of determining points in litigation according to precedent. Latin for "to stand
that which is decided", general practice of adhering to previous decisions when it makes new one.
Miranda Doctrine - criminal suspect has the right to remain silent which means they have the right to refuse t
answer questions from the police.They have the right to an attorney and if they can not afford an attorney, one
Writ - a form of written command in the name of the court or other legal authority to act or abstain from acting
some way.
Subpoena - is a writ issued by a court authority to compel the attendance of a witness at a judicial proceeding.
Summon - a legal document issued by a court or administrative agency of government authoritatively or urgen
call on someone to be present.
Discretion - the use of personal decision making and choice in carrying out operations in the criminal
justice system.
What is twelve table? early Roman laws written around 450 BC which regulated family.religious, and econom
life.